Vehicle help please

[chickwhorips]

for the record: i have nothing against mini's as a vehicle. great vehicle.

though as a teen i was TORMENTED by the fact that i had to drive one around. there were not one but TWO of them in my house. no way in he!! will i ever own one. i rather drive the worse vehicle out there then purchase a mini.

no offense to those that do drive a mini. like i said, they are great, but not for me. specially me, with no family, only a dog. in the opposite words of mr silver, i'm a young chick, i need something cool.

ironically when i was 20 and bought my alero, my dad said i should get a mini. i looked at him like are you crazy? i'm 20! and for the record, that was 6 years ago, i haven't changed my mind.

[KnottedYet]

I think Trek has an Alero. (I cleaned the thing, you'd think I'd remember what it is... brain like a steel sieve, I tell ya!) Now she's looking at Hondas and VW biodiesels.

[Trek420]

Yep. Olds Alero with a roof rack. Don't tell it I'm looking at other cars.

[7rider]

no offense to those that do drive a mini. like i said, they are great, but not for me. specially me, with no family, only a dog. in the opposite words of mr silver, i'm a young chick, i need something cool.

Wait!!! Are you talking Mini's - like Mini Coopers? Or mini - as in miniVAN?


I think I read somewhere that Subaru Outbacks (didn't they used to just be a trim level in the Legacy line?) were re-categorized as a "truck" by Subaru to get around EPA mileage standards. Hmmmm.

That said, they're great buggies. Unofficially (maybe officially) the state car of Vermont, too. DH has a Impreza WRX. It's a little rocket! All my in-laws seem to have Subarus. You go to a family affair, and it's like a freakin' dealership parking lot in the driveway!

[chickwhorips]

Wait!!! Are you talking Mini's - like Mini Coopers? Or mini - as in miniVAN?

mini as in minivan.

i think the mini coopers are cool! though not very practical in anchorage.

[KnottedYet]

<Knot sits back in her leather armchair, puffs her pipe, adjusts her bifocals, smoothes down her tweed jacket, and waxes pedantic...>

Picking a car is like picking a bike. It's all about fit, function, and true love. Ride (I mean drive) a lot of makes and models, choose the components (I mean trim lines) that meet your needs and budget, and test drive, test drive, test drive.

And wear lycra...

[7rider]

<Knot sits back in her leather armchair, puffs her pipe, adjusts her bifocals, smoothes down her tweed jacket, and waxes pedantic...>

Picking a car is like picking a bike. It's all about fit, function, and true love. Ride (I mean drive) a lot of makes and models, choose the components (I mean trim lines) that meet your needs and budget, and test drive, test drive, test drive.

And wear lycra...

I would also recommend for CWR - if a criteria for purchase is that your bikes fit inside, by all means...bring your bikes along when you shop! Pop open the hatch, fold down the seats, and put them inside! If you buy from a dealer, they shouldn't bat an eye. If you buy private sale, well....try to make sure the bikes are clean, first!

[KnottedYet]

I would also recommend for CWR - if a criteria for purchase is that your bikes fit inside, by all means...bring your bikes along when you shop! Pop open the hatch, fold down the seats, and put them inside! If you buy from a dealer, they shouldn't bat an eye. If you buy private sale, well....try to make sure the bikes are clean, first!

I did that with my dog! The dealerships were totally cool with it. They had Tyvek mat-things in the backs of the various cars, so he couldn't get them dirty.

[chickwhorips]

didn't think of that. thanks!

i looked at the Rav 4 but it doesn't seem like it has much room. i remember my friend's and it seems kinda small.

[Crankin]

Subarus are very popular in New England, but my personal experience (good friends have 2) is that they are sluggish on the highway and we couldn't really fit 4 bikes and luggage for 4 people going on a trip in the station wagon.
I had a 4 runner for 6 years. I loved it. Drove great in heavy blizzards and my son drove it to races all over New England. No need to take the wheel off.
I would personally go for the new Rav 4. It's much bigger than the previous models and you get Toyota reliability.

[emily_in_nc]

Subarus are very popular in New England, but my personal experience (good friends have 2) is that they are sluggish on the highway and we couldn't really fit 4 bikes and luggage for 4 people going on a trip in the station wagon.

Agreed. I drove a Forester for four years, and my DH always complained about how tiny it was on the long trips we take. With suitcases and a dog kennel, it was packed. If we took bikes in it, we had to stack them on their sides and there was no room for luggage or dogs then. The Element is much, much roomier, and bikes go in upright!

Plus, my Forester needed a new transmission after four years, and I was plagued by a "check engine" light that just couldn't be fixed for any length of time. I put a lot of miles on that car, but that just didn't seem right. The dealership where I live were jerks too, so I've sworn off Subies, even though I like the company's values.

We also used to have a Rav4, which was really tiny, but it was one of the earliest ones with 2 doors. They've changed a lot since then.

Emily

[Mr. Bloom]

Chick:

I am a banker, albeit, a commercial one, not consumer. What you've described sounds like good potential for a great credit rating...but there are other factors (it's a top secret black box that is more protected than the secret formula for Coca Cola).

Be Self Aware: If you're interested in getting your credit bureau, you can go to www.freecreditreport.com but beware, I don't think that it's "Free" to get your actual credit score.

Don't Just Compare on Rate: The two week lag in getting the 'best rate' from the credit union can wind up costing you more...say you save 1/2&#37; on the rate (about $150 over four years on a $15,000 loan)...you could save considerably more than that by being able to negotiate a better price by having the loan "locked up" or getting it through the dealer. In other words, the dealer will not negotiate the best price if they have to wait two weeks to close the deal. Use www.edmunds.com to help determine fair value of the car you're considering.

My bank doesn't do many car loans primarily because we can't compete with the rates that are offered through the dealer. SO, I recommend you pay a few $ to get your actual credit score...if it's over 750, then you'll be able to get the best deal possible with a low/no down payment. If it's over 700 or 720, you'll still get a good deal, no matter where the money comes from.

Strategy: Also, you might consider working with a male salesman. WHile they've gotten more 'sensitive', Silver and I learned long ago that many don't know how to negotiate with a strong-willed woman...and this tends to accrue in your favor.

Beware: If you know your credit score and the dealer asks for your name/address/ssn BEFORE you've picked out a car, give them your credit score instead...otherwise, they may be running a credit bureau report on you and every time someone (not you) pulls one, it's about 18 points off the score. SO, save them the trouble in 'prequalifying' you by giving them the score and making them wait to pull the credit bureau once you've settled on the car and the price.

Sorry to be so long. Good Luck

[snowtulip]

I have an XTERRA and I love it! It does get horrible gas mileage compared to everything nowadays, but I bought it primarily for my recreational activites (camping, hiking, biking) and try to make up environmentally in other ways (less driving). When I went shopping I was looking for a vehicle with good clearance and this has it. Apparently 2003 and 2004 models are good, the newer models have some issues I've heard.

[tygab]

Agreed. I drove a Forester for four years, and my DH always complained about how tiny it was on the long trips we take. With suitcases and a dog kennel, it was packed. If we took bikes in it, we had to stack them on their sides and there was no room for luggage or dogs then. The Element is much, much roomier, and bikes go in upright!

Plus, my Forester needed a new transmission after four years, and I was plagued by a "check engine" light that just couldn't be fixed for any length of time. I put a lot of miles on that car, but that just didn't seem right. The dealership where I live were jerks too, so I've sworn off Subies, even though I like the company's values.
Emily

My husband and I both have Subarus of roughly the same age and mileage, which we love as cars, and it's how we met so I feel we "should" always have a Subaru. Mine is a WRX wagon which I got when they first came to the US. Great to drive, and Subaru's AWD + snowtires combo is rock solid in winter (not that we had much of one this year). Anyway, long story short, I just got an Element a few months ago, and I love it too. The Subaru wagon simply cannot carry bikes + gear, kayaks + gear, camping gear and 2 people, even though this to me does not sound like that a crazy load. I disliked being forced to choose between biking or kayaking when we'd set out someplace. Even without two people's stuff, I had to arrange my bike into the interior since we have the kayak racks on it.

After looking at current Subaru offerings, the Forester's never caught my eye, and the Outback seemed too... I dunno, plushy and not giving us much more cargo space for what we wanted. I did go to test drive the new Outback. Add some frustrating interactions with dealer service departments (though nothing major has broken on the car), and I started looking at other vehicles.

The Element really became my vehicle of interest because of it's flexible and large interior. I can put the bikes, upright with NO changes to the wheels inside it. I can put the kayaks on top. And we'll still have room to throw camping gear and whatever else in there, with just some seat changes. I'm most undecided about if I'll remove one or both of the seats for the summer, but we'll see. It also gets pretty good MPG for a SUV/boxy type car, no worse than my Subaru, and takes regular gas (WRX is premium fuel due to the turbo). It has AWD and I took it on a ski trip two weeks ago where it handled quite well in fresh snow roads (though I will want to get snow/summer tires once the stock ones are done). [I got mine preowned which is nice because I got a longer warranty this way.]

I'll be able to wipe out the dirt we will get in it with just some cleaning cloths. Sounds about perfect to me and I can't wait to have it fully loaded up. I named it Bento.

[Mr. Bloom]

My husband and I both have Subarus of roughly the same age and mileage, which we love as cars, and it's how we met so I feel we "should" always have a Subaru.

Interesting statistic: Subaru is the best selling car in America...kinda. Here's why: Subaru is not a "full line". They only have a few models targeting the customer niche they serve well, so their success in that niche doesn't get the notoriety it deserves since all the other manufacturers make so many more units. This is also why a Subaru dealership will also represent other brands as well.

Hope that's your fill of esoteric knowledge for the day!