(no subject)

[thejunipertree]

I'm going to be buying a new car (hopefully) in the next couple of weeks and the idea of it, the enormity of it, is sending me into anxiety-ridden states of panic.

As it is, I am loathe to give up the Caddy. She's a great beast of a car and I have loved her for many, many years. Sadly, when one is afraid of driving long distances for fear of what may happen, it's usually a sign. As of a few weeks ago, the driver's side door decided to give up the ghost and no longer opens at all from the outside, which is a quite lovely addition to the fact I already can't unlock it from the outside. Before, I had to unlock the passenger side, lean over and unlock the driver's door. Now I have to do all of those things and actually open the door from the inside. Oh, and the passenger side doesn't open from the inside. It's a lot of fun.

Door issues aside, the engine runs fairly well (if a bit loud), but it is pushing 90K miles. I'm losing my tailpipe slowly as it's corroding away from its middle bits and something is making a rather annoying squeaking sound from the back of the car somewhere.

All of the original issues of the headliner falling down around my ears, a terribly cracked dashboard, wonky climate control, and absolutely wrecked seats are all still present. It's also just beginning to rust on the roof and the nose.

After next semester, I'm going to have to start traveling to Trenton for funeral school and the idea of taking the Caddy that far and back several times a week gives me The Fear. Not only because I'm unsure if it can withstand that amount of driving, but also because the car only takes premium gas and the amount of money I would have to put out to keep the tank full would most likely rival my student loans.

So, it's new car territory a-hoy.

My mind is already made up. I want a Mini Cooper. It doesn't have to be brand new. Just a Mini. Black. Preferably with a black roof, although I wouldn't turn up my nose at a white roof. No bells and whistles, I don't require them. But, it absolutely must be an automatic. I can't drive stick and despite how many manual drivers telling me how great it is to drive stick and how blessedly easy, I am uninterested. I'll learn how, sure. That's no problem. But, I'm not buying a manual.

I have some money squirrelled away for a down payment. The little pile will be growing slightly on Friday when I get paid. But, I've never done this before. I've never bought a car, had a car payment, had my own car insurance. The idea of all of these new bills also gives me The Fear. My paychecks are currently alright. I do basically ok. One fucked up set of circumstances would severely screw me, though. Putting car payments and insurance premiums into this mix? I could do it. It's just going to suck. And if I have to get my apartment when my lease is up (this is a whole other story I don't have the energy for at the moment), it's going to really suck.

I spoke to a co-worker's husband this evening who works for a car dealership and he gave me some ideas of what to expect and how to pursue all of this. He also killed my hopes of using the Mini Select financing (it's a balloon loan) by telling me it is a Very Bad Idea to get into that sort of thing. He did, however, tell give me quite a lot of ideas on how to approach this.

This week, I have to go to my bank and see about getting outside financing for the car loan. I'm not sure how it's going to go, but he told me it would be wise to make that my first step.

I just want a little reliable car that doesn't cause me to go into wild amount of debt and misery. Why do the Powers That Be make this kind of thing so goddamn difficult and nerve-wracking? I am, at turns, completely over the moon at the idea of having a car that actually does what it is supposed to do 100% of the time (and unlock it from the driver's side!) and completely terrified.

Comments

[edwards.livejournal.com]

I nearly bought a Cooper a while ago; I didn't like the visibility (or lack thereof), but I did like the way the Cooper S moved (the supercharged one) - I think new ones are turbocharged, not supercharged.

One thing that may go in your favour with the MINI Select is that if it's like the Personal Contract Purchase plans here, you have a minimum guaranteed future value for your car and can hand it back - and car sales in the US are about as hammered as they are everywhere else. This means that in three years (or five) there will be a shortage of good used cars of the age and condition that people really want, the "nearly new" 3 year old, lower mileage well maintained ones (though the Caddy has only done 90K miles in over 20 years? Wow!). This should push up values. And dealers will be keen to sell, so a black MINI bought new, if they have them in stock particularly, will probably have a tonne of incentives (I see Mazda were going all out to flog cars with incentives over Turkeyday).

At the very least if I were looking at buying a MINI now it would be rolling out of that showroom below sticker and barely able to move under the weight of "thrown in" accessories!

You know my car habits were awful, and I got sick of the not-unlocking doors, the rust, the repair bills, and ended up financing my "dream" car in the big C6 I have now (I've posted pics of it in the past but I'm not sure you've seen them). I am considerably happier with it - it has warranty for 4.5 years, it does everything I want, and it's exactly the car I wanted, and I do think I'm better off because I don't keep spending on repair parts, depreciation on old cars that are worthless after having spend £1500 on repairs, and lose the stress of wondering if I should fix the brakes now, or the rust, or whatever.

If you just want a little reliable car, though, a MINI is a luxury item[1]. GM will humiliate itself to sell you a Vibe or G3, Dodge will have a heart attack if you set foot in a showroom and will probably give you a "buy one, get the company free" deal, and even Ford (who are now making some good cars) would probably throw a small party in your honour if you took a test-drive in a Focus (also, I believe they're bringing the rather good new Fiesta to the US).

As for stick shifts? Phooey. I've had 125 cars, can drive a manual, and frankly, stick shifts are irrelevant in modern traffic and with modern automatic gearboxes. Stuck in a jam on the Freeway? Sure, a manual will be really helpful there. Looking for signs in a crowded city? Having to pop it into neutral or hold it on the clutch will really help. Especially when everyone else is just going "stop-go". My new car is an automatic, out of choice, because I don't see any point in setting the advance and retard on my car manually, or switching on fuel taps and turning a crank handle to start it, either. The only drawback is that it's sometimes a bit laggy on roundabouts, but that's more to do with the diesel V6 than the gearbox.

What will become of the Caddy, though? And have you considered finding someone who could just sit down and rebuild/fix it for you over a couple of months whilst you drive the cheapest rental possible? The doors are a common, easily fixed issue. The interior can be retrimmed. The rust can be removed. The exhaust can be remade in stainless steel so it lasts another decade. The squeaking sound is probably the bushes in the independent rear suspension (it probably also has a little wiggle on bends) and they're a wear item, like brakes. It's a borderline classic car and E-bodies are not common now. (I still have the Haynes manual from mine, actually!).

Bear in mind I gave myself all the same questions and came to the conclusion of "new car". I just don't like seeing another Eldorado die.

[1] Caveat: The MINI is a luxury if you plan to keep it until it's dead (the engines are made by Chrysler in the first model, so you're not getting anything stellar engineering-wise). If you're thinking resale, the MINI is sensible; the US-brands will be worthless particularly if the manufacturers fold.

[ninjalicious.livejournal.com]

Things to keep in mind regarding the purchase of a Fiesta:

Edit: 1st video got nabbed by the BBC

[edwards.livejournal.com]

Heee! - I'd based my comments on looking at them when they came out, not to buy but just to see what they were like. In my experience, no matter how bad a Ford product can be in terms of styling, or build, or equipment, they always manage to get the driving position right.

But I see in the comments that the Fiesta is on hold for the US? Wonder how reliable that information is...

[serpent-sky.livejournal.com]

I'd just like to throw in that I *love* my Ford Focus, and it has been a reliable, awesome little car that is perfect for me. Everyone who rides in it is impressed that it's a Ford, actually. Smooth, comfortable, and even without any extras [I got it before they started throwing in EVERYTHING because they were desperate] it has a ton of features.

If not a Mini, I would wholeheartedly recommend a Focus. And they have a pretty significant discount via their financing options....

[edwards.livejournal.com]

I've heard of Mustang GTs going for $24,000... I expect the Focus represents incredible value now. And the new Focus is a very nice looking car, very confident styling.

[serpent-sky.livejournal.com]

It's a great car, and it handles really well, too. It's pissing down ice and rain, some awful sleet mix today and I had no problem with it. I was worried because last year at this time, I had a terrifying 1990 Nissan Stanza that met its demise when the rusted brake lines snapped and I hit a snowbank/tree, rather than the car in front of me. This is when it was decreed, by order of my parents, that I would buy a reliable, new car.

I do not regret that decision, nor my father's choice, which was the Focus. [I was looking at the Honda Fit and the Hyundai Accent and he wanted to slap me upside the head. He's one of those "buy American" dudes. ^_^

[meetzemonsta.livejournal.com]

may go in your favour with the MINI Select is that if it's like the Personal Contract Purchase plans here

From what I've found about about Select, it's not quite the same. I can't turn the car back over when the three years is up, I can only pay off the loan or refinance the loan. It's like a balloon mortgage loan (I'm not sure if you guys have them in the UK) on a house. I've been warned away from it by my friend's husband, so now that option has been thrown by the wayside. :/

What will become of the Caddy, though?

My father changes his mind on a daily basis on what he wants done to it. He's told me I could use it as a trade-in if I want, but I know I'm going to get next to nothing for it. So, I'd prefer to not do that. He's also said we could park it at his mechanic in an effort to sell it. But, he does not want it left at his house to rot, which also means (in Butch-speak), that it will not be kept for future restoration.

As for the cheapest rental possible you mentioned, that's impossible. Rental cars here are extraordinarily expensive and I don't have my own car insurance, which would make one even more expensive.

All I know is that I really, really don't want to junk it.

The MINI is a luxury if you plan to keep it until it's dead

Keeping it until it's dead is the plan. I'm not big on "buy a car, resell it later, lather rinse repeat". If I get a car, it's mine. I get far too attached to inanimate objects.

I've got a car update post in the works, so you'll be hearing more about these issues shortly.

[edwards.livejournal.com]

We have the balloon loans. They're alright for businesses, a bad idea for individuals.

On the one hand, the Caddy is worth nothing, on the other, if traded in it may give the dealer access to incentives. Also, it's 5,000lbs of metal, which has a value in itself. If it's still starting and moving, though, someone must want it somewhere. Junking it would be a horrible fate; remember how much I really didn't want to give up my Eldorado? (It still amuses me that I had the opposite Eldorado). I'm still sad, though pleased Klaatu got some use out of it, that in the end it died.

I'd be considering eBay, Craigslist or Art Car. Couldn't The Engineer get into doing something creative there, perhaps a Shark car or something, as a side project - or is space to keep it too tight?

I think the MINI is too emotive for you to choose another car; you want NEW, not restored old/classic, and you should really stick to your guns on that. Logic is great for cars you're going to keep for a short period - if you want a car for life, go with the heart and swallow the repair bills (and there's no evidence that the MINI will have those; I'm thinking more of people wanting Alfa Romeos and choosing Mitsubishis).

[meetzemonsta.livejournal.com]

though the Caddy has only done 90K miles in over 20 years? Wow

Oh, I should have mentioned: the 90K miles are on the new engine, from when my father had the car converted from diesel. An engine with less than 10K was put into it in the errr...early 90s I think? I don't quite remember. Everything else in the car at that point was still factory, although quite a bit of it has been replaced in the past couple of years. Fuel pump, water pump, I think the radiator got hit, too. All new hoses and belts and crap because at one point, they were blowing about once a frigging week. Alternator was replaced a couple of years ago. The starter happened this year.

There's more, but I can't remember it all. Just about everything, really.

[edwards.livejournal.com]

*nods* I remember being amazed that ANYONE bought an E-body with a diesel in it; that engine was a total dog, but I thought it mostly surfaced in the Toronado of the era. Your radiator had problems a while ago, no? I remember something about hoses.

Thing is, that car has character and soul.

[yagathai.livejournal.com]

=( =( =(

I felt much the same when I had to give up my '84 Lincoln Towncar. I know your pain!

[bifemmefatale.livejournal.com]

I know you want a mini, but have you considered a Jetta or Beetle? The turbo diesel Jetta is very reliable, surprisingly spacious (I have no problem getting 5 people and a full trunkload of groceries in it), and they get insane gas mileage. I've owned 2 Jettas now and loved them both every minute. They've got great sound systems too, and OMG I have no idea what I did before I got heated seats.

[edwards.livejournal.com]

I used to have a Beetle Cabriolet, and I wouldn't recommend one purely because of the weird "width" feeling they have, but the Jetta seems to be the most popular car ever amongst younger Americans I've known online; it's seemingly so good that it's the logical choice for anyone that has thought about their car.

And OMG heated seats. My Beetle had those without leather, which I thought was odd. I also liked that my Beetle had the basic, plastic steering wheel and it was all bumpy/pitted like a 1970s one.

(I really liked my Beetle a lot, but it had many drawbacks for a fairly unexciting drive - if I didn't like "driving" so much, I think I'd have loved the Beetle).

[meetzemonsta.livejournal.com]

I considered a Beetle. I'd love a red one, so I could put black circle magnets all over it because I'm stupid that way.

It's not been completely removed from the running, but it's definitely in the bottom tier.

Jettas I'm kind of iffy about. I had a boyfriend with a Jetta and I drove it all the time. I didn't hate it, but there was something about it I didn't like.

Also, everyone keeps crowing about heated seats! My BFF got a Rabbit with heated seats and she won't shut up about them. :D

[emzebel.livejournal.com]

We just got a mini - the clubman - at the beginning of October and we LOVE it. I plan on driving my Altima until it falls apart, but when that happens, I'm coveting a racing green Clubman with silver fittings and the bonnet stripes. Whee!

[meetzemonsta.livejournal.com]

I love the Clubman for the nifty back doors. They're a bit more expensive, so I wasn't considering one, but my God- those doors slay me.

[serpent-sky.livejournal.com]

As someone who got hosed on insurance for most of the past year with my new car, let me just say this: shop around like crazy on insurance. I was paying $160/month, and after doing some shopping after I moved [and had the "holy shit my rent and bills are high" fit] I found the SAME coverage for $101. That makes a huge difference -- that's my electric bill and a trip for groceries in a month, the $59.

Also, take someone who knows cars really well with you, and really, as weird and "sexist" as it may sound, take a guy. I was treated very differently when I went to dealerships on my own and when my father came up and went with me. Even though I went in knowing what I wanted [pretty much what you do -- small and reliable] and had a budget, they were playing "oh! you need this or that or this or that" when, like you said, I also didn't need bells and whistles. I just didn't want to be afraid of dying every time I drove somewhere. It was funny how I'd say the same thing when my father was with me -- and they'd respond to it in the affirmative, rather than convince me why I needed heated seats or something.

Good luck, they do make it really, really freaking hard. But oh my god, when you get behind the wheel of a car that doesn't frighten you for the first time and get on the road? Oh. Glorious.

[meetzemonsta.livejournal.com]

The insurance quotes I've gotten so far haven't been that bad, particularly since I've got the added negative of never having had insurance before. So far, I've gotten a quote of $110 a month for an 09 Mini and $99 a month for a 09 Honda Fit.

And word on the taking a guy thing. I've had that happen in different situations with me and the Engineer, where something's gone wrong with a car and whoever is helping us automatically looks at him when they're talking. Meanwhile, I've forgotten more about cars than he knows. Depending on my mood, I can find it hilarious or insulting.

I have been very adamant with the dealers about what I want. They get emails saying, "I want this, this, and this. NOTHING ELSE." They don't like it all that much.

[pinsandbeetles.livejournal.com]

If money and reliability are an issue (and when are they not) you might consider 3-to-5 year old Hondas or Toyotas. That new car smell costs several thousand dollars, and a Honda with 50K is just getting started.

[meetzemonsta.livejournal.com]

I've been looking at the Honda Fit Sport (they come in purple!), which doesn't seem too bad.

The new car thing isn't as much of a concern for me, other than not wanting something with an unknown history and possibly a service plan (Mini's got a good one, from what I hear, on their new cars). I'd totally be down with a used car, if I could know for certain it wasn't going to shit itself a week after I drove it off the lot.

What kind of Hondas or Toyotas would you recommend?