If I were to buy a new car today...

[Rupert]

That's why there are two cars, mate.

Alternatively, keep the Jetta and just buy the 911.

[MX793]

Hah, we are totally different people.  If I have $35K to spend on a car, I'm buying 3 or 4 sub $7K vehicles and keeping the rest for repairs and upkeep.

Not all of us have the available parking space to keep 3+ cars.

[sportyaccordy]

With a 70 hour work week and no skills, I can't depend on a car that could potentially break down a lot. 

Like I said, this is purely a hypothetical situation fellows.  Don't get too excited, I'll likely keep the Jetta.

Seriously though, S2000 (or older Boxster S!) + 4 door sedan of your choice. E46s are a lot more reliable than you think.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I actually heard that Jettas are pretty unreliable. Maybe you should consider a Hyundai Accent, or Veloster.

[Raza]

Seriously though, S2000 (or older Boxster S!) + 4 door sedan of your choice. E46s are a lot more reliable than you think.

I ran some numbers and did some soul searching....you're a lot closer to what's going to happen than you think. 

Anyone have experience buying a car sight unseen?

[68_427]

I ran some numbers and did some soul searching....you're a lot closer to what's going to happen than you think. 

Anyone have experience buying a car sight unseen?

Personally I wouldn't, depending on age, and you living in the north east.

[sportyaccordy]

Personally I wouldn't, depending on age, and you living in the north east.

I just wouldn't in the NE. In fact, I would go one step further and say avoid all cars from the NE, we are hard as hell on our cars. I've had 2 cars not from the NE, and both were solid + super reliable; way more than the same cars from here.

I would make a "thing" of it... look up cars down in Florida, buy something and drive it back up the East Coast. Really bond with the car. I have friends who have done this and love it.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I bought my Accent with ever seeing it. I test drove a similar one, then decided I wanted different options.

[68_427]

I just wouldn't in the NE. In fact, I would go one step further and say avoid all cars from the NE, we are hard as hell on our cars. I've had 2 cars not from the NE, and both were solid + super reliable; way more than the same cars from here.

I would make a "thing" of it... look up cars down in Florida, buy something and drive it back up the East Coast. Really bond with the car. I have friends who have done this and love it.

Depending on your budget/car/time that may not be an option unfortunately.  Example my dad's truck blew an oil line and engine is toast, he didn't get to save as much as he wanted for a new truck and he needs one in a month.  He wanted southern, but it may not be an option.

[Raza]

Ah, well the only reason I would buy one sight unseen is because it is out of a one day's drive distance (500 miles roundtrip).

[SVT666]

I bought my SVT Focus sight unseen from a private seller in San Jose.  I had the owner take the car to a Ford dealer of my choosing and then had the dealership send me the results directly and I spoke to the service manager on the phone and had him describe every detail of the car to me.  

I also bought our Explorer sight unseen from a dealership in Seattle.  The one and only question I forgot to ask was if it had been smoked in.  Whrn I picked it up I found it had been smoked in....a lot.  Two cans of Lysol later (sprayed in the air intake at the base of the windshield) and the smell never returned.

[Raza]

Truth be told, I'm not ready to let the Jetta go.  We're still in the honeymoon phase, even after 3 years.  Driving it just puts a smile on my face, every time.  But I would like something else.  I miss the two car setup and a roof that goes away. 

[The Pirate]

Not all of us have the available parking space to keep 3+ cars.

True.  And that's a good thing for me.  If I had unlimited space and $35K, I'd have 30 beaters.   

The only two things keeping me from having three cars right now is money and space. 

[The Pirate]

I bought my SVT Focus sight unseen from a private seller in San Jose.  I had the owner take the car to a Ford dealer of my choosing and then had the dealership send me the results directly and I spoke to the service manager on the phone and had him describe every detail of the car to me.  

I also bought our Explorer sight unseen from a dealership in Seattle.  The one and only question I forgot to ask was if it had been smoked in.  Whrn I picked it up I found it had been smoked in....a lot.  Two cans of Lysol later (sprayed in the air intake at the base of the windshield) and the smell never returned.

This doesn't harm anything?  My friend recently bought a car that has been smoked in (not awful, but you can tell), and this might be the fix.

[Raza]

True.  And that's a good thing for me.  If I had unlimited space and $35K, I'd have 30 beaters.   

The only two things keeping me from having three cars right now is money and space. 

Well, I talked to my mother about keeping the car at her house (since it would cost an extra $150 a month to park it here) and she seemed not only amenable, but pretty much behind the idea. 

Funny, the other day I was contemplating opening a piggy bank account to start saving for a Rolex DeepSea.  Now I'm looking at sports cars that cost roughly the same.  I think that's a better use for the money.

[Rupert]

Not all of us have the available parking space to keep 3+ cars.

Real enthusiasts move to a place with room.

[The Pirate]

Well, I talked to my mother about keeping the car at her house (since it would cost an extra $150 a month to park it here) and she seemed not only amenable, but pretty much behind the idea. 

Funny, the other day I was contemplating opening a piggy bank account to start saving for a Rolex DeepSea.  Now I'm looking at sports cars that cost roughly the same.  I think that's a better use for the money.

It'd be stored a fair distance away, no?  That's a big hassle, IMO.  You lose the spontaneity of grabbing the keys to the 'fun' car on a sunny day.  Not that they are advantages in your situation, but one of the positives of having two cars for me is that both of my cars are old.  Something breaks, and I can just hop in and continue with the day's tasks, dealing with the breakdown at my convenience.  You lose that when the car is stored off site.  And the randomness of which car to drive at any given point - that's a big one for me.

[ifcar]

Well, I talked to my mother about keeping the car at her house (since it would cost an extra $150 a month to park it here) and she seemed not only amenable, but pretty much behind the idea. 

Funny, the other day I was contemplating opening a piggy bank account to start saving for a Rolex DeepSea.  Now I'm looking at sports cars that cost roughly the same.  I think that's a better use for the money.

Especially if the car comes with a built-in clock.

[Rupert]

I ran some numbers and did some soul searching....you're a lot closer to what's going to happen than you think. 

Anyone have experience buying a car sight unseen?

There's unseen and there's unseen. If there are meticulous photos of every inch of the car, and you or someone who knows more examine them for every detail, and there is an as-advertised guarantee (e.g. eBay), then it should work fine. I've heard a lot of just-fine stories about this kind of thing.

[Eye of the Tiger]

True.  And that's a good thing for me.  If I had unlimited space and $35K, I'd have 30 beaters.   

The only two things keeping me from having three cars right now is money and space. 

Someday, I will be done renting crap apartments. The first property that I purchase will have acres of private car parking, and a garage. Nobody can stop me. I will not give in to the practical demands of some female type.

[Rupert]

IMO, the reliability aspect of new car vs. used car is greatly overblown. I have had a lot of cars, none of them newer than seven years at time-of-purchase, some of them total beaters with 240 kmiles, and I have only been stranded two times in any car ever (if you discount the times a battery has died due to storage or abuse).  Once was the crappy second Trooper, and the other was Friday, when I was driving a brand new off-the-lot with 177 miles Dodge 2500 for work, and the brakes got squishy on the top of a mountain (good times). I would trust either of my vehicles to get me 500 miles away, no problem (100 kmiles and 140 kmiles).

[Rupert]

Well, I talked to my mother about keeping the car at her house (since it would cost an extra $150 a month to park it here) and she seemed not only amenable, but pretty much behind the idea. 

Funny, the other day I was contemplating opening a piggy bank account to start saving for a Rolex DeepSea.  Now I'm looking at sports cars that cost roughly the same.  I think that's a better use for the money.

Cars are always a better use of money than anything that's not rent, food, or debt.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I really like having a new car with my 4-hour commute. It's too many miles at once to deal with being stranded at all, and I never ever ever want to have car problems when I'm driving through the Chicago ghettos in the middle of the night. A low mileage used car would probably be just as well, but meh. I'm the only one who has had his hands up under the hood since I drove it off the lot. No other monkey butts have had a chance to half ass fuck it up.

[Rupert]

Like I said, the only two cars that stranded me were a beater with many major engine problems (that should have been obvious from the start) and a brand-new truck.

[MrH]

For $35k, I'd save for a bit longer and get a 1M.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Like I said, the only two cars that stranded me were a beater with many major engine problems (that should have been obvious from the start) and a brand-new truck.

Accent will never leave me stranded! Sonoma has required a tow twice. Once when the fuel pump died, and once when the tranny cooler line blew out.

[The Pirate]

IMO, the reliability aspect of new car vs. used car is greatly overblown. I have had a lot of cars, none of them newer than seven years at time-of-purchase, some of them total beaters with 240 kmiles, and I have only been stranded two times in any car ever (if you discount the times a battery has died due to storage or abuse).  Once was the crappy second Trooper, and the other was Friday, when I was driving a brand new off-the-lot with 177 miles Dodge 2500 for work, and the brakes got squishy on the top of a mountain (good times). I would trust either of my vehicles to get me 500 miles away, no problem (100 kmiles and 140 kmiles).

Used cars are certainly more reliable than they've ever been, but it's naive to not expect any downtime.  Mazda is rolling with 140K miles, on original front brake calipers, tie rod ends, wheel bearings, alternator, etc.  Those will likely need to be replaced at some point, and having a second car makes any issues less urgent.

I would trust the Mazda to drive to California tomorrow, but it's still right at the point where many cars will require some maintenance/reconditioning (100K to 160K miles).

[The Pirate]

Someday, I will be done renting crap apartments. The first property that I purchase will have acres of private car parking, and a garage. Nobody can stop me. I will not give in to the practical demands of some female type.

You and me both, man. 

[Rupert]

Used cars are certainly more reliable than they've ever been, but it's naive to not expect any downtime.  Mazda is rolling with 140K miles, on original front brake calipers, tie rod ends, wheel bearings, alternator, etc.  Those will likely need to be replaced at some point, and having a second car makes any issues less urgent.

I would trust the Mazda to drive to California tomorrow, but it's still right at the point where many cars will require some maintenance/reconditioning (100K to 160K miles).

Downtime and stranded are very different.

[The Pirate]

Downtime and stranded are very different.

Agreed.  As discussed, having two cars is helpful to a downtime situation.  I believe you were the first to mention the issue of being stranded.