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Is going south to buy a car an option? The salt on the roads does a job on cars up here so if we buy a used car it always means a trip to NC or similar to get it.
So SMUR. What do you think of the towns you have seen so far? Anything you particularly liked or didn't like? You leaning toward any town in particular?
Just driving around, Derry, Windham, Pelham, and Atkinson look good. Our first visit to Kingston left us unimpressed, but on second try we found better-looking properties and neighborhoods. North Salem and Plaistow also appear good. The newer developments in Kingston looked a tad bit on the pretentious side, and had a bit too much front yard. However, being new, these houses might be easier to resell if and when that need arises.
I guess we will have to reserve judgment until we see the inside of these houses, but from a geographical-position point of view, Derry and Kingston probably seem better. (To my surprise, Kingston is equidistant, ~23miles, from Manchester, Nashua, and Portsmouth.)
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As far as the car stuff goes. Don't know what type of car you like but my family has always had very good luck with Toyota Rav 4's and Honda CRVs. Both are excellent cars that give you the 4WD you will need for New Enlgand weathers plus the cargo space for grocery shopping and other errands where space is needed without having to spend a fortune on gas.
While I guess I can't come out and recommend a specific dealer by name I would look at a dealership In Bow that begins with a G and has both Honda and Toyota. They are pretty reputable.
Oh and just some general car buying advice. Car dealerships have quotas for their salespeople that must be met. If you go car shopping on a Monday or Tuesday you are much, much more likely to get a better deal because the number of people shopping for a car on a Monday or Tuesday is much lower than it is on a Saturday or a Sunday so the salespeople will be more desperate to close a deal on those days whereas on the weekend they are getting a steady stream of people coming in all day long.
Thanks for the tips on cars. We notice that Subaru's are quite popular around NH (and see why) and we have always wanted to own a Subaru. But, we are going to let our cost and quality consciousness drive the choice; instead of a brand.
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Originally Posted by FrugalYankee
Is going south to buy a car an option? The salt on the roads does a job on cars up here so if we buy a used car it always means a trip to NC or similar to get it.
I am afraid I might not have understood your thought completely: I believe you are recommending not buying a used car in NH; but rather buy it in a state south of NH. If that is what you were recommending, any suggestions on a state/city?
On the car note, I will second db77's recommendation about the CRV. my wife has one with 120k on it and it looks and feels like a brand new car. nothing but brake pads, oil and tires and it runs perfectly. Its great in the snow with the AWD and big enough to hold 4 full size adults plus gear. For what it is, its an amazing car.
I am afraid I might not have understood your thought completely: I believe you are recommending not buying a used car in NH; but rather buy it in a state south of NH. If that is what you were recommending, any suggestions on a state/city?
It's not as much about choosing a city as it is about choosing a car. And you can't go wrong with a vehicle like a Subaru outback. Once you've decided on the car, use a website like Autotrader or even Ebay, where many professional dealers list vehicles to find a good deal on a southern car. That's how we do it and NC is good because even an older car won't have rust damage anywhere near what a car of similar age up here would have.
Thanks for the tips on cars. We notice that Subaru's are quite popular around NH (and see why) and we have always wanted to own a Subaru. But, we are going to let our cost and quality consciousness drive the choice; instead of a brand.
We had a 2003 Subaru Outback Wagon. Biggest POS I ever had the misfortune of owning. I know some people swear by Subaru but we had nothing but misery and bills with ours. The repairs are much more expensive than Honda and Toyota and the body/build quality is inferior to both of those brands in my opinion. The cost of owning that car was literally double the cost of any of the Hondas and Toyotas we've owned. We will never buy another.
We had a 2003 Subaru Outback Wagon. Biggest POS I ever had the misfortune of owning. I know some people swear by Subaru but we had nothing but misery and bills with ours. The repairs are much more expensive than Honda and Toyota and the body/build quality is inferior to both of those brands in my opinion. The cost of owning that car was literally double the cost of any of the Hondas and Toyotas we've owned. We will never buy another.
Wow, sorry to hear that I've never had bad luck with the ones I've owned.
FrugalYankee: I agree with you that the choice of car has to come first. Just to confirm, by NC, do you mean North Carolina?
Besides choosing a make of the car to purchase (and then where to purchase), my concern is that I have no real experience buying a car from a dealer (or an unknown individual). Perhaps my fear (of getting ripped off) is unfounded, and just a professional inspection before I purchase the car will do. Anyway, I still welcome recommendations on who to purchase a car from and who to get it inspected from (especially if it is in yet another state such as NC ). I have enabled private messaging and e-mailing on my account so I can receive that information without breaking the rules of these forums.
BTW, how much should I expect to pay for a professional inspection of a car?
On another note, my wife and I scouted Brookline today (went West for a change) and found a few appealing properties. (As of now, we haven't found any Hollis property that meets our needs.)
We had a 2003 Subaru Outback Wagon. Biggest POS I ever had the misfortune of owning. I know some people swear by Subaru but we had nothing but misery and bills with ours. The repairs are much more expensive than Honda and Toyota and the body/build quality is inferior to both of those brands in my opinion. The cost of owning that car was literally double the cost of any of the Hondas and Toyotas we've owned. We will never buy another.
Agreed. Have a 2001 Subaru Forester and have had problems with it that I have never had with the Toyotas or Hondas I have owned... I'd look at the Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV for AWD....
SMUR - you've mentioned a lot about what you are looking for in a town as far as safety, cost, proximity to basic needs (e.g. shopping) and things like that, which are obviously all really important considerations. It sounds like the quality of the school systems are not an issue for you, so that really opens up the options quite a bit.
Having lived in NH my whole life and in a variety of regions (Lakes Region, Seacoast area, Nashua area), I'm wondering if you also have a preference as far as the type of setting/"vibe" a given town/area has, as personally this issue has greatly affected my own satisfaction in the different places I've lived within this state.
To that end...
Any interest in being close or farther out from the seacoast, or does that not matter? Does it matter to you whether you are close to a city with a pleasant, walkable downtown area, or are you fine with just being close to strip mall types of conveniences? Do you prefer the idea of living in a town with an aesthetically-pleasing town center and neighborhoods, or does that not really matter? Is it important to you whether the town you actually live in is rural or more suburban/urban-ish (can't really say "urban" with any seriousness in NH )?
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I've never had bad luck with the ones I've owned.
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