First time buyer, need some advice!

[AbsolutelyOk]

Hi All! First time posting here. I'm (24F, living in Minneapolis) looking for my first car. I'm looking for something I can use as I travel cross-country for the next 6+ months camping and staying with friends and more intermittently for travel after that. [Edit: my max budget is $11-12k, a bit lower is ideal]. I really don't know much about cars so I've been relying on doing research, including on forums, to try to feel confident in my search! I've been looking at crossover SUVs, wagons, and hatchbacks. I came across the Pontiac Vibe and it sounds like a car that could work for me. First question: does it sound like a Vibe would be a good fit for what I've described? I think if I can put some storage on top it should be big enough for all my camping gear, and from everything I've heard it sounds like a Vibe could be able to do long trips.

If yes, I need some help assessing the 2 AWD Vibes available in my area that meet my requirements. Btw, whatever car I end up wanting to get will be taken to a mechanic pre-purchase. But I need some help getting to that point! This first one I went and test drove today: https://www.whitebearsubaru.com/used/Po ... 1008ca.htm I'm attaching some pictures because that listing doesn't have any. Overall it seemed pretty solid! Drove well, no weird engine sounds, pretty normal seeming wear. The only thing I noticed is there was a sort of "knocking" sound coming from under the passenger area every so often when I was driving. When you pushed down on that side of the hood, it made the same sound (my dad guessed maybe something to do with suspension but he's not a car guy). They just got it and hadn't done the safety inspection, so the guy there said he'd let me know if anything turns up when that's done. The other thing is that the cruise control knob was broken (plastic snapped), but it looked like it just needed to be glued back on? Also, the CarFax lists it as having had four owners but when you look at the info I believe it only had 2 (first 2 owners was the same owner but registered in 2 states, 3rd only had for 2 weeks so seems like a dealer or something, 4th had for 2.5 years). So overall I'm wondering if this seems like a good car worth continuing to pursue, and if so, what might be reasonable to offer for it? $7,900 seems high to me.

Second car! So, this one is a 3 hour drive from me. I'd be willing to drive that far to check it out but only if I feel pretty confident in getting a Vibe and if it seems like a better option than the first car, which is 30 minutes from me. Here's the listing: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/deta ... /overview/ this one looks like it definitely hasn't been detailed, but it doesn't look so bad that it worries me I guess. I was planning on calling them tomorrow to ask about the interior. This one has slightly more miles but has only had one owner, and the tires look newer. What I'm wondering for this one is if it seems potentially better than the first one, and if it's something I should pursue despite the distance. And additionally, what a reasonable offer for this car could be.

Thanks in advance, sorry for the length! I'm a nervous shopper. I think it's rad that this forum exists!

[Caretaker]

I may address the Vibe in another note, but wanted to throw this out before you pulled any triggers. You did not give us your top line $$ figure for purchasing a car. That makes all the difference when recommending anything, especially when asking for a cross country driver. As such, I'll throw this thought out. Did you know that the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage are being redesigned? Hyundai/Kia also beat the worldwide chip shortage and have sent out most of their 2021 models to dealers for the rest of the year, meaning the dealerships are FLUSH with 2021 models with 2022's being delivered now or in the case of the Sportage, in a month or two. The Sportage in particular is and has been a well regarded car in the eyes of Consumer Reports. It also can be had for up to $6,000 off MSRP, taking the front wheel drive version down into the $19,000's. I'm assuming Hyundai is offering the same fire sale for the Tucson. That's a ridiculous price for someone looking for a bargain. I personally am waiting for the 2022 Sportage. But at least let us know what you are willing to spend so we can make an educated reply. Everyone on a Vibe website is going to tell you why the car is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The facts are something slightly different, especially when considering long distance trips with gear.

[AbsolutelyOk]

I may address the Vibe in another note, but wanted to throw this out before you pulled any triggers. You did not give us your top line $$ figure for purchasing a car. That makes all the difference when recommending anything, especially when asking for a cross country driver. As such, I'll throw this thought out. Did you know that the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage are being redesigned? Hyundai/Kia also beat the worldwide chip shortage and have sent out most of their 2021 models to dealers for the rest of the year, meaning the dealerships are FLUSH with 2021 models with 2022's being delivered now or in the case of the Sportage, in a month or two. The Sportage in particular is and has been a well regarded car in the eyes of Consumer Reports. It also can be had for up to $6,000 off MSRP, taking the front wheel drive version down into the $19,000's. I'm assuming Hyundai is offering the same fire sale for the Tucson. That's a ridiculous price for someone looking for a bargain. I personally am waiting for the 2022 Sportage. But at least let us know what you are willing to spend so we can make an educated reply. Everyone on a Vibe website is going to tell you why the car is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The facts are something slightly different, especially when considering long distance trips with gear.

Thanks so much for replying! That's a great question. Realistically I'm looking at $11k as the most I'd like to spend, could push it to $12k for the right fit. So that puts me pretty out of range of anything new, but that is a pretty crazy deal for a new car! I'm definitely open to suggestions for types of cars that I could get used, especially since I'm learning as I go.

[Caretaker]

Yep, Kia/Hyundai are doing crazy things to move inventory. This is definitely one of those moments when a redesign can bring many buyers into a new car for the price I paid 11 years ago for my Elantra Touring. Unfortunately the used car market you are dipping into is about as bogus as new home prices right now. They are severely inflated so you won't get a whole lot for the price you are willing to spend. As such, sticking with a Japanese engine and transmission is a smart thing to do. My advice as always is two fold: 1) buy a used vehicle directly from the owner, not from a dealer. A dealer knows NOTHING about the car they are selling unless it is the one-in-10-thousand-car that just happened to be serviced at that dealer for many years. An owner can answer all of your tough questions about its history/maintenance. A dealer cannot. 2) When buying Japanese, ignore the mileage and focus on how old the car is. Many Japanese power trains are proven 250,000 mile strong. Age (freezing temps, salt, humidity, scorching sun) makes many components fail; actual miles do not. To finish, if it were me, I'd be looking for as new a Honda model as you can afford. I'd then move on to the Toyota products to include the Vibe, focusing on the size of vehicle (class) you need to perform the tasks you want (ie: don't by a Honda Fit if you intend on doing long haul driving; that sort of thing). Belonging to local sales engines such as nextdoor.com and letgo.com and craigslist is a great way to find a local car, AND a way to post to your extended neighbors as to what you are looking for. Just remember, dealers hire trolls to patrol these same sites in hopes of finding an underpriced vehicle that they can get their dirty hands on to mark up $4,000 after a quick vacuum and oil change (aka "detailing"). You need to act fast if you see what you want. Dealers make money on overpriced used car sales and unnecessary maintenance. Good luck.

[AbsolutelyOk]

Yep, Kia/Hyundai are doing crazy things to move inventory. This is definitely one of those moments when a redesign can bring many buyers into a new car for the price I paid 11 years ago for my Elantra Touring. Unfortunately the used car market you are dipping into is about as bogus as new home prices right now. They are severely inflated so you won't get a whole lot for the price you are willing to spend. As such, sticking with a Japanese engine and transmission is a smart thing to do. My advice as always is two fold: 1) buy a used vehicle directly from the owner, not from a dealer. A dealer knows NOTHING about the car they are selling unless it is the one-in-10-thousand-car that just happened to be serviced at that dealer for many years. An owner can answer all of your tough questions about its history/maintenance. A dealer cannot. 2) When buying Japanese, ignore the mileage and focus on how old the car is. Many Japanese power trains are proven 250,000 mile strong. Age (freezing temps, salt, humidity, scorching sun) makes many components fail; actual miles do not. To finish, if it were me, I'd be looking for as new a Honda model as you can afford. I'd then move on to the Toyota products to include the Vibe, focusing on the size of vehicle (class) you need to perform the tasks you want (ie: don't by a Honda Fit if you intend on doing long haul driving; that sort of thing). Belonging to local sales engines such as nextdoor.com and letgo.com and craigslist is a great way to find a local car, AND a way to post to your extended neighbors as to what you are looking for. Just remember, dealers hire trolls to patrol these same sites in hopes of finding an underpriced vehicle that they can get their dirty hands on to mark up $4,000 after a quick vacuum and oil change (aka "detailing"). You need to act fast if you see what you want. Dealers make money on overpriced used car sales and unnecessary maintenance. Good luck.

Thank you so much for the advice! This is really, really helpful to reference. I was definitely not thrilled when I discovered what the used market is at right now, but I'm workin' with it. Hopefully by the next time I get a car my student loans will be lower and I can consider a higher price point!

[CraftsmanQuad19]

The noise on the first vibe you mentioned will likely be the front struts. Kind of a deep/dull clunk? Could also be swaybar end links. Neither of which are particularly hard to change, or require any special tools (if you buy “loaded” struts with the spring and top hat - definitely recommend this route). Specifically, that clunk will be the rubber top hat on the strut.

If you’re stuck on AWD, make sure you inspect the subframe in the rear very closely as they have a tendency to rust out. You sound like you’re in the rust belt so that is DEFINITELY something to consider.

As far as camping goes, I can fit a twin air mattress in the back of my 03 with the seats slid up. With a roof bin, it’s a definite YES to camping. Plus they have a 110v outlet in the dash that will run an air pump just fine, or you could get a 12v cigarette lighter style pump for about the same cost.

They aren’t bad little runners, and get decent fuel economy, though not as good as you might expect. I get about 25 with mine in mixed driving but since it’s a GT it’s premium only, which basically negates the fuel savings over driving my truck. You sound like you’re looking at base model automatics, you can expect about 28-30 mpg on long trips, but you’ll be able to run standard 87 octane.

Under the skin, it’s a Toyota. Fundamentally they’re pretty solid, but maintenance is key. Don’t be shy about buying something with high miles if it’s rust free and been maintained. And please please PLEASE check that rear subframe on the AWD’s before buying. If you HAVE to have AWD, look down south.