CAG Car Thread!

encendido5 said:
Damn man, you have some bad luck. Hope the rental car thing ends up in your favor.
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Hahaha...no kidding, right?

Even if the guy decided to lie about what happened, there are like at least 4 traffic cams in the area and I have his plates and his make/model. Dude is loaded anyways. Triplets, a brand new 5-series bimmer, and lives in the nice part of South Boston. If it was my BRZ, I'd be SUPER pissed! :D
 
Have an appointment for the last detail I'll ever be able to get on the car for March 18. It's going to be bittersweet. :rofl:

On the brightside, the detail shop is even CLOSER than it used to be. Instead of 5 miles, now it's 2 miles. :D
 
dohdough said:
Have an appointment for the last detail I'll ever be able to get on the car for March 18. It's going to be bittersweet. :rofl:

On the brightside, the detail shop is even CLOSER than it used to be. Instead of 5 miles, now it's 2 miles. :D
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Where are you going?

I recently got another door ding, those bastards... :bomb: I'm going to try to do a full detail myself this spring since I don't think I'll have a garage after the summer - moving again.

 
encendido5 said:
Where are you going?

I recently got another door ding, those bastards... :bomb: I'm going to try to do a full detail myself this spring since I don't think I'll have a garage after the summer - moving again.
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Haha...nowhere. Rick(Unique Auto Care) moved into a bigger shop that's on the otherside of 93 from me. It's like a mile away from Exit 36.

Oh wow...didn't you JUST move this past summer? Where are you headed?
 
dohdough said:
Haha...nowhere. Rick(Unique Auto Care) moved into a bigger shop that's on the otherside of 93 from me. It's like a mile away from Exit 36.

Oh wow...didn't you JUST move this past summer? Where are you headed?
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Ah, nice, I haven't driven through Wakefield in a while.

Yeah, I know. I can't complain though since we get free housing (we live at a boarding school). We were supposed to be at this place for 2 years, but the layout isn't very family friendly. The master bedroom is upstairs while the kids rooms are across the house on the first floor. With a baby coming along, we want to move to a place where the bedrooms are all together. After this move though, we should be good for at least 5 years.

 
encendido5 said:
Ah, nice, I haven't driven through Wakefield in a while.

Yeah, I know. I can't complain though since we get free housing (we live at a boarding school). We were supposed to be at this place for 2 years, but the layout isn't very family friendly. The master bedroom is upstairs while the kids rooms are across the house on the first floor. With a baby coming along, we want to move to a place where the bedrooms are all together. After this move though, we should be good for at least 5 years.
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He's actually on the Stoneham/Woburn line now. Much easier to get to compared to his old place.

Can't knock free housing. I'm assuming that you're just moving to another unit? I hear you on the room layout though. I'm currently in a 2 bedroom condo so the kid's room is right next to ours. Debating getting one of those glider nursing chairs, but that's for another thread...haha.

I'm still waiting for my schedule to open up so we can do a meet. Maybe we can grab lunch at the Lobster Claw in Reading one of these weekends or play hooky from work and go...haha.
 
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dohdough said:
He's actually on the Stoneham/Woburn line now. Much easier to get to compared to his old place.

Can't knock free housing. I'm assuming that you're just moving to another unit? I hear you on the room layout though. I'm currently in a 2 bedroom condo so the kid's room is right next to ours. Debating getting one of those glider nursing chairs, but that's for another thread...haha.

I'm still waiting for my schedule to open up so we can do a meet. Maybe we can grab lunch at the Lobster Claw in Reading one of these weekends or play hooky from work and go...haha.
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Yep, pretty much. I would say just get your wife whatever she wants :)

Definitely man, I've passed there a bunch of times but haven't actually stopped in. That's only about a 10 minute drive for me.

 
Well, traded the G in, got a 2014 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI since we're expecting.  Here's a photo of my old G all cleaned up, I'll miss her dearly.  :whistle2:(

[attachment=3290:g35.jpg]

Pic of the new car:

[attachment=3291:vwwagon.jpg]

 
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soulvengeance said:
Well, traded the G in, got a 2014 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI since we're expecting. Here's a photo of my old G all cleaned up, I'll miss her dearly. :whistle2:(

attachicon.gif
g35.jpg

Pic of the new car:

attachicon.gif
vwwagon.jpg
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Congrats on the great news, dude! Soon you'll be in the Gamer Dad thread! :D
 
Hopefully you guys are willing to give a bit of advice. :) If you were going to buy a nice used car today, where would you go? And how much would you put down vs financing (if you finance at all)?

The reason I ask is that I'm looking for a new car. My only 2 cars ever were given to me by my dad, and neither was worth very much, or in the best condition. Now I have a steady job and I'm looking for something nicer. Something that'll last me 4 to 5 years and isn't on the brink of breaking down every time I take it on the highway. Buying a car is really a lot harder than it looks. I don't even know where to begin. :/

And just FYI, I'm capping the cost at $10k. I was hoping to do half or even a third of that, but there's no way in hell I'll spend more than $10k.
 
Access_Denied said:
Hopefully you guys are willing to give a bit of advice. :) If you were going to buy a nice used car today, where would you go? And how much would you put down vs financing (if you finance at all)?

The reason I ask is that I'm looking for a new car. My only 2 cars ever were given to me by my dad, and neither was worth very much, or in the best condition. Now I have a steady job and I'm looking for something nicer. Something that'll last me 4 to 5 years and isn't on the brink of breaking down every time I take it on the highway. Buying a car is really a lot harder than it looks. I don't even know where to begin. :/

And just FYI, I'm capping the cost at $10k. I was hoping to do half or even a third of that, but there's no way in hell I'll spend more than $10k.
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Before figuring out where to buy a car, you should decide what kind of car you want to buy and what types of features you want. Things like leather, navigation, heated mirrors, HID's, AWD, 4 door, 2 door, hatchback, coupe, wagon, ipod/usb/mp3 compatibility, etc. Once you narrow that down, go on test drives of 5 different makes/models of the type of car you want because they will all drive differently even if it's subtle. Personally, I would pick a couple other cars just to drive that aren't in that category to see how they drive as well to see if maybe you like something different from what you initially thought. From there, you should have a pretty good idea of what you want so go on cars.com to see what's in the area and edmunds.com to get an idea of what the market is like for pricing.

When you're ready to buy, negotiate an Out The Door price and don't focus on monthly payments because the salesman might want to sell you on that. You already know how much you want to spend, but there are always taxes, fees, and all that crap.

As for financing, that's really a personal thing. If you can get one of those special preowned promotional rates of 0.9% APR, I would put a small down payment, finance the rest, and put some money in a retirement fund. $10k is like $250 a month for 3 years anyways. There's nothing wrong with paying it off either, but I like a be a little liquid in case there are emergencies and having a decent amount of money poured into a depreciating asset all at once isn't that appealing to me. If you finance, you also might get more wiggle room on the price because they're making additional profit on the sale through it.
 
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^^ Great advice!  Short answer - Used Honda Civic @ 100K miles and drive it to 200K :)

I bought a used '97 Civic HX for $3500 in '07 and it ran like a champ till I sold it in '09.

 
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dohdough said:
Things like leather, navigation, heated mirrors, HID's, AWD, 4 door, 2 door, hatchback, coupe, wagon, ipod/usb/mp3 compatibility, etc.
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Sounds a bit too fancy for my likin'. :lol: I'm coming from a 96 Blazer, so just about anything that runs is good to me. :)

But in all seriousness, thanks for the advice. Right now, I'm just looking for something smaller. 4 door sedan with a manual transmission. Beyond that, I couldn't care less. Given that I've been interested in Volkswagons for a while, maybe I'll start my search there. There's a dealer less than a mile from me, so I'll just go there and see what I like. I'll be sure to come back here and ask for some opinions before I make any final decisions.
 
Access_Denied said:
Sounds a bit too fancy for my likin'. :lol: I'm coming from a 96 Blazer, so just about anything that runs is good to me. :)

But in all seriousness, thanks for the advice. Right now, I'm just looking for something smaller. 4 door sedan with a manual transmission. Beyond that, I couldn't care less. Given that I've been interested in Volkswagons for a while, maybe I'll start my search there. There's a dealer less than a mile from me, so I'll just go there and see what I like. I'll be sure to come back here and ask for some opinions before I make any final decisions.
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I would be a little leery of any VW for 10k or less, unless it's a Rabbit. I love my Veedubs, but they definitely cost some money to maintain, they're not quite there with the Japanese for reliability.

 
Yeah, what soulvengeance said. Maintenance isn't exactly cheap and neither are the parts if they break, which they will. That's something that I would consider too if the fancy stuff isn't a big deal to you as well as fuel economy. Gas ain't cheap anymore...haha.
 
Ok cags - might be in the market for a second car.

Mazda3 or Civic? 2014.

Fuel economy is #1. But I'd also like to not die.

Seems to me like they're practically the same car but I've never owned a Mazda before.
 
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Confucius said:
Ok cags - might be in the market for a second car.

Mazda3 or Civic? 2014.

Fuel economy is #1. But I'd also like to not die.

Seems to me like they're practically the same car but I've never owned a Mazda before.
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I've actually had some pretty good seat time in both and I think that in terms of mpg, the Mazda was better by 2-4 mpg in stop and go traffic(around 30-32 mpg using winter gas?). Mazda has a less torque-y engine in eco mode, which made all the difference for me. The Civic has it beat when it comes to comfort unless there are major changes in the seats, but I don't see any.
 
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Did you drive them or was it.... Back seat time.

I'm just starting my research and am a little biased toward Hondas but I can be swayed towards a Mazda.

I'm trying to expand my horizons. :)

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Man I thought the two tiered Civic dashboard was weird but that mazda 3 navigation/infotainment system in the middle of the dashboard is just so awful. 



 
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Any opinions on the new jettas? I will probably be looking to find something used for under $13k and am considering jetta/mazda3 and 6/ corolla and other similar cars. I know a lot of people don't like the jetta redesign, but I find the body to look clean and sleak, almost like a poor man's A4. I am far from a car guy so any input would be welcome.
 
Confucius said:
Did you drive them or was it.... Back seat time.

I'm just starting my research and am a little biased toward Hondas but I can be swayed towards a Mazda.

I'm trying to expand my horizons. :)

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Man I thought the two tiered Civic dashboard was weird but that mazda 3 navigation/infotainment system in the middle of the dashboard is just so awful.
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Hahaha...time in the driver's seat. I'm not limber enough for back seat time anymore! :rofl:

I was in a Mazda 3 for about 3 weeks and a Civic for a month. If I had to pick, I would choose the Civic every time. The ergonomics of the Mazda just wasn't right for me or my gf. Have you considered a Corolla? They're looking pretty damn good!

Looks like you're way more baller than I am. I can only afford one car. Hell, I even use coupons for oil changes!(everyone should because fuck paying $80 for an oil change) :D


wwe101 said:
Any opinions on the new jettas? I will probably be looking to find something used for under $13k and am considering jetta/mazda3 and 6/ corolla and other similar cars. I know a lot of people don't like the jetta redesign, but I find the body to look clean and sleak, almost like a poor man's A4. I am far from a car guy so any input would be welcome.
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Stay away unless you can afford the eventual maintenance or can do it on your own.
 
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Were you in them as loaners/rentals because your car was in the shop?

Jiffy lube $5 off every time.

I might need a second car strictly for the gas mileage and convenience. I don't exactly want to buy a second car but renting is getting tiresome.
(Also when I rent I'm too cheap to spring for upgrades so I'm usually on the highway in a death trap compact, which in rental car terms is like a yaris. I f'ing hate the yaris.)



I make some longish trips for business and don't want to put mileage in my main car and it gets only like 25 mpg.
 
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wwe101 said:
So what car would you guys recommend for around that price point?
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If I were going to spend 13k on a car, I would get a used relatively newer civic or corolla. Or maybe a fit.

Any car can be a money pit but the Japanese cars are just so reliable.

The thing is buying new (15-17k) might be a better deal depending on mfg and finance incentives.
 
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Confucius said:
Were you in them as loaners/rentals because your car was in the shop?

Jiffy lube $5 off every time.

I might need a second car strictly for the gas mileage and convenience. I don't exactly want to buy a second car but renting is getting tiresome.
(Also when I rent I'm too cheap to spring for upgrades so I'm usually on the highway in a death trap compact, which in rental car terms is like a yaris. I f'ing hate the yaris.)



I make some longish trips for business and don't want to put mileage in my main car and it gets only like 25 mpg.
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Yeah, they were rentals, so even when abused, mpg was pretty good. I was also in a new Jetta and a Versa. The Jetta actually had the best suspension out of them all and the Versa was a slog to get through. The Jeep Compass was the worst because the seat wasn't that adjustable and I could barely reach the gas pedal. I'm short, but not a dwarf. :rofl:

Since I'm a Honda fan at heart, the Civic gets another vote from me because it has a USB slot that you can use a flash drive with for music.

Also:

Vtecdriver.jpg
 
^^  I used to love when the Vtec kicked in on my HX :lol:  I don't know if it was the placebo effect, but I definitely felt a small boost once it got over 2k RPMs

 
wwe101 said:
So what car would you guys recommend for around that price point?
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Civic, Corolla, and Fit, are great choices. If you want more space, you can move up to the Accord or Camry. You could also get an Altima coupe if that's your thing. They're actually pretty nice.

If I had $13k, I would get an RSX and OEM+ it out with A-Spec 18" rims, fogs, and body kit. :D

609644.9985000.lg.jpg

acura-rsx-type-s-a-spec-6.jpg
 
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between, the price of car stuff and guns, I'm going back to video game mode. Catching up on backlog instead of track days.

It's amazing how much value you get for your time with games ;)

Confucius said:
you guys are car enthusiasts. I just want to be comfortable and not die.
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Not sure of your price range but for people looking for good commuter car, I recommend the volt. The leasing deals are awesome for these and you get the best of both worlds. Plus you don't have to live with it long term since it's a lease (something i'd be warry of with all hybrids).

It's the complete opposite of that cadillac ELR. Seriously, I don't care how pretty you made it or lux inside. 75k starting lol. That's more than my V

 
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