19 yrs old...car hunting...a lil help? :D

hm, ironically, the Ford Aerostar that my parents had went through something like five or six transmissions. Haha. Bad example. Though I heard in comsumer reports apparently the Aerostars from the model year AFTER the one that my parents bought were apparently much more reliable and better built.

My Viper's got 53,000 miles on it and I couldn't be happier with it. But I wouldn't really advise getting one of those for your first car.

As if you have a Viper, you lucky bastard.

One really nice thing to have is ABS. If either car has it, I'd let it swing the vote, all other factors being fairly equal. Get the car checked out by a reputable mechanic. The money you spnd doing this will far outweigh the car repairs you face if you buy a clunker. I've driven almost all foriegn cars and the results are surprising. The most reliable car was my Mustang GT. The least reliable and by far most expensive to own has been my 7 Series BMW (which is a fucking dream to drive!). Years ago I had a Del Sol SI. It was fun to drive, reliable and got 35mpg.

If I had to pick between the two, I'd pick the Eclipse but that's just personal preference.

ok, this is something i know a LOT about...

first off: the guy who has the troublefree aerostar has been VERY VERY lucky--they're widely known to have transmission, a/c and other problem rates way higher than average.

second: if the vehicle's not that expensive (under $5k), consider just getting liability insurance. you won't be covered to repair or replace your car if it's in an accident or stolen, but the premiums will be a lot lower. if you finance the car, the bank will require comprehensive & collision insurance to protect its investment.

third: the escort coupe you're considering is a good little car. it has a peppy & economical mazda drivetrain (think protege), handles well, is simple/cheap to work on, and escorts look surprisingly good here in salty new england, which speaks well for their rustproofing and general body integrity. the mitsu just isn't as dependable, and since eclipses are popular with young men like you, they've often led hard lives.

fourth: go to the library and get the april issue of consumer reports, which is their big automobile round-up. in it you will see reliability rankings, as well as a number of tips on what to look for in a test drive. i buy one every year, and keep them for future reference.

the reliability rankings include all the major areas of a car, and how a car scores in that particular area. these can be good talking points with the prior owner ("have you had any a/c work done recently on your aerostar...?").

fifth: i'm going to say something others might not agree with, but: get a car with as nice a body and interior as possible for the money. a good running, ugly car is worth nothing should a big mechanical problem occur, but a good looking dead car is at least worth something for body parts, and might appeal to someone interested in fixing it up.


feel free to pm me--i'll get you some articles that will help in your search.

signed,
the fag who knows a ton about cars, has owned over 25 of them, plus countless scooters/motorcycles, and whose dad was an automotive engineer. :)

p.s. for everyone, here are the questions i always ask an owner when responding to a car ad, either online or in print:

1) how long have you had it, and how many miles did it have when you bought it;
2) has it ever been in an accident and/or had any paintwork;
3) what kind of work has been done to the car in the last few years ("the more you've done the less i'll have to, so don't be bashful!");
4) how would you rate the interior and exterior conditions, with 10 being NEW, and 1 being...crap? :) (don't expect perfection for less expensive cars, and let them know you don't, just that you're trying to get a good idea of its overall condition)
5) what does the car need to be "perfect;" (this is a great catch-all question. if they say "nothing," ask: "nothing? a/c and heat work fine? all power windows/sunroof working? tires good? brakes? doesn't go one way or the other driving straight down the road? jogging their memories like this can elicit responses they might not make if you didn't dig. always ask the question, even if their ad says all they've done to the car--any inconsistencies could be red flags)
6) ask them to email photos of the driver's seat (the one most likely to be worn), as well as ones of any exterior and/or interior flaws.

happy car hunting!

The couple of guys I know who drive tow trucks for a living have told me never to buy a BMW, apparently they pick them up all the time.

forgot to add: for values, go to:

http://www.kbb.com/kbb/UsedCars/default.aspx and
http://www.edmunds.com/tmv/used/index.html

always buy at or very near trade in, NOT retail or private party value. trade in is more than what the owner was offered by any dealership anyway, and you'll be in better position when it comes time to sell. be sure to deduct for any reconditioning the car would need to bring it normal condition for its age with no mechanical problems. using this technique i recently got a 1996 all-wheel drive toyota minivan for $300--the owner was asking $3000... ;)

After a string of car buying debacles a friend told me, "you cannot afford a cheap car."

Here's the nutshell/nineteen y.o. version of Consumer Reports:

Get the newest/lowest miles Honda Civic/Accord or Toyota Camry you can afford.

They are also the most frequently stolen, so lock up or maybe even use "the club" if you live in a highly urban area.

(Incredible cock BTW.)

With all due respect, this is what we're talking about in terms of real world fuel economy, a Ranger is every bit a legitimate contender to either of those two choices. I've driven all 3, the Ranger has a better ride than the other two as well (test one for yourself). And if you don't like the Ranger, every other brand has a smaller 4 cylinder truck that is competitively priced. A truck can make you money too, I can't count the times I've turned down someone that wanted to rent my truck, it's ugly but it's a hard worker too:



Fuel Type MPG (city) MPG (highway) MPG (combined)

Fuel Type MPG (city) MPG (highway) MPG (combined)
For the Ranger:
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/U...reviewshowall/

EnginesSize liters/
cu. in.
Horse-
power
Torque
Transmission:
EPA city/hgwy
Consumer Guide®
Observed
http://images.consumerguide.com/general/clear_01.gifohc I42.5 / 152117-119146-1495-speed manual: 22/27
4-speed automatic: 20/25
5-speed manual: --
4-speed automatic: --dohc I42.3 / 138135-143153-1545-speed manual: 24/28
5-speed automatic: 21/25
5-speed manual: --
5-speed automatic: --

I'm new hear but I might help out a bit.

I know you might like the look of the Mitsu, IMO the ford is the more reliable. If it's the ZX2 2 door coupe, It has the 2.0 Zetec form the Focus, so parts (and recalls) are plenty. The Escorts have been around for a very long time, and have been tweaked and de-bugged evrey production year. The last ones made are some of the best and most reliable.

By the way, I'd bet the ZX2 would hand the mitsu its ass on the dragstrip.

Believe me, I know they are supposed to have tranny and A/C problems. The A/C on Areostars died what became known as “the black death” and the tranny had an aluminum part (I don't recall what it was [piston?]) that cracked and should have been made stronger. Mine is an AWD (which I am told is even worse) that has pulled a flat deck weighing around 2000 lbs from Texas to Florida. It rode back home again, but has had to pull the Humvee and '79 Lincoln more than once as well as a Chev short box from about 350 KM away. I KNOW I have been lucky. It brought the Lincoln into the transmission shop. The guy looked at me and said that if the thing blows up not to bring it to him- there will be nothing left. I just joked that the stress keeps the valves and passages clean.

I also agree with wowniceone on buying one with a nice exterior and interior, but for different reasons. For me mechanical is fairly easy and I will do it- I cannot do rust repair and nothing will turn off a woman faster than riding around in a rust bucket with no muffler. The nicer the interior, the more pride you are likely to have in the car. Duct tape does not need to be dusted or need a coat of armorall. I am not saying buy something that has s blown engine and a nice body; but do pay attention to it. A few bubbles quickly turn into a few holes.

Finally regarding the truck; go ahead and buy a ranger. When I advised against a truck I was referring to a REAL truck . I have owned Chevy's with 350's 400's and one 454 (all 4X4's) and presently own an ex military Humvee. None have got stellar fuel mileage, but all can pull a trailer or go off road.

we have a television programme in uk called top gear, they do all sorts of crazy things with cars in one episode they dropped a toyota flatbed from a six storey building and it started. this one is my fav. driving a land rover up a scottish mountain.http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/c...landrover_16x9
last week one of the presenters was almost killed driving a jet powered car at 300 mph. he is still in hospital with serious brain injuries.

Nice segment. You may have to download and install real alternative lite to view it.

I hope the guy with the head injury recovers. It's a wonder he's alive.

I'm a mechanic. Regular maintenance and a one owner car is always better than unknown history. They both get good mileage, they're both equally made of plastic and crap.

I'm not knocking new cars, but if you can find a decent vehicle of some vintage, they are lower in price, the maintance is cheaper, the parts are cheaper, you could probably do most of the work yourself with a manual.
But number one- they look way fuckin' cooler. My girl is is smokin' hot. (I'm serious, I have no Idea what she's doing with me) We dated in high school. Guess how she noticed me. I drove a lowered, primered, loud, and fast 57 chevy wagon. Chicks dig old cars, dude. And so do I. Chrome is sexier than plastic. If you want mileage, go with a vintage bug or get real nasty and find yourself a slick lookin' bike.

and the wagon had mufflers, just loud ones

Buy a chrysler

Its still plastic, and has miles of wiring, which will get oil soaked and/or rotten from age and short out. A wise old mechanic told me when I started out "Cars are made to throw away nowadays. When a NEW car gets old, it ain't worth a shit!" ANd if you're buying a car for the dragstrip, why the fuck would you even consider the escort or the mitsu? My car is 50 years old. has ac power everything. Fifty years from now, show me a ford escort that's still driving. I'll give you a kidney if you can. That's value at its finest.