Car Foo and plans

[danaeris]

I have heard that there is a sweet spot for cars... an age at which a car is not so old that it is going to be falling apart anytime soon, but old enough that car payments are not a concern.

I also hear a lot of people saying that owning a manual in San Francisco is a bad idea.



And so, a poll; note that I am only currently looking at Honda Hatchbacks. I might also look at Toyota hatchbacks, eventually.

[Poll #243347]

Looks like I just got invited over to a friend's place nearby. Will be afk for most the rest of the evening. Yay, I guess!

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

If you lived in SF, would you be willing to own a manual shift?
With my arthritis, sometimes I can use a manual, sometimes I can't. I'd choose not to have one so that I can still drive when I'm flaring up.

I believe/would guess/think that the sweet spot for a used car in terms of age is:
Varies by make/model.

[thornedillusion.livejournal.com]

The only reason I don't own a manual is because of the nerve damage in my left leg; but I also learned to drive on a manual.

My current car is a 15 year old Toyota Camry that was 12 years old when I bought it. It still runs like a dream with minimal regular maintenance (oil, etc). You couldn't pay me to take an American made car that old.

Re:

[dazzlynn.livejournal.com]

My camry is 18 years, and is fine too. I've not had it a year yet tho. But same thing, minor maintenance. I've taken it to LA and Burning Man (while running the ac) with no troubles.

J drives a stick, and I am pretty sure he's fine with it. I can't drive one, and you couldn't pay me to learn in SF. I made his smoke in Potrero trying.

[dicedork.livejournal.com]

I've tooled around SF in my manual transmission. It's okay. A little harder to come off the clutch on some of those steep hills, but it's not really that bad.

Now I would hate hate hate to *LEARN* a manual in SF.

[random-vamp.livejournal.com]

My car's a manual, and I don't really have any problem with it. However, I've also known how to drive manual for 6 years, and previously owned a manual in Pittsburgh (another hilly city). I don't think SF is necessarily a good place to first learn to drive stick. The primary issue with driving stick in this city is the number of places where you must stop on relatively steep hills, which can be quite harrowing if you don't having the time down already...