# Stinkin' cars. What would you do?



## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

So here's the run-down of my situation.

For those who don't know, my husband curred on our marriage in January. There were some casualties of the separation, and it is now just me and the two girls (Loki and Terra). They both ride well in the car, but have to be kept separated. I hold down a regular morning shift job with a 20-minute commute (one way) and work/live with my good friends taking care of their dogs.

This is what I drive now...










Her name is Big Bertha Janeway. :hammer:

*The good*:


Space. Massive space. Several of the seats come out, and I could feasibly sleep in the back and save myself hotel money at shows, plus have room for my two dogs. It will come in handy later if I get more than 2 dogs.
The body is in good shape, though the paint is scratched.
The heater works well.
There are lots of extras (PL, PW, rear heat/air, cruise, etc)
She's paid for and was pretty dang cheap.
Comfortable and pretty much the dope sh*t on road trips.
Strong motor, accelerates nicely, and just a nice ride.
*The bad*:

She is high-mileage (205K+). Used to be a commerical vehicle in Oklahoma evidently, because in the right light I can see where there used to be a decal on the back saying as much.
There are lots of mechanical problems. Tranny will need replaced (reverse doesn't work), gages flick off randomly, needs an ABS sensor, needs an actuator for the driver rear vent, AC probably needs serviced, headlights are oxidized, and some other stuff (not counting maintenance like tires, brakes). Some of these are minor, others are a big deal. I've already put about $1500 into her -- new radiator, radiator hose, wiper motor, belt, belt tensioner, etc -- which is more than I paid for her in the first place.
She doesn't get great gas mileage, although I haven't had to strain to keep her full yet.
This kind of van (Plymouth Grand Voyager) is not generally known to be reliable, so I can't be assured that these problems wont continue to recur. And I'm no longer married to a mechanic.
Part of me is screaming for something newer. I test drove one of these and I really liked it:









(pic link)

*2008 Pontiac Vibe*

Of everything I looked at -- Chevy HHR, Jeep Liberty, can't remember what else -- I liked this the best. They are on Consumer Report's recommended used cars list, which is fantastic. They get better gas mileage even if the 4-cylinder engine would be a step down for me. Downside is that I'd have to do some creative arranging to fit 2 crates in it, if I ever need the space. But to that end, again, its only me and my girls, so I can take up all the seat space I need. Another positive is that I'd probably be able to get one with a warranty. And a well-equipped one retails for about $14K.

The problem with buying something new is that I've been hard at work wrecking my credit since I was 19. I'm recently separated and new to the area, so don't have a high stability rating. I don't make a lot of money, but I do get to keep most of what I earn. So while I could afford payments, it is hard for me to get someone to extend financing to me. And Bertha as a trade-in is worth jack.

So another part of me says to keep what I have and fix her. She's paid for, I overall like her, but are the reliability issues insurmountable? I'm trying to get my life back on track which means 1.) not having to make car payments would be great, but 2.) having a vehicle that I'm not going to have to worry about would be great as well.

In my shoes, what would you do?


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## PeanutsMommy (Sep 21, 2008)

i am sorry to hear of your situation. i voted vibe. i know it is hard but getting the vibe is like opening a new chapter in your life and the vibe is newer and it will be some time before you will need to make repairs and such.

hope everything works out for you. i wish you well.


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## mygirlmaile (Mar 26, 2009)

My Dad works for GM...he was actually in charge of the quality of the Pontiac Vibe...they are GREAT cars...very quality. My Daddy made it fantastic!  Lol. If you have any questions, I can ask him for you if you want! Hes in charge of Cadillac SRX now, but he still knows everything there is to know about the Vibe. Theyre great cars!


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## BLUE PIT BULL MAN (May 22, 2009)

Im all about fixing what yuou got but i guess with a voyager your gonna spend a mint fixing it over the years. i fix my own stuff so it never cost me more than parts but if you have to pay a mechanic its not worth it. my vote is Vibe.


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## SirShaun (Mar 17, 2009)

Check out the Chevy HHR.









The chevy equinox doesnt look bad either.


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## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

I didn't like the HHR and wasn't a huge fan of the Equinox either. Thanks for the suggestions, though. I think getting the Vibe is the way to go. (I'm no fan of foreign, but they've got Toyota motors in them, which are reliability incarnate. LOL!) Just sucks because I have to wait to rebuild my credit, wait for things to come off my report, wait to establish myself. In the meantime, I have to fight back the urge to fix what I have. Ya get comfortable, ya know?


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## mygirlmaile (Mar 26, 2009)

The Vibe and the Toyota Matrix are the same cars. GM and Toyoto worked together on them. My dad had to go to Korea A LOT to deal with all that mess. He HATES Toyoto now though...hmmm...but its a really nice car.


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

Here's my experience, I bought a used truck last march (2008) I paid $2000 for it. Hubby and I only had one car because his was totalled, we worked at the same place so we could commute together, but I always worried that if the car broke we would be stuck with no way to get around, and live far from any and all family. The truck was ok for like 6 months, then needed tires, then a tranny, then exhaust, now it has some problem with the radiator, and cant be alligned, and it wont pass inspection. It can only be repaired with frame work, like some guy building pieces or something, like 10k lol. I have spent 10 k on this car already with purchase cost and repairs, it is a money pit. Please dont go down the road I did, with the justification of I spent so much already, I cant let it just die. Well I dont have the money for the frame, and I could buy a new car if I did have that money, so it sits dead in my driveway, unable to be registered, and still costing me insurance.


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

I don't think you'll be satisfied going from the space of a Town and Country to a Vibe. I think you should wait and find something different than the Vibe.... simply for space issues. I'm not sure if you've been in one or not, but they're not much roomier than a sedan.


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## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

I had a Grand Voyager she was a great mini van. When I sold her she had over 300,000 miles on it. I never had to do anything to her but change the oil which she was not using. I got good gas milage too. My car was also a commercial vehicle when I got her. My friend just sold hers too it was falling apart it was a 1990 I think and had way over 300,000 miles. Her husband got tired of fixing it.


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## Hirihat (May 5, 2009)

check out the scion Xb. It's what we have. The seats fold flat, there's a cargo liner that cleans up easily, comes nicely equipped even at base levels and with scion you can choose your extras or not choose them at all, great mileage....you should also be able to get a great deal on a 2008 or so and still get financing....if you check out the scions, look at the 2008 or newer because the old ones had no HP or torque (our 2008 has 158 HP and 165lb foot torque) and you still need a little get up and go! For the record, we have had all 7 of ours and our foster plus 2 adults in this car at one time. 
Me & hubby
Our Brood:
Mercy ~ 2 yr old Rott 100 lb
Faith ~ 1.5 yr AmStaff 65 lb
Truth ~ 1 yr AM Foxhound/APBT X 90 lb
Justice ~ 1 yr AM Foxhound/APBT X 85 lb
Saint ~ 1 yr AmStaff 75 lb
Hope ~ 11 mo Catahoula 45 lb
Temperance ~10 mo Rott 80 lb
Foster: Mia ~1 yr 37lb

we had no loss of power even though we had the A/C blasting and the dogs could all lay down pretty comfy even though it is a much smaller footprint than a minivan


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## StaffyMama (Apr 13, 2009)

I have an 03 VW Jetta, it has about 120,000 miles on it now and has been in and out of the shop the past year. Absolute Nightmare. One problem is fixed and then another pops up a few months later. Unfortunately I love his car and would rather repair it then get a new one. 
BUT
For a few weeks I thought I HAD to get a new car and used this to look at my options.

Perfect Car Finder, Find the Right Car For You - Kelley Blue Book

I vote new car.


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## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

Re: Scion. I personally don't think I could drive a foreign vehicle. That's the beauty of the Vibe. Its foreign but wears an American badge. 

Re: the space of the Vibe. Yeah, I test drove one. Before Bertha, I drove a Saturn SL2. Before that, a Chevy Cavalier station wagon. I've always had small cars. I will miss the space, but there are lots of other factors at work. Like... I like GM products generally. I would like to get better gas mileage. On the test drive, the Vibe just had that "this is right" feel. In the long run, I'd like to get something that could haul a small RV, but that's not going to be a concern for some time to come. Right now I just need something with enough space for the 3 of us and which wont break down.

The sad thing is, I really like Chrysler as a brand as well. I love the styling of their vehicles. But I've been around enough of them to know about the issues. While I did consider getting a newer Voyager/Caravan/T&C with a warranty, I'm afraid of getting another vehicle that's going to run great for a while and then shoot out problem after problem from now to infinity.


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## Hirihat (May 5, 2009)

Scions are mostly built in the US!! And you can't beat a toyota engine! I always drove American until this car and it was a difficult switch for me. But I test drove all the same options you have and the XB was great, it's fun to drive, handles well and had all the bells & whistles I wanted without being an arm & a leg & a torso! LOL Plus,it has a better maintenance record. Poke around Edmunds and take a look at how a few of these vehicles stack up against each other. That may help your decision!


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## reddoggy (Jan 31, 2008)

Save money and but a used car. I couldn't vote cause I didn't agree with any of the choices. Repairing credit is a lengthy process and you may find that once you're done that you got screwed over by a collection agency. You SHOULD work on your cretid, but that van of yours isn't gonna last to much longer, knowing what kinda crap motor plymouth put in there, I wouldn't trust it for too long, What you should do is save some money and buy something low-med mileage of a private party. Buy ing a new or used vehicle off the lot will muck up your credit as soon as you take it off the lot, keep in mind that the value will drop significantly once you get them keys, thus causing you to turn upside down. You don't wanna be upside down on something you owe money on. Check out CL in your whole state and take a drive with a friend to look at a few cars in the same trip. Can't recommend a vehicle for ya, cause opinions are opinions, but I can recommend, as someone who just had their car repo-ed that it isn't worth it unless you are very comfortable with your finances and your credit.


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## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

I could go buy a cheap car today. But since I got Bertha off Craigslist, I'm really concerned about getting another car that passes inspection just fine, and then starts breaking down in a month or two. It is something I've considered, though. I'd rather get a car where the known problems with that line are less severe than with this one. For example, my Cavalier had a leaky head gasket (common problem with those), but all that meant is that I had to refill my fluids more frequently. Eventually got it fixed for the cost of the part by a mechanic friend.

I forgot that the engine seals are leaking oil. I guess that makes the motor not as strong as I thought.


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