Want to help me buy a car?

[Natasha]

It was around $21,000, they said they would take $3000 off, we said $5000, they stopped us as we went out the door. Brand new just under $16,000 + tax,etc. No trade.

That's a good deal for a 2007. They seem to be tougher down here.

 

[nereas]

I need a car.

It's between a Nissan Altima and a Ford Fusion.

Anyone own either car, or have a view on either to share?

If you love the car you are driving and think I might too..please feel free to share.

Thanks! Love you guys!

Nastasia, neither one of those 2 is very good for scuba gear.

Some form of efficient, economical SUV like the Honda CRV, Element, or Pilot would be a much better choice.

http://automobiles.honda.com/

I myself have a Jeep Cherokee Sport 4WD, however they do not make this kind of car anymore. It is perfect for scuba because it holds enough gear for 2 divers, plus a dive kayak on top. Thus I would recommend the Honda line, now.

The price ranges on the Hondas that I have mentioned are wide, and you have your choice of 2WD or 4WD. Of course the 4WDs are more expensive. But some scuba sites are off-road, and so a 4WD is nice to have.

 

[nereas]

Just helped my Mother-in-law car shop, she ended up buying a Fusion.
Roomy, surprising amount of pep, nice comfortable car.
I know I liked it myself.
It was a 2007 and was able to get her a very good deal.

Does your mother-in-law scuba dive too?

 

[nereas]

Consumer Reports put the Fusion in its highest recommendation tier (which means they recommend it and it meets certain crash test standards). They rated reliability as "excellent" in all areas. The only low scoring category was fuel economy, which they rated "fair". Of course being fairly new, they only have one years worth of info on the Fusion.

Looking closer at the Altima, it actually scored a higher overall score than the Fusion (89 vs 77), but isn't on their recommended list (I'm not sure why). Reliability numbers are very similar.

Personally, I like the Altima (especially the new coupe) better than the Fusion. But then again, I'm more of a rear wheel drive fan (or AWD) and wouldn't have either of these cars on my purchase list. I want a BMW 135i when it comes stateside, but I bet my car buying criteria is a little different than yours.

I have a friend who can afford the BMW SUV. He packs it full of scuba gear very easily. And it is powerfully fast, like all BMWs.

Any other BMW would simply not be appropriate for scuba gear.

And the other two you mentioned above are simply gangster-looking road cars, also not appropriate for scuba gear.

Unfortunately, Nastasia is getting all sorts of bad advice on these cars here, it would seem.

 

[nereas]

I want the diesel x5...or anything diesel..

I vote silver tho. Have you considered a Jetta?

I like the German makes because they don't depreciate as fast. Not to try and sway you or anything...

The Mercedes or the Volvo diesels in the small stationwagon design are good for scuba gear. These cars hold their value and perform well over decades. But they are not cheap. The president of our local dive club has one of these, and he loves it, and his wife who is also a diver loves it, too. But they are not poor. Double-income, high paying professional jobs, no kids. DINK$$ is what that is called.

Among the affordable German cars, the VW New Beetle is actually quite scuba friendly. The back seats fold down, and this way they can hold enough scuba gear for exactly 1 person. The hatch-back entry gives you easy access to your gear, that way. One of the women in our dive club owns one of these, in bright yellow, and it is beautiful, and she looks good in it. She gets great gas mileage too. These cars run around $25K last time I saw them at a dealership.

 

[Cacia]

they stopped us as we went out the door.

:god: ...did ya get a little thrill?

But they are not cheap.

but...if you buy one a year old and drive it for five or six years I think you can make a case for them..

God...I want a diesel. Some of those trucks are killer. The Chevy...
But the parking spaces just too tiny here. the x5 is coming out in deisel next year I think. I need a rig the dog can ride everywhere in and not get on the seats. x5 works great but guzzles gas. The x3 doesn't suck..

 

[Natasha]

Nastasia, neither one of those 2 is very good for scuba gear.

Thank you dear~~for your post. But, nowhere did I say I would be schlepping scuba gear in my car. Not looking for a scuba car, as I mostly vacation dive.

If I want to dive in Texas, it's not a problem to take my little rolling travel bag with gear in any trunk, and rent a tank. Although, I do have my own my own tank and it would also fit in any trunk.

 

[nereas]

but...if you buy one a year old and drive it for five or six years I think you can make a case for them..

....

As far as best deals go, the best deals are at Hertz Used Car Sales. These have been driven for 1 year, and then are now being sold for 1/2 original price.

As far as worst deals go, a dealership is the worst price.

 

[RonDawg]

I have a 2003 Altima V-6 and really like it. The only problem I had was the battery died rather early, and had to have it towed to Nissan for repair (thought it was an alternator problem). The battery was already beyond warranty so I had to buy a new one, but other than standard maintenance items that's the only expense I've had.

I like the new Altima coupe but at $31k fully loaded I won't be trading in anytime soon. My car has everything except leather, automatic, Bose, and Xenon, and sticker was $25.5, and I got it for even less despite the fact that I also financed it through a special offer with Nissan.

As far as the comment that it makes a poor dive vehicle...disagree. The trunk is big enough for two divers with single tanks, three divers if you don't carry tanks. And it handles far better than any SUV or pickup, and won't make you cry at the pump either. Despite being a V-6, because I bought the stick shift version I can see 30 MPG on the open road if I don't use the A/C. Not bad for 245 horsepower.

 

[RonDawg]

As far as best deals go, the best deals are at Hertz Used Car Sales. These have been driven for 1 year, and then are now being sold for 1/2 original price.

Remember though that rental cars get a lot of abuse, the scars of which may not appear for some time after you've bought it. A car may look good and may not have many dents/scratches, but it doesn't say much about how the car was maintained or especially driven.

A friend of mine recently had a 2007 Chevy Cobalt as a long term rental. By the time he returned it, he had racked up nearly 15k miles on it. During that time he had gone well over GM's recommendations for an oil change.

A well-maintained (with documentation) used car from a non-smoking private party is best, preferably from a state that doesn't get snow.