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A few years of winters on salt roads isnt going to be a dealbreaker on a modern car. They don't rust out like poo poo from the 80's did. Especially the past few years, which have been pretty dry winters. All things being equal of course you would want a non-salt state car, but it's not the end of the world either.
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Oct 10, 2012 23:19
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So I just went to the dealership and purchased a 2004 Honda Civic! The car is a one owner car with 42,000 miles and I think I got a pretty good deal. The price checks out with other listings in the area and kelley blue book value. I will be picking it up tomorrow! I just have one question. The down payment which I agreed to was $4,000. The down payment on the contract states $3,800. The dealer told me to bring a check for $4,000 tomorrow. Shouldn't I be writing a check for $3,800 which is what the down payment states in the contract or would the extra $200 be applied to the principle anyway? PaulAllen fucked around with this message at 05:00 on Oct 11, 2012 |
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Oct 11, 2012 02:35
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PaulAllen posted:So I just went to the dealership and purchased a 2004 Honda Civic! The car is a one owner car with 42,000 miles and I think I got a pretty good deal. The price checks out with other listings in the area and kelley blue book value. I will be picking it up tomorrow! I personally would not bring anything at all above what a contract had in writing. If you want to pay down additional principle, work that out between you and whoever is doing your financing, not whatever some car salesman says.
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Oct 11, 2012 06:26
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Endor posted:Mazda 3 hatchback would be top of my list, followed by Golf GTI, Subaru Impreza, and Ford Focus hatch. Whatever year happens to fall within your price range. As "nm" said, a non-turbo version of a car is going to give you a lot more reliability, but it won't be as fast as the turbo version. At this point in your life, I'd say you probably want to choose reliability over excessive speed. I recently bought a 2012 focus hatch. Cargo room is great for a hatch. It drives and handles great, but will definitely not make you mistake it for a legitimate performance car. It is what it is, a solid and cheap economy car with good handling and a spacious hatch. If you see yourself regularly hauling 3-4 adults I might go with something roomier as the back seats can get cramped if the driver/passenger are around 6 ft or over. If you have any other questions on the 2012-13 focus hatch let me know and I'll try to answer them (and by you, I mean trachypithecus) mrpeaches fucked around with this message at 06:36 on Oct 11, 2012 |
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Oct 11, 2012 06:30
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PaulAllen posted:So I just went to the dealership and purchased a 2004 Honda Civic! The car is a one owner car with 42,000 miles and I think I got a pretty good deal. The price checks out with other listings in the area and kelley blue book value. I will be picking it up tomorrow! Wait, you're putting $4k down on a 2004 civic? Please tell me you're not financing more than a couple grand on that.
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Oct 11, 2012 06:35
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nm posted:Wait, you're putting $4k down on a 2004 civic? Please tell me you're not financing more than a couple grand on that. I paid $9,000 for the car. Seems to be on par with blue book value. Do you think I over paid?
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Oct 12, 2012 00:14
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PaulAllen posted:I paid $9,000 for the car. Seems to be on par with blue book value. Do you think I over paid? Given that you can get a 2004 Civic Si for like $7k, yeah. KBB lists private party values at about $6k for an LX. edit: Guess that was with standard mileage. 50k mi isn't worth $3,000.
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Oct 12, 2012 00:28
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That sounds about right, but definitely on the higher end of normal, for an excellent condition 2004 Civic with only 42k miles and 1 owner, at least in my part of the country with above-average used car prices. What trim level is it? VVV Yes, Civics carry a huge "Honda brand name tax", and is also why I wouldn't personally buy one. But just a quick glance through craigslist shows good condition 2004 Civics in the 8-13k (seriously, fuckin 13k) price range. The cheaper ones either have 150k miles and/or are beat to poo poo and sitting at a shady buy-here-pay-here lot. Guinness fucked around with this message at 00:37 on Oct 12, 2012 |
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Oct 12, 2012 00:29
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Guinness posted:That sounds about right for an excellent condition 2004 Civic with only 42k miles, at least in my part of the country with above-average used car prices. Seriously? Guess this is why I never recommend used civics. fake edit: I'm not trying to insult a guys new car, but just genuinely shocked, given what you can get for $10k.
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Oct 12, 2012 00:30
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Guinness posted:That sounds about right, but definitely on the higher end of normal, for an excellent condition 2004 Civic with only 42k miles and 1 owner, at least in my part of the country with above-average used car prices. What trim level is it? Whew I feel a bit better now. I'm from New York so that seemed to be the going rate. Another dealership was offering the same car with 80k miles for $9,500. I did a bit of research and the '04 appears to be the most reliable (http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Civic/2004/) It was either that or a Ford Focus for me and after test driving a 2010 Focus I didn't see much of a difference between the two. The focus had 20k less mileage but the interior felt on the cheap side. I do a lot of hard city driving so reliability was the most important factor for me. I understand what you guys are saying about paying for the brand name though.
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Oct 12, 2012 01:18
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I'd like some advice please. Some time in the next (hopefully) six months, I'm going to be buying a Mazda 3. I want a Skyactiv model. Now, what I'm not sure about is whether to buy new or used. The Skyactiv is only available on 2012+ models. I would be looking either buy a leftover new 2012, or a used low mileage 2012. Is there a typical amount a leftover model would be discounted? Would the prices be comparable to a used 2012? I've bought new before, and I swore I'd never do it again, but if the prices would be comparable I guess there would be no reason to go new.
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Oct 12, 2012 01:33
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A Proper Uppercut posted:I'd like some advice please. Some time in the next (hopefully) six months, I'm going to be buying a Mazda 3. I want a Skyactiv model. Now, what I'm not sure about is whether to buy new or used. The Skyactiv is only available on 2012+ models. I would be looking either buy a leftover new 2012, or a used low mileage 2012. The prices should be somewhat similar, but a new one will probably cost a touch more. This can be offset by near 0% apr and/or cash rebates though. Note that the used market is stupid hot right now, particularly among sub-$20k when new cars. For a nearly new compact there is little reason to go used these days.
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Oct 12, 2012 01:40
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nm posted:I would buy a 2012 leftover for sure, unless you get several grand knocked off the price of the used one. Would you have any idea how much I could get OTD would compare from a online listed MSRP listed on a dealers website? Or is it just more of a need to email or check out the dealership in person to figure that out?
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Oct 12, 2012 03:02
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A Proper Uppercut posted:Would you have any idea how much I could get OTD would compare from a online listed MSRP listed on a dealers website? Or is it just more of a need to email or check out the dealership in person to figure that out? http://www.edmunds.com/mazda/mazda3/years.html?sub=hatchback Then cut a fair bit off invoice as your starting.
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Oct 12, 2012 03:11
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nm posted:Seriously? Guess this is why I never recommend used civics. Are Civics and Corollas still the paragon of reliability like they used to be? My girlfriend's family had a '98 Corolla that began drinking oil like a motherfucker despite religious oil changes, only to be told that many of them did that due to a ring problem, and a 2006 Civic that had the block crack earlier this year. At least a new block was covered by some Honda extended warranty. I've been pointing friends and family who want a pure utility economy car to Hyundai and Kia for a while.
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Oct 12, 2012 15:21
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What is the protocol for buying a car from a dealer if you aren't financing? I'm like 5 years out from a buy so I'm saving now. I would probably go for a CPO or maybe new, I've heard that you actually get better deals these days if you are financing versus just showing up with cash in hand but I'd obviously like to avoid interest payments. Is it possible to negotiate based on some horrifying APR and then pay down the principle 24 hours later or some kind of trick like that, or is it better to just say "I will pay cash" and keep it simple?
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Oct 12, 2012 15:33
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Xguard86 posted:What is the protocol for buying a car from a dealer if you aren't financing? I'm like 5 years out from a buy so I'm saving now. Usually cash incentives are bigger if you're financing a new car, so just ask if there's an early repayment penalty. In some states it's illegal to have one, but sometimes manufacturers will make you keep a loan active for a minimum of 6 months to get the full incentive. I'll say that in my family's experience there's no minimum loan duration or repayment penalty, so my parents have financed cars with "zero down payment" and then paid them off in full in the first month in order to get the best prices and incentives from dealers. Edit: I'm buying a new car and have no clue what the best thing to do to build credit. I'm going through Ford for sure because there's an extra $1000 incentive if you finance with Ford. If I'd also like to use this to build good credit, do I need to keep the loan alive longer or will it be equally good for my credit to take a big loan and then pay it all off immediately? Twerk from Home fucked around with this message at 15:53 on Oct 12, 2012 |
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Oct 12, 2012 15:43
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Weinertron posted:so my parents have financed cars with "zero down payment" and then paid them off in full in the first month in order to get the best prices and incentives from dealers. This is what I was thinking. Let the dealer assume they'll make their money back in interest, then pay down everything right away. Does this cause any problems in regards to repeat business or servicing? Basically, do they get pissed?
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Oct 12, 2012 15:50
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Xguard86 posted:This is what I was thinking. Let the dealer assume they'll make their money back in interest, then pay down everything right away. Does this cause any problems in regards to repeat business or servicing? Basically, do they get pissed? Sales guy won't get pissed, he's moving cars. Someone at the dealer might get bugged, but my parents have done this at the same dealer twice and they were still thrilled to sell him the second car the exact same way. It's a business transaction, only what is written down counts. You're not deceiving anyone, you are taking a loan for a car that has no early payment penalty and then exercising your ability to pay early. Twerk from Home fucked around with this message at 15:58 on Oct 12, 2012 |
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Oct 12, 2012 15:54
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Does anyone have experience with the USAA extended service agreement? I just bought a CPO Scion and plan to drive it until the wheels fall off.
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Oct 12, 2012 16:24
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Weinertron posted:Sales guy won't get pissed, he's moving cars. Someone at the dealer might get bugged, but my parents have done this at the same dealer twice and they were still thrilled to sell him the second car the exact same way. Good to know. I only ask because I've been eyeballing Mini Coopers but there is only one dealership close to me and I'd rather not get the death stare whenever I bring it in for warranty work.
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Oct 12, 2012 16:58
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Service and sales departments are pretty far apart at most dealerships, and I don't just mean geographically. The loan itself is not going to be directly financed by the dealer - they will probably get a kickback by doing it through either a major bank like Chase, or the financing arm of the automaker. I doubt these kickbacks are contingent upon the customer paying for X months, so the dealer makes their money whether you finance it forever or not.
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Oct 12, 2012 17:09
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Weinertron posted:Are Civics and Corollas still the paragon of reliability like they used to be? No, they aren't, but they still carry the price premium in the used market as if they were. They are still generally good, reliable cars but the brand tax is IMO pretty ridiculous when you can make your dollar go a lot further on other brands/models with similar or better quality/features/reliability. Also, my brother has a 2004 Civic and I was amused when several common parts on his car cost as much or more than the analogous part on my 2004 BMW. We both bought our cars at about the same time 2 years ago, both in similarly excellent condition and mileage. Mine for 15k, his for 11k. My car has had no problems, whereas we had to solve a recurring CEL problem on his. It ended up being a pre-cat O2 sensor and new plugs, overall a minor problem and we didn't pay a mechanic to do it so saved several hundred bucks on diagnostics/labor, but holy crap are Honda OEM O2 sensors a rip off ($200-300)! Guinness fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Oct 12, 2012 |
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Oct 12, 2012 17:42
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It isn't that civic and corollas got worse, everything else just got better. Almost no car will be horribly unreliable anymore.
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Oct 12, 2012 18:06
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nm posted:It isn't that civic and corollas got worse, everything else just got better. Agreed, this is a better way to put it.
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Oct 12, 2012 18:31
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Hi, I bopped around the thread for a bit and got some good info but I was hoping someone has the time to give me extra help. My situation is kinda time-sensitive now and I'm not able to juggle all the info about buying a car without wanting to blow up the internet. I need a used car and I live in Boston, MA. Proposed Budget: Up to $8000 to pay for it in full, prefer a bit lower if it meets my needs. New or Used: Used Body Style: This is kinda tricky because I really feel like my family needs a pickup, but it's not a 100% necessity. So a truck would be ideal but if that's not realistic I can go with a sharp coupe. How will you be using the car?: I commute ~9mi each way, p much 7 days a week. There will be a couple of trips to the burbs now and then and some flights of fancy I'm sure but mostly my work commute. My commute is 90% highway (Dorchester to the Airport for you Boston goons). What aspects are most important to you?: A manual transmission - thats how I learned to drive and I am uncomfortable in an automatic. It seems silly I know, but I'm not about to drop $8k on something I'll never feel 100% "in tune" with. I like the idea of an import but from reading the thread I'm getting the idea that Japanese over American isn't as clear-cut of a choice as it once was. Maintenance isn't a huge deal because I've got guys for that. The problem I have is that my situation at work changed unexpectedly and I'll now be unable to continue using public transportation. It's a huge bummer because I actually like my subway ride, and the company pays for the unlimited pass. But Boston likes to shut down their transit system for 6 hours a night which doesn't work for me at all anymore. As much as I'd like to explore intricate loan options I just don't have the time and will be paying in full with cash. So if you guys who are smart about cars were me, what would you do? - Does paying cash give me much leverage at a dealership? What max-price could I start trawling online ads for, with a realistic expectation that I could make my way to around 8k for a final price? What about 7 or 6? - How possible do you think the truck thing is? We could really really use one due to some major life situations coming up in the next few years. But like I said, getting to work in November is #1 so if all those white '00-'07 Rangers I'm seeing are actually poo poo I will avoid them and go with a car that's more worth my $. - I want something cool no matter what it is - I don't mean some teenagers wacky body kit thing, just something a step above an aveo or a corrolla or something bland. I sound bratty but I'm 28 and I've only ever driven boring economy cars (except for my sweet sweet VW beater that I sold after a few months). I know that's kind of against my above point that it's all about utility, but Im pulling a huge chunk of my money out for this carfoolery and I want to at least be a little proud of the look. I'm sure there's more I could expand on if anyone's interested in helping out with the info. Much appreciated.
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Oct 14, 2012 08:46
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Why do you think you "need" a pickup? Cash doesn't give you leverage anymore. In fact, it might hurt you (lots of money is made by finance), so i wouldn't bring it up until you get a price. Get a ford ranger I guess. Avoid toyotas, any truck you can avoid will be iron oxide by now. Terrible rust problems on over a decade of them.
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Oct 14, 2012 08:58
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nm posted:Why do you think you "need" a pickup? Both of my parents are buying a house each in '13, I help them fix the places up the last few times and we had an old (93?) Ford that saved tons of $$$ moving stuff and enabling us to DIY a bunch of things. I expect a lot of that in the near future. Since the Ford died nobody in my fam has a pickup and I'd like to get one instead of making pops do it, because his trucks have saved my rear end many times over the years. quote:Cash doesn't give you leverage anymore. In fact, it might hurt you (lots of money is made by finance), so i wouldn't bring it up until you get a price. Roger that, good to know. So I guess in a broader way, what kind of wiggle room do used car dealers have usually? All the car buying stuff I can find is for new car deals - do used dealers not drop it as much? quote:Get a ford ranger I guess. I'll take a few out and see how they feel. If that's my best option and I'm not too into it I might just go the car route. Trying to find common problems now... quote:Avoid toyotas, any truck you can avoid will be iron oxide by now. Terrible rust problems on over a decade of them. Noted, thx. ---- So what would you recommend based on the above info, minus the pickup idea?
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Oct 14, 2012 09:08
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Yeah, I'm missing two things there - why you need a truck over a sedan, and the 'cool' factor of the Ranger. You want it to be not bland? A Ranger - especially the gutlessly slow 4cyl versions you should be looking at - is about as cool as Mitt Romney. They are a simple, utilitarian tool that is devoid of any direct driving enjoyment. Any enjoyment derived from the operation of a Ranger is the result of seeing how hard you can try to kill it, only for it to shrug it off and dutifully do what it was told. I've got a '98 Ranger 4cyl, and I love it, but it is not cool and it is a poor choice for a commuter if you've got $8k. gently caress, if you've got $8k to spend, find a ~$2k Ranger and a $6k Civic or Protege or whatever it is that seems 'cool' to you. Edit: Ah, more info. So yeah I stand by my last statement, if you really want a truck - and given that said need may be a ways out - sock away $2-3k to buy a Ranger with later on, and go look private party at cars in the $5-6k bracket. Even at $8k I would seriously consider private party over dealership. You can still get a private-party car inspected by a mechanic if you want. Cash in hand is a great negotiation tactic with a private seller. And depending on where you are, some areas (like AZ) let private sales skip the sales tax. IOwnCalculus fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Oct 14, 2012 |
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Oct 14, 2012 09:12
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Thanks dudes. The private party route kinda seemed like a pain in the balls but just browsing craigslist for private sales I can see that there are way more realistic options just on the first page compared to cars.com listings etc. I'll prob hop in a few rangers to see what's good and if that doesn't fit I'll most likely end up with a reasonable import. One last annoying newbie question: is craigslist the best bet for private listings? If not what is?
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Oct 15, 2012 00:26
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Rubies posted:Thanks dudes. The private party route kinda seemed like a pain in the balls but just browsing craigslist for private sales I can see that there are way more realistic options just on the first page compared to cars.com listings etc. I'll prob hop in a few rangers to see what's good and if that doesn't fit I'll most likely end up with a reasonable import. CL and Autotrader. Autotrader can be a bit dealer heavy, but CL sucks to search.
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Oct 15, 2012 00:29
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edit
Computer Serf fucked around with this message at 22:21 on Dec 8, 2013 |
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Oct 15, 2012 03:21
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Rubies posted:Thanks dudes. The private party route kinda seemed like a pain in the balls but just browsing craigslist for private sales I can see that there are way more realistic options just on the first page compared to cars.com listings etc. I'll prob hop in a few rangers to see what's good and if that doesn't fit I'll most likely end up with a reasonable import. Keep in mind that the dealer list price on any used car is a hilarious number that nobody should ever pay. They expect to be talked down (even if they don't really want to act like that's true). When shopping at dealerships, after finding a car that I liked one of my first questions was always "can you work with me on this price?" and the answer 100% of the time was some variation of "yes." You can also tend to get better deals at the very end of the month, because salesmen are trying to hit numbers (they often are in the running for bonuses based on how many cars they sell a month) and dealerships are trying to clear the lot for the next shipment that's coming in (especially around this time of the year when 2013 models are starting to arrive). On Craigslist this is true for some sellers and not true for others. Some folks will be HORRIBLY OFFENDED if you suggest you're interested at a lower amount, while others fully expect to be talked down by a thousand dollars or more. Some sellers need to get rid of a car for cash immediately, as in TODAY, while others aren't actually eager to sell or have unrealistic ideas of what they can get and are willing to walk away rather than be disappointed. So bear that in mind.
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Oct 15, 2012 06:23
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Proposed Budget: $10,000 or less after taxes, etc. New or Used: Used Body Style: Hatchback, sedan, 2-door... (cars only) How will you be using the car?: Just drive the car to work and generally driving around town. Nothing crazy. What aspects are most important to you? high 20s MPG, nice ride I live on the West coast Red Robin Hood fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Oct 15, 2012 |
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Oct 15, 2012 06:43
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Proposed Budget: 40-50k New or Used: whichever Body Style: sedan How will you be using the car?: casual driving - 50 milesish a week What aspects are most important to you? warranty, nice ride, good handling I currently have an 07 Accord EX-L and while it's an ok car the transmission is starting to slip and I'm looking at 3-5k to fix this. Rather than doing this as it will wipe out any equity left in the car I'd rather get a dependable car with a warranty to back this car. Looking around I found Audi, BMW and Cadillac have decent warranties when purchased new as I will not hit 50k in the 4-5 years of purchasing. That said, I started looking used and saw that I can get a used 2011 CTS for ~30k fully loaded and it appears Cadillac has a 100k bumper to bumper warranty on all used that starts 2 years after the manufacturers warranty expires and goes for 4 years. This means with a 2011 and a 5 year warranty I could have full coverage for the duration of the car loan which is very enticing to me. My Honda was covered for like 5 months after purchasing and have spent a couple grand in fixing it already when it was only 3 years old at purchase. On top of this, my partner has ~3-5k in GM dollars due to a past purchase years back and if I am understanding my googling right he can add me on the card which gives me the ability to use these. All said and done it would be around 12k after trade-in cost for a CTS so this seems most viable. Are Cadillacs still "domestic trash" in that it will fall apart before I'm even done with my loan or have they shaped up better? I could go with a used 3 or 5 series BMW and with the 3 series only pay an extra 5-7k, 15-17k on the 5 series but I'm just not sure if I should bother considering that considering all the savings I'd get with Cadillac.
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Oct 15, 2012 18:57
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Red Robin Hood posted:Proposed Budget: $10,000 or less after taxes, etc. Why does it have to be 2 door? A Mazda3 would get the job done and they look really nice.
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Oct 15, 2012 19:00
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Rhyno posted:Why does it have to be 2 door? A Mazda3 would get the job done and they look really nice. Oops! Sorry I changed that... I meant just interested in cars only not JUST two-door cars.
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Oct 15, 2012 19:39
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Rubies posted:Thanks dudes. The private party route kinda seemed like a pain in the balls but just browsing craigslist for private sales I can see that there are way more realistic options just on the first page compared to cars.com listings etc. I'll prob hop in a few rangers to see what's good and if that doesn't fit I'll most likely end up with a reasonable import. In addition to CL, you should drive around your neighborhood and figure out where everyone who wants to sell their car parks them. There's usually some strip of a busy street that you will notice has tons of cars with for sale signs on them. Not everyone puts their stuff up on Craigslist, and you can find some really good deals this way, and you get to see the car without the hassle of making an appoinment, etc.
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Oct 15, 2012 19:48
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Red Robin Hood posted:Oops! Sorry I changed that... I meant just interested in cars only not JUST two-door cars. As a Mazda fanboy I can't recommend the 3 enough. Available in sedan or hatchback and you can find them for good prices all over. I just found an 07 with a 5 speed, 73K miles for $6K.
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Oct 15, 2012 20:00
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Rhyno posted:As a Mazda fanboy I can't recommend the 3 enough. Available in sedan or hatchback and you can find them for good prices all over. I just found an 07 with a 5 speed, 73K miles for $6K. I've only ever owned Mazdas... I really like them. I'm getting a loan from the bank. Should I try a dealership or stick to craigslist? I had a hard time finding anything under 9k with less than 1xx,xxx miles  Seattle-Tacoma
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Oct 15, 2012 20:07
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