Search for the new DD, the plot thickens

"Phyrxes once again has a wagon!" (phyrxes)
08/08/2017 at 19:24 • Filed to: #moron #paying attention is hard

Edit: Car Max is mostly off the table due to their premium markup. I’m mostly looking for something closer to my payoff which should be $5-6k or something that I can do cash for.

Edit: I have just learned there is an awesome Volvo specialist within walking distance of my house so that is a bonus.

Quick recap:

This happened last Thursday

I got the initial estimate to repair, it was north of 4k. My insurance is looking to write it off and hand me a check for more than that.

The plan now is the Mrs. gets the cx5 full time for kiddo shuttling and I get a new (used) commuter car. Our household budget could manage a small payment like 100 to 150 a month so something in the $10k range and throwing the insurance money as a down payment could work.

The difficulties

1. It has to handle kiddo duty so one front and one rear facing car seat, so no Miata unless it’s a TARDIS.

2. The Mrs. has to trust the kids being safe so this means private seller may be a hard sell, it might be hard to make one work anyway since I have to do this in like a week or so.

3. If I don’t go private sale I am probably headed to CarMax or equivalent and looking at a 5k ish loan.

4. Must be cheap to run and maintain with me having no wrenching time or space due to townhouse and kids.

Where this is going as I see it, small Japanese car replaced with slightly newer small Japanese car. Anything from a mazda3 to a fit is fair game. The not my zip code but it’s close for search purposes is 20110.

Suggestions and thoughts welcome.

DISCUSSION (25)

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 19:41

cube cube cube cube cube cube cube

Buy Nissan cube

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 19:48

Subaru Impreza! Channel your inner Peter Solberg as you drag your kids all over town!

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
08/08/2017 at 19:57

Nope sorry, nothing asymmetrical allowed.

dogisbadob > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 20:24

You could probably get a Matrix or Vibe at a good price. Even the cute lil Yaris has plenty of space for what you need.

And don’t forget about the Mazda 5 and Kia Rondo.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 20:27

Good man.

Wacko > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 20:28

Yay! One less Corolla on the road. Only a few million left to go.

Wacko > dogisbadob
08/08/2017 at 20:29

Cute and Yaris have never been used in the same sentence before

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 20:37

This is going to sound nuts, but do you ever need to road trip in it? If not, a Nissan Leaf fits your requirements pretty well. You can find them under $10k with under 30k miles (even at CarMax) they are modern, safe, fit the kids, and are cheap to maintain with the exception of the potential battery replacement several years down the line. If you need a gas car, 2010-2012 era Hyundais are pretty good. I owned a 2nd gen Santa Fe with a manual for a while and it was reliable and didn’t totally suck to drive. You probably already know this, but if you do go to CarMax, don’t get a loan from them. Their rates are horrible. I bought once at a CarMax and financed just because I didn’t want the car to get sold if I waited then got it refinanced at my credit union the next day for less than half the APR.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
08/08/2017 at 20:53

I’ve included that era Hyundai and Kia in my search, thankfully there are like 4 carmax locations within about 90 minutes of me.

RacinBob > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 20:59

‘06 TSX $8000 , 86,000 miles LINK

Kinja'd!!!

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 21:05

Volt?

RacinBob > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 21:07

08 Civic Si 95,000 miles, Private, looks like professional party Autotrader LINK

A year newer than mine

Kinja'd!!!

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
08/08/2017 at 21:07

Hadn’t even crossed my mine are the older ones actually in my price range?

RacinBob > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 21:13

But this is the real deal 2012 TSX $9600, 104,000 miles. LINK

This car is less than 5 year old! You could drive it another 10 years and not wear it out.....

Kinja'd!!!

Ilike_cougars > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 21:13

Previous gen Mini Cooper clubman S.. I own one.. love it to bits..I bought it 2 years ago for 10k with 75 k miles on the clock..

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 21:20

Some +60k mile ones are sub $10k now.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 22:08

Leafs start at $6k around me

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 22:09

Boo

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
08/08/2017 at 22:10

Boo

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 22:10

You said you want a Tardis. buy a blue Cube.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 22:15

For the record, from personal experience, the 2006-2010 Kia Rio and Hyundai Accent (they are the same car underneath) are very reliable and easy on gas as well. It’s the generation where they really first upped their quality (reliability wise) game. They might be a bit ecoboxy (hard plastics, etc), but I bought it used at around 54,000 km and have had my 2009 Accent hatch for 70K kms now. It’s now at 123,000kms or so with no real issues other than regular maintenance. You could get one with decently low kms for a very reasonable price

The only minor issue I had was the ignition thing in the steering column that detects the chip key start to die. It didn’t die completely and I could still drive the car, it just took 3-4 attempts to start it (I drove it like this for a month until I got it fixed under warranty). Otherwise, I just did the timing belt at the usual time, regular oil changes, etc. I need to get the OEM suspension shocks/struts replaced soon, and I already did the front brakes once, but that’s been it. The other nice thing is that maintenance is dirt cheap on them as well.

My brother and mother both have 2009-2010 Accent sedans as well and have had similar experiences with theirs.

As for driving, they are nothing special, but with a stick they are peppy enough and had hydraulic steering, so I don’t find the steering feel bad for an ecobox compared to the electric units on newer cars.

Probably too old or too small for your needs/tastes, not sure. Just my 2 cents and I thought I would share as I think people overlook them. :) Not sure if they fit your child seat requirements or not though!

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/08/2017 at 22:32

I’ve said this before, but I think Hyundai had something of a “golden era” from around 2007 to 2010. They were reliable, comfortable, had decent equipment, got good mileage and had drove better than their price would suggest. Nothing was outstanding, but they were competent in all areas. The 6th-gen 2010 Sonata was sort of the beginning of a new direction that I don’t like as much... tacky styling (and worse visibility than a Camaro), flimsy seats, no steering feel, materials actually seemed cheaper. And that started to spread across the range as models got refreshed.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
08/08/2017 at 22:40

I’ve not driven any newer Kia/Hyundai products than 2010, so I can’t vouch for their newer stuff, I just know newer cars in general are going with electric steering, etc, etc. I am sure they are fairly reliable and decently built as well though, judging from the few brief impressions I have from my friends Optima. I liked it when I got to look it over for a few minutes, but I didn’t get to drive it.

As for their 2007-2010 stuff, I completely agree...nothing groundbreaking, but just generally reliable, competent and economical. I have a base-est of base models Accent, myself - no ABS, no Traction Control, no A/C, no power windows/locks/mirrors, no remote keyless, a manual rather than an auto, no Cruise Control.....guess there’s not a lot to go wrong to make it unreliable, haha, but I like it that way! :)

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/08/2017 at 22:53

A guy that I work with has a 2010-ish base Accent 3-door in that obnoxious light yellow color. Before that he drove a bright blue 2002 Accent coupe. At some point it got rear-ended by an idiot that didn’t have insurance and he didn’t want to make a claim on his, so he just drove around for years with a big dent in the bumper. Finally, he went to the dealer body shop to get an estimate on it and was walking the lot while he waited. Salesman asked what he was interested in. He said “what is the cheapest new car on the lot and is it under 10 grand?” And thus he became the owner of a the yellow Accent. For the longest time it was clearly visible on Google Earth in the work paring lot. About 7 years old now and he still DD’s it. Cheap and effective.

JasonStern911 > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/08/2017 at 23:18

Infiniti g35x