Daniel Butler
I'm a Singapore where is my boat
Member # 1689
posted
This previous spring, I lent my car to my roommate one day, as I'd done many a day, and he got rear-ended at a red light by some bubblegum-chewing rich daddy's girl in a sports car. Bent the chassis up pretty bad...totaled, as well, for $3,200USD; her insurance co. got me a rental for four days. Sexy Ford Fusion. But it was a pain in the ass to have to pay for the rental beyond that, and try to find a car for the kind of money I had - my parents took half the check because the car was still in their name. (Never mind that that was for insurance purposes...)
Anyway, my point is that rentals seem pretty cheap when you just look at the price per day, but boy it adds up quickly, so much with the hunting and the looking and the rapidity.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I wasn�t going to buy a car today I wasn�t going to buy a car today I wasn�t going to buy a car today.
I test drove both a Corolla and a Matrix. There were some embarassing moments: I did, in fact, forget that when driving a stick shift, one has to press the clutch to turn the vehicle on. They both had a very tight turning radius, and the greater elevation off the road (as compared to the Celica) made for a smoother ride.
In the end, I preferred the Matrix. While the Corolla had a few more bells and whistles (the only one I really would�ve liked were the fog lights), a six-disc CD changer wasn�t enough to compensate for the far more comfortable driving position in the Matrix (I felt like I had to reach for the shift knob in the Corolla, which made me uncomfortable). In addition, I liked the greater size of the Matrix (it gets 26/33 mileage): now if those tailgaters ram me, I won�t be a pancaked Snay!
I still wasn�t ready to buy. My dad had offered to cosign so that I could get a better rate, plus, I was on the fence as to whether or not to wait until my check from the insurance company arrived so that I could make a downpayment. Carmax Financing and Bank of America offered ridiculous rates, and I was ready to wait a couple of days, but I guess Toyota likes me.
After a quick call to my dad to confirm a.) that their interest rate was what I thought it was (which is to say �killer�), and b.), that even with his signature on the application, I wouldn�t get a better interest rate, I signed on the dotted line.
So, with an interest rate of 4.9% (four point something percent, anyway, I don�t have the paperwork right here at the desk), I drove off the lot in a 2008 Toyota Matrix. It�s �indigo ink�, which is a fancy way of saying �navy blue.� It doesn�t have all the goodies, but it has its fair share: cruise control, power windows, remote entry, a panic button! Best of all is the �Anti-Deer Avoidance System� at the wheel (aka: me!*).
*One deer hit in five years, estimating a minimum of two deer avoidances per week (probably higher) gives us a failure rate of 1:520.
posted
God, who seriously buys new cars? You lose a couple of thousand quid just driving it off the forecourt. And, 2008 model? it's still 2007! That just says it all.
The difference in price from the used Matrix on the lot was about two hundred bucks. Also, the 2009s apparently hit the market in a couple of months, so it makes more sense to buy an 08 in the last few weeks of 07 than to buy an 09 when that year is still ten months away.
quote:Originally posted by Lee: God, who seriously buys new cars? You lose a couple of thousand quid just driving it off the forecourt.
True, but most people get really shafted by lease agreements. They're so restrictive in terms of how many miles per year you get, and if the car's not in tip-top condition, that only adds to the amount you have to pay at the end of the lease.
Still, I agree with you. That's why I bought a one-year-old car when I made my purchase a couple years ago. It was still close enough to new, but I didn't have to deal with that depreciation issue.
Oh, and congratulations, Snay!
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
Er, having just Googled "Toyota Matrix," I can safely and with all confidence say I'm not. Looks like a Vauxhall Astra. And that's not a good thing. Also, the availability of 2009 models in early 2008 is further evidence of how insane the whole idea is, and proves you're just a whore to the automotive industry. Your sole redeeming quality is the excellent choice of a manual transmission.
posted
I don't get why the next year's models are available so soon either. It makes sense that they'd be available a couple months before the year, but getting them out so soon just seems ridiculous. Pretty soon, you'll be able to buy a 2011 in 2009.
As I mentioned, the used car I looked at had a very close price to the new car I wound up buying. With the interest rate I was offered, I chose to go for the new car. It's my first! (New car, that is).
posted
Vehicle model years run differently than a calendar year. The 2008 model year actually started in August/September or so. The 2009 model year will start in August/September of 2008. So if the 2009 Matrix is coming out in January, then its technically a 2008�, savvy?
-------------------- I haul cardboard and cardboard accessories
Registered: Mar 1999
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