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So here is my situation. I just turned 18 in November and figured it would be a good time to start building my credit and I am in need of another reliable vehicle. I went to the bank and got pre-approved for a $7000 loan at 13.49% interest (high I know) but I don't have a cosign. I would want to pay this vehicle off fairly quickly and was thinking of doing a 36 month payment but pay an extra $100 or so a month an hopefully have the car paid off in two years. I would like to spend around $250 a month. I know that may seem like a lot but I have a pretty good paying job and I don't pay for any other bills. I will be paying for insurance on this though and may have to take the Ranger off insurance for awhile until things kinda even out. (My parents are going through a divorce right now so they are trying to save some money so they want to take it off if they can.) I have almost $3000 cash as a down payment so I was looking for vehicles with in the $8000-$9500 range, and it's been harder than I thought it would be. Any vehicle I buy has to be a 2003 or newer because that is one of the requirements for taking out an auto loan and the insurance has to be full coverage. I started looking around at some dealerships for used cars and found a couple I like but am just not about them because the reviews I read online are mixed.
The first was a 2006 Saab 9-3 2.0T 5 speed manual with 100k miles. It is at a dealership (not a cheap car lot) and they went though everything like new breaks, tires, fluids, and detail. The carfax was clean, it was a Texas car with one owner and I really liked the car. It drove very nice, had some good power and looked good. I was cruising at 70 mph with no problems but I couldn't get the cruise control to work. I don't know if it was user error or it just wasn't working but other than that no problems at all. They want $9,300 "out the door" which I think is a pretty good deal but has no warranty. I started to do some research online and read that some have been known to have electrical problems but was supposedly fixed in 2006. Also I am hesitant about the Saab because they are expensive to fix and many shops won't work on them. Other reviews say it is an awesome car and as long as regular maintenance is done it will run forever. Here is the link to the car
http://www.gocourtesyford.com/index...&preauctionsearch=&fromSearchList&PhotoType=1
The second vehicle I am looking at is a 2006 Subaru Impreza 2.5 5 speed manual with 100k miles. This is at a nice car lot and they have a service shop so it was looked over but it isn't as nice as the dealership. I don't know as much about this car, like what all was looked at in their shop because I didn't talk with the salesman for too long (had things to do) but it drove nice and had some good power just like the Saab but this car was a little more cosmetically beat up. It had a couple good dents in it but still looks good. I also didn't get a chance to look at the carfax, I pretty much just showed up, test drove it, and left. I didn't get an "out the door" price but the sticker price is $9,500 and he said he can go down a few hundred. One thing I like more about the Subaru is the AWD system which would be good for snow, it has a 3 month/3,000 mile warranty, and I can be sure that almost any shop will work on it. I heard the the 2.5 had head gasket problems but I'm starting to think it was on the older Subarus because I haven't read of many bad reviews on the Subaru but I have read a lot of good ones. Two of my friends have Subaru's and they love them and haven't had any major problems with them. Here is a link to the car
http://www.southhavanamotorco.net/2006_Subaru_Impreza_166603419.veh
Now I am not locked into getting a Saab or a Subaru I was even looking into getting a Honda Civic/Accord or a Toyota Corolla but when researching those they still have some quirks just like any other vehicle. I figured if this car is gunna be taking up the next few years of my life I want to get something that I like and not something I think is mediocre, but that may end up being the case. I need something 2003 or newer, under 100k or so miles, good city mpg, and preferably a manual for their reliability and they are just more fun to drive and it will be getting driven around 50 miles a day. I'm getting 10 mpg on my truck now and it is just getting beat up and parts keep going out.
Has anybody had experience with a Saab or Subaru? If not what car have you had a good experience with? Any other advice is welcome too. Thanks for reading and helping me out!
The first was a 2006 Saab 9-3 2.0T 5 speed manual with 100k miles. It is at a dealership (not a cheap car lot) and they went though everything like new breaks, tires, fluids, and detail. The carfax was clean, it was a Texas car with one owner and I really liked the car. It drove very nice, had some good power and looked good. I was cruising at 70 mph with no problems but I couldn't get the cruise control to work. I don't know if it was user error or it just wasn't working but other than that no problems at all. They want $9,300 "out the door" which I think is a pretty good deal but has no warranty. I started to do some research online and read that some have been known to have electrical problems but was supposedly fixed in 2006. Also I am hesitant about the Saab because they are expensive to fix and many shops won't work on them. Other reviews say it is an awesome car and as long as regular maintenance is done it will run forever. Here is the link to the car
http://www.gocourtesyford.com/index...&preauctionsearch=&fromSearchList&PhotoType=1
The second vehicle I am looking at is a 2006 Subaru Impreza 2.5 5 speed manual with 100k miles. This is at a nice car lot and they have a service shop so it was looked over but it isn't as nice as the dealership. I don't know as much about this car, like what all was looked at in their shop because I didn't talk with the salesman for too long (had things to do) but it drove nice and had some good power just like the Saab but this car was a little more cosmetically beat up. It had a couple good dents in it but still looks good. I also didn't get a chance to look at the carfax, I pretty much just showed up, test drove it, and left. I didn't get an "out the door" price but the sticker price is $9,500 and he said he can go down a few hundred. One thing I like more about the Subaru is the AWD system which would be good for snow, it has a 3 month/3,000 mile warranty, and I can be sure that almost any shop will work on it. I heard the the 2.5 had head gasket problems but I'm starting to think it was on the older Subarus because I haven't read of many bad reviews on the Subaru but I have read a lot of good ones. Two of my friends have Subaru's and they love them and haven't had any major problems with them. Here is a link to the car
http://www.southhavanamotorco.net/2006_Subaru_Impreza_166603419.veh
Now I am not locked into getting a Saab or a Subaru I was even looking into getting a Honda Civic/Accord or a Toyota Corolla but when researching those they still have some quirks just like any other vehicle. I figured if this car is gunna be taking up the next few years of my life I want to get something that I like and not something I think is mediocre, but that may end up being the case. I need something 2003 or newer, under 100k or so miles, good city mpg, and preferably a manual for their reliability and they are just more fun to drive and it will be getting driven around 50 miles a day. I'm getting 10 mpg on my truck now and it is just getting beat up and parts keep going out.
Has anybody had experience with a Saab or Subaru? If not what car have you had a good experience with? Any other advice is welcome too. Thanks for reading and helping me out!
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