Need advice on which car to buy

[photon]

Originally Posted by Bmuzyka

I love my Kia Soul. They are fun to drive, have kick-ass sound systems, look pretty cool, and are REALLY easy on gas. I drive from Citadel to Quarry Park and back every day, and I only use $35-$40 worth of fuel a week

Ha, I suggested that one to my wife and she definitely would never drive one. I think they're fine but she hates the look.

[wooohooo]

Ever consider a Kia? New might not be an option but I hear good things about the newer Kia's

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Hevishot

Depends who did the repair. That one looks like it has a front licence plate which could mean Ontario or Quebec car and the front bumper does not color match as well as it should (most bumpers are a little off that one looks very dark). For that reason alone I would pass on it.

I disagree. It's not like there is a shortage of used vehicles that haven't been in horrible crashes, so I just don't see why anybody would take the risk of owning one given so many better, less risky options.

[photon]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Ever consider a Kia? New might not be an option but I hear good things about the newer Kia's

Me too, Kia and Hyundai lately have pretty good quality, so probably would be ok with a Kia.

Thing is with Kia and Hyundai or some domestics I can get something that has some factory warranty left.

[photon]

There's an Audi A3 in BC for under $15k (2006, 90,000km), I know my wife will email me as soon as she finds it.

[Sliver]

I just read up a ton on B200s after seeing it in your list - that's a compelling choice, Photon. I'd check those out for sure if I were you.

[photon]

Yeah I'd looked at those for a while, then when we though we were going to spend more I liked the R or the GLK better, but might go back to that.

[photon]

Mazda6 Sportwagon looks nice too.

And of course there's an RX-8... must.. resist.

[Bill Bumface]

-Volvo V50 (Available Turbo/AWD)
-Jetta/Golf TDI

[greyshep]

Originally Posted by photon

There's an Audi A3 in BC for under $15k (2006, 90,000km), I know my wife will email me as soon as she finds it.

If you didnt like your maintenance costs on your VW, you are gonna hate it on an Audi.

[onetwo_threefour]

I know you set your limit at $15K but when I was looking at used R-Classes in December, 2006's with about 100-130K were selling at about or slightly under 20K. The only reason I went newer was because there were no diesels available at the time. If you liked the R's when you were loooking and can stretch your budget, there still seem to be a few available on Auto-Trader under 20K. Of course, this doesn't really fit in the category of small or efficient, even if your were looking at the diesels, so it may not be on your radar at all anymore.

For me, if you don't mind the styling (that a lot of people seem to hate), the used prices on those are amazing. Biggest downside for me was the gas mileage on these non-diesel's because of my commute or I would likely have looked closer at the 2006 R500 with AMG package for about 19k that's still on Auto-Trader. Pretty much all the ones on there for under 20K have been there since at least early December when I was looking at them, so you might be able to grind the price down a bit.

[photon]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

-Volvo V50 (Available Turbo/AWD)

I like the Volvos, they all seem to be high kms for the year but have a reputation for lasting long. Not sure how repair costs are for these cars tho.

Originally Posted by greyshep

If you didnt like your maintenance costs on your VW, you are gonna hate it on an Audi.

Lol yeah, that's why I'm preparing for the email, I'll say no but she won't like it.

[photon]

Originally Posted by onetwo_threefour

I know you set your limit at $15K but when I was looking at used R-Classes in December, 2006's with about 100-130K were selling at about or slightly under 20K. The only reason I went newer was because there were no diesels available at the time. If you liked the R's when you were loooking and can stretch your budget, there still seem to be a few available on Auto-Trader under 20K. Of course, this doesn't really fit in the category of small or efficient, even if your were looking at the diesels, so it may not be on your radar at all anymore.

For me, if you don't mind the styling (that a lot of people seem to hate), the used prices on those are amazing. Biggest downside for me was the gas mileage on these non-diesel's because of my commute or I would likely have looked closer at the 2006 R500 with AMG package for about 19k that's still on Auto-Trader. Pretty much all the ones on there for under 20K have been there since at least early December when I was looking at them, so you might be able to grind the price down a bit.

Interesting, I know MB has good quality now, and I think they went through a stretch where they weren't that great, would the 2006 range be ok do you think?

Not totally married to a small car just thought that given the surprise nature of having to buy that the best bang for buck might be small, but this might be a good option too. And I do like the diesels.

We can stretch the budget, we could get something much newer it's just my wife's looking for a job at the moment so I really have a hard time spending a significant chunk of our cash on a car when we aren't sure when she'll get a job (though I'm sure it'll be soon, but you never know).

Thanks for the input (and to everyone) much appreciated.

EDIT: 15mpg city for the gas R-class? Ouch!

[iggy_oi]

I bought a 2012 Kia rio as a commuter car last year, thing is excellent on gas and has more features included then any competitors in its class, power everything, heated seats iPod connectivity, Handsfree cellphone connectivity and an iPod dock.

I paid ~17500 but I got some extras like winter tires and rock chip protection on it. Also didn't have to make a payment for 4 months with zero down and 0% financing. Came with a full 5 year warranty and roadside assistance too. Can't say enough good things about this car.

Edit: should add that my car was a manual transmission, automatic could be pricier but i also got the hatchback which was more then the sedan model. If they have any 2012's left on the lot you could get a good deal.

[Reaper]

I'm going to recommend against the Matrix. Having owned a 2009 XR and still owning a 2006 I ended up being very disappointed with the series that began in 2009. The interior materials are cheap, squeaky and not very durable. The massive reduction in cabin and storage space was a downer as well. The XR engine is really fun for driving but not great on gas. Also, if you get the AWD version you get the older 4 speed automatic instead of the 5 speed tiptronic type.

[Ironhorse]

The MINI's can be good, and are excellent in the winter with proper tires. There have been some issues (i.e. don't buy a CVT Cooper from '03-'06), but not much different than others, and they've all been addressed. Repairs are typical BMW, but my 2006 has been good to me and there is a very good independant in town. Can't beat the driving experience and fun factor!

[onetwo_threefour]

Originally Posted by photon

EDIT: 15mpg city for the gas R-class? Ouch!

^ Yeah, I know. That's why I paid 32K for a 2010 diesel, I get an average of about 10l/100 km (about 23mpg) for my commute.

Unfortunately, I don't see any used diesels on the market at the moment. Of course one of the downsides with the diesels is that if you don't like run-flats, you s houldn't get one. I've been taking my old Sportage to work all this week as I hit a curb dodging someone last week in the Benz and managed to get an unfixable sidewall flat, so I'm waiting for a tire to be shipped to Costco to replace. You can drive on the run-flats for a fair distance, but not over 90 kph and my commute involves Deerfoot, and I wouldn't want to drive a few hundred K on them while waiting a week for a tire.

The V6 (R350) might be a slightly better choice. In my research they were around 18-20 mpg combined, while the V8 (R500) was down around 15 mpg.

There are some V6's out there in the under 20k or 20-30K range. As for the years. I know there there are some stories out there even about '06 mercedes. With respect to the R-Class it seems to be that the V8's were more problematic than the V6's but you would probably want to do your own homework on that...

[Hevishot]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I disagree. It's not like there is a shortage of used vehicles that haven't been in horrible crashes, so I just don't see why anybody would take the risk of owning one given so many better, less risky options.

You do understand that most vehicles are written off due to the cost of the repair exceeding the ACV of the vehicle. Sometimes there is no frame damage nasty hits or airbag deployments. Sometimes cars get sideswiped and need a bumper, fender 2 doors and either a quarter panel replacement or repair. Most insurance companies start thinking about total losses and payouts after a vehicle reaches 75-80% of ACV that also varies by insurance company.
By the time you get around the price of the parts the supplemental damages, paint, blending color to adjacent panels for proper color match and R&I of glass and such it can be enough to total a vehicle. Also if a vehicle has less than a certain amount of kms and you have total vehicle replacement insurance you can also opt for a payout to the lien holder if any and go get another one.
Not all vehicles that are branded repaired status are cobbled together. Unfortunately alot of them that are come from out east where the law is a little more relaxed. Most shops will not repair a write off for off the street customers. Alot of the bigger shops that have excessive fleets of courtesy cars may have some "repaired/rebuilt" vehicles in their fleets.

[Burninator]

Photon mentioned good resale value and you certainly aren't gonna get that on a vehicle that was written off. Only a good deal if you drive it into the ground.

[RedMileDJ]

I drive a 2013 Elantra. GL model. Love it. Had it since May last year. Only had to plug it in once this winter. Been really good. Fun to drive and great milage.