Troll Lord Games

Hi guys,

SO... my dad takes my car out for a day and comes back with a busted rear axle. To make a long story short, I need a car soon. Right now I got a 2002 Impreza but it's costing me an arm and a leg to maintain.

I once was biased against american cars but since $ is tight, I have to consider them. The problem is that I don't know anything about american cars in the 20K - 25K range.

I heard the new cobalt is not bad. Any suggestions? (Oh yeah no Fords.)
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angelius wrote:
(Oh yeah no Fords.)

Well, I won't be much help then. I'm a Ford fan as the Fords I've owned have always outlasted any other make I owned in the past. May not be the fanciest of cars but they've always proven to be diehard for me.

Plus, when I hit rock bottom in the past, had nothing to my name, my Chevy died HARD and I was absolutely in need of a new vehicle...

Ford Motor Credit was the ONLY company willing to take a risk with me. That fact alone made me a customer for life.

Those Dodge Calibers are supposed to be pretty good for the money.
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Richard McBain

Trolllord Games

Convention Coordinator

Executive Director - TrollCon, Winter Dark
richard@trolllord.com

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ALEA IACTA EST - THE DIE IS CAST

I got nothing against Fords really. Just that I need help from my parents and they don't like 'em too much.

Me, I would have just got a mustang :p
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I um...just bought a Daewoo Leganza....

What?

Ink
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I'm a Dodge man myself. I love my Durango, but it's a bit outside of your stated price range. Those Dodge calibers look like they rock though, as stated by Huds0n.

We were recently looking at cars, since my wife's company move a bit further away, so our priority was gas mileage. I don't see gas prices ever returning to reasonable levels, so gas mileage is everything.

We liked the Saturn Vue, Mini-Cooper and Pontiac Vibe. We ended up buying the Vibe - it was under $20K, w/0% financing AND 30/35+ MPG!!!
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Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

can't say enough about Saturn, great company, great cars. my wife has a 99 SL-1 bought preowned for under $12K I drive a 2003 VUE, easier on my knees getting in and out, and love it cost me just under $15K preowned.

Keith

JonusBlackthorn wrote:
can't say enough about Saturn, great company, great cars. my wife has a 99 SL-1 bought preowned for under $12K I drive a 2003 VUE, easier on my knees getting in and out, and love it cost me just under $15K preowned.

Keith

Yep, I was quite interested in the Vue. We had an SL, '94, I think for about 5 years. Loved it, but it was small in the back and scared us, when our daughter was a babe in the carseat. We traded it for a Jeep Cherokee, which we still have. Another great car, but I don't like the new Jeeps.

The Saturn/dealer purchase was quite excellent, but these days so many dealers are going overboard in service and price discounting. So our Pontiac dealer experience was fantastic.
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Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

The Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged is pretty cool, and in that price range you are looking for. It also depends on what you want though. Got a family? Or is it just you and maybe one other person. The reason I ask it that if you've got kids, don't get a coupe. It's too hard to get kids in and out of the back.

The Dodge Caliber is another nice option if you are looking for an american car. I believe the SRT-4 model will be out this fall too, which knocks out about 260 HP I believe....out of a 4-cylinder.

Hope this helps....

Thanks I did look at the Cobalt SS supercharged and the Saturn Ion Redline. Pretty nice cars for that price range.

I guess that gas mileage should be a concern. Especially after my impreza, that thing drinks for a inline-4!

I'm also looking at the eclipse and the new rabbit too...mostly for looks.

But this might be all moot as I managed to roll pretty high on my bluff check and convinced subaru to fix my rear axle for free even though I was over warranty!
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Full bed chevy pickup

low cost

low maintainance

only a few passengers (good point)

move anything (though people will come out of the woodwork asking for hauling favors)

reliable

my .2

davis

i'll sell you my '01 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP. the family got larger and a 2-door is no longer sufficient. my poor baby of a car now has to go, and i'm so sad about it...

Cheers,

J.

angelius wrote:
SO... my dad takes my car out for a day and comes back with a busted rear axle. To make a long story short, I need a car soon. Right now I got a 2002 Impreza but it's costing me an arm and a leg to maintain.

I thought Subaru was reputable. Guess not (still driving a 1997 Corolla).

My first car was a 1993 Taurus. I will never own another Ford again.
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Oh they are, my dad just had bad luck with my car.
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The most reliable vehicle I have ever had was a Ford F-150 pickup. It was a hand me down from my father, and it had about 180k miles on it when I started driving it. Only fix I ever had to put into it the two years I drove it was a fuel module, for about $150. Totally reliable! I wouldn't want to be driving it in these days of $3.00 a gallon gas though.....

--J. Haney

JonusBlackthorn wrote:
can't say enough about Saturn, great company, great cars. my wife has a 99 SL-1 bought preowned for under $12K I drive a 2003 VUE, easier on my knees getting in and out, and love it cost me just under $15K preowned.

Keith

I agree with JonusBlackthorn/Keith. I own a 2000 Saturn SL-1 sedan and a SC-2 Coupe. I understand the Ions (the newer version of both our cars) have more leg room, so when I am in the market for a new car, I will probably buy another Saturn. Unless I have a windfall occur, then I will buy me a black Mazda RX-8!!!
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For those that care, I've settled on a Civic Si Coupe.

I think its a good choice for value. A nice compromise between speed and reliability.
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angelius wrote:
For those that care, I've settled on a Civic Si Coupe.

I think its a good choice for value. A nice compromise between speed and reliability.

That's great. My guess is that the gas mileage is real good!
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Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

Tinkle on the new stuff!

Volkswagen Beetle (old style) is your best bet of 'em all.

"Why," you ask? Well..

1. If you are lucky, the seals on the gas tank (which is in front of you) will be old, and that means the heady smell of unleaded will great you each and every time you open the driver's door.

2. Heat is sometimes an optional kind of thing. However, you'll get the added thrill of becoming what they used to call a "Man" once winter arrives (however, the added bit of chill is helpful when hungover...I'm just saying...).

3. If you are an average sized male, you will be able to reach out of both the driver and passenger side windows and touch the roof of the car. The illusion of manness will help you get past any hurdles when it comes to talkin' to the ladies, heh-heh.

4. Once the wiper motor burns out (a several hundred dollar replacement last I suffered), you get the thrills and chills of driving like our forefathers did back in Biblical times!

5. A overly large friend in the back seat (under which the battery resides) may start a small electrical fire! Try and get that sort of haphazzard problem out today's cars, I dare you!

And finally, you get what is essentially a big go-cart with a body. Not only can you and a friend pick the car up and roll it back over if there is an accident, you can also find plenty of replacement parts in a J.C. Whitney catalog, and that just screams "cheap!" in my book.

Choose wisely.

Scott (who misses his Bug something fierce).