Well, it's official- we need to buy another car.

**Kimberlina** · 08-10-2005, 01:42 PM

Got the word today that the car we were going to get from my sister is not worth fixing. It has sat undriven for too long, and the mechanic says it would be a minimum of $600 to fix it (no big deal) but that he believes a lot more needs to be done- joints are cracking and things are rusted together. He says it just isn't worth it to fix.

So, now it is time to start car shopping. Haven't got the money to do this, so hopefully we can find something reliable but cheap.... Wish us luck!

**Hollyhandi** · 08-10-2005, 02:19 PM

Right there with you Kim,
We put my van back on the road the other day, poured over $200.00 into it. Drove my son to work went and got him Tramnmission went.
We have no car either and need one very bad. no money to get one.
Will cross my fingers for you....

**annieacid** · 08-10-2005, 02:43 PM

Good Luck with this!

In our local newspaper, there's a section called something like "cars under $2000"... something similar to that. I wonder if there's a section like that in your paper?

**tbs727** · 08-10-2005, 03:13 PM

Good luck to both of you!!!

**Kimberlina** · 08-10-2005, 03:13 PM

Originally posted by Hollyhandi
Right there with you Kim,
We put my van back on the road the other day, poured over $200.00 into it. Drove my son to work went and got him Tramnmission went.
We have no car either and need one very bad. no money to get one.
Will cross my fingers for you....

At least we have one car. I'm so sorry you put $200 into yours only to have it break down again right away. That really, really stinks. At least we had (my parent's) honest mechanic tell us that all three perspective cars weren't weren't worth putting any money into before we did it. I just wish he lived near us- you can't exactly drive a car 120 miles to the mechanic, KWIM?

I am looking into ways to cut spending even further so we can afford it. I've never paid for a car for more than 3 years, but I think that is the kind of financing we are going to have to start out with. My parents have offered us a loan, but I just don't know if I can accept it. I know I should accept gifts graciously, but this is different.

DH says he won't buy a car from a pivate seller. I may have to convince him otherwise. I did find a Hyundai Accent (02) with 60k miles that would only be $89 a month. Nothing fancy, but we need a reliable car since we both have a long drive to work, and I would be driving the new car home at night on the thruway and I-88. With a car like that, the gas would be cheaper than what we are paying now, and we could afford the payments (somhow) and probably once thins et a little better, we could even pay extra and get it paid off quickly.

Good luck, HH!!!!

**mommy2many** · 08-10-2005, 04:15 PM

Oh boy sending you good luck vibes! It's so hard to find a good car these days!

**Dixie** · 08-10-2005, 04:17 PM

Good luck, Kimberlina.

**Hollyhandi** · 08-10-2005, 05:13 PM

Kim,
We still have his truck but he needs that for work.
My SO is a mechanic but when we parked the van we didn't realize the trans was bad also. We hoped to get it running so I had it for craft shows this winter.
We will find a used one but we just need to wait a month until we get paid again. We live on fixed incomes with just a small subliment.
Our best deals have been of people selling their own cars.
Good Luck Kim.

**Michele Annette** · 08-11-2005, 10:29 AM

DH says he won't buy a car from a pivate seller.

I'm sorry your DH feels this way Kimberly. This just makes it harder for you to find something decent at a much better price. I hope he changes his mind as you start looking. I wish you the best on your search! Good Luck!

**Kimberlina** · 08-11-2005, 11:08 AM

Michele- I think he says this because he knows absolutely nothing about cars and is afraid someone private will try to give him a bad deal, when the truth is it is the dealerships he needs to watch out for!

**Hollyhandi** · 08-11-2005, 11:18 AM

Kim get your mechanic friend to go with you to check out a private sale.
That way he doesn't need to know but will not get took advantage off.

**Darlene** · 08-11-2005, 11:21 AM

We've had good luck with the Areo Ford dealers in Cobleskill Kimberly. We still have our truck & car that we bought there.

**Bargainmomtoo** · 08-11-2005, 12:19 PM

This must be the season.

We're car shopping, too. We rented a vehicle to go out of town and my car died getting it. At least we had the rental for a few days. Now we're down to one car

and we don't have the money for a different one either.

We have a friend who will only buy from an individual and not a dealer. We have a friend who is a used car dealer and we've looked at a vehicle at his place, but he tends to overcharge. So who knows which is better.

So far we've managed with just the one car, but today we'll probably have to borrow from my in-laws. My job is iffy right now, so I really don't want to borrow. If I end up quitting, maybe we could manage with one car. I know we've stayed home more than we normally do this week. Not sure if that's good or bad.

Hope you find something reasonable and reliable.

**Katybird** · 08-11-2005, 12:40 PM

We are thinking of getting a new car too. My car has so many miles on it and it has started acting funny. I hate to put money into it with almost 200000 miles on it and being 12 years old too. We have been looking into the Pontiac Vibes. They are not the cutest cars on the road but the prices are good and they get about 30 miles to the gallon gas milage. They have gotten great reviews at the consumer sites I have searched too. They are the twin car to the Toyota Matrix but priced much better.

I hope you find something you like soon.