New Car Decision

[§carlet §wordfish]

Hi folks, long time.

 

I had a crash with my Sunfire a couple weeks ago. it still drives, but the passenger door and front fender got effed up. My dad has taken it back and I'm borrowing my sister's S-10 in the interim.

 

So I've been shopping for my first new car. I've narrowed it down to either a Sonic hatch or a Cruze. Probably a 2 year, 17k mi/yr lease. Hopefully I'll have an Elio by the end of that.

 

So what are your thoughts about the two choices? They both seem like good cars, and it's hard to say I have a preference between them. I'd like to keep overall cost to a minimum, including payments, gas, and insurance.

[smk4565]

Mazda 3.

[ocnblu]

Cruze L.

[G. David Felt]

Cruze

[ccap41]

Personally, I think the Cruze just looks better enough to want to buy that but if you're trying to keep overall costs down the Sonic would be the better bet in saving thousands up front. 

 

Are you looking at the brand new Cruzes? 

[Drew Dowdell]

Both the Sonic and Cruze are good choices.  Just make sure you get the 1.4T and not the 1.8

[regfootball]

you can buy my Cobalt if you want!

 

new Cruze.....really nice car.

[§carlet §wordfish]

So I forgot I had made this thread. Didn't realize it had been over two months ago. But I ended up leasing a red Cruze LT Automatic. I'm pretty satisfied with it. I was very tempted by the Sonic 6-speed manual, but there were none readily available and I needed a car as quickly as possible. No regrets about my choice. It looks great, gets 40+ mpg, smooth ride, and I can play whatever music I want in it.

 

Thanks for y'alls advice!

[ocnblu]

Is it Scarlet Red?  Congratulations on your new vehicle!

[regfootball]

awesome!  congrats!  new body style?

[§carlet §wordfish]

Indeed, scarlet red, and new body style. Here it is:

 

 

I have to say, even though this is the first car I've payed for with my own money, the fact that I'm leasing it makes it feel like it's still not really "my car." It's still a great car and I am very happy to have it, but I don't feel the same affection for it that I did towards the Sunfire. Maybe it will come with time.

 

It may also be the fact that it was more something I *needed*, not just wanted. And it's something I needed because of my own carelessness. I was hoping to drive the Sunfire until it fell apart, and was hoping it would not do that until the Elio was produced (though it was already starting to.)

[daves87rs]

Love the color of it....

 

I think it will grow on you...

 

 

Congrats by the way!

[§carlet §wordfish]

Hi folks, long time. Sadly once again it's disaster that brings me back.

My Cruze was totaled in an accident last month. It's never a good time for that, but it was especially crappy timing because it happened two weeks before I was to move from Indiana back to Ohio to be closer to family. Thankfully no one was injured and I didn't need the car for the move, but it was just one more hugely stressful thing on top of another hugely stressful thing. What I DID need the car for was the 800-mile road trip to a friend's wedding that was a week after my my move.

Even more frustrating is that I was just a few months away from it being completely paid off. I was really looking forward to many more years of driving it and the financial relief of not having to make any more car payments.

Depressed and angry, I had to start thinking about what my next car would be. Before the accident I knew that my next car after the Cruze would be an EV, but that was going to be many more years in the future. And then I thought about getting a car I had always wanted: a Corvette. Particularly an '80s C4; I always loved the pre-facelift exterior styling and the angular dash with now retro-futuristic digital instruments.

After I got the insurance payout from the accident, I looked on FB Marketplace and found out that C4s were surprisingly available and relatively inexpensive. One listing looked particularly enticing: it was an '89 (same year as me!), automatic, came with a cover and two sets of wheels (originals and ZR-1 knockoffs), looked in excellent shape, sounded like it had been very well cared for, and was well within my budget. It seemed too good to be true, and I was sure it would be sold before I got the chance to check it out in person. Fortunately it was not.

The day after I got everything unpacked from the move, I went down to look at the Vette. It seemed as good in person as it did online - not perfect, but very, very good for a classic sports car at what seemed like a bargain price. The seller was very knowledgeable about it, told me all the things he had maintained & replaced, and let me take it for a spin. We shook hands on it, and the next day I returned with a check and drove it home.

Unfortunately I didn't get to take it on the road trip. Because I had just moved and I am not the most organized person, I didn't (and still don't) have have legal proof of my new address and so could not get a new state driver's license, registration, plates, or transfer the title. My parents loaned me their Ford Escape for the trip. I made it to the wedding safely and had a great time with my friend and everyone else there, and that was the only truly important thing. But dangit every second of the drive there and back I wished I was in the Vette. I work from home so I don't need it to commute, but I am still anxious to finally be able to get in it and go somewhere. It is just too cool to not drive and I feel cool in it.

Of course it won't be very practical once the winter snows come, so I probably will still end up getting another more practical car in a few months, and I would like it to be an EV to balance out all the gas that the Vette guzzles.

Anyway, here it is. I'm still giddy to finally have one of my dream cars.

.

[oldshurst442]

Nice Vette!

I too, prefer the '84-'89 body style. Original front and rear.

I also prefer the original dash.

 

But I think the '89, yours, has the redesigned dash.  

The C4 Vettes to own would be the later ones from '89 on though.  So you scored a gem in many ways!

Awesome!!!

 

[§carlet §wordfish]

Thank you. Mine still has the original-style dash; the interior redesign didn't happen until '90.

[G. David Felt]

23 hours ago, §carlet §wordfish said:

Hi folks, long time. Sadly once again it's disaster that brings me back.

My Cruze was totaled in an accident last month. It's never a good time for that, but it was especially crappy timing because it happened two weeks before I was to move from Indiana back to Ohio to be closer to family. Thankfully no one was injured and I didn't need the car for the move, but it was just one more hugely stressful thing on top of another hugely stressful thing. What I DID need the car for was the 800-mile road trip to a friend's wedding that was a week after my my move.

Even more frustrating is that I was just a few months away from it being completely paid off. I was really looking forward to many more years of driving it and the financial relief of not having to make any more car payments.

Depressed and angry, I had to start thinking about what my next car would be. Before the accident I knew that my next car after the Cruze would be an EV, but that was going to be many more years in the future. And then I thought about getting a car I had always wanted: a Corvette. Particularly an '80s C4; I always loved the pre-facelift exterior styling and the angular dash with now retro-futuristic digital instruments.

After I got the insurance payout from the accident, I looked on FB Marketplace and found out that C4s were surprisingly available and relatively inexpensive. One listing looked particularly enticing: it was an '89 (same year as me!), automatic, came with a cover and two sets of wheels (originals and ZR-1 knockoffs), looked in excellent shape, sounded like it had been very well cared for, and was well within my budget. It seemed too good to be true, and I was sure it would be sold before I got the chance to check it out in person. Fortunately it was not.

The day after I got everything unpacked from the move, I went down to look at the Vette. It seemed as good in person as it did online - not perfect, but very, very good for a classic sports car at what seemed like a bargain price. The seller was very knowledgeable about it, told me all the things he had maintained & replaced, and let me take it for a spin. We shook hands on it, and the next day I returned with a check and drove it home.

Unfortunately I didn't get to take it on the road trip. Because I had just moved and I am not the most organized person, I didn't (and still don't) have have legal proof of my new address and so could not get a new state driver's license, registration, plates, or transfer the title. My parents loaned me their Ford Escape for the trip. I made it to the wedding safely and had a great time with my friend and everyone else there, and that was the only truly important thing. But dangit every second of the drive there and back I wished I was in the Vette. I work from home so I don't need it to commute, but I am still anxious to finally be able to get in it and go somewhere. It is just too cool to not drive and I feel cool in it.

Of course it won't be very practical once the winter snows come, so I probably will still end up getting another more practical car in a few months, and I would like it to be an EV to balance out all the gas that the Vette guzzles.

Anyway, here it is. I'm still giddy to finally have one of my dream cars.

.

Congratulations, lovely color, looks great and will always be an enjoyment to drive.! 

I too like a few others here work from home, but still love to go for drives. #iworkfordell