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OctaviusBeaver posted:Since this thread was birthed in BFC I feel like I have the obligation to say that if it takes you five years of debt to pay for the purchase of a luxury item then you flat out cannot afford that luxury item. Seriously, barring 0% financing I cannot understand financing a car past its B2B warranty period. Paying a note and for fixing my car would kill me.
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Feb 20, 2013 04:16
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On principle I agree with you, but keep in mind that a car is not necessarily a luxury item.
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Feb 20, 2013 04:17
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:On principle I agree with you, but keep in mind that a car is not necessarily a luxury item.
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Feb 20, 2013 04:18
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nm posted:Yes, but most cars beyond a 2000-something Ford Focus is. The thread's been pretty good about that.
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Feb 20, 2013 04:25
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:The thread's been pretty good about that. We are specifically talking about this guy: JosephStalinVEVO posted:Well, I bought a car. 2011 CPO BMW 335d. I was able to get the dealer down $1250, and did 60 months at 1.9% BMWFS dealer financing, cheaper than my 3.54% through BOA. The out the door price was the sticker price in this case, other than taxes of course. Even the dealer fees ($80) and whatever else were in there from the start, and I compared it to the other 14 comparable cars within 200 miles and it was a pretty good deal, significantly better than some other places. So I only had to get in the hot seat for a few minutes and negotiate downwards. Who I gave a lot of advice about how to deal with a dealer on price, but not a lot of advice about how not to sign a 5-year note for a 2011 luxury automobile costing $34,750. I'm going to just hope that JosephStalinVEVO took the five year dealer financing because of the low APR but actually plans to pay it off in three years or so.
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Feb 20, 2013 06:40
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That is the plan  1.5x payments starting with the first and then going from there with extras.
milquetoast child fucked around with this message at 17:38 on Feb 20, 2013 |
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Feb 20, 2013 17:34
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mik posted:This is sort of what I went through over the weekend after I decided to buy a new Evo MR (marked down 20% since it was a 0km 2012 model they were getting rid of). I make enough to pay up front all cash, but I live pretty cheaply, so handing over that cheque was still difficult, and so is the scar on my savings account. Despite being about $10k more than my original budget (remember canadians mysteriously pay 20% more than americans for the same car) the car is ridiculous and it will hold its value reasonably well, but I'll probably just keep it for as long as feasible. Plus I get the full warranty and I'm the original owner. Nice to hear I am not the only one that thinks this way. Sadly I don't make enough to pay for the car upfront. That is what I plan to attempt to do for my next car though. I also plan to keep this car for a long rear end time. Also grats on the EVO. Very nice car.
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Feb 20, 2013 18:14
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Proposed Budget: £5-7K (call it $10K USD) max, cheaper if possible New or Used: Used Body Style: 4 door, preferably midsized How will you be using the car?: Mostly town driving What aspects are most important to you? Reliability and safety. Also, an auto is a must. I'm from NYC and have never owned a car before; my wife also doesn't drive. These days, though, we live on a small island and want to take day trips/I'd like to drive to work on a rainy day, so I'm biting the bullet and getting us one. The roads around here are in terrible shape and the drivers are awful, too (not that I'm any better), so whatever I get should be able to handle a bumpy ride and be as death-proof as possible...but it's doubtful I'll drive all that much. I also have no idea how to fix anything up to and including replacing a tire so it'd be nice if nothing fell off. With these requirements, my parents keep telling me to get a used Mercedes/BMW or Volvo. Are they right, or is there something else I should be looking for? Also, the used car market here is really skewed towards cars that are 10 years old with 40K miles on them, have barely been driven, but the miles are all on the island roads that are pretty much one big tarmac patch. Should I avoid these and buy something with more miles but less wear and tear in 'mainland' England instead?
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Feb 21, 2013 00:06
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So is the opinion on mid-2000s (2005 specifically) Focuses (Foci?) generally positive? Edmunds gave them top marks in reliability which is what I'm mainly concerned with. But from asking people I know I'm getting a lot of complaints.
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Feb 21, 2013 02:56
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OctaviusBeaver posted:So is the opinion on mid-2000s (2005 specifically) Focuses (Foci?) generally positive? Edmunds gave them top marks in reliability which is what I'm mainly concerned with. But from asking people I know I'm getting a lot of complaints. 2002-3 were bad years, after that it was OK, but you probably shouldn't be surprised that a 2005 economy car is probably going to need some minor repairs.
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Feb 21, 2013 03:07
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Considering buying a car in the $4-5k range. Have a good job so mildly positive cash flow, but savings were decimated by grad school and am rebuilding them. Instead of paying out of pocket I am considering using one of those credit card promo checks with a 3% up front fee and zero interest for a year. I ran a quick NPV and the equivalent rate is about 5.2% so not great. However I kind of like the idea due to the low absolute amount involved (an extra $100 or so over the life of the loan), the fact that it will be unsecured debt, and the freedom to pay it off however I like as long as its paid in full within 13 months. Which I can do. Other than the possibility of getting hit with a usurious rate if I fail to pay it off am I overlooking anything?
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Feb 21, 2013 15:56
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OctaviusBeaver posted:So is the opinion on mid-2000s (2005 specifically) Focuses (Foci?) generally positive? Edmunds gave them top marks in reliability which is what I'm mainly concerned with. But from asking people I know I'm getting a lot of complaints. I have a 07 and while you'll never feel like you're driving a pseudo luxury car they drive really well, are pretty cheap to maintain, and the price to buy can't be beat.
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Feb 21, 2013 18:26
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Proposed Budget: 3000 to 5000 Dollars New or Used: Used Body Style: Hatchback, 2 Door, 4 Door How will you be using the car?: Work Commute (25 miles round trip), Round-Town Driving (shopping, friends, etc) Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?) No What aspects are most important to you? MPG, Reliability I'm looking for a utilitarian car that can hold myself and 4 friends (I tend to be the driver for a lot of day-trips), that will work well as a commuter. I commute every weekday to and from work. It would be nice to go wagon/hatchback/crossover, so that I can buy furniture as needed. I'm a young guy, currently working inside-sales, but looking to move to outside sales. So I need a car that can rack up a lot of driving while being efficient, and have high-marks for reliability. Big believer in simplicity. I've been leaning towards accords and civics. Any particular recommendation? What does everyone think of focuses? How many miles on the odometer should I be looking at?
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Feb 21, 2013 23:55
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Proposed Budget: $20,000-$25,000 New or Used: New Body Style: sedan, compact or midsize How will you be using the car?: Daily driver, 10ish mile one way commute, 500ish mile road trip once every month or two What aspects are most important to you? Reliability, MPG, winter driving, very occasional hauling stuff home from Home Depot I'm driving a 2001 Corolla that's been a nice car for me for the last 12 years but I'm sick of little things breaking every month or two. Time for something new. I'm not keen on another Toyota as the dealers and service center here are awful, I'm open to something different. I've done some looking and test driving and I'm kinda torn between sticking with something Corolla sized or going a little bigger. I've test driven a Subaru Impreza and Mazdas 3 and 6, the Subaru was OK but I hated the Mazdas. I might go back to Subaru and look at an Outback too. I'm going to head out again this weekend and check out Hyundai and Ford, both are makes I haven't given much thought to but seem pretty highly regarded these days. I'm especially interested in Hyundai's sexy warranty. Are these two actually worth a poo poo? Anything I'm overlooking? Aside from Mazda I'm open to any new car other than GM, Chrysler, or Honda.
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Feb 22, 2013 02:50
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Land Fish posted:Proposed Budget: $20,000-$25,000 If you're hauling stuff from HD don't you think a hatchback or wagon might be useful? Also I wouldn't really worry too much about reliability on a new car. I think you should look into a VW Jetta, they are pretty huge in terms of cargo and passenger space, and you can either go with the base model 2.0l which starts at $16k, or a TDI if you want to pay a bit more for better fuel economy and torque. There's also the Sportwagen too if you change your mind about the sedan thing.
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Feb 22, 2013 03:00
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Throatwarbler posted:If you're hauling stuff from HD don't you think a hatchback or wagon might be useful? Also I wouldn't really worry too much about reliability on a new car. The hauling thing is pretty rare, maybe once every couple months, the biggest things have been lumber and bags of soil & mulch. I'm getting by right now with my little Corolla trunk, something bigger would be nice though. Maybe a hatchback but a wagon would probably be overkill. Reliability is a concern because I want to have this car for 10+ years just like my Corolla. I know anything I buy will be fine during the warranty years, I don't want to deal with repairs in years 6+ either. I haven't considered VW, I'll give them a look. Thanks.
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Feb 22, 2013 03:15
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I wouldn't trust a VW to be as a reliable as a corolla after 10 years.
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Feb 22, 2013 03:18
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Utopian Mind posted:Proposed Budget: 3000 to 5000 Dollars Focuses are a good car but make sure you get one with the DOHC engine. For that budget any car is going to have about a million miles...
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Feb 22, 2013 03:25
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Adar posted:Proposed Budget: £5-7K (call it $10K USD) max, cheaper if possible If I'd only be dicking around a little island, I'd probably find the nicest mainland 206 I could find, in part due to salt and whatnot. All cars can handle a bumpy ride, unless you're talking seriously well traveled and poorly maintained dirt roads. Are there really a lot of accidents?
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Feb 22, 2013 03:38
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nm posted:I wouldn't trust a VW to be as a reliable as a corolla after 10 years. The list of cars that are as reliable in absolute terms as a Corolla isn't very long, especially since Hondas are out of the question. A base model Jetta with the 8v engine and a twist beam rear suspension - compared to a Ford Focus or a Hyundai, how bad can it be?  Land Fish posted:The hauling thing is pretty rare, maybe once every couple months, the biggest things have been lumber and bags of soil & mulch. I'm getting by right now with my little Corolla trunk, something bigger would be nice though. Maybe a hatchback but a wagon would probably be overkill. Well then I think the Jetta is the perfect car for you, since I'm pretty sure it has the largest trunk of any compact car on the market except maybe the Cruze which you are in any case not considering, and the most passenger room too. It's practically a midsize car for a compact car price. Remember VWs now have 3 years/36k miles free maintainance included too.
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Feb 22, 2013 03:38
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Might as well spring for the Sportwagen at that point. The 2.5 is pretty reliable if dreary. Corolla guy, why no Honda?
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Feb 22, 2013 03:41
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:If I'd only be dicking around a little island, I'd probably find the nicest mainland 206 I could find, in part due to salt and whatnot. All cars can handle a bumpy ride, unless you're talking seriously well traveled and poorly maintained dirt roads. Are there really a lot of accidents? It is also an island with roads with no speed limits.
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Feb 22, 2013 04:02
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Might as well spring for the Sportwagen at that point. The 2.5 is pretty reliable if dreary. Eh, if you're going to go for the Jetta, you should really just embrace frugality in all its forms, stick with the 2.0l and get use to drving 10/10s when you need to. The 2.5l brings the already mediocre fuel economy down to a bottom-of-class 26 mpg (reminder that a 4 cyl Accord managed to get 28mpg combined despite having more power, more toruqe, and being a loving full size car), and for what? If you need the 2.5l you might as well spring for the base model Passat.
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Feb 22, 2013 04:10
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nm posted:It is also an island with roads with no speed limits. 206 GTi
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Feb 22, 2013 04:21
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I drove a new Chinese Citroen C2 (a 206 in the rest of the world that they sell in China badged as a Citroen because of some Chinese joint venture naming shenanigan) and I liked it, the interior is excellent and it scooted even with the base 76hp 1.4l. The clutch was terrible though, massive amounts of travel and no feel for the engagement point at all. Maybe the GTi is better?
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Feb 22, 2013 04:28
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Throatwarbler posted:Eh, if you're going to go for the Jetta, you should really just embrace frugality in all its forms, stick with the 2.0l and get use to drving 10/10s when you need to. The 2.5l brings the already mediocre fuel economy down to a bottom-of-class 26 mpg (reminder that a 4 cyl Accord managed to get 28mpg combined despite having more power, more toruqe, and being a loving full size car), and for what? The 2.0 is loving hateful though. Ugh. Good point on the Passat, though the poster mentioned wagon and the Sportwagen is quite commodious. If you really want to buy a VW right now everyone should just sit tight for the next year until they roll out the 1.8T.
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Feb 22, 2013 04:28
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Throatwarbler posted:I drove a new Chinese Citroen C2 (a 206 in the rest of the world that they sell in China badged as a Citroen because of some Chinese joint venture naming shenanigan) and I liked it, the interior is excellent and it scooted even with the base 76hp 1.4l. The clutch was terrible though, massive amounts of travel and no feel for the engagement point at all. Maybe the GTi is better? I'm partial to French cars in a "we can't get them here so I'm irrationally jealous of them despite the fact that they're not particularly good" kind of way. French cars aren't exactly known for great transmissions in general. If it were my money (and not in the buyer's budget, I think) I'd probably try to pick up a Renaultsport Megane because dat rear end. How much does a DS3 run these days?
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Feb 22, 2013 04:31
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:If you really want to buy a VW right now everyone should just sit tight for the next year until they roll out the 1.8T. If I was VW, I'd name it a 1.7T or 1.9T. 1.8T may bring PTSD flashbacks.
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Feb 22, 2013 05:11
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Thanks everyone, you've covered compacts pretty well, but no opinions on midsize? KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Might as well spring for the Sportwagen at that point. The 2.5 is pretty reliable if dreary. I know this is an old BFC thread and I'm not looking at the most exciting cars on the planet but drat I don't want to drive a car anyone would describe as dreary. There's gotta be something in my price range that will last me a while, gets decent gas mileage, is somewhat spacious, and is at least pleasant to drive and look at. Honda is OK I guess, they're great cars but I'm put off a little by the price. Around here at least they're $3-5K higher than everyone else and they don't negotiate. It's one thing if they're that much better than every other car, another if they used to be (like Toyota) and they're still charging a premium for their reputation. If they are worth the price of admission, I'll give them a shot.
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Feb 22, 2013 05:14
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Honda negotiates. You just have to be harder. Also, the Jetta Sportwagen will be much less deary than the Jetta. Despite the name, they are completely different cars. The Jetta Sport Wagen is based on the European car. The Jetta is americanized blandness.
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Feb 22, 2013 05:24
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:The 2.0 is loving hateful though. Ugh. Is the 2.0 in the golf the same as the jetta? If so, does that make a 2.0 golf not an awful car? I don't see a ton of them on the road but every girl I've ever dated wants one.
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Feb 22, 2013 05:47
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^^^ You mean this year? RIght now the base engine in the Golf is the 2.5l. The 2.0l is an ancient engine from the 1990s that they stopped using in Europe 15 years ago and actually also stopped using for the last couple of generations of Jetta until they brought it back for this generation.Land Fish posted:Thanks everyone, you've covered compacts pretty well, but no opinions on midsize? How much money do you want to spend, and do you want more room, more power, or more cheap? Sportwagen less dreary than the Jetta? Maybe, invoice on a base model Jetta is like $15.7k, the sportwagen starts at over $20k, which is right about where the Passat is, and the Passat is also much less dreary than the Jetta. On Hondas, well, a base model Civic starts at $18k, which isn't really a good deal compared to the other stuff out there and yeah, they tend not to negotiate too much on those. On the other hand, a base model Accord for $21k is IMO a good deal. - It's the best driving midsize car on the market. - The direct injected engine delivers near class leading fuel economy *and* power. 6 speed manual transmission is available. The Altima gets better fuel economy but is only available with the CVT. - Interior space is class leading. - It gets perfect crash test scores on both the NHTSA and IIHS test cycle, including the new IIHS small frontal overlap test. Honda and Volvo are basically in a class of their own in terms of crash safety right now. So yeah, the new Accord is a bargain even at the price they want. I think the as far as the midsize market goes, until the new Mazda6 shows up, it's a tossup between the Altima and the Accord. The Altima does get better fuel economy as mentioned, and it also does this thing where when you are filling up the air in the tires the TPMS senses when the PSIs are right and beeps the horn which is loving genius. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 06:09 on Feb 22, 2013 |
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Feb 22, 2013 06:06
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Throatwarbler posted:^^^ You mean this year? RIght now the base engine in the Golf is the 2.5l. The 2.0l is an ancient engine from the 1990s that they stopped using in Europe 15 years ago and actually also stopped using for the last couple of generations of Jetta until they brought it back for this generation. $25K is the top of my budget. I'll give the Accord another look too, for some reason I thought they started at $26K. I was probably looking at the wrong trim level. This is why I only buy cars once a decade...
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Feb 22, 2013 06:42
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Land Fish posted:Thanks everyone, you've covered compacts pretty well, but no opinions on midsize? Out of curiosity, since you said you test drove the Mazda 3 and 6 and hated them, what didn't you like? I don't recall hearing anyone give that reaction before and both of those cars would be pretty drat high on on my list to fulfill those needs. My wife drives a Jetta TDI and we've had pretty good luck with it in the two years we've owned it (2006 MY, bought it at 44k). That said, I would not recommend one at all for what you want. Gas mileage is terrible, reliability is questionable, and I don't think there's anything it does that another car can't do for them same price or better.
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Feb 22, 2013 06:45
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Land Fish posted:$25K is the top of my budget. http://www.truecar.com/prices-new/honda/accord-sedan-pricing/
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Feb 22, 2013 06:53
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Throatwarbler posted:^^^ You mean this year? RIght now the base engine in the Golf is the 2.5l. The 2.0l is an ancient engine from the 1990s that they stopped using in Europe 15 years ago and actually also stopped using for the last couple of generations of Jetta until they brought it back for this generation. I guess I just had 2.0 as the N/A engine the Golfs have been running the last couple generations. If it's actually a 2.5 that's what I meant. In sum - I recognize that VW's in general are going to have more electrical gremlins and be more expensive to maintain than a domestic car or popular japanese vehicle, but from an engine / transmission standpoint have the last couple generations of Golfs in N/A been fairly solid if not a bit boring? They sure as heck don't maintain their value.
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Feb 22, 2013 14:34
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A high mileage DSG would scare the poo poo out of me. Dunno how their conventional ats are. The MTs are mostly fine.
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Feb 22, 2013 21:38
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Land Fish posted:I know this is an old BFC thread and I'm not looking at the most exciting cars on the planet but drat I don't want to drive a car anyone would describe as dreary. There's gotta be something in my price range that will last me a while, gets decent gas mileage, is somewhat spacious, and is at least pleasant to drive and look at. I was referring only to the engine. The rest of the car is good, but the 2.5 is pretty agricultural. To be honest, nobody makes a nice sounding engine in that class. To fit your criteria I would go Fords or the Accord as Throatwarbler suggested. Unless you're literally in the gently caress middle of nowhere, email a bunch of ISMs within a decent radius. A one-way ticket to save you a few thousand bucks is a pretty good deal.
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Feb 23, 2013 06:24
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Proposed Budget: $2000 if private party, $4000 dealership. I have poor credit so financing is too expensive right now, so if I go with a dealer I'd be using a credit card for that extra $2000. I mention that because dealerships will work with you more on pricing when paying cash. New or Used: Used obviously Body Style: (e.g. 2 door? 4 door? Compact/Midsize/Fullsize Sedan? Truck? SUV?) 2D/Hatchback or 4D, Compact or Midsize How will you be using the car?: Super long commute Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? Not with my budget. What aspects are most important to you? MPG and reliability. Location: North Colorado (figure its important, very cold weather and snow/icy roads common) Old car is totaled and cost is on me. Driving a junk car for now with serious problems with suspension and its engine has serious problems and on its last legs, so I need a car ASAP since engine could die in 6 months or tomorrow, who knows. I have a 50 mile commute (each-way), gas prices are crazy so MPG is king. Repair costs/reliability being second I know most of the good import options that would fit (early 90's Civic, Accords, corolla, etc), but what are some good high-mileage domestic options?
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Feb 23, 2013 07:01
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Leperflesh posted:I'm going to just hope that JosephStalinVEVO took the five year dealer financing because of the low APR but actually plans to pay it off in three years or so. Since we're being financially prudent, it makes no sense to hurry and pay off a loan that is on a note @ 1.9% APR. It's free money Do you expect a $100 item today to be selling for $104.90 in 2018? Not loving likely. You can argue about the utility of increasing your cash flow by having no payments, but at the end of the day the money you're adding to rush your loan is better used invested and making you more than 1.9%, which is pretty easy to do. Also, if you really need that extra utility, you "cannot afford the car" When I bought my car in 2010 I put about 15k cash down to ensure I never owed more than it was worth, and then financed the rest with the dealer for 1.9% (it's a luxury car so no 0%). I could have paid cash for the car full stop, but what a terrible way to "invest" that cash - at 1.9% essentially. The cash is generating a better return that that in my investments. I agree in general that a 5 year note on a used car is silly, but the loan is essentially free, so whatever. It makes little sense to rush paying it down when the APR is that close to zero. Joseph the only truly dumb thing you are doing is accelerating your payments. Invest the difference. Never make a lump sum to work it down. Saltin fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Feb 23, 2013 |
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Feb 23, 2013 14:22
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