Wife's car got totalled. Any ideas? (wrong forum?)

[bladecutter]

Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
Glad everyone is alright. I personally would not go for a used Honda and the Fiat's crash-worthiness with large vehicles is suspect in my option.


You're thinking of the Fiat 500, not the Fiat 500L.

BC.

 

[bladecutter]

Originally Posted By: Bob_E
The Fiat idea, I would skip it. Looked at one before I ended up with the 6, just because it intrigued me. Not a fun car to drive, very tight inside and if you need to haul more then a gallon of milk forget it.

Just my .02


You're thinking of the Fiat 500, not the Fiat 500L.

BC.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
Originally Posted By: FutureDoc

The only reason for not going with a used Honda is that the "used" value just is not there as demand drive the cost up more than what a used car should be (in my opinion). There are better deals and I would go new over used with any Honda for as long as it is 5 years old or younger. The other thing is that the mid-sized new market is so competitive right now, you should be able to find a decent deal.


I disagree. Last summer, I purchased a 2010 CPO Honda Accord LX with 33k on the odometer. I paid $14,000 for it. That car was $19-20k new. I'll take my $5k in savings for a car that's hardly broken in, with a 7 year, 100k mile Honda Care bumper-to-bumper warranty thrown in for an extra $650.

Yeah, the used car values are higher than ever, but there are still deals to be found. Buying new is still throwing away a lot of $$$$$$, unless you drive it for 10 years.


+1 I bought my kid a 2009 CPO Civic 3 years ago for 12k. Just paid it off. It runs great and she still has 2 years and 20,000 miles of warranty to go. The car averages 33mpg. BTW, it will get handed down to the youngest to take to College in 2 more years and drive for 4 more years. That is a lot of service for $12k (unless it gets totalled). You can't beat the Honda and Toyota CPO program. JMHO

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
Originally Posted By: dparm
I have driven the Fiat and was not impressed. I had it as a rental, and with only 6,000 miles on the clock the horn didn't work and the door hinge was screwed up. It was also horribly slow and noisy above 40mph.

I suppose if you just drive around town occasionally and at low speeds, it might be okay.


You're thinking of the Fiat 500, not the Fiat 500L.

BC.



Is the L really that much different? I thought it was just a stretched version. Either way, my point was that the quality just isn't there. But that's just my opinion.

 

[dishdude]

What about another 300? Sounds like the '05 gave you great service, and a base model has a ton of equipment and can be had for under $25k.

A car built off a Mercedes E-class with a 3.6 Pentastar, 8 speed ZF transmission, heated power leather seats, 8.4" touchscreen...it's a lot of car for the money.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chrysler-300-Ser...=US_Cars_Trucks

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Is the L really that much different? I thought it was just a stretched version.

The L has passenger volume of nearly 100 cu. ft. That's only 1 foot less than the 2010 Accord.

The regular 500 has only 75 cu ft of passenger volume. But front and rear leg room is about the same on both the 500 and the 500L. I guess the 500L is mainly wider and taller, plus more cargo space.

 

[Donald]

Leasing is more expensive over the long haul. If you can write off your lease expense as a business expense, then maybe its a good idea.

 

[fdcg27]

I'll offer a +1 on an Accord.
We've had four of them out of the eight Hondas we've owned and we've always found them to be durable, economical, reliable and comfortable.
We did a recent 460 trip in our '12 and averaged a hair over 32 mpg with the cruise set at 75 mph.
It will do even better on summer blend fuel.
If I were buying a Honda, I'd buy new.
You just don't get much of a break on a used one and I always wonder what the back story is on a one or two year old car offered for sale.

 

[skyactiv]

Didn't 18000 2014 Fiat 500 L's get recalled today for a transmission issue?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Didn't 18000 2014 Fiat 500 L's get recalled today for a transmission issue?

Yes, but lots of cars get recalled for one thing or another. So what?

 

[FutureDoc]

Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
Glad everyone is alright. I personally would not go for a used Honda and the Fiat's crash-worthiness with large vehicles is suspect in my option.


You're thinking of the Fiat 500, not the Fiat 500L.

BC.


No, I said Fiat. As in all 2 models sold in the US (3 if you want to count the rebandged Dart). The 500L is based off of the GM/Fiat Small platform and while I expect it to do better than the basic 500, I still would not want to toss it into an accident with larger vehicles. While Fiat as a brand is getting better, they have traditionally been one of the less crash-worthy options.

 

[Tzu]

I wish I could post some pictures, but I only have a disposable camera. The front end damage really did not look all that bad. What got me was when the insurance adjuster mentioned the air bag going off and the problems associated with it. I've only looked since last week, but $5,000 isn't getting much around me that she is interested in. The collision shop manager seems very interested in her car for some reason? When she went to clean out any belongings 2 days ago, it was tucked away very tightly inside the shop in one of the corners surrounded by other cars. Maybe they will buy it from her, fix it and sell it somewhere else? This has her bummed out so I'm trying to "help" her find something else nice. I think it's sort of fun, but she is ho-hum about the experience so far. Thanks for your comments.
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Obligatory woman driver comment. Wreck pics please!

What used cars are available in your area for around $5000?

The whole need to replace the steering column when the air bag goes off needs to be researched. That doesn't sound right, and I am not finding references to that on the internet.

 

[bladecutter]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: dparm
Is the L really that much different? I thought it was just a stretched version.

The L has passenger volume of nearly 100 cu. ft. That's only 1 foot less than the 2010 Accord.

The regular 500 has only 75 cu ft of passenger volume. But front and rear leg room is about the same on both the 500 and the 500L. I guess the 500L is mainly wider and taller, plus more cargo space.


Even though the "numbers" are close between the 500 and the 500L for rear legroom, actually sitting in both vehicles in the back is an eye opening difference in what those numbers really mean in the real world.

Also, even though there's a total of 1 cubic foot of difference between the Accord and the 500L, just the fact that one is a sedan, while the other is a small crossover suv completely changes the usability and feel of that space.

Again, I live with a Fiat 500 Abarth every day (my wife's car), and we have sat in and test driven the 500L several times, in two different transmission configurations.

It's a neat little car.
I think it's at least worth a look and a test drive, if the OP's wife likes it.

BC.

 

[FutureDoc]

Dodge Dart has 97.2 cuft of interior space... be weary of how the "count" that volume.