Hey Ya'll!

Okay, so the hubby's a great man and all, but he's not that affluent in automobiles. And, of course, I don't want to exactly take a dealer's "word" because he's a salesman and I know that he's there mainly to move his/her product.

So here's the deal...
I'm ready to purchase the family a new vehicle. And, I mean.....brand spanking new. I'm tired of buying used vehicles just for the price savings but getting kicked in the tooshie with financing.
We have a '96 Civic that I'll be trading in but still owe 2k on. Overall, she's been a great baby vehicle, and she's efficient, but even though she's not completely paid off, I think now is the time to start looking, as it is coming up the end of the year. So....we'll have $1000.00 to put down on the new car.

I don't want a gas guzzler, of course. And I'll NEVER drive a van or a station wagon, nor a frumpy looking hatchback. I'm a cool momma and want to stay that way.  (believe me the Civic was a stretch for me)

So....what do you guys think? Any ideas or suggestions please please please?

Thanks Ya'll!
Shan

Okay....

I mainly use the vehicle for the "normal" stuff. Driving to work, taking the baby to preschool, play dates, dance class, going grocery shopping, etcetcetc.
If the vehicle ends up getting better gas mileage than the truck, then I may consider letting the hubby drive it to base considering how gas prcies are doing. (It's an hour and 1/2 one way)

We live in Eastern NC, so there really isn't that much abnormal about the weather really. Except for hurricanes, and I seriously doubt we'd drive in those. We sometimes get snow in the winter, but not enough to really have to get like snowtires, chains, all that kinda fun stuff. We also live about an hour or so from the beach, so the terrain, I would say, is fairly flat.

The family consists of just me, the hubby and the baby. (3 1/2 years old), But I'd like enough room to carry 4-5 comfortably, like say if she wants to carry a friend on vacation or family comes down. And I'd really like to have something that has enough trunk or back room to hold a 2-week supply of groceries. (about 25 Wal-Mart size bags or so)

Thanks again!
Shan

Wow...that is a nice car...

...but would it cost an arm and a leg???

We can only handle about 25k worth of new car....

Shan

Quoted: Wow...that is a nice car... ...but would it cost an arm and a leg??? We can only handle about 25k worth of new car.... Shan

Get the V-6 model. Looks the same, except maybe for the rims-which can be changed out as an option at the dealership. My friends mom just bought a white one V6 model, me and my buddy took it out for a ride, very nice car. I believe hers was $19-20K too. Plus the V-6 wont guzzle gas all that bad, not as good as a civic i would imagine but not bad.

If you want something different, look into some Jettas. VW's are reliable like japanese cars if you take car of them. My dads 86 jetta had over 250K miles. He bought it new in 86 and used it to commute to base too, got rid of it back in 02. My sister has a new beetle and its the same level of quality.

Thanks for all the help guys!

It's inspired me. Actually, we are getting ready right now to go out and eat some Mexican and go around looking at the local dealerships to see what's available.

I'll let ya'll know what I find!

Shan

Kind of bland and not all that exciting but have you looked at a 4 door Honda Accord? Along similar lines, you might take a look at a Toyota Camry, as well.

Semperwife, my sister has a Pontiac Vibe.  It's a nice little car, sort of like a station wagon, but looks a lot cooler.

-1.8 liter 4 cylinder, 130 HP, manual or automatic, 170 HP with manual
=24/34 MPG, so it isn't a gas hog.
-optional all-wheel-drive for winter traction.

Under 25 thousand(about 20-21 thousand).

We just got back and I found a dark metallic grey Pontiac G6 4-door that I really like listing for about 18k and has a $1500.00 rebate. I don't like the rims, so we'll see if the dealer we know there will put on a set of the nice ones.

I saw a cobalt blue one as well listing for 26k with the same rebate but it had the leather package and XM satellite stuff. The baby is still a toddler, so even though I like the leather, it probably wouldn't be such a great idea. As well, we probably wouldn't use the satellite because we like to listen to our Cd's.

There's a plantinum Impala there too that's nice too.....but it is a little big for me....lol.

We'll see how it goes tomorrow when the hubby goes to talk to the dealer. I'll get him to take a pic of it as well.

Cross your fingers!

And, thanks again for all you guys' help. I probably wouldn't have been so willing to go out tonight and actually actively look if it weren't for the motivation I received here.



Shan

Quoted: We just got back and I found a dark metallic grey Pontiac G6 4-door that I really like listing for about 18k and has a $1500.00 rebate. I don't like the rims, so we'll see if the dealer we know there will put on a set of the nice ones. I saw a cobalt blue one as well listing for 26k with the same rebate but it had the leather package and XM satellite stuff. The baby is still a toddler, so even though I like the leather, it probably wouldn't be such a great idea. As well, we probably wouldn't use the satellite because we like to listen to our Cd's. There's a plantinum Impala there too that's nice too.....but it is a little big for me....lol. We'll see how it goes tomorrow when the hubby goes to talk to the dealer. I'll get him to take a pic of it as well. Cross your fingers! And, thanks again for all you guys' help. I probably wouldn't have been so willing to go out tonight and actually actively look if it weren't for the motivation I received here. Shan

The G6 is pretty nice.  I think you can get one with cloth.  There is an ARFCOMMER that builds them, shop_rat45.  

Quoted: Okay.... I mainly use the vehicle for the "normal" stuff. Driving to work, taking the baby to preschool, play dates, dance class, going grocery shopping, etcetcetc. If the vehicle ends up getting better gas mileage than the truck, then I may consider letting the hubby drive it to base considering how gas prcies are doing. (It's an hour and 1/2 one way) Thanks again! Shan

Good god, where are you living that it takes an hour and half to go to base?

You living in Havelock and he's driving to New River or vice versa?

Quoted: Quoted: Okay.... I mainly use the vehicle for the "normal" stuff. Driving to work, taking the baby to preschool, play dates, dance class, going grocery shopping, etcetcetc. If the vehicle ends up getting better gas mileage than the truck, then I may consider letting the hubby drive it to base considering how gas prcies are doing. (It's an hour and 1/2 one way) Thanks again! Shan Good god, where are you living that it takes an hour and half to go to base? You living in Havelock and he's driving to New River or vice versa?

LOL...nah. I met my husband after I purchased my home. I live in Washington which is a north and west of Havelock. We've talked before about him going to the GO Batchelor's barracks, but he wants to be able to come home to his family every night, and the money we'd lose each month is about the same we pay in gas.
I don't really have anything against Havelock, per say, but I was born and raised here in Washington, and even though my parents retired and moved to VA, we still have quite a few cose family friends here. It's much easier to get around and get things done if you know the person to contact, and they know who you are too.
The hubby is from Texas, so there's not really a current chance in us moving there.

I also love and am a little proud of my house....it's really the first thing I ever did definitively on my own as a "grown-up". I'd like to see us get it paid off, use it as a lease and keep the real estate, and then be able to build anywhere we want to later in life. I bought it when I just turned 22, so it will be completely paid off when I turn 52.

Shan

Quoted: Semperwife..leather is a lot easier to clean and keep clean then cloth..if your thinking baby barf,food spilled,etc.

True true...but you can't steam clean leather like you can cloth. I'm thinking more along the lines of like Koolaid.
Plus, it does get rather humid here in the summertime. Cloth keeps cooler than leather. The butt stuck to the seat syndrome. Also, doesn't leather expand and contract with the heat? Would it get damaged having a 15-20 pound carseat on it for a length of time?

I ended up having to carry the hubby to the hospital yesterday with a crazy stomach bug, so he wasn't able to get to the dealership. However, I did talk to him on the phone and he pulled the car off the lot for me until I can get there with the Civic so he can run the "numbers".
I think I mentioned, that this guy is an old friend of the family's, so he'll give me a good deal. He also said he couldn't change the rims for me, but he said that it would be smarter and less costly to get them on my own somewhere else.

We'll see......

Shan

Find what you are looking for here:

www.vehix.com

Welp we did it!

I sign the final paperwork tomorrow!

Here is a picture of what we got, but the shade is a tad lighter than the picture.



Shan

Quoted: Welp we did it! I sign the final paperwork tomorrow! Here is a picture of what we got, but the shade is a tad lighter than the picture. img.photobucket.com/albums/v690/sreising/car.jpg Shan

Excellent choice!

You'll love it.