freaking out about having to buy a car.

[smilingcat]

Eating lunch, bagel with creme cheese, lox, onion, tomato but no capers and listening to big band music at my favorite coffee house I came to stark realization that Honda Insight and Toyota Prius will not do. We like to take our golden and white lab for a ride in our car. We drive them to a greenbelt, converted rail road track for a nice walk. I don't think Prius nor Insight can accomodate the dogs in the back.

tulip-- my car is 2000 model year Audi A6 Quattro station wagon with 221k miles on it. I asked several of the motor head at my office on estimated repair cost. Sounds like $5,000 to $8,000. There are other repairs needed which I didn't list. And yes there is also the knowledge of "peace of mind" I went with the other extreme end of cars when my uber cheap Toyota pkup (prior to the Audi) was totaled in a "slow speed" crash from the rear end by a Ford Taurus. The bed of the pkup was shortened by about 3 feet.

Subaru is good especially if I decide to move to Seattle area or out to Oak harbor area...

Another suggestion was for a Scion.

And yes new model is not much more expensive than the used one and with 0% financing, I'm contemplating the financing angle and going with a new car. Tis the time when dealers want to unload last year model so I think I can get a good deal I just have to get in before there is a huge influx of car buyers when the gas price hits $3.50 or more for regular.

public transportation in LA is well hmm not so good. Might be able to finish a novel while waiting for the bus to shows up.

so my stop before going home is for collecting brochures... Brake seems to be working okay this morning and rattling sound was gone still not feeling too confident about the car.

[tulip]

You have gotten alot of miles out of that Audi, Smilingcat! Good for you. Older Audis (and maybe new ones, I don't know) are expensive to repair, and with so many miles, it probably would be a better use of your money to get a different (new or used) car.

I can only say what I would get...it's kinda fun to dream, right? Well, first off, I love my car. It's a 2007 VW Rabbit and it holds everything I need it to and then some. It's also very fun to drive. I would only get a hatchback or wagon. If not the Rabbit, I'd look at a Toyota Matrix, Mazda 3 wagon, and maybe a Subaru wagon but they get pricey very quickly if you want anything other than the basic of basics. My VW is a base model, but it has things like seat heaters (not practical in LA!), blinkers on the side mirrors, electric mirrors, etc. The base Matrix had none of those things. I like a warm bum!

I would really prefer a diesel hybrid, but since I can't have that in this country, I'd settle for a diesel. VW makes Jetta and Passat diesel wagons. The diesel VW Jettas, all Passats and all Rabbits are made in Germany. The gas Jettas and Beetles are made in Mexico. There have been reports of quality differences. All I can tell you is that my Rabbit (made in Germany) has been fantastic and that my brother's Jetta (Mexico) had multiple problems. It was totaled while parked (no one inside/hurt), which was a blessing.

Audi and VW are sister companies, so that's why I bring it up. I also really like the Audi A3, but it was over my budget. Best of luck in your car hunting!

EDIT: I'd also go for the Honda Fit. I did not like the Prius because the view out the rear window is very limited. I need a big view. It was also about $10k over budget. Nothing like a small budget to focus ones choices, eh?

[ny biker]

FWIW, anyone thinking about buying a Prius will find pretty much all the info you need at www.priuschat.com. The Prius does have a lot of cargo space with the rear seats folded down. On a cost/benefit basis, the savings on gas will probably not make the added cost worthwhile (this is true for most if not all hybrids, I think). For me, low emissions was important in addition to the fact that it does everything I need a car to do.

[smilingcat]

Right now thinking about FIT. cheap, GOOD MILAGE, meets our needs for hauling. and I can replace both front seat with something more comfy. Suggestion made by one of the motorheads.They like to install racing bucket seat. In my case, a more comfy seat.

I really don't have anything against "American cars". I just look at the MPG rating and it leaves me ho hum... and styling is bit ho hum too...

[Irulan]

I don't know why'd you'd put Subaru on your list. Their mileage is less than impressive. Sure they've got all wheel drive all the time, but do you really need it?

I just got 30 MPG in my Mazda last weekend, on mountain two lanes roads. I'm stoked!!!

The only reason I didn't get a FIT was they didn't have a nice upgrade level of trim.

[FlyingScot]

I don't know why'd you'd put Subaru on your list. Their mileage is less than impressive. Sure they've got all wheel drive all the time, but do you really need it?

Ummm...ouch! 2008 Forester. Average mileage 23-25. Reasons to keep it on the list. Safety, reliability, versatility, towability, "haulability" and resale value. If it rains significantly where you live yeah the AWD sure comes in handy. Prefer to have it keep me out of trouble than have it kick in after the fact! Glad you love your Mazda.

[shootingstar]

I don't have anything meaningful to add to this thread since am so car clueless.

HOpe you a vehicle that meets your budget and for certain times of convenience.

[smilingcat]

I don't have anything meaningful to add to this thread since am so car clueless.

HOpe you a vehicle that meets your budget and for certain times of convenience.

It would be very nice if I could be like you and be car free and worry free about transportation. But this is LA.

The boys at the office are not much help when it comes to advising on models of car to look. I think they were just trying to tweak me. In there were some helpful hints though.

Get a Chrysler. They are dumping them so should get a real bargain.
Ford Focus or Fusion. Now that's interesting and never thought about.
Or one of the Saturns forgot the model name.

Regardless, I'm really not looking forward to car shopping. I hate haggling. I find most car salesmen to be bit "dirty" and untrustworthy. I get a feeling of their sole interest is to separate you from your hard earned cash and as much cash as possible. It's making me have an upset stomach. blach... didn't have time to drop into a car dealer today so try again tomorrow. meh. How can car buying be fun? shopping for a new bike, cloth, shoes, pottery, which I collect, buying sculpture is fun but a car??? Oh visitng an open house is always fun.

[badger]

I'm not sure if it's the same here, but here in Canada, both Toyota and Honda are haggle-free. Everyone pays the same price.

[Becky]

Ummm...ouch! 2008 Forester. Average mileage 23-25. Reasons to keep it on the list. Safety, reliability, versatility, towability, "haulability" and resale value. If it rains significantly where you live yeah the AWD sure comes in handy. Prefer to have it keep me out of trouble than have it kick in after the fact! Glad you love your Mazda.

Ditto. Our Outback routinely gets 25-26 mpg around town, and 28-30 on the highway. And it holds as much as any small/mid SUV. A manual transmission, a light touch on the gas and brake, and timing all go a long way to increasing mpgs.

Smilingcat, good luck with your purchase. You'll do fine!

[badger]

I'm in a similar boat, though probably not as dire yet. I drove my little Mazda Protege off the lot in 1995. She's needing more and more work every year, but I'm trying to get another year or two out of her before I bid her farewell.

I'd say go for a smaller car like Fit. Yaris looks nice but isn't terribly well-thought out in terms of cargo and seating like Fit. You can go up to a Matrix, the seats go down flush, including the passenger seat, and is lined with plastic for easy clean up. Mileage is still good, and there should be plenty of used ones out there as they're really popular.

My next car is definitely going to be a hatch back.

[surgtech1956]

+1 for some sort of hatchback. You can't go wrong with a Honda or Toyota(Honda Fit, Toyota Matrix, Honda Element). I don't know much about Scion. I would own a Honda Fit or Toyota Matrix in a minute, if it wasn't for us having a pop-up camper to tow and needing 4WD(because we live on a street that isn't plowed in the winter).

[berkeley]

I love my Fit! That gets my vote

[TxDoc]

my car is 2000 model year Audi A6 Quattro station wagon with 221k miles on it.

It seems you had a good experience with your Audi - so how about just buying another A4? Audi makes great cars and it will probably last you as long or longer than the one you have. And if you want to save some $$$ you can probably find a used one.

[tulip]

It seems you had a good experience with your Audi - so how about just buying another A4? Audi makes great cars and it will probably last you as long or longer than the one you have. And if you want to save some $$$ you can probably find a used one.

A3 is the wagon. Very nice, indeedy.