I finally received a carfax update from that dealer and the car was in an accident, front end damage with airbag deployment. He has no idea the extent of the damage but obviously, it wasn't totaled out.
I'm finding more 2012s in closer states. Need to do more research.
Then all bets are off...;)
if you keep it a long time
invest in a new car
marc
Yes - an inline servomotor with torque sensing - on some linked to the computer system to vary boost with road speed. Part of the steering column.
No can do. When a car depreciates roughly 20% after driving off the lot, it's simply foolish to buy, IMO. I have had nothing but good success with used cars all my life. Some required minor tweaking and/or repairs, but as a whole, all good. New cars are not worth it to me.
a 2011 or 2012 well equipped Civic for under 12000 will be a wreck. Even with the difference between Canadian and American prices and dollar exchange.
Black automatic EX is common as dirt up here - a quick look at Autotrader gave me 5 on the first page. Also one white one. Most have leather interior, and over half have nav as well.
Price range 18,000 to 19,900 with from 16,600km to 83000km except for the white one with 96000km at $13,000 with an $8000 damage history on CarFax
A snowplow turned into me a few years ago. It was low speed, maybe 25 mph maximum and the airbags did not deploy. Still the Toyota was a total. Between the plastic and the crush sections doing their job the front clip was a goner even though I could drive the car home.
It was low mileage so I wouldn't be surprised if it was sold under a salvage title.
You need to look at it as the cost per year or cost per mile. If you buy a $22000 new car and drive it 18 years, the per year cost of ownership - not counting repairs, is 1200 per year.
Buy that same car 6 years old for $6500 and keep it for 12 years, and the cost per year is only about $542 per year. The cost for repairs dor the last 12 years should theoretically be the same, The $658 per year saved will more than make up for the extra repairs if any. Buy a 10 year old car with low mileage, like my 2002 Taurus purchased with 58000km for $6500 at 10 years of age and drive it 8 years, and the per year cost is about $812
Buy the same car used at 3 years of age for $16,000 and drive it 15 years, and the cost per year is still $1066 per year.
I find the "sweet spot" for me is a low mileage 5 or 6 year old car with 100000km +/- for $5000 to $6000 and drive the wheels off it. We don't (or haven't in the past) put a lot of miles per year on our cars, It's worked very well for me over the last few decades, I paid just a wee bit more for an older car with fewer miles and in fantastic condition this time 'round because it was available, my wife liked it, and it could well be the last car I buy for her to drive.
So far 3 years with no repairs in 33000km ( a few good road trips)
When I was in school one of the rich kids had a Ferrari. All those down draft Webers and I don't think there was a choke in sight. It wasn't much of a winter ride in upstate NY.
The guys at work were busting my chops about what I was going to do when winter came when I was driving the Sprite. I bought a '62 Continental, showed up one Monday, pointed out to the parking lot, and said 'Winter sled'.
We went up to Quebec on our honeymoon and I ran most of the way at
90-100 mph with my bride snoozing happily. I rented a Dodge Colt (1972 mitsubishi sardine can) to get around Quebec City a little more gracefully. I'd get that damn thing up to 25 and she'd throw a panic attack. I've got to say Japanese cars have come a long way.
They got better but the late '50s and early '60s Brit cars were primitive in more ways than one. Even the Healey 3000 was a piece of work. They were Kool though. I looked up some old road tests and I could smoke most of them with my Yaris but they felt faster back in the day.
The tonneau cover was my problem. I fitted it on a warm summer day and it looked really sharp, taut and white on a dark blue car, bounce a quarter off it and all that good stuff. I was styling. Coming home on a chilly evening and almost pushing the car down the driveway to get the damn thing snapped was another matter. Say the hell with it and leave it open guaranteed a thunderstorm at 3 AM.
Then there was the '57 Ford Skyliner hardtop convertible. I'm amazed some manufacturers are trying something like that again. Those who don't know history... Maybe they've worked out some way to get more than two cans of beer and a dead rat in the trunk when the top is stowed.
Been that way a while. A friend and I kept an assortment of beaters running through college and beyond. He got a real job and bought a Volvo, '71 or so. It was injected and had a primitive computer under the passenger seat. I managed to kick a cable getting in and the car wouldn't start. We pile out, pop the hood, and look at the very unfamiliar real estate thinking 'oh, shit. what now?'
Sad day when hopping up a sled involves reflashing the EEPROM. Even the bikes are getting to the point where you change the pipes and go with a high flow induction and you need to diddle the electrons.
When I bought the Yaris I popped the hood to make sure the oil filter wasn't a pain in the ass and it looked maintainable. I sort of assumed the plug wires were under the plastic shroud. Oops. It seems to work very well and I can't say I miss all the extra parts.
Yeah, that's the summary of the Toyota maintenance schedule. Change the oil and filter every 5000 miles and rotate the tires until you or the car dies. They throw in an air filter change every 30,000 just to break up the monotony. The 2007 Yaris called for a coolant change at 30000 but I guess they've sorted that out to lifetime coolant for the 2011.
Yeah. At least it's not a complete drive by wire system.
I've done it both ways and don't have a strong feeling either way. I tend to hang on to vehicles. I bought my F150 new in '86. iirc it was
10K, so that 2K spread over almost 30 years doesn't keep me awake at night.
How about Lucas electrical system? Wife once drove Sunbeam GT with dual side draft Zenith carb. Lucas .... windshield washer fluid was in a dangling bag. Awful car. I had to bribe her to dump it buying her a new Eagle Summit. Little Mitsu. AWD job, she drove this car for 10 years. Then she got Suzuki SX4 JLX AWD. This car is very reliable. Has wonderful heater for winter, no timing belt(has chain). After this one she wants Benz B200 as her last car.
Depends on how you look at cars. It is merely transportation, or is the car something we enjoy driving and want a better choice in what that is. Economic considerations take second place in that situation.
I've had many used cars (starting at $15), but I really enjoy driving my brand new top of the line Limited Turbo with every possible option. I spent 23,000 miles a year in my car so I'm willing to pay for comfort and goodies that are overpriced options.
LOL. I'm sure.
I have had a problem with my top shrinking, on at least two cars. I think instead of vinyl, I shoudl have gotten canvas or whatever I have now. For all my complaints, the top is 5 or 10 years old and it's still very easy to latch.
One time when I was getting a new top, the top guy, without any provocation from me, explained how he put the top on loose so when it shrank it would be just right. That's great. So I come to pick up the car and he says, "Everything's fine, just be sure to put the top up before it gets dark." What!!!! Night is some of the nicest time to have the top down. But it didn't actually shrink, come to think about it.
Yeah, amazing. It's bet the Skyliner worked better because they had all that room back then, but I know it didn't work very well.
Not from what I've read. If you're on a vacation trip to some place with better than average weather, you definitely want the top down, but where do you put the luggage. In the back seat? Then what happens when you want to see a museum or have lunch? Take the luggage with you?
Anything newer than what I currently drive is always filled with more goodies and more comfort than the previous car before it. I'm satisfied with that aspect even when used.
I usually keep two vehicles but haven't done so in many years. My last car, prior to my current Honda, was a Mazda MX3, a great little car which I never drove in winters due to the salt and it looked new at 13 years old. Therefore, I bought a beat up truck and used it in winters until it died and I never replaced it. I started driving the Mazda and within two winters, the rust was starting in.
This time, I will keep my current Honda Civic for winter, drive the other Civic for summer and even that will be limited because I ride a motorcycle whenever possible, except rain if it's expected. Therefore, my summer car will maintain low mileage, still look great and keep maintenance expenses down.
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