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2008 is a whole new platform, new V-6(4.0l), six-speed auto is new, reliability is....not new. It's been said before, but transmissions are the weak link, when they go it's never cost-effective to fix 'em, so the van goes to the boneyard. E.F.B
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Jun 26, 2016 03:12
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The 4.0l was essentially just a stroked 3.5l, everything else is the same, didn't even have variable valve timing or anything, so reliability was pretty good. Out of all the minivans only the Toyota could really claim to have a reliable transmission. Compared to Ford, GM and even Honda vans of the same era the Chrysler transmission was probably the best out of a bad bunch.
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Jun 26, 2016 03:26
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Yeah, that's a decent description of them. I'm supporting a fleet and the last of our old-school Mopar minivans died the other day-transmission, of course- but I know our drivers beat the unholy gently caress out of them. I always do the timing belts AT THE PROPER INTERVAL so I guess something had to go. We just got a few new ones with the 3.6 and I'll be curious to see how these hold up.
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Jun 26, 2016 03:49
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Anyone have any opinions on Carmax? Or on their warranty?
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Jun 27, 2016 17:48
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I've had great experiences selling cars to CarMax but have never and probably will never buy anything from them as their prices always seem way high.
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Jun 27, 2016 18:47
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powderific posted:I've had great experiences selling cars to CarMax but have never and probably will never buy anything from them as their prices always seem way high. It varies by car but in CA's nuts used car market they are surprisingly reasonable. Especially considering at the end of the day, they are still a dealership.
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Jun 27, 2016 19:43
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Ammanas posted:It varies by car but in CA's nuts used car market they are surprisingly reasonable. Especially considering at the end of the day, they are still a dealership. Tell me about this nuts used car market.
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Jun 27, 2016 19:48
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FogHelmut posted:Tell me about this nuts used car market. Being the land of optimism every used car gets listed at 'perfect condition' prices whether or not the floorboards are intact.
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Jun 27, 2016 19:53
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Ammanas posted:Being the land of optimism every used car gets listed at 'perfect condition' prices whether or not the floorboards are intact. Note that with the exception of carmax, listing prices are not selling prices. My isdue with carmax is that their no-hagglr prices are basically the same as other places "haggle" prices.
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Jun 27, 2016 20:22
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^^^^ This ^^^^ Who cares about a no haggle policy when it's pricy enough that you could just go to the places where you do haggle, not haggle, and come out ahead?
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Jun 27, 2016 20:34
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I have a couple decidedly not-car-people coworkers from states with CarMax, and they all lament the lack of CarMax here. They think that it's easy and no-hassle and that the warranty is a great deal. And that might be true for not-car-people willing to pay a premium for convenience. But if you know at all what you are doing or looking for, CarMax seems to be on the pricey side from some of the ads I've perused. Unless you're buying a used Land Rover or Aston specifically to take advantage of their warranty...
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Jun 27, 2016 20:40
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powderific posted:^^^^ This ^^^^ Who cares about a no haggle policy when it's pricy enough that you could just go to the places where you do haggle, not haggle, and come out ahead? The answer is 'because dealerships'. Actually speaking of dealerships has anyone done the Costco auto buying thing? How'd that work out
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Jun 27, 2016 21:29
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I haggle at those "no haggle" bullshit places and get deals. While their sale price is set in figurative stone, your trade in can be valued for anything under the sun. Oh, you're asking 14k for the car that worth 12k on a good day? How about you pay me 3k more for that trade in. No? I guess another dealership may be more interested in selling a car today, on December 31st. Yeah, I'll wait for the manager. I've done this at CarMax and Enterprise. But if you're no stranger to haggle, better deals are available in other places. I've only gone to those two because I buy outfitted work vans, and availability is not always a thing.
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Jun 27, 2016 21:44
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I am nearly certain I will be ripped off. How do I avoid this? Edit - my dad and uncle's techniques seem to be yelling and causing a scene in the dealership about how they're being hosed on the price until it comes down enough. FogHelmut fucked around with this message at 22:46 on Jun 27, 2016 |
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Jun 27, 2016 21:54
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Here's another stupid question: there's a better way to search for used cars at dealerships than just looking at individual dealerships' sites, right? Any recommendations?
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Jun 27, 2016 22:29
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I used carguru.com. It's one aggregator among many. I liked the interface.
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Jun 27, 2016 22:41
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FogHelmut posted:I am nearly certain I will be ripped off. How do I avoid this? This is based around new cars - used is similar but a bit trickier since it's a smaller audience. 1. Set an out-the-door price that you are willing to pay for the given car and options. Be honest and realistic about this, but at the very worst it should be something a bit lower than whatever you can get in thirty seconds by throwing fake info at Truecar. 2. Remember that you do not need the car right now. I don't care how bad your car is, if it is literally that bad off you are still better off renting a car and taking at least a day to work on some negotiations here. 3. Email all dealers that carry* your car and ask them for an out-the-door price. Be specific on what you do want, what you don't want, and what you don't care about (i.e. CR-V, must be 2WD LX, can be grey or white but not brown). It helps to clarify that you want this price to include all applicable sales taxes / registration fees / required** fees and no addons. Tell them you will only be negotiating over email, because it's a hell of a lot easier to ignore emails from the dealer that doesn't get your business than it is to ignore phone calls. 4. You might or might not get any offers that are below your target price from step 1. If you don't, reply back to everyone and tell them they need to beat "another dealer's offer of $x", where x is at or below your target price. If someone actually did beat your price, use that price (or less!) as your target in your email to the other dealers, and wait to reply to them until you have a better offer elsewhere. 5. Repeat step 4 until you've got an offer you're happy with. Schedule a time with the dealer to go in and finalize the deal. 6. Inspect the actual car you're buying, even if it's new! I actually goofed on this one, while it hasn't caused me any real problems, there are a couple things I wish I'd caught and would've made them grab me another one instead. 7. Get ready to say "no" a lot. Even though you've already got an "agreed" price, the salesperson and/or finance person will still probably try to upsell you on extended warranties, service plans, paint protection, dealer installed extras, and other poo poo like that. All you have to do is say no. If the dealer suddenly doesn't want to do the original deal you'd agreed to in email, walk on out and go back to step 4. 8. Read the entire agreement and make sure it jives with everything you've done so far. *Outside of test-driving to make sure you like a given make / model / option set, don't waste your time seeing if the dealer actually has your exact car in stock. If it's new, they'll either have it, be able to get it, or make you a better deal on something 'close enough' - or they won't get your business. **A lot of fees are not really required (VIN etching, doc fees) but it seems like wherever the law allows dealers to charge this, dealers will almost universally charge the legal maximum. I've never heard of anyone specifically negotiating that out of a deal, which is why I went with out-the-door price in step 1. I don't care if a dealer wants to sell me the car for $1 and charge $9,999 in doc fees, if the $10k out-the-door price is better than anyone else's out-the-door price. If you follow this, the only real ways you can get "ripped off" are going to be if you didn't do enough research on step 1 and set your goal price way too high, or you get lazy and cheat on that price in step 5, or if you start saying "yes" instead of "no" in step 7. Being physically removed from the dealership helps keep you away from a lot of the traps dealers employ to try and get you to agree to a price higher than you wanted.
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Jun 27, 2016 23:46
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IOwnCalculus posted:The traps dealers employ to try and get you to agree to a price higher than you wanted. I'd like to hear more about these traps. Esp. I'm regards to used cars.
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Jun 28, 2016 00:16
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Thanks for that fantastic post, IOwnCalculus. How much of that still applies to leasing? I know the OP pooh-poohs on leasing but I plan for my next car (June 2017 is when my current lease ends) to be an electric, and as I understand it the purchase value on those things sinks like a loving stone even compared to your average domestic, making leasing better value. That and I have a hopeless thing for new toys don't judge me :C
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Jun 28, 2016 00:19
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Quick one folks, I'm thinking about trading my BA Astina in at tax time for something a bit newer. After a hatch, petrol, 2L, manual, under 5k AUD. Current options I've been looking at are: 1st generation Mazda3, (I'm in Aus, I think you guys called it the Axela) 2nd Gen Ford Focus (same car but different body and interior accouterments) Mazda BJ 323 SP20 Right now I'm leaning towards the Mazda 3, and in fact if I finance a little more I think I'll be able to get an SP23, which had better factory options and a better motor. Is there anything I need to look for with these cars? Most of my experience is with the older BP-powered 323s.
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Jun 28, 2016 02:32
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AriTheDog posted:Anyone have any opinions on Carmax? Or on their warranty? I know 4 different people who have sold cars to Carmax. They are all some variation on "the car only goes into 3rd gear when it is [hot|cold]" or "the radiator blows out if you don't loosen the cap" and have gotten far more money than they should have for the vehicle because the paint is still on it and the carpet has no obvious murder stains. Maybe they're shipping the pristine Los Angeles frames to the rust belt but I have no idea why you get several grand for a saturn with a shot transmission and far north of 100k on the clock.
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Jun 28, 2016 19:35
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H110Hawk posted:I know 4 different people who have sold cars to Carmax. They are all some variation on "the car only goes into 3rd gear when it is [hot|cold]" or "the radiator blows out if you don't loosen the cap" and have gotten far more money than they should have for the vehicle because the paint is still on it and the carpet has no obvious murder stains. Maybe they're shipping the pristine Los Angeles frames to the rust belt but I have no idea why you get several grand for a saturn with a shot transmission and far north of 100k on the clock. I just sold them a vehicle with a motor which the next crank could have been its last (spun rod, chamber scorched), for WAY more than it should have been appraised for. Their concept of pricing cars out the door is somehow equally insane but the warranty is an excellent deal if you find the right car for you and don't think you can haggle it out at another dealership.
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Jun 28, 2016 19:54
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IOwnCalculus posted:**A lot of fees are not really required (VIN etching, doc fees) but it seems like wherever the law allows dealers to charge this, dealers will almost universally charge the legal maximum. I've never heard of anyone specifically negotiating that out of a deal, which is why I went with out-the-door price in step 1. I don't care if a dealer wants to sell me the car for $1 and charge $9,999 in doc fees, if the $10k out-the-door price is better than anyone else's out-the-door price. I spoke with a dealer once who didn't know what "out the door price" meant, wanted to throw doc fees and such on top of that. I left, like right as he was getting paperwork ready. He was pissed, told me to never come back. OKAY. Funny thing is I live almost next door to that place right now.
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Jun 28, 2016 20:20
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blugu64 posted:I'd like to hear more about these traps. Esp. I'm regards to used cars. Creating a false sense of urgency, sunk time costs, things like that. Unless you are buying something exceptionally rare, there is always another option on the market. Dealerships on the whole love to burn your time, because after two+ hours of dicking around they know most people are more willing to say yes even if it's not a number they would've said yes to at the beginning. They're trying to get you to make your decision on an emotional basis rather than a rational one. They're also going to come at you with a starting point of pretty much the worst pricing they offer by any means, because a verbally-discussed offer is something that is very difficult to cross-shop when you're sitting there with them. Anything they put out by any other means - advertised, emailed, TrueCar, Costco, etc - is going to be more aggressive because it can so easily be compared and shopped against. Ciaphas posted:Thanks for that fantastic post, IOwnCalculus. How much of that still applies to leasing? I know the OP pooh-poohs on leasing but I plan for my next car (June 2017 is when my current lease ends) to be an electric, and as I understand it the purchase value on those things sinks like a loving stone even compared to your average domestic, making leasing better value. Here's the thing with new cars: purchased or leased, they're all at least somewhat indulgent. Name nearly any new car on the market, there's going to be either a lightly used version of that exact car, or a lightly used version of a competing car / prior generation car, that will be available for at least somewhat of a discount and will do nearly everything the new one does in the same manner. But there is a value in knowing nobody else has hosed with the car first, in having the full duration of the factory warranty, and in your case, having a latest-tech car with a zero-effort way to get out of the car after your lease term ends. There are people who are far better versed in leasing than I am, but suffice it to say you can negotiate leases just like you can purchases. Some of the numbers are a bit more obfuscated, but when I was looking at leasing a Leaf a few years ago I just told everyone to give me the out-the-door monthly price on a three year term with zero down. Worked well, and the only reason I'm not getting ready to turn in a Leaf today is because of the fact that my office will not install any means for even 120V EV charging. Combine the well-known Leaf battery degradation issues, Arizona weather, and a 50-mile round trip commute, and there was way too much doubt in my mind that I would actually be able to get from home to work and back on a single charge in year 3 of the lease. EVs get a special kick towards leasing as well - the tax credit comes off the front-end so your monthly cost takes that into account, whereas purchasing means you only get that $7500 back after you file your taxes for the year in which you bought the car. At the time I was looking at lease payments that were within $30-50/mo of what I was spending in gasoline alone for my shitbox Ranger, so it was a very tempting deal. VideoTapir posted:I spoke with a dealer once who didn't know what "out the door price" meant, wanted to throw doc fees and such on top of that. I left, like right as he was getting paperwork ready. He was pissed, told me to never come back. OKAY. gently caress dealers that work like that. You'll never get me to set foot (or even email) an Earnhardt dealership for the rest of my life. They insist on the horseshit four square system when "negotiating", they've sold one of my family members a known-salvage car without disclosing it as such (and took it back to avoid the lawsuit), and their service departments are just as lovely. Bill NYSE posted:I just sold them a vehicle with a motor which the next crank could have been its last (spun rod, chamber scorched), for WAY more than it should have been appraised for. Their concept of pricing cars out the door is somehow equally insane but the warranty is an excellent deal if you find the right car for you and don't think you can haggle it out at another dealership. My mom is finally replacing her '02 Trailblazer with a Prius; KBB puts trade-in on the TB at a laughably low $1k. Told her to try Carmax and see what they come back with so she at least has that in her back pocket.
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Jun 28, 2016 20:45
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When we sold my wife's Cobalt last year, we took it to Carmax for an estimate. We ended up getting $1000 more selling it private party.
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Jun 28, 2016 21:21
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Carmax is good if you're trying to unload a ticking time bomb where you'd feel bad selling it to an individual. Otherwise you can usually do better private party or by trading it in, especially if your state reduces the sales tax by the trade in value.
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Jun 28, 2016 21:39
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IOwnCalculus posted:Here's the thing with new cars: purchased or leased, they're all at least somewhat indulgent. Name nearly any new car on the market, there's going to be either a lightly used version of that exact car, or a lightly used version of a competing car / prior generation car, that will be available for at least somewhat of a discount and will do nearly everything the new one does in the same manner. But there is a value in knowing nobody else has hosed with the car first, in having the full duration of the factory warranty, and in your case, having a latest-tech car with a zero-effort way to get out of the car after your lease term ends. Thanks for the reply. It's indulgent, but as I said I've got New Toy Syndrome real bad, and besides which I like the pseudo-guarantee of reliability that a new car brings compared to even a lightly used one. Having a sudden unforeseen car problem on the road is one of my deep irrational fears  I live in southern Nevada so your Arizona weather concerns re: EVs apply to me too. I have a shorter commute at 10 miles one way, though, and 240V in the garage (it abuts my laundry room), so I'm hopeful that degradation and reduced range won't be a problem by the time end-of-lease hits. Anyone else here have an EV in poo poo-tier weather locations like summer Arizona and have any input? Folks better versed in leasing, do you even look at the stickers for cars or do you just ask for the monthly out the door like IOwnCalculus did? Ciaphas fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Jun 28, 2016 |
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Jun 28, 2016 21:55
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Why in the gently caress would anyone do that. True bottom cost of a negotiated commodity is all that matters. By comparing discounted price to a sticker price, you fool yourself into thinking that you're getting a deal. It's part of a mental game dealerships play, don't play along.
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Jun 28, 2016 22:36
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Ciaphas posted:Thanks for the reply. It's indulgent, but as I said I've got New Toy Syndrome real bad, and besides which I like the pseudo-guarantee of reliability that a new car brings compared to even a lightly used one. Having a sudden unforeseen car problem on the road is one of my deep irrational fears There's nothing wrong with this as long as you're honest with yourself about it. A new car is never the cheapest way to go, because if all you care about is minimizing your vehicle expenses, get a used Prius. At 10 miles one way I don't think there's any EV on the market that would have problems with that commute and not charging at work. The Leaf is just notable because it's cheap, it's available in AZ (many of the pure-EV options aren't because we don't have the CA-style legislation for them yet), and it lacks any real battery cooling. I think every other EV on the market has active battery cooling so the batteries don't degrade nearly as badly. On top of that, the EPA-rated range (which is extremely favorable and depends on a lot of city driving with light HVAC use) is only about 100 miles to start with. Some local real-world tests were barely getting 60-65 miles per charge out of a brand new Leaf on the highway.
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Jun 28, 2016 23:33
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Does anyone have an tips on selling a car privately? Like what work is worth doing vs. not?
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Jun 29, 2016 07:37
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Red_Fred posted:Does anyone have an tips on selling a car privately? Like what work is worth doing vs. not? Clean it, thoroughly. If the headlights are clouded, polish them. Take photos during the day, and someplace where you have enough room to get the whole car in frame. Get shots from all four corners, of the interior (front seats, back seats, and dash), and the engine bay. Get shots of any rust or body damage, so you don't waste anyone's time by disappointing someone. Anything you can do yourself without much fuss and which can be easily tested or inspected (accessory belts, brake pads, fluids) is worth doing. Pretty much nothing that you'd have to have done by a mechanic is going to pay off in increased sale price. At best you'll break even, but if there's major scheduled maintenance due (timing belt) it'll probably be easier to sell if you you have it done before you sell it. On that note, anything potentially deal-breaking (alignment issues, unexplained-yet-possibly-serious noises, air conditioning in some places... that's all that springs to mind ATM but I'm sure there's more) should probably be taken care of. Don't put your phone number in the craigslist ad if you don't want to deal with texts from scammers.
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Jun 29, 2016 08:40
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VideoTapir posted:Clean it, thoroughly. If the headlights are clouded, polish them. Take photos during the day, and someplace where you have enough room to get the whole car in frame. Get shots from all four corners, of the interior (front seats, back seats, and dash), and the engine bay. Get shots of any rust or body damage, so you don't waste anyone's time by disappointing someone. Emphasis on the thorough cleaning, interior and exterior. Depending on the car and how bad it is, you may be spending half a day on this or it might be worth your time to hire a detailer. I don't clean engine bays - I personally think a sparkly clean engine bay is a little suspicious vs a "normally" dirty one where you can easily see whether or not there are any oil leaks. The only thing I would add to this is maybe put a google voice or skype number in the ad, and change/delete/abandon it after the sale. I've found some buyers really prefer to text or to talk on the phone for whatever reason.
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Jun 29, 2016 12:37
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Any advice for negotiating with out of state dealerships? The car that I'm looking at is considerably cheaper (at least according to Car Gurus) at dealerships in VA, which is a three hour drive.
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Jun 29, 2016 14:52
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Red_Fred posted:Does anyone have an tips on selling a car privately? Like what work is worth doing vs. not? Just delete the emails with people offering you comical low-ball offers and don't let it bother you. Be prepared to copy/paste your ad into the emails when people ask you how many miles it has or if it's really a honda civic and other core details you mentioned in the ad. It's easier if you don't let any of this raise your blood pressure.
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Jun 29, 2016 15:03
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SerenityNow posted:Any advice for negotiating with out of state dealerships? The car that I'm looking at is considerably cheaper (at least according to Car Gurus) at dealerships in VA, which is a three hour drive. Make sure that isn't just because of taxes you're going to end up paying when you register it in the new state.
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Jun 29, 2016 16:28
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So I just got the call from the insurance company that my immaculately maintained 320k mile Taco has been totaled. I cannot justify another truck, but I think I can justify a new car if it can be run for 20 years and make it to 300k. I think I can justify a base model of something without financing. I understand the concept of maintenance. What should I be looking for? Also, how do I avoid getting lowballed by these insurance fuckers?
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Jun 30, 2016 18:46
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Skinnymansbeerbelly posted:So I just got the call from the insurance company that my immaculately maintained 320k mile Taco has been totaled. [modedit, EPW 5/21/2012] This thread used to be in BFC and was focused on the financial aspects of buying a car. With its move to A/T, I'm adding some guidelines: 1. READ THE OP! 2. If you need a car recommendation, tell us what you're looking for in a car. Here is a template for you to fill out: Proposed Budget: New or Used: Body Style: (e.g. 2 door? 4 door? Compact/Midsize/Fullsize Sedan? Truck? SUV?) How will you be using the car?: (Do you tow things? Haul more than 5 people on a regular basis? Have a super long commute? How are you going to use this vehicle? Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?) What aspects are most important to you? (e.g. reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, import/domestic, MPG, size, style) 3. If you do not live in the U.S. you should probably say so because what's available can vary a lot. [/modedit] For your ins company, try and find other vehicles in your area with similar mileage / condition / age and say here's replacement vehicle costs get me to this amount. tater_salad fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Jun 30, 2016 |
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Jun 30, 2016 20:19
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Budget: 23k ish Prefer new Use: Commuter Miles driven: 20k mi/yr Looking for: Something car-shaped Must haves: Must be capable of getting to 300k mi with regular maintenance
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Jun 30, 2016 20:40
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That's a lot of miles. You should buy a Prius.
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Jun 30, 2016 20:44
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Skinnymansbeerbelly posted:Budget: 23k ish Prius. Prius. Prius. Prius. Prius. Prius.
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Jul 1, 2016 03:44
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