Its that time again. Time to start looking for a new car.
Man, just when you think you'll get to enjoy some months without a car payment....
See, our little Cavalier is having some, er, problems. We have six wholeeee payments left on it. In other words, soon it will be paid off and I was looking forward to being able to catch up on some other bills...
Yeah, I wish.
I dont know if little Cavalier will still want to drive me around too much longer. Maybe if I just give it some extra love, or new wheel bearings... or a new engine, or something.
I have to say, they just dont make cars like they used to. My old Cavalier lasted 10 years and gave me 241,000 miles of hard labor. That car was a tank. This one? Not the same. Its only 5 years old with 170,000 and its falling apart.
But at least this time, we're able to shop around for a new car. Last time, when the old Cavalier was on its last wheel, it drove us one last time from NJ to PA safely, got us to the dealership where we said, "give us another one of these", which they did and offered us a whooping $50 for our old one, which we refused, and then drove its final run back home. A few weeks later, some silly kid showed up with a flat bed truck and gave us $200 for it...
BUT I would never have bought a new Cavalier had I sat in it first. Hey, we were desperate. So you do what you gotta do. You know?
So like I said, we're shopping around. For the last 3 days I've been comparing vehicles. As of today, its a toss up between the Toyota Corolla and the Nissan Sentra. I would go out and buy the Corolla this minute. The Corolla is bigger, prettier, and more fuel efficient. It cost less too. And... its a TOYOTA.
Totota = good car.
IF I HAD MONEY? I would buy a Honda Accord.
IF I HAD LOTS OF MONEY? I would buy a Acura.
IF I HAD TONS OF MONEY? I would buy a completly restored GTO or Charger and drive it around town just for fun.
But I dont. So I wont.
Hubby likes the horsepower in the Sentra better. Hubby needs HORSEPOWER, 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION, BIG ENGINE, yadda yadda, yadda.
I need FUEL EFFIENCY, SAFETY, SPACE, RELIABILITY, blah blah blah.
OOoooo then you go with the HONDA CIVIC!! Yum! But wayyyyy to SMALLLLLL. Holy crap. Its smaller than my Cavalier, which has Earl and I fighting for elbow room every morning. Did I mention its too expensive too?
Corolla people. Say it with me. Corolllllaaaaaaa.
So its a 1.8 L instead of a 2.4.
So its 164 hp instead of 175 hp.
Its reliable, it gets 34 mpg, it has ROOM, and we can afford it. Even after adding a spoiler on the back.
I keep you updated on our progress. Any opinion on these cars? Good experiences? Bad? Let me know!
UPDATE:
I've been doing some more thinking....
Lunch time today, I had to have someone jump my battery. Thats when I saw my engine and was reminded that my Cavalier is a 2.4 L. I knew that, just forgot about it. The thing is, I have never felt that my car was crazy "powerful", and so it was at that time I realized that if a 2.4 was okay, then a 1.8 certainly will never do.
So the SENTRA is a little worse on gas... but it has everything else we want. Hmmm.
This is going to drive me nuts. No pun intended.
Can we say SENNTRAAAAA?
Man, just when you think you'll get to enjoy some months without a car payment....
See, our little Cavalier is having some, er, problems. We have six wholeeee payments left on it. In other words, soon it will be paid off and I was looking forward to being able to catch up on some other bills...
Yeah, I wish.
I dont know if little Cavalier will still want to drive me around too much longer. Maybe if I just give it some extra love, or new wheel bearings... or a new engine, or something.
I have to say, they just dont make cars like they used to. My old Cavalier lasted 10 years and gave me 241,000 miles of hard labor. That car was a tank. This one? Not the same. Its only 5 years old with 170,000 and its falling apart.
But at least this time, we're able to shop around for a new car. Last time, when the old Cavalier was on its last wheel, it drove us one last time from NJ to PA safely, got us to the dealership where we said, "give us another one of these", which they did and offered us a whooping $50 for our old one, which we refused, and then drove its final run back home. A few weeks later, some silly kid showed up with a flat bed truck and gave us $200 for it...
BUT I would never have bought a new Cavalier had I sat in it first. Hey, we were desperate. So you do what you gotta do. You know?
So like I said, we're shopping around. For the last 3 days I've been comparing vehicles. As of today, its a toss up between the Toyota Corolla and the Nissan Sentra. I would go out and buy the Corolla this minute. The Corolla is bigger, prettier, and more fuel efficient. It cost less too. And... its a TOYOTA.
Totota = good car.
IF I HAD MONEY? I would buy a Honda Accord.
IF I HAD LOTS OF MONEY? I would buy a Acura.
IF I HAD TONS OF MONEY? I would buy a completly restored GTO or Charger and drive it around town just for fun.
But I dont. So I wont.
Hubby likes the horsepower in the Sentra better. Hubby needs HORSEPOWER, 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION, BIG ENGINE, yadda yadda, yadda.
I need FUEL EFFIENCY, SAFETY, SPACE, RELIABILITY, blah blah blah.
OOoooo then you go with the HONDA CIVIC!! Yum! But wayyyyy to SMALLLLLL. Holy crap. Its smaller than my Cavalier, which has Earl and I fighting for elbow room every morning. Did I mention its too expensive too?
Corolla people. Say it with me. Corolllllaaaaaaa.
So its a 1.8 L instead of a 2.4.
So its 164 hp instead of 175 hp.
Its reliable, it gets 34 mpg, it has ROOM, and we can afford it. Even after adding a spoiler on the back.
I keep you updated on our progress. Any opinion on these cars? Good experiences? Bad? Let me know!
UPDATE:
I've been doing some more thinking....
Lunch time today, I had to have someone jump my battery. Thats when I saw my engine and was reminded that my Cavalier is a 2.4 L. I knew that, just forgot about it. The thing is, I have never felt that my car was crazy "powerful", and so it was at that time I realized that if a 2.4 was okay, then a 1.8 certainly will never do.
So the SENTRA is a little worse on gas... but it has everything else we want. Hmmm.
This is going to drive me nuts. No pun intended.
Can we say SENNTRAAAAA?
posted by Sp00kalot at 11:00 AM
4 Comments:
It's your car, right? You get the say.......unless your husband will sit in the car and will whine every damn time he is sitting in your car about the horsepower, then get his car. It's so not worth it.
My credentials: Bought a car in June.
Actually its 'our' car. We drive together for everything and only have the one vehicle. Its just as much his car as it is mine as we share the driving.
And actually since I posted this, I've read some more about the benefits of engine size, horsepower and such. My Cavalier is a 2.4 L and I have never thought it felt "powerful". I certainly dont think that I would want to down grade to a 1.8 L, although that is where you find the better fuel efficiency.
Yes, I think I am now leaning towards the SENTRA.
Can we say SENNNTRAAAA????
I dont know. I have to go drive one to see!
Car shopping sux. I test drive, I don't negotiate. Now that I'm not married I'll have to find people to take care of that negotiating thing for me when I do go car shopping.
My current plan is to drive my Durango until one of us is dead.
I know nothing. I buy minivans. Used.
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