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Chris Said:

Cars ... Used vs. New .... what are the benefits and what are the let downs?

We Answered:

When shopping for a car, the first thing I always do is check consumer reports. You have to pay to get this information on-line, but I used to be able to get it free at the library (published version). The reports will tell you the best & worst of both new & used cars. It will list all of the categories that you mention and then some. I have never bought a new car because you always lose a substantial amount of the value as soon as you drive it off the lot. By buying used, you can also check the car's track record for repairs and recalls. The other problem with buying new is that some jerk is going to give you a door ding in the first week. It's better that you buy it imperfect so that it isn't so heart breaking when this happens. The other benefit of buying used is that you can buy from a private party and get a much better deal. Just have the car checked out by a mechanic for a nominal charge (after you check the consumer reports). I ended up buying a 2004 Hyundai Accent with about 35K miles for about $8,000. The used market for small cars has probably gone up since the gas price surge. The only vehicle I've ever bought new was my 2004 BMW R1150RS motorcycle. I got a good deal on it because it had 39 miles on it and they had to sell it as used. I still ended up paying more for it than my car, but I have my priorities. You're also doing the smart thing by checking with the insurance company before you get your heart set on a particular car. Some insurance premiums are higher for certain models because they have a greater likelihood of being stolen. The other concern of the insurance company is the car's safety history and of course, the driver's number of years of experience (sorry, but as a new driver, your rates will be high).

The number of years that it lasts will depend on several things:
1. Selecting a model with a good track record (check consumer reports).
2. The number of miles that you drive in a year.
3. How well you take care of it. The most important thing that you can do is to have regular oil changes. Check the manual and be religious about having it changed.

With my methods, I've kept cars for typically over 120,000. The only car that died on me was a 1996 Geo Prizm that threw a rod and cracked the engine block. I also had a Mercury Tracer that I sold after 160,000. My daughter's Honda del Sol is over 180,000 and she's just now thinking of replacing it.

Good luck.

Henry Said:

Which American car brand is the best?

We Answered:

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Jeep has really gone in the tank since Daimler-Chrysler took them over. Also, this whole idea of Japanese brands being better than American cars is a thing of the past. Right now, Ford and General Motors are kicking the absolute crap out of the Japanese in terms of reliability ratings, and last year Toyota recalled more vehicles than the entire Big Three combined. American cars are now every bit as good as their Japanese counterparts, but you won't hear that from Consumer Reports or the mainstream media.

Let's review: You want to buy a car that's no more than four years old, you don't want to pay any more than $12,000.00, and you're looking at a sport utility? Your expectations are not very realistic. A decent American SUV will cost you between $25,000.00 and $35,000.00 brand new right now, and any vehicle that depreciates over half its value in the first four years is not going to be reliable. Besides, SUVs are very expensive to insure, very expensive to put gas into because they're guzzlers, and very expensive to maintain. For what you're looking to pay, you'd be wise to consider a car unless you have a very good reason for going the SUV route (e.g., you go camping a lot or you need something that will pull a boat or a trailer). And no, having a family is not a good reason to buy a sport utility -- you're better off getting a crossover vehicle or a minivan in terms of reliability, gas mileage, and maintenance costs. Ford makes several good, solid, reliable cars; Buick has been getting top-marks in quality and reliability for over a decade; and Pontiac has at least one car that has been on the Consumers Digest "Best Buy" List for years (the Grand Prix).

BOTTOM LINE: I'd advise you against a Jeep because they're just not as good as they used to be. If you live in NYC, think about reliability, fuel economy, and size (you want to make sure it'll fit in those tight NYC parking spaces). Give some serious thought to a car instead of an SUV -- an SUV will cost you a lot more in the long run.

Cory Said:

I need to choose a car, who can help?

We Answered:

Honestly, I'd go for the Subaru WRX Sti, one of my buddies has an 06 and stock it was pretty quick. Its not super expensive to mod, but it'll probably leave a dent in your pocket. The thing with the Subaru though, coming from a dead stop its incredibly fast, because of the AWD, but from a roll its not anything amazing. I've gotten smoked off the line by a stock sti, but I can beat one from a roll, and I drive a mustang gt.

Tracy Said:

Should they set the national speed limit to 55 MPH again?

We Answered:

ironically, i first got my driver's license right after nixon pushed that bill through congress as a fuel saving measure.... with the way cars are designed today, most of them will obtain peak fuel efficiency cruising at about a steady 65, so i can get behind that much at least. but if they returned to 55, i'd be OK with that, too.

i think it's long overdue to be brought back. what i'd really like to see, though, is for states (at the urging of the federal government or not) to make it MUCH more difficult to get and keep a driver's license. driving a car is a privelege, NOT a right. the government can (rightfully so) rescind that privelege at will.

also, with today's technology, it wouldn't be too difficult at all to mandate electronic governers for ALL motor vehicles to prevent them from ever exceeding the speed limit. motorcycle manufacturers currently honor a "gentlemen's agreement" and have installed governors on their products to prevent them from exceeding 186 mph (? i could be wrong about the number). the cost would be minimal, and it would save countless lives. disabling the governer would then trigger an automatic charge of "wreckless endangerment" (the same thing they'd charge you with for firing a gun into the air over a crowd) and be treated like the felony that it should be. serious prison time, say, 5 to 7 years, should discourage tampering.

anyone else like the way i think?


edit: for the folks who mentioned the autobahn in germany... i'll point out that getting a driver's license in germany is FAR more difficult than it is in the US (and it's practically a joke here) and i'll dispute the fact that it's safer there. when i was stationed in germany in the army, there was a single accident on the autobahn, involving over 400 vehicles, 300 fatalities, and nearly a thousand injured.

and that was ONE accident. can you imagine an american hospital trying to treat even a fraction of that many trauma cases all at once?

remember how the "first responders" were totally overwhelmed when the twin towers came down on 9-11? that would be a weekly occurance if we had no speed limits.

also, i'd point out that the autobahn itself is designed to carry traffic at those speeds. it cost something like 4 times what an american highway cost to build per mile because of the engineering and construction that went into it... do you really wanna see your road taxes quadruple so you can have a road with no speed limits?

i didn't think so.

Ida Said:

What do you think about buying a used, cheap car?

We Answered:

You get what you pay for.

Cars cost upwards of tens of thousands of dollars when they're made.

What condition do you expect to get one in, at 1/10th of that?

Lets look at your links:

1. "I need this gone ASAP!! " Yeah, because it's junk. If it was a good car, they'd keep it, or ask more money.

2."need to sell because I am relocating" Why does relocating equal sell a car? Oh....because it's crap, and he doesn't want to take it with him.

3. "in good running condition" Excellent. He failed to mention the rest of the condition. Like how the body is. Whether the heat works, you know...things that matter.