Advice/recommendations for buying a car - again

[RyDogg66]

That is some great advice. Thanks guys. I'll have to make a few stops at dealers around the area, maybe this week sometime.

[RyDogg66]

New car questions - How do these cars compare size and price wise? Nissan Sentra, Maxima, Altima

[Teatoe993]

From small to large in price and size: Sentra, Altima, Maxima

[RyDogg66]

So if they were Toyota's would it be comparable to Corolla, Camry, Avalon then?

[Houlie24x]

The Corolla is the same size as the Altima and the Camry is the same size as the Maxima. The Sentra is smaller than all of them and really isn't that nice. I also don't think the Avalon is any bigger than the Camry it is just more of a luxury version.

[Gone]

What makes you so sure that you can't get 150K on a Hyundai? I think the way cars are made now, it's not impossible to get that kind of milage on just about any make of car. The quality of Hyundai's made over the last 5 years or so has improved greatly

 

I work in the collection department of a local financial and mainly deal with repossessing and selling vehicles. One thing that causes people to stop paying is when their cars break down and rather than fix them they just buy another vehicle and leave their piece of crap in the backyard, on the side of the road, wherever. We get a lot of Hyundai's back and most have major mechanical issues. more than any other vehicle I can think of. Any Hyundai older than a 2000 we don't even bother picking up.

 

Like I said previously. Hyundai's probably have greatly improved over 5 years.. but it's not hard to improve greatly when they were commonly known as an extremely unreliable vehicle.

 

As for the Nissan's. My gf just bought a brand new Sentra. For a girl living in the cities and driving in rush hour and also having to drive back to Wisconsin on a regular basis it's perfect. I'm a big guy though and it's just too small for me to drive comfortably. I also was about the buy a Maxima when I got my Mazda, but they get pretty expensive and they're almost too big. The Altima is right in between size wise, has ample speed, and also is a really nice vehicle. I've driven all 3 on several occasions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bball123h2]

Another thing to keep in mind with repossessed vehicles is that, if the owner is unable to pay the loan, they are highly unlikely to be able to pay for the proper maintenance, causing the vehicle to break down way earlier than it should. Ever hear the sound of a Toyota Corolla getting its first oil change at 25,000 miles? It sounded like a ping-pong game.

[RyDogg66]

Different type of car I am checking out - Saab 9-3. Something like a something 2001-2003. There seem to be a bunch of different types and I know nothing about them (my mother in law has one that I have driven a lot, so I do have experience driving them and I like them a lot). But on cars.com, specifically this link, has 9-3 SE, 9-3 Linear, 9-3 Aero, 9-3 Arc, 9-3 Viggen.

 

Question - How well do these hold up overtime. Keeping in mind I am looking for a 2001-2003 and I will be putting on about 25k a year and I want to keep it at least 5 years. So I'll be driving it from miles 40-50k to 200-225k.

 

Anyone in the car business or with personal experience let me know. Thanks.

[chuckiehacks]

Two thoughts:

--If you're still thinking Hyundai, Amato Hyundai in Milwaukee is advertising "$5000 minimum for your trade." I just heard it on the radio this morning.

--I had a Saab once, loved the car, hated the repair bills. The problems were generally minor (windshield fluid pump, electrical short) but the repair bills were crazy. Granted the car was 8-10 years old and had 120k miles on it. Loved driving it, though.

[MoneyballMan]

Different type of car I am checking out - Saab 9-3. Something like a something 2001-2003. There seem to be a bunch of different types and I know nothing about them (my mother in law has one that I have driven a lot, so I do have experience driving them and I like them a lot). But on cars.com, specifically this link, has 9-3 SE, 9-3 Linear, 9-3 Aero, 9-3 Arc, 9-3 Viggen.

 

Question - How well do these hold up overtime. Keeping in mind I am looking for a 2001-2003 and I will be putting on about 25k a year and I want to keep it at least 5 years. So I'll be driving it from miles 40-50k to 200-225k.

 

Anyone in the car business or with personal experience let me know. Thanks.

I had a 2001 (I think) Saab 9-3 and loved it every minute I owned it. Fun to drive and never a mechanical problem. Now, I traded it in at about 36,000 miles, so I wouldn't be able to personally tell you about long-term. But they have a GREAT reputation of lasting forever if you maintain it properly.

[jwill535]

"Guranteed trade ins" are scams, you are better off going in when they have low interest rates which are going to be more beneficial for you. Me and my wife qualified for 0% interest on our car for 3 years or what ever it was, but we will have it paid off before the interest kicks in.

[RyDogg66]

Nice, but my credit is in the toilet right now, so getting any kind of loan will be great. Dont worry, things are getting better, which is why I can afford to make payments on a car finally.