My Poor Car

[jackolive]

You've made a decision about this matter long ago. I'm pretty sure that if you read post now you'll realize that you'd made the right decision.

[AJ80]

I looked at a 2010 Chevrolet HHR LS with 27,000 miles on it. The only thing a VIN check shows is that it was a rental.
He offered it to me for $12,500 cash.
I looked online at new 2010 ones and apparently there is a $4000 rebate effective until May, but even with the rebate the new ones would still be a little out of my price range, certainly more than $12,500.

I'm thinking about the HHR, but still haven't decided. At least I'll still have my old car to drive(when it gets its new engine anyway) until I decide what other car to get.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

By the way, HHR stands for "Heritage High Roof".

The HHR is supposed to have its design origins in a <1950?> Chevy Suburban.
That's where the "Heritage" H comes from.

I'm not exactly sure where the "High Roof" H comes from. Higher than other
fuel-efficient vehicles?

SIA

[Rex B]

I'm partial to durable used cars that don't depreciate much. Right now I'm driving a BMW Z3 roadster with $130K miles on it. It gets good 27-30 mpg, and I regularly get compliments on it from seniors and teenagers alike. I've put tires, shocks and a belt on it, not much else. It's worth about $5000. It doubt it will ever depreciate much more than what it is now.
My other car is a 2007 Mustang. It's worth today exactly what i paid for it 2 years ago, and will likely never depreciate beyond that.
I bought my 1996 F350 6 years ago with 190K on it, $4500. Still going strong, no oil use, normal maintenance.

Don't buy a Mitsubishi. Depreciation is like stepping off a cliff, and they don't last.
Anything Toyota or Honda is worthwhile. I'd be looking at 2000- 2005 civics, or 2003-2007 Corollas.
Malibus would also be on my list, but no other GM cars come to mind.
Pre-2005 Mustangs are really cheap now, and there are a few clean ones out there.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Re: Mitsu's.

Some years ago I worked with a guy whose hardworking fiancee bought a
brand new Mitsu. Before the car had 5,000 miles on it, a bolt came loose inside
the engine and totalled the engine. The dealership took forever to replace the engine, then when
she got it back it continued to be a problem child (can't remember exactly the further
issues).

Mitsu was caught some years ago doing a coverup of problems and was fined for
the coverup.

Maybe 5 years ago, Mitsu was trying to build its market share and offered some kind of
"zero down", no payments for 3 or 6 months deal. Can't remember the exact nature of
this sales drive, but they brought in many young people to buy their cars. Since the credit
underwriting was so loose, Mitsu ended up with thousands of cars when the first real payment
became due. The kids just walked away from their new cars, leaving the corporation with a
large bulge in their pipeline, full of current-year or 1 year old models with many miles on them.

SIA

[bigred90gt]

My other car is a 2007 Mustang. It's worth today exactly what i paid for it 2 years ago, and will likely never depreciate beyond that.

I dont know the specifics about your mustang, but unless it is a limited edition that sits in the garage and never gets driven, it's depreciating daily. Mustangs in general are not exactly rare. They are available new and used in unbelievable quantities. The 2007 model year was not the first or the last of a design cycle, so there is nothing about them that would make it hold value, unless it is a limited edition that is not driven. If it is, pics please. ;)

As for the OP issue, I know it is not the smartest way to live, but I dont have kids (and am not going to have kids) so I have a tendency to look at my money differently than others do. That being said, while I dont buy new cars either (no sense in paying that ungodly mark-up), I would certainly be looking for another vehicle. preferably one a couple of years old with less than 30k on it. Being that you are talking about paying cash for a $12,000 vehicle, I would take half of that and put it down on a vehicle I WANTED, not a small economical vehicle I NEEDED. Again, this is not for everyone, and my situation may be different than yours. I by no means make a lot of money, but money is made to be spent, and you can always make more.

[lonewolf]

And you can't take it with you at the end.......

[bigred90gt]

And you can't take it with you at the end.......

Exactly, and being that I have no one to leave it to, it's fair game for me.

To paraphrase my great uncle "when I die, I want the check written to the funeral home to bounce".

No, I dont want someone else to carry the financial burden of paying for my funeral out of their pocket, but when the last one goes (either me or my wife), the most I want left over is to cover the cost of burial or cremation.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

And you can't take it with you at the end.......

That's why you never see hearses with roof racks and a trailer hitch. :-)

SIA