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Post by oldguy1957 on Jul 6, 2008 19:13:13 GMT -5
Well, my wife and I have decided that, with the skyrocketing price of gasoline, it's time to bite the bullet and trade in the SUV for something a little more efficient. It's not so much the money we're currently spending on gas, although that's a factor too. We're just afraid that very soon all the used car lots will be packed full of large vehicles, which will in turn make my '07 Toyota Rav4 relatively worthless. I still owe $18,000 on it, and I'll be lucky to get that out of it even now on a trade. Of course, it would probably be more profitable to just sell it outright, but I don't have time for the hassle. I'd get about $2000 more for it that way, but if I trade I don't have to pay sales tax, which would save me around $1500, so it's not really that big of a difference.
So, we went and looked at and test drove some cars yesterday, and the best combination of gas mileage and performance and appearance and dependability seems to be...a Honda SIVIK!!!
Unless someone has a better idea for a new car under $20,000 that gets over 35mpg, I'm probably going to pick it up tomorrow afternoon. I'm not proud of the decision, but it really seems to be the best option. Please, any suggestions??? The dealership has a 2.9% financing program which ends after tomorrow, so I need to know right away!!
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Post by vitg on Jul 6, 2008 19:57:20 GMT -5
Nothing wrong with the Sivik, a good car.Get it.
ps - I do not know the situation over there as regards diesel fuel supply / Cost but that would be my only other thought for economy.
VW diesels very powerful and economical but expensive to fix.
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Post by ½ A Gram on Jul 6, 2008 22:05:40 GMT -5
Dodge Calibre.
Pulls 42 highway/33 city, IIRC. seats 5, will actually have some room, comes fully loaded around here for 17grand, give or take. That's 4wd, a decent engine, and a freaking mini fridge.
Yeah.
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Post by oldguy1957 on Jul 6, 2008 23:10:03 GMT -5
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Post by DeltaMustang65 on Jul 7, 2008 4:21:02 GMT -5
Dodge Calibre. Pulls 42 highway/33 city, IIRC. seats 5, will actually have some room, comes fully loaded around here for 17grand, give or take. That's 4wd, a decent engine, and a freaking mini fridge. Yeah. LOL What a joker you are. I don't think I've EVER heard of a Dodge that has broken the 40mpg barrier. And the Calibre is ugly as sin, to boot. No, I'd probably go with a Civic as well, and most likely the Hybrid model. Or you could also go with the Lotus Elise, as long as you drive it very (giggles) "gingerly"... |
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Post by IGNIGNOC on Jul 7, 2008 4:28:00 GMT -5
How about the Cobalt? It's fairly inexpensive, and the reliability and economy are there...
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Post by oldguy1957 on Jul 7, 2008 7:42:21 GMT -5
It would be nice to go hybrid, but they start at about $35,000, and have a 6 to 8 month waiting list. The value of my Rav4 would probably drop considerably in value in that time if the gas prices keep going up. Cobalt specs out okay, but I like the Civic body style better, and I think the resale would be better with the civic, too.
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Post by nightmare75 on Jul 7, 2008 11:26:08 GMT -5
^^Yeah, definitely. People love Hondas, hence they hold their value well.
I don't think anyone here would have a problem with you driving a Civic because you're not the immature teenage boy who thinks the Civic is just a street legal race car.
Although I would suggest the Mazda3 5 door (or the Mazdaspeed3 if you've got the money). I think they fact that it's a hatchback will make it more useful and maybe ease the burden of not having an SUV any more. It's more versatile than your average economy car. The problem with it is that it doesn't appear to get as great of gas mileage as some other economy cars. If you really need the gas mileage that badly, go with the Civic, but if you can handle the difference in gas, the Mazda3 sounds like a good choice.
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Post by ½ A Gram on Jul 7, 2008 13:58:08 GMT -5
errr....unless ChryCo is lying to me, they advertise the base version of the calibre pulling 42 highway. mid 30's city. Now, the base version is a 2.0 litre hooked up to CVT, but that still ain't bad.
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Post by ciscokid on Jul 7, 2008 14:20:44 GMT -5
Somewhat pointless to mention, but depending on what its primary uses will be, there is the Smart cars.
I hear there's nearly a year wait for those though. I can't go to the Oakland/SF area without seeing a bunch of them. And the Prius is by far the most popular car around there. A few weeks ago on the way down there, I was actually completely surrounded by them on the freeway and you can barely drive a block on city streets without seeing one.
But yeah, the Civic would probably be the better choice.
btw- The car I usually drive when I go to the bay is a '94 Civic, the absolute base model from that year. When I went to Skip Barber, I traveled exactly 400 miles after filling up before I left. The next time I got gas I could only put in 10.43 gallons.
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Post by DeltaMustang65 on Jul 7, 2008 15:30:45 GMT -5
It would be nice to go hybrid, but they start at about $35,000, and have a 6 to 8 month waiting list. You've got to be kidding me. In this day and age there are STILL waiting lists for these things? WTH? Is this some sort of forced underproduction designed to drive up prices along with increased demand for fuel effiecient cars? I wonder if they realize this may come back to bite them in the ass real soon, since more and more people are now turning to motorcycles. Personally, I'm thinking of putting my motorcycle purchase on hold and get a regular bicycle. Although I admit that'll be strange, riding a bicycle to work. Reminds me of grade school, I used to ride my bike EVERYwhere. |
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MacktasticSlick
Throttlehog
My friend drove his McLaren F1 from New York to Chicago and got there before he left.
Posts: 705
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Post by MacktasticSlick on Jul 7, 2008 15:34:37 GMT -5
Meh, I ride a bicycle to work, and I haven't been stoned to death yet. A couple other guys do, as well. As for the wait on the hybrids, I heard that there is still a big demand for those. Except for the Toyota Prius. They will practically GIVE you those ugly things.
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Post by ciscokid on Jul 7, 2008 16:18:12 GMT -5
Delta- if most things you do are within 10 miles of your house, bicycle is total win. Your only issue would be the hot that is summer in Stockton. If you can deal with that though, you could get a really good road bike for under $1000.
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Post by DeltaMustang65 on Jul 7, 2008 16:32:34 GMT -5
Oh, I don't want anything extravagant, since there are a LOT of bums and ghetto assholes that tend to gather around the hospital. Chances are it'll get scratched up, someone will attempt to steal it, etc. My dad gets discounts on all kinds of crap, including bikes, through his job at FedEx, so I'm probably gonna go see what I can get for a few hundred bucks.
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Post by oldguy1957 on Jul 7, 2008 21:45:12 GMT -5
Went to pick up a new Civic this afternoon, and found out they had sold the last one, in the model I wanted, about half an hour earlier. BAStard!! We went through the lists of cars being shipped, and cars being built, and cars yet to be built. Most were already spoken for. I put a deposit on one that should be ready about the end of August.
I did take one (had options I didn't want) for a more extensive test drive on a curvy road around a lake. I couldn't get too carried away with the salesman sitting beside me, but I could get a little feel for it, and I liked it. Very responsive handling. Maybe I'll have to get a spoiler, and a big muffler!! ;D
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The Moast. Evil. EVAR. (next to Viper, that is...)
