richie, check this out -- AND IT'S GOT A NAVI TOO!!

http://english.auto.vl.ru/catalog/ho...12/photo/9696/

 

Get a high mileage '98 GS3 for $9.9k . They're not common but they're out there. Where talking between 150k-175k miles but on a Lexus thats equivalent to 75-85k miles on most other makes

 

Or you can buy my Mark VIII, I'll give you a good deal.. but it may not meet your gas goals since it gets 5 mpg And Ins. isnt cheap(I think, my ins. doesnt change no matter what car I get since I have a Garage Liability Policy).

 

Yeah, it's the lightest. And the 5spd does 0-60 in 8.8, but the auto is a lot slower. But I recommend auto if you have to deal with LA traffic. You don't get blown around on the highway either, contrary to popular belief. Gas mileage is rated at 38, but I've been seeing about 32, driving with a heavy foot. Insurance is DIRT cheap! Hahaha. . . and the seats are great, very supportive, borderline sporty. They are firm, but give you support in just the right places. BTW, a used Corolla is also a GREAT buy, and worth considering. I've just had bad experiences used. . . my personal thing. That and dealers tend to mark up used Corollas and Civics due to high demand. You only end up saving a grand or two. . .

 

Not bad!!!
Go for it.

Just don't be a stranger and leave CL!!!

 

BTW, numerous car magazines have tested hybrids. . . they've all concluded that unless you keep the car 10+ years, the savings will not be substantial enough to justify a purchase from a financial standpoint.

And on center guages, yes they are weird. I've grown used to em, and kinda like em more than conventional gauges, as it really does take less eye movement. But I totally understand why people have reservations about em. . .

And like I said about the Echo, because of crappy Toyota dealers, you'll end up paying more for a worse equipped Echo than a fully stocked Scion xA or xB. And I havn't heard one complaint from anybody about the xA's styling. . . most people hate the xA because an xB is parked next to it (not that I hate xB's). The xA is just like a sexier rendition of the Matrix.

 

The last one is mine, and unmodded, for now. 6 disc, in dash, MP3 CD player, satellite ready, interior neons front and rear(from the factory), cupholder LED lighting (make your water bottles glow), color changing LED's in the cupholder and stereo. . . pretty cool for $15k, or you could subtract those frills, and go for just the single cd MP3 player, and pay 13k. . .

 

Thats right, thats why I say only buy em used.

 

those pix are very yummy, except that we couldn't see the last 2(which presumbly ur car).
i guess it's kiindda like a nicely modded civic but with much more elegancy? dun misunderstand me as putting down ur car like a ricer thou. thanx for the great pix, they are very tempting. ///hey it does look like a mini matrix, rounder and cuter, much much more so.

 

I don't think it was a Prius. He had it before it was released to dealerships since he is one of the accountants for Toyota. I would imagine he sold it since he changes his cars very often.

 

It is difficult to make a forecast about the "savings" in the long run about buying hybrids because we don't know what the price of gas is going to be even next month, much less 10 years from now.....or if there are going to be gas lines again like there was in the 1970's. If there are gas lines, then a high-mileage hybrid or small diesel will have been a wise purchase...you can go quite a ways between fill -ups. Im not sure if those auto magazines took the other advantages of the hybrids into account, like the HOV lane privlidges and the Federal (and some other ) tax exemptions that hybrids qualify for.

As for center-gauges, the only advantage I can see for them is that they cannot be partially blocked by the steering wheel...a common problem even with tilt-steering columns. Other than that, they look weird, and they actually require MORE eye movement ( I disagree with your statement that they require less) . What they in fact are is a cheap low-cost way to design a dash for easy conversion to right-hand drive for export to countries where right-hand drive is required....such as Britain.

 

we don't know what the price of gas is going to be even next month, much less 10 years from now.....or if there are going to be gas lines again like there was in the 1970's. If there are gas lines, then a high-mileage hybrid or small diesel will have been a wise purchase...you can go quite a ways between fill -ups.


yup yup. this is where the cross-roads. i'm convincing myself that the R.O.I. of a used corolla would be better off than a 25G prius. i'm def. trying to be far sight about the crazy gas price. but i'm also scare about the vandalism like my friend has experienced. :P

 

Can't you guys get the Smart car by Mercedes. You can get those with a 700cc turbodiesel. Now that is cheap running!!
I can get you one if you can get them legal in the US.

 

they remind me of urkel's car on family matters. i think it was mentioned in a thread a while back... the bmw isetta

 

im pretty sure you can. when i was in NYC over the weekend there was a trailer full of them. but they were all target cars.
i think theyre pretty cool little things but when H2 meets smart...bad things can happen