Tag: Car shopping

Car parameters

Cars

Now that I created the category, might as well use it, right?

I did a first pass on cars in my price range that might not be terrible. Based on my projected income I am looking at used cars, of course. I want something that is compact or mid-sized. Not a fan of SUVs because they’re huge, don’t want a sub-compact because they’re too small on long trips. Oh, right, I like road trips when I have the mental energy, money, and a car that’s safe to drive. Hatchbacks are fine but I lean toward sedans or coupes.

Price wise, I had no idea what a decent but cheap used car would go for. So I poked around on Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds to see what price range cars that fit the above category and are ~10 years old or newer, and it looks like that price range goes from $10,000 to $15,000. If I have to get a car loan, at my terrible credit rating, that works out to a monthly payment of $200 to $300 for a 48 month loan.

I would love to be able to estimate what my insurance payment would be but that doesn’t seem to be a thing. Lots of sites will walk you through the thousand-and-one questions to come up with a very specific quote for a specific car specifically for me but I just want a broad guestimate and don’t want to track down fuckin’ VINs for cars (and sign up for email alerts nagging me to buy things, holy crap) just so they can ballpark me. If anyone knows of any simple car insurance calculators I’d love it!

Things that would be a nice-to-have but not dealbreakers would include CarPlay. I wouldn’t call myself an Apple fan any more; corporations are doing so much damage in the world, but I still do need a phone, and I’m used to Apple phones as far as features go, so that’s what I buy. And being able to get the interface and apps I’m used to in the car would be super handy. Right now, in my ancient Honda, I have a very cheap head unit that my phone can Bluetooth to; it plays music and podcasts and lets me make and take phone calls hands-free if I need to (please don’t call me at all but especially in the car, thanks).

Sunroofs are nice, I suppose. When there’s sun out. Which does happen more and more often as I get older.

Picture of an apartment parking lot. In the close foreground, on the right hand side, a pale metallic blue Accord, an old one, is parked and covered in a layer of snow. Other cars in the lot are also covered in snow. There are some tire tracks leading out of the parking lot but none for the Honda Accord. It's just parked there, not going anywhere on its bald tires.
My car doesn’t like driving in the snow.

All wheel drive would be great because, y’know, weather extremes are happening more and more thanks to corporations’ damage to the world; feeling more secure on snow and ice would be keen, really. Hybrids look like they could save me money as the gas companies continue their intransigence and looting by squeezing every possible penny of profit while also damaging the world, but hybrids to me are a question mark as far as maintenance costs, so while I might include them in my shopping, they require extra research and pre-purchase investigation.

Colors aren’t a big deal, and with used cars you get what you get, but if I have a choice I’d like a nice, non-metallic primary color. A good green or blue would be awesome. Black is also high on my list. Interior wise I’d prefer a black or gray interior, something neutral. Not a fan of tan, at all.

I want a car that’s easy and cheap to maintain, and has a decent track record of safety. That points toward larger makes and popular models; having more parts available means lower costs of repair. No bespoke boutique brands, alas.

From these broad strokes, I’ll start drafting up a list of years, makes, and models. It’s a good starting point!

Thinking about planning to examine cars

Cars

For the longest time, I did not own a car. I didn’t own a car for more than two decades. I used public transit or made use of short-term car rental services like ZipCar, or relied on friends and family to pick me up, or I rode my bicycle for short trips. It was fine, really; when I was employed, I could bus to my office, and I could check out a motor pool car if I needed to drive for work. And when I wasn’t working… where did I need to go, really? I could still use the other options, I just did them less often, because I had no money.

But in July 2016, however, I got a decent-ish job working at a call center for a major US bank. The call center was over 18 miles by surface streets, and since my schedule (after training) was a very early shift, public transit did not have any option to get me to the call center on time. I needed a car.

My cousin was looking to upgrade to a newer car, and I bought her used 1996 Honda Accord for cheap. It ran, almost everything on it worked, and it got me to work on time, and that’s all I cared about. I’ve tried to keep up the basic maintenance on it, and it’s served me well, with only minor hiccups here and there.

I have insurance, the car is legally registered, it uses a moderate amount of gasoline, and it only leaks a little oil. I’ve driven it to the beach and back several times. When a prospective employer asks if I have reliable transportation, I am comfortable saying yes. As long as I keep the fluids topped up, I often joke, it will probably outlast me.

For all of those reasons, I did not pay any attention to cars as a topic. I paid no attention to car makes and models, or trends in cars, or prices for new or used cars. I gave zero thought to what kinds of cars I liked or might buy, assuming I had money to buy a car, which I nearly always did not.

My last several jobs were either contract work, with expiration dates, or positions I took out of desperation, keeping a hope of finding something better. I was unable to save up enough money for a down payment and never felt secure enough to take out even a short car loan. That situation has shifted, though. I like my new job, and I can dream a little that maybe I’ll still be there for the foreseeable future. I can think about the possibility of planning to examine the options of perhaps getting rid of the ancient Honda… and replacing it with something newer.

Last night I started figuring out some things. What is a decent price range for a reliable car for me? How will it impact my budget? What will gas, insurance, and maintenance cost? How long will it take to save up a down payment, and is it worth it trading in the Accord? What is my credit score and how does that affect the interest rate and how much money will my credit union loan me? Should I buy a hybrid vs a gasoline car?

I started a spreadsheet to start tracking some of this stuff, because of course I did. I’ve got a first draft of what years, makes, and models interest me, just to get a feeling of what’s out there. It’s a start. Stay tuned for posts where I share some of my research and ask you, my readers, for your advice. Thanks in advance!