AI meets BFC: Car Buying Thread: No Rentals and No Salvage Titles

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > AI meets BFC: Car Buying Thread: No Rentals and No Salvage Titles

«‹›881 »

JAY ZERO SUM GAME: Oct 18, 2005; Walter.
I know you know how to do this.
Get up.

A while back if I ask if Carvana was legit.

For anyone else considering it, I'm pretty happy. Car was exactly as described, got checked out at dealer, found no issues. Delivery was great, delivery driver was great, etc. The only knock was that they were obviously in a hurry detailing it, because the spray wax or whatever they used was all over the place; an easy fix. Given my market (NYC) the prices were pretty competitive for the car (Mazda3). Ended up with a 2017 Mazda 3 with every available option in the Grand Touring package, about 18k miles, and paid just under $19k for it.

Please continue telling that guy he doesn't understand tax code, thank you.

# ? Oct 19, 2020 18:20

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# ? Jun 10, 2024 18:39

BigRoman: Jun 19, 2005

I moved this post from AI:

I'm poor and purchasing my first new car. I have no idea what I'm doing and don't want to be ripped off.

Its a 2021 Hyundai Accent (automatic IVT - I never learned how to drive a standard).

Here is the deal I was offered. I feel like they made (I told them I needed a week to think about it)

MSRP: $17,370.00 <=== this seems higher, than the SE CVT as advertised on the company website listed at $16,495.00
- Selling Price: $16,678.00
- Rebate: $1,000.00
So: $15,678.00 is the base cost.
Govt Fee: $345.00
Proc/Doc Fee: $499.00
Lifetime BPP Purchase $1,195.00 <===this seems to be some service add-on that I can refuse, I am strongly considering removing it
Total Taxes: $1,102.32
So: $18,819.00 total

I'm putting a little over 20% down on a 60 month loan at a pretty decent rate (under 3%). I'm confident I can make the monthly payments on this.

I'm just looking for a small, affordable car to commute and make the occasional long distance holiday trip to visit family. No kids.

Is this a good deal for me? Let me know what you guys think.

# ? Oct 20, 2020 06:05

IOwnCalculus: Apr 2, 2003

BigRoman posted:

Its a 2021 Hyundai Accent (automatic IVT - I never learned how to drive a standard).

Govt Fee: $345.00
Proc/Doc Fee: $499.00
Lifetime BPP Purchase $1,195.00 <===this seems to be some service add-on that I can refuse, I am strongly considering removing it

It's 2020, you don't need to justify not driving a manual anymore. They're dead for anyone who isn't a car nerd.

Government fees are probably legit, doc fees vary slightly by dealer but it's rare that a dealer doesn't charge whatever the local maximum is. I've never had any luck getting them negotiated away directly because it's just the dealer padding the bottom line and they all loving do it.

Skip any sort of warranties / service plans. They won't sell them up front unless they expect you to pay more now than they will over the time they cover the car . Modern cars are reliable and super cheap to maintain.

# ? Oct 20, 2020 06:23

skipdogg: Nov 29, 2004; Resident SRT-4 Expert

BigRoman posted:

I moved this post from AI:

I'm poor and purchasing my first new car. I have no idea what I'm doing and don't want to be ripped off.

Its a 2021 Hyundai Accent (automatic IVT - I never learned how to drive a standard).

Here is the deal I was offered. I feel like they made (I told them I needed a week to think about it)

MSRP: $17,370.00 <=== this seems higher, than the SE CVT as advertised on the company website listed at $16,495.00
- Selling Price: $16,678.00
- Rebate: $1,000.00
So: $15,678.00 is the base cost.
Govt Fee: $345.00
Proc/Doc Fee: $499.00
Lifetime BPP Purchase $1,195.00 <===this seems to be some service add-on that I can refuse, I am strongly considering removing it
Total Taxes: $1,102.32
So: $18,819.00 total

I'm putting a little over 20% down on a 60 month loan at a pretty decent rate (under 3%). I'm confident I can make the monthly payments on this.

I'm just looking for a small, affordable car to commute and make the occasional long distance holiday trip to visit family. No kids.

Is this a good deal for me? Let me know what you guys think.

The deal seems fine to me. Not much markup on inexpensive cars. Edmund says there�s 415 dollars between msrp and invoice. The price difference you�ve noticed is the website doesn�t include the freight/destination charge.

Skip the BPP and all other dealer add ons and it�s a perfectly reasonable deal.

Follow the factory service recommendations and the car should last you a very long time.

# ? Oct 20, 2020 06:59

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

-Zydeco- posted:

I need someone to tell me if I'm being stupid

I have a 2000 Jeep Cherokee and I had a 2000 Lexus LS400 that was my DD until a deer totaled it last year. Now the Jeep is getting noticeably more ragged and I'm kind of getting nervous about it being my only vehicle so I've started shopping around.

Proposed Budget: $10,000
New or Used: Used
Body Style: 4 door sedan
How will you be using the car?: DD for a short commute and 16 hour drives from the Midwest to either coast 2/year.
Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?: I want luxury comfort. Don't care about gizmos.
What aspects are most important to you?: Comfort and at least not hating the exterior looks

I found a 2003 Jaguar XJ8 that meets my criteria, but I'm not sure how reliable it would be since Jaguar has such a bad reputation that it's hard to separate fact from fiction post sale to Ford.

The car is rust free, has some minor paint roughness around the headlights, and has the headliner coming down. The dealer said they would have the headliner repaired before I bought it, though I have to ask for how long the fix would be guaranteed. No strange noises, and everything inside works. I think the price is high, but I'm willing to deal with that since it only has 60K miles, it's within my budget, and honestly I really love how these cars look. I've admired these for at least 10 years so that's a big plus.

My concern is how reliable would it be? I figure that I would need to get at least 5 and preferable 7-10 years out of it before I had to do any major work. By major work I mean repairs over $1-2K that would require a lift or removing the engine or transmission since I don't really have the ability to do that myself.

Am I dumb or what?

yes you are dumb, the words Jaguar and reliable are not synonymous

Just get another Lexus, the LS430 is your best bet in that price range, 400's are getting harder to come by these days.

# ? Oct 20, 2020 13:55

Nyyen: Jun 26, 2005; MACHINE MEN
with MACHINE MINDS
and MACHINE HEARTS

Proposed Budget: $30,000
New or Used: Used
Body Style: Minivan
How will you be using the car?: DD for a short commute. Long road trips and light towing several times a year. MTB hauler.
Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?: No, but I don't want a cheapo ride either.
What aspects are most important to you?: Comfort and at least not hating the exterior looks
Years preferred: 2017 or newer.

I'm in the market for a minivan. I think I've got it down to a Chrysler Pacifica/Voyager or Honda Odyssey. Toyota Sienna would be ok as well but not as nice for me as the other two.

I really like the idea of the second row stowable seats in the Pacifica, but I also have somewhere I can store some seats so that is mostly an issue of having to plan ahead when I want to move lots of stuff. The Honda doesn't excite me or seem to do anything better that the Chrysler models, but they do hold their value better and the company as a whole has far less complaints about fit, finish, and reliability.

So for me the main question is how reliable are the newer Chrysler minivans? Searching online seems inconclusive. The Hondas also had issues with transmissions and have a less gracious warranty.

Second main question is cost. The Chrysler models, even the fancier ones, are 5-10k less than the Hondas. How much of that is justified?

# ? Oct 20, 2020 15:21

other people: Jun 27, 2004; Associate Christ

KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:

I have a Haldex V based 4motion system in my Golf. The system will make very little difference in the rain and only a little bit of difference in the snow in select circumstances. Any AWD system does not actually increase the available traction (this is governed by your tires and the surface), it increases the ability of your car to make use of the available traction. In practical terms, this means that AWD can help you get going in a situation where there is very little available traction (eg on wet loose large diameter gravel from a stop), and it means that AWD can help you continue to go forward in low traction situations (up a hill in snow). It won't help you turn (with some exceptions) and it won't help you stop.

When things go wrong in the rain, like hydroplaning, this happens because available traction goes to basically zero. If you had AWD, you would still hydroplane. There are very few situations where you would drive normally in the rain where 4motion will be useful to you. Perhaps from a stop it might prevent you from chirping your tires on a painted line on the road but I can't think of much else. Maybe if you are routinely driving up steep, loose surfaces that are wet.

Generally speaking, AWD systems like this are useful in three ways. Note that for the first two, better tires will make more of a difference.

1) Driving up hills slowly in snow and maintaining control. AWD systems are pretty good at doing low-speed climbs of slippery surfaces. Normal FWD or RWD driving technique for getting up hills in snow is usually momentum based (build speed on flat to retain it going up and over the hill), which means you are driving a lot faster in the run up than you really ought to be given conditions. AWD vehicles are a lot better at slow and steady.
2) Getting you unstuck in a low traction situation. This could be snow or loose gravel or other malleable surfaces. AWD can help you get un-stuck if you get stuck.
3) Legal requirements. In many parts of the US, there are chain laws in place for vehicles without AWD. Chaining up sucks.

I grew up in a place with mainly unpaved roads, on an unpaved road, ~2.5 meters of snow a year. We had both AWD and FWD cars in the family, all with winter tires. There were probably four or five days a year where AWD made a significant difference, and frankly those were days when you shouldn't be driving - mom worked at the hospital, though, so she had to go in.

Bottom line - you will pay more money, more in maintenance costs, and more in fuel costs with an AWD car for very, very limited benefit. The way you talk about dirt roads, I find it highly unlikely you are in a situation where you will see any benefit at all.

Thank you for this.

I'll sit and wait patiently for a boring 4x2 then.

# ? Oct 20, 2020 15:51

KYOON GRIFFEY JR: Apr 12, 2010; Runner-up, TRP Sack Race 2021/22

I mean, there's nothing wrong with buying a 4motion car if the rest of it is exactly what you want and you can only get what you want with 4motion, there's just no reason to spend more money for it. I have a 4motion golf because that was the only way to get a manual transmission wagon golf with heated seats.

# ? Oct 20, 2020 16:11

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Nyyen posted:

Proposed Budget: $30,000
New or Used: Used
Body Style: Minivan
How will you be using the car?: DD for a short commute. Long road trips and light towing several times a year. MTB hauler.
Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?: No, but I don't want a cheapo ride either.
What aspects are most important to you?: Comfort and at least not hating the exterior looks
Years preferred: 2017 or newer.

I'm in the market for a minivan. I think I've got it down to a Chrysler Pacifica/Voyager or Honda Odyssey. Toyota Sienna would be ok as well but not as nice for me as the other two.

I really like the idea of the second row stowable seats in the Pacifica, but I also have somewhere I can store some seats so that is mostly an issue of having to plan ahead when I want to move lots of stuff. The Honda doesn't excite me or seem to do anything better that the Chrysler models, but they do hold their value better and the company as a whole has far less complaints about fit, finish, and reliability.

So for me the main question is how reliable are the newer Chrysler minivans? Searching online seems inconclusive. The Hondas also had issues with transmissions and have a less gracious warranty.

Second main question is cost. The Chrysler models, even the fancier ones, are 5-10k less than the Hondas. How much of that is justified?

The Chryslers transacted for generally lower prices new than the Hondas or Toyotas do, so if you both have similar rates of depreciation, that "justifies" some of the price difference, and the difference in reliability and fit and finish is probably enough to make up the rest.

You can also look into the Kia Sedona, the 2nd row doesn't fold away completely but does fold forward in a way that gets you basically 85% of the way there, and the folding process is much less work than the Chryslers.

# ? Oct 20, 2020 16:14

remusclaw: Dec 8, 2009

Proposed Budget: 10-15,000
New or Used: Used
Body Style: 4 door sedan
How will you be using the car?: 30 minute work trips and occasional forays out of suburb hell into the city
Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?: I need an AC, its Florida
What aspects are most important to you? (e.g. reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, import/domestic, MPG, size, style) It runs and it has an AC

I just had to claw my way out of the hands of a dude trying to sell me on a new car for like an hour because I accidentally visited a new lot assuming it had the used cars its website listed there. That said, I have been looking at a 2019 Kia Forte's and Hyundai Elantra's of the same year for about $12,000 on site, are those OK cars? Are there better options in my admittedly low price range. I am currently riding around in an 06 Dodge Stratus that I no longer feel like repairing and that has started feel like it could catch fire any minute. Advise please, and thank you.

remusclaw fucked around with this message at 01:20 on Oct 25, 2020

# ? Oct 25, 2020 01:05

Grapeshot: Oct 21, 2010

BigRoman posted:

I moved this post from AI:

I'm poor and purchasing my first new car. I have no idea what I'm doing and don't want to be ripped off.

Its a 2021 Hyundai Accent (automatic IVT - I never learned how to drive a standard).

Here is the deal I was offered. I feel like they made (I told them I needed a week to think about it)

MSRP: $17,370.00 <=== this seems higher, than the SE CVT as advertised on the company website listed at $16,495.00
- Selling Price: $16,678.00
- Rebate: $1,000.00
So: $15,678.00 is the base cost.
Govt Fee: $345.00
Proc/Doc Fee: $499.00
Lifetime BPP Purchase $1,195.00 <===this seems to be some service add-on that I can refuse, I am strongly considering removing it
Total Taxes: $1,102.32
So: $18,819.00 total

I'm putting a little over 20% down on a 60 month loan at a pretty decent rate (under 3%). I'm confident I can make the monthly payments on this.

I'm just looking for a small, affordable car to commute and make the occasional long distance holiday trip to visit family. No kids.

Is this a good deal for me? Let me know what you guys think.

You can probably get a holdover 2020 Elantra for about the same price, because Hyundai is offering a bigger cash back incentive on it. That will be a little more comfortable for long trips and about the same in gas mileage. Probably worth calling other dealers in the same area to compare prices. Definitely skip the scheduled maintenance plan.

# ? Oct 25, 2020 02:17

Bouillon Rube: Aug 6, 2009

BigRoman posted:

I moved this post from AI:

I'm poor and purchasing my first new car. I have no idea what I'm doing and don't want to be ripped off.

Its a 2021 Hyundai Accent (automatic IVT - I never learned how to drive a standard).

Here is the deal I was offered. I feel like they made (I told them I needed a week to think about it)

MSRP: $17,370.00 <=== this seems higher, than the SE CVT as advertised on the company website listed at $16,495.00
- Selling Price: $16,678.00
- Rebate: $1,000.00
So: $15,678.00 is the base cost.
Govt Fee: $345.00
Proc/Doc Fee: $499.00
Lifetime BPP Purchase $1,195.00 <===this seems to be some service add-on that I can refuse, I am strongly considering removing it
Total Taxes: $1,102.32
So: $18,819.00 total

I'm putting a little over 20% down on a 60 month loan at a pretty decent rate (under 3%). I'm confident I can make the monthly payments on this.

I'm just looking for a small, affordable car to commute and make the occasional long distance holiday trip to visit family. No kids.

Is this a good deal for me? Let me know what you guys think.

How long is your commute? Subcompacts like the Accent are really best for short-distance city trips; if you move up to the compact class (Elantra, Forte, Civic, etc) you gain a lot of highway comfort for not too much more. If your commute is longish I�d strongly suggest looking for something lightly used in that segment instead.

# ? Oct 25, 2020 05:45

KillHour: Oct 28, 2007

18k will get you even a midsized off-lease with good features. You could probably go up to a Sonata or similar if you wanted to. Sub 20k new cars are literally only for people whose requirements start and end with "new car."

The first decent car I actually bought was a 2009 sonata off lease in 2012 for 14k and I took that thing from 20k miles to 120k with no issues. Was a great car for the money and even had leather and a V6. Would 100% do that again.

KillHour fucked around with this message at 16:16 on Oct 25, 2020

# ? Oct 25, 2020 16:11

Chunjee: Oct 27, 2004

BigRoman posted:

I'm putting a little over 20% down on a 60 month loan at a pretty decent rate. I'm confident I can make the monthly payments on this.

If you need to finance a car for more than 36 months; you can't afford that vehicle. imo

Edit: Don't take my word for it. Go see how much your bank/CU will pre-qualify you for.

Chunjee fucked around with this message at 17:16 on Oct 28, 2020

# ? Oct 28, 2020 16:33

got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

Chunjee posted:

If you need to finance a car for more than 36 months; you can't afford that vehicle. imo

This rule completely precludes leases, no? It seems unnecessarily strict

# ? Oct 28, 2020 16:34

Inner Light: Jan 2, 2020

I don't know much but it sounds like a stupid 'rule', I afforded my car fine and got a 5 year loan -- cheap money and better cash flow.

I would however draw the line at 5 years.

# ? Oct 28, 2020 16:46

skipdogg: Nov 29, 2004; Resident SRT-4 Expert

Chunjee posted:

If you need to finance a car for more than 36 months; you can't afford that vehicle. imo

Yeah it's not 1986 anymore. Money is so cheap to borrow right now, even if you can pay cash you're better off financing and putting your capital to work in other ways.

This might have been good advice when interest rates were 8 to 10% and vehicles depreciated over 50% in 36 months, but those aren't the case anymore. Used car values are historically high (less likely to be underwater on a loan), and interest rates are stupid low. My CU is offering 2.45% up to 66 months right now.

skipdogg fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Oct 28, 2020

# ? Oct 28, 2020 16:53

KYOON GRIFFEY JR: Apr 12, 2010; Runner-up, TRP Sack Race 2021/22

got off on a technicality posted:

This rule completely precludes leases, no? It seems unnecessarily strict

leases are almost always a bad decision from a financial perspective

# ? Oct 28, 2020 17:50

Blitter: Mar 16, 2011; Intellectual
AI Enthusiast

skipdogg posted:

Yeah it's not 1986 anymore. Money is so cheap to borrow right now, even if you can pay cash you're better off financing and putting your capital to work in other ways.

This might have been good advice when interest rates were 8 to 10% and vehicles depreciated over 50% in 36 months, but those aren't the case anymore. Used car values are historically high (less likely to be underwater on a loan), and interest rates are stupid low. My CU is offering 2.45% up to 66 months right now.

Well, it might still be pretty easy to be underwater on that car given the depreciation of accents - apparently 35% in the first 2 years.

Replacement insurance (if that's a thing where you are) might be a consideration if they are not sure you can financially deal with an accident writing off your car while you're upside down.

Blitter fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Oct 29, 2020

# ? Oct 29, 2020 22:05

IOwnCalculus: Apr 2, 2003

There's also the difference between "financing a car for 60 months with a significant down payment so you're never underwater", and "financing the whole loving thing so you're underwater for years".

# ? Oct 29, 2020 23:23

Loan Dusty Road: Feb 27, 2007

IOwnCalculus posted:

There's also the difference between "financing a car for 60 months with a significant down payment so you're never underwater", and "financing the whole loving thing so you're underwater for years".

And also �finance the whole thing because of a super low rate and investing the down payment�

# ? Oct 30, 2020 02:07

nm: Jan 28, 2008; "I saw Minos the Space Judge holding a golden sceptre and passing sentence upon the Martians. There he presided, and around him the noble Space Prosecutors sought the firm justice of space law."

IOwnCalculus posted:

There's also the difference between "financing a car for 60 months with a significant down payment so you're never underwater", and "financing the whole loving thing so you're underwater for years".

And get 0% for 5 years and putting 0 down so you enjoy literal free money.

# ? Oct 30, 2020 02:48

Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

There's also "pay cash because you hate debt and know you'd probably spend it on candles instead or some poo poo."

# ? Oct 30, 2020 12:47

KillHour: Oct 28, 2007

Residency Evil posted:

There's also "pay cash because you hate debt and know you'd probably spend it on candles instead or some poo poo."

Being afraid of debt is a bad habit from a financial perspective. If it makes you feel better, by all means, but low interest loans are basically the only way for regular people to take advantage of arbitrage. I have enough cash in my checking account to fully pay off one of my cars, but the interest rate is literally lower than inflation so I'm much better off making the minimum payments. Even knowing that, I still have to regularly talk myself out of it because my boomer parents ruined my perception of finances with their 10% mortgage.

# ? Oct 30, 2020 14:34

KYOON GRIFFEY JR: Apr 12, 2010; Runner-up, TRP Sack Race 2021/22

Being afraid of debt is not necessarily good but it is a lot better than most American relationships with debt.

# ? Oct 30, 2020 15:39

saintonan: Dec 7, 2009; Fields of glory shine eternal

Debt is like electricity - handled improperly it can do a lot of damage, but if used wisely, can make your life a lot better.

# ? Oct 30, 2020 15:40

Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

KillHour posted:

Being afraid of debt is a bad habit from a financial perspective. If it makes you feel better, by all means, but low interest loans are basically the only way for regular people to take advantage of arbitrage. I have enough cash in my checking account to fully pay off one of my cars, but the interest rate is literally lower than inflation so I'm much better off making the minimum payments. Even knowing that, I still have to regularly talk myself out of it because my boomer parents ruined my perception of finances with their 10% mortgage.

I have a mortgage and med school debt. I'm not averse to debt, and sure, theoretically, it's silly not to take money at "0% financing," assuming of course, that the 0% financing isn't really a trick/disqualify you for rebates/etc that may make the actual cost of the car lower. Paying cash forces you to deal with the actual price of the car rather than simply dealing with a monthly payment. I also have a feeling that some people who say they'll take the cash and invest it instead don't actually do so, so it's a form of forced saving. I've bought cars with loans before, fwiw.

Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Oct 30, 2020

# ? Oct 30, 2020 16:47

PirateDentist: Mar 28, 2006; Sailing The Seven Seas Searching For Scurvy

Residency Evil posted:

assuming of course, that the 0% financing isn't really a trick/disqualify you for rebates/etc that may make the actual cost of the car lower.

Kinda where my last deal was at, I could get 0% vs 1.9%, between model years (carryover, so exact same car) but I would be giving up almost $3,000 in incentives to do so. Gotta run the numbers for all scenarios. I could have probably saved up another 8 months and paid cash, but I got the car sooner, with additional savings for taking dealer financing (above what I'm paying in interest), and I'm building a little more credit history.

# ? Oct 30, 2020 18:46

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

I paid cash for my car because my wife has a car payment and we didn't want two car payments.

It was 13k out the door, the most I've ever paid in cash for a car, but relatively it wasn't that much compared to a new car in which I would have had to make payments.

# ? Nov 1, 2020 16:15

abuse culture.: Sep 8, 2004

Hi. I am in Canada (Mississauga, ON) and Poor.

Cost: under $10k CAD
New or used: used

Main needs:
reliable
good on gas
does not make me sad to look at or be in (eg. not some tan shitbox Tercel from the 80s)

Wants:
Back up camera
Fancy touch screen car computer
Good stereo or ability to put in a good stereo easily
Decent in the winter
Built after ~2010

As cheap as possible without being shameful. Going to be a commuter car through and through. I uhh really like electronic music so a good soundsystem will result in a significant improvement to my quality of life.

Top option is currently a 2015 Ford Focus from some rando facebook seller with 89k km on it at the sick price of 6900. I�ve heard that focuses from this generation have transmission problems in automatic but this one is manual and I can drive stick. Does that help? I have never bought a car before.

Currently looking on autotrader, Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, kijiji, and a local dealership my cousin works at. Anywhere major I�m missing for $ick deal$?

E: i will be financing it for 12-24 months depending on that rate if that helps

abuse culture. fucked around with this message at 18:27 on Nov 1, 2020

# ? Nov 1, 2020 17:42

George Kansas: Sep 1, 2008; preface all my posts with this

Are Mazda CX-5�s known for being reliable? I�m eyeing some 2015-2018 CX-5�s and also some HR-V�s in the same range. Basically I�m narrowing it down between used CR-V, RAV4, CX-5 and HR-V. Will probably just err on whatever I can get the best deal on but I was wondering if there�s anything obvious about these cars they might make the difference that I haven�t been able to figure out

# ? Nov 2, 2020 05:16

sharkytm: Oct 9, 2003; Ba

By

Sharkytm doot doo do doot do doo; Fallen Rib

The CX-5 is pretty reliable, I'd say nearly up to CR-V status. The HR-V, if you haven't driven one, is PAINFULLY slow. I literally drive it across the shopping center parking lot from the dealer's overflow lot to the showroom and handed back the keys. The CR-V is pretty nice and had better interior space, but the CX-5 interior quality was light years ahead. My wife ended up with an '18 CX-5 Grand Touring, for comparison sake. We hated the infotainment on the CR-V, and really like the Mazda system with a knob instead of having to use the touchscreen.

# ? Nov 2, 2020 14:02

Tyro: Nov 10, 2009

The CX-5 is a bit more fun to drive than the others also, if you care about that. We cross shopped the CR-V, CX-5 and RAV4 a few years ago and the finalists for us were the CR-V and CX-5. We went with the CR-V because the Honda dealers were more willing to come down in price. I also didn't care for the HR-V at all.

# ? Nov 2, 2020 14:11

KYOON GRIFFEY JR: Apr 12, 2010; Runner-up, TRP Sack Race 2021/22

the HR-V sucks, it's not a good car

if you are looking at used CX-5s there was a generational change for 2017, so MY 2017 and on have a much nicer interior and exterior design. It is very reliable.

# ? Nov 2, 2020 14:54

powderific: May 13, 2004; Grimey Drawer

abuse culture. posted:

Top option is currently a 2015 Ford Focus from some rando facebook seller with 89k km on it at the sick price of 6900. I�ve heard that focuses from this generation have transmission problems in automatic but this one is manual and I can drive stick. Does that help? I have never bought a car before.

I don't have a lot of advice, but the focus being manual does help things as the huge issue was the auto and I don't remember there being anything disastrous about the car otherwise. Looks like you could get a Prius for around that, which is the standard reliable car thing. Whether it makes you sad to be in depends on you as they're not exactly fun to drive.

# ? Nov 2, 2020 17:58

abuse culture.: Sep 8, 2004

powderific posted:

I don't have a lot of advice, but the focus being manual does help things as the huge issue was the auto and I don't remember there being anything disastrous about the car otherwise. Looks like you could get a Prius for around that, which is the standard reliable car thing. Whether it makes you sad to be in depends on you as they're not exactly fun to drive.

It mostly depends on looks. The Prius is totally fine but all of the ones in my price range are either from before 2012 or have 300,000km on them. How reliable are they past that mileage?

# ? Nov 2, 2020 18:11

powderific: May 13, 2004; Grimey Drawer

Looking at Kijiji and autotrader.ca I saw several post 2010 cars with under 200k kms? Initially you said 2010 or later so that's what I checked. Not saying this exact car is the one or whatever, but there's quite a few like it: https://www.autotrader.ca/a/toyota/prius/caledon/ontario/19_11650515_/?showcpo=ShowCpo&ncse=no&orup=20_15_68&pc=L4T%200A4&sprx=50

# ? Nov 2, 2020 18:39

George Kansas: Sep 1, 2008; preface all my posts with this

sharkytm posted:

The CX-5 is pretty reliable, I'd say nearly up to CR-V status. The HR-V, if you haven't driven one, is PAINFULLY slow. I literally drive it across the shopping center parking lot from the dealer's overflow lot to the showroom and handed back the keys. The CR-V is pretty nice and had better interior space, but the CX-5 interior quality was light years ahead. My wife ended up with an '18 CX-5 Grand Touring, for comparison sake. We hated the infotainment on the CR-V, and really like the Mazda system with a knob instead of having to use the touchscreen.

Tyro posted:

The CX-5 is a bit more fun to drive than the others also, if you care about that. We cross shopped the CR-V, CX-5 and RAV4 a few years ago and the finalists for us were the CR-V and CX-5. We went with the CR-V because the Honda dealers were more willing to come down in price. I also didn't care for the HR-V at all.

KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:

the HR-V sucks, it's not a good car

if you are looking at used CX-5s there was a generational change for 2017, so MY 2017 and on have a much nicer interior and exterior design. It is very reliable.

This is all very good to know- I live with a very high risk person so I've been hesitant about going places to test drive stuff. I love the look and price of the Mazda's and just wanted to know about their reliability- thanks for letting me know. I really think it will just end up being "what can I get the best deal for on Carvana" with the CX-5 vs. the CR-V.

# ? Nov 2, 2020 19:36

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Is it better in general to finance, or pay cash? Let's assume I won't be financing more than $11k total for a 2 or 3 year old Honda Accord or otherwise reliable car, no more than 15k miles per year, with the intention to keep it for at least 5 years or as long as I can. I have excellent credit, I can do a 36-month loan without having to worry about my budget.

If I don't finance it, the money would come from an annual bonus after taxes get taken out and supplemented by selling my current car (I don't intend to trade it in, I can wait for a private party sale).

No debts other than the mortage and keeping the credit card paid down. No kids nor plans for any, 401ks and IRAs are maxed and are budgeted for continued maxing. House was just refi'd at 3.375% for 15 years.

My logic is it's better to just pay out of pocket, not have to worry about payments or financing. However, I could invest that bonus money in my brokerage account and have it sit around as part of my long-term investments for the 5+ years I'd own the car, that might be a better plan for the long haul. The debt would be manageable, but I figure that it's not great to create debt where it's not necessary.

# ? Nov 2, 2020 21:52

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# ? Jun 10, 2024 18:39

KYOON GRIFFEY JR: Apr 12, 2010; Runner-up, TRP Sack Race 2021/22

This will be highly dependent on the interest rate of the loan that you take out and your overall risk appetite over the course of the loan. Used car rates are a bit above new car rates, so while new car rates can be very advantageous, used car rates tend to be less so. I have money parked in a 1.9% new car note right now, but it looks like used car notes are starting in the just-sub-3% territory. At a low interest rate, it can be beneficial to have a car line in the budget, as a lot of people tend to forget to budget sufficiently for things they only buy every 5-10 years.

Credit history on the note may help you in theory, but of course if you have no immediate desires to go in to debt and you already have very good credit, this seems to have less utility for you. Paying cash means you do not have to worry about payments, for sure, but there's also some time value of money factors working against that in addition to potential future investment returns. I think you should shop rates and then consider the difference in your expected rate of return for putting that money in your long term investments vs. putting it in a new car.

# ? Nov 2, 2020 22:26

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > AI meets BFC: Car Buying Thread: No Rentals and No Salvage Titles

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