Car Shopping in Grand Forks

[TheShocker]

Grand Forks doesn't offer all that when it comes to a variety of car dealerships. But when I get back I am looking to get me a car. Any dealerships in town you all recommend me checking out? I am hoping to score me something like a 95 Integra when I get back. A good old Civic will do if all else fails

[UAL747400]

Unless you're looking for an appliance car, ie: camery, civic dx, corolla, etc... You're probably not gona have much luck with imports in grand forks. Aw heck, any car for that matter since everything up at the domestic dealers is also the automatic base model of everything. "Yar, I gots me my automatic poop box base model corvette!!!"

[JEP]

here you go for civics:

Civics

Good luck finding an Integra there.

[JaceTheAce]

Originally Posted by JEP

here you go for civics:

Civics

Good luck finding an Integra there.

LOL, here's a 2000 Civic Si like mine, but this one's been molested with rice rocket mods!!! EEEW!! It's so hard to find STOCK Civics and Integras these days. Those cars don't deserve to be modded...but that's my opinion. People can do whatever they want to their cars.

http://www.carsoup.com/used/detail.a...DealerGroupID=

And another molested Si:
http://www.carsoup.com/used/detail.a...DealerGroupID=

Here's a nice stock 2000 Si:
http://www.carsoup.com/used/detail.a...DealerGroupID=

And another:
http://www.carsoup.com/used/detail.a...ealerGroupID=1

I can't believe my car was $16,500 new in 2000 and now in 2006 they're still going for $12,500-13,000. That's Honda resale value for yah! If you want an inexpensive economical car with a little fun factor, get a Civic Si.

Also... look for a Toyota Corolla. Those are great cars and last forever. Try finding an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme that will last you longer than 50,000 miles without the tranny blowing...but then again, I'm preaching to the choir when I say this. I tend to keep cars for a very long time because I become attached to them...so I want something that'll last. My 1983 Honda Accord that my parents gave me when I was 16 in 1997 had 286,000 original miles on it when I sold it two years ago... as long as you take care of the car, the car will take care of you.

[JaceTheAce]

Another thing, I've noticed that cars seem to be way more expensive in the immediate Grand Forks area when sold used. Is there anyway you can search near your home in New York then drive the car back? That'd be a fun road trip.

[TheShocker]

Thanks for the link Jep! Back here in NY, my dad has a 1999 Altima. Not a bad car, but Nissan's seem to be non-existent in Grand Forks. I want to at least get something that our superb Grand Forks mechanics are experienced in taking care of.

[TheShocker]

Hey Jace, I want to get a car in Grand Forks but I wouldn't mind getting one in NY if it isn't too much of a hassle. I want to lock in on cheap ND insurance rates though. Hey, do you have to pay Cali. insurance rates since your car is registered over there, or ND rates since this is where you do most of your driving. Insurance is hefty in NY!

[JaceTheAce]

Originally Posted by TheShocker

Hey Jace, I want to get a car in Grand Forks but I wouldn't mind getting one in NY if it isn't too much of a hassle. I want to lock in on cheap ND insurance rates though. Hey, do you have to pay Cali. insurance rates since your car is registered over there, or ND rates since this is where you do most of your driving. Insurance is hefty in NY!

I can almost guarantee that your insurance will be higher in ND than NY. My insurance was $60 a month in San Diego, CA. Then, when I moved here I was shocked to get quotes for $130-$200 . At that time I found Progressive to be the cheapest for my car - $82 a month.

I think it's higher only because of the fact that it's in ND... for whatever reason people can't drive worth a ##### here...and when winter hits, people in their Ford Excursion F-1,850's think it's a great idea to drive 70MPH in an ice storm because the speed limit is 70MPH...then crash.

Oh yeah... before you buy the car, make sure that your insurance rates will be something you can deal with. One car could be a difference of a lot of money in insurance and ultimately change your final decision in purchasing the car.

[Blue Side Up]

Originally Posted by UAL747400

Unless you're looking for an appliance car, ie: camery, civic dx, corolla, etc... You're probably not gona have much luck with imports in grand forks. Aw heck, any car for that matter since everything up at the domestic dealers is also the automatic base model of everything. "Yar, I gots me my automatic poop box base model corvette!!!"

An automatic corvette could still beat a lot of equipment out on the roads today.

[TheShocker]

Yeah most ND drivers suck ass! But so far from my research, insurance companies think a young driver in ND is a lot safer than one here in NYC. What you qouted of $130-$200 a month was what I got from most companies. NYC its about $800-$1000 for me. "Oh yar, better look out for betsy dontchya know! Slow down so you don't hit that guy already going extremely slow dontcha know."

[Dugie8]

It's not the North Dakotans that can't drive, it is the idiots from down south who think 4WD is a license to go fast on ice. It snowed maybe a half inch in NC over Christmas, you would think there was a gian magnet in the ditches nothing but straight lines of car tracks from the road to the ditch.

I think your insurance rates are a bit off. I paid 100 bucks a month for a two door convertible, V6, blah blah, when I was 21 with a speeding ticket on my record (note to self, radar detector works better when not in mute!).

But yes, go out of GFK to buy, go to MSP or even FAR, better deals. IF you absolutely do not have to have a rice grinding foreign car, check out New Rockford (south of DVL), there is a dealership there that does really good deals and has some nice domestic cars that have been very well taken care of.

[CaptainChris87]

Originally Posted by JEP

here you go for civics:

Civics

Good luck finding an Integra there.

looks like an election elctoral collage chart to me.

[UAL747400]

Originally Posted by Blue Side Up

An automatic corvette could still beat a lot of equipment out on the roads today.

Oh yeah I know. It's not the actual fact of it being an automatic that bothers me. My 67 cougar is an automatic. The 60s mustangs and cougars(not sure on camaros) that were automatics were faster than the manual versions.

With the corvette though, you're really selling yourself short with getting an automatic, especially since the automatic version costs more. That and manuals are always more fun to drive. I mean seriously, there isn't much this side of 300,000 dollars that beats the corvette stock. I'd say there's nothing that does, but I might be forgetting some weird car thats insane for under 300,000.(not including the ariel atom) The automatic version is an insult in my opinion.

[stuckingfk]

My insurance rates are about $65 a month for a 1998 Honda Accord.

That is with some speeding tickets in my lifetime, 3 bastard deer, and 2 accidents.

None were my fault (deer suck).

And I agree with Dugie, it isn't people from this area that suck at driving. It is the bastards that aren' from here who have no #####ten clue how to drive in snow/ice.

I've driven with plenty of out of staters in their home state and they're crazy. Absolutely crazy. My aunt replaced her brakes (from SoCal, Honda Accord) after 15,000 miles. I have 150,000 miles and on my second set. That isn't good driving, it is crazy driving.

Oh yeah, don't forget New York City drivers. It isn't hard to drive when the fastest you can go is 30 mph. All they do is weave in and out of traffic at a slow speed just so they can be 10 feet closer to the next stoplight.

Oh yeah, I HATE TRAFFIC. Denver, all of Florida, LA, Phoenix, Chicago, and NYC all suck.

[TheShocker]

Well traffic in NYC does suck balls! But driving here always keeps ya on your feet. Lots of cars and tiny two way streets here in Queens do make for an interesting combo.

[AngelFuree]

Originally Posted by stuckingfk

I've driven with plenty of out of staters in their home state and they're crazy. Absolutely crazy. My aunt replaced her brakes (from SoCal, Honda Accord) after 15,000 miles. I have 150,000 miles and on my second set. That isn't good driving, it is crazy driving.

Oh yeah, don't forget New York City drivers. It isn't hard to drive when the fastest you can go is 30 mph. All they do is weave in and out of traffic at a slow speed just so they can be 10 feet closer to the next stoplight.

Let's not talk shiiiiiiiiiiiit when you haven't driven in city conditions. I'm stepping in because as crazy as the NYC drivers are, they are MUCH more safer in my opinion. True, I give it to you, they're crazy as ####, and you might not feel comfortable in those driving conditions, however I feel much safer over there than I do here with these ####ty drivers. In short, local drivers' situational awareness on the roads is nill.
If we compare NYC drivers to drivers here...with regards to reaction times I'd say NY drivers are normal and Grand Forks drivers are drunk. GFK drivers' reaction times are like those of a drunk driver...they react a minute after something has happened.
This one time, it was raining (moderate) and I was biking down S. Columbia. I saw THREE accidents in S. Columbia. Six cars damaged, and all three accidents were where they got rear-ended. I couldn't believe it, THREE accidents, two blocks apart from each other for each accident, just because of rain. Rain makes roads slippery, but that's why you learn to drive farther from the car in front of you.
I apologize if I offend, but I really feel these drivers are BAD.

[TheShocker]

But yeah, Grand Forks was the only place I almost got into an accident while being a passenger in a car. Tugrul was driving and a dude was in the right lane and just decided to come into our lane forcing us into oncoming traffic. He then drifted back right straight into a snowbank.

[Blue Side Up]

Worst place i have driven at would have to be either baltimore or washington, dc.

[Dugie8]

I got a question, for all of you guys from bigger cities, how many miles had you driven (as a driver, duh!) by the time you graduated high school.

I had almost 150K under my belt.

[JaceTheAce]

Originally Posted by AngelFuree

Let's not talk shiiiiiiiiiiiit when you haven't driven in city conditions. I'm stepping in because as crazy as the NYC drivers are, they are MUCH more safer in my opinion. True, I give it to you, they're crazy as ####, and you might not feel comfortable in those driving conditions, however I feel much safer over there than I do here with these ####ty drivers. In short, local drivers' situational awareness on the roads is nill.
If we compare NYC drivers to drivers here...with regards to reaction times I'd say NY drivers are normal and Grand Forks drivers are drunk. GFK drivers' reaction times are like those of a drunk driver...they react a minute after something has happened.
This one time, it was raining (moderate) and I was biking down S. Columbia. I saw THREE accidents in S. Columbia. Six cars damaged, and all three accidents were where they got rear-ended. I couldn't believe it, THREE accidents, two blocks apart from each other for each accident, just because of rain. Rain makes roads slippery, but that's why you learn to drive farther from the car in front of you.
I apologize if I offend, but I really feel these drivers are BAD.

I agree with you here about drivers' here. I know that you can't really blame them though because many drivers do come from rural farm areas. For example, many people here seem to not understand that you are allowed to stop, yield, then turn right on a red light. I had a lady with a bonnet on her head (she could of been a Hutterite?) in front of me from Hatton, ND (I'm only assuming since that was what the car dealer decal said) and she sat there for a whole minute waiting for the light to turn green. I communicate with my horn to let her know to "be vigilant" and check your surroundings once more. She kept sitting there. Well, we meet up side by side at another red light a few miles down the road and I exchange some words to let her know that you can turn right on red. She didn't really say much back...so I just shook my head and went on.

I've encountered so many horrible drivers here, but then again I've encountered horrible drivers in CA. Here's what I've observed: Drivers here don't intend to not follow the rules of the road but they have minimal driving skill. Drivers in larger cities intend to NOT follow the rules of the road but they have more driving skill.

So, playing devil's advocate... what can you expect out of a driver from North Dakota when they're used to driving in a straight line all day in an American Pontiac Grand Am only made for those exact conditions?

[UAL747400]

The only thing I really notice when driving in other states, is that the people that have to drive in the snow are better drivers. Get anything other than a slight drizzle in places that don't get snow and people freak out.

For the most part, I think that is true here. Except what I see here is the following:

-More than just a few people that don't know the dimensions of their car. This town is only what, 40,000ish? I encounter more people here that have this problem than I do in my city of 400,000. I HATE it when I have to stop because Joe Shmoe doesn't know how wide his suburban is and doesn't know that has another 6 inches to move over to go around the guy turning left in front of him.

-On coming traffic turning onto the same street at the same time. You know what I mean, one guy's turning left, the oncoming guy is turning right. While I know it's allowed to do by law. It's not safe in practice. ESPECIALLY IN THE FRIGGEN WINTER FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!!!!!!!! I love how people that do this freak out when I fly up to a corner at 30 and cut in front of them into the lane that they're turning into.

-In the winter, I encounter more vigilante assclowns that get ticked off at me drifting in open parking lots and streets. Sorry if you disagree, but the ONLY people that get pissed off at this sort of thing are people that are bad drivers and don't have a clue on how to do anything that I can do. If you're one of those, sorry, you're one of those terrible drivers and need to chill the hell out. I know what I'm doing. You just suck at driving is all. That is 100% true and there's no disagreeing with me on this. If you do disagree, you're probably one of those bad drivers. I'm not doing this stuff in traffic, so what the hell is the problem? It's one thing for the property owner to come out, but some random person doing it is rediculous. "Uh-oh, that guy is out having fun and he's way better than I could ever dream to be, I better go try to stop him". That has to be the thought process of these pricks. I might sound like an angry little man here, but it baffles me that some people dont understand basic car control and get pissed when someone is doing more advanced driving.

That's about all I got for now. I know there's more. Also driving in the winter on the highway is easier than driving in the city. That might be why this town is the exception since more people might drive out in the country.

[JaceTheAce]

Originally Posted by Dugie8

I got a question, for all of you guys from bigger cities, how many miles had you driven (as a driver, duh!) by the time you graduated high school.

I had almost 150K under my belt.

Well, I'm not exactly sure, but I got my 1983 Honda Accord in 1997 when I was 16... that time it had 113,000 miles on it. When I sold it in 2004 it had 286,000... so I think you have me beat!

[JaceTheAce]

Another thing I noticed is a lot more people are yapping on their cell phones then ever before... that's a big pet peeve of mine. One time a friend said "I saw you driving down the road and you didn't answer my phone call"...then I told them kindly how I don't like to answer the phone when I'm driving.

I just can't talk on the phone and drive at the same time. What happens is I put too much attention to driving (the most important part) and I hear little of the phone conversation...and people think I'm not interested in their conversation. Some people...the dangerous kind... put too much attention into the phone conversation and not any on the driving.

[stuckingfk]

Originally Posted by AngelFuree

Let's not talk shiiiiiiiiiiiit when you haven't driven in city conditions. I'm stepping in because as crazy as the NYC drivers are, they are MUCH more safer in my opinion. True, I give it to you, they're crazy as ####, and you might not feel comfortable in those driving conditions, however I feel much safer over there than I do here with these ####ty drivers. In short, local drivers' situational awareness on the roads is nill.
If we compare NYC drivers to drivers here...with regards to reaction times I'd say NY drivers are normal and Grand Forks drivers are drunk. GFK drivers' reaction times are like those of a drunk driver...they react a minute after something has happened.
This one time, it was raining (moderate) and I was biking down S. Columbia. I saw THREE accidents in S. Columbia. Six cars damaged, and all three accidents were where they got rear-ended. I couldn't believe it, THREE accidents, two blocks apart from each other for each accident, just because of rain. Rain makes roads slippery, but that's why you learn to drive farther from the car in front of you.
I apologize if I offend, but I really feel these drivers are BAD.

Do you even drive?

Listen. there are crappy drivers everywhere. I see them everywhere. I've been driving since I was 10 years old and legally at age 14 (drove to school in the 8th grade in my own car). Driven in 35 states (been the one driving).

There is no shortage of crappy drivers. And there never will be. Personally, we need stricter driving requirements for everyone and a special test for women. They're much worse than men!!! OH yeah, get read of smoking and talking on the phone while driving. There would be a lot fewer accidents.

[UAL747400]

What we need to do is make drivers ed like it is in Italy. Getting your drivers license there is dang near like getting your pilots license. You have to know the car's systems, which is no brainer stuff and you even have to change a tire on the driving test. None of that *passing people as long as they can keep the car in between the lane markings and off the curb* crap there.