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

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Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

If you are buying a truck for work you should buy the ugliest most reliable one you can find. Because you are going to destroy it. No point in doing that to a new one.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2011 18:49

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 04:43

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

alreadybeen posted:

Great choice, I have a Hyundai and absolutely love it as well. It has been one of those purchases every time I get in the car I feel good about my purchase, even a year later. Also the ipod hookup is great the way it can be controlled through the actual stereo.

One thing though, maybe try shopping around on insurance. Unless those are Aussie dollars, you have been in a wreck, or have a $0 deductible, it seems quite high. I have a Sonata with full coverage $500 deductible and its $69/mo.

20 years old with poor credit and full coverage, $160 doesn't really seem that bad.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2011 22:15

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Orange_Lazarus posted:

So my wife's 96 Rav 4 just kicked the bucket

What is wrong with it? Unless its an engine failure you can fix most things for less than replacing it i bet.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2011 23:23

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Walmart charges something like, $11 per wheel to mount and balance. If you are paying more than $20/tire you are getting taken.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2011 22:10

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

LoreOfSerpents posted:

I would really appreciate some input as well.

I own a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am (SE) that I've now had for 11 years. It has 109,000 miles on it and the only "major" thing that has gone wrong with it (so far) has been a cracked vacuum hose. I am militant about taking it in for oil changes and I've kept every record of every type of service done to it, ever.

However, I'm always worried that something else will go wrong and it'll cost too much to fix it. It was in a low-speed rear-end collision about a year ago, which cost the other driver $2000 just to replace the plastic bumper cover. There wasn't even any serious damage, just some paint scuffing and a small crack at the corner.

It's also the only car between my husband and myself, so if anything does go wrong, we are both in trouble. And we're in northern Wisconsin, where winter is notoriously hard on everything, especially cars.

Consequently, he's anxious to replace it with a new car. Newer cars have better safety features, better fuel economy, and shinier gadgets, but I've never had a car payment. The idea honestly terrifies me. I don't even know where to begin with car financing, and we don't have more than $5000 to put down for a car right now. I'm also irrationally attached to this car (my first and only car), and I don't know which would make me freak out more: trading it in, or seeing it hauled away to a junkyard.

Does anyone have any advice? Is the Grand Am likely to go at any moment, or am I being paranoid? If you had only one car to share between two people, how would you decide when "it's time"? If you were in the same position, would you just go for a new car?

If its running well i would not worry about it. Assuming its maintained and running well then the expensive stuff thats going to break is stuff you can ignore till you find another car, stuff like the a/c. For now id just worry about building up a good emergency fund so when the time does come you guys arn't scrambling to come up with money to replace it. Right now though you are driving a car that only costs gas and maintenance. Thats way cheaper than a car payment.

# ¿ Apr 22, 2011 16:40

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

LoreOfSerpents posted:

We just had the A/C looked at last summer because it wasn't blowing cold air, but I think all they did was refill the coolant. It has been working fine since then. The brakes were completely replaced around 3 years ago, and new tires were put on 1.5 years ago. Are there other things that I should be expecting to come up?

You need to change your brake fluid regularly, 30-60k miles. Change your coolant every 60k miles, change your oil by the manufacturers recommendation. If you have a car manual you should have a maintenance schedule to follow. It will tell you when to change what fluids, spark plugs, air filter, etc...

Generally your engine or tranny isn't going to just fail. You will maybe start burning oil, or hear a noise.

# ¿ Apr 22, 2011 18:50

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Arzakon posted:

The problem with purchasing brand new is you have to purchase from a dealer and have another $2-3K in taxes and fees added to your sale price. The only benefit is low new car financing incentives which are typically better than what you can find on used car loans. Unless your state taxes private auto sales you are better off going private party.

$16.5K 2010 Mazda 3 18K Miles
$14.5K 2008 Mazda 3 31K Miles
$12K 2008 Toyota Matrix 52K Miles

But if you want to pay $6-10K more for a warranty go nuts. I see no reason to if you have the cash to purchase a similar used car outright.

You often have to pay sales tax on used cars as well, plus registration. You do avoid a doc fee if its private seller.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2011 04:02

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Aredna posted:

I'm looking at a new Altima or Camry with a sunroof, leather seats, and upgraded audio system. I've test driven both and like the Altima slightly better, but would be happy with both.

My questions:
1) Other than out the door price, financing, and insurance rates, is there anything else major I should consider when deciding between these?

2) My first offer from Nissan is $336 under Invoice and $27 under market price. It feels like I can get another $500-$1k off to close the deal. Should I be pushing for more?

3) I found out that I qualify for the college grad rebate due to being a slacker and graduating in just shy of a decade. Should I bring this up during negotiations or is it ok to bring it up when the rest of the price has been negotiated?

4) The Nissan salesman has stated they can remove the "Moonroof Wind Deflector" there since the closest model they have in stock has it and no models are close to the options I want without it. He claims there will be no issues and I won't be able to tell. Is this true or is he just trying to close the deal?

5) The Toyota salesman states they can add the "Smart Key System" there after purchase since the closest model he found to what I want does not have it. I'm concerned about the warranty since it does not come with the car as well as installation quality. Am I overreacting or should I tell him to keep looking and find what I want?

6) Finances: I had Nissan run my credit report and since I haven't used a credit card or had a loan of any kind since 2003 or 2004 the report comes back and says I have no credit score. I'm currently looking to put down $8k and finance $16k that I will pay off in the next year. Other than my bank and/or local credit union, who else should I speak to about financing? I do have ~5 years of on time rent payments. What range of interest rates should I expect to find for my situation?

2: haggle until they let you walk out the door

3: It sounds like the college rebate is through nissan financing http://www.nissanusa.com/buying/nissan-financing/college-student-programs.html so you will want to mention it to the dealer.

4: The wind deflector is probably just taped on there, Removing it shouldn't hurt anything.

5: The smart key may still be OEM. Its possible the cars have all the connectors built in and its just a matter of plugging it in behind the dash and programming it. If they are doing an aftermarket system then I would shop it around.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2011 04:20

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

CelestialScribe posted:

So I'm looking at a 2003 Ford Focus. It has 40,000 miles on it, full service history, no major repairs, etc. $9,000 and I'm financing $7,000 of that - easily knocked off within a year, if that. I have more cash to put down but don't want to take it out of my emergency fund.

My question is, is there anything about a Focus I need to be aware of? After speaking with some mechanic friends they seem to think everything is fine, but I thought I'd check here as well to see if anyone knows of any small things I should know before plunging in.

$9000 for a 2003 ford focus is way too much. You should be paying $5000-$6000 for that car.

# ¿ May 2, 2011 04:44

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

If your grandfather owns his home he could take out a HELOC to pay off the car. Then he should take the car, sell it for what he can get for it, then pay the rest of the loan off himself and call it stupid tax.

# ¿ May 6, 2011 19:56

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Throatwarbler posted:

Are you absolutely set on the manual? The CVT Legacy gets significantly better fuel economy due to its CVT and more efficient part time AWD. I've driven it and its perfectly adequate, and this was with the smaller 2.0l 170hp engine (not sold in the US). It should also be cheaper too.

I love the CVT in our 2010 outback and im normally a 5spd driver.

# ¿ May 14, 2011 20:37

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Invoice on the aveo in 2004 was 9k.

You shouldn't be spending more than 4k maybe on one, but they are poo poo poo poo cars. Terribly uncomfortable as well.

# ¿ Jul 16, 2011 15:25

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

For that kind of money a ford focus is way better equipped. Its also a better car. Faster, better handling.

# ¿ Jul 17, 2011 05:36

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

NOTinuyasha posted:

Both are disappointing because a manual is only available with the base trims. The Cruze automatic is ok, the Focus automatic is a pile of poo poo.

I actually think VW's lineup is one of the best right now, $24,000 would buy a loaded Jetta 2.5L - which is a real full sized sedan.

Ive heard good things about the new focus transmission. its a dual clutch 6spd. The one in my friends fiesta shifts well.

# ¿ Jul 17, 2011 15:46

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

stubblyhead posted:

We've worked out a price of $23875, which is $1112 below invoice. Good deal?

Are you doing a trade? Im assuming you are financing elsewhere or are you getting 2.9%?

# ¿ Jul 21, 2011 04:09

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Saturn is the best looking one also.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2011 20:24

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

an audible groan posted:

I'm in the market for a used car right now and about to start applying for loans and I basically know very little about what I'm doing. My credit score is laughable at ~600, but I have 3k for a down payment, plus a trade in worth about 2k and my (salaried) job, which I've had for a year now, will cover up to a ~300 car payment with a reasonable budget.

I'm not too worried about being able to get financed at a dealer, but that's not my first choice. Specifically I've got my eye on a 2002 subaru WRX, $10k and 100k miles. I've heard people complaining about the difficulty of getting a loan for a car with over 100k miles-- is that a major deal breaker for lenders? I applied for a loan on a similar car with my bank earlier this year and was denied, but was never told why. Am I going to be wasting my time trying?

Are you really young? You need to consider insurance isn't going to be cheap on a WRX. Also yes, it can be hard to get loans on high mileage vehicles. You will probably get stuck with a really lovely interest rate.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2011 04:53

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

If your engine bogged down and shut off then water got into it. Its probably hosed though you could possibly pull the spark plugs and crank it a few times and possibly get it going again, if water got into the interior it will most likely be written off though.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2011 23:13

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

If you owe 6k on your car. and they offer you 4k for it, and the new car is 22k. The loan will be for 24k+ all the other poo poo.

When buying the jeep realize it gets WAY worse gas mileage than a focus. You will be getting 15-16mpg. Your insurance may also go up as well. You need to consider these things when figuring out how much you can afford.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2011 00:46

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

JackRabbitStorm posted:

So, question related to my flooded car that I posted about last week.

It happened a week ago today, and the adjuster still hasn't been to the car. Does it normally take a week? Should I be worried?

You probably just have a lovely insurance company.

You could always call them and ask whats taking so long.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2011 19:33

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

With 8k owed on it, i would get rid of it. Don't bother putting money into it. Find out who the lien holder is and tell them to come get it (after telling your parents you are going to do this). You don't owe the money just cause they handed you the car.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2011 18:26

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Ohh jesus, Do you have $8000 to pay off the loan?

# ¿ Jul 27, 2011 21:43

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Well if they wanted to call the loan, they could repo the car, sell it, then sue you and your mother for the difference.

If I were you I would work on paying off the money owed on it as fast as possible unless you want your credit to be in your mothers hands.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2011 22:28

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

CornHolio posted:

If the car is collatoral for the loan, couldn't they stop paying on the loan and allow the car to be reposessed? Would they actually sue for the balance?

Yes, the car would go to auction, get nothing, and you would owe the balance. Just like if you own a house. The house is collateral for the mortgage, but if you stop paying and they take the house, you owe what is left after they sell it.

Edit: You have to buy gap coverage for the car. So the insurance company would have to approve it. Also Gap usually has a limit, like 125% of value.

Don Lapre fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Jul 28, 2011

# ¿ Jul 28, 2011 15:41

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Leperflesh posted:

non-synthetic oil will last at least 5000 miles

Our subaru uses dino oil and recommends 7500 mile changes, which means its prob good to 10k haha

# ¿ Aug 19, 2011 21:45

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

How much money do you guys make? Are you wealthy enough you could buy a house with cash or put a big enough down payment that your lack of credit doesn't matter?

# ¿ Aug 29, 2011 21:45

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Id just buy the car with cash. If you want to build some credit then get a credit card and use it and pay it off.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2011 22:15

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

What exactly is wrong with the transmission? Have you checked to see if its just low on fluid (assuming its an auto)?

# ¿ Sep 13, 2011 21:58

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Cortel posted:

Yeah, it's automatic. I checked it a couple months ago, but I suppose I should do that again now. Also the sound(s) only happen at <25mph (99% of the time).

edit: checked, and it's not low, but I completely forgot that it's getting burned up for some reason (it's brown).

How old is the fluid? You should be changing it every 30,000 miles.

edit: Also if something is making noise it could just be a bad strut, which is a wear item and replacing it is part of regular maintenance

Don Lapre fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Sep 13, 2011

# ¿ Sep 13, 2011 23:11

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Strict 9 posted:

Got a call today from my dealer. Said he was interested in buying back my 2010 Honda Pilot. Said I could have the same payment on a new 2012.

I assume I lose in this deal, right? The way I see it is I owe about $20,000 left on my loan. They're offering me a new 2012 car for basically my original loan amount, $26,800. So that means I'm paying $6,800 for a new model. Which just doesn't seem worth it. I mean when I go to sell the car in 5-10 years, I'll get some extra money because it's 2012 and 2010, but no where near $6800. And I do get the benefit of the extra things the 2012 model offers, but I probably wouldn't pay more than maybe $500-$1000 for those.

If you want to trade in your car then just trade in your car. The dealer that called isn't going to give you a special deal and doesn't actually need 2010 pilots regardless of what they tell you.

# ¿ Sep 16, 2011 06:13

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Spend $50 and have the used car looked over before you buy it. Even if you spent a thousand dollars in repairs you still didn't buy an expensive new car. When you are done with the used car, resell it for what you paid or keep it, its yours and paid off.

# ¿ Sep 19, 2011 17:21

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Keep the sonata. Nothing better than a paid off car.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2011 17:28

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

How rare is the car. They will prob just buy the parts from a dealer or local store.

# ¿ Nov 8, 2011 03:28

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

CornHolio posted:

Car isn't rare or anything, but I would expect only the dealership to have it in stock.

Parts were $170 with third-day shipping. I'm borrowing my grandparent's car for Wed-Fri, so all in all things worked out pretty well.

My question still kind of pertains, though. Rental car + DIY or taking it to a shop that provides a car (ie the dealership). Which is usually the more economical route?

Well not paying labor is obviously more economical. And you should be able to find a shitbox rental for $20/day or so off priceline.

# ¿ Nov 8, 2011 20:04

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

CornHolio posted:

I did not know that. According to their website, a Chevy Aveo would cost me about $140 for four days through enterprise.

Vroomroomvroom.com found a aveo in my area (nashville) for $114 for 4 days. Also why do you need 4 days? How long does the repair take?

If you know the dates you are going to do it then use the name your price option on priceline.

Don Lapre fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Nov 8, 2011

# ¿ Nov 8, 2011 22:03

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Just get a $5k car and call it a day.

Looks like there are a number of slightly older civics in that price range on CL.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/2737367567.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/2725665237.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/2710855794.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/2712180887.html

# ¿ Dec 5, 2011 21:28

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

20k is well above the lower price range. The Nissan versa starts at 10,900.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2011 05:10

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Phone posted:

Well, that's somewhat of a good point; however, a lot of the B-segment cars and whatnot are holding their value extremely well which means that a 2008 Honda Fit with 60k on the clock has an asking price of $2000 off of the MSRP of a 2012 Fit. The slightly used car market isn't that great right now, and diving off into the early 00's can get some real gems but also has the gamble of the PO's care of the car and financing if it's available.

That's why I was looking towards new more than anything.

Looking at my local craigslist i can find a 2008 honda fit sport with 71k miles for $11,500. MSRP on a new honda fit sport is $17k. Thats over $5000 less.

There is one with 91k miles for under $10k.

# ¿ Jan 12, 2012 15:39

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

NOTinuyasha posted:

I might do that, but let's say I just paid it off and then put it up for sale. How on earth do I sell a car worth that much? Craigslist?

Craigslist, classified, forums, ebay. You sell it how you would sell anything.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2012 19:59

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 04:43

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Showpan posted:

I'm in a situation where I am not 100% sure what to do. I have a growing family, 2 kids and a wife, and need to upgrade to a vehicle with more space, maybe a mid size SUV, probably used.

What I currently own:
2005 Ford Mustang, V6, 33k miles, good condition inside and out.
Still owe 5k on it.

My financial situation:
I only have the car payment on the mustang and 1 credit card. My credit score isn't super, it's at 630 right now but my debt to wealth ratio is pretty good.

My real dilemma here is that I have the money to pay the mustang off right now, would it be better to pay it off and turn around right away and use it as a trade in, or should I just go trade it in without paying it off? Would paying off the Mustang first be better for my credit?

Trading it in is the same as paying it off. The dealer is just writing the check instead of you? If you owe more than the dealer will give you they will tack the extra onto your loan.. You are better off selling it privately and using the funds to buy a replacement vehicle.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2012 04:23

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

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