https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 07 Apr 2026 03:37:19 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping/page/2#post-294565 Thu, 13 Sep 2012 23:49:22 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 294565@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire: pleeeease try autotrader.com<br /> You put in what you want and gives you all the cars that match your description that are for sale in your area. I found the Nissan I used to have on there. I love Nissan Maximas and Altimas...we've had both in my family and they get good gas and can be very affordable when bought used. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping/page/2#post-294458 Thu, 13 Sep 2012 21:41:26 +0000 DillonLion 294458@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-293877 Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:05:21 +0000 Smurfette 293877@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire: I saw this and thought of you and this thread!</p> <p><a href="http://editorial.autos.msn.com/10-great-cars-under-5-grand?icid=autos_3203" rel="nofollow">http://editorial.autos.msn.com/10-great-cars-under-5-grand?icid=autos_3203</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292791 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 22:32:29 +0000 BlueWolverine 292791@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am a big fan of the Ford Escape. You can probably get one used for a good price, and we've had nothing but good luck with them. I have a new one right now, but my best friend just had to get rid of hers because it was pushing 300,000 miles and she just wanted something new for her baby. If you really want a sedan, I second the Fusion. A friend has one and drives A LOT and it has been fantastic, both on gas and reliability. She used to drive an SUV, so she continually marvels over the awesome gas mileage. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292726 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 21:07:34 +0000 MsMini 292726@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We got my VW used, and it has a bumper to bumper warranty for 2 years (which is our duration of payments). My family has always had great luck with VW's. My Mom's jetta lasted to over 400 000 km (around 250 000 miles)! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292701 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 20:44:59 +0000 mrs. bird 292701@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH has a long commute &amp; we were looking for the same thing as you since I drive a Pacifica &amp; we didn't want 2 car payments. His is just for commuting. We bought a used corolla (2001 I think, not positive though!). it looks old &amp; blah, but it's more enjoyable to drive than I would have expected! And the almost 40 mpg is AWESOME! I know when he's ready to upgrade we can sell it for about what we paid for it since it's a Toyota, crazy how they hold their value! Especially the corollas, around here at least the used corolla &amp; camery end up the same $$ since there's such a market for the corollas. I'd totally recommend one for a good commuter car. Also look at Chevy prizm, they are the same car as the corolla but a little less $$ because they don't have the Toyota name. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292575 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 19:11:56 +0000 sunny 292575@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would check out Mazda as well. I used to drive a Mazda 6 and loved it. I sold it only because we needed a car with AWD. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292543 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:46:29 +0000 tequiero21 292543@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Do u have a carmax near u? No haggle. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292534 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:39:50 +0000 LazyLightning 292534@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My Honda Civic is awesome. It gets over 40 mpg (even though the sticker says less). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292477 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:16:53 +0000 ladyfingers 292477@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaMoose: Ah, yeah. Florida's lemon law only applies to new cars. It's still really hard to prove (like others have mentioned) so I wouldn't rely on it when deciding where to purchase. Just me though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292362 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:47:21 +0000 matador84 292362@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire look at the fair purchase price on kbb.com and negotiate from that. We have been researching cars for months on end!! Now that I had ds I will prob wait until 2013's roll out and 2012 goes in sale...also google the residual value of the car you want. I had my heart set on a honda pilot but now I'm looking at a Subaru Outback due to a fantastic residual and I think we can negotiate down to a good price. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292338 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:38:58 +0000 wheres_c 292338@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I loved my 2007 Hyundai Elantra. It got amazing gas mileage, looked nice, and served me really well.<br /> The warranty was amazing - 10 years! But I never needed to use it.<br /> When it was totaled last year, I replaced it with a Kia Forte. Supposedly comparable cars. The Kia's gas mileage sucks compared to the Hyundai.</p> <p>Hyundai all the way! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292309 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:18:39 +0000 DillonLion 292309@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erwoo: Wow, thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292304 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:11:06 +0000 erwoo 292304@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with everyone on going with either a Toyota or Honda. Although, pricey, you'll get more reliability. I've always driven a European car and there's always something. My husband has always driven an Acura (Honda owned) and has had very little issues with it. </p> <p>I just looked at consumer reports for you and the Subaru Impreza Premium and Toyota Corolla (both in the $16-$22k price range) are two of the small 4-door sedan cars that have really good ratings in terms of reliability, owner satisfaction, and accidental avoidance. Subaru was on top. The corolla has better gas mileage at 32 mpg versus Subaru's 27 mpg. Also, check out Edmunds as well. Hope that helps! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292301 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:10:16 +0000 April_Showers 292301@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaMoose: they have to be under the dealer warrenty (the original) which in most cases is void when ownership changes hands. Its is usually written into the warrenty contract as non transferable. This is how used dealerships sell their warrentees/extended warrentees. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292295 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:05:52 +0000 MamaMoose 292295@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@April_Showers: Must be different according to the state because the link I posted said that used cars are covered by the Lemon Law if they are still under warranty. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292291 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:04:09 +0000 April_Showers 292291@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaMoose: The lemon law only covers NEW cars. Not used. We ran into issues with the last used car we purchased from a dealer. We had the car less than 2 weeks (only driven a handful of times) and lost the engine (along with a slew of other problems (computer, gas tank,exhaust). We had no problem proving it was a lemon...but the dealership felt as though it wasn't their problem and would do NOTHING to help us. (and it was under a "30" day warrenty). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292279 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:56:30 +0000 DillonLion 292279@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@eiko2010: DH actually drove a Sentra before we traded it in for my SUV, and he LOVED it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292248 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:44:10 +0000 T.H.O.U. 292248@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaMoose: It is REALLY hard to prove a lemon. There are all kinds of stories about people putting signs on their car and driving them past dealerships to try to get them to do something about it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292241 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:40:34 +0000 Weagle 292241@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We recently bought a commuter car for DH. '01 Civic for less than $5k. It's a no frills stick-shift, but exactly what he wanted. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292133 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:43:29 +0000 mrskc 292133@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just bought a used car a couple of months ago. I liked the website car guru for searching for a good deal. We ended up driving to a dealership in LA (couple of hours away) to save us thousands compared to local used car prices. </p> <p>I have a basic model Toyota Yaris for a commuter car and it's really great. It's a 2007 with 85,000 miles on it and I've never had an issue with it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292131 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:42:26 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 292131@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have an '06 Mazda 3. I bought it for 12k back in 2008 when it had 22k miles. I absolutely love my car. It gets great gas mileage, has a roomy trunk, and it's a little sporty. </p> <p>I also have to second @chopsuey119 and say check out your local Carmax. We've had great experiences buying and selling with them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292105 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:23:33 +0000 MamaMoose 292105@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ladyfingers: @sunny: What about the lemon law?</p> <p><a href="http://www.txdmv.gov/protection/lemon_law.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.txdmv.gov/protection/lemon_law.htm</a> (I used TX since that's where @highwire: is from) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292023 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:37:34 +0000 yin 292023@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Definitely check out edmunds.com to compare cars and also see how much they are selling for in your area. Be as informed as possible to make sure you are getting a good price. Honda and Toyota cars have a great resale value and also very dependable. When looking for used cars you can also check out the Kelley Blue Book value. If you are looking at new cars, you can ask for a dealer quote online through edmunds. That's how I bought my last car, and the online quote was far better than any other quote I received in person. Great price and no haggling involved. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292022 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:37:21 +0000 DillonLion 292022@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sunny: @ladyfingers: Thanks for clearing up the dealer recourse thing. I wasn't really sure how that worked. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-292004 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:27:42 +0000 ladyfingers 292004@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Unfortunately, I don't think there's any recourse against a dealer for a bad car. That's why I always recommend taking the car to an independent mechanic for an honest assessment of any issues it might have. You'll get a better price on a Honda going through a private seller, but it is more of a hassle. I bought my 2004 CR-V in 2010 for around $12,000. It had 65,000 miles on it, no issues. I love it, but it took me a long time to find something like that in that price range from a dealer! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-291985 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:20:01 +0000 tororojo 291985@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I used edmunds.com for reviews when researching what kind of car to buy--you can look up different model years, which is helpful if you're not buying new.</p> <p>Endorsement time: I LOVE my Toyota Corolla, and I bet you could get a relatively low mileage, late model one for close to $10K. I bought a used 2009 one in early 2010 and have had no problems with it. I would recommend shopping used cars at several different dealerships, as we found way better pricing in Mesquite than in the Plano/Richardson area. I have a lot of friends with Camrys who love them, but the gas mileage wouldn't be as good as on a Corolla. </p> <p>Hondas are great, but the initial investment is more, which wasn't worth it to me since I plan to drive my car into the ground--not worried about selling or trading in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-291972 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:07:38 +0000 Alivoo01 291972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I totally second a Toyota as those seem to hold up in the long run. Hubby's 4-runner had over 150,000 miles on it and was running strong! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-291964 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:04:29 +0000 T.H.O.U. 291964@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You will definitely pay for brand name for a Toyota or Honda. Plus you will pay a really high premium if you try to buy either of those from a dealer. Honestly, for that price range you might better off to look at a nissan/hyundai/kia. </p> <p>We bought a Toyota Tacoma PreRunner for $6,000 (less than 100,000 miles) and a year later when I was pregnant and needed a mom car we sold it for $6,500. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-shopping#post-291936 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:49:59 +0000 littlebug 291936@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@prettylizy: Yes, forgot about the CVT. Love the CVT. Makes for such a smooth ride, and like you said, great gas mileage. </p>