vLane Blog

Articles Matching “used car”

• Community Review: 2000 Mitsubishi Montero

  Banovsky on November 2, 2009

  Especially with car buyers trying to save every last penny, our vehicle reviews are an invaluable resource. Every now and then, we'd like to highlight some of the great reviews our community members write at vLane. This time, it's a Mitsubishi Montero.

  Reviewer jr1 says of the 2000 Mitsubishi Montero :

  I owned a 2000 Mitsubishi Montero until this past year when I finally decided to move on to a new car. Throughout the years I owned the Montero I had some issues with it and overall I would say it was a below average car to own.

  But why? What happened? Well, maybe the feeling of control was missing:

  The ride was never smooth even after upgrading the shocks. The 4 wheel drive was troublesome on more then one occasion. I was driving in half an inch of snow once and the car would not go into 4 wheel drive. The tires slipped all over the place and when I slowly tried to stop the car it slid more.

  And possibly a few electrical gremlins:

  My Montero also had many different issues with the electrical system. There seemed to be a short someplace however, no mechanic could locate the short. Some issues that I had because of this were if you plugged in a cell phone car charger then the horn would continuously honk. Definitely very annoying.

  Click over to read the whole review, and don't forget to submit your own!

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Mitsubishi, Discussion, vLane, used car, Community review, 2000, Montero

• Community review: 2005 Nissan Titan

  Banovsky on September 28, 2009

  Especially with car buyers trying to save every last penny, our vehicle reviews are an invaluable resource. Every now and then, we'd like to highlight some of the great reviews our community members write at vLane.

  Reviewer trucklady858585 says of the 2005 Nissan Titan that:

  Having driven small cars, I was apprehensive about driving a large truck. However, out of everything that I test drove, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Titan handled almost like a large car.

  Still, her first complaint started with the stereo:

  We ended up with the LE edition with the Rockford Fosgate sound system. While it is better than the regular stock system, it isn’t fantastic, and if you value great sound, I would recommend that eventually you update your system.

  The practicality of the Titan and ruggedness has won some fans, though:

  Although I don’t have the 4WD version, I have taken this truck on some rough terrain with my quads. The Titan handled the roads with ease…The rails that run down the bed of the truck really help you secure oddly shaped items with ease. We have traveled hundreds of miles with large items in the bed of our truck without worrying about anything coming loose or flying out.

  Click over to read the whole review, and don't forget to submit your own!

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Truck, Advice , Nissan, vLane, 2005, used car, Community review, Titan

• Car dealers are fair. Really.

  Banovsky on September 21, 2009

  This post comes courtesy of our resident racing driver and auto dealership insider, Jameson Riley. You can find him on the web at JamesonRiley.com and Driven Clothing.

  

  [Photo credit: munkabum on Flickr]

  How much does a car really cost? Twenty years ago, your guess would have been as good as mine. But today, you have several options (which I'd rather not list here because that would defeat the whole purpose of this piece). (But I will: Edmunds, Kelly Blue Book, etc. — Ed.)

  These options are the bane of the automobile retail industry.

  Imagine that you walk into your local major electronics retailer to buy a new flat screen television. You find the exact television you want, and so you turn to the salesperson and say with an authoritative tone, “I want to buy this television for $500 less than what you paid for it, and I want a free set of A/V cables.” Re-read that last sentence. Even as I write this, I can’t help but think how ridiculous that statement is, and how disgustedly the salesperson would look at you.

  Now with this new point-of-view in mind, does it still make sense to walk into a car dealership commanding at the salesperson that you will only buy the car for less than cost and you need floor mats thrown in?

  Click through for the rest.

  Read full article | Comments (3) | Filed under Advice , vLane, Opinion, used car, Car dealer, Original

• Community review: 2001 Ford Mustang

  Banovsky on September 1, 2009

  Especially with car buyers trying to save every last penny, our vehicle reviews are an invaluable resource. Every now and then, we'd like to highlight some of the great reviews our community members write at vLane.

  Reviewer Liz Lantrip says her 2001 Ford Mustang:

  It totally says that you are an awesome person.

  Sold! Well, that's almost enough for us. Unfortunately, Liz had a few problems with her car:

  I didn't like that it had transmision trouble at times. It would hesitate every once in a while and not respond if it was low on gas. The gas mileage was not near as good as my Chevy Cavalier, but it wasn't bad.

  Still, though, she sums up her review of the Mustang with the following:

  I loved every minute of driving in it, and would park on purpose near a window so I could see it out of whatever restaurant or store that I would go into. I loved this car so much, I was sad when I had to sell it. I'm happy it when to a good home though. My step sister now owns it and loves it too. I will forever be a Mustang fan.

  Click over to read the whole review, and don't forget to submit your own!

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Mustang, Ford, Advice , Coupe, vLane, 2001, used car, Community review

• What kind of car buyer are you?

  Banovsky on July 27, 2009

  This guest post was prepared by Tyler Elliston, co-founder and CEO of Carsala, an innovative service to help shoppers find the right used car.

  

  Tyler Elliston

  By his own admission, when it comes to buying cars, he's an innovator — but previously an "old school" buyer. He loves cars, finding great deals, and devising new ways of doing things.

  Are you the Old School, the Insider, the Obsessive Compulsive, or the Innovator when it comes to used car buying?

  Old School

  You begin to buy a car by first going to the dealership on the corner where you bought your last car, then go to a few other dealerships on Saturdays over the next few months (maybe even double check yourself by looking in the newspaper classifieds) and begin your negotiations for the car you decide you want by saying to the salesman, “I only want to spend $xxx on a monthly payment.”

  Three to six months later, you are the somewhat proud owner of a car you are “okay” with. If you're reading this blog, we're guessing that's not you.

  Read on…

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Future, Misc, Advice , Discussion, US, Cash for Clunkers, Car Allowance Rebate System, CARS, buyer, used car, Carsala, Guest post, Tyler Elliston