# Well, it's new car time. Recommendations? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 3, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321 "2009-02-03T22:36:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/61 "2009-02-11T02:36:40Z")
I only got a chance to test drive some Toyotas over the weekend. And I really am not liking the Yaris. It’s cute, handles pretty well, and gets good mileage, but that weird instrument panel and crappy visibility are really bugging me. I think I have to cross it off. The Corolla, I really like, but it just feels like a grown-up car, dammit. And I’m young and fun and lively. Yeah, I know, I’m an adult, nothing wrong with a “grown-up” car. But my Mom drives a Corolla. Bit of a psychological block in place here. I also talked to the mechanic again and got some more opinions on my car and its troubles. I’ve got issues with the suspension and axle that will need fixing within a couple of months, which he says will cost around $1000. Then there’s the timing belt which has never been changed on this car, which does not _need_ changing, necessarily, but it’s probably due for a replacement and if it goes, the car’s dead. That’s about $600ish. And the mechanic thinks that with that stuff fixed, I’ve got at the very least another year, barring any disasters. Quite likely longer than a year. It’s a 1987 Honda Accord hatchback with only 80k miles on it. So now I’m stuck with a different dilemma. Is it worth it to fix up the car and hold off buying a new car for as long as I can? This stuff really hurts my brain, because I do **not** know cars at all and I’m so scared to screw up. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/62 "2009-02-11T02:38:33Z")
1987? That’s 22 years old. I’m all for holding onto cars, but after 10 years or so the problems start to mount up. If you’re job and money situation is stable, I don’t think you’ll find a better time to get a new car. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/63 "2009-02-11T02:58:04Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > \ > The Corolla, I really like, but it just feels like a grown-up car, dammit. And I’m young and fun and lively. Yeah, I know, I’m an adult, nothing wrong with a “grown-up” car. But my Mom drives a Corolla. Bit of a psychological block in place here. > \ I know what you mean - when I was test-driving Corollas and Elantras, the Elantra seemed much more peppy than the Corolla (both in stickshift versions); the Corolla seemed to be more solid, but less fun. Course, I _am_ 42 and have no problems driving a grown-up car (and I did try to buy an Elantra first). You have to know too that you’ll find a dozen Corollas in every parking lot wherever you go - I put pretty decals and pinstripes on mine so I can distinguish it in parking lots! 🙂 $1600 to fix up a Honda doesn’t seem too outrageous to me - I wouldn’t put that money into a domestic, but it might be worth it in a Honda with only 160,000 kms on it. I dunno - that is a tough call. Looking at reviews of the 1987 Honda Accord, they seem to be one of the most reliable cars built, but 22 years old is 22 years old (and if most of those years were in Canada, those are hard years). On a somewhat mean note, I don’t think cars are as cheap in the US as they are going to get. Maybe you put the $1600 into your Honda now, and buy a new car in a year or two when they are at rock-bottom prices (or pick up a lightly-used one from someone who has to sell). ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/64 "2009-02-11T04:54:47Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > $1600 to fix up a Honda doesn’t seem too outrageous to me - I wouldn’t put that money into a domestic, but it might be worth it in a Honda with only 160,000 kms on it. I dunno - that is a tough call. Looking at reviews of the 1987 Honda Accord, they seem to be one of the most reliable cars built, but 22 years old is 22 years old (and if most of those years were in Canada, those are hard years). Actually, it was my aunt’s car up until two years ago. She lives here near DC - the car’s never actually been to Canada! She and my uncle usually walk to work, and this was their second car, so it barely got used. Based on all the papers she gave me when she gave me the car, it was well maintained and treated pretty well. As far as cars being cheap now… they’re not really. Dealerships are pleading and begging and doing everything they can to get rid of the **big** cars, the SUVs, the trucks, but the little efficient cars, which everyone wants right now, aren’t being offered with any discounts or incentives. So maybe waiting does make sense. At the very least, it would mean I’d have more money aside by then and maybe not need as big a car loan. Anyone else got an opinion on throwing money at a 22-yr-old Honda in hopes of extending its life a little? I _want_ a new car, but if I know I don’t _need_ one (because mine can be made to last), then I feel like I’m not justified in buying one. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/65 "2009-02-11T16:23:42Z")
80K miles is not much at all, so I think you’ve got a lot of useful life left in the car. If it were mine, I’d fix it and keep driving it. I’d also get the timing belt done pretty soon. A lot of cars have a so-called “interference” engine design, in which if the timing belt breaks, the pistons come up in the cylinder and bend over all your valves, and it’s new engine time. Some cars (not many) have non-interference designs, and if you break the timing belt nothing much happens besides having to replace the belt–but I strongly suspect that your Honda is an interference type. So it’s good practice to replace the timing belt every 60-80K miles. (Incidentally, the Suzuki I recommended earlier in this thread has a timing chain–no belt replacements needed. 😃 ) In the meantime, start setting money aside, and when your Honda finally craps out, about 80K miles from now, you can pay cash for its replacement. ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/66 "2009-02-11T17:05:32Z")
Yes, Gates says your engine is an interference type engine. Apparently you are driving a car from 1987 that’s still on the original timing belt. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/67 "2009-02-11T17:20:19Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > …but the little efficient cars, which everyone wants right now, aren’t being offered with any discounts or incentives.. Indeed they are. True, the discounts aren’t as deep, but if you follow the links I sent you from Edmunds, you will see that many small cars are getting either low APR% or a rebate. Not to mention a dealer discount. Some cars are hot at times, where demand exceeds availability. A little while ago it was the Prius, now it’s the Fit. But the Civic has a Low APR right now, for example, and there’s deals on the Focus, Astra, Hyundai, and Cobalt. Not to mention the 2008 Subaru Forester, a great car. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/68 "2009-03-04T03:19:55Z")
Well, the old car finally ended up needing more money in repairs than I was willing to put in, so I bought a new car last week. Thanks to all of you for your advice and your help in researching new cars - after scouring the internet and comparing options and prices and safety ratings, I ended up with a Honda Fit. I am in _love_ with the new car. I didn’t go for the sport options in the end, because it didn’t really seem worth it for the extra money. But it’s a fabulous little car and it’s fun to drive and I’m absolutely sure that I made the right choice. The visibility is much better than in the Yaris. The magic back seats are great, and I was stunned at how easy they are to manipulate. The seats are comfy. The glowing blue lights on the dash are neat. And it’s just plain adorable. I think I’ll go for another drive. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/69 "2009-03-04T14:33:11Z")
That’s awesome, that car should last you a very long time. ---
**Author:** ![Landshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/77aa72/32.png) [@Landshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Landshark)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/70 "2009-03-04T14:43:13Z")
Congratulations! I’m sure you’ll remain very happy with the choice, as I am with my Fit. FYI - It might be of interest to know there are at least a couple forums out there dedicated to the Fit. Googling for “Honda Fit forum” (without the quotes) should put them at the top of the results. (You’ll also see references in the results to the Honda Jazz, which I think is the name used in Canada for the car.) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/71 "2009-03-04T17:36:02Z")
> [@anu-la1979](#): > > I have an '05 Civic. It’s a gem of a car even though it isn’t anything fancy. Pretty much everything everyone here said. I was in a 4 car collision\* in 2007 and they had to rebuild the entire car because the chassis had crumpled (seriously, the cost of repairs was $500 less than the bloody blue book value)-I was in the accident in SF and drove the car down to LA that day. > > But…ummm…aren’t American cars pretty cheap right now? There isn’t a single one that’s worth buying? Isn’t the Pontiac Vibe a similar concept to the Toyota Matrix? > \*Not at fault, before anyone snarks me. I was rearended on the highway by a guy who was rearended a split second after he hit me and the force of their collisons pushed me into the car 10 feet in front of me. Yikes! If the chassis was crumpled, you should have insisted they “total” the car - it’s not going to be as strong in future accidents. **Typo Knig** ’s Civic (a 1990 model) was totalled in a very similar-sounding accident back in 1998. We could see wrinkles in the roof of the car. That said: We’ve got a 98 Civic (and an 06 CRV) and both have been great cars. Maybe once a year we’ll get a 500ish repair bill, probably less than that; this is in addition to the scheduled maintenance. Admittedly the Civic isn’t anything special to look at - sort of generic small-sedan-y - which means it might not suit the OP. When the CRV is paid off (about 2 years) we’ll start putting aside money to replace the Civic, which will be 12 years old by then and _possibly_ time to replace it. On the other hand, it’s held up pretty well so far so we won’t be in any rush. On posting, I see you’ve already made your choice. Enjoy the new wheels!! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/72 "2009-03-04T22:16:54Z")
Not alot of love for Detroit here, I see. I know I am late to the party, but another car that always seems to get stready reviews is the Ford Focus. We’ve had one for 170K and have been happy. If I could get more info on the Ford Flex, and win the stupid lottery, I’d probably get that one (depending on reviews.) We have to buy American. My husbands’ and all our neighbor’s jobs’ require it. ---
**Author:** ![Jelymag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jelymag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelymag)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/73 "2009-03-04T23:16:47Z")
Wish I had seen this a few weeks ago. WE just went car shopping this weekend. Like a couple of others, we prefer to buy American if possible. We ended up getting a 2008 chevy aveo without a lot of options, and we got a pretty good price, but a very crappy interest rate on the loan. We weren’t looking for anything spectacular, my 1999 taurus was getting too expensive to keep fixing. We got it used at carmax and it has been a piece of crap pretty consistently ever since. Hopefully we’ll be happy with our aveo. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/74 "2009-03-05T02:33:00Z")
> [@Jelymag](#): > > Wish I had seen this a few weeks ago. WE just went car shopping this weekend. Like a couple of others, we prefer to buy American if possible. We ended up getting a 2008 chevy aveo So, your preference to buy American resulted in a purchase of a Korean-built car? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/75 "2009-03-05T03:16:09Z")
Will you people stop buying all the Fits so that there’ll be one left for me? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/76 "2009-03-05T12:37:33Z")
There is a new GM car, I think, that is ready to be launched really soon. It was up for Car of the Year but lost to a Japanese car. Volt? It looked pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/77 "2009-03-05T15:29:31Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > …I ended up with a Honda Fit. 😃 Told you so! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/57b2e6/32.png) [@Quasimodal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodal)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/78 "2009-03-06T06:15:53Z")
I love my Maz 3. It’s very highly rated. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ1z9PwE6do](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ1z9PwE6do) It’s very fun and is eager to drive. I think it’s the most stylish for a compact car. Ford owns I think 14% of Mazda, and I believe I read that the engine is a Mazda engine and not a Ford engine. The interior looks great! It has average resale, and average fuel economy, good acceleration, and great handling. Just thought I’d chime in, most people here haven’t recommended it very much. It’s quite popular in Canada. Here’s another one. Mazda 3 comes in 2nd. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YpkQMBc-p8](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YpkQMBc-p8) ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321/79 "2009-03-06T07:05:35Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > There is a new GM car, I think, that is ready to be launched really soon. It was up for Car of the Year but lost to a Japanese car. > > Volt? Yes, the Volt is the car I’m trying to keep mine running long enough to buy. Serial hybrid: you plug it in at night (at $.02/mile) to charge a battery and it drives as an all-electric – once you exceed 40 miles or so the charge gives out and it starts a gasoline engine to run the electric system. For me, I would use no gasoline at all for normal driving (I live about 8 miles from work), but it could still be an only car because of the gasoline extended range. That said, “really soon” is an overstatement. “Late 2010” is the current estimate, and that’s assuming that GM manages to stay in business that long and the schedule doesn’t slip. I wouldn’t put a wager higher than the price of a GM stock share on either of those things. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-its-new-car-time-recommendations/484321.md?page=3)