Big Buckin' agate_monkey
Active Member
In my last car purchase, I made the mistake of not doing as much homework as I should. I made the mistake of not taking a couple days before purchasing. I let the dealer dictate the deal, when I should have backed away. And because of that, I got into a car on a cold December afternoon. Three months later, I realized it didn't have air conditioning.
First, I asked myself, "Who the **** makes a 2005 without A/C?" Mazda does, that's who. My heart sank. How could I have done this? I had researched cars and car values and the CR best buys for four months leading up to that purchase. But this Mazda 3 came out of no where. I wasn't prepared.
"Damn it," I said. "This outta be fun. Black car, 100-degree, 95-percent-humidity weather in July and August. Good times." I convinced myself we'd only have three weeks of unbearable heat. I could deal with three weeks.
We had more than three weeks of unbearable heat. So I told myself, while my 6-foot-1 frame dripped profusely in sweat in that black Mazda 3 one summer afternoon, I would look the last week of 2007 to find a vehicle. They say that's a good time to buy. This time, though, it's on my terms. I do like the Mazda 3. It's a great car with great ratings from CR. But I have a desire to get in something a little bigger. If I find the right deal, I'll look into it. But I'm not going to force the issue.
So for the last few months I've scoured the local dealership ads, websites and lots. A couple weeks ago at the local Honda dealership, the website claimed a 2005 Honda CRV and a 2005 Toyota RAV4. Both are models I've been considering, both are in my price range and both have under 50,000 miles.
I took them for test drives last night. I drove away in the Mazda 3 liking the CRV better. But I visited the local Borders to check out the CR on both cars again. The '05 CRV is the only one in a 6- or 7-year span with a black mark. And it's on the drive train. The CRV does have a 100,000 mile warranty (it currently has 47,000 miles). The RAV4 has no black marks.
That's a lot of background for one question, but ... Anyone have either a CRV or RAV4? What are your experiences?
First, I asked myself, "Who the **** makes a 2005 without A/C?" Mazda does, that's who. My heart sank. How could I have done this? I had researched cars and car values and the CR best buys for four months leading up to that purchase. But this Mazda 3 came out of no where. I wasn't prepared.
"Damn it," I said. "This outta be fun. Black car, 100-degree, 95-percent-humidity weather in July and August. Good times." I convinced myself we'd only have three weeks of unbearable heat. I could deal with three weeks.
We had more than three weeks of unbearable heat. So I told myself, while my 6-foot-1 frame dripped profusely in sweat in that black Mazda 3 one summer afternoon, I would look the last week of 2007 to find a vehicle. They say that's a good time to buy. This time, though, it's on my terms. I do like the Mazda 3. It's a great car with great ratings from CR. But I have a desire to get in something a little bigger. If I find the right deal, I'll look into it. But I'm not going to force the issue.
So for the last few months I've scoured the local dealership ads, websites and lots. A couple weeks ago at the local Honda dealership, the website claimed a 2005 Honda CRV and a 2005 Toyota RAV4. Both are models I've been considering, both are in my price range and both have under 50,000 miles.
I took them for test drives last night. I drove away in the Mazda 3 liking the CRV better. But I visited the local Borders to check out the CR on both cars again. The '05 CRV is the only one in a 6- or 7-year span with a black mark. And it's on the drive train. The CRV does have a 100,000 mile warranty (it currently has 47,000 miles). The RAV4 has no black marks.
That's a lot of background for one question, but ... Anyone have either a CRV or RAV4? What are your experiences?
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