I need outside opinions...lol

My mother's car died and she needs a new vehicle. I have offered to give her my van. It is a 2000 MPV. This option would require us to purchase another vehicle for our family. Of course I would love another vehicle, but we would be stretching ourself alittle thin.

The other option is for us to keep our van, and let my mom purchase a used car from a friend for around 10,000 . I'm not sure which way to lean because my mom is really pressed for cash.

She needs it pretty quickly and truthfully, I haven't researched any vehicles that I may like and are in our budget...UUUGGHHH

Vehicle suggestions would be nice too, just in case..Thanks in advance!

By Mommmie on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 06:31 pm:

I've heard the Mazda 3 is a good inexpensive car. This subject keeps coming up here on the car radio shows bec of all the Katrina folks trying to replace their cars without having a lot of money.

By Ginny~moderator on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 08:44 pm:

I would definitely go to the library and check the Consumer Reports car issue(s). I know they publish a regular paperbound book every year, and it covers used cars as well as new, listing what is best and worst about each year/model, and what the approximate price should be in excellent/good/fair condition. And when I was car shopping last year, I paid for the Carfax service and found it worth the money. One car I looked at was at my mechanic's garage and I thought it might be a good deal, as I find this mechanic to be very honest (tells me when I don't need to spend money, as well as what I do need). Carfax, however, reported that the car had been sold just a month earlier, and here it was up for sale again. Turns out a relative of one of the mechanics regularly buys cars at auctions and sells them by parking them on the garage's lot with a for sale sign.

I would be very reluctant to buy a car from an individual rather than a dealer, because if anything goes wrong you have a lot harder time getting the seller to take care of it.

If your mom has $10,000 to spend, she would be a lot better off getting a 2005 car in the economy range, even if she had to take a loan for part of the price. I wound up buying a 2004 Hyundai Accent right after Thanksgiving 2004, paid a bit less than $10,000 for it, and have the 100,000 mile / 10 year warranty on major stuff, and lesser warranties on other stuff. I recently had my rear windshield wiper replaced on the one-year warranty for small stuff.

Definitely check out Consumer Reports - it is worth the time. I tend to agree with your assessment that your mom doesn't really need a van and you and she would both be better off looking at other options.

If you don't have time to go to the library, you can subscribe to Consumer Reports on line for around $30 and have it available for a year, and do the car-checking that way.

By Ginny~moderator on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 08:47 pm:

As far as makes/models, Hondas and Toyotas are both generally good cars, as are Nissans. I like my little Hyundai, but I don't do a lot of driving. In a year I have put less than 5,000 miles on the car, even with 15 mile roundtrip commute to work 5 days a week. (And I will say, the seat is not very comfortable - I wish I had test driven it a bit longer before deciding.)

By Conni on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 11:33 am:

Our next car will be a hybrid...

By Shellyg on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 08:05 pm:

Conni, check out the prices of Hybrid's up keep before you buy one. THe battery only lasts so long and they are OUTRAGEOUS in price.

By Vicki on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 08:10 pm:

If you have already offered her the van, isn't the choice up to her now?

I also agree with buying a cheaper car from a lot rather than getting one from a private seller. The warranty alone would be worth it to me. You just never know what your getting when you buy one from a private seller. There is usually a reason they are getting rid of it and it usually isn't good. LOL

By Kiki on Saturday, December 31, 2005 - 06:37 pm:

Conni,

If I'm not mistaken I think you can get a tax break when you file your taxes for that year and the utility company by us works some kind of rebate deal with a purchase of a hybrid. My husband and I are looking into getting a hybrid too.

By Kaye on Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 12:24 am:

I too want a hybrid as a next car. I think the cost is worth the "health" to the environment.

By Ginny~moderator on Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 05:28 pm:

I would love to have gotten a hybrid, but just couldn't afford the price. Given that I drove less than 5,000 miles last year, most of it in my 15 mile daily round trip for work, that's OK. If I were putting 10,000 or more miles a year on a car, I would have bitten the bullet and taken a loan to get a hybrid.