Poll: New Pizza Delivery Car- Fit, Fiesta or Yaris?

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

As for the VW thing, I will not buy a car without a full factory new car warranty- ESPECIALLY not for $10k! I would pay no more than $2500 for a used diesel Golf, and only if it had less than 50k miles on it and it was less than 7 years old. Were I to want an old, used diesel car, it would be a Mercedes Benz W123 300TD.(With the same price limit applying) If VW were to bring over the Polo Bluemotion from Europe and price it around $15k though, I would probably go for it. The Golf is, after all, too big. (I would really prefer a Japanese kei car...)

Also, it's not the Festiva AKA Kia Pride that they are bringing back. That was a Kia chassis with a Mazda b series engine sold as a Ford. No, this is the Fiesta, a subcompact built by Ford of Europe since the late 70's which has not been sold here since 1981.

As for what I make, let's just say it is more than you think and that my bills are lower than most. I get minimum wage plus tips,$.94 cents a delivery in car use compensation, and can average around $2-$4 per house. A good hour I will see 6 houses. On a bad one, none. However, it averages out well enough and pays more than any other job I can get right now. I wanted to do this last year, but just had too many things that needed my attention and could not raise a down payment. Now, most of those things are close to resolution (Roof, Cutlass, AMC, refinancing my mortgage to a lower rate, AA degree, etc.) and I will be able to put money away for a downpayment. I am expecting to put $3-5k down on whatever I get to keep the payment low. This acts as insulation against down times in business when I can get 10 hours chopped off my schedule. My life is configured in such a way that I can survive the lean times of 23 hour work weeks but it is a struggle. The good times are when I fix things for the bad times, and I also save up cash to weather the bad. If I do get a car, I will use the good times to add extra payment to the principle on the loan so as to shorten it's duration. I will also keep the truck so that if it ever gets so bad that I need to sell it or it gets repo'd, I am not without transportation. I layer things like that to give me a safety net in case of the worst. I also do not finance anything that is not necessary like a new kitchen or electronics. Those I wait until I can pay cash for them so that I do not have an additional payment to deal with in lean times. As for the car payment, for the Yaris it would be $178 a month with $130 of that paid for in fuel cost savings. I would put $200+ towards it every month I could so that I would reduce the duration of the loan. After all, the first year is almost all interest and no principle (if you run the amortization tables) and anything you pay off additional in the first year is of the most benefit.

 

[Bonnewagon]

If you're just delivering pizza, locally, why not a Smart Car? I think I saw a new manual trans stripper for around $10,000 online.

 

[breeaad]

First I must say I absolutely despise new cars. Buying a new car is by far the most expensive way to drive except for leasing a vehicle. Furthermore, they are not as reliable overall in the beginning. A new car almost always has kinks that have to be worked out, which usually take a few trips back to the dealer. A car with even a few thousand miles on it has most likely been through this. Buying a 3-month old car with 5K on it will save you 30%, will still allow you to break it in, and will have any kinks worked out. It would also get your payment down to the break-even point with the fuel savings. It would be a little more difficult to find the color and options you are looking for though. But if you are saving $80 a month, who cares?

But if you are completely determined to buy one, I would put comfort and ease of exit/entry at the top of the list with economy. You spend so much time in it, and get in and out so often, I would feel these characteristics would be very important. With that, I like your idea of renting a prospect and would encourage that. The cost is little when compared to years of driving something you don't like. And because you are buying new, you will be stuck with what you buy unless you want to loose your butt on it. I am not big on the Yaris or the fit personally. I would consider a Versa or maybe a Mazda3. I wouldn't even consider resale value. You are going to destroy the value with the miles you will put on it, so who cares?

In 2002, I bought a Mazda Protege with 100K on it for $900. I drove it through college and still do to this day. It now has 242K on it, and no major repairs have been made outside maintenance. Once it gets to the point where it isn't worth being fixed, you can be sure I will be looking for another used vehicle. I am a 31 year old Mechanical Engineer who has never in his life had a car payment and don't plan to start. A car payment will keep you broke forever. If you really want my opinion, I would take the $3-5K you are going to put down and buy a used car cash. Take the $150-200 monthly car payment money and put it in a savings account. I bet the repair costs of that used vehicle won't ever exceed the 2K/year you are saving on payments.

 

[megaladon6]

I would pay no more than $2500 for a used diesel Golf, and only if it had less than 50k miles on it and it was less than 7 years old

and there's your problem. a complete lack of reality. my 97 with 160k is worth $3000 min. like i said the jetta would beat any of your choices in every category and last longer. you're ok with a m/b that yes the engine goes 1mil mi. but the body rots out, the engine has horrible performance, and needs constant upkeep. oh, and it gets 10-20mpg less than the vw and blows smoke--your choice of black or blue.
and what he^ said inc. that mazdas are good cars.

 

[Minion1186]

my tech teachers brother has a geo metro with 318,000 miles,almost as many as your truck,i say get a good comditioned metro,i mean they are reasonably around and before all these hybrids nowadays it basically was a hybrid in its time.

 

[username]

Out of the three I would lean more to the fiesta just from the astetics.It should be very comparable to the other two it is essentially a Mazda 2.I know alot of people will try to tell you not to buy new but for your line of work I think it would'nt be a bad idea.I finally bought a new car in '07 and couldnt be happier,its not what I wanted exactly but it is nice to know how the vehicle has been treated and the fact everything works,I put gas in it and drive it not as inclined to worry about something breaking.Now take for granted I'm not ignorant about vehicles, I'm a mechanic by trade.The greater the down payment the better but you know that.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I would pay no more than $2500 for a used diesel Golf, and only if it had less than 50k miles on it and it was less than 7 years old

and there's your problem. a complete lack of reality. my 97 with 160k is worth $3000 min. like i said the jetta would beat any of your choices in every category and last longer. you're ok with a m/b that yes the engine goes 1mil mi. but the body rots out, the engine has horrible performance, and needs constant upkeep. oh, and it gets 10-20mpg less than the vw and blows smoke--your choice of black or blue.
and what he^ said inc. that mazdas are good cars.

I did not say that it is not worth more in the book or market, I said it is not worth it to me. I want to drive without having to repair anything myself for a few years. Between work and school I have 60-70 hours a week blocked out and I simply do not have the time to deal with an older car. This is more to give me time to think about other things than my car than anything-namely school work so I don't have to deliver pizza any more. Plus, any time a car breaks down on me, it costs me money-even if I have all the parts in stock. No car, no work. I may be keeping the truck, but I will probably pull the tags off it and park it in my back yard. That way I can avoid having to pay insurance on it. It also means that I have no backup vehicle ready to roll should the need arise. Also, rust is not a real issue where I live. We have no road salt to deal with, so cars do not rust anywhere near as bad as they do up north. However, I would not buy a Benz right now because I do not want another project. I am even thinking of selling off my Cutlass so that I do not own any project vehicles and can concentrate on nothing but school. Getting out of this business is my top priority right now as it is ruining my life.

As for the Mazda 2, I have considered it, but it will not be available until summer and prices have not been released yet. The same goes for the other soon to be in the US market cars- The Toyota iQ, VW Polo, and Fiat 500. I optimally will do this as soon as I get my tax refund and sell my AMC as I am not sure how much longer I can push that clutch before it goes. So, I am thinking February as the time frame to do this.

 

[drogg1]

I would just like to say that I am disappointed in most of you. Looking at the poll, I cannot believe you'd pick a Ford over the other two. I don't care if it's still American. As this is a GM forum, I cannot condone supporting Ford in anyway. Even if it means supporting Honda or Toyota. Be ashamed, be very ashamed.

 

[supercrackerbox]

I would just like to say that I am disappointed in most of you. Looking at the poll, I cannot believe you'd pick a Ford over the other two. I don't care if it's still American. As this is a GM forum, I cannot condone supporting Ford in anyway. Even if it means supporting Honda or Toyota. Be ashamed, be very ashamed.

These days, I'd likely choose a Ford over GM or Chrysler, and all I own is GMs and Chryslers.

 

[dan2286]

I would just like to say that I am disappointed in most of you. Looking at the poll, I cannot believe you'd pick a Ford over the other two. I don't care if it's still American. As this is a GM forum, I cannot condone supporting Ford in anyway. Even if it means supporting Honda or Toyota. Be ashamed, be very ashamed.

At least Ford knows how to run a company with out needing a bail out :wink: