car shopping, mini macs, and back to school

[kodalai]

First: Aren't they awesome? Almost makes me wish I were in the market for a new computer. But my Miyamoto still serves me well. I think it was a good idea for me to name my computer after a samurai. He's been faithful and loyal and never given me any real problems.

I shall have to think of another samurai name to give to my car, for the same reason.

Speaking of which: This weekend I am going to be going with my father to buy my first car! (Not a new car, a used car, but still my first.) I am extremely nervous. I want to do the best I can, to get the best I can. Does anybody have any good used-car buying advice?

I already have a pretty good idea what we'll be looking for. As mentioned, a used car, somewhere in price between $5000 and $10,000. I want something small, but not so small as to have no storage space; something reliable, with good mileage, and safe. Since I'll be driving it almost exclusively on California roads, things like off-road handling and winter weather handling aren't major considerations. I prefer manual transmission, but I hear most used cars have automatic. Looking at consumer reports, we've decided that the two best ones to look at are the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla. Such a shame that the Hybrids haven't been out long enough to really hit the used market! We looked at Toyota Prius, the hybrid for Toyota, but the lowest price they offered was $16,000.

I'm very nervous, not just about buying the car, but about everything that comes after it. I have no idea how financing for this sort of thing works. That's what Daddy will be coming along to help with, presumably, but what about things like insurance? I'll have to start budgeting for gas money, too, and make sure to register it with Campus Safety. I'll have to find a good mechanic. I'll have to learn how to do my own maintenance -- I've never changed the oil in a car in my life! I'm nervous enough just buying gas for my parents' car.

Still, this is such a relief.

If anyone's been paying attention, this weekend is also the weekend I go back to CA for school. I'll be buying the car out there, after all. Classes start on Tuesday; I need to look at my schedule again. I'm fairly hopeful for the semester. Last semester was a killer, with two very hard classes, and I managed to pull out of it with all A's and B plusses. I just hope I can work again this semester. My schedule makes it very hard. :(

Comments

[oysterverse.livejournal.com]

Kick the tires so they know you're not a rube!

[kodalai.livejournal.com]

I shall ignore all further advice from this address. :p

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... K-chan used to have a little Honda Civic. They're good, dependable, plastic cars. Seriously. She had nothing to stick her magnetic extra keyholder against unless she crawled under the car. XD

But the damn thing ran on fumes, so that's a plus. And let me remind you that gas in CA is horrifically expensive, about $2.25/gallon of Regular 87 gas. Also, it is very illegal to drive in CA without car insurance. I do not suggest doing so or else if you're caught your license WILL be suspended for a year. And I don't know how to do anything besides pump my own gas, check my oil and put air in the tires. There's millions of places to get your oil changed in CA (and they'll even put a little sticker on your window to remind you when to get it changed again), and don't forget to get a smog check.

As for the finances thing, if you buy the car directly from another person, you'll probably have to pay in full and that's the end of it. If you buy from a used car lot or dealership, then there's probably lots of other options available, like monthly payments and financing and such.

[oysterverse.livejournal.com]

^_^ Plastic means the car won't rust when some fucker scratches your bumper up right after the new paint job. And if you're not driving on snow, light plastic is better for mileage anyway, right?

::envies:: I would sell the souls of some of my more casual friends never to have to drive in winter weather again...

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm sure the body of the car was metal, but the inside was definitely plastic. And considering the weather lately, it might be better to have a car heavy enough that it doesn't float away. :P

[thefeifei.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm sure the body of the car was metal,...

Let's hope so, ne? ^^;

[windsorblue.livejournal.com]

Also, it is very illegal to drive in CA without car insurance.

*nodnod* I was going to bring that up, too - in fact, I think you have to have proof of insurance to complete the car registration anymore.

[kodalai.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to continue to be covered under my parents' insurance, for now. *chews on nails*

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they're really cracking down on the insurance thing. And you have to make sure you have the CA tags on the license plate, because cops look for those.

... what's sad is that you have to score the tags now, so people don't steal them off your car. XP

[kodalai.livejournal.com]

No real complaints about the plastic bit, as long as it does have a good safety rating. ^^;

Smog check? *confused*

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

Smog checks are to make sure your car doesn't pollute the air too much. If your car has too high of a rating, you get a fine. They do smog checks at places where you can get your oil changed. There's a sign that says a place is an official smog check place.

car advice

[foxglove6.livejournal.com]

My dad swears by Toyotas, especially corollas. In my lifetime he's only had two. and this second one was bought somewhere in the middle of that. They keep for a long time, get good mileage and so forth.
You do not change your own oil. It's cheap enough to get a shop to do it and it's too much of a hassle to do on your own. You do need to check it though to make sure it's not low. Your parents or I could show you where the dipstick is and how to check it.
You'll also want to check your tires for air pressure regularly and fill them up if they are low. The owners manual of the car (make sure you get one even for a used car, and if they seller doesn't provide it the original dealership of the car (ie honda or toyota) can provide you with one) will tell you how much pressure the tires should have. That or the tires will tell you themselves. they like to chat.
I personally like to check my mileage by filling my tank to full every time i get gas and zeroing the tripometer. I know that a full tank gives me approx 250 miles. It's a good thing to know if any gagues ever konk out.
Hm, what else. Oh, I keep crackers and hand lotion in the car. also good things to have already in there. Although I've been told that my sun bleached box of wheat thins would not look appetizing to a starving family from venezuala.
The only other thing I can think of is that you should listen to your car. Fairly often in order to know what it sounds like on its own. A bad car thing is usually indicated by a strange noise. Mechanics can usually also identify the problem if you simply repeat the sound back to them. It's very useful and impossible unless you have a starting point to listen from. So when you get the car, listen to it run alone and then with all sorts of things that could change it, heating/cooling, radio, etc.
Other than that, you know ppl and we're always happy to help.

Re: car advice

[drich.livejournal.com]

Exactly as foxglove6 says. Exactly.

My only additions are to look at Toyota Echos. My roommate had/has one and swears by it. She was in an accident, rolled it, and walked away from the totaled car with no injuries. She got a 2nd Echo.

My choice is Nissan. My first car was a Sentra, purchased new. I had it for 14 yrs, close to 500,000 miles. I loved my Gundam. ;_;

Re: car advice

[foxglove6.livejournal.com]

i second (or is that third?) the nissans. v. nice ride too

Re: car advice

[kodalai.livejournal.com]

Crackers and hand lotion?

Listening advice is duly noted.

Re: car advice

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

Grandmother left a number of useful things in the Camry, including jumper cables, a spare tire, a car jack, road flares, a first-aid kit, a tarp to kneel on should I ever have to change a tire, maps from all over the country, a spare umbrella, and a snake light. All I could ever really wish for now is a tire pressure guage. Though I did have to throw away the flares and the first-aid kit after I realized they were coated in Dr Pepper syrup, and I haven't replaced them.

Being in Cali, you won't have to worry about keeping blankets, candles, or bags of sand and/or kitty litter in the car (for snow emergencies).

[iniq.livejournal.com]

well, you know the basics... like, how many miles it's been going (near 80.000 kilometers you can assume the cat might need replacement and such - for for the less the better), how many users before you, if it's rusty in icky places (brakes, for example... you wouldn't believe how much rust I scrape off the chassis every 6 months)... I'd check the chassis, too. Simply because if that's rusty you're in for a lot of work. But then, you're in California... >_>; things might be different where it's always warm. Look for sand? *cough*

but those are the most important. Maybe you should discreetly ask how much replacing parts costs. Some cars never need parts - Japanese cars are good, for example. You probably won't need anything for a Toyota, because they're so reliable.

[kodalai.livejournal.com]

*boggles* I don't think any car dealer in the US could legally sell me a rusty car, especially not one with rusty brakes. But maybe you're right and I should make sure to check that.