Hey, I am thinking of getting a new daily driver to replace my Cavalier and having a hard time deciding. I always wanted a wrx/sti but they are out of my budget, was hoping my cavalier would last a little longer but no the water pump is leaking and don't feel like putting any more money into it.
Anyways, I have been looking at some used cars and really like the cobalt ss(used to have one) and the srt4 neon(yes its a ugly neon). I am looking for something fun to drive but at the same time reliable to get me to work everyday. I have had some bad debt on my credit from a few years ago but in the mean time improved it. I will have to finance whatever I buy. So interest rates can affect me. I have not applied for a loan through a bank for a used car but talked to finance at the Kia Dealership my friend works at. He is certain he can get me 4.99 or 5.99% on a new Forte. will let me know on Monday. Thinks on a used car, I'd be 8-15% But could be up to 29%. So that is where I am stuck, buy a fun used car with 100000+ Km on it(60k miles) or buy a brand new car. I test drove the Forte Koup 1.6L Turbo and it is a pretty nice car, not crazy fast by any means, but still pretty fun and smooth car. There is very little aftermarket for the Forte which I may not really have money to put into it anyways.

So,
2014 Forte Koup SX 1.6 Turbo 6spd Manual
Theres a $5000 rebate on it so it would be a little over $20000 with taxes and fees, payments over 8 years(its a open loan so I can pay off sooner but wanted low payments to keep monthly costs down) would be $150 bi weekly on 5.99% OAC(still might negotiate this price down more.)

2004 SRT 4 Neon 2.4 Turbo 5 spd
110000km (60k miles?) good cond, all maintenance records, the one I am looking at is near stock and doesn't look to be abused/beat up. I have not seen it yet, but there is other ones similar priced. looking at around 7-8000 so on a loan over 4 years, my payments would be 80-130 bi weekly depending on interest rate. Again Id make sure it is a open loan so I can pay it off sooner.

New might be easier to get a loan for as well. I figured this forum might be a little less bias than a forte or srt4 forum. I would love something like a srt4 or similar but the Forte is brand new, comes with warranty so might be better daily driver.

Any opinions or advice on what you would do is appreciated. Thanks



2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

Because these cars are so far apart I would go with the kia.

If you're looking to have a fun car; keep the cav and build it slowly. Assuming the cav is paid off it won't cost to keep it if you're not driving it.

Newer car will be easier to trade up with in the future.




"A car just isn't a car without a little blood, sweat, and beers." -- Shadowfire

Yeah I admit, they are fun cars and would love to do a eco swap(or even le5/lsj hybrid) and put a TVS on it, spend tons on it. But I don't have the time or money for a project like that. I just don't want to keep dumping money into fixing it, just to have a point a to point b car. I thought getting a already boosted car might be fun too and at least reliable. looking at the prices of some used Forte SX's in my area, They seem to hold their value pretty good and getting the 5000 rebate will help alot. I was talking to one dealership and they were willing to give me $1000 for my cavalier without seeing it, as long as it runs/drives and has air in all 4 tires. He said don't mention the water pump again though. So I was talking to my buddy at the other dealership and he said he will try to do 1500 trade in but they would need to see the car. They just take the car for a test drive, they don't look under it so might be okay... So really leaning the new route, the one dealership should be able to let me know interest rates on Monday though. Driving the car like how I drive my cavalier with some highway and some city driving, I did get 8.2L/100kms(29MPG) with the Forte too. That wasn't babing it either so that is pretty good I think since I get about 12l/100kms(20MPG) with the cavalier.
This is the Forte I am planning on buying
http://www.gokia.ca/inventory/listing/edmonton-new-2014-kia-forte-koup/4022515#.VDCb4PldXl9



2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

Cavalier waterpump is cheaper to fix then buying a car. I think it's a mistake. You should never take a car loan out for more then 3 years. 8 year loan by the time you get it paid off it will be worth nothing and also after 3-5 years you won't have a warranty. The srt4 is a big mistake through a dealer. Get a private loan where if you don't pay they don't take the car and buy a srt4 private for less then 8,000 probably 5,000 or less. That's my honest opinion. Or any car privately will be half the price of a dealer.




On the inside my car looks like a fighter jet.

Do you have any money to put down?

It seems insane to me to be making payments on a 10+ year old car. If you want a srt4 I'd just fix the water pump in your car until you can save up to buy the car with cash.

You said you wanted a wrx but they are out of your price range. I would opt for a used wrx for the same money over a new kia any day.... 20k will buy you a lot of different cars. I was in a similar situation last year and had a paid for beater that had problems and bought a brand new car. I absolutely hate making car payments and regret buying it now, but I should be able to have a reliable daily driver for at least 10 years. Hopefully I will have it paid off in a few months.

Srt4 is private sale, Id would need to get a loan through a bank and unless I wait another 6 months for my credit to be prefect again, I think I will be in a high interest rate, like 10-15% which on a $8000 loan, it probably wont make a huge difference. just again I am looking for something reliable, I talked to guy with the srt 4 and I guess its a rebuilt title, was in a small front end accident he said, every other one I see is high km's or has body kits, BOV's etc or they say motor was rebuilt 20000km ago or something, so who knows the history of them or the reliability. water pump is cheap but is probably a weekend job to do and there is other problems with my car so it seems pointless to do all that work and not replace other stuff well I have it apart. It leaks oil from almost every gasket, still having little problems with the way it runs after replacing a bunch of sensors and ignition stuff. Its just to the point where you spend $100 fixing something then 2 weeks later its $300, then its $200 the week after then its $500 month later, its never ending, in the last year I spent probably $1500-2000 on the car if I had to guess, could be more. Now it needs a water pump, could probably use a engine rebuild and few more sensors to see why its still running bad.(Not sure if you seen my other thread in Maintenance Forum) After that, I still have a $1500 near stock cavalier. So either way, I am either going to keep driving it or sell it. Not spending any more money on it.
With the new car loan, I am only doing it over a long term because funds are pretty tight right now, but I do come across lump sums of money, bonuses, tax return, etc, so it will be paid off way before 7-8 years. It is a open loan so no penalty to pay off sooner.
The fun side of me would love a srt4 or even a cobalt ss or wrx/sti if I could afford one but the other part of me is thinking something new is smarter for a daily driver. I think I will still try to grind them down some more, try to get 1500 trade in for the cavalier because the way it is now, I'd be lucky to sell it for 1000 private I think.
Thanks for your input though Rob, I appreciate all input. I think I am still leaning towards the Forte though, the $5000 rebate is hard to beat and if they can do a trade in for over 1000, that would make it even better. Also there's 5 year warranty and I could get it extended but don't think I will on the Forte. We did get 7 yr on Sorento though.

I am probably going to put stock suspension back in so I will have a few things for sale soon, not sure what a good asking price is but if anyone is interested, I have koni reds with sportlines, brand new front mounts($130 i think) and I put energy suspension bushings in rear shocks, less than year old. Even if you can recommend a good asking price. I'll try to look around and see what stuff is selling for in classifieds though. Anything else in garage could be for sale too but some of the stuff probably not worth it to ship. Suspension is probably only thing worth selling.


2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

Buying a used wrx was my plan, although currently with my credit, interest would kill me. 15-20% would not make a huge difference on a 7-8000 loan but on a 15-20000 loan, it would really hurt, also most banks will only do short term loans on used cars, so something like 15-20000 would have a lot higher payments, and I will own a car with 80-150k kms.

I would love a used wrx over the kia too but it would not be saving me anything with the interest difference, if the bank even approves me for a used car, they might say 25-29% as well, who knows.


2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

what about the dodge dart?

Never looked that hard at the dodge dart, but after reading little just now, 3300lbs and the 1.4L turbo engine has like 160hp. does 0-60 in 8s and 1/4 in 16s. doesn't seem very impressive. There is plans of a srt4 dart though in 2016 or 2017 it looks like. That would be nice. sounds like a turbo 2.4 with the same multi air tech. they use in their 1.4L



2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

Damn this is when having a solid "car club" group would help you out. Our scrapyards sell 2.4L motors for $200 regular price or $100 on 50% days. We've put one in, in under 4 hours. $300 ish later and a solid night of shenanigans and you got a running car again! If you lived close to me I would have volunteered to help you out with this.

I appreciate the offer, haha you actually live a lot closer than I was thinking, I figured you were from the US somewhere but you are actually a province over, still about 10-12 hours away though. I have seen some of the motors in out pick n pulls and they are not much better than what is in the car. I just don't want to deal with unreliable beater cars anymore, I've thought of trying to find a newer cavalier with a eco and low km but at around 3-5000, id rather spend a little extra and get a srt 4 or cobalt ss.
I kind of thinking the Forte is the way to go still, I do work quite abit and going to try to put in more hours, my wife has 2 part time jobs and going to school now too, we have a kid, might have another one soon, so I honestly just don't have to time to be messing around in the garage. Would be nice to have a reliable car to get back and forth to work. One less thing to stress about.
I think even if I don't make extra payments, comparing the forte to ones a few years old, I don't think I will be in the negative with the car with the rebate. might be in the break even range but should not be that bad off but either way, I drive a 14 year old car, if I had to wait until the forte was 4-8 years old before I could sell it for profit, then thats what i'd have to do.


2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

Figured you were out in Alberta somewhere. I'll probably be out there working in the next couple months. You could considering doing what a friend of mine did. He purchased a barely used Mazda 3 from the dealership that was 4 years old. Since It was a lease return Mazda still honors there 7 year warranty from factory. So it was a 4 year old car with a 3 year warranty still on it. He snatched it up for $11,200 including oil changes for life, and his payments are $250 a month, and he has the payments till just after the warranty expires. But he already has enough to pay it fully off if he needs too. I don't know if other car companies do that kinda thing, I know you were considering a car that already has boost to it, so this doesn't really apply. But just throwing the idea out there.

I live just outside of Edmonton. Yeah it kind of sucks, I just sold the wifes 2005 Mazda 3 a few weeks ago for $4500. It was a very reliable car but boring to drive, 2.0 auto. Worked out though cause we needed to buy winter tires for Sorento and pay some credit cards off. I was considering keeping it though but got my car running better and now few days ago, water pump starts leaking everywhere. Thought Id be able to make it through winter and maybe buy something in Spring. We got the oil changes for life with the Sorento and will probably negotiate it with the Forte but really, it cost me $35 to do a full synthetic oil change when oil goes on sale for $25 a jug. So not too worried, just would be nice so there is no warranty hassle down the road.


Small update, I vacuumed the car and cleaned it up nice and put the factory lift kit back in. So the lowering suspension is ready to sell if anyone wants it, I am going to compare some prices and see what is fair but open to offers, I'll make a ad in classifieds soon.... might wait until car is for sure gone before I sell anything though.


2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

How much money do you have saved up?
You can find a decent low mileage reliable car for $10,000 or less. Sure it might not be fun but at least it will get you from points a to b and in between.

If you go the new car route with Kia good luck and hope you find a decent kia dealership that won't give you the run around when it comes time to fix something.

Dont have any money saved, just bought a house back in May so everything went towards down payment. That is the reason I am considering Kia is because I have a very good friend there that will make sure I am taken care of. If I bring my car in for service, I don't get a @!#$ty loaner or shuttle, he ask me what car I want that is on the lot and he will see what is available and try to set me up with a brand new car. I got a free tank of gas with the Sorento when we went in to get the free vent visors installed. At the time I asked for a forte koup turbo manual to take while visors got installed and he didn't have one available at the time so he gave me a forte 5 turbo auto instead, so not the same but close. Better than the Kia Rio loaner car or being shuttled home. Been told by 3 different people that when we bring the Sorento in for our free oil changes to make sure they wash the car too. So I don't think service will be an issue.


2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

So what you're saying is that you're broke and you and your wife will both have brand new cars? You will be hating life for sure.

If you have never heard of Dave Ramsey it will be well worth your time to see his financial teachings

I seem to be missing your point? in less than a year, I have probably put $2000 into the cavalier, now needs tons work, whether I fix it or not, its still a $1000 car? Or make payments on a brand new car for a little more and have no headaches, no being late for work when something breaks, no being out in minus 40 fixing @!#$. I didnt think I would have to buy a new car, I was planning on buying something next spring and having money saved up by then to put down on it. Just put 3000 down on sorento and spent 1400 on winter tires so thats where my savings went. Either way though, I am not keeping the cavalier, I know this will offend most people here but it has been the biggest piece of @!#$ car I have ever owned.
I would love a wrx but a decent used one is 20-30k and my interest would be probably 15%, thought of the SRT4 cause it would be a cheap fun car but still might need some work cause its used, seems the only ones that look decent in my area end up being rebuilt titles. So thats why I am leaning towards the forte, its not the best/nicest car in the world but I think it will be a fun cheap little car that is brand new and reliable. No I don't have 10-20k in my bank because I just recently spent a lot of it but making the payments should be affordable still.


2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

Ok I get the just of things.You have a house mortgage and 1 new vehicle.The old trusted cavalier is costing money due to age/wear.I think your mindset to get a performance ride at new car cost are not the right idea here.Rule is if a car you own is costing you more than a typical car payment each month fix it and continue rolling with it.However!! this now 14 year old car is problematic and costing under a car payment but causing underlying issues along with this.I would strongly steer away from a new car cost payment regardless of how good it seems and the payment to boot.My suggestion is step UP and lose the performance idea and get a solid,reliable,mpg nice,daily driver while your a young man.Your desire to go hp,fun and daily with your cost do not go hand in hand with your current home cost,new ride and family.I would suggest buy a used 10year old or newer say 08 or so civic or accord.Both are reliable,mpg nice and under the 10k mark (in the usa market).I can say from owning a 11 civic very solid and very mpg friendly with the 1.8 while my wife's 04 has the 2.4 still solid and not bad either on hp or comforts.The idea here is go for a good used Honda civic or accord say 04-08 model depending on miles,cost and features.I know your wanting a sporty fun fast car but,really you do not want to over reach your budget and the hot rod fun car fast thing can come later once your financially stable and have some equity built up on your home buy.I understand where your thinking BUT as a younger man your ideas,thoughts have you costing more,pushing your budget and sometimes a compromise is in order to keep the financials under less pressure.Just a alternate thought and I am 45 and clearly know what the heck I am talking about I went literally almost 24 yrs between my 1st new ride buy my 87 mazda truck bought new in HS till my march 28,2011 civic LX S then traded my civic last yr for what I should have bought my 2014 Tacoma 4x4 access cab pickup.I am a truck guy as my 1st ride said that but,I switched up and went back to a truck.

Ron hit most of the issues right on the head, buy here's my 2 cents.

It's great that you want to get a good reliable car, especially since you have 2 jobs and your wife has 2 jobs. However, you said that you just sold a car to pay off credit card debt. Sounds like you were on the right path there, but you're deviating already. Don't go putting yourself in more debt now and starting the snowball again.

Here's a big thing to consider: you just bought a house. Take it from anyone you ask that has owned a house for at least 5 years, you're going to need money available. When something needs work on your house, you're not usually going to be out a few hundred bucks at a time, you can easily be out thousands on any one issue. Now is NOT the time to be taking on a new car payment, especially if you already have one. I know, everyone feels great when they have things starting to flow their way. New house, solid job, new cars, new kids. It's all feeling well right now, but if you're not smart about what you do with your budget, you're going to be hating life in a few years, maybe even sooner.

If you MUST replace your car now (I know, I've been there), find yourself something a lot more affordable, so you can still save a decent amount. You've got a mortgage that's going to take you minimum 20 years to pay off. By that time, I guarantee you will have dumped 15,000-20,000 into the house for maintainance and repairs, or you will have issues that you're letting go because you can't afford it. Also,since you now have a kid, in just a few years, your life is going to get much more hectic, and having 2 jobs is going to be harder and harder to do.

Right now, the smartest thing you could do is to look for a cheaper, reliable car. Taking on another $20,000 in debt is a bad move. And if your credit is what it sounds like, you're not going to get the interest rate you think. However, even if you do, look at a lower model.

Bottom line, keep your budget down, and bank all the money you can right now. If you don't drive a lot of miles, consider a lease on a car that's got a good program going. They usually offer the lowest monthly payments (when they have a special deal going), and you'll only have the car for a few years. At that time, hopefully you've taken the opportunity to save and pay off any other debts you have, and you'll be in a better position to purchase something more fun.

Believe me, I've been exactly where you are, and I've made the wrong choice. I'm sure you can talk to others and hear the same.

Good luck, and I hope you seriously reconsider before you sign for a new car.

Another thing to consider is you're talking about having another kid. 2 car seats in the back of a 2 door car are a pain in the ass. I'm not trying to hate on you I'm trying to help you from making a big financial mistake. Consider if you have another kid is your wife going to quit her jobs and stay home with the kids, or you will have to pay more $ for day care? Not having any money to put down, having a trade in worth very little, having bad credit, already having another big new car payment, mortgage, etc it seems the deck is stacked against you. I understand the frustration of driving junk I have driven junk most of my life and was always fixing something on a vehicle. The new car feeling is great, but after the newness wears off making those payments gets old pretty quick. Cars are fun to own, they're not so fun when they own you, and that sounds like what buying a brand new kia is going to do. Been there done that and hated every minute of it.

Thanks for all the replies guys, even though it feels like you guys are against me, it helps me think and there is a lot of good advice. I negotiated with the dealership some more and got them down more. At the price they are give me. I don't think they are making any money on it but this will be my 2nd new car so that is why they are willing to make a great deal. Interest rate is 7% but they said in 6 to 12 months when my credit is clean again . I can probably refinance for 4to5%. Anyways payments will be 150 over 7 years, not 8 and I will be planning on paying it off sooner....
I will be going to dealership on Saturday, until than nothing is final. I talked to my boss this week and going to talk more today and he okay with me working extra, might even switch to salary so I have a steady income. So I think we going to talk numbers today. Only have 1 job BTW, wife has 2 part time Jobs and stays home during day, no day care. We use her car 90% of the time with our daughter so it's not a big deal. We had 2 doors in past and only hard time was when she was rear facing in bigger car seat. The small car seats just click into base and the forward facing is just as easy as in a 4 door car to me.
The Forte seems to get really good millage when I test drove it. Not prius millage but very good considering. Way better than my cavalier for sure.



2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

Any updates as I see no new car news(which is good really).Focus on a good used newer ride if your doing so.I very much recommend the Honda accord with the 2.4ltr sedan very solid and in your decent price range for a 03-05 under 10k at least here in the states.

I bought the Kia Forte, very happy with it, sold my cavalier the same day for $1100, still have the suspension and few other things I am hoping to sell as well. I looked at a few used cars for around 10-15k and the payments were similar, just over 4 years with higher interest and about 80-120k km on the cars, I will be making payments for few extra years but will have something brand new with warranty. It made more sense to go with the Kia, especially with the rebate and discounts I got on it. After 4 years, I would have a car that is 8-10+ years old and 150k kms on it that is paid off and slowly becoming unreliable or have 3 more years of payments on a car that is 4 years old and have 60k km on it and still have some warranty and still reliable and fairly new.





2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

Hope you have better luck with that Kia than some of my extended family has had with that brand.

I'm sure I will. The kia looks very easy to work on too. For example the water pump runs off the belt and is held on with 5 bolts. Looks like a 30 min job to do, compared to the Ld9. Also when I was installing my sub and amp I took rear seat out and look there is a access hole for the fuel pump. No dropping the tank to change the fuel pump.


2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car