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The Prius is a very solid car, but I don't think the poster can find a lightly used one within the given budget. The only Prius' (or is it Prii?), around me under 16K are all 5+years old with 100K+ miles on them.
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May 22, 2012 06:38
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Doom Rooster posted:Texas stuff So you're probably looking for a midsized sporty sedan with a high trim level or from a luxury auto maker... doable, but your going to want to be very picky about picking a car that's going to fit your price range. You'll want to make sure all the appropriate maintenance has been done. As long as it has I wouldn't worry too much about mileage as a well maintained car can easily last past 200K miles. I would probably recommend looking at Infiniti G35 or Nissan Maxima Sedans Lexus IS ,ES or GS Sedans in your price range. (The IS seems to hold its value abnormally well so you may not find a model in your price range in appropriate condition) Acura TL or RL sedans (My mom had an RL for a while and it was a very nice car) I would also have you consider a SEL trimmed Ford Fusion, or a Mazda 6s. While not luxury brands, some of those can be trimmed out pretty nice and you'll probably land a newer car for the same money. I would not recommend a German car to you, unexpected maintenance costs can be very significant, and if your not doing your own wrenching, I don't recommend them. As for the financial side of this transaction, if you have a local credit union, go with them. You should be able to put a hefty down payment down and get the same interest rate as if you had good credit. Your much less of a risk if you can put 50% down than someone that only puts 500 or 1000 down on a car. I use RBFCU which I know is starting to move in Austin. Heard good things about Teachers as well. Dealers probably will only offer you second chance financing at an absurd interest rate. Credit Union is the way to go here. skipdogg fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Jun 1, 2012 |
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Jun 1, 2012 18:55
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broken pixel posted:Body Style: Sounds like you just want a small reliable, cheap to own driving appliance. Good news! There's quite a few out there that fit your needs and budget. My default recommendation is the Toyota Corolla in this situation, but domestic cars depreciate faster and can be a better value. The Ford Focus is another solid recommendation in this market segment. I'm not familiar with Chevy Cobalts to be honest, so I can't recommend one simply because I don't know enough about their build quality. If it was me, I would probably try to find the nicest Corolla I could in my budget, and fall back to a Ford Focus if I couldn't find anything. Remember, dealer prices are negotiable, so when searching, search up to 9,000 dollars as you can negotiate your way down to 8K out the door.
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Jun 1, 2012 19:10
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I think your mixing up my responses to 2 different posters.
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Jun 1, 2012 23:05
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Aniki posted:At this point, I feel like my thought process has shifted towards figuring out how to get the best price on my lease and trade in. I could still decide to wait, but it doesn't seem like there is much of a reason to wait for a 2013 328i over a 2012.5 328i. I could wait for the 2013 wagon, which I believe is coming to the US, but I checked on Sunday and all of my gear does fit in the turnk of a 328i, so it has enough space for my purposes. Sounds like you found your car. How familiar are you with leasing? BMW's lease rates right now are .00155 MF and the 328i Sedan has a residual of 61% for a 36 month lease. Audi's A4 Premium FWD sedan is .00016 with a 53% residual.
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Jun 12, 2012 20:46
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:About how much should I be paying for a 2005 Civic with 100k miles? It's listed at 7,500, but my cousin has some leverage with the dealer and might be able to bump it down some. Depends on the trim level of the car. Too much for a base model stripper car, could be reasonable for a higher trim level vehicle. If I was buying that car I would want to make sure that the timing belt service has already been done properly, or else your looking at 600 to 700 dollar job almost immediately.
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Jul 12, 2012 17:20
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DukAmok posted:Proposed Budget: <$30K If I was in this position my short list would look like Mustang GT 370Z G37 coupe BMW 3 Series Coupe
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Aug 8, 2012 04:27
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remeez posted:I have to choose between a 2008 Ford Escape with 76k miles for 13 grand or a 2010 Dodge Charger AWD with 30k miles for 19 grand. I live in New England. Almost everything I read online about the Escape is negative, anyone have some insight? Stay away from that Escape. We had one, and it was a pretty good car, but depending on the trim that thing sold for 19 or 20K brand new. A 2008 Escape with 76K miles on it.... I wouldn't pay more than 8500 for it probably maybe 9500.. Definitely not 13K. We didn't own ours more than 25K, but it was the first year of the new model and I've heard of issues.
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Sep 5, 2012 22:09
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:When talking about entry level cars, the old stand-bys of Civic, Corolla, Focus, etc get mentioned a lot, but I've seen that Ford Fiestas (and maybe other compact cars) are even less. Is there a reason I don't read Fiesta here much? Do they collapse at 80k miles or something? Great little car but it's a subcompact class vehicle which is why it probably doesnt get mentioned as much. The newer ones (2008+) are pretty solid cars as far as I know.
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Sep 8, 2012 05:22
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Throatwarbler posted:I've never heard of the Cavalier being a particularly unreliable car, especially the later years when they went to the Ecotech engine. Yes it didn't drive very well had fuel economy was poor compared to the competition, but they generally started and got you to work. I personally think some of the cheaper models of cars sold out there like Cavalier get a bad rap because people that tend to buy the cheapest vehicle possible usually don't take very good care of them. Someone that can barely afford the payment on a base model Cavalier is not going to get the 30 and 60K maintenance done, so you end up with a bunch of 70 to 80K mile Cavaliers on the market that have barely had any maintenance done to them.
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Sep 9, 2012 22:04
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Rhaegar posted:Ultimately if we had access to an additional 20k we'd probably go with a new SUV (Ford Escape) but we don't so I'm basically looking for a great 3-5 year old compact SUV. Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Chevy Equinox/GMC Terrain would all fit the bill pretty nicely for you. Take a look at each one and see which you like best. Snag a 2 to 3 year old certified pre owned and I think you'll be very happy for the next few years.
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Sep 10, 2012 17:07
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Oxford Comma posted:At least you're not that goon who paid $40,000+ for some lovely Honda(?) sedan a few years ago. Pretty sure it was a Nissan Altima. Ramrod Hotshot posted:I think I'm going to try to buy this car: http://www.springbranchhonda.com/detail-2010-toyota-corolla-le-used-9188587.html I'd start at 10,500 for that car with it's history. It's hard for me to give good advice on that car because I wouldn't want to buy it personally, but I think 10.5K would be a good starting point considering it's history. It's a former rental, and then the 2nd owner only had it 5 months and put 10,000 miles on it. Not sure whats up with that. I can put up to 2K miles on my car a month but I have full dealer service records for it... buying an vehicle with unknown service records is a crapshoot. I would put a premium on finding a non rental CPO unit somewhere around you if you have your heart set on a Corolla. another edit: Toyota is doing 1.9% for 60 financing on their CPO vehicles. I checked out the Katy TX Toyota dealer and they have a ton of CPO Corollas on the lot. I would go check with them. skipdogg fucked around with this message at 22:03 on Sep 14, 2012 |
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Sep 14, 2012 21:43
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I love old Dodge Neons. Keep the car, there isn't poo poo that can't be fixed on that thing for less than 300 bucks in parts. If your husband can work on cars, that thing can run forever on a few hundred bucks in parts here and there. If he's not handy, find a guy that does sidejobs for cash. Seriously those things are so cheap and easy to work on. Pretty sure I could replace the entire drive train for under 1,000 bucks and a weekend worth of time.
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Sep 14, 2012 22:48
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Captain Narwhal like Agronox mentioned don't be afraid to look outside of the bay area for a car. You can get much better deals where there is more competition. Hell I know a guy who bought a truck here in Texas and drove it back to the bay area it was such a good deal. Try looking in the Vegas market, the economy there is still hit pretty hard and luxury cars might be more aggressively priced there. Phoenix might be another area to check out. Personally I'm not a fan of Audi cars if you plan on owning one out of warranty. I think they're great leases, a CPO model is compelling as long as you get rid of it before the warranty expires. Post warranty though poo poo gets expensive fast and they're not known for their reliability. All the electronic gizmos and goodies get really expensive to repair and troubleshoot down the line. Red_Fred posted:General question: nm pretty much nailed it. Lexus makes a fantastic vehicle but they're very middle of the road. They don't do any one thing great, but do lots of things well. They're not the fastest, have the nicest interior, etc, but they do make a compelling package when put all together. I wouldn't mind a GS sedan, I do lots of highway miles so I prefer a nice comfortable highway cruiser that is quiet and has a great stereo. A Lexus GS would be a great car for me, enough power to pass on the freeway, big enough for the kids in the back, etc. BUT for the money a GS sedan would cost me I can think of a few other cars I rather have instead. GroovinPickle posted:How does one go about finding the true invoice price on a car, and what's a reasonable offer above that? Yeah, that's about right. Edmund's usually has lots of nice details with their TMV calculator, and in their Prices Paid forums as well. Unless you live in a large metro area with more than one Lexus dealership, invoice +500 is a fair deal. They'll have a few fees on the sales agreement, maybe make a point on the financing end of the deal, you'll get a reasonable deal on a car. Weinertron posted:Is Edmunds the best tool out there for estimating depreciation? I know everything that's not a Civic / Corolla / Accord / Camry will depreciate like crazy, but their little calculator is telling me that a V6 Mustang will hold its value pretty well while a Hyundai Genesis Coupe will depreciate off a cliff, while my gut instinct tells me that Ford is selling a billion V6 Mustangs and one would be worthless in 6-9 years. I've found KBB's True Cost to Own calculator to be reasonably close to estimated depreciation. As a broad sweeping generalization you're looking at 20% of MSRP the first year and then 10% each year after that for about the next 5 years. Look at lease residual values to get a good idea of expected depreciation. Cars that have big rebates on them depreciate faster. After 3 years and 45K you should be around 55% of MSRP on most vehicles. skipdogg fucked around with this message at 18:16 on Sep 18, 2012 |
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Sep 18, 2012 18:10
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People hardly ever pay off their cars. They drive them until they're about even on the loan and then trade them in. I did that for years and now we just lease my wife's (primary family) vehicle. We choose to spend a portion of our disposable income driving a nice family vehicle and historically we've traded in every 2 to 3 years so leasing works well for us. Acrolos, Not sure how you feel about the Ford Escape, but the 2013's are a new body style so the 2008 to 2012 models just took a hit on resale. I would avoid the 2008, and look at anything in the 2009 to 2012 range, your local Ford dealer should have quite a few CPO models to choose from that will work in your price range. Ford is also doing a promo APR on CPO vehicles right now around 1.9%. The Ford Escape isn't a fantastic car, but my wife had a 2009 for a couple years and it was a solid little SUV. We only traded it on for a bigger SUV after our 2nd kid. You should be able to find a XLT trimmed model around 17 or 18K if you spend some time looking.
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Sep 20, 2012 22:50
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Do you want a true truck based SUV or is a car based crossover SUV ok with you?
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Sep 21, 2012 03:00
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Shyfted One posted:I'm moving to open an office in either Greenville, SC or Augusta, GA (leaning Greenville, SC right now) and will be getting a new company car and leaving my Accord back home for a new supervisor. Putting myself in your shoes... I'm leaning towards car based crossovers for you. Since you spend so much time in the car I would personally value quiet ride, nice interior, and creature comforts pretty high on my list. Cars I would consider if I were in your position: - Ford Edge. Nicely trimmed out SEL models should hit right at 35K, could probably grab a base limited after negotiations for 35K as well. I'm a big fan of Ford vehicles lately. To the best of my current knowledge the 3.5L V6 and the transmission used in this car are super reliable and should go to 150K easily with only routine maintenance. - Acura RDX. Might be too small, hits the top of your price range. Supposedly a fun sporty smaller SUV. -Toyota Highlander or Toyota RAV4. Toyota makes great vehicles, I would check each one out and see if it suits your needs. A Limited Highlander will be out of your price range, but you should be able to get one nicely equipped for 35K. -Buick Enclave. I'm not loving its sister vehicles the Traverse or Acadia, but the Buick has some differences that makes it a comfy road cruiser. Might be too big for you though. This car was my 2nd choice after we bought a 2012 Explorer for the family. Cars that fall into your wish list category but I probably wouldn't recommend. -Mazda CX7/CX9 - Fun SUV's and pretty solid from what I understand, but you would have to drive them. Might not be something you're interested in driving 1,000 miles a week in. -Nissan Murano - More research needed. My mom had one and the CVT was absolute trash, might have been fixed by now though. She fought with Nissan forever about a known issue with the early CVT. -Hyundai crossovers. Probably really reliable, but might be lacking in creature comforts when you're spending that much time in the car. The 2013 Santa Fe is all new though, I personally don't know enough about them though. -Ford Explorer/Ford Flex both capable cars, probably too big for what you want and the Flex has very subjective styling that is usually a love/hate thing. -Honda Pilot - I feel other SUV's do a better job at almost everything than the Honda Pilot. It's a solid car but other cars do things better. Dodge Anything - I can't really recommend anything Dodge these days. they're getting better but I don't think their products are compelling when compared to other manufacturers (exception of course for SRT-8 vehicles).
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Sep 21, 2012 17:45
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Leperflesh posted::stuff: I for the most part agree with you, I really pushed my wife towards a Sienna or Odyssey but she 'wasn't going to drive no drat mini van'.
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Sep 21, 2012 21:43
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Shyfted One posted:Thanks a lot for the help. I ended getting a Ford Edge. I'll be picking it up Tuesday. Neat! What did you compare it to? What made you buy it? (just curious)
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Sep 23, 2012 19:25
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Captain Narwhal posted:This is exactly the sort of advice I'm looking for, thank you! I've never bought a car myself and have only been in the room for a (impromptu, off the showroom floor) car purchase once, so I'm fairly lost when it comes to this. 25K is a bit low. What's the body style and trim of the car? Coupe? Sedan? Journey? Sport? G37x?
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Sep 27, 2012 20:03
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when I go in.
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Captain Narwhal posted:It's a coupe listed as a 2009 G37 journey premium nav sport. Its a 7spd automatic with just under 18k miles and is CPO. Also, I've read that regardless of CPO, I should still take it to an outside mechanic to have it looked at? CPO is literally just a warranty for the car bundled into the price of the vehicle. It's usually a manufacturer backed warranty so that makes it better than a 3rd party warranty, but it's just that. Earlier this year when I was negotiating on a CPO car I was sticking to a price and the guy said I can't sell that car to you at that price with the CPO attached to it. Give up the CPO and we have a deal. They do give the car a decent inspection but they won't catch everything. I probably wouldn't bother with having an outside mechanic look at it with only 18K on it, but it can't hurt anything. KBB CPO retail on that car is about 30.8K. Going in at 28 might be a good start, and I wouldn't go higher than 29. I wouldn't mention it's an all cash deal, as dealers can make a couple percent on the back end finance side of the deal, so often they'll give a little on the upfront price of the car if they think they can make a point or two on the back end (finance) side of the deal. Worst case you finance it for 3 months and pay it off in one lump sum. G37 coupes are in high demand though (in my area anyway), so you might not have that much negotiating power on the vehicles. I know when I was looking at CPO Ford Explorers the dealer wasn't keeping them on the lot longer than 7 days, so they really didn't want to play games with me since they knew someone would be along to pay the price they wanted soon.
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Sep 27, 2012 21:12
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CmdrSmirnoff, I wouldn't recommend either of those cars. I spend 2 to 3 hours a day in a car and the thought of my commute in an STi makes me want to put a bullet in my brain. I say stick with a comfy road cruiser that's reliable. Look at another GS400. Depending on your budget maybe a 5 series sedan or E series if your looking for that sports performance sedan and want a premium mark vehicle. I'm kind of in a similar situation and I've been eyeballing CPO 2010 Taurus SHO's pretty heavily these days. I'll probably grab one after the first of the year. The SHO has plenty of power for me and is super nicely equipped inside. I just drove a 2010 with 43K miles on it that was fully loaded. 3 year old car that MSRP'd at 46K was selling for 26.9K. Radar cruise control, massaging heated/cooled seats, NAV, the whole 9 yards. No premium maintenance costs or anything like that since it's still just a Ford. I did like the early 2000's Acura RL's. My mom had one for a while and it was great at chewing up highway miles. I believe early 2000 Honda products had some transmission issues though, not sure if the RL was affected. It was a very plain looking car compared to some, but a capable comfy cruiser.
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Oct 1, 2012 16:35
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Ahhh sorry, I guess I didn't pick up on the downsizing thing. The luxury coupe market is probably where you'll be happiest. I'm thinking right now.. If I understand correctly you want - something fun to drive with good power and handling - something reasonably comfortable that won't make you hate spending 3 to 4 hours a day in the car - premium/upmarket brand/model - can be 2 or 4 door, but you don't want a full sized sedan. - reliable The G35 you mentioned before is a very solid choice in that market. I would recommend a Mustang as well, but I'm not sure that's something that would interest you though. It does hit most of your requirements. Might be worth a look? The coupe market doesn't have a whole lot of choice. The Altima didn't excite you.. I would avoid an out of factory warranty Audi at all costs...BMW 1 or 3 series might be your cup of tea but out of budget. Benz C-Series coupe could be a maybe...repairs on a MB can get crazy when one of the electronic doodads goes haywire. Your JCW Mini option might be a good idea, but I personally would get tired of the manual transmission in traffic and the harsh ride could get old on crappy downtown streets. If I were in your shoes I would probably be looking at BMW 3 Series and G35/37 coupes in your price range, and possibly a Mustang GT. I'm not a BMW expert, but there are quite a few in AI, and a BMW 3 Series seems to be a pretty solid car if taken care of properly. Splizwarf makes a good suggestion with the FR-S/BRZ recommendation, but I get the impression you're not shopping new cars. In absence of a budget I'm assuming you're in the 20K CAD or less market, and with as much as you drive new doesn't make much sense anyway. Comedy Option: Lotus Elise. skipdogg fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Oct 1, 2012 |
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Oct 1, 2012 17:22
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PaulAllen posted:Anyone have any word on dealerships that offer $3,000 for clunkers "no questions asked?" This seems like a deal that is too good to be true. There's lots of ways to massage the numbers in an auto transaction. A dealer can give you 3K on almost any trade if they're charging you MSRP + fees on the car. When buying a car you need to look at each step of the transaction. Trade In, Purchase Price, dealer fees, finance dept.
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Oct 4, 2012 21:38
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I find the Sonata Hybrid to be a very attractive vehicle. The Fusion probably has the edge in the tech department with it's My Ford Touch/Sync system but I can't speak to the system in the Hyundai. Those are probably the 2 vehicles that most closely match your requirements unless you give up a little MPG. You could look at VW TDI models as well. Not my cup of tea but you might like them.
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Oct 6, 2012 04:34
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Very True. I didn't recommend any compact cars since it seems like he was interested in midsized sedans. The Cruze is a very nice car, as is the current Ford Focus. I sat in a Focus Titanium hatch at the dealer and was surprised at how nice it was inside. I think MSRP on it was something ridiculous like 28K, but it was a little less ridiculous after sitting inside of it. I've seen lots of Cruze's on the road, and in LT or LTZ trim they're pretty well appointed for a compact sedan.
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Oct 6, 2012 05:49
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I much rather have pretty reliable transportation that needs 500 bucks worth of maintenance every 6 months than a 300 dollar a month car payment. If you run the numbers it's almost always cheaper to keep fixing the car than buying a new one. Even if you blow a transmission and pay 1200 bucks to get it back on the road, that's less than 100/mo for a year. Right now I have a co-worker talking to me about buying a new car. They're 5000 upside down on their current vehicle, and there's nothing really wrong with it, but they fear the 'transmission' is slipping and 'want to get rid of it before it causes problems'. It's a strange response since we only really apply that logic to cars. If your A/C unit on your house dies you don't go buy a new house, you fix the A/C. Even if she has to replace the transmission in her car in the end she'll come out way ahead of going out and buying a new car.
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Oct 17, 2012 20:55
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Don't get me wrong, new cars are great. I personally LOVE LOVE LOVE new cars. If you can afford to drive a new car, DO IT! It's just not a smart financial decision. I choose to use a good chunk of our disposable income on nice cars, it's not a smart idea, but we do it. But if your at the crossroads where your choices are spend a few hundred here and there keeping your current vehicle fixed, or taking on an uncomfortable car loan that you don't really want, it's almost always financially better to keep fixing the car. Keep 1000 bucks in an emergency account. 1K should be enough to fix most things that go bad on a car, or give you a little down payment on something new.Red Robin Hood posted:This helped me reassure myself that I should just hang on to my '89 B2200 with 107k miles and fix the heater blower motor. Thanks If the rest of the truck is solid, definitely keep the truck and fix the motor. Never worked on one of those but the blower motor in a truck can't be that hard to fix yourself.
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Oct 17, 2012 21:13
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Excelsiortothemax posted:Proposed Budget: 35,000 max. I would like to have to pay around $250 bi-weekly If you're not keen on the Passat TDI, I would consider the Ford Fusion or Hyundai Sonata, both have a range of models including Hybrids. I don't think the payoff is there when it comes to price difference vs. fuel savings on the hybrid models. Both have nice BT systems. Also consider a Prius, not quite a midsized sedan, but some of the upper trim models have some cool tech features. In the full sized sedan market there's not a whole lot out there with great MPG. The new 2013 Taurus is getting a 4 cyl Ecoboost engine that should get up to 32MPG highway, which is pretty amazing for a full sized sedan, but I would imagine in city MPG won't be that hot due to that engine having to move over 4,000 pounds of car around. The new Charger is supposed to get 31MPG highway as well under perfect conditions.
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Oct 22, 2012 18:48
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cchhrriiss1982, The 3rd row on a Journey is for little kids only, and from what I saw when a buddy had one as a rental vehicle there was no storage at all with the 3rd row in use. Honestly I can't really recommend a Journey to anyone. Something else to consider... A Ford Escape. They can be had in 4WD, the fuel mileage on our 2009 wasn't bad. About 20 city/28 highway with a solid 22mpg mixed on the 4cyl. The V6 seems to get 17/24. The 2013 changed body styles so the previous gen may be taking a hit in the resale department. We had one, and it was a pretty decent little SUV and we only got rid of it because we wanted something bigger (bought a 2012 Ford Explorer). Looking at the local autotrader you should be able to find a 2009 4WD XLT in your price range.
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Oct 24, 2012 22:11
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Realjones posted:Here's a dumb question I can't seem to find a google answer to: There's places on the internet that explain it better, but sales goals are calculated on a monthly basis for almost everyone in the auto sales industry. Say your selling new cars someplace and if you sell 20 cars in a month you get a 2,000 dollar bonus. Say your at 18 or 19 cars and it's the last weekend of the month. You're going to do anything possible to hit that 20 car mark, even if you only make 50 bucks on the next 2 deals, those 2 deals trigger the 2K bonus. Dealers have incentives as well. Ford might give a dealer a big bonus for moving 200 cars in a month or something.. basically by purchasing at the end of the month you could swing a deal you wouldn't otherwise get because parties involved will hit bonuses for hitting sales goals. Red87 posted:A quick question about a possible future car purchase. I also drive a 2011 Fusion Sport. I probably wouldn't trade my car in for an A4. The interior will be much nicer, but I really like the car. My next car will probably be a CPO Taurus SHO or MKS ecoboost. If you want to trade the car in because you rather have an A4, go for it. It's your money, I wouldn't try to justify it through reduced insurance costs though. If you want to spend a few grand and drive a nicer car, do it. It's just not a textbook smart financial decision. The A4 isn't my cup of tea, and I personally don't care for Audi vehicles that much based on expensive repairs and reliability issues. I would lease an Audi, but I wouldn't buy one, or own one outside of the warranty period. The Fusion Sport isn't that cheap to insure here either. It has always cost me more to insure my car than my wife's who drives a 2012 Explorer.
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Nov 14, 2012 03:33
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I would suggest someone in your position find a cheap, reliable used car and not lease a new vehicle.
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Nov 14, 2012 05:41
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You might be able to afford the car, but probably not the maintenance. The 3 year or 30K service runs something absurd like 8 to 11K and requires dropping the engine out of the car. Unless your a skilled mechanic and can do the work yourself you can't afford it.
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Nov 14, 2012 22:41
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BigBobio, there's literally dozens of cars that meet your criteria. Anything else to go on? Any particular style of car you like? Basically every auto manufacturers midsize or compact offering fits your bill. If you really don't care that much just go buy a Toyota Camry in the color you like. Reliable, low maintenance, good gas mileage, holds resale value well. I could write 3000 words about the merits of different models across the line but you should just take a weekend, go to different dealers and sit in and look at different cars until you find one you like more than the others. Hyundai is making some really nice cars right now, as is Ford. The new Chevy compacts and subcompacts are great. The new Dodge Dart is supposed to be a pretty nice car for the money.
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Nov 16, 2012 17:34
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BigBobio posted:At this point, is there really that much of a difference in reliability between the different major brands now as opposed to 15-20 years ago? I'm guessing no? Correct, almost any new car that follows the factory scheduled maintenance will run to 150K+ miles easily. Wear items will still wear out and need to be replaced, but the car won't fall apart like some of them back in the 80's and 90's did.
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Nov 16, 2012 20:25
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Safe and Secure! posted:How much does it cost to own a car, taking into consideration costs like maintenance, insurance, etc.? Kelley Blue Book has a TCO calculator that will estimate the 5 year total cost of ownership for a vehicle. It's pretty useful
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Nov 19, 2012 03:31
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Try shopping the next major metro area close to you. Here in San Antonio it's easy to play Houston and Austin dealers against each other. I'll drive 3 hours to save 1500 bucks. My family back in Topeka plays the Kansas City dealers against the local guys as well. It's 90 minutes tops, and you can save some big bucks. You'll find a dealer that will play ball. There isn't a ton of margin on the Fiestas though, less than a thousand I think beteween MSRP and invoice. It's not like shopping for a 45K car where the discount starts at 5K.
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Nov 29, 2012 19:32
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My dealer traded with another dealer for the car I wanted. We wanted a specific color/interior/package combination and they traded a car they had for the one I wanted at another dealer. It happens all the time. Our salesman had access to a nationwide database of vehicles, and he could also see what was on order.
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Nov 29, 2012 22:10
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I thought they were out of their mind with the Titanium's pricing, but I sat in one, and it was finished very well inside. They'll be a great bargain in 2 to 3 years when some off lease and the first trade ins hit the lot. Ford marketing did a bunch of focus groups and people willing to spend more money on cars are OK with smaller cars, but they always find the fit, features and finish lacking, the Titanium was supposed to be their answer to that.
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Nov 30, 2012 16:33
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 02:25 |
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There are a dozen places to make money in a car transaction. Consumers focus strictly on the price of the vehicle, and the dealer lets you beat them up to get to invoice, and then most people stop paying attention and proceed to get cleaned out in fees and in the finance department. You have to pay attention to every single step in the transaction, there's more to this purchase than just the price agreed for the vehicle.
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Nov 30, 2012 22:00
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