HELP me PLEASE!!!!
 

hey yall!!!

Well I'm the market for buying a new car because mine that i got for my 16th birthday is about to finally give up on me. (It's a 99 honda civic) I've taken good care and all that fun stuff it's just about had it's run, i think part of it is because last year i was driving around A LOT in atlanta for my job, plus sometimes coming home from college (about an hour and a half drive) i love my car but i'm not interested in a honda again because I have to buy the car all by myself this time. So I was looking at....

Chevy Trailblazer
Chevy Equinox
Ford Explorer
Ford Expedition
Toyota 4runner

I know I definitely want an SUV because I don't like sitting so low next to 18 wheelers on the interstate and would feel more comfortable sitting a little bit higher. If any of yall have these cars can yall let me know what you like/don't like about them or any other SUV in a reasonable price range for a college student might be a good idea.

thanks guys!!!

Look at the Ford Escape, also. Its big enough to sit above everyone else, but not so big as too be intimidating to the driver.

I rented a Chevy Impala this weekend and I loved it.

Try the Toyota Highlander. I loved mine. Just gave it to my son so I could buy something new. 4runners ride like trucks (very uncomfortable) compared to the Highlander and unless you are a big offroader who plays in the mud, why do you want such a big gas guzzler? They are also much harder to park in parking lots. Test drive both and you'll see the difference. The Honda SUV is really nice too. Read Consumer Reports and get one that's rated good no matter what you pick. It pays off in the long run.

We have a Saturn VUE which is smaller than the ones you mentioned but still enables the driver to be higher than most sedans. It's easier to park this vehicle than some of the larger SUVs, a priority when living in a congested area such as Atlanta.
I also like the no-haggle pricing policy of Saturn. You never feel as if you've been cheated.

i would suggest looking into some kind of hybrid-gas prices are not going to go down, and you are helping the environment too.

I'm just going to say this and you can take it, or leave it.

Less experienced drivers should use caution when selecting an SUV -- sure, you sit higher on the interstate next to trucks, but they also flip over a lot easier!

Another to look at is a Suzuki Grand Vitara. I got a 2006 one back in November of 2006 and I LOVE it. I haven't had any problems with it and I drive it alot (at least 75 miles round trip to work and back a day). It's big enough without being TOO big. Good warranty as well.

thank you all soo much for your help.

tomorrow i'm going back one last time to test drive the cars (the dealerships are all right there together) so i will definitely let yall know how everything goes!!!

Serious question...no offense intended...

How is a '99 Honda about to give up? I have a '94 Honda Civic HB with 260,000 miles on it and it is plugging away just fine. Aren't Hondas known to last just about as long as you can put up with them?

I would do whatever it takes to keep the car running.

But, I'm prolly not the best to ask.....I've bought my car three times over with all the new engines, etc....

But, my car is a 1995 Saturn, so she's about to die anyway.

A lot of it has to do with the wear and tear on it ... it was 4 years old when i got it and had probably about 15,000 miles on it and after i've driven it since 03 .. so about 5 years it's already pushing 120,000 .... i've taken many a road trip and driving in atlanta doesn't help matters much either. don't get me wrong it's a great car but it's seriously about to go.

My 85 Honda lasted 13 years and 180,000 miles. 120,000 miles is practically a virgin for a Honda

4 years old and 15,000? That's pretty much right off the lot.

And I don't think you're going to find an SUV in your pricerange if you can't afford a Honda. The Expedition you listed are about $35,000 WITHOUT any extra features.

FWIW, I have a Chevy Tracker and it's my baby. I got it used after I found out that Chevy wasn't making the Trackers anymore. Plan on running it until it won't run anymore.

I cannot objectively speak for the vehicles on your list, because while I have driven each of them I find them all too large and too fuel inefficient for my purposes. But, I will say that if you are looking for a vehicle to feel safe in, please bear one thing in mind: the size of your vehicle does not keep you safe from a semi truck. Avoiding the semi's blind spots, not cutting off and slamming on your breaks in front of a semi, and generally driving defensively are infinitely better protection on the road.

It doesn't matter if you drive a Chevy Aveo or a Ford F650, if you get in an accident with a semi the semi wins. Your best bet is to drive responsibly and respectfully around those very large vehicles, and don't think the size of your vehicle will matter one bit next to an 80,000 pound moving object. The vast majority of accidents are not caused by semis, anyway.

Just my opinion. :)

Do you actually know it's about to give up? I have a 1999 Mazda and I want a new car but I sure don't need one right now - the mechanic said it has at least 75,000 miles left in it.

I don't know how you can afford those if you can't afford a Honda either - why not get a Fit or a CRV?

Here are some car sites I have saved up:
PRICING SITES:

www.nadaguides.com

http://www.edmund.com/

http://WWW.KBB.COM

http://WWW.INTELLICHOICE.COM

http://www.leasesource.com

http://www.leaseguide.com/index.htm

www.fightingchance.com *********

www.finacenter.com/newautos.htm



INFORMATION AND WEB LINK SITES:

www.carbuyingtips.com

http://WWW.CARTALK.COM

http://www.CARPOINT.MSN.COM

http://www.popularmechanics.com

http:// www.consumerreports.org

http://WWW.AUTOSITE.COM

http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp

http://www.carsmart.com

http://www.nctd.com

http://www.autodirectory.com/

http://www.theautochannel.com/

http://www.crashtest.com
http://wsf.carfax.com/
www.cars.com
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/automobiles/reviews/index.html
http://autos.msn.com/
http://autos.aol.com/?ncid=AOLCOMMautoNAVIdira0001
http://autos.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTE5MGRqZDdoBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEc2VjA2ZwLXRy b3VnaARzbGsDc3Bpcml0LWZpeGVk

My mechanic can't believe a woman has kept a car in the condition my car is in. ;) He and I have an arrangement. We're going to keep the car running for at least 300,000 miles unless something dangerous goes wrong on it. Only 40,000 miles to go! I got it when it had about 18,000 miles on it and, this year, I will have had it in my possession for twelve years.

Some Hybrid reviews from The Car Connection:
http://www.thecarconnection.com/Vehi...sels/S274.html

Please do NOT:
Sign your name into any guest book. IF you do, do not give correct name and address.

Give anyone your drives license.

Doing any of the above will cause multiple credit checks.

Make a copy of your license and print on it: This is only to be used to show privilege and license to drive and it is not be be used for any other purpose or reason.

Really? The BMW dealership wouldn't let me test drive a car without copying my DL. I didn't have that problem with Mercedes (knew the GM of the Dealership) or Land Rover (they were too lazy).

Do you mean to tell me that we can refuse it and they would still be required to allow me a test drive?

ok first off i don't appreciate the words of me not being able to afford put into my mouth (alpha & geeky)

i can easily afford a honda, i've been saving up for a new car since i got my honda when i turned 16. Don't get me wrong hondas are great cars they're just not for me.

I definitely understand driving safely around semis... i would still more comfortable if i sat a little higher but that's just my personal preference.

I said to only give them a copy, NOT the real one.
And mark the copy as I indicated.

If you go to several dealers and hand over your DL, your credit report will get many hits on it.

And that is NOT a good thing.

They can't do that without your consent. Section 606(a) of the Fair Claims Reporting Act [also found in 15 U.S.C. 1681(d)(a)] prohibits the procurement or preparation of an investigative consumer report on any consumer without clearly and accurately disclosing to the consumer that a request for such a report may be made.

Very true Brother, but they do.
They hide contrats under the pages in the log book.
And when they walk away with your DL, in order to make a copy of it, they run checks on you.

When my GF was looking at cars several years ago and gave the marked up copy of her DL to salesman, both his face as well as the SM's went white.

And one could even add a note about the Fair Claims Reporting Act to note.

Wow. That's some seriously shady business.

While that shop may have an extreme reaction, it played out else where as well.

But we learned a great deal from reading the book by the guy who runs fightingchance.com


And she saved over $4,000 on a new Honda.

Hmmm... apart from the requirement to clearly and accurately disclose that a report may be run on you, they also have to certify to the credit reporting agency(-ies) from whom they obtain the report(s) that they provided such disclosure to you. So if they're not being totally up front with you by hiding contracts and running your credit on the DL, they're both lying to you and to the credit reporting agencies, which would open them up to all kinds of civil liability. Not good business.

That's usually what this means.

Plus, you go to the next step up from a Jr College. People who go to those kind of schools, generally aren't known for having unlimited funds.

ok first off i am finishing up my core here... last year i went to kennesaw state and absolutely hated it mainly because of my living situation. and after this semester is over in may i'm transferring out anyways because i want to get out of macon.. and just to let you know it's not a junior college anymore but a 4 year school .... :)

I know you said you aren't considering Honda, but I have to say I LOVE my CR-V. It's by far the best car I've ever had! I actually feel really, really safe driving it, it rides great, and it's pretty fuel effecient for an SUV. We take a LOT of road trips in it, and haven't had a problem. It's a 2006, before the redesign.

I sell insurance to Auto Dealerships-
1. It is against the law for them to run your credit without letting you know they are- you have to sign for it
2. None of my insureds will let you test drive unless you agree to the following:
- Provide with a CURRENT drivers license (some also require proof of insurance).
- Follow a PREDETERMINED test route
This is for insurance purposes. We require them to do this. If we didn't, when you get in a car to test drive and you hit someone and killed them, the dealership would be putting themselves at risk.
Now SOME dealerships (and I love these ones) will run a quick license check (which, again, they have to tell you) so that they know if you have a DUI or suspended license. Again, insurance reasons.
I have a dealership we can't touch right now because someone test driving hit a family of four, permanently disabling the mother. He had two prior DUIs and a suspended license- and guess who that family of four is going after? Not the idiot!

Just some thoughts on test driving.

What Honda did you have? I had a 90' civic, put about 70,000 miles on it myself in 5 years and it still is going strong. I think it's at 130,000 at this point but it's a baby, still.

Ya that makes more sense. I can see a dealership wanting to run your driving record to make sure they're not letting some maniac behind the wheel of one of their vehicles, but they have no business running your credit unless/until you're making a purchase that you're financing through them.

Well, if you've ever added up all of the costs associated with a DUI, it's no WONDER they're not going after him - he's probably more than broke, and some lawyer told them they could.

I actually understand what she is saying and I'm in the same boat. I may be forced to take over my uncle's Liberty that is in my father's name because he can't drive it anymore. Since I'm trying to get rid of my piece of shit Liberty, I told my parents that I refuse to make the payments if I have to drive that. Since I'm paying for my next car myself, I want something that I WANT, not settling for something else.

And your general statement is just that- general. And not a good one. I know plenty of people with money who start out at a "junior college" because they don't know what they want to major in or because there are programs there that are actually pretty good. You're just looking for a reason to be a bitch right now.

It was a CRX-HF...on the highway, I could get 45 mpg. BTW, when I sold it to a friend, he drove it another 30,000 miles, then gave it to his nephew. If the bottom hadn't rusted out, the nephew would have still been driving it. Turns out, my brother hired nephew this year.

That is illegal. I work for a lending institution, and no credit can be pulled without a signature. Also, how can they pull credit without SSNs (Ohio pulled SSNs off DLs)?

BTW...I didn't sign anything. They just made a copy of the DL.

She basically said "How dare you call me a middle-class college student", so I just put out my reasoning for my assumption: her previous statement, and the fact that she went to a college that just recently became 4 year. Are all people who go to Jr College poor or middle class? No. But most are not rich-rich, and if a college student could afford a Ford Expedidtion, I would put them in the "rich-rich" category.

I agree with all; it is illegal.
While I can not say it is being done today, it was being done just a few years ago.

Her statement that:

i'm not interested in a honda again because I have to buy the car all by myself this time

seems to have read to quite a few of us that "I am not interested in a Honda because I have to pay for the car myself and can't afford it." Hondas are "expensive" relative to other types of cars. Someone who makes a statement inferring they can't buy a Honda and then says they want a $30,000 SUV seems to have their priorities out of whack.

And I still want to know what's WRONG with her Honda that it's dying with that low of a mileage. Japanese cars are super troopers unless you drive them like crazy.