30-09-2003 21:44									#61
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

quote: Originally posted by Saint Marcus get a manual. few problems with those. though Mazda parts are more expensive than Honda parts, in general.

I'd prefer it, but you tend to only get them with cheaper low end low power models and they can be hard to find in many 'luxury car models' with v6 or v8 that I prefer. I never would have bought a 626 if I had known mazda was owned by ford.

	30-09-2003 22:06									#62
	Put an end to popups!

quote: Originally posted by MrFun Ok guys -- no bicycles, no motorcycles, and certainly no pickup trucks. So several people seem to think that I would be better off buying a used foreign import car like German made or Japan made, huh?

Okay, if you insist on buying a car, when you probably don't need one, then get something old and crappy, but with a bit of the style that says ya this car is crap, but it is cool.

Then learn how to fix a car. It's the best education you can have.

Now I ain't talking about being able to take the entire engine apart and putting it back together, but you should learn how to:
1) Do an oil change;
2) tune up them spark plugs;
3) replace a rad; alternator, distributor; etc.
4) basic body work (e.g. how to scrap out the rust and fill it in the holes)

If you learn this kind of stuff, you'll save money in the long run.

	30-09-2003 23:39									#63
	Tired of ads?

quote: I never would have bought a 626 if I had known mazda was owned by ford.

So is Aston Martin

	01-10-2003 00:26									#64
	Tired of ads?

Aston martin's aren't built with ford components.

	01-10-2003 00:38									#65
	Suffering from ads?

quote: Originally posted by Tingkai Okay, if you insist on buying a car, when you probably don't need one, then get something old and crappy, but with a bit of the style that says ya this car is crap, but it is cool. Then learn how to fix a car. It's the best education you can have. Now I ain't talking about being able to take the entire engine apart and putting it back together, but you should learn how to: 1) Do an oil change; 2) tune up them spark plugs; 3) replace a rad; alternator, distributor; etc. 4) basic body work (e.g. how to scrap out the rust and fill it in the holes) If you learn this kind of stuff, you'll save money in the long run.

No -- I don't have time fvck around like that.

Just get me a reputable mechanic.

	01-10-2003 01:22									#66
	Full PM-box? Change here!

quote: I'd prefer it, but you tend to only get them with cheaper low end low power models and they can be hard to find in many 'luxury car models' with v6 or v8 that I prefer.

You can't find a 626 Xerxes with manual gearbox? I've seen a few of those around here on sale. 2.5 V6, 170bhp or so. Fairly cheap too, 2500-5000 euros.

quote: Aston martin's aren't built with ford components.

the new Aston's have many Ford components in them.

	01-10-2003 17:30									#67
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

quote: Originally posted by Saint Marcus You can't find a 626 Xerxes with manual gearbox? I've seen a few of those around here on sale. 2.5 V6, 170bhp or so. Fairly cheap too, 2500-5000 euros.

I've never heard of that model so I googled it. Almost every site in the first two pages (if not every one) was dutch! Its not a model I've ever seen.

quote: the new Aston's have many Ford components in them.

Oh well, thats another car manufacturer off my list then.

	01-10-2003 17:50									#68
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

Yep, dunno about their European models, but domestically (at least for cars, trucks may be different), Ford is utter shite. Fix-or-Repair-Daily. Found-on-Road-Dead.

I can vouch for Honda. I have an '02 Accord, and my gf has a '98 Accord. I can't remember anyone ever *****ing about their Honda, from a reliability standpoint. Toyotas are apparently much the same.

1-2 yrs. used will get you a hefty discount. I bought mine new, for no real justifiable reason, and I know that cost me a few grand. But I did get the dashboard mounted 6-disk changer, which was new in '02.

-Arrian

	01-10-2003 18:57									#69
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

quote: I've never heard of that model so I googled it. Almost every site in the first two pages (if not every one) was dutch! Its not a model I've ever seen.

Hmmm...indeed. Many many dutch sites, some Danish and others. Few to no American sites. I suppose Mazda didn't bother releasing the model on the American market. And it explains why I've seen so many of them while you have seen none. Shame though, it's a fine car.

	01-10-2003 19:04									#70
	Support Apolyton

quote: Originally posted by Arrian But I did get the dashboard mounted 6-disk changer, which was new in '02. -Arrian

MASTURBATION TIME!!!!!!!!!!

	01-10-2003 19:07									#71
	Got spare money?

You cant beat Honda for cheap reliable cars. I just bought a 2003 Accord. I bought a Civic in '96 new and it ran perfectly for 145k miles until I totalled it last week. Only had to get brakes replaced once or twice. Get yourself a 2000 or 2001 Civic. If you can find a base model, the price should be near 7k .

	01-10-2003 19:18									#72
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

I'm looking for a used car that will have somewhere between 50,000 to 75,000 miles on it already.

	01-10-2003 19:18									#73
	Support Apolyton

quote: Originally posted by Lazarus and the Gimp Buy German or Japanese.

Just FYI according to JD Powers American cars normally are require fewer repairs and last longer then German cars and they are hot on the heels of the Japanese.

MrFun: What do you need in a car? Do you need to carry alot of people? Is parking a problem so getting a small car might make finding a parking spot easier? Do you have to haul things like furniture between your school apartment and your parent's house? Figuring out what you need in a car vs what you want in a car will help you make the right decision as to which type of car to buy.

Remember if you do buy a car then you are likely to keep it for several years so think about what you are likely to need three years from now as well as what you need today. Also be sure you really need a new car as car payments are a fixed expense and can end up taking alot out of your budget. Is your budget dependent upon student aid and if so then is the amount of student aid you get likely to vary from year to year? Also next year will you be staying in the dorms or will you be moving off campus? If you move off campus, as most people do, will you have the money to pay both rent and a car payment and insurence?

I'd recomentd fixing the breaks on your current card but not the fuel meter since you can use your tripometer or your obometer to tell you how many miles you've traveled on a tank. All you have to do is know how big your tank is and how many miles per gallon your car gets then write the milage down on a small notepad as well as a conservative estimate of when you will need a refill. Keep a small gas can in the trunk and you should be fine. Doing that will mean you can squeeze another year out of your car for only $380 plus you will save the cost of insuring a newer car.

	01-10-2003 19:23									#74
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by Saint Marcus So is Aston Martin

And Jaguar and Volvo and Linlcon and Mercury and Land Rover. It's not just Aston Martin and MAzda (though Mazda is only 33% owned by Ford). The truth is Ford makes some damn good cars but some people are to worried about the badge on the hood so they end up buying a far more expensive car, which isn't likely to be any better in quality, just because they want to look cool.

The truth is most major auto name plates are a fiction. GM owns Subaru, Suzuki, Izusu, Saab, Opel, Vauxhall, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Saturn, Holden, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Chevy, and Dawoo as well as a minority share of Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maseroti, and Ferrari. DaimlerChrsler owns Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Plymouth, Jeep, and a minority stake in Hyundai & Kia. VW owns Seat, Lambrogini, Skoda, and Audi. Renault owns 50% of Nissan ()including Infinity). Toyota owns Daitsu and Lexus. Hondo owns Acura and used to own a large part of MG/Rover (but MG/Rover got sold to BMW who spun it off last year), PSA owns Peugot and Citreon. BMW owns Mini and Rolles Royce.

What's more is when people say "I only buy cars from country X" they're generally fooling themselves since automobile manufacturing now takes place all over the world. The Honda you bought thinking it was Japanese could easily been built in America or the UK and that Chevy you bought because you wanted to support American industry may well have been built in Mexico.

	01-10-2003 19:39									#75
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

quote: Originally posted by SpencerH I've never heard of that model so I googled it. Almost every site in the first two pages (if not every one) was dutch! Its not a model I've ever seen.

It's just the European and Japanese name for the 626.

	01-10-2003 19:56									#76
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

Oerdin - quite true that most Honda sold here are made in the USA. I didn't buy it because it's Japanese. I bought it because the company - Honda - has a track record of making excellent cars, and because I liked the looks & features, and could afford it.

quote: MASTURBATION TIME!!!!!!!!!!

Glad to know a CD changer can get you horny, Funman. Really, I wanted to know that.

-Arrian

	01-10-2003 20:19									#77
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

quote: Originally posted by Arrian Glad to know a CD changer can get you horny, Funman. Really, I wanted to know that. -Arrian

It you take a joke seriously, it takes the humor out of it.

	01-10-2003 20:23									#78
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

quote: Originally posted by Oerdin It's just the European and Japanese name for the 626.

I dont think so. The cars I looked at on the dutch webpages were quite different from the typical roundish 626 we have here.

	01-10-2003 20:36									#79
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Mazda 626 Xerxes

Attachment: 1825196545709320x240x1x0.jpg
This has been downloaded 31 time(s).

	01-10-2003 20:38									#80
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

quote: It you take a joke seriously, it takes the humor out of it.

Oh, sweet irony!

	01-10-2003 21:04									#81
	Inflate your Upload Space

quote: Originally posted by Drake Tungsten quote: It you take a joke seriously, it takes the humor out of it. Oh, sweet irony!

	01-10-2003 21:29									#82
	Get a bigger avatar today!

It looks like a last generation 626 with a hatch back instead of a trunk. I'd bet that's exactly what it is.

	01-10-2003 21:33									#83
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

MrFun - get a jeep.

IMO only gay men and hot chicks should drive jeeps, thus, you qualify!!!

	01-10-2003 21:36									#84
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

it's the second last generation 626 with a hatch. only with a 2.5 V6 instead of a regular 1.8 or 2.0.

	01-10-2003 21:56									#85
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

quote: Originally posted by Japher MrFun - get a jeep. IMO only gay men and hot chicks should drive jeeps, thus, you qualify!!!

Actually in the American version of Queer as Folk, one of the main characters (Brian) drives a jeep.

	02-10-2003 03:52									#86
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

Ok guys . . .

I did some research, and I found four cars that I might consider:

2000 Nissan Altima, GXE Sedan -- rough estimate given: $10,500

2000 Saturn L-Series, LS1 Sedan -- rough estimate given: $8,700

2000 Ford Contour, SE Sport Sedan -- rough estimate given: $6,800

2000 Subaru Legacy, L AWD Sedan -- rough estimate given: $12,300


So ok -- I might have to splurge by getting a loan of as much as $13,000.

But what do some Apolytoners think of these four choices? I got editorial and customer reviews for each of them too. A mixture of pros and cons for each one, basically that I need to consider.

But I want to hear from some of you guys, too.

	02-10-2003 04:06									#87
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

The contour is a great car to drive. Very european feel. 'Lots' of guys like em in rallys but usually the 200hp svt model.

cons - ford built to breakdown

Altima- 155 hp a little low. I know my mechanic thinks they're not too good.

Saturn- reliable cheap - uninspired

subaru- pricey but may be worth it, good driving, high resale cos people tend to hang onto them. If I lived up north a subaru would be a serious possibility.


Buy a honda accord even one with 100000 miles. If its well maintained it'll go another 100000 easy.

	02-10-2003 05:54									#88
	Full PM-box? Change here!

quote: Originally posted by SpencerH The contour is a great car to drive. Very european feel. 'Lots' of guys like em in rallys but usually the 200hp svt model. cons - ford built to breakdown Altima- 155 hp a little low. I know my mechanic thinks they're not too good. Saturn- reliable cheap - uninspired subaru- pricey but may be worth it, good driving, high resale cos people tend to hang onto them. If I lived up north a subaru would be a serious possibility. Buy a honda accord even one with 100000 miles. If its well maintained it'll go another 100000 easy.

Ok, but there was one customer review that was VERY negative towards the Saturn line. So I'm a little weary.


As for the Honda Accord -- I can't remember what price range I can expect by buying a used one. But since you mentioned that line, I will look that one up soon.

	02-10-2003 08:47									#89
	Put an end to popups!

I want opinions on the four cars I researched on . . .


I will beat it out of you guys, I swear -- or just make you chug one can of Pepsi after another!!

	02-10-2003 09:07									#90
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

Why do you have to resort to such torture .