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First car purchase
19/F/Canada
My boyfriend (20) and I are both students, living together and supporting ourselves financially through school. We're considering purchasing a car together at some point this next year, because I'll need it for my co-op term next summer, but we have some questions.
1) We need something inexpensive, but decent-sized (my boyfriend is 6'3, 260 lbs) and reliable. Which models should we be looking at? Years?
2) Should we buy from an independent seller or from a dealership?
3) What kind of insurance package should we be looking at, considering we're on a limited budget?
Thank you for your help!
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Want to answer more questions in the Technology category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Cars?
So far as insurance is concerned, u can just browse this link and get very relevant information.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
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1998 lincoln mark VIII. big, affordable, actually decent on gas (gets 28 to the gallon on the highway even though it has a big V8) not a bitch to park. and insurance aint half bad if you shop around. i own one and it's awesome as hell. that car will do about 200k on the odometer no problem and still keep kicking, just gotta keep up with oil changes and gasoline.
sellers. well i bought mine from a dealership, they're in abundance if you do some searching. dealers and private sellers both carry em from time to time. just watch sites like autotrader.com or ebay.com or craigslist.org and you'll find em popping up here and there. you'll find that the most expensive ones with really low miles are only about 10,000 bucks. and other ones in decent shape are less than that. just watch em and wait.
full coverage is ideal, full coverage is what you need. put both drivers on the policy, and full coverage will take care of you. and take care of any other jackass drivers
i'm a mechanic first, a goofball second, so if you need any help, lemme know. gimme the right tools and i can fix anything on that car. so if you need help, i gotcha.
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I can't answer all of your questions, because I live in the U.S., but I will give it a shot.
I can tell you that you may want to look into a bigger car. For example, a Lincoln or SUV. My husband is 6'6" and about 280 lbs, and smaller cars just don't work well for him.
Make sure whatever car you decide on, that he gets in and takes it for a drive to ensure that it will be suitable for his size.
Remember if you buy from a dealership, that the car salesman is there to SELL. He will make it sound like the sweetest ride on the lot, but it may in fact be a pile of junk. Had that happen not too long ago, myself.
There is nothing wrong with buying from either a dealer or independent seller.
Be sure to check the fluids before buying- Transmission fluid should be red, anti-freeze in the radiator should be lime green, and the oil should NEVER be black- it should be a golden color.
The fluids should not have chunks, clumps, shiney metal flecks, or anything of the sort floating around in there. That is a BIG red flag that something is wrong with the engine.
Don't feel foolish or embarrassed to pull the dipsticks or open the radiator cap to check. EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO ASK WHERE THEY ARE. There is no shame in protecting yourself in such an investment.
I don't know what kind of insurance you have to keep in Canada, but I know that here my husband and I use 'liability only' insurance, because it is more cost efficient. That ensures the expenses are paid via insurance if an accident is our fault. If the accident is the other guy's fault, his insurance is responsible.
Hope this was some sort of help to you. :)
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