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Crotch Fruit posted:A strategically placed bag of potato chips will fill up the Versa's trunk. Either prepare to have the seats folded down all the time or look elsewhere. I think it might not be a bad idea to look at Honda Fits as well, unless the thread knows a reason to avoid them. CVT tech has gone a long way since your Caliber and Nissan is one of the most experienced manufacturers, so I think it'll be better than your shittacular Caliber.
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Jun 6, 2014 03:02
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The CVT is the worst driving experience possible and I know some of the Versa models came with CVTs which probably suck just as much as the Caliber.
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:CVT tech has gone a long way since your Caliber and Nissan is one of the most experienced manufacturers, so I think it'll be better than your shittacular Caliber. Nissan provided the Caliber's piece of poo poo CVT.
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Jun 6, 2014 03:21
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Crotch Fruit posted:*please don't say search craigslist, I want to buy from a dealer instead of some random flake on the internet. You can always just click the third option here: 
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Jun 6, 2014 03:35
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Crotch Fruit posted:*please don't say search craigslist, I want to buy from a dealer instead of some random flake on the internet. For gods sake, why? The dealer actually knows LESS about the car on their lot than an owner. They buy it at auction, where it has been placed by another dealer who for whatever reason (from can't sell a hyundai excel at a Ferrari dealer to broken POS) and have done minimal to no inspections. For all this, and probably no additional warranty, they'll expect you to pay 10% more. I'd only buy a used car from a dealer if the car is super rare and they have one (had to do this from my subaru) or CPO (but most CPOs are a rip off). Autotrader is a a bit better for dealers and newer cars.
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Jun 6, 2014 03:46
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ToxicFrog posted:f I'm going to be hitting Nissan dealerships anyways to look at the Leaf, is there any reason I shouldn't also be checking out the Nissan Versa? Is the Mazda 3 just better? It's underpowered, cramped, and just really you don't want one. You can get a gently used Mazda 3 for the same price as a new Versa anyway.
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Jun 6, 2014 14:26
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I test-drove a Versa a while ago and as soon as I pulled back into the lot I handed the keys back to the sales guy and went "dear god that was horrible" and walked out. It was that bad. At the time I was driving a woefully underpowered '04 CR-V and the Versa was even worse than that to drive power-wise. If you're looking for cargo space the Honda Fit is marvelous. Otherwise it's a pretty average car.
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Jun 6, 2014 17:06
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I bought a brand-new 2014 Ford Focus last Monday and, against all of my friends' and family's warnings, I picked up an extended warranty  . Part of it was I was too tired to fight the financing guy, and another part was my concern that, with all of the electronics in the car (I got the Titanium trim, which has the better Sync system, power everything, push button start, keyless entry, etc...), something in the next six or seven years is more than likely to burn out and need to be replaced. The car I drove before that was an 2000 Toyota Corolla so I have no idea what the reliability of modern cars is like. Would I be better off getting a refund on the extended warranty and socking it away into a "future car repairs" fund? It was an additional $2400 for an extra three years of bumper-to-bumper; I plan on driving this car for as long as it'll run.
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Jun 6, 2014 23:27
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That's way too much money... you can buy a ford extended warranty online for probably half of what you paid. I would try to get it refunded if possible. A premiumcare 6 year 100K extended warranty can be had for 1300 bucks online. That's with a 0 dollar deductible. Go for 100 dollar deductible and you can go to 7yr/125K for the same 1300 dollars.
skipdogg fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Jun 6, 2014 |
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Jun 6, 2014 23:41
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Almost all of the warranties I've seen have refund periods, so yes, return that poo poo and get your money back. $2400 should go a long way, if you even spend that much at all on non-maintenance items during the period between when your factory warranty ends and when the extended warranty would end.
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Jun 6, 2014 23:48
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Karthe posted:....Would I be better off getting a refund on the extended warranty and socking it away into a "future car repairs" fund? It was an additional $2400 for an extra three years of bumper-to-bumper; I plan on driving this car for as long as it'll run. I'll likely be in the minority here, but personally I am a fan of factory extended warranties under three conditions - The first is that it is a legitimate Manufacturer warranty, (ie: not a third-party vendor, which some dealers will sometimes try to sell you). The second is that I plan on keeping the vehicle for a very, very long time. The third is that I can purchase the factory warranty for an acceptable price. Whichever you decide, you overpaid, (as most folks do when buying an extended warranty through their selling dealer). It's usually best to purchase an extended warranty from online, though you can take the price to your local dealer if you would like to see if they'll match it. Virtually every major manufacturer has a handful of their dealers that decide to sell the factory warranties online for rock-bottom pricing. Volume more than makes up for the discount they give. I haven't purchased a Ford plan in ages, but a quick google shows you could have gotten a $0 Deductible "Premium Care" plan for 7 years/125k miles for $1895. A $100 ded drops it down to $1320, and a $200 ded drops it to $1120. (random google search of online dealers - https://www.floodfordesp.com/esp_pl...Submit=Continue ). There are probably even cheaper options out there. Read up on your plan as well. If the ded is per visit, or per item/issue. Most of them are per visit now as far as I know, and if that's the case, (which it should be), all the more reason to go with a higher deductible to save yourself int he long run. Ext Warranties are insurance policies. You may never need it, and some folks only get the minimum requirements. I've had plenty of vehicles that have never had a single thing wrong with them and I lose on the deal. Others, I'm not so lucky, and it's worth it to me. When I purchased my last vehicle, I wasn't taking the chance on having to fork out almost 2k on a new head unit if/when it went to crap, (which if it did, I'm sure it would happen in year 4). Chrysler's 8.4N was still fairly new, so to me it was a no-brainer to get a policy. But I did so with a higher ded and from 'cheap' online dealership. Edit - I type slow as fawk apparently.
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Jun 6, 2014 23:57
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Thanks for not beating me up too badly about it. I had no idea I could get the same coverage with no deductible for almost half of that (and they got me on a $100 ded). I'm definitely going to get a refund and shop around. I have until the original 3-year warranty runs out, right? And what's the easiest way to get a refund? Contact the dealer?
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Jun 7, 2014 00:12
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Read the paperwork, in a lot of cases it will need to be in writing.
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Jun 7, 2014 00:18
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IOwnCalculus posted:Read the paperwork, in a lot of cases it will need to be in writing.
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Jun 7, 2014 00:45
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I've got a signing bonus coming my way in about 12-18 months and I like stupid fast luxury wagons. I'm considering the E63 AMG Wagon and comparing it with the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon. Anyone have any perspective on these two cars? Thanks in advance.
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Jun 7, 2014 02:08
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:I've got a signing bonus coming my way in about 12-18 months and I like stupid fast luxury wagons. I'm considering the E63 AMG Wagon and comparing it with the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon. Anyone have any perspective on these two cars? They are both insane. Newer AMGs I think are all all wheel drive only, if you care about that. I think if you are looking at new or used that may change things quite a bit. New may not be an option for the Caddy in another year.
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Jun 7, 2014 05:52
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:I've got a signing bonus coming my way in about 12-18 months and I like stupid fast luxury wagons. I'm considering the E63 AMG Wagon and comparing it with the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon. Anyone have any perspective on these two cars? Great choices. The CTS-V wagon is dead next year if you want a new one. The CTS-V is also available in a manual, unlike the E63. Which, by the way, is how you should get it, if only for resale value. (Manual fast wagons retain value like crazy). The E63 is a bit bigger. It is AWD now, which is a double edged sword. It gives it more grip and a bit more controllable, but you lose some of the hoon factor. Also, I wonder about durability. AWD system in high horspower cars cause a lot more stress on parts like transmission because they will "slip" before the wheels. If you're keeping it for a bit, I probably wouldn't check the ceramic brakes, rotor replacements, while less common, are hideously expensive. nm fucked around with this message at 06:41 on Jun 7, 2014 |
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Jun 7, 2014 06:39
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Karthe posted:Fuuuuuck, terms and conditions say the money gets refunded to the lienholder. Oh well, lesson learned. I certainly won't make that mistake again. Thanks for the help sorting that out. Still better than eating the money? Talk to the financing arm, see if they can either rework the payments based on the new lower principal, or if you'll just have it paid off sooner.
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Jun 7, 2014 06:49
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IOwnCalculus posted:Still better than eating the money? Talk to the financing arm, see if they can either rework the payments based on the new lower principal, or if you'll just have it paid off sooner.
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Jun 7, 2014 07:27
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Wait, why the hell would you buy a car with dealer financing only to refi it a few days later with a credit union? Do you just like paperwork, paying interest twice, and the ding on your credit report of two new large loans in close proximity?
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Jun 7, 2014 07:34
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nm posted:Wait, why the hell would you buy a car with dealer financing only to refi it a few days later with a credit union? 
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Jun 7, 2014 07:49
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6.5% on a new auto loan from a domestic manufacturer for a volume car? How bad is your credit?
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Jun 7, 2014 07:57
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nm posted:6.5% on a new auto loan from a domestic manufacturer for a volume car? How bad is your credit?
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Jun 7, 2014 08:09
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Did you even haggle at all with the finance guy or did he just bend you over? 6.5% APR and you bought a warranty you didn't want?
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Jun 7, 2014 15:10
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Bovril Delight posted:Did you even haggle at all with the finance guy or did he just bend you over? 6.5% APR and you bought a warranty you didn't want? Rest assured, I've learned my lessons and won't make those mistakes again in the future 
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Jun 7, 2014 17:08
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I refinanced with credit unions a few times after buying with dealer financing and it was worth it and very easy. In the case of the 2013 BMW 535 I refied about 60 days after picking it up and my rates were only dropping from 3% to 1.75% through Pentagon Federal, but I did it anyway. It's not like you are paying termination fees. The one thing is sometimes the dealer needs you to be in their finance program for 90 days before they get their credits/incentives back from BMW or something so I probably hosed them on that unknowingly.
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Jun 7, 2014 17:56
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I've been driving the same 1997 Honda Civic since I got my license nearly a decade ago, and after going home last weekend and having multiple people ask me "That car still runs?!" I think it might be time to start looking into replacing it (nevermind finally having good credit and a stable job). My dad recommends buying a used car from a dealer, something that only a few years old, though I don't know yet what I want other than "something like my Civic, but maybe a little bigger". My main concern is that I've never had to shop for a car before, and don't really know much about them in terms of type/make/model/year differences. I also have no idea how to approach dealers or what to look for when examining a car on a lot, though I read the used car checking guide in the Resources thread. The latter is too broad to ask now, but as far as how to act at a dealership do you have any advice? I guess I just have a (probably unfounded) fear of getting grifted or ripped off, which is why I'm asking early on in the process. I wouldn't say I'm in a rush to replace my Honda; it just hit 159k and the edges of the wheel wells are starting to rust, but it still runs fine. I'd rather start looking into replacing it now before something really bad happens and I suddenly can't get anything for it.
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Jun 7, 2014 19:13
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So I started looking into EVs to replace my 2007 Volvo S60. I quickly noticed that the actual range on most of them is still attrocious. My daily commute is about 30 miles round trip, but I take a trip from Austin to Dallas at least once a month (250ish miles door to door), so that nixed all of the EV choices, except the Volt. I like the look of it, and the gas backup generator for range extension seems pretty brilliant. Documentation and Chevy CS both quote the range on "gas range extender only power" at still 35c/40h mpg, with a total range on a full battery/full tank to 380ish miles(gas can be refilled indefinitely obviously.) This actually seems really awesome. Brand new, I'm looking at about $35k out the door on a 2014, but there's a dealer with a 2013 in great condition with 19k miles on it selling for $26k. Is there something horribly wrong with a Volt in general? Is there some major difference between the 2013 and 2014 to cause the massive drop in value over a year/20k miles? Assuming that you guys don't have anything horrible to say about the Volt, I'll go give them a test drive, but any heads up on how well it drives? Doom Rooster fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Jun 7, 2014 |
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Jun 7, 2014 20:06
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If your commute is long plus a road trip to Dallas a diesel seems a lot better choice. Whats the motivation for an EV? It doesn't seem to fit into your driving profile.
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Jun 7, 2014 20:40
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C-Euro posted:I've been driving the same 1997 Honda Civic since I got my license nearly a decade ago, and after going home last weekend and having multiple people ask me "That car still runs?!" I think it might be time to start looking into replacing it (nevermind finally having good credit and a stable job). My dad recommends buying a used car from a dealer, something that only a few years old, though I don't know yet what I want other than "something like my Civic, but maybe a little bigger". My main concern is that I've never had to shop for a car before, and don't really know much about them in terms of type/make/model/year differences. Don't buy a used car from a dealer unless you have a good reason you are buying that specific car (aka rare, in truely amazing condition). The good news is that civics and the competition are all now larger than your civic. Note that in this class, especially with hondas, new is probably a better deal than a slightly used one. Better financing, full warranty, 1st person to fart in the seats.
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Jun 7, 2014 20:42
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Bovril Delight posted:If your commute is long plus a road trip to Dallas a diesel seems a lot better choice. Whats the motivation for an EV? It doesn't seem to fit into your driving profile. Totally messed that up. 30 miles ROUND TRIP daily commute, not each way. That is what makes me want the EV, since the 30 miles fits beautifully into typical EV range. I also rarely drive more than 40 miles in a day on the weekends. Just the once a month trips to Dallas put me outside of Volt battery range.
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Jun 7, 2014 20:47
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nm posted:Don't buy a used car from a dealer unless you have a good reason you are buying that specific car (aka rare, in truely amazing condition). Why not dealers? My Honda was a certified pre-owned from a dealer and it's never had serious issues in the 12 years it's been in my family. It also seems like the vast majority of used cars are going to be at dealerships, and despite my previous worries of getting grifted by a dealer I feel like I'm far more likely to have that problem with a random stranger.
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Jun 7, 2014 21:40
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C-Euro posted:Why not dealers? My Honda was a certified pre-owned from a dealer and it's never had serious issues in the 12 years it's been in my family. It also seems like the vast majority of used cars are going to be at dealerships, and despite my previous worries of getting grifted by a dealer I feel like I'm far more likely to have that problem with a random stranger. Because dealers don't have cars of any better quality, but they want quite a bit more money than private party.
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Jun 7, 2014 21:49
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Also dealers are better at hiding issues than private sellers. My brother bought a used Civic from a dealer that was in good shape, pretty low miles, freshly detailed, looked great. But it had a bad O2 sensor and the dealership was just forcibly clearing the code rather than fixing the problem. You could drive the car 10-15 miles before the CEL would come back on. Plenty long enough for test drives. When he called them out on it, they just reset it again and sent him on his way. Wouldn't tell him what the issue was, just "don't worry about it!" and that it wasn't their problem since he already did the paperwork. Took it to Autozone for a free code read and replaced the O2 sensor DIY for a couple hundred bucks rather than deal with those slimy fuckers anymore. Guinness fucked around with this message at 22:03 on Jun 7, 2014 |
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Jun 7, 2014 22:00
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Test drove a 2012 Mazda3 today. Thanks for all the recommendations; that is indeed a pretty nice car. Reminds me a lot of the Corolla, but more polished overall, with more storage space and a much less twitchy accelerator. Sadly it looks like they didn't add USB support until the 2013, but it also looks like that's a relatively simple and inexpensive aftermarket mod. However, I also test drove a 2012 Leaf. Holy poo poo that is a lovely car. Is it so much better than the Mazda3 that it's worth twice as much? I'm not sure yet, and neither is my wife. But it might be.
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Jun 8, 2014 03:22
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ToxicFrog posted:Test drove a 2012 Mazda3 today. Thanks for all the recommendations; that is indeed a pretty nice car. Reminds me a lot of the Corolla, but more polished overall, with more storage space and a much less twitchy accelerator. Sadly it looks like they didn't add USB support until the 2013, but it also looks like that's a relatively simple and inexpensive aftermarket mod. We cover cost comparisons quite nicely in the Electrothread. Basically, you should factor in your fuel cost savings as well as lack of internal combustion engine (ICE) related repairs and maintenance. It will end up being less than twice as much as the Mazda. I encourage you to get a Leaf if it works for you.
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Jun 8, 2014 07:25
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Michael Scott posted:We cover cost comparisons quite nicely in the Electrothread. Basically, you should factor in your fuel cost savings as well as lack of internal combustion engine (ICE) related repairs and maintenance. It will end up being less than twice as much as the Mazda. The fuel cost savings are pretty easy to calculate for my purposes: about $1000/year. So just on that it would break even in about 15 years, which is, I think, too long. Taking maintenance costs into account knocks that down a bunch, but I have no idea what numbers to use for that. The Yaris I have now is at least that again in maintenance, but I have no idea how the Leaf stacks up other than "probably less".
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Jun 8, 2014 15:03
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You could also do the un-BFC thing and buy the car you like more even if it costs more and you can afford it without blowing your budget.
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Jun 8, 2014 18:34
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Your numbers make no sense. You just said that you can get a Leaf for $25k, How is the Leaf 2x the cost of the Mazda? The Mazda3 isn't a $12.5k car? Later on you post that your "breakeven" is 15 years with fuel savings at $1000 per year, so the price difference between the 2 is $15k? What? 
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Jun 9, 2014 01:24
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Throatwarbler posted:Your numbers make no sense. You just said that you can get a Leaf for $25k, How is the Leaf 2x the cost of the Mazda? The Mazda3 isn't a $12.5k car? Later on you post that your "breakeven" is 15 years with fuel savings at $1000 per year, so the price difference between the 2 is $15k? What? are there really no tax credits for electro-cars in California? Seems like the "fuel" cost is high as well, though maybe California.
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Jun 9, 2014 01:44
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Throatwarbler posted:Your numbers make no sense. You just said that you can get a Leaf for $25k, How is the Leaf 2x the cost of the Mazda? The Mazda3 isn't a $12.5k car? Later on you post that your "breakeven" is 15 years with fuel savings at $1000 per year, so the price difference between the 2 is $15k? What? The original $25k was overly optimistic. That's the cost of a Leaf S, including the rebate but not including taxes or registration fees or the like. Also, after talking to other Leaf owners in the area, getting the S specifically sounds like a pretty bad idea because the coil heater in it murders your range in the winter, i.e. when I'll most want to be using it; you need the SV. The actual, all-in cost, including taxes and registration, of a new* Leaf SV, is $32k. A lightly used Mazda3 GS costs about $12-$15k, depending. Tax will add another $2k to that; add registration fees and whatnot and $16k is a reasonable estimate for the car. (New they range from $16k to $26k before taxes et al, depending on which trim and packages you want). * The second-hand Leaf market basically doesn't exist here.
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Jun 9, 2014 02:01
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