jep
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shopping for a car, this time because I have to
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Nov 16 15:08 UTC 2003 |
I totalled my car recently by hitting a deer. Now I'm looking for a
new car. Meanwhile, I've been driving my pickup truck to and from
work, to the tune of about $75 per week.
So, I am buying another car in the next week or so.
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jep
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response 1 of 120:
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Nov 16 15:13 UTC 2003 |
I was more or less looking at two or three cars, and more or less
basing my choices on Consumer Reports on-line. From their reviews, I
settled on a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic. They're two excellent
cars from the reviews, with great gas mileage (near 40 mph), and the
features I want (air, cruise, 5 speed, CD player) for a price I can
afford; aroun $15,000.
But I'm a member of a GM family. I have a dad who retired from GM,
and a brother working for Saturn. Consumer Reports really hates GM;
none of their cars are reviewed as being very good, and the ones in my
price range are rated as horrid. I was interested in a Pontiac
Sunfire or Saturn Ion or something like that. They're described in
terms that make it clear you'd be nuts to buy one.
Anyway, I called a local GM dealer to see what the family discount is,
and it's remarkable; it's a couple of thousand dollars. Also, Chevy
Cavaliers are drawing $4000 rebates right now. In addition to that,
there's a financing discount; if you put up to $2000 down, you get
half of that amount as a rebate. I could buy a Cavalier with
everything I want except cruise control for around $8500. It's EPA
rated at 26/37. Consumer Reports tests cars for mileage, and they're
usually not too far off from the EPA numbers.
The Cavalier is a crummy car compared to a Corolla or Civic, but it's
a little more than half the money for me. I'm no car nut. I just
want to get to and from work, and go on occasional vacations.
Sunroofs, spoilers, alloy wheels, etc. do very little for me, I find,
when I contemplate paying for them. I'm thinking this Cavalier might
well do all I need. It even comes in different colors. Many cars
come in shades of black and white, plus red, and that's it. This one
can be had in green (Go State!), or yellow, orange, or a few other
colors. As long as it doesn't cost more, that's a bonus.
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