The big car debate

Sep 23, 2007 18:47

We went car shopping yesterday with my dad since he was in town for the weekend. We stopped by the Saturn dealership and test drove the Saturn Ion. It's cute, but not quite what I want ( Read more... )

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loving_martinis September 24 2007, 00:30:37 UTC
I'd say go for the 2007. The thing about Toyotas is they keep their value which is awesome (especially since I'm a Toyota owner lol) But even so, for $2600 less you'll have something newer and with less mileage.

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shortpixy September 24 2007, 01:13:13 UTC
My husband has a Camry and we love it. Bought it about four years old with 80,000 miles and it's going great (except for the muffler he broke by running into the curb!).

That's our thought too. But the Yaris is more expensive than the Corolla, but with a lot less mileage. We're hoping we can haggle them down to around $11K.

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tamunra September 24 2007, 02:29:15 UTC
The mileage on the Corolla is pretty high. I think average mileage is 12000 per year, whereas the Corolla was being driven between 17 and 20 thousand miles per year. If you're going to have an extended loan (say for 5 or 6 years), it's best to get something newer. I'd go for a car 3 years newer with less-than-average mileage. The Yaris would be like getting a new car.

That said, it's a shame the Yaris doesn't list cruise control. It's pretty handy on long trips.

Both are very cute cars. I'd test drive both - you might get an awesome feeling for the way one is laid out inside or the way one drives. And that's just as important.

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shortpixy September 24 2007, 02:31:46 UTC
I was worried about the mileage on the Corolla, as was my mother. After talking more about it, we're leaning towards the Yaris. Now we have to figure out if we can afford it.

I hope that the Yaris just overlooked listing the cruise control. However, we normally take my husband's car on long trips, so I'm not very worried.

We're hoping to test drive it on Thursday!

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theatre_junkie September 25 2007, 00:22:22 UTC
I'm actually not convinced it has cruise... the controls I see coming off the steering column are (in my car) lights on the left and windshield wipers on the right.

You can actually have cruise added after market from, like, Ziebarts. I bought mine with cruise, but it's after market.

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shortpixy September 25 2007, 00:27:34 UTC
Ah! I didn't know you could add that after market. I wonder how much that would be?

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theatre_junkie September 24 2007, 21:44:31 UTC
I'm not terribly worried about the mileage; mine is a 2001 Corolla with 75k and it's gonna be 3 or 4 years before I buy a new one (unless my mother continues being an ass, in which case it'll become her new car). I know people who've driven Toyotas 400,000 miles.

Also, the S model Corolla was brand new in 2002 when we were shopping and I REALLY wanted it. You may have issues seeing over the dash, though - it's really high and the seat is really low. The seat has adjustable height, but nonetheless, it was even hard for me.

The Yaris is more like what we bought - we paid $12K for a 1 year old car with 20k miles. Check the Consumer Reports ratings on the Yaris, but my guess is that car would last you a decade, if you wanted it to (look at me, going on 2008 with a 2001 car in good shape). ALSO, that car should come with the balance of factory warranty.

Now that you have an idea about cars you like, do some online dealer shopping around - even if you really like THAT car, it might give you some bargaining power.

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shortpixy September 24 2007, 21:49:25 UTC
We think the deal is really spiffy; I hope to test drive it tomorrow night. Consumer Guide online seems to think it's pretty amazing, as does Auto Guide. I haven't made it to the library and I don't think I will.

Yes, I know have an idea of what I like and can keep shopping. This is why we're doing this now, rather than waiting for the Saturn to die. Gives me more flexibility.

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