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Smart Shopper What's the best vehicle for my needs?
1145 messages, Last post on Sep 17, 2009 at 12:59 PM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
| i'm looking to buy a car for a HS teenager. I prefer a car thats reliable/safe and a little sporty (a compromise I made with my son). I am willing to spend $15,000 for the car before taxes, registration, title, etc. Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated. | |
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Replying to: tidester (Aug 02, 2006 5:27 pm) I'm glad that I found this discussion thread because I've been racking my brains about what vehicle would be best for myself. I am a 23 y/o female first time driver. Now that I am in my senior year of college I will need a car for travel to and from campus and to various professional events around the DC Metro Area. I don't know much about cars but I have been trying my best to figure things out and put two/two together. First off I only want to spend $10,000 after everything is said and done (it is all that I can afford). I would prefer a vehicle that is small since I'll have to park and drive within the city. I want something that will last me for at least 3 to 5 years or so because I have student loans to pay off and I want to take care of them before considering another vehicle  And, a car that is cute would be quite nice as well. But, I'm not too big on power - I just need to be able to do the speed limit  Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm going to a Credit Union New and Used Car Sale with my mother at the end of this month to hopefully find something - and I'm looking to be pointed in the right direction prior to doing so. Or, if I can possibly find a better deal in the area. Thanks in advance.
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Replying to: xxavxx (Sep 03, 2006 3:22 pm)
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Replying to: cccompson (Sep 03, 2006 5:52 pm) tidester, host |
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Replying to: xxavxx (Sep 03, 2006 3:22 pm) Though for 8 or 9k you should be able to get a very nice vehicle that should much longer than 3-5 years. Also, since you are new to car buying...I would take an experienced person with you. Mark-up is high on used cars, so do your homework so you don't overpay. Cute? Whatever you find that is cute and reliable should work. Good luck.
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Replying to: jipster (Sep 04, 2006 1:13 pm) About present mileage - I've read that the average is 12,000 per year but how many more miles are too many on any given vehicle? I'm reading up on several different makes and models ranging from '99 to '05. But, my mother is coming with me to the auto sale but I want to be prepared and have an idea of the vehicles I'd want and have all of my research in order. Thanks in advance, Angel. |
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Replying to: xxavxx (Sep 04, 2006 2:37 pm) Our credit union has those sales. These cars are not particularly good deals. The fact of the matter is that for high-quality, high-mpg cars, the demand on the used side is so high that you don't really save anything per mile or per month by buying them two or even five years old. The cost is lower, the repairs/maintenance are more, the insurance is the same (!), and the car will die N years earlier. Believe me, I've worked this out up one side and down the other... I've had plenty of great used-car deals, but (i) I kinda know what I'm doing, and (ii) I've had some clunkers in the mix, too. Some of my best deals and my cheapest cars for the long run were the ones I bought new. This goes for your Corollas and Nissan pickups. Cadillacs are different. But what you want is something that currently 40% of all buyers are looking for. What do you think that has done to prices? Good luck, -Mathias
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Replying to: steine13 (Sep 04, 2006 6:44 pm) I would buy a new car if I had the money to do so but I'm only being given $10,000 and $10,000 only to work with. Because, to be quite honest I originally wanted a new Yaris but was told that since the value rapidly decreases on new vehicles I would not be able to get one and the fact that it was a little more than my given budget it was a no go. If, I could figure out a way to work a deal to acquire any of the newer vehicles within my budget I would. That's why I'm here
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Replying to: xxavxx (Sep 04, 2006 6:57 pm) Take out a loan, then. Put down $8, bank $2 for emergencies or whatever, and build your credit with an $8 or $9 loan over 5 years at $180/month or so. I hate loans myself. To such an extent that last year, I paid off a 0% loan a few months early. That's how much I disliked having a monthly payment. But sometimes it's the best way to go. This business with "value rapidly decreases on new vehicles" is baloney, esp. for high-mpg vehicles like the Yaris. If that were the case, you'd be able to get the $14 hatchback as a one-year old car (i.e. an '06) with 9k miles for $10k. But you can't. Neither can I. I bought a 2004 Pontiac Vibe in late '03 for $15,500 and sold it 30 months and 27k miles later for $11,500. That's $4 depreciation for almost three years... with full warranty etc. IOW $133/month for the best 30 months out of that car. You want a Taurus, I agree, get a used one. But the nice, clean, low-mileage Civics/Corollas/Mazda3's are of the can't-find-them, can't-get-them variety, and when you do find one, it's $2 off th price of a new one. Go ahead, try it out. If I sound like I'm preaching, it's cuz I have heard the "loses 30% of its value when you drive away" myth one too many times. 30% off sticker, maybe... but more like 10% off street price. Anybody who thinks they can do better buying used from a dealer is in for a surprise. Trust me on this, I've done it every which way and even made money on used cars. But I have on occasion lost a piece of skin, too. -Mathias |
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Replying to: xxavxx (Sep 04, 2006 2:37 pm) Some people like getting high mileage vehicles because they can get then for thousands less than a comparable car with average miles. If that person only drives about 6k-7k miles a year...it can be a very good value getting say a 3 year old car with 60k miles. You get a car with plenty of mileage left on it...maybe save a thousand or two due to the high mileage depreciation.
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