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Guinness posted:last year I bought a car that was ~40k in 2004 with low miles and still in perfect condition, for 15k. The original owner babied it, and I've had it for over a year now and haven't had any issues at all. What car was this?
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Jun 27, 2012 09:28
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Gravel roads you can drive anything on. I drive a 2011 BMW 128 on gravel roads. Ouch! It would take a lot of convincing for me to drive something that nice on abrasive, loose gravel.
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Jul 29, 2012 05:02
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axeil posted:I just wanted to update everyone on my car buying situation. After doing even more research and some aggressive negotiating I ended up purchasing a 2013 Chevy Cruze today for 15% off sticker and I got excellent financing through USAA (under 1.5% on a 60 month loan thanks to using their car buying service). I also got them to take my car with fairly serious mechanical problems as a trade-in for a value well above what I actually thought I was going to get. I'm just trying to figure out how loan financing works. So assuming your 1.5% is an APR, and it's 60 months.. that means you're paying 7.5% more than the negotiated price of the Cruze in total after 5 years, right? Or do I have the definition of APR wrong, like in year 2 it's 1.5% of the remaining loan amount you haven't paid after year 1, instead of 1.5% of the full price again? VVV Thanks very much! Great explanation. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Jul 24, 2013 |
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Jul 21, 2013 02:05
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oxidation posted:I'm looking for a good, reliable first car. I'm getting into this whole 'car' thing late, I'm 22 and just now working on my driver's license, so the car I buy: No car you find for under $2000 will be very good or rock solid reliable out the door, meaning without some garage work. Or for more than a few months at least. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Nov 26, 2013 |
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Nov 26, 2013 03:14
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^^^ Have to agree a Prius sounds ideal for this guy's situation.HolyDukeNukem posted:No, most of the higher end one's you see on like the GT-R are manual transmissions with an electronic clutch. So you control the gear changing completely, you just don't have to control the clutch since the computer will deal with it. They've switch to this since a lot of the electronic clutches can switch in a a matter of 100-200 milliseconds. And do you also have the option to turn it into fully-automatic mode, when you're on city streets for instance? Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 15:26 on May 12, 2014 |
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May 12, 2014 15:23
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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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Twerk from Home posted:I wasn't advocating this. I was trying to say that many valuation formulas seem to indicate that cars no longer lose value when they change from "new" to "used", and that first year depreciation is no longer as steep as it used to be. He knows, it was just a joke.
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Sep 26, 2014 20:53
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Don't forget to factor in insurance and other fixed costs of ownership. A third car would truly be a strange move in terms of financial responsibility.
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Nov 15, 2014 23:28
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Our older Dodge Durango was pretty comfortable for longer rides, that might be an appropriate place to look for your price range.
Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 03:21 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Dec 1, 2014 02:42
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Would it be helpful to post a dos/don'ts on test drive day? I could write something up if there's demand. Yeah this would be very useful for me.
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Dec 2, 2014 21:03
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The world is composed of hardfast rules with no exceptions.
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Dec 10, 2014 15:39
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Salvage titles are controlled by insurance companies/state governments in most cases (as opposed to simple repair work being under the purview of body shops if it's not reported to insurance). So there's really no way to hide it once a VIN has been marked as a salvage. Insurance companies must report the salvage VIN to the state government once they total out a vehicle. So there are two ways to hide a salvage. One way is to hide the VIN from the buyers. The second is never to have an insurance company actually total/salvage out the VIN. Theoretically you could cover repair out of pocket AND have the shop not report to carfax, but that is very rare and unfeasible. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 22:50 on Dec 10, 2014 |
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Dec 10, 2014 22:47
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Yes
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Dec 12, 2014 20:46
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Bogard posted:I wanted to run this by you guys to see if I am going about this the right way. I plan on financing a 2012 ford focus st for $13900 after a $6000 downpayment. My interest rate is going to be 1.8 percent for 3 years, amounting to about $400 per month. Should I be worried about paying the car off faster than this? Or should I not finance at all? We literally just covered this exact issue on the last page, towards the end of it. Please read through that and let us know if you have any questions. Your interest rate is super-low, so without knowing your financial particulars, I would wager your investments are making quite a bit more. I would advise staying the course, but I'm not sure how you feel about that. Internet Explorer posted:Like IOwnCalculus was saying, it may not make sense to pay it early. If the loan is at 2% and your investments are making you 5%, you are losing out on 3% gains by paying it off early. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 18:42 on Dec 13, 2014 |
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Dec 13, 2014 18:38
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DeadFatDuckFat posted:I bought a car! Thanks for everyone's help in this thread. When financing, I specifically looked for the section on the contract mentioned in this post: When you make posts like these, unless you feel it's confidential or something, please tell us what model you got and what the out-the-door price was, and the incidentals. Thank you.
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Dec 19, 2014 17:46
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VideoTapir posted:You can get an aftermarket backup camera if you really want one. The aftermarket camera solutions available look really janky IMHO. Would be interested in seeing if anybody has an experience to the contrary.
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May 20, 2015 04:33
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Ragnarok the Red posted:earlier this year my parents sold their 2007 Camry with similar mileage (in the 60's) for nearly $11k in a private sale How did they get a buyer to agree to a price that's like $3k above blue book for a 2007 Camry in very good condition? I would always expect to sell slightly below blue book in a private party sale, but it's possible I'm an idiot. Those Camries must be a dime a dozen as well.
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Oct 12, 2015 04:24
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HondaCivet posted:Welp you guys were totally right, after doing lots more research and test drives the Mazda 3 came out on top for me. Just picked up a '16 i Touring hatchback in red tonight. So it's really $2,200 for a 3-year extension on the original warranty? I would say not worth it. Spontaneously needed repairs exceeding $2,200 in the first 6 years of normal driving seem very unlikely.
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Dec 28, 2015 09:09
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Am I dumb for wanting a different car every year or two? I like cars and trying different things, so I feel like a 5+ year commitment is too much of a chunk of my life. Plus, my way means I can get a slightly newer car every once in a while. Am I guaranteed to lose more stacks of cash than keeping a car for 5 years then selling? I just bought a 2003 Volvo S40 and plan to keep it for a year or two.  Unfortunately, it costs at least $400 in one-time costs to register an acquired used car in my city/state.I also considered buying a car like this: https://www.enterprisecarsales.com/car/395911/2014_HYUNDAI_Elantra_Limited_Sedan_4D?lpid=37075 and selling in a year or two. Also considered short term leases, but those monthly payments are so high (like $400-500 a month) just for you to have to say goodbye after a year after spending $5k. Seems too unaffordable for me. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 22:31 on Aug 4, 2016 |
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Aug 4, 2016 22:20
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Phone posted:Buy an automatic and you can come back for making-fun seconds. Still do not understand the AI hate for paddle-shifting automatics. If you're daily-driving the MX-5, how is there any negative to a paddle-shifting automatic vs. the manual except for minor increased weight and increased cost? As I'm sure you know, the shift is faster than you are capable of with a manual clutch.
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Aug 29, 2016 23:17
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Proposed Budget: $10k-$20k ish New or Used: Used Body Style: 4 door sedan or 2-door coupe How will you be using the car?: Driving for errands and fun, occasional road trips. I'm changing jobs soon and will likely be commuting with public transit, but I'm not sure. Maybe Uber on the weekends for a couple hours? [They do require a 4-door car.] Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? Yes, I like the idea of a luxury sport brand like BMW. I'd like a moonroof (or a convertible!) and heated seats would be nice. What aspects are most important to you? (e.g. reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, import/domestic, MPG, size, style) Fun, style, resale value for when I sell in a couple years, would be nice to minimize CoO. The BMW thread doesn't like me considering a 2013 328i just for a fun car. What are some other options? Thanks guys! This thread is awesome.
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Aug 30, 2016 22:55
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How is that better than simply hitting the downshift button on an automated manual? This isn't likely to be a productive question but I am honestly just curious and trying to figure out which car is best for me. I've actually never driven a manual (not by choice, I've just never had the opportunity)
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Aug 31, 2016 06:18
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Out of curiosity, what's the vehicle and price you got it down to? Happy negotiating
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Sep 9, 2016 01:18
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photomikey posted:To give the story some closure, I ended up buying a 2014 Mercedes SLK 250 from an out-of-state dealer for about $3-4k less than I thought I could get it locally. I got some good advice from this thread and a couple of threads in AI (particularly the Vroom thread), I appreciate all the advice! Very nice ride, congratulations. How do you like it?
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Sep 12, 2016 18:48
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H110Hawk posted:Congrats. If it has runflats get rid of them by driving them down to nothing at a track or something. Do goons hate those or something?
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Sep 12, 2016 22:58
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It is also not in the thread title.
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Sep 13, 2016 23:37
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H110Hawk posted:Yes? I hate the new touchscreen everything. That radio looks like crap.
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Sep 15, 2016 21:49
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I'm considering trading in my figuratively worthless 2003 Volvo S40 for a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. I know it goes against the thread title, but Hertz Car Sales has great deals on the Elantra (nearly $4,000 below KBB) and it's very tempting. Any glaring issues with my plan? I recently got my Volvo this year off of Craigslist, but I think I've found out that the comforts/advantages of driving a newer vehicle is worth the greater cost. https://www.hertzcarsales.com/vehicle-details/2015-hyundai-elantra-chicago-14817862 plester1 posted:Fyi, Subarus and AWD still suck rear end without snow tires. I like the idea of winter tires, I just dislike the idea of the added $400+ initial cost for the tires and ~$200 extra per year for mounting/balancing each set. I wonder if all-season will suffice for a FWD econobox. Will the winter set, costing as much as a chunk of the car's value, really add that much in handling? If I lived in Alaska I would feel differently, but here in Chicago we plow and salt the gently caress out of every road surface when it does snow, which is only a handful of times each winter. Nonetheless I have gotten stuck before in all-seasons, but I wonder if I even would have been able to extricate myself with a set of winters. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 01:50 on Sep 25, 2016 |
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Sep 25, 2016 01:38
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Guinness posted:You don't get them remounted every year, you put them on a cheap second set of wheels so that it takes you 30 minutes to swap them yourself with a jack and tire iron. Ugh, another set of wheels is another $200+ upfront cost, but I guess it saves you the balancing each year. For me, if I only own cars 2 or 3 years, it's a significant cost. The extra wheels and tires won't be considered by most potential buyers as added value. What I'm wondering is if all that hullabaloo even would have prevented me from getting stuck in basic midwestern semi-plowed snow conditions.
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Sep 25, 2016 19:22
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AriTheDog posted:If you only own cars two or three years you should be more concerned about that cost than the cost of tires. I'm still figuring out my car ownership MO, but I think I prefer to buy cheap-er new-ish cars (~$15k or less used), sell in a few years, then rinse and repeat with newer model years. That seems to be an ideal mix (for me) of cost vs. the value I get out of it. The biggest downside is I will probably be making car payments forever. I don't think that's an unreasonable cost-of-ownership. These things are the 2nd most expensive purchases people make in their lifetimes so I try to consider lots of perspectives, and I very well could be wrong. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 20:58 on Sep 25, 2016 |
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Sep 25, 2016 20:55
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H110Hawk posted:You sound like the ideal lease candidate. The only difference is you can't decide to just pay it off and actually own it should you need to not have a car payment. Theoretically, I like the idea of a lease a lot. Especially these days, now that leases are priced competitively enough that they aren't completely idiotic compared to purchasing. However, with the stage in life that I'm in, there's just too much of a possibility that my car needs will change significantly in 1, 2, or 2.5 years that I prefer the flexibility of financing/purchasing vs. leasing. I have taken a long look at http://www.swapalease.com/lease/search.aspx, and while again I like the idea, 1. there aren't a lot of cars in my city so buying a lease off there is tough, or 2. taking on a 3-year lease with the intention of possibly swapping it later seems like a way to get mega-burned. Plus, I think I like buying cars a couple years old to take the biggest hit off of the depreciation for me. With even a swapped lease payment, you are still paying that first year's depreciation amortized. H110Hawk posted:For your same payment you can likely get a brand new top of the line model with as many miles as you need if you're a prudent negotiator. This would cost more in the long run? My intention is to finance a car, then sell it. Even if I am a grand or so under water, the total cost of owning that car for 3 years (simplified to car price when I buy it minus car price when I sell it) would be much less than a lease of a nicer vehicle. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 21:49 on Sep 25, 2016 |
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Sep 25, 2016 21:08
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I guess I'm unlike most people. For example when you look at most cars on the road these days, they are old as hell on average. And the AI (and BFC of course) thing seems like certainly to own an older car. I just feel like they feel worn out, I've driven 3 cars over 10 years old and they all just felt mostly clapped out in both appearance and drivetrain, even when taken care of well. Maybe I am crazy.
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Sep 25, 2016 23:08
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No not $14k, maybe like $8k? Am I crazy? Piss off Phone, a big reason I like asking stuff here is because the advice is great and it's helped me make a lot of choices. AI decisions can be tough!
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Sep 26, 2016 05:07
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H110Hawk posted:Good news, you can lease a BMW and get a MUCH nicer car. $250/month + ((14-8)/36) = 250 + $166 = $416. BMW will lease you a 3 series for $369 right on their website with no negotiation. If your sales guy is smart he will call you up every 2 years and offer to "swap it out" with a few signatures. It's exactly what you want. Demand more miles. This will actually save you money. Twerk from Home posted:Counterpoint: When money's as cheap as it is right now and residuals so high, leases are fine. If you've got the room in your budget to drive a brand new car and are good at negotiating, I've seen some outstanding 2 or 3 year lease deals. My dad's in a brand new high trim Sonata with 0 lease down payment (why would anyone do those?) and 0 first month payment at $230/mo. These are both great points. However, the math I think points a little more to my strategy (purchasing then selling) when you're talking about the kind of car I can afford. I am confused about the math on Hawk's post though? The number would just be ((14-8)/36), why would you add the monthly payment on top of that? I am currently eyeing a prior rental 2015 Mazda3 for like $12k. If I want to sell it in 2-3 years, there's no way it will depreciate like $13,000 which is the cost of a nicer car lease (BMW or what have you) over 3 years. It might depreciate $4,000 or so, which means it would cost me $4,000 in purchase price to drive a car for that time period as opposed to $13k for the luxosport lease. As I grow in my career and hopefully make more money, the luxury car leases will look more attractive financially. I have spent some time in the BMW thread in AI and they have some serious self-loathing on the cheaper BMWs, for kinda good reason. For example that $369/mo lease offer you quoted is for a 320i sedan with 170 horsepower. I might as well just buy the fuckin Mazda 3 with a little less HP for a much smaller total cost, right? Motronic posted:You might want to think about how these statements go together. I dunno man, I haven't gone on a test drive yet but the 2015 Mazda3 for $11-13k doesn't seem clapped out at all and doesn't seem to have any annoyances. That's the car I'm strongly considering right now. https://www.hertzcarsales.com/Vehicle-Details/2015-Mazda-Mazda3-Des%20Plaines-14600301 Nice cars cost so much goddamn money it's ridiculous. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Sep 26, 2016 |
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Sep 26, 2016 18:00
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H110Hawk posted:So lease a brand new Mazda3. Sorry, my math was wrong on my original post. This still seems like stereotypical Lease Is A Bad Deal. Total cost is $7884 over 3 years. There's no way that my 2015 Mazda3 purchased for $12k will depreciate by $8k over 2-3 years, right? Plus I have the flexibility of doing whatever to it. Guinness posted:God drat man, if you're buying former rental cars no wonder you think what should be lightly used cars feel clapped out after a couple years. All my clapped out cars have been old non-rentals with 1 conservative owner other than me. Of the rental cars I've driven, even 30k+ mile ones, they all seemed nice. I do know it goes against conventional wisdom and the thread title. They have a comprehensive warranty from the manufacturer.
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Sep 26, 2016 18:32
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Ok ok, I will avoid the rental, I thought I could escape the disadvantages with good inspection, luck, and warranty, but probably not. I was mostly just trying to ignore that cars are horribly expensive. I'm sorry!
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Sep 26, 2016 19:10
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:While a good idea, I don't think any rental car companies are in the business of renting $7,000 cars. Though some are pretty close. Zipcar had a whole bunch of the biggest piece of poo poo Nissan Versas money can buy. Like $13k new with an automatic transmission.
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Oct 5, 2016 17:35
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Zeth posted:Proposed Budget: 20k or less, will be paying cash. Honda Fit? Or maybe change your preference to include used and purchase a newer Prius, my friend.
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Oct 19, 2016 16:35
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Grumpwagon posted:You're such a doctor cliche (thanks for selling me your shoes though) I was gonna say, I want this guy's life. Mr. Evil are you around Chicago?
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Oct 20, 2016 21:57
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What's bad about the 200? It's certainly bland from a branding perspective, but the exterior styling is decent as are the professional reviews. 184 HP on the lowest trim engine (2.4L I4) sounds nice.
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Oct 21, 2016 16:42
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