Caligirl4ever

Hubby and I are moving to Central California in April and obviously we are going to have to buy a car..sooooo my questions to those who are in the States:

1) What type of car did you buy? new/used?
2) Are you happy with it?
3) If not, what car would you have purchased instead?

Now that petro is increasing I'm having second thoughts about buying a sports utility vehicle.

Thanks a bunch in advance!

dawnrazor

Easy - Lotus Elise - ultimate Californicar

Muswell Hill

I have a young child and decided on a Volvo S70. I absolutely love it!!! Fuel efficient (more than 30mpg) great interior, superb build quality and very safe. I got a 1999 model and paid $15,000 for it. Also the insurance on it is reasonable as it is one of America's least stolen cars...can't see any car thieves riding around in a Volvo!!!!!
I would happily recommend anything made by Volvo or VW. Remember you get what you pay for!

Caligirl4ever

Mus..Thanks so much for your recommendation, I'll check it out..

Hugs,
Cali

FlyergirlUK

Volvos - the bain of my driving life!! Why is it I always seem to get stuck behind one of these being driven at 25 mph in a 40 mph zone?? Hubby actually admits to having owned one for which he gets 'the eye'!!

I have a VW Beetle, something I would never have dreamed of owning, (definitely not the older model anyway) and I think it's the mutts nuts!
Perfect for town driving, which is all I do anyway, and holds a surprising amount in the boot, (shopping-wise).
I get a good amount of mileage for the money, hell, I can't even remember when I last filled it up and it's only just down to a quarter of a tank!
Also perfect for parking, as, being a gal, that ain't my best talent anyway - this baby'll park anywhere! Gotta love it!!

Ben

We bought new and we have a Contour and a Chevy minivan (which does come with 4WD). Petrol consumption is fine and the insurance (whcih is very expensive over here) is good too compared to the Pontiac we had before! Hubby loved his Pontiac (Grand Prix GTP sporty thingy) but wasn't very practical when you have 3 children.

NC Penguin

It'd be helpful to know something about the criteria for your car.

i.e. do you have kids/plan to have kids in the next couple of years?
will the car be used for a lot of long distance travelling (between states)?
It seems that fuel efficiency is important (can't blame you if you're living in CA). Other than that, are there any other important factors such as cost of maintenance, safety, comfort?

I can't help you with the answers but if you provide more info on what you're after, it'd help others to give you appropriate vehicle suggestions.

Webbie

Lotus are just moving into the U.S market and are doubling their production.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3534883.stm


(Lotus Exige)

Wouldn't mind driving one of these around Mullholland Drive.

Duncan Roberts

We lease a 2003 Honda Civic, it's a pile of wank, had to go in 3 times for repair and has the acceleration of a stoned sloth.

I would love to get either a Mazda 3 or Mazda 6, wife wants VW Passat.

Brit3964

Whatever you do, don't buy Chevrolets. They are a piece of junk. Unfortunately I own a Chevy Malibu which is in the shop again for a problem supposedly already fixed once last summer. It seems it's a different problem causing the same symptom..a strange "creaking" noise from the suspension.

Fords aren't much better either. I've heard bad things about the Ford Focus and Windstars in particular. If you can, buy Japanese, Hondas, Toyotas, Mazdas, Mitsubushis etc. They cost more but seem to last longer.

dunroving

1994 Mazda B4000 xtra cab truck (has 2 jump seats in the back). I love it. It cost me $5,000 in January 2001, and it's been faultless.

If I was buying now, I'd probably buy similar - or Ford Ranger (same truck, essentially), or a Toyota mid-size truck. If I had family, I'd buy either a Honda Pilot, Honda CRV, Subaru Forester, or Toyota Rav, for the extra seats (wouldn't want to put kids in the back seats of my truck)

Jan Alaska

wanna buy a '94 Dodge Grand Caravan ? officially seats 7 but will carry 9 and 2 dogs and a cooler, low miles for year, has air (no warm, though this shouldnt worry you too much in Cali) supplemented by a small(ish) hole in the drivers door for cool feet, rear wiper/ demister dont work ... ditto shouldnt be a prob in Cali .. everything else is fine, new brakes in last year (twice) new battery and I'll even throw in the handy seatbelt cutter/ window smasher tool my mother-in-law gave me for xmas last year ... Make me an offer !!!!

heh Jan

Steve1962

We arrived in October 2002 and bought the following:

1) 1997 Saturn SL2

2) 1988 Mustang Convertible

We still have both vehicles, though we have had to spend a bit on the Stang.




Steve

Durhams

Well I have an Audi A4 Convertible which is lovely

And he has a Trailblaizer which is awful, but good for fetching shopping in

You have to have a convertible here

Ray

I think the Avatar says it!!

"Keep on truckin"