My clutch is f***ed - I need a new car.

[devilgrrl]

I'm not happy about having to get rid of my trusty '91 Ford Escort but the cost of a new clutch costs more than the car is worth. So I'm going to get a new one.

How's a Toyota Corolla sound? http://www.toyota.com/corolla/

What color should I get?

[stevedeshazer]

1. Buying new?

If so, the Corolla is tough to beat.

BTW, how much does a clutch replacement cost for your Escort? $300-$400? If everything else works :shrug:

[devilgrrl]

3. I plan on buying...

and I got an estimate of $555.00 to replace the clutch -OUCH! The car is only worth $250 if even. :shrug:

[stevedeshazer]

7. Yeah, that makes sense

You're at the 'giving up' point, then.

Kia Spectra is worth a look... $12,760 stock, plus 10-year 100,000 mile warranty.

[physioex]

8. It's not that simple..

When the price of the car is soo low, the sales are more important. The warranty simply gets second priority. I haven't seen enough information on the quality of these vechicles...

[politicat]

22. I have a Hyundai - which now owns Kia. It's been a prince.

We're coming to the end of the 60K bumper to bumper warranty, and we've had exactly two problems, plus a single recall that barely applied to us. (It had to do with hot weather and something akin to vapor lock. It doesn't get that hot here.) The first problem was a defect in manufacturing - a bent alignment strut and the second was a freak cold weather thing - the emergency brake froze. Both were in the first 10K miles, and no major problems since then. (I've broken the trunk cover hinge pin twice - but that's my own fault.)

It's been a total champ.

I love it, and we will be keeping it to the end of the 100K drivetrain warranty.

I've got several friends who have either Hyundais or Kias, and they love them. Not a lemon in the bunch.

Politicat

[physioex]

2. Sounds like a good car, but....

It's more likely to be stolen. Cars like Corolla, Civic, Camry, and Accord are more likely to be stolen. Consider another brand like Nissan, Mazda, or Mitsubishi. If you live in a relatively safe place, then Corolla is fine. I think Mazda cars look nicer. Good Luck :)

[devilgrrl]

4. I love Mazda's but...

the Corolla gets better gas mileage. I'm also aware that Toyota's a favorite of car thieves but I think I'd be a lot worse off getting a Honda.

[physioex]

5. Whatever makes you happy....

Get an alarm system, and get a lock that attaches to your brakes. This will help reduce your chances...

[pagerbear]

17. God no! Not an alarm system!

Every city dweller--and lots of suburbanites and small town dwellers, too--will tell you alarms do nothing to deter theft but do lots to annoy everyone except the thief! Get a security system, but for God's sake, not an alarm!

[pscot]

9. Look for one in Toyota Yellow

It's easy to spot in the parking lot, less likely to be stolen and you'll pay a hundred bucks less than for any other color.

[ProudGerman]

15. is the difference in mileage worth it?

Mazda 3, 2.3 litre engine

Annual Fuel Cost
$1103

Toyota Corolla, 1.8 litre engine

Annual Fuel Cost
$967

That's the annual fuel costs for the two cars. That comes to about $2.44 a week more to run the Mazda. I think 2.50 a week is a meager investment for a car that is much more fun to drive (bigger, torquier engine, phenomenal suspension for its class)

For me, unless a car gets close to 10 miles a gallon better mileage, its not a factor.

[Sporadicus]

6. A Capital Idea

I had a Toyota Corolla that I drove for ten years, getting 250,000 miles of mostly trouble-free driving. The things that went wrong: broken terminal on the starter solenoid, a water pump, and the air-conditioner receiver/dryer (don't ask!). I only sold the car because it started looking like it was crafted from compressed rust (a problem with early imports that no longer exists).

I'm hearing good things about Hyundai lately, too...supposedly their quality ratings have exceeded Toyota's.

[dflprincess]

10. My friend got a Corolla last year

Loves it. I'm a Civic fan myself. Check out the ratings for the transmissions in what ever car you're thinking about.

The friend with the Corolla uses the same garage I do and when she was buying the mechanic told her Civic if you want a manual transmission, Corolla if you want an automatic (Those were the 2 choices she gave him).

[2Design]

11. I bought a Pt Cruiser when my timing chain went on my Z24 year

ago December... If you really haggle, and look around you can get it for about 14,000 ...and low interest... I got 1.9 for 4 years... .
I got the 5 speed. This is a good overall car, and you have good trunk space and it is versatile. And huge backseat if you have passengers....nice leg room and head room .... go look at one and test drive.... I had a friend who said go look.....

My other car Chevy z24 had 220,000 miles.....it was time to let it go.

[devilgrrl]

12. I've got my pushy, obnoxious older brother helping me out...

He's pretty good at negotiating prices and basically not taking crap from anyone - so I'm in good hands.

[Delano]

13. I just replaced the clutch on my '95 Escort.

Keeping the old car is way more economical, IMO.

If you spend $2000/year in repairs on your car, you'll still be spending a lot less than you would on a new Kia Spectra or other "low-end" car. New cars are ridiculously expensive nowadays. If I were to buy another car, it would DEFINITELY be a 3 or 4 year old used one.

[dweller]

14. straight drive or

automatic?

just curious.
dp

[devilgrrl]

16. A stick/manual...

I find that you pay more attention to driving and it's easier to control the car using a manual transmission. But that's just me. :shrug:

[MrsMatt]

18. Corollas are GREAT!

If I had my druthers, I'd never own anything BUT a Corolla, My current Corolla is a '95 (automatic) with 94,000+ miles and it runs great (my previous was a '93 stick that was broadsided and my silly husband allowed the insurance company to "total" it; but we found out it was resurrected by the insurance company when we got a call for some information about the car from the person who was purchasing it - damn it miss that '93!). My husband had a '90 Corolla until about a year ago - 150,000+ milage.

Toyotas run even when the body is completely riddled with rust - they are the best cars.

My father-in-law used to give us so much crap about "buying American" (he's a big union supporter), but his last two cars have been Toyota RAV4's (he's union, but he's also practical).

Insorfar as color: you can't go wrong with basic black, although studies show that yellow is the best color for others to see at a distance (safety), and red is probably most likely to get pulled over by the police for speeding (that's anecdotal, but I'm inclined to credit that)

Good luck!!!

edited for some grammar changes - still not up to Mrs. Sweezey's snuff, but hey, she's not my English Teacher any more.

[devilgrrl]

20. Aren't Corolla's made in the United States?

I was under the impression that they were - that's another reason for my choice.

[lojasmo]

19. an appliance

Toyotas are reliable but are like toasters.

Checkout vw.com The TDI engine is FANTASTIC. I get 38 MPG in the city and 50 on the highway, and I drive like a FREAKING MANIAC. also you can use soybean derived biodeisel.

Also they're the safest small cars on the road. Plus you can fit dozens of cases of beer in the hatch. ;-) (of a golf)

the engines are rated at 10,000 hours of use (that's around 350,000 miles conservatively.

I love mine, obviously. I drive a golf, but the TDI is available in the golf, beetle, jetta, and jetta wagon (passat too if you've got money to burn)

[harper]

21. I have a 2003 Corolla and love it

I narrowed it down to a VW Jetta and the Toyota. I looked at the message boards at Edmunds.com and the VW owners were all bitching about all the problems they were having with their cars. Unless something has changed at Volkswagen, they seem to be having reliability problems.

My corolla is a manual 5-speed transmission and I don't get quite the mileage I hoped I'd get. I average about 35 mpg. More if I don't run the air conditioner, less in the summer.

[Enraged_Ape]

23. You can't lose with a Corolla. Get it.

I love Toyotas. I love Hondas too. Don't listen to all the people here who will tell you they are targets for thieves. If you trick it out like "The Fast and the Furious", yeah, you'll probably get robbed. And is it any surprise? Otherwise, they are just damn good cars that will last you as long as you want them. I've owned several Toyotas and Hondas, have never been robbed, and have never had any serious problem with any of them. They are the absolute best.

My next two cars will be another Toyota and another Honda, guaranteed. And that's all I have to say about that.