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Unzip and Attack posted:Not very often at all - the occasional big purchase from Home Depot or to help people move things when needed. Mainly we just want something inexpensive and reliable - no frills or extras needed. Zipcar membership and a second daily driver sedan/hatch, provided you live in a location where such things exist. It will save you money on fuel, you'll be more comfortable and have a more useful vehicle 95% of the time. Plus, Home Depot has trucks you can rent. If people need to move, they can figure that poo poo out for themselves. Having access to a truck just makes you people's go-to moving bitch.
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Sep 11, 2012 16:02
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Seafea posted:Good point. It was night, so it'd probably be more noticable in the day. They seem to have been struck by like quarter sized pieces of hail briefly. Just dunno if a discount like that is a good deal or not since I've never bought a car before. This is kind of an odd question, but has it been fixed or not? If it hasn't been fixed, it's quite expensive to get a PDR guy to pull all of those dents and it probably won't look quite right (but I have a collision repair background so I'm anal about poo poo like this). I'm doubting that it's been fixed at all, since if the dealer dropped a few grand in to it there's no way they'd be offering that discounting level. The discount is fine provided you can deal with the issue. It's not as good as you think since TMV is only about 31K on the car, meaning that you should be able to negotiate to 31 without too much issue. Then you're looking at a 6K discount for the hail issue.
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Sep 12, 2012 14:00
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Falcon2001 posted:Thanks for the reply - one of my reasons for going with a dealer trade in is that in WA, you don't pay sales tax on the trade-in amount, so in this case that's a good $1400. The difference between dealer rate and private party on my Nissan is 14.5 vs 16.6, so it's not a huge difference when you factor in the tax break, and private party is quite a ball of wax, from what I've heard. Don't roll in to a new car if you live in a downtown urban area. Sell the Maxima private party and use the proceeds to buy a capable, fuel-efficient, ever so slightly used smaller car.
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Sep 14, 2012 12:30
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RushMix posted:So I'm thinking that Corollas, Camrys, and Malibus are just lightly too boring, but I'm still looking for an economy car that I can maintain fairly easily. Am I barking up the right tree with this? I'm trying to spend around 8k. You're barking up the wrong tree. The Lancer was pretty uncompetitive after maybe 1-2 model years, and sold mainly off the strength of the Evolution. Again, 5-10k on an economy car? Focus Civic Corolla Protege Sentra(maybe). The Focus and the Protege are the most interesting of the bunch.
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Sep 14, 2012 12:32
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Never talk trade-in before you negotiate the terms of the note. You will get more money, in absolute terms, if you sell the car private party and then use the money down on your new note. However, tax on the sale may eat in to your margin. You also have to factor in your time and aggravation - trade-in is easy. So, if you get your note all set and then you say "I have a 2007 Hyundai Accent, how much will you give me in trade" and they say "four grand" when you know that private party you'll get maybe five grand tops, it may be worth it to you to take the trade in offer.
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Sep 14, 2012 13:55
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Rhyno posted:I'm not that stupid. Oh nooo the crossflow 2.0 is way more reliable, though the 1.8T is a nice little engine. Make sure she puts premium in it, change the oil with synthetic only and make sure it has new coils done under the campaign. In fact, drop by your dealer and check to see if there are any open campaigns on it. Edit: That's actually really good advice for any of you buying a used car. If you get a PPI and everything checks out and you buy the car, drop by the dealer to see if there are any open campaigns on known issues. These will be fixed for free.
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Sep 15, 2012 00:42
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LittlePea posted:I understand that, thanks! I figured for a 60 mo lease I could go to 15k for a newer car with less mileage and about 10k for a car with nearly 100k on it that's a bit lower at a 36 mo lease. If you don't have much of a savings cushion built up, I might keep the Pontiac for a bit.
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Sep 16, 2012 22:53
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nm posted:I think I'd agree with this. If you're considering a 60mo loan on a used car, you probably need to save more. If there's something tragically wrong with the car and you don't have savings, yeah go ahead and get a 60mo note I guess. But if it just needs a grand worth of work to keep it up and running for the year, that's a car payment of 83 bucks per month. You're not gonna beat that.
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Sep 16, 2012 23:30
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LittlePea posted:Thanks for the advice guys but are you sure? I just feel like my 99 grand am seems to have more and more issues every year (specifically with the brakes)...I'm trying to get rid of it before I end up with a huge problem that would potentially "force" me into making a rushed decision because I need wheels. It also seems that every mechanic I've been with tells me that it's a huge pain to work on so I can't try to do any fixes myself. With 130k miles on it already I don't realistically see it lasting too long without needing major replacements. Can you tell us specifically what the issues with the brakes are? Looking at service intervals, you don't have anything huge coming up. Why not keep it til you run up against a major service interval? It looks like the major service intervals are 90k and 180k. I think your car can make it at least another year or so. What are you driving, about 15k a year? The more money down you can put to a note, especially a used car note, the better off you'll be. Not having money to put down is a red flag in my personal book in terms of "Should I be Buying This Car." You may be able to pay down against principal above your monthly loan payment, but make sure you read the loan contract carefully - some loans are locked-in so that the bank makes its interest money regardless.
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Sep 17, 2012 14:44
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Quixotic1 posted:Proposed Budget: 7-10k give or take of cold hard cash These are all great choices. I personally like the Vibe since you can usually get it without the Toyota Tax and it's the same drat car.
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Sep 17, 2012 14:46
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nm posted:A u-haul would probably be cheaper than a new car for a move 3 years from now. Yeah, my strategy for the moves that I do is econoline van from rent-a-wreck or UHaul or Penske, then plane ticket back and drive my car in a second wave. Total cost is pretty reasonable compared to paying a premium for a newer vehicle over several years.
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Sep 17, 2012 14:47
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:I'm trying to figure out my buying strategy. Should I immediately contact dealers, and say "I've got $16,000, what can you do?" or should I go in first, and then talk price, so I can walk out if they don't meet my expectations? NEVER EVER DO THIS HOLY poo poo Steps to buying a (new) car: 1. Figure out what you prioritize in a vehicle. 2. Make a list of cars which meet these criteria. 3. Test drive these cars. 4. Narrow to decide what you actually want. Check invoice pricing, manufacturer incentives etc (edmunds.com is your bff) 5. Figure out exactly what you want in terms of options. Must haves, nice-to-haves, don't want at all. 6. Send a RFQ to all internet sales managers within like 200 miles of where you live. 7. Negotiate the gently caress out of them against each other. If you do anything other than this with a new car you're fuckin it up pretty bad. KYOON GRIFFEY JR fucked around with this message at 13:27 on Sep 20, 2012 |
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Sep 20, 2012 13:23
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PaulAllen posted:Do you have any tips for negotiating a used car? At first: Make sure you test drive the car. Ask for full service history and records and actually review them. Go over the car very carefully - mismatched paint, panel gaps, one headlight newer than the other, etc can be signs of repaired damage. Go on an owner's forum and find common failure points and rust spots; make sure these have been taken care of in your review. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO WALK AWAY FROM A USED CAR. If you know you're interested in that specific car: Always get a PPI. If you don't have a mechanic to do a PPI, make friends with one. Get a Carfax Vehicle history report. Arrange financing, if applicable. When you're negotiating price: Cash-in-hand talks. Have a cash deposit on hand at minimum. Know exactly what you are willing to pay for the car. Check Edmunds, KBB and NADA for reference points. Again, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO WALK AWAY FROM A USED CAR. Use any issues that you know will be coming up - if the car has 86k miles, and the 90k service is large, leverage that.
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Sep 20, 2012 18:49
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Why an SUV for one kid? Don't finance anything that depreciates for 72 months.
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Sep 20, 2012 21:48
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IOwnCalculus posted:Okay, I should look this up since I haven't paid much attention to the XC70 since the second generation: Don't forget the Jetta SportWagen which is actually pretty goddamn good.
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Sep 21, 2012 21:14
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IOwnCalculus posted:That Sportwagen TDI is pretty neat, but also not really any bigger than a Mazda3 hatch. The Sportwagen is actually quite close in size to the last Passat wagon in terms of useable space, which is kind of why the Passat wagon got killed. The Tiguan is quite a bit smaller than the Sportwagen. But yeah, I agree with you that there's a gap in the EPA Midsize/Large category for wagons.
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Sep 24, 2012 13:49
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My 3.6 lb Lenovo laptop is evidently heavy enough to set off the seatbelt warning on a Jetta.
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Sep 24, 2012 15:54
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don't buy that car edit: the 2.7tt in that car is a lovely engine for 30,000 miles. Then, due to an oil starvation issue, one of the K03s will eat itself, meaning that you have to replace it. The turbos are mashed up against the firewall, and you have to drop the engine to get to them. While you're in there, you might as well replace both of them because the other one is a ticking time bomb as well. This service costs an incredible amount of money, and it's not a question of if, it's a question of when. The S4 is a beautiful car. It's also from the least reliable era in Audi's checkered history. It is also incredibly fuel inefficient - 22 MPG highway. To fuel the Audi, you will be paying for 91 gallons of fuel per month, at approximately $4/gal for 93. That's $364 in fuel ALONE, ignoring any maintenance costs, which will be astronomical. You are 19 years old. You have The Perfect Car for a 19 year old. Buy a nice model of a 2.7 S4 and put it on your desk. KYOON GRIFFEY JR fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Sep 24, 2012 |
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Sep 24, 2012 18:40
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Oh also in general, Do not buy a modded car unless you personally know the party who did the modding and know exactly what was installed. Do not buy a car with electronic or engine mods as a daily driver.
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Sep 24, 2012 18:59
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There's nothing wrong with something fun, but if you're relying on it to go 25k miles a year to your job, you should make sure that whatever fun thing you get is reliable. The S4 is like the 180 degree opposite of reliable.
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Sep 24, 2012 22:50
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WRX is a great choice. Keep in mind it's tough (impossible) to get AWD and Fun and Good Gas Mileage and Reliable but if you pick maybe 2, 2.5 of them you're good to go.
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Sep 25, 2012 01:15
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Nobody should ever learn to fix cars on anything with a VAG 2.7TT.
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Sep 25, 2012 02:24
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The only thing that's worse is the Allroad. Air suspension 
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Sep 25, 2012 15:09
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Don't lease for 60mo. If you can put ten grand down, don't do a 60 month loan, either. You can do a shorter term loan. If you're gonna drive it to death, buying outright is a better call than a lease. You can get a Focus without all the fancy infotainment systems. Why don't you drive the Prius and find out if you can live with how it drives?
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Sep 25, 2012 20:36
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The current Civic isn't really worth buying, in my opinion, when you can buy the Fit. Edit: I'd roll the Prius C in to the mix too. KYOON GRIFFEY JR fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Sep 25, 2012 |
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Sep 25, 2012 21:09
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If Toyota is offering 0% APR over 60 though, jump on that poo poo if it is a better deal than taking the cash incentive. You should always cross-shop but usually the manufacturer will be offering a decent financing option, and usually that's a lot less sketchy than what the dealer is offering. The dealer will have their own financing, but the manufacturer also has a financing arm (GMAC, Toyota Credit, BMW Financial Services, etc) which is pretty reputable most of the time - it's a way for the OEM to support sales.
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Sep 25, 2012 21:39
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Guys, please get your lease versus loan terminology cleaned up. They're two very, very different things. A Loan is when you go to a lending institution and say "I want to buy a 2011 Toyota Corolla for $18,500." The lending institution says, "I will loan you $18,500 over x months at y % interest. Once you pay off the loan, you you will own the car." A Lease is when you go to the OEM's captive finance arm and say "I want to rent a 2011 Toyota Corolla for x months and I expect to put y miles on it. I will turn it to the dealer after x months." The captive finance arm calculates depreciation on the vehicle over that time period and says "OK, you can have the car for x months and put y miles on it for $250/mo. If you put additional miles over Y on the vehicle, you will pay a penalty of $0.20/mi." There isn't anything wrong with lease vs own. It is just a different way of financing (principal based versus depreciation based). But if you say lease, and you really mean loan, nobody is going to understand what you're saying. You cannot put 10k down on a lease and then write it off two months later (in fact, you should never put cash down on a lease). This is because you're paying for the depreciation on the car, not buying money to purchase the vehicle outright. You can do this with a loan, provided there aren't any early repayment penalties. edit: for loans, the OEM captive finance 0% option can be very good. BUT, if you can get effective financing from a CU or some other source at a low rate, there is usually an equivalent cash-on-hood from the OEM in lieu of the 0% option. Depending on the rate you can get outside the OEM, cash-on-hood plus external financing can actually be a bit cheaper in the long run. KYOON GRIFFEY JR fucked around with this message at 13:37 on Sep 26, 2012 |
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Sep 26, 2012 13:33
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OK, yeah that makes a little more sense now. I think the confusion stems from the original poster saying "lease" when he actually meant "loan."
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Sep 26, 2012 15:04
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What kind of rate can you get from a CU or your bank? Also, it's MY changeover, so be on the lookout for MY12 vehicles still on lots. You can get a goddamn steal on that. I know the Fusion is getting replaced entirely, though it's a larger car.
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Sep 26, 2012 17:48
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The IS 300 is a phenomenally sharp driving car and was Lexus' attempt to build a better 3-series. They nailed the drive but the suspension is harsh, the interior is spartan, and the exterior is tacky at best. If you want a fun to drive sedan, surprise! it's going to have decently high maintenance costs. The Cadillac CTS is not bad as well but make sure you get the 3.6 V6. Interior is eh on the previous gen, but the current one is quite nice but potentially to pricey. Polarizing exterior styling. Reliability isn't bad. The Acura TL MY 2004 and newer are quite nice, and an 05 or 06 should be in your price range. Anything before that has transmission reliability issues. It's not the sportiest option, but definitely has the best interior and tech features. If you don't care about absolute performance or rowing your own gears, the Type S is probably a little dear. Reliability is actually pretty good. The G35 is a great choice if you care about the drive. RWD, great performing V6, lovely interior. The interior is cheap but the drivetrain is great. Interior space is a little cramped. For less luxurious opportunities, the Subaru Legacy GT and the Mazda6 V6 are good choices. Cash on the nail gives you buying power with private buyers, but not with a dealer or used car lot, since they also make money by selling you the money to buy a car. It doesn't sound like you're a Drive Uber Alles person, because if you were, you'd buy an E46 3-Series, maintenance be damned, and you didn't specify a manual transmission, so in your position I'd be looking for a 2006 Acura TL Base, automatic transmission. KYOON GRIFFEY JR fucked around with this message at 03:07 on Sep 27, 2012 |
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Sep 27, 2012 02:46
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Not My Leg posted:Thanks for this. You are right, I'm not drive über alles, but I do love a manual transmission. I'll take a look at everything you suggested. If you like stick, I'd recommend the TL (you can get it in stick and Honda makes a slick as hell manual transmission), or the G35, or the Legacy GT.
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Sep 28, 2012 16:02
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Weinertron posted:I recently ordered a car, and made sure that all the dealers quotes included destination charge. I paid $50 under what KBB and Edmunds said dealer invoice was BEFORE any rebates were applied, and the sheet I signed when I ordered the car had me $500 under indicated dealer invoice with fees and such. After rebates I'm at $2050 under dealer invoice. The Mustang thread is giving me a hard time saying I could have gotten a better deal, is there really that much more wiggle room if I'm ordering a car? I expected that custom ordering one would be less flexible than picking one off the lot. I beat every Edmunds, KBB and Truecar target price by a ton, and beat Ford X-Plan by a moderate amount. If you are ordering a car rather than taking from dealer stock, it's tough to get a whole lot of money out of the dealer. This is why if you're less picky, you can and should agree to take the car from dealer stock in return for some cash money.
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Sep 28, 2012 16:15
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It's tough to figure. Sometimes there are huge incentives from the manufacturer to the dealer, and sometimes there aren't - this stuff is pretty non-transparent. You probably lucked out and Ford's trying to move Mustang units so they chipped in a bunch more money on the back end to the dealer without you knowing about it. Or the dealer's desperate to chase some bonus that comes with X units monthly / annually etc. Rankings really matter within the dealer network in terms of how dealers get treated by corporate.
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Sep 28, 2012 16:35
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Yeah I always tell the guy at the dealer I'll rep his dealership on the plate frame but if he sticks anything on the car I'll walk away. This is usually a pretty equitable arrangement. OEMs hate it when dealers sticker cars, too. Puts the focus on the dealership not the brand.
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Sep 28, 2012 18:03
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Yeah I mean if you're looking at midsize sedan, consider the following: 2011 Sales: Altima: 266,000 Sonata: 226,000 Accord: 235,000 Malibu: 204,000 Fusion: 248,000 Camry: 309,000 This is one model year of sales.
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Sep 28, 2012 21:04
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I love to drive and I like seriously hard-suspensioned cars, but I really can't recommend you dailying an STI 3-4 hours a day. It's a great car. It's an awful car in traffic, on the highway, or in basically any "normal" situation. I think the CTS-V might be an OK choice. MRC is a phenomenal suspension. But in your situation, I'd be willing to trade some performance for comfort, especially since it doesn't sound like you have much actual opportunity to use the performance. I also wouldn't buy used someone else's performance car if I was depending on it for a daily. Higher-performing cars aren't inherently less reliable, but they do require some more care and maintenance, as Throatwarbler pointed out.
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Sep 30, 2012 15:06
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Dealers make money on financing, so no, they actually dislike paying cash up front. As for the second: Are you kidding me? Pick up the phone and call, or contact their Internet Sales Manager via email.
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Sep 30, 2012 22:01
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Unless you're at a scuzzy BHPH lot where they sell people with no credit cars for stupid-high APR, they actually don't make money off the financing. The credit union/bank does. No, actually, dealers make money off financing. If you bring your own financing, they don't make any money, but the sales guy usually gets spiffed for providing business for the captive finance arm, and frequently there's backend for using captive financing. If the dealership interacts with the loan in any way, you can bet that they're making money off it.
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Oct 3, 2012 00:06
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LandedGentry posted:Hello, all! Sorry for the incoming longpost. I've just started driving again after a half-decade legally-enforced hiatus, and I'm back to terrorizing the roads. I finally have a real job, so I can afford something quite a lot nicer than the scuzzy, bombed-out Miata I've been trying to get back on the road. I'm not rich, though, so I'll probably still have to take out a loan to get a car that's substantially better. First question: I've already put $2500 into repairing this crap car that I left sitting in my friend's yard after my license got zapped, and the interior and roof are going to have to be completely redone. Should I fix it up, or try to sell it off? Second, if I do sell it off, what cars are a good deal right now? I've looked around, and have considered picking up something cheap like a '90s BMW 3 series or Z3, or perhaps a '95 XJS, just to give you an idea of the sort of thing I've had my eye on. The 3 series is actually looking pretty nice, because I'm handy with a wrench and the parts are prevalent. I've also eyed the BRZ, even knowing I'll be paying on that poo poo for half a decade probably. Go to therapy - seriously it will be very good. And an E36 3 series sounds like it'd be right up your alley. You might also snag an older G35 2-door for that money, for a different type of thing. There weren't/aren't a whole lot of smallish RWD 2-doors around. Do Not Buy An XJS.
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Oct 4, 2012 01:20
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The A3 is awesome if you want to pay more money for a car that's almost functionally identical to the GTI. Have you checked the Autobahn package on the GTI? Most people's issue is the plaid seats, and the Autobahn gets rid of them.
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Oct 4, 2012 01:43
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