I need a new car

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Loren_1of6

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My car has a short somewhere in the electrical system. We’ve had it looked at time and time again, even going so far as to replace the “brain” at one point. It has started acting up again, not starting after work this evening. My husband came and rescued me 👍 getting it to start by doing something to the battery (not jumping). He says that he is ready to get something else.

The thing is, I want a car that is fiscally and environmentally responsible while having room for our family. We have four boys, the youngest of whom is 13. That means I need a car that will (comfortably) seat six grown men. :eek:

Any ideas?

And by car, I mean vehicle. It can be car, truck, van, SUV, whatever. The one we have now is a wagon with a rear-facing seat in the cargo space. It’s really funny to see the long-limbed boys, most of them taller than I, crawling over the seats to get in the back.
 
What is your budget?

I remember being young and just hating my parents driving me anywhere. I had a job and a licence to drive and a car pretty quick. Of course I always walked if weather was not unbearable, or did something really crazy like take my trek out to get to where I had to go. Then again that just helped me prepare for my 10K runs back then. I should have sat back and let my parents worry about how to get a car to lug me around to all my after school activities and not worry about getting responsible.
 
Have you considered gettIng two cars instead of one? If the youngest is 13, then several are probably of driving age. Two cars could divide driving time and responsability.

Nissan Versa ~ $12,000.00 ( no amenities ) seats 4
Smart Car ~ $12,000.00 ( no amenities ) seats 2

So you could get two Nissans or get a Nissan and a Smart Car.
 
I’ve had pretty good luck with Chevy Astro all wheel drives. I’m ok at working on V-8’s and V-6’s, so the occassional starter, altenator, or fuel pump isn’t much of a problem…(knock on wood). lol. They seat six very well.
 
Giggly_Giraffe said:
Have you considered gettIng two cars instead of one? If the youngest is 13, then several are probably of driving age. Two cars could divide driving time and responsability.

Nissan Versa ~ $12,000.00 ( no amenities ) seats 4
Smart Car ~ $12,000.00 ( no amenities ) seats 2

So you could get two Nissans or get a Nissan and a Smart Car.
Click to expand...
Smart cars are a waste of money unless you are strictly using it as a commuter car in the city and have another fully sufficient car for all other driving. I laugh at the people trying to drive their smart cars in the winter, but are constantly getting stuck in the snow.

I would buy a mid-late 90s Honda Accord. They’re very reliable and very fuel efficient. I’ve noticed people are having issues with ones built after 2000, particularly with transmissions, which next to clutch replacements, is expensive.
 
Smart cars have the lowest ownership retainage of any car on the market - people will buy one but they don’t buy another.

A good economical car that will hall lots of small people (7 passenger) in a safe manner is the Kia Rondo. Basically a small minivan with good mileage and a great warranty. It scores well on government crash tests.

edmunds.com/kia/rondo/
 
Ah you mini car nay sayers …

She’s looking for a vehicle for the family for maximum of seven years (20 years - 13 years). Should she take two cars instead of one big car, she will avoid a gas guzzler. The mini car has a good safety rating & can have hidden perks for a mom. since the car is for the family, and not for a single son, she wants one that is good to help her delegate choirs and pick-up’s.

Now, a mini car limits the number of passengers to two. This is a safety feature because your sons will not pile in friends and show off. Plus, the car isn’t exactly a trans-am that screams I’m too cool; humbling factor. Mini cars are also easy to spot, so it’s easier to spy on the kids via the grape vine.

Now my pet peeve is when I’m driving and I see one person in a vehicle that seats 8 and is blowing smoke everywhere. Then I notice that this is every vehicle around me. Sure, there are a few times the vehicle is loaded up, but think of all the times you will be driving alone.

Two vehicles also creates flexibility in buying, selling, trading in, to meet the families growing needs. You could even have a son buy the mini (trade in if desired) should the need arise. Certainly, you can look at more expensive cars than I’ve listed … But I’m aiming to keep the cost 20% less than the regular SUV ($32K).
 
Thanks for the ideas. The oldest son will be starting college next fall, the second one following the year after. I’m not sure who will still be at home by then and who will be spending most of their time away at school. I was hoping to wait until then and just buy a four-seater.

The idea of two cars is a good one for most of the time, but we go to Mass together every week and take the whole family to visit gradparents a little too often to make that a viable option. I’d hate to have to keep track of the other half of the family while flying along the interstate.😊

My husband suggested today that he might just get me a scooter, hot pink, of course.👍
 
Don’t buy a jeep or SUV the mileage is horrible. If I had only known. Can’t wait to pay off mine and trade it in for something better. Next time a Honda for sure.
 
Giggly_Giraffe said:
Ah you mini car nay sayers …

She’s looking for a vehicle for the family for maximum of seven years (20 years - 13 years). Should she take two cars instead of one big car, she will avoid a gas guzzler. The mini car has a good safety rating & can have hidden perks for a mom. since the car is for the family, and not for a single son, she wants one that is good to help her delegate choirs and pick-up’s.

Now, a mini car limits the number of passengers to two. This is a safety feature because your sons will not pile in friends and show off. Plus, the car isn’t exactly a trans-am that screams I’m too cool; humbling factor. Mini cars are also easy to spot, so it’s easier to spy on the kids via the grape vine.

Now my pet peeve is when I’m driving and I see one person in a vehicle that seats 8 and is blowing smoke everywhere. Then I notice that this is every vehicle around me. Sure, there are a few times the vehicle is loaded up, but think of all the times you will be driving alone.

Two vehicles also creates flexibility in buying, selling, trading in, to meet the families growing needs. You could even have a son buy the mini (trade in if desired) should the need arise. Certainly, you can look at more expensive cars than I’ve listed … But I’m aiming to keep the cost 20% less than the regular SUV ($32K).
Click to expand...
I’m not against small cars, I’m just against ****** small cars.
 
Giggly_Giraffe said:
Have you considered gettIng two cars instead of one? If the youngest is 13, then several are probably of driving age. Two cars could divide driving time and responsability.

Nissan Versa ~ $12,000.00 ( no amenities ) seats 4
Smart Car ~ $12,000.00 ( no amenities ) seats 2

So you could get two Nissans or get a Nissan and a Smart Car.
Click to expand...
The Smart Car is way too small for safety, in my humble opinion. I could never put a young driver (or myself, for that matter) in something so small and vulnerable. The Versa does pretty well in crash tests, considering its size.

This is a video of a crash test involving a Mercedes C class and a Smart car. The crash is of the type more common than full head-on, and that does more damage. Scary.

spike.com/video-clips/gocdvc/crash-test-shows-smart-cars-might-not-be-smart
 
dixieagle said:
The Smart Car is way too small for safety, in my humble opinion. I could never put a young driver (or myself, for that matter) in something so small and vulnerable. The Versa does pretty well in crash tests, considering its size.

This is a video of a crash test involving a Mercedes C class and a Smart car. The crash is of the type more common than full head-on, and that does more damage. Scary.

spike.com/video-clips/gocdvc/crash-test-shows-smart-cars-might-not-be-smart
Click to expand...
The Smart is also dangerously slow for highway driving. Feels like peddling a bicycle into the middle of a NASCAR race.
 
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