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Car forum?

dinghy

dinghy

May 27, 2007
1,212
147
San Francisco
#1
I just turned 16, in the middle of getting my license, and have $1400 left from my summer job. Guess what I want.

I don't really know the first thing about cars, what models and brands to pick, how to fix them up, and only a basic understanding of how they work. But I still want one.

So I have a plethora of questions and I want a good car forum to ask them in. Anyone use any regularly?
 
#6
tplyons said:
All the forums I'm part of are car-specific.
Click to expand...

+1

They're are plenty of general mechanics sites out there if you google it, but if you want specific information the best info comes from the "model specific" enthusiast forums.

To start off you can always visit places like Car and Driver or Edmunds. They can help you narrow down what kind of car may interest you, plus those sites have all kinds of advise and tips, plus forums of their own that will dive into the mechanical end of things.
 
#10
Things I look for in a car:

1) It runs
2) It's cheap

Are the only necessary factors, but beyond that

3) Decent gas mileage
4) At least 4 seats, probably looking for a sedan or coupe
5) Looks cool
6) Will KEEP running without me having to fix it too often

As you can see I'm not really looking for anything specifically.

In terms of style, I was looking at craigslist and found that, for my money, 80s Volvos and Mercedes are the best looking cars I can afford.

fotosderay222.jpg

800px-1987-Mercedes_Benz-190E-2.3.jpg
 
#11
dinghy said:
Things I look for in a car:

1) It runs
2) It's cheap

Are the only necessary factors, but beyond that

3) Decent gas mileage
4) At least 4 seats, probably looking for a sedan or coupe
5) Looks cool
6) Will KEEP running without me having to fix it too often
Click to expand...
What do you consider decent gas mileage? What do you consider cheap? And what do you consider cool looking?

I love El Camino's, others hate them. I consider my 20 mpg good for a full sized car, and others consider it poor. See what I mean? A lot of what you said is subjective.

Keep running without having to fix too often? Be prepared when buying an older used car, that things WILL wear out and wear out when you least suspect it. Make sure you have money in the bank account for emergency repairs.
 
#13
I also love El Caminos, but I don't need a whole bed. Don't have that much crap to lug around. Also it gets low MPG and not enough cab room.

GOOD gas mileage would be 30+ to me. I doubt the cars I had in mind would be able to pull that off, but if my parents don't pay for gas (they might because I would drive myself and my sisters to school) I would need at least 25 I think.

Manual transmission cars kind of intimidate me because it just seems like so much more work to have to change gear all the time. I would prefer automatic, but if I find a really good deal on a manual transmission car I would learn to use it. I'm fine with manual windows and mirrors, that has never bothered me. I actually prefer non leather seats, those get hot and sicky in hot weather, and are icy in cold weather.
 
#14
dinghy said:
I also love El Caminos, but I don't need a whole bed. Don't have that much crap to lug around. Also it gets low MPG and not enough cab room.

GOOD gas mileage would be 30+ to me. I doubt the cars I had in mind would be able to pull that off, but if my parents don't pay for gas (they might because I would drive myself and my sisters to school) I would need at least 25 I think.

Manual transmission cars kind of intimidate me because it just seems like so much more work to have to change gear all the time. I would prefer automatic, but if I find a really good deal on a manual transmission car I would learn to use it. I'm fine with manual windows and mirrors, that has never bothered me. I actually prefer non leather seats, those get hot and sicky in hot weather, and are icy in cold weather.
Click to expand...
Well, if you can get over the looks, I'd certainly consider a mid-nineties four-door compact like a Saturn SL, who routinely gets between 35-40 mpg highway or 25-30 city if you drive like an old lady.

The girlfriend has one, it's not luxurious by any means, but it gets her from A to B cheap, safely, and the radio isn't too bad ;)

Repair cost isn't prohibitive either... they're fairly bulletproof if you maintain them properly.

Considering your price range, you're probably looking at high mileage vehicles... 80,000 plus, I'm sure. I'll tell you what, if you know how to maintain a vehicle, they'll keep going for what seems like forever. I'm at 175,000 and counting.
 
#15
tplyons said:
Well, if you can get over the looks, I'd certainly consider a mid-nineties four-door compact like a Saturn SL, who routinely gets between 35-40 mpg highway or 25-30 city if you drive like an old lady.

The girlfriend has one, it's not luxurious by any means, but it gets her from A to B cheap, safely, and the radio isn't too bad ;)

Repair cost isn't prohibitive either... they're fairly bulletproof if you maintain them properly.

Considering your price range, you're probably looking at high mileage vehicles... 80,000 plus, I'm sure. I'll tell you what, if you know how to maintain a vehicle, they'll keep going for what seems like forever. I'm at 175,000 and counting.
Click to expand...

Haha, Saturn... plastic... bulletproof... hilarious. BUT I will look into these. You're right, they're not the best lookers, but I can give them a shot. You mean something like this right? [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

But 80,000 miles? Wow... I don't think any of the cars I've been looking at on CL have been less than 120,000. If I found a car with 80k on it for less than 1400 I would be ecstatic.
 
#16
dinghy said:
Haha, Saturn... plastic... bulletproof... hilarious. BUT I will look into these. You're right, they're not the best lookers, but I can give them a shot. You mean something like this right? [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

But 80,000 miles? Wow... I don't think any of the cars I've been looking at on CL have been less than 120,000. If I found a car with 80k on it for less than 1400 I would be ecstatic.
Click to expand...
Word of advice, save a bit longer. The only thing you're going to get for $1400 is going to require that you put more into it.

I wouldn't spend less than $3500 on something that I want to last a while.
 
#17
Automotiveforums.com is definitely the place to go. Love it.

Dude, honestly, your guys' gas isn't so bad. I'm poor and looking for a diesel truck and 20 mpg is fine by me. Post up what you like, but be wary of European cars. Sexy and cheap sometimes, but unless you're buying a BMW they aren't always reliable and they're never cheap to fix.
 
#19
tplyons said:
Word of advice, save a bit longer. The only thing you're going to get for $1400 is going to require that you put more into it.

I wouldn't spend less than $3500 on something that I want to last a while.
Click to expand...

Crap, 3500? That's another 2 summer jobs really... I guess by then I won't have to take behind the wheel training because I'll be 18 at least.

But... 3500... I wouldn't mind researching on how to fix up my car if that's all it took to keep a 1400 car reliable.
 

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