|
I haven't bought from CarMax (only appraisal to sell), but multiple family members have and they have been universally happy with the experience. My brother in law in particular is financially savvy and smart, but is very busy with work and three kids. I think he just found sufficient value in the no nonsense low stress experience. They were also extremely patient and kind with my mother in law, who took ages and looked at countless cars, decided she didn't like arbitrary features, etc. I couldn't imagine doing the same at a traditional car dealer, let alone driving between multiple lots to cross shop.
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2020 20:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 3, 2024 11:05 |
|
|
Proposed Budget: $25,000 - $30,000 New or Used: Used (1 owner under 25,000 miles) Body Style: 4 door sedan or mid-size SUV. I've only driven coupes and sedans in my younger days, but it may be time... How will you be using the car?: Probably for about 5 years. I currently commute 11,000 miles a year just to work. I do most of our driving on trips or vacations as well. I'd guesstimate about 16,000 miles / year. We are expecting our first child in May. I need something that can house a car seat and all the the fun stuff that comes with a child. I will bring the car seat and stroller with for test drives to help evaluate remaining space. My looming concern is if/when we have a second child down the road. We would potentially need something to accommodate two kids and their stuff. The good news is that my wife's car will probably be ready to be changed when that time comes so that may be precautionary on my part. What aspects are most important to you? I'd like something that is reasonably fun to drive, has a little pep, has "enough" space, and isn't a giant gas hog. Technological goodies are good. Premium sound system is good. Leather is good. Heated seats/steering wheel are good. Cooled seats along with apple car play would be a plus, but not a total deal breaker. Most of the trims for said vehicles I am looking at are the higher end ones, so they generally come with all the modern safety features. So with all that being said, in my research I am considering the following vehicles to test drive: - 2018+ GMC Terrain Denali - I honestly don't know a drat thing about GMC - 2018+ Honda Accord Touring 2.0T - a friend has this year and the backseat is cavernous for a sedan. I don't have car seat worries, but will test that out in person. - 2018+ Kia Stinger Premium 2.0T AWD - I know we have one or two owners in this thread from lurking (albeit it they have the more fun model I think). - 2017 - 2018 Subaru Forester 2.0 XT Touring - dated infotainment, not the best looking SUV I've ever seen. Other potential considerations: - 2018+ Buick Regal Tour X - pretty rare to find one of the higher end packages. - 2017+ Ford Edge (Sport?) - basically a Fusion. I currently have a 2013 Fusion Titanium 2.0T AWD. - 2018+ Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring Reserve - pretty impossible to find a lightly used one of the turbo CX-5's (especially under $30K). - 2017+ Nissan Murano Platinum - Nissan doesn't seem to go over well here. I had a 2008 Atima 3.5 SE prior to my Fusion, and had no major issues. - It seems that the Accord is slightly better rated than the Camry XSE and Mazda6 Grand Touring Reserve/Signature. I'd love to drive those, but I feel like the Honda has the bigger backseat based off what I've read. TL;DR I'm gonna be a new dad and am due for a newer vehicle. I'd like something that is reasonably fun to drive, has a decent amount of space that I may need in the future, and has respectable tech goodies/audio system. Are there any cars I should scratch off my list, or any cars that I may have overlooked that would be worth checking out in person? Thanks in advance!
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2020 02:23
|
|
|
Good list. Since you have sedans on the list, I'll focus on those as you'll get more for your money in a sedan than an SUV. Spend the money that you're saving there on a set of winter tires for your car. You can definitely get a new Accord or Mazda6 with the big motor into your budget if you can live with cloth seats. It may be possible to squeeze the leather trims into your budget. The Accord's styling would be worth dealing with for the big trunk and ample rear legroom for today's Nimitz-class child seats. The new Hyundai Sonata will satisfy your tech wants, but you may find the performance lacking since Hyundai hasn't released the big motor Sonata yet. If you have to have an SUV, the latest CR-Vs are worth a look. I will throw in the V8 Dodge Charger and Cadillac CTS V-Sport as wildcards. Why settle for a 4-cylinder Korean Dodge Charger when you can have the real thing? The CTS V-Sport is a better sports sedan than the contemporary BMW 5-Series, but the trunk and backseat may be too tight for you, and you will have to spend at least an extra grand to update CUE to be CarPlay-compatible.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2020 04:58
|
|
|
I'm going to say the V8 charger probably runs afoul of the "not a giant gas hog" issue. Definitely bring a car seat if you're test driving a Stinger - the hatch means they can fit a decent amount of cargo, but there isn't a massive amount of rear seat room. It's still a compact luxury car, after all. The solution is obviously a used E class wagon. Rear facing jump seats! Don't do this. But totally do this. But don't.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2020 05:13
|
|
|
My friend is considering buying a 2015 Ram 1500 to replace his Chevy Trailblazer. He's more than competent as a backyard mechanic, but asked me for some advice on if there are any known issues to look for. It has the 3.6 Pentastar with about 130,000 miles. Extended cab with a short bed. Seller is asking for 7k. He's going to test drive it tomorrow and give it a good looking over, so any advice is appreciated. This is mostly going to be used to tow his boat around town.
KillHour fucked around with this message at 00:18 on Mar 4, 2020 |
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2020 00:02
|
|
|
Loan Dusty Road posted:Yeah, carmax is fine. Just do your best to bring your own financing. Carmax makes the majority of their money on in-house lending. They won't rip you off, but they will charge roughly 1% more than a credit union would. Ignore them when they say they can work with your bank, because they will always give you their own rates and not show you the others. I got 0.2% better on their in-house financing than I could find anywhere else, even comparing against "as low as" advertised rates, so I went with theirs. But otherwise yes I would agree that they (in general) deliver on a low-bullshit experience, though it still took nearly two loving hours of paperwork and whatnot to actually buy my Canyon.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2020 00:25
|
|
|
Godzilla07 posted:You can definitely get a new Accord or Mazda6 with the big motor into your budget if you can live with cloth seats. It may be possible to squeeze the leather trims into your budget. The lightly used leather trims are doable for both. I figured I would start with the Accord knowing the Mazda's back seat would be smaller. I assume it's comparable to my Fusion. Mazda Signature does come with a nice brown interior option (so does the Forester XT surprisingly!) KillHour posted:I'm going to say the V8 charger probably runs afoul of the "not a giant gas hog" issue. Yeah a V8 RWD sedan won't work unfortunately. I originally considered some sport sedans like the Q50 and A4, but between maintenance costs and space (looking at you IS300), I changed my tune.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2020 02:14
|
|
|
KillHour posted:My friend is considering buying a 2015 Ram 1500 to replace his Chevy Trailblazer. He's more than competent as a backyard mechanic, but asked me for some advice on if there are any known issues to look for. It has the 3.6 Pentastar with about 130,000 miles. Extended cab with a short bed. Seller is asking for 7k. He's going to test drive it tomorrow and give it a good looking over, so any advice is appreciated. This is mostly going to be used to tow his boat around town. I manage the repair end of a good-sized fleet of state vehicles, and we have four 2015 Grand Caravan wheelchair-ramp vans and two 2016 Dodge Ram 1500’s with the 3.6. In the four years we’ve had ‘em, we’ve had four valvetrain failures (three required new heads and were covered under warranty in two cases)and two failed variable-displacement oil pumps. The valvetrain issues required multiple trips to several dealers before we found one that would quit dicking around and fix it correctly. One of the trucks with multiple issues only has 45K miles on it. These engines are by far the most unreliable powerplants that I’ve seen in many years; similar vehicles with the 3.6 GM and 3.5/3.7 Ford V-6’s have been exemplary in terms of holding up under basically rental-car treatment. I realize that anecdotes are not data, but the fact that multiple vehicle types and years display the same issues makes me very nervous about the drat things. Fake edit: there’s no pattern to the head issues- some are the left side, others were the right.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2020 15:52
|
|
|
Inner Light posted:Check out Mazda3. KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:seconding Mazda3. Did my test drive, and yeah, you guys were onto something. Unfortunately, it was a 2020 Mazda3 with the windshield heads-up display, and man, now I want that but I do not want to jump my budget another 25%.
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 16:52
|
|
|
I've had my car with a heads up display for a year now and I don't know how to read my speed via the gauge and I am perpetually confused in a car without it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 17:13
|
|
|
lol if you don't just drive as fast as you reasonably can in all situations and need a number to tell you when you're going fast enough. (hint, you should probably go faster) That said. Car Dealerships have a really hard time understanding "4-6 month" timeframes I give them when I talk about shopping cars. Really getting sick of dealing with these bumblefucks. How do I just engage a car buyer to do this for me?
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 17:44
|
|
|
I would guess that dealerships don't give a gently caress about you if you aren't buying a car in the next week or two.
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 17:49
|
|
|
Uthor posted:I would guess that dealerships don't give a gently caress about you if you aren't buying a car in the next week or two. I wish they didn't give a gently caress. I've been getting daily phone calls and emails from a bunch of local dealers after I just gave the basic info to see their online inventories (including the info that I am in the 4-6 month window).
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 18:07
|
|
|
I spent roughly a week trying to convince myself that it wasn't stupid to buy a Type R, and then I found out how much daycare is going to cost a month. So that's right out the window. At the moment, I'm comparing used Focus STs, Civic SIs, and GTIs at ~30k miles or less. Are there any major reasons to prefer the Si over the ST or GTI? There are far more STs & GTIs than Sis (nearly no Sis within 200mi, vs ~10 of the others), and even with the radius extended to 500mi, prices on the Sis are several thousand more for comparable mileage than the STs and GTIs. All the reviews for the ST I'm finding are excellent, and I know the GTI has been something of a gold standard for years. I like the Si interior more than the ST (haven't sat in a GTI yet), but at the same time Honda's infotainment system makes my blood boil, so accepting the Sts monolith of black plastic may be preferable. Other than that, I don't see a compelling reason to pay more for a 2017 Si than a comparable ST/GTI.
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 18:17
|
|
|
The extra price for the Si is the "Honda fanboy tax." Both the ST and the GTi are great - the GTi is more "adult" and the ST is more "fun" I guess.
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 18:22
|
|
|
The ST is more fun but the interior is significantly less practical than the GTi.
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 18:52
|
|
|
KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:The ST is more fun but the interior is significantly less practical than the GTi. Can you expand on this a little? The total cubic dimensions didn't feel too far off, so I'm wondering what this means.
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 18:54
|
|
|
The GTI is also a VW, which means that maintenance cost will be increased quite a bit over a eg. Honda. I wouldn't recommend a GTI unless you're doing your own maintenance and repairs. Otherwise they're all fine cars. Gonna throw in for Honda tho just based on my own experiences working on and driving compacts, but the Focus is close.
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 19:20
|
|
|
Sextro posted:I wish they didn't give a gently caress. I've been getting daily phone calls and emails from a bunch of local dealers after I just gave the basic info to see their online inventories (including the info that I am in the 4-6 month window).
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 19:33
|
|
|
The Wonder Weapon posted:Can you expand on this a little? The total cubic dimensions didn't feel too far off, so I'm wondering what this means. the space is better utilized on the GTI. go sit in both. especially with the recaros the ST feels tight. just a lot of kind of uselessly consumed space. source: was ST owner now am Golf platform owner. hot cocoa on the couch posted:The GTI is also a VW, which means that maintenance cost will be increased quite a bit over a eg. Honda. I wouldn't recommend a GTI unless you're doing your own maintenance and repairs. Otherwise they're all fine cars. Mark 7 reliability seems to be perfectly fine. the DSG has more expensive services than the manual transmission. as with most german cars VWs can be fussy if they don't receive their routine maintenance.
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2020 21:48
|
|
|
Sextro posted:I wish they didn't give a gently caress. I've been getting daily phone calls and emails from a bunch of local dealers after I just gave the basic info to see their online inventories (including the info that I am in the 4-6 month window). I am confused by your post... First, don't give a dealership your phone # unless you want frequent calls. Every dealer uses CRM software which will prompt their reps to call you on a regular basis to goad into a sale, your phone number is the most valuable type of sales lead they can get. They won't delete your number or stop calling unless you ask. Second, why would you need to give a number to see inventory? Use cars.com, autotrader, or dealer sites.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2020 02:30
|
|
|
Inner Light posted:I am confused by your post... I used dealer sites, they'd prompt me to fill in info to see their prices rather than just the MSRP. I know it was just a scam to get my info, but I figured they'd have the brain power to pay attention to the box where I said I was 4 to 6 months away from making a purchase.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2020 17:28
|
|
|
Sextro posted:I used dealer sites, they'd prompt me to fill in info to see their prices rather than just the MSRP. I know it was just a scam to get my info, but I figured they'd have the brain power to pay attention to the box where I said I was 4 to 6 months away from making a purchase. It's kind of like email spam. It doesn't cost them much to call you, but in 1 out of 100 cases it pays off. In other words, they're doing the rational thing for the short-term.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2020 18:37
|
|
|
Thermopyle posted:It's kind of like email spam. It doesn't cost them much to call you, but in 1 out of 100 cases it pays off. Haha, jokes on them. I have a list of dealers who called me after I had already told them, on the phone, that I wasn't making a purchase any time soon. These are dealers I won't buy from.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2020 18:43
|
|
|
They don't want you. You're going to make their life hell. They want an easy sale at MSRP.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2020 18:46
|
|
|
How bad of an idea is it to buy one of the non-turbo R55 Mini's? I want to convert a gen 1 Clubman into a Clubvan because I want a tiny panel van that's fun to drive My budget is max $10k, but of course I'd like to spend ~$4k less than that if I've got the chance. I'm also looking at Scion xB's and xD's, but I like the styling and performance aspects of the Mini so much more
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2020 19:08
|
|
|
The Door Frame posted:How bad of an idea is it to buy one of the non-turbo R55 Mini's? I want to convert a gen 1 Clubman into a Clubvan because I want a tiny panel van that's fun to drive Do you like paying BMW parts prices with classic Mini durability? Then buy a Mini. Personally, my experience has been that they're fun medium-sized cars, but have a thousand little niggling issues that cost a bunch to fix, and regularly break again. My buddy with one went through like 10 door handle trims and speaker trims because they'd break all the time, mostly on the passenger's door. Why?  IIRC, he also had cooling system issues, which is expected because BMW.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2020 21:05
|
|
|
Go watch the ETCG Mini series on YouTube and see if that's labor bullshittery you either want to deal with or pay for.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2020 21:29
|
|
|
Man, why does responsibility have to be so boring. I guess I can get another Scion
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2020 00:48
|
|
|
The Door Frame posted:Man, why does responsibility have to be so boring. I guess I can get another Scion Ew, to each their own though I suppose. Subaru WRX? Mazda3?
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2020 03:00
|
|
|
Inner Light posted:Ew, to each their own though I suppose. Low wagon/5dr hatch that's small for city work, with a manual transmission, flat roof, and square trunk. I've got the Cube, Clubman, Soul, xD, xB, and the V70 if I can find one of the rare manuals
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2020 17:08
|
|
|
Mazda5 base model?
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2020 17:28
|
|
|
V70s aren’t exactly small if you’re really wanting something compact — my XC-70 was about the same length as my GX-470 and has almost exactly the same wheelbase (though the gx is obviously way taller and like 1000 lbs heavier).
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2020 20:09
|
|
|
Proposed Budget: 5K give or take New or Used: lol Body Style: any How will you be using the car?: My 16 yo sister (I'm in my late 30s) is buying a car. So it'll be to get around town. Go to highschool. Etc. What aspects are most important to you? Reliability. Gas mileage (she didn't say this but I'm gonna include it on her behalf because she doesn't know any better). Speaker system (I can help her with this via aftermarket stuff so ignore) General aesthetics. She says she's willing to drive manual. I think she maybe leans towards SUVs. The cars she sent to me was 07 Caliber. O7 Vue. 10 Cobalt. I think maybe the Cobalt is ok? What should she look for? Civic/Carolla/Camry/Accord? Maybe a Focus? Are Gen 2 Prius a risky proposition?
|
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2020 23:57
|
|
|
TheReverend posted:Proposed Budget: 5K give or take My fiancée had a stripper model Cobalt. It’s a rolling GM parts bin. Ours had no power locks, no power windows, but the stereo was surprisingly decent. Headlights were poo poo and there were a ton of recalls on the power steering. Also the alignment went to poo poo a couple times. Bought for 4500 at a Carmax, drove it for 2 years and then sold it for 4000 to a goon and we got a Subaru. It’s a boring car but she’ll appreciate other cars so much better after a Cobalt
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2020 00:31
|
|
|
Yeah I'm gonna push her down the Civic lane unless smarter goons tell me not to.
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2020 01:17
|
|
|
The Door Frame posted:Low wagon/5dr hatch that's small for city work, with a manual transmission, flat roof, and square trunk. I've got the Cube, Clubman, Soul, xD, xB, and the V70 if I can find one of the rare manuals golf is pretty square as are the wagon variants. the mk7 is decently reliable although not on Toyota levels obviously TheReverend posted:Proposed Budget: 5K give or take you are talking about a car for a sixteen year old. safety should be the absolute #1 priority. as a result you need at minimum traction/stability control (i am pretty sure it was not on the Caliber in 07, for example), abs + EBD. nice to have would include side airbags and a more modern crash structure. it should also be slow and dull to drive. the prius is probably perfect, it's reliable, safe, and boring. the aesthetics are terrible but - she is spending five thousand dollars on her first car. compromises must be made. newer is almost certainly better, there have been some big shifts in both passive and active safety technology in the last decade or so. it's probably too cheap for her to get active safety features, but in about 2009-2012 depending on brand and platform, most of the newer platforms came out with significantly more high strength and ultra high strength steel in the unibody, which is very useful in a crash. the caliber is a hateful piece of poo poo that i wouldn't wish on Ted Cruz.
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2020 14:12
|
|
|
TheReverend posted:Yeah I'm gonna push her down the Civic lane unless smarter goons tell me not to. you have to go older on a civic and you will probably miss out on some safety features. you can get a roughly five year old chevrolet cruze in that price range, and you're looking at least at a 10 year old civic in the same price range. the civic is probably a better car in all respects other than safety, but again - that should be your number one concern with a sixteen year old new driver.
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2020 14:16
|
|
|
KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:the caliber is a hateful piece of poo poo that i wouldn't wish on Ted Cruz. I know you're being sarcastic, but Ted Cruz should have to commute from Texas to DC on a tiny tricycle a'la Pee-wee Herman that is set up to shock him in the balls with a taser on random and unpredictable intervals. On the way back, he can crawl over fish hooks and broken glass.
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2020 14:22
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 3, 2024 11:05 |
|
|
Is that better than driving a Caliber?
|
|
#
?
Mar 9, 2020 14:31
|
|