Car advice for college student?

Question

Hi, I currently have a 93 Saturn SL2 which is costing me an average of $600 every three months in repairs...NO JOKE!

The car has an est. value of $2400, but I am sick of throwing money at it, it has many small problems (ball bearing need replacing, new tires needed, throttle needs cleaning, ect etc ect)

I was considering getting a Smart Car Fortwo since they are cheap ($12k) and gas efficient.

I go to school full time and make about $1020 a month roughly. My credit is mixed, I have many good merits (car purchase, student loans) but 5 negative merits (unpaid hospital bills).

Should I try to trade my car in and see if I can get a Smart car?

I want something reliable and gas efficient, I don't trust used cars after my current one (purchased at a dealership.)

I thank you for your time, God bless you.

Answer 1

If you are putting in $600 every 3 months - that $2400 dollars per year.  Any time your maintenance cost approach the combined monthly payments of a new (or better) car, then it is time to get rid of it.

Don't trade it.  Sell it and buy another car.  

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My 94 Civic has 187K miles and the engine + tranny + suspension runs like new.  If I had to sell it, it would not get more than few thousand dollars.  So you can easily find something like my car and save your self on the repair cost and I can get 41 MPG on the hwy (NYC to Boston - 210.5 miles on 5.112 gallons).

Good Luck...

Answer 2

Forget the Smart Car - if you can even find one.  A Nissan Sentra or Honda Civic are great cars.  follow this advice and you will not be taken ever again...Work a cash deal by getting loan first. Check lendingtree.com, eloan.com, capitalone.com for the best lender resources.  Do your homework on the car you want. Know the invoice price minus rebates and/or manufacturers incentives before you negotiate.  

I actually collect sports and exotic cars and get all my cars at least 40% off retail.  In fact, before I learned Dr. Suzanne’s method - I got royally screwed three times at the dealerships.  Her site is: http://www.cartopsecret.com it is the best info you will ever learn about buying cars.  Just the tip of the iceberg is how to take advantage of rebates, hidden manufacture/dealer incentives, financing tricks, trade-in tips.  I'm serious; if you go into a dealership without this knowledge - you are in for it; they will make you feel like you got a great deal when in reality you got seriously ripped off.

Answer 3

the Smart car has a waiting list, if you didn't put down that $99 deposit months ago you won't get one for awhile.

it's not a great car for Hwy driving, very choppy only good for short drives.

look at a Honda Fit

or a used car.

for $4,000

look for

98 Acura CL, 98 Ford Mustang V6, 98 Honda Accord or Civic, 98 Nissan Frontier or Pathfinder, 98 Subaru Impreza or Legacy, 98 -00 Toyota Corolla or Echo 00

avoid the Toyota Yaris it's a poorly designed vehicle.

Answer 4

The base model Smart car doesn't even come with a radio or air conditioning.  If you want something small and fuel efficient go with a Toyota Yaris... then at least you'll have a back seat and a trunk.