Car totalled... YES!!

[shardian]

Last Friday, a deaf old man backed into my car as I was laying on the horn. It tore up the passenger side headlight, and did some body damage. Today I got the estimate. A 1994 Volvo 850 - keep that in mind. I was figuring on around $1500-$1800. The guy told me he quit after he was up to $3100!!
Needless to say, I will be getting a check this week. The NADA clean retail is $3100, so I hope that is around what I am getting.
Now I can drive the crappy Volvo 740 I have been holding onto "just in case" while I look for a Civic or Corolla in the $4000 range.

[shmokes]

Damned Japanese cars.  The only thing that sucks about them is resale value, when you're the buyer.

[shardian]

In the $4k range, go for a Corolla. 

The only Honda you're gonna get is one nearing it's 5 year old meltdown.

Looked in the local trading journal - people are wanting like $5k for a '96 civic. I know the cars hold their value and all, but what are these people smoking?

[shardian]

I get my stuff out of the car today, car is gone tommorrow, check in hand tommorrow or Thurs, and I have a rental until next monday. I like how fast all this was done.

BTW, if you are anywhere near 6' or over, DO NOT GET A CHEVY COBALT. That car is a total piece of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- tin can.

[pointdablame]

your height doesn't even matter. The cobalt is just a massive disappointment all around.

[ChadTower]

The only Honda you're gonna get is one nearing it's 5 year old meltdown.

My civic is a '99 and I'm still waiting on whatever the meltdown is.

[shardian]

The only Honda you're gonna get is one nearing it's 5 year old meltdown.

My civic is a '99 and I'm still waiting on whatever the meltdown is.

How comfortable is the Civic to you?
I found a 1998 2dr 5spd Civic with 110k miles for $4995. I will test drive it this weekend.

My roomate in college had a Civic around that area and I drove it briefly twice. His was souped up though, so I don't really know what a stock one drives like. It gets 29/37 gas mileage though, so this one is high on my radar.

[HaRuMaN]

My wife had a stock '99.  Pretty comfortable, great gas mileage as you mentioned.  Also, enough power to maneuver in traffic easily.

[ChadTower]

How comfortable is the Civic to you?
I found a 1998 2dr 5spd Civic with 110k miles for $4995. I will test drive it this weekend.

I'm 5-10 220 and it is just fine room-wise.  I would definitely recommend the 4 door, though.  I sure wouldn't want to be dealing with a carseat in a 2 door civic.  I had them in my 4 door and it was no problem at all.  I don't think the standard drives much differently than the automatic.  Mine is auto, decent kick for a 1.6l 4cyl, with some upside if you want to rice it a little bit.

[patrickl]

How comfortable is the Civic to you?
I found a 1998 2dr 5spd Civic with 110k miles for $4995. I will test drive it this weekend.

I'm 5-10 220 and it is just fine room-wise.  I would definitely recommend the 4 door, though.  I sure wouldn't want to be dealing with a carseat in a 2 door civic.  I had them in my 4 door and it was no problem at all.  I don't think the standard drives much differently than the automatic.  Mine is auto, decent kick for a 1.6l 4cyl, with some upside if you want to rice it a little bit.

The new model has only gotten the choice of a 1.4l or 1.8l. I thought that was pretty lame. 1.4l is really not enough and 1.8l is a bit more than you really need so you waste fuel.

[shardian]

This car will be solely for my daily commute. Our Escape is the "baby-mobile". The only time a car seat would go in it was if the Escape broke down for some reason.

[paigeoliver]

The price disconnect between reality and actual prices on used Hondas means that a used Honda is just about the worst buy on the market. Do you guys realize you are sitting there talking about $5000+ for an 11 year old compact with over 100,000 miles on it. If that was a Ford you were talking about it would be $1500.

Really, think about it, what are you getting that makes it worth triple the price? It isn't repair costs, you can't win that game with a used Honda (that little fact that the price premium between a used honda and a competitor is usually enough to replace the entire drivetrain in the competitor).

[ChadTower]

If it were a ford it would already be a junker.  The Civic could easily have another 100k in it.

[shardian]

A Honda Civic - if driven by someone other than a 17 year old kid - can reach 160k miles without doing a darn thing to the car. It also has killer gas mileage. And because it is a ricer - parts are plentiful.

as with any car though, you are really playing the lottery past 100k. Your odds get much better though if you have basic mechanic skills, and have mad search-fu skillz. A reliable car such as a Civic that is at around 110k and has no defects, is most likely not a lemon and will take you to and from work for several years.

The main selling point, a Civic gets mad gas mileage. 30+ average compared to 26 average if you are lucky in a Ford Focus. That adds up over a year.

And besides, I have an opportunity to move up from a 1994 with obvious issues and 180+k miles to a '98 with near half the miles and 7 more miles to the gallon - all at hardly any additional cost.

[shardian]

Or how about a 2000 model Ford Contour that gets a manly 23 mpg, and will need the tranny replaced or rebuilt several times over 3 years. But hey, I got it for only $2k and it only had 80k miles! No thanks.

[paigeoliver]

Unfortunately that statement has no bearing in reality. Sounds great to say though, doesn't it. Heck, even I would like to believe it, but it simply isn't true. The junkyard is loaded with Hondas just like it is anything else.

I even concede they do a little better, but not nearly so well as to justify the price difference. They are all a crapshoot, but buying a used Honda is like betting $5000 to win $500.

But hey, it is your money, so feel free to toss it away on myth and fearmongering. Normal used cars will remain great deals as long as half the people out there are driving the prices of used Hondas up to more than twice their real value.

And remember, any anecdote anyone knows about some American car that did poorly is a great reason to spend three times the money on a honda. Despite the fact that most of those anecdotal horror story cars still only financially broke even with buying a honda in most cases. Anecdotes are good things to base important financial decisions on.

If it were a ford it would already be a junker.  The Civic could easily have another 100k in it.

[Wade]

Paige isn't being sarcastic, and neither am I. 

(top that level of sarcasm!)

Seriously.  I don't trust american cars as much as japanese cars, but I've had mixed experiences with them.  I had a 15 year old Maxima that I sold with 185k on it, and it ran fine but the alternator kept going bad, and I was tired of replacing it.  Also just gave up a 1998 Camry because of transmission problems (car was great otherwise, everything ELSE still worked perfectly).

Honestly, I couldn't feel comfortable buying any used car from a lot.  At least with an individual seller you can use your own judgement of their character and whether or not they are being honest.  Honest used car salesman or not, he doesn't know anything about the car.

Recently bought a new 4-door Yaris, and absolutely LOVE it!!  Most stripped model, still has A/C and CD/MP3.  Only thing I miss is the remote starter in the winter, but I'll add that.

Wade

[CCM]

http://autos.msn.com/home/reliability_ratings.aspx

[shardian]

http://autos.msn.com/home/reliability_ratings.aspx

Neat link. I'll keep that in my bookmarks for future use.

[shardian]

Anyone feel like helping me find a car?

Here is my info:
zip:25510

Wanted:
car that averages at or above 28mpg, and is $4500 or below.

My searching time will be limited the rest of the week.

If anyone leads me to a car that I purchase, I'll raid my arcade parts stash and hook you up with something.

[RayB]

In the $4k range, go for a Corolla. 

The only Honda you're gonna get is one nearing it's 5 year old meltdown.

wtf man, he's talking about Hondas, not Fords!

[shardian]

In the $4k range, go for a Corolla. 

The only Honda you're gonna get is one nearing it's 5 year old meltdown.

wtf man, he's talking about Hondas, not Fords!

Both of my in-laws drive Camry's - one a 98 and the other a 99. Both have more than 150k now, and both still drive excellent, look excellent, and have had zero problems. Routine maintenance is all they have had to worry about. Toyota and Honda destroyed the competition from about 1996 all the way up thru 2006-07. They have started to cut corners, and the domestics have upped their quality to level the playfield.

[clanggedin]

You won't get retail book for your wrecked vehicle. You'll most likely get NADA or Kelly Low Book.

I've never heard of insurance giving any where near retail for a totalled vehicle. If you have GAP insureance then they'll pay off your loan if it is more than book value.

[HaRuMaN]

You won't get retail book for your wrecked vehicle. You'll most likely get NADA or Kelly Low Book.

I've never heard of insurance giving any where near retail for a totalled vehicle. If you have GAP insureance then they'll pay off your loan if it is more than book value.

When my wife's 99 honda was totalled, they gave her very close to the private party sale value (with like $100).

[shardian]

You won't get retail book for your wrecked vehicle. You'll most likely get NADA or Kelly Low Book.

I've never heard of insurance giving any where near retail for a totalled vehicle. If you have GAP insureance then they'll pay off your loan if it is more than book value.

The standard is for insurance to give you clean retail value provided by NADA. That is exactly what I got, plus money for tag and title fees.

I could never have sold or traded this car anywhere close to that.

[ChadTower]

The standard varies by state.  Here you get some small % under private party value with large markdowns for any major defects that it had before the incident.

[AtomSmasher]

You won't get retail book for your wrecked vehicle. You'll most likely get NADA or Kelly Low Book.

I've never heard of insurance giving any where near retail for a totalled vehicle. If you have GAP insureance then they'll pay off your loan if it is more than book value.

When I totalled my car, I got retail for it which was actually the high end value from KBB.  They hired an appraiser to determine the value of my car based on similar cars for sale in the area, the condition of the car before the accident, and any upgrades I had done to the car, and I received exactly the amount the appraiser said, which was a lot more then I thought it would be.  I even got reimbursed for the tires I had bought for the car 4 months earlier.

[Wade]

Both of my in-laws drive Camry's - one a 98 and the other a 99. Both have more than 150k now, and both still drive excellent, look excellent, and have had zero problems. Routine maintenance is all they have had to worry about. Toyota and Honda destroyed the competition from about 1996 all the way up thru 2006-07. They have started to cut corners, and the domestics have upped their quality to level the playfield.

Hope they didn't come from the same run as my 98.

If you'd been a couple months quicker, I would have happily sold you my 98 Camry for a bargain.  I basically gave it away just to be free of it.

Wade

[JMB]

If you are looking at Civic's with 100k+ find out if the timing belt has been changed or not.

[shardian]

If you are looking at Civic's with 100k+ find out if the timing belt has been changed or not.

Good question.
Does anyone know if Civics have interference or non-interference valve design?

[paigeoliver]

You should double check the year and model you are buying but I believe that Hondas normally have an interference design.

If you are looking at Civic's with 100k+ find out if the timing belt has been changed or not.

Good question.
Does anyone know if Civics have interference or non-interference valve design?

[paigeoliver]

Ok, looked it up, all Honda and Acura engines are interference design with the exception of the 3.2 V6 found in some Acura SLX and Honda Passports.

Technically that is a $1000 strike against a honda right there. Gotta change that timing belt a couple times in the service life of a used one.

[HaRuMaN]

I think PO works for Ford or is a stockholder or something...   

[shardian]

I think PO works for Ford or is a stockholder or something...   

Paige has, shall we say, eclectic tastes. Have you seen his apartment, or all of his former vehicles?

[HaRuMaN]

Yes, I have... 

Although I must say his current vehicle is a step in the right direction...

[shmokes]

personally I wouldn't touch any Ford besides an F-150

And even then, why would you buy an F-150 now that the Honda Ridgeline is out?  Test drive one and you will see what I mean.

[ChadTower]

And even then, why would you buy an F-150 now that the Honda Ridgeline is out?  Test drive one and you will see what I mean.

Because for what the Ridgeline costs you could almost have an F-150 and a Civic?  And the F-150 is a better truck to start with?

[patrickl]

Although I must say his current vehicle is a step in the right direction...

Although it's maybe not the most economically sensible choice.

[ChadTower]

The most economically sensible choice got Paige a face full of road rash.  At least this one is only going to get him the occasional bee to the forehead.

[billf]

And even then, why would you buy an F-150 now that the Honda Ridgeline is out?  Test drive one and you will see what I mean.

Because for what the Ridgeline costs you could almost have an F-150 and a Civic?  And the F-150 is a better truck to start with?

I thought you were joking at first.  Then I went to the respective websites for these vehicles - Ridgeline starts at $28K and the F-150 starts at $18K.  Granted, I did not look at what comes with either of those base prices.  We've had Hondas (cars) for years now.  They generally come with many of the options you want already in the base vehicle, hence the higher starting price.

[ChadTower]

And you can get an F-150 way under MSRP right now.  Not so for the Honda.  If you read the Ridgeline's reviews they all say the same thing - good for occasional use as a truck, drives like an SUV.  The F-150 is a truck's truck while the Ridgeline is more like an ElCamino2k.

[knave]

And you can get an F-150 way under MSRP right now.  Not so for the Honda.  If you read the Ridgeline's reviews they all say the same thing - good for occasional use as a truck, drives like an SUV.  The F-150 is a truck's truck while the Ridgeline is more like an ElCamino2k.

Good analagy, My dad has a ridgeline and loves it, it's great for him.  I've driven it many times and it is nice. I like it a lot too. It has lots of innovations that are cool.  That said it is not designed to take the place of a real truck. It cannot  tow or haul anything close to what an F-150 can handle let alone a 250 or 350.

I like ford trucks, they are almost as good as Jeep trucks. 

Back to honda's.  It was pretty clear (edit*) to me at the honda delership (/edit) that you can still get a pretty good deal on a base model civic.  All dealerships are hurting nowadays.

[HaRuMaN]

If Honda would make a standard type small pickup (think Dodge Dakota), I would be all over that in a heartbeat.  I have no interest in getting a Ridgeline.

[ChadTower]

If Honda would make a standard type small pickup (think Dodge Dakota), I would be all over that in a heartbeat.

Same here.  If Honda had a Tacoma I would already own one.

[billf]

If Honda would make a standard type small pickup (think Dodge Dakota), I would be all over that in a heartbeat.

Same here.  If Honda had a Tacoma I would already own one.

Just curious, why not just get a Tacoma then?

[ChadTower]

I was actually planning to this month but changed my mind looking at the economy's current direction.  Plus the Toyota dealer nearest my house for some reason won't produce a 4cyl auto extended cab to test drive.  Still can't figure that part out.

[paigeoliver]

I still have a motorcycle and my old suburbamn sitting around, so I can handle a bit of downtime on the Benz. Plus it is so great to have a car I am not embarrassed to pick up a woman in. I am dating again and everything now.

Although I must say his current vehicle is a step in the right direction...

Although it's maybe not the most economically sensible choice.

[shardian]

Got my check today! Less than a week and everything is done.

Does anyone here have a Toyota Matrix? I'm thinking about test driving one, and was wondering if anyone here has had one for a while and could comment on it. I've noticed some reviews on line state it does not live up to the quality standard of Toyota.

Here is my current list of vehicles I plan on test driving this weekend:
Honda S2000 (purely for fun - it is my dream car!  )

Honda Civic
Ford Focus
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Matrix

[shmokes]

If you happen by a Saturn or Pontiac dealer while you're out and about, you should test drive that little convertible roadster they're selling for under $20k.  I'm just curious how the thing drives.  It looks great for such an inexpensive car.  It'd be neat to see how it stacks up to the real deal (S2000).

[ChadTower]

Mmm... Pontiac Fiero.

Finally saw a Honda Fit on the road the other day.  Too small, even for a guy who likes a Civic Sedan.

[HaRuMaN]

Mmm... Pontiac Fiero.

Finally saw a Honda Fit on the road the other day.  Too small, even for a guy who likes a Civic Sedan.

It only looks small on the outside... 

[whammoed]

It only looks small on the outside... 

That's what she said.

[HaRuMaN]

It only looks small on the outside... 

That's what she said.

Hey!  It's not how deep you fish, it's how you wiggle the worm!

[ChadTower]

Until a python comes along and does the job right.

[shardian]

Damn, finding a car with what I am wanting is not easy! Apparently prices are going thru the roof and supply is dwindling on used, good gas mileage cars.

As a side note though, I just tested out a totally badass car. The dealer I bought my Escape from just got in an Audi A4 Quattro on trade. I sat in it for the hell of it, and DAMN! I fell in love with that car that quick. I got out and had Michelle sit in it. After a few seconds, she got that lusty look on her face too and gave me the thumbs up. It was in my price range too because of the 148k miles...the Turbo's on those go out around that time. If it got better gas mileage and didn't require premium gas, I would have seriously considered it.

[shmokes]

I love Audis, but only because they're hot.  I've never actually been in one.

[patrickl]

I loved my Audi. They are a tad too expensive though.

[DrewKaree]

I just bought one of these:  http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/reliability.aspx?year=1996&make=Lexus&model=LS%20400

Note the suggested price on that car.  Figuring a low average of 10,000 miles/year on that car, note the price again.

I hadn't realized just how easy these cars are to work on.  If you're not into that, it's not a selling point, but still nice to know you can do some more involved repairs than you thought.  Mileage is pretty damn decent considering it's a V8 (I get about 25 mpg).

I tell you these things because I just bought one with 88,000 miles on it for $8k.  I fully expect to get another 100,000 miles out of it.

I also tell you this because I've since discovered something I never would have considered before this, something that I will be putting to use hopefully this summer, but earlier if a steal comes up.  Craigslist.

They're for sale all over the place there, and you might find something you're looking for if you don't like the Lexus.  I found several of my car in the $3-5k range, and will buy another to replace my wife's current car or just be a beater I use if I have to do work on either of our two cars.  I have also stumbled across a $900 sale, but that was because the front windshield had a baseball bat or something applied to it, which is a repair I am always leery about not working properly. 

The car seems damn near bulletproof, and to me, everything that tends to go wrong on them is easily fixable over a weekend of work at the most, and some common sense on checking things.

[patrickl]

I just bought one of these:  http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/reliability.aspx?year=1996&make=Lexus&model=LS%20400

That's a cool car. I was so impressed with the TV ad where they would put a coin on it's side on the (running) engine and it would just stand there. I have no idea if that really proves anything, but I thought it looked cool 

Couldn't find a safety test on this model, but it looks pretty safe. Seems that it's stolen pretty often though (5 times the average):

Injury, Collision, & Theft Indicators

Index:  Score:  Rating: 
Injury Index  53  Substantially better than average 
Collision Index  142  Substantially worse than average 
Theft Index  481  Substantially worse than average 

These scores are stated in relative terms, with 100 being the average for all cars in each category. Scores greater than 100 represent higher risk in each category. For example, an injury indicator score of 122 means that a passenger in this model is 22% more likely to be injured in an accident. The injury, collision, and theft indicators for this 1996 LEXUS LS 400 are provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute.