Experiences buying a vehicle...
- Thread starter HuskerFever2345
- Start date
If you run fast enough, Nick Saban will give you a car. That’s really the way to go, IMO.
True. I wanted an Acura model that had only been out a year. They were in short supply, and used ones were selling for almost new prices. The difference was the financing. Banks were offering 5% and Acura itself was offering 1.9%. So my payments were actually lower with the new car, and I knew someone hadn't been smoking in it, redlining the engine, skipping oil changes, and other abuse. Acura of Omaha also accepted my well researched offer, which was three grand off sticker, without batting an eye. I got what I wanted and the whole process took about ten minutes.
I disagree with the "Never buy new" theory. The last few vehicles I purchased were at 0% financing - which is never available on used cars. Maintenance costs are negligible the first few years, and I know how well the vehicle is taken care of. I've always been able to find a vehicle I'm satisfied with.
If you're paying cash, going pre-owned makes sense.
If you're paying cash, going pre-owned makes sense.
I would also highly recommend NOT trading in your vehicle to the dealership, ESPECIALLY if you are leasing the new car.
My ex-girlfriend negotiated the trade-in of her Honda Accord during the lease of a new Nissan Altima. They quoted her something like $259/month, and she was really excited about it. I took a look at the deal and noticed a huge rip-off plain as day.
To figure the payment of the lease, the dealership cut the value of the car in half, and computed the payment. However, they subtracted the value of her $10,000 Honda from the $24,000 base price of the Nissan first. Then they cut $14,000 in half, and came up with the payments on the 36 month lease. Do you see the problem? They chopped off half of her trade-in's value right off the top. At the dealership I asked if they were going to give her the other $5,000 for her Honda when the lease was up, and they looked surprised.
I made them take half of the value of the Nissan ($14,000) minus the $10,000 Honda, leaving $4,000 to finance instead of $7,000. I also made them eliminate some of the ******** delivery fees and other nonsense they throw on the invoice for no reason. The final payment was half of what she thought she was going to pay. She couldn't believe the payments were so low, but she was trading in a paid-off Accord for a three year lease. Of course the payments should be low.
My ex-girlfriend negotiated the trade-in of her Honda Accord during the lease of a new Nissan Altima. They quoted her something like $259/month, and she was really excited about it. I took a look at the deal and noticed a huge rip-off plain as day.
To figure the payment of the lease, the dealership cut the value of the car in half, and computed the payment. However, they subtracted the value of her $10,000 Honda from the $24,000 base price of the Nissan first. Then they cut $14,000 in half, and came up with the payments on the 36 month lease. Do you see the problem? They chopped off half of her trade-in's value right off the top. At the dealership I asked if they were going to give her the other $5,000 for her Honda when the lease was up, and they looked surprised.
I made them take half of the value of the Nissan ($14,000) minus the $10,000 Honda, leaving $4,000 to finance instead of $7,000. I also made them eliminate some of the ******** delivery fees and other nonsense they throw on the invoice for no reason. The final payment was half of what she thought she was going to pay. She couldn't believe the payments were so low, but she was trading in a paid-off Accord for a three year lease. Of course the payments should be low.
Ok, never buy new and never finance. Find a $5000 Toyota, get it checked out by a competent mechanic and it will last 300k. It might not impress your friends and coworkers though.
Agree there's not a one size fits all for every situation rule on the new car, and in certain scenerios you can find a better deal.
But in my experience, the used with low mileage has always been the best. It also needs to be considered that there are some models where the older models are actually higher rated than the new one, because the new years are junk for whatever reason.
But in my experience, the used with low mileage has always been the best. It also needs to be considered that there are some models where the older models are actually higher rated than the new one, because the new years are junk for whatever reason.
They newer ones have a timing chain, no belt, that never needs to be replaced. The head gasket was an old problem. Here is a link that gives some maintenance schedules. http://www.cars101.com/subaru/maintenance-2017.html
I have a 17. It is a Limited. Had a 03 Honda Pilot before. No kids so it just the wife and I now. We "plan" to do some traveling so we wanted something that was comfortable, could hold lots of luggage, and get at least 30 MPH. I have to say, I struggled with the OB at first. The Pilot was a dream machine, just not as many bells and whistles and gas mileage was not so great. Here are the things I generally do not like - note that I am old car guy so I am kind of picky:
1. Seat is hard as a rock - seems like a gazzilion adjustments - takes a while
2. The electronics are dazzling and the controls to turn something off are down to the left, very unhandy
3. Little bitty buttons for the radio - hate that
4. Don't start you OB and then try to put something in the back in hatch - has to be off
5. the clock and temp are in terrible places - I have to look to the right and down instead of straight across - if you have sunglasses on, it is a real struggle
6. Wish I didn't have to get the moon roof - a waste for us, maybe we will use it this spring
7. Not much storage in the front console area. get your bride's drink and yours, maybe a cell phone and you are done. then it is go to the door for storage.
8. Owners manual is like an old Chicago phone book. Good luck with that
9. The wind seems to bother it much more than the Pilot on the same roads.
10. It is very responsive in steering - a little movement goes a long ways - see # 9
11. the first time my wife got in to drive it out of the garage it goes through whistles and beeps and every colored light you can imagine. Just waiting for the jet engines to kick in.
12. Lots of features we will never use like rock climbing
13. Less than 5K so far and gas mileage isn't what we expected. Average since birth is 26.1 as of yesterday. Took a short trip in wind and wow does it affect mileage. Hoping to get 32 on the highway.
We tried to find a used Subaru and they were all nearly as high as a new one and like you said, 0% financing so why not. Some cars hold their value more though.
Get you financing first then go to the dealer. The local banks and credit unions will have much better deals on GAP and warranties. Go in with a letter of credit from your banker, negotiate the deal and tell them you will write them a check. Call the bank in the morning and close the loan.
Saves at least 2 hours and you don’t have to listen to them try to lower your payment while they extend the term.
Saves at least 2 hours and you don’t have to listen to them try to lower your payment while they extend the term.
Question do you have to fill out a special IRS form and pay a special highway tax? Since gas diesel you pay federal highway tax porpane and natural gas I believe you have a special form so the government doesn't miss out on taxes
Are you taking about your cars or girlfriends?
Same, just got rid of my used 2004 with almost 200k. I moved up to a used 2012 .Nothing but used for me anymore, and there are thousands and thousands of them out there. Bought a 2003 Lexus LS430 7 years ago, fabulous car with around 300hp, quiet inside, excellent sound system. Bought a pristine 1992 Infiniti M30 convertible recently, owner absolutely babied it, like new inside and out and fun to drive around in. Nice quirky 90's look but solid and well made.
Yea I thought the head gasket was more of a 2.5 issue and 2010 and older but as the newer models are reaching higher mileage head gasket complaints are still popping up. I currently have no cruise control, no power windows/locks and a bench seat ('08 Tacoma)...I will welcome all of your annoyances with open arms! Thanks for the insight!
Best experience I ever had was at Village Pointe Toyota in Omaha. Every number was broken down to the penny and everything was straight up. Easy to pick out our Sienna and they were straight forward about our trade in and the discount on the new car. I’ll NEVER set foot in a Baxter dealership again. They are the kings of playing the “game”. They could care less about a customer.
This should say almost never buy new. Usually a waste. There are instances, especially recently where rising or more slowly depreciating used vehicle prices have made it a better deal to buy new considering it's often possible to get 0% interest financing. More common on trucks and SUVs.
Greatly depends on make and model.
Ah, the Carmax model. They raise the prices and let the car sit on the lot until someone buys it, then if it has trouble selling they might drop the price 500 bucks.
I'll stick with always. New are always WAY overpriced and no more reliable than the right used vehicle.
I have bought a bunch of vehicles. The only place I would say to avoid at all costs is Huber Chevrolet.
My rule is a max of $10K for a Toyota or Honda. Although my last car purchase was a Pontiac Vibe for $2,800 - which is a Toyota Matrix with Pontiac badges.
I think 'never buy new' should be used for everything outside of pickups. Cash for clunkers killed the used truck supply and now used pickups are way too high priced. Unless you're buying a junker pickup (which I just did - '94 F150 for cheap), buying new makes some sense.
With the outrageous prices for new pickups, the used prices aren't so bad. I paid 7K for a 2003 Tundra with ~130 on it. 4x4, V6 stick shift in perfect condition. It will last me forever.
Where exactly do you draw the line? Wouldn't a used television be WAY cheaper than a new one and work just as well? How about washers and dryers? Refrigerators? Mattresses? Clothing?
I currently have a 14-year old SUV, 15 year old van and 25-year-old Harley, all bought new. Thinking of buying a brand new SUV with the intent of keeping it for many years. One of my buddies who is totally into finance told me I am ruining my life by buying new ("buy used and put the difference into the Vanguard Wellesley Fund"). He never buys cars new, but I notice he buys everything else new. I always wondered why he doesn't buy everything at Goodwill and put the difference in his Wellesley Fund.
My garage (and driveway) has a 2003 Tundra, a 2003 Sienna, a 2002 Prius and a 2003 Prius.
Good question. We buy most things used. We did buy a new washing machine recently and that was for the warranty as there is no way to check a used on to know what shape it in. Our only new TV was because we had credit card points we had to use at Best Buy.
But you can get a 2018 Tundra for $37k sticker. So that is $30k-32k sell? That isn't very expensive comparatively for a truck that is 15 years newer and doesn't have 130,000 miles on it.
Both will last forever. One cost 7k and the other cost 30k and I'm not so sure you can get a new Tundra for 30. I see late model used ones going for more than that.
I generally agree that buying used makes much more financial sense, but sometimes buying new carries the day - even though I am a cheapskate and hate spending money on cars.My garage (and driveway) has a 2003 Tundra, a 2003 Sienna, a 2002 Prius and a 2003 Prius.
For example, I bought a 2006 Prius when the federal and state (Colorado) tax credits were at their maximum. Used hybrids didn't qualify for the tax credits, so buying new was the way to go. Now, I fully understand that the tax credits inflated the price of the new vehicles, but I did the math and was comfortable with my final cost. Twelve years and 235,000 miles later, I still have the car - so I'm content that we got our money's worth.
My more recent once-every-10-years vehicle purchase was a Subaru Crosstrek. Late-model used Subarus sell for crazy prices in Colorado, so I shopped around a litte bit and decided the small savings just wasn't worth it. So while I cringe at the idea of buying a new vehicle and trading it in after 3-4 years, buying a new vehicle and driving it forever has worked out okay for me.
My garage (and driveway) has a 2003 Tundra, a 2003 Sienna, a 2002 Prius and a 2003 Prius.
Excellent choices, Toyota's are the shizzle, but I'm glad other people buy American, keeps Honda and Toyota prices in check for me!!
Financially used is the way to go, personally prefer new as long as I can afford it.
You can buy extended warranties on new vehicles up to 3 years before your bumper to bumper or mileage runs out. You can shop online in a lot of cases or call around to local dealers and get them to compete on price. I've seen warranty cost difference of 20-40% cheaper buying one later, instead of the day you buy the new vehicle. Stick with the manufacturers warranty versus aftermarket, easier to use if your traveling or if you move. Good in all of North America normally.
You can buy extended warranties on new vehicles up to 3 years before your bumper to bumper or mileage runs out. You can shop online in a lot of cases or call around to local dealers and get them to compete on price. I've seen warranty cost difference of 20-40% cheaper buying one later, instead of the day you buy the new vehicle. Stick with the manufacturers warranty versus aftermarket, easier to use if your traveling or if you move. Good in all of North America normally.
Go find the worst car in the lot, I go for V8 small trucks with no 4x4....got one for 3k, had 60k miles on it...drove it for 10 years...got totaled in a hit and run...insurance gave me 4k for it....win.
Do you use the American pronunciation PRE-US, OR the British proper ( that’s what a Brit would tell you) pronunciation PRY-US?My garage (and driveway) has a 2003 Tundra, a 2003 Sienna, a 2002 Prius and a 2003 Prius.
Last car I bought, I made a list of the options I wanted and the model and color I wanted. Also told the salesman what I would pay (after going to one other dealer). The manager agreed with my offer and the salesman started filling out the papers and then tried to sell me all types of warranties, undercoating, seat sprays (leather seats) etc., and also attempted to add on a "destination fee" for the car and financing through the dealer.
I just smiled politely and told the salesman that he should immediately go get the manager of all managers as I would not sit for one change in my offer and was not going to sit in the office while he ran back and forth for a good guy, bad guy exercise and he had just ten minutes to finalize the deal.
The salesman and manager returned within two minutes and the final offer I made was a go and I drove away with the new car.
I have had relatives that go shopping for cars and have no clue what options they want on a car and go back and forth between dealerships five or six times.
It isn't that hard folks, know what you want and know what you are willing to pay.
I just smiled politely and told the salesman that he should immediately go get the manager of all managers as I would not sit for one change in my offer and was not going to sit in the office while he ran back and forth for a good guy, bad guy exercise and he had just ten minutes to finalize the deal.
The salesman and manager returned within two minutes and the final offer I made was a go and I drove away with the new car.
I have had relatives that go shopping for cars and have no clue what options they want on a car and go back and forth between dealerships five or six times.
It isn't that hard folks, know what you want and know what you are willing to pay.
My garage (and driveway) has a 2003 Tundra, a 2003 Sienna, a 2002 Prius and a 2003 Prius.
Thays not very American...
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