Okay Internets, We Need Your Opinion
Our car has officially crapped out according to the state of Washington. It failed the emissions test and we can't get our tabs renewed. Why, oh WHY did THIS year have to be the year of the emissions test????
So what do we do?
Option #1. We take on debt. Probably around 10K. It would be about $150 a month. I would plan to work an extra shift per month to cover a car payment. I know our income would increase enough that I wouldn't have to do that forever. We'd probably look at a late nineties Subaru or a Volvo wagon.
Option #2. We don't take on debt. M. found a 1993 Ford Escort wagon. Seriously NOT the car of my dreams. But it's $1500 and we could pay cash. It's an automatic and has air conditioning. I'm assuming it would get decent gas mileage and it has 119,000. That's under 8K miles/year. But it's a Ford Escort and I have no idea how good of a car it would be.
Opinions?
posted by Sacha @ 4:50 PM
25 comments
25 Comments:
in my personal experience, i've never met a successful ford escort. i'm worried that this will be a bandaid car, and you'll soon be in the same position, only less $1500.
but i totally understand the need to not take on debt...
i think investing a little more will keep you sane and save you money in the long run.
good luck!!
is there any way to get a new car?
when my partner and i bought our first car we got a toyota yaris. it cost around $18000 and we put down $3000 and we pay $209 a month, which isn't *too* much more than you would be paying for a used car.
we ended up in a similar situation last year when our car was stolen. we finally opted to take on the debt (something we really did not need) and get an 02 Subaru instead of getting a basic cheap cash option, early 90s mazda. after thinking about it we worried about maintenance costs on the cheap option and that it would actually cost more in the long run.
the extra payments suck but we have been so happy with the decision and love love love our subaru.
good luck!!
i agree...take on an affordable new car or option 1. you'll end up putting a lot of money into the $1500 car. and i've had bad experiences with fords in general, they're just not long lasting.
I had a 98' Ford Escort that was awesome and had NO problems but I think prior to that Ford maybe wasn't the best bet. Supposedly anything late 90's and on are similar so I'd say go for affordable but more reliable perhaps?
I have a subaru forrester and love it but I will warn you, it is a gas guzzler because it is an all wheel drive. Not easy on the gas. But very, very reliable vehicle.
In your shoes, we went with the debt and the late 90's Subaru Outback. Best decision ever :-) I say do it!
I'd go with Option 1 (or a lower cost new vehicle) over the early 90s Ford. In another year, you'd probably be looking at the same question if you went with Option 2.
Do not, under any circumstances, get that Ford Escort. Or any Ford Escort. Or any Ford.
Our *2003* Ford Focus has cost more in repairs than I'm sure you would like to spend. 2003. I wish I was kidding.
Take the debt. In the end, you probably won't be in this same position in a year or two with the newer car.
Have you considered some of the cheaper new cars? The Scion xA or the Nissan Versa, for example...
There's certain years (95-98) of the subaru outbacks that have major engine issues, primarily head gaskets going. If you're going to get a subaru you're going to have to do a lot of research into exactly what year to get. I ended up buying a 03 baja over the summer, only after the gaskets had been repaired by the car dealership.
Also I agree with other posters that the ford escort is going to be an issue. If you're able afford a newer car then you should definitely go for it. Have you thought of maybe a Scion? They're good cars since they're basically toyotas. Also, another really great car is the 1998 chevy prism, it's really just a toyota camry. My boyfriend has had one for almost 6 years and he's never had an issue with it other than the windows fogging up when it's really cold outside. I've seen quite a few of them around still including some for sale at chevy dealerships.
I owned a Ford Escort and it was a HORRIBLE car. It ALWAYS needed about $1,000 worth of work just to pass inspection (and I bought it with only 8,000 miles on it). It was late 90's. I now drive a used Toyota Echo (which they actually don't make anymore) that I really like. I would also suggest checking out the Scions. That's my 2 cents.
I say do NOT take on any debt if you can help it, but shop around for a good, reliable used car that you can afford now.
If you do take on debt, make it as small as possible and pay it off right away! Cars are *not* an investment, as you can never get back more money than you pay for one. But they *are* a necessity, sadly. :) Good luck with your hunt!
In my experience, the escort is the antichrist! if you want to find a cheap, cash option, look an old honda or toyota!
We have a 2001 subaru forester and we love it. It actually gets fairly good gas mileage, although I have heard other people complain about that. Ours is a standard, not an automatic, so that may be the difference. We have had no real problems with it and we've had it for 4 years.
However be warned that fitting the larger convertible carseats in the forester is a total PITA. We are both short so it isn't a big issue but if one of us were tall it would suck.
FORD = Fall On Road Dead
Need I say more.
For 10K you can get a 2004 something. Unless a higher end car like a Volvo is that you want. We got our 2004, 63k Dodge Caravan for 10K. We love it.
That's 63k km, not miles. (less than miles)
My personal opinion is to do the debt and get something good. I had a Ford Escort and it was crap. And you don't want to put more money into an old car.
You can check out the book "Lemonaid" I think it's called. It tells you about cars and how they are rated. I used it when purchasing my Toyota Echo and I'm so glad I got that instead of the Neon!!!
option #1, go for reliability! the ford will need work regularly and it sounds like you've been down that road already, not worth it!
http://raz.blogs.com
I have an 01 Focus wagon. I've owned it since it had 17,000 miles on it - now we're up to 130,000 miles and I've never repaired anything (oil changes/brakes/tune-up only).
Since the other car probably won't outlive its payments by much anyway, the cost seems like about $150 per month for the lifetime of that vehicle. It will probably last longer but how much? At $150 per month, anything over 10 months would be "free" with the Escort. I'm always tempted by new, shiny things but I've been really happy with our Ford so far and it does get about 30mpg. Either way, the costs would be close so you probably won't seriously regret either decision.
go for the newer car, Escorts are not reliable or safe.
Don't you know FORD stands for FOUND ON ROAD DEAD? Ha ha. Actually, I had a '98 Ford Escort ZX2 and it was the first car I purchased myself and for that reason I was quite attached to it. The thing with Fords, though, is that the parts are more expensive if you need repairs. I did pay a lot in repairs in the four years I had it, and the reason we got rid of it was because it needed more expensive repairs, and rather than forking out a bunch of money all at once, we decided to lease a new car. Best decision we made.
my ford esdort is entering the 300K kilometors... for me a blessing in diguise... the gas mileage is excellent and all repairs have been reasonable... my only suggestion with the miles is to find out when the timing belt was last replaced... and only give em $700 if you can talk them down
F-O-R-D Found On Road Dead:) I had a Ford Topaz and just gave me issues. You could get it and look for something else though. I wouldn't take on additional work to make that potential car payment. It's too much time away from the family. Maybe it would get you by for now until you found another car that you can put a down payment on and take a lessor loan.
I'd honestly look at a Honda Civic that's a few years old than a Ford. Also, we had a friend with a fairly recent Nissan Altima, they are roomy and reliable, but since they don't hold value as much as a Honda, you can get a used one for not nearly as much as an Accord or Camry from the same year.
Good luck!
I'm a big fan of reliable transportation. I'd HIGHLY recommend going with option #1.
I've purchased my current and previous car from Rental-Car companies. You have proof that the cars are well maintained, they give you a warranty, and lots of other good reasons - its a good idea. PLUS they tend to sell cars at least 2K BELOW Blue Book. All good things.
You might want to check out - http://www.enterprisecarsales.com/carsales/usedCarFinder.do
for local options!
Good luck!
Look at the HONDA FIT!
New car for the price of the used ones you're looking at, cute (IMHO), and good quality with lots of safety features.
I have one and LOVE it.
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