Impossible!!!

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am sick of shopping for cars. It is impossible to please her! It has to be 2002 or newer for LATCH, has to be a 5-door wagon, has to have under 100K miles, has to be a clean title (good bye every WRX/Impreza/SVT ever made), and has to be under $8,000. Oh, and it has to have cloth, and not be red.

I have found exactly ONE car that meats all that (and my teeny-tiny little mandate of it's a stick shift), and that's a PT effing crapper!

She talked up new cars, I made a killer deal on an 11 MS3 (21K out the door!!!) and now she's back on used for $8K!!!

I swear I'm going to have the Javelin fully restored before we ever replace the P71. This is freaking ridiculous.

I feel your pain.

Imagine trying to find a Mustang GT, NOT in red or burgandy, with a 5spd. I can get one but not with the other normally. Especially in my price range, aka near free.

Brian

My wife drives a 2003 subaru outback sport that meets all those requirements. I bought it 2 years ago for $8k with 63k miles and a brand new engine.

2002maniac wrote: My wife driver a 2003 outback sport that meets all those requirements. I bought it 2 years ago for 8k with 63k miles and a brand new engine.

I live in the Pacific Northwest. Our Subaru prices are double everywhere else. Also they are all either totaled or have 200K+ miles.

get another p71

Fit_Is_Slo wrote: get another p71

Tell me about it! At least it would piss her off (no LATCH, not a wagon, vinyl seats, etc). I should find a red one.

mazda6 hatch. it's a wagon without a D-pillar!

Javelin wrote:

2002maniac wrote: My wife driver a 2003 outback sport that meets all those requirements. I bought it 2 years ago for 8k with 63k miles and a brand new engine.

I live in the Pacific Northwest. Our Subaru prices are double everywhere else. Also they are all either totaled or have 200K+ miles.

Fly-N-Drive

I edumacated my wife. Her last pick was her Scion xB. She listed her "needs," and I politely steered here to a group of cars.

She chose the xB... I did the math (timing chain, easy labor on most major jobs, proven drivetrain, and all the features she wanted)

Prior to this car, she wanted crazy stuff. I basically acted as a search machine, she gave me her needs, and I gave her a list of cars that fit the bill. Nuff said.

I treated it just like a search function on eBay or anywhere else. If you put in unrealistic goals, you'll get zero results. Once I got my wife past wanting Suburban-sized cargo space, a small wheelbase in a 40+ mpg package, and lime-green paint it was gravy.

AngryCorvair wrote: mazda6 hatch. it's a wagon without a D-pillar!

Tried that, didn't fly.

I'd say you acted more like a reference librarian. And what's wrong with lime green?

curtis73 wrote: I edumacated my wife.

I tried, didn't work. She thinks I have the unreasonable demands as I ruled out all PT Cruisers, Aveos, and VW's (all for obvious reasons). She then tried to get me into a Caliber. I tried to explain to her that I would rather sever my own leg than be forced to drive a Caliber for the next 5-10 years.

Javelin wrote: .....It has to be 2002 or newer for LATCH.........

Widen your search:

My fiance has a 99 civic with LATCH, it is however a dealer option. Car is set up for it, you need to buy the $15 hook and screw it into the receiver. Cars/vans came with LATCH before '02, it just wasn't mandatory.

Tried. Older than 2002 = over 100,000 miles 99% of the time.

I was going to say, what the hell is LATCH? Then I looked it up, now I am going to say, Why the hell to you need LATCH?

I grew up with a regular booster seat like everyone else, and I did not become a brain damaged mouth breather. I swear kids are coddled too much these days.

We have two nieces (3 & 1) and a nephew (1, who is the size of a 2 year old) and are trying to become foster parents. Having a standardized system that any car seat or booster seat can bolt into is pretty smart, actually.

Did I mention her car is in the shop getting $700 worth of a new steering rack tomorrow?

In reply to Javelin:

We have an '04 saturn L300, blue cloth 45,000 miles. No idea if our wagon has the LATCH in the back but I bet the sedans do. Paid dealer price of 5500. Don't think they made the 6 with a stick but sure the 4 bangers could be had manual. People seem to be scared of the v6 because of reliability, I love the engine. Some people even like alfa v6's despite their finicky maintenance schedule, or so I've heard.

Also, what about chevy malibu maxx wagons? Is this a car for you or her? or one for you that she likes?

I'll find your Subaru if you find me a black CTSV with no sunroof, not abused, under $18k. Needles in haystacks and such.

Bryce

daytonaer wrote: Also, what about chevy malibu maxx wagons? Is this a car for you or her? or one for you that she likes?

You DONT want that "car".

I think chevy used all the free reject QC parts they accumlated over the 90's for that series of cars.

~Alex

Just let her pick it out and let her deal with it. Why is this your problem?

I assume that they're married; that makes all of her issues his problem. One of the reasons why I'm avoiding it.

E46 wagon?

4eyes wrote:

Javelin wrote: I live in the Pacific Northwest. Our Subaru prices are double everywhere else. Also they are all either totaled or have 200K+ miles.

Fly-N-Drive

+1. sub-$10K, sub-100K, MT Subarus are pretty common around here. I searched within a 100 miles of me (NE Philly area) and turned up around a dozen. Legacy wagons, Outbacks, WRX's... take your pick.

Toyota Matrix

Not to brag and not in your area but just yesterday in came across a Mazda5 manual in copper and tan cloth w/ 35k miles that retailed in the $12's.
Same day, 2005 Mazda6 wagon manual in silver and black cloth w/ 117k miles, retail $6.5k

I am giving some consideration to the Mazda5 for my wife. If we were buying for me I would take the Mazda6 but it was a bit worn out for her liking.