Help! I need to buy a car
September 26, 2010 6:48 AM Subscribe
I need a safe, reliable, and cheap car -- can you help me navigate the internet maze to find the most efficient sources on where/what to buy? New or used? etc.
More details:
I live in Minneapolis. I have two kids. And now I need a car.
It has to be big enough for two car seats, safe enough to drive in the snow, and cheap enough to afford!
thanks.
More details:
I live in Minneapolis. I have two kids. And now I need a car.
It has to be big enough for two car seats, safe enough to drive in the snow, and cheap enough to afford!
thanks.
I'd go with a Civic, Corolla, Accord, or Camry. Maybe a newer Hyundai, that'd probably work OK for you, too. Put good snow tires on in winter - not just all-seasons. The difference between the two is astounding. You really don't need anything AWD or 4WD unless you literally live on the side of a mountain if you get good snow tires.
I have a Scion xA, which fits two car seats, but it pretty small. My husband has the xB, which is a little bigger and fits a good amount of stuff. Both have survived 4 New England winters, one as a courier bringing bags from Logan Airport to upstate NH, VT, and Maine in the dead of wintery night. They're not for everyone, but they're now pretty cheap (mine's worth less than $7k, and it's 4 years old) - and I have spent very little on upkeep, just routine maintenance.
posted by kpht at 7:22 AM on September 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
I have a Scion xA, which fits two car seats, but it pretty small. My husband has the xB, which is a little bigger and fits a good amount of stuff. Both have survived 4 New England winters, one as a courier bringing bags from Logan Airport to upstate NH, VT, and Maine in the dead of wintery night. They're not for everyone, but they're now pretty cheap (mine's worth less than $7k, and it's 4 years old) - and I have spent very little on upkeep, just routine maintenance.
posted by kpht at 7:22 AM on September 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
Not sure how cheap you want to go, but my husband and I both drive Ford Focuses in Peoria, which isn't as snowy as Minneapolis, but gets some fair winter. Mine was bought new and is 10 years old, his was bought slightly used and is 8 years old. Both have needed only routine and minor maintenance. (I had to get a strut replaced after 8 years; his had a minor ignition problem.)
I paid $14,000 new for mine in 2000; his was $7,000 for a 2002 model with 6,000 miles on it in 2004.
Fitting one car seat is no problem. HOWEVER, because my husband is very tall (6'4"), he would not be able to fit two rear-facing car seats at once because he has the driver's seat so far back. Putting a toddler booster seat behind the driver's seat is no problem, so a baby seat could go behind the passenger. (I'll also note, my 2000 has only one set of LATCHES, in the middle; his 2002 has LATCHES for all rear seats. So make sure to check that when you buy used, but I can't imagine you'd be buying old enough used that it didn't have LATCHES all around.) Good friends of ours also drive Focuses and have two child seats in the back. (We're still at one safety seat, but two won't be a problem.)
As with many sedans, you do a lot of ducking and diving to get babies in and out of their baby seats. I've hit both my head and the baby's on occasion, but that seems to be the case in any sedan.
We are looking at a Mazda 5, the mini minivan, as our next car now that we've got more kid-and-stuff hauling to do, which is cheap as far as minivans go, but I can't say anything about its snow-driving abilities or personally attest to its reliability! :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:29 AM on September 26, 2010
I paid $14,000 new for mine in 2000; his was $7,000 for a 2002 model with 6,000 miles on it in 2004.
Fitting one car seat is no problem. HOWEVER, because my husband is very tall (6'4"), he would not be able to fit two rear-facing car seats at once because he has the driver's seat so far back. Putting a toddler booster seat behind the driver's seat is no problem, so a baby seat could go behind the passenger. (I'll also note, my 2000 has only one set of LATCHES, in the middle; his 2002 has LATCHES for all rear seats. So make sure to check that when you buy used, but I can't imagine you'd be buying old enough used that it didn't have LATCHES all around.) Good friends of ours also drive Focuses and have two child seats in the back. (We're still at one safety seat, but two won't be a problem.)
As with many sedans, you do a lot of ducking and diving to get babies in and out of their baby seats. I've hit both my head and the baby's on occasion, but that seems to be the case in any sedan.
We are looking at a Mazda 5, the mini minivan, as our next car now that we've got more kid-and-stuff hauling to do, which is cheap as far as minivans go, but I can't say anything about its snow-driving abilities or personally attest to its reliability! :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:29 AM on September 26, 2010
If you want AWD, consider the 2008 or later Mitsubishi Lancer, a 2008 or later Subaru Impreza, or a Subaru Forester or Legacy from this or the last generation (2003 on, I think). Any car you buy, new or used, should have electronic stability control.
A note on the Impreza: I just got one, and I'm very happy with it, but the trunk space is on the low end of the scale for a car of this size. Other than that, the back seat is pretty spacious and has mounting points for two ISO child seats. Also, most models do not have electronic stability control - only the most expensive one does, IIRC.
posted by Dr Dracator at 8:30 AM on September 26, 2010
A note on the Impreza: I just got one, and I'm very happy with it, but the trunk space is on the low end of the scale for a car of this size. Other than that, the back seat is pretty spacious and has mounting points for two ISO child seats. Also, most models do not have electronic stability control - only the most expensive one does, IIRC.
posted by Dr Dracator at 8:30 AM on September 26, 2010
For reliability, check out Consumer Reports and TrueDelta.
As far as snow goes, you don't necessarily need the all-wheel-drive. Just get good snow tires and you should be fine.
I have too much to say on this topic, so I'll just cut it down to the essentials. Avoid these brands used: VW, Audi, BMW, MINI, Saab, and any Volvo made in the last 15 years.
posted by spiderskull at 8:46 AM on September 26, 2010
As far as snow goes, you don't necessarily need the all-wheel-drive. Just get good snow tires and you should be fine.
I have too much to say on this topic, so I'll just cut it down to the essentials. Avoid these brands used: VW, Audi, BMW, MINI, Saab, and any Volvo made in the last 15 years.
posted by spiderskull at 8:46 AM on September 26, 2010
Most local libraries carry the annual consumer reports car buying guides which has an excellent overview of all the things you'll want to know about. If you're thinking used, just get one of the older ones, or I think they've started making a used car buying guide as well.
posted by Cogito at 12:06 PM on September 26, 2010
posted by Cogito at 12:06 PM on September 26, 2010
"While cars of all sizes can do very well in single-car crash tests, small cars do poorly when crashed into larger cars. I would consider a mid-sized car or small SUV like the Subaru Forester to up the safety quotient."
Since larger vehicles are the problem, getting a larger vehicle does not increase everyone's safety. Unless driving ability is correlated with size of vehicle.
Older larger vehicles are very unsafe even for their occupants.
posted by llc at 1:36 PM on September 26, 2010
Since larger vehicles are the problem, getting a larger vehicle does not increase everyone's safety. Unless driving ability is correlated with size of vehicle.
Older larger vehicles are very unsafe even for their occupants.
posted by llc at 1:36 PM on September 26, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Duffington at 7:01 AM on September 26, 2010 [1 favorite]