I'm a younger guy, 23 in just a few days. I drive probably less than 6,000 miles a year. School, work, and music festivals. My previous cars were pretty low maintenance and the most I've ever done was pour in some oil and change a flat tire. However I've always been a tinkerer and feel that I could learn as I go.
Right now I'm without a car... my poor little Mustang got squished between two cars on the highway when the guy behind me rear ended me at 65mph. I had been planning on selling my mustang anyways for a larger car so I guess it kind of worked out minus losing my summer job, sustaining neck and back injuries and dealing with lawyers and the drawn out settlement process... :?
In any case, I've been looking at Astros for a while now, and they seem like a great fit for my needs as an artist and musician. I have a lot of gear, and the Astro's cargo space would mitigate my need for renting a trailer as often. :banana: (yeah I should really just buy a trailer but I don't have anywhere to store it!)
I found a decent 2000 Astro with 133k that has everything that I was looking for, dutch doors, roof rack and a tow package so that I can tow a trailer with even more gear if need be. Exterior looks great, but the interior is a bit worn, in fact pretty dirty looking in person. Right off the bat, the driver side window does not go down all the way, and the rear speakers don't work. I know it could be a pretty easy fix, dismantling the door, drilling out the rivets on the old window motor and installing a new one but I'm worried it could be a whole can of worms. The rear speakers I'm a little more worried about if I have to rewire them completely, but the musician in me is planning on eventually putting in higher quality speakers with my subs anyways. AC runs pretty cold but the front vents don't blow that strong, rear vents however blow very strong. He says he's replaced the fuel pump, alternator, and leaf springs in the past 3 months so it should hopefully be good for another 50-100k? He was very nice and even took it to get smogged with us at my mothers insistence.
I did work him down to 3k before agreeing to come see it, which is blue book in my area for this Astro at 'fair'
http://ventura.craigslist.org/cto/4583509914.html
I drove to check out with the mums, and she was very apprehensive, to the point of offering me a $3000 loan if I get an SUV like a Toyota Highlander or Jeep Grand Cherokee instead. I thought great! Lets go look at some better Astros at a dealer... but no only for an SUV :roll:
We checked out a 'very good' 2001 Toyota Highlander V6 4x4 that has 137k miles with very well kept interior/exterior and maintenance records. Drives very smooth. I borrowed my roommates 2001 Limited Highlander on many occasions to transport my art and tow a 12' trailer and I liked it very much. I also like that it has more cargo capacity than a Grand Cherokee... however it is affectionately known as a Camry with an SUV Body... and there aren't any aftermarket lift kits! :shock: (For this reason I'm a little more interested in a 4x4 Jeep because of the aftermarket capabilities, however they cost more to maintain.) The biggest set back is that it is the basic trim package and doesn't have a hitch installed which would cost me $300-500 to get installed. Big plus is that its my favorite color.. Blue!
The Highlander is listed at $7000, with KBB at $6,800. My mom sweet talked the kind owner (also a mom) down to $5,700 because I'm a student and they want me to drive a safer car... but do I want a mom car? At this price I'm tempted to take it, and if I don't like it, I can sell it and get whatever else. Hmmm.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/ct ... 14811.html
I'm at a loss as to what to do. The highlander would certainly be less headache, but more upfront cost, also when something does eventually fail it will likely be more expensive to fix than the Astro.
Hoping that I won't have any major major maintenance issues, I've calculated that it would take just around 8 years of driving before the 2 mpg difference between the cars would level out the cost of ownership.
I'm not really planning on keeping either vehicle for that long as I'm expecting my career will either involve me getting a full size van or being able to afford a newer car, maybe even a flying car.
I like the idea of the Astro, but I don't have any tools other than screwdrivers, some sockets/wrenches, saws and a drill. Totally open to expanding my workshop, but I have no idea what that could end up costing. Am I going to run into trouble and incredible unforeseen expenses?
Without my moms help my budget for a car right now is $3,800... so I don't know how much of a better Astro I'm going to find unless I wait a few more painfully carless months (I live in the middle of nowhere) to see how much I get from this car accident settlement...
What do you guys think?
Thank you thank you thank you! :ty:
Blue
Right now I'm without a car... my poor little Mustang got squished between two cars on the highway when the guy behind me rear ended me at 65mph. I had been planning on selling my mustang anyways for a larger car so I guess it kind of worked out minus losing my summer job, sustaining neck and back injuries and dealing with lawyers and the drawn out settlement process... :?
In any case, I've been looking at Astros for a while now, and they seem like a great fit for my needs as an artist and musician. I have a lot of gear, and the Astro's cargo space would mitigate my need for renting a trailer as often. :banana: (yeah I should really just buy a trailer but I don't have anywhere to store it!)
I found a decent 2000 Astro with 133k that has everything that I was looking for, dutch doors, roof rack and a tow package so that I can tow a trailer with even more gear if need be. Exterior looks great, but the interior is a bit worn, in fact pretty dirty looking in person. Right off the bat, the driver side window does not go down all the way, and the rear speakers don't work. I know it could be a pretty easy fix, dismantling the door, drilling out the rivets on the old window motor and installing a new one but I'm worried it could be a whole can of worms. The rear speakers I'm a little more worried about if I have to rewire them completely, but the musician in me is planning on eventually putting in higher quality speakers with my subs anyways. AC runs pretty cold but the front vents don't blow that strong, rear vents however blow very strong. He says he's replaced the fuel pump, alternator, and leaf springs in the past 3 months so it should hopefully be good for another 50-100k? He was very nice and even took it to get smogged with us at my mothers insistence.
I did work him down to 3k before agreeing to come see it, which is blue book in my area for this Astro at 'fair'
http://ventura.craigslist.org/cto/4583509914.html
I drove to check out with the mums, and she was very apprehensive, to the point of offering me a $3000 loan if I get an SUV like a Toyota Highlander or Jeep Grand Cherokee instead. I thought great! Lets go look at some better Astros at a dealer... but no only for an SUV :roll:
We checked out a 'very good' 2001 Toyota Highlander V6 4x4 that has 137k miles with very well kept interior/exterior and maintenance records. Drives very smooth. I borrowed my roommates 2001 Limited Highlander on many occasions to transport my art and tow a 12' trailer and I liked it very much. I also like that it has more cargo capacity than a Grand Cherokee... however it is affectionately known as a Camry with an SUV Body... and there aren't any aftermarket lift kits! :shock: (For this reason I'm a little more interested in a 4x4 Jeep because of the aftermarket capabilities, however they cost more to maintain.) The biggest set back is that it is the basic trim package and doesn't have a hitch installed which would cost me $300-500 to get installed. Big plus is that its my favorite color.. Blue!
The Highlander is listed at $7000, with KBB at $6,800. My mom sweet talked the kind owner (also a mom) down to $5,700 because I'm a student and they want me to drive a safer car... but do I want a mom car? At this price I'm tempted to take it, and if I don't like it, I can sell it and get whatever else. Hmmm.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/ct ... 14811.html
I'm at a loss as to what to do. The highlander would certainly be less headache, but more upfront cost, also when something does eventually fail it will likely be more expensive to fix than the Astro.
Hoping that I won't have any major major maintenance issues, I've calculated that it would take just around 8 years of driving before the 2 mpg difference between the cars would level out the cost of ownership.
I'm not really planning on keeping either vehicle for that long as I'm expecting my career will either involve me getting a full size van or being able to afford a newer car, maybe even a flying car.
I like the idea of the Astro, but I don't have any tools other than screwdrivers, some sockets/wrenches, saws and a drill. Totally open to expanding my workshop, but I have no idea what that could end up costing. Am I going to run into trouble and incredible unforeseen expenses?
Without my moms help my budget for a car right now is $3,800... so I don't know how much of a better Astro I'm going to find unless I wait a few more painfully carless months (I live in the middle of nowhere) to see how much I get from this car accident settlement...
What do you guys think?
Thank you thank you thank you! :ty:
Blue