jester3681

Suzuki really hasn't MADE a vehicle here for quite some time. Most of their passenger cars are rebadged Daewoo and their trucks are Nissan Frontiers. This does not surprise me at all, honestly. And I don't blame them for going out like this now, it's a very tough climate in vehicle manufacturing and they can refocus their money on what they do best - motorcycles. I look for us to lose Mitsubishi before this is said and done too, unless they release the next Model T or something... On a barely related but funny note - Chrome sees the word "rebadged" as misspelled. Its suggestion? "Barebacked." Wow. I need to spend more time looking at OR and less time looking at porn.

This - I have two kids, and they're close enough together, they'll have to share a car - but I'll buy them a new one, even if I'm driving a piece of shit. I'd rather them have the new one that is safe and worry free. I can fix my own car, they don't need to worry about it. Let's face it, when most of us were kids, safety features were seat belts and maybe air bags. The difference now between a ten year old car and a new one is huge. I don't blame you at all for wanting the best thing you can afford for your kid.

Although Kia has come a long way in the last ten years, I wouldn't buy a used one. The super warranty they talk about is only for the original owner, if you buy it used it reverts to something different. And with the progress they are still making, a five year old Kia is still a risky investment. If you want to pony up and buy her a new Rio, do it. It'll still be under warranty most if not all of the time your daughter owns it. That being said, $11k is awfully good money for a used car. You're knocking on the door of new car at that point. Versas and Rios both start (realistically) in the $13-14k range. I think you might be able to get a Spark for that money too. Buying new eliminates a lot of the concerns you have (maintenance cost). You don't get into the big money stuff until 60k miles and later.

^^^ This.

Welcome to OR! Nothing is playing on the computer - this piece of shit barely runs Chrome... I hate the hotel...

I'd agree considering she has no tits.

I think they use the manufacturers recommended maintenance and assume 12-15k miles a year, plus look at things like tires, maybe petrol? Not to play Devil's advocate, but after a career in automotive service, your Yaris may "need" more than oil changes, you just aren't doing it. Don't get me wrong, most modern cars will run 100k miles or more with nothing but oil changes, but they recommend a heck of a lot more in the book.

I would be surprised if this has anything to do with your leak. And unless you can duplicate it under very specific conditions (example - it does it if you take a right hand sweeping turn at high speed, or when you accelerate and hit a bump with the left corner) you will spend a fortune to hunt down what may or may not be a problem. Intermittent problems are almost impossible to track down if you can't MAKE them happen. A leaky seal probably didn't grenade your rear end unless it's empty.

http://www.edmunds.com/smart/fortwo/2010/tco.html?style=101273312 True Cost to Own for a Smart - $4500 in maintenance in years 1 through 5. Seems a bit steep to me. Versa is $2800 http://www.edmunds.com/nissan/versa/2010/tco.html?style=101225998 Fit is $3200 http://www.edmunds.com/honda/fit/2010/tco.html?style=101200428 Yaris is $3800 http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/yaris/2010/tco.html?style=101200500

Have you looked at Edmunds.com? They have a cost of ownership function - if you find a car you like, you can see what maintenance costs. I can tell you the Smart is pretty expensive - it's essentially a Mercedes. Every part for it is imported - they are not supported well here in the states.

Trade it in. As a Chrysler product, if one thing is leaking, ten more are about to. Seriously though, seal replacement can be all over the place - $100 for an easy one, $1000 or more for a bad one. And is it the seal that's leaking?

Ok, here's the skinny on Smart cars. Honestly, for what they are, they are very safe. They have a reinforced shell that surrounds the entire passenger cabin. You can literally roll one down the road and the inside is ok. It's how they're designed. And car as small as that will suck versus a semi, so just get that out of your head - if you're looking for something good against a semi, I'd suggest a locomotive and that will severely limit her travels. That being said, for what you will pay for a Smart, dollar for dollar, new or used, you give up a lot. Maintenance is expensive (Mercedes), I believe they take premium fuel, and they are not that good on gas. I'd look at a multitude of other cars - Civic, Fit, Sentra, Altima, Versa, Corolla, Camry, Jetta to name a few. All are bigger, get at least as good if not better mileage, and will be cheaper to own and maintain. Also, the two seats in the Smart are offset - the passenger sits further back than the driver - a symptom of being so narrow. In case you don't know, the Smart was developed in Europe to be a size where two could share a standard parking spot. That's their sole reason for existence.

Wow... just wow.

Maybe I'm just nostalgic or biased (look at my signature), but I think they Honda CX/GL500/650 are great - shaft drive, easy to work on, well build, good for 60,000+ miles with little more than fluid changes. You can get one fore less than $500 and a great one for less than $1500.

I guess Conan was making fun of the iPad and iPad Mini - maybe not so funny out of contest, huh?

I felt I'd share this - it's a video tour of a Regularegg Plant, if the Koenigsegg is out of your budget:

Shit, I can do this!