Should I buy a new car??

Question

I have 01 civic coupe 110kmiles, and have a 4 month old baby and I have a problem fitting a car seat in the back of my car. Access to the back seat is also not easy. My wife has a CRV so we have a larger vehicle but she works also. Should I buy a 4 door 4cyl. sedan like a Nissan Altima which has a larger trunk and back seat. I have the means to pay cash and still have an emergency funds. My car runs good and the gas mpg is great and needs only routine items from time to time, but I am not sure what to do since gas has increased to the high price level. I can buy an Altima at invoice price minus current rebate this month $1250. looking at just about 20k drive out. Should I buy a new,wait and buy or deal with the 2 door Civic?

Answer 1

Yes

Answer 2

Install a HHO gas kit and double your mpg.

Answer 3

That is the one problem with small cars.  Many backward facing car seats don't fit.

Before you rush out to buy a new car, remember your child will only be riding backwards for a short period time.  Not knowing the size of your child or the car seat, I would check that first, then see how the seat fits facing forward.  The Altima and those deals will be around for the remainder of the year (tough year for auto sales) so there is no rush to get that car.  Also you have a well maintained car that can easily eclipse 180k miles ( I have 161k on my 2000 Olds Intrigue) and it gets great gas mileage which is a great selling point (sell it privately when you are ready to sell, you'll make a killing).

IF after looking at those things I mentioned, you  believe you need a new car, then go for it.   the Altima will get you good gas mileage and has tons of room in the back seat.  Just do some research on the CVT transmission in those cars and other Nissan products.  This transmission has been around long enough that there are now reviews on its durability.

Good Luck.

Answer 4

Personally, I'm waiting in hopes of a new technology to arise. I would love a hydrogen, natural gas, or ethanol vehicle. I'll just wait till they are available.

Answer 5

First off see if you could swap cars with your wife and use the CRV. If not then Sell the Civic.

If the car is running great and has great gas Mileage then it should bring good Value. Try private Buyers first since you may get better price there. Only after you have sold the car, you can go get that Altima.

If you really want to trade then you will get less price for the Civic. But make sure you disclose the trade after you fixed a price on the altima.

Lastly as far as altima price is concerned, If I were to buy an Altima right now, I will get it Bellow invoice Price before any rebates are applied. Say about 500 to 1000 Bellow. All you need to do is good homework.

Try http://www.fightingchance.com. I have used it twice. Once in Winter 06 & Once this month. In 06, I got my car 2500 bellow invoice. This month my wife got hers for $125 bellow invoice for a 2009 car.

Answer 6

Sounds like it's in your best interest to buy the new car........1). U got the money to pay CASH!!   2). U have problems putting in the car seat in the 01 Honda.  3). Then it wouldn't matter which car you drove, the new one or the CRV, when it came down to transporting the baby

Then you could sell the Honda and get every penny that you ask for now with the $4.00 a gallon gas situation!!  Trully a win-win situation, Cuz!!!

Answer 7

Actually there should be more rebates than that for the Altima... also try the weekend sales where there's more of a deal. Expect to spend 2+ hours at a dealership if you decide to buy... buy a new one since there's so much incentives for new cars.

Good luck... looks like you've gotten some great advice with the replies I've read...

Answer 8

myself I would go look for a dependable used car!

check used car reviews like

consumer reports and

lemon aid

get a nice 4 door nissan, honda, saturn ,mazda

maybe 5 years old and 60,000 on it still lots of life in the car , dependable and about 1/4 the cost