Buying a new car, need some advice

[Merusk]

I haven't used a car buying service but it sounds like something I'd enjoy.

Used a car buyer to buy my new car. Told dealer that showed me cars that I used a car buyer. Dealer sends really mean text messages. Now I feel bad.   I don't like people being mad at me.

Still love my car. I guess I'll just I'll have to endure dirty looks from afar when I take my car in for service.

I mean, I get the anger. It's just my money and my time that I value more at this point. I guess I'm an asshole, but all the guy really did was sit in a car while I drove it.

Ah, it was Rasix. I knew it was a green name and you all look the same.  

[Father mike]

Talked to my mechanic, and they said since Hondas loose so little value in the first 3 years, I might do better to just buy new.  They also recommended a Honda Fit instead of a used Civic.  Less emasculating than a mini-van, I guess.  They only seem to come in vibrant primary colors, tho ...

And, yeah, Merusk, a car buyer is definitely right up my alley.  Would love to hear about some good ones from anyone who cares to share the experience.

[01101010]

Talked to my mechanic, and they said since Hondas loose so little value in the first 3 years, I might do better to just buy new.  They also recommended a Honda Fit instead of a used Civic.  Less emasculating than a mini-van, I guess.  They only seem to come in vibrant primary colors, tho ...

And, yeah, Merusk, a car buyer is definitely right up my alley.  Would love to hear about some good ones from anyone who cares to share the experience.

Every single one of my girlfriend's friends has a fit. They are a sub-civic. Actually, the best I can come up with it they took a civic and decided to try and make an element out of it. It has a ton of room inside when you flip and fold everything around. But outside of that? No thanks. I'm leaning towards a Buick Regal or a Verano if I can afford it. I need something more comfortable now...especially driving to the parent's (hers and mine).

[Father mike]

I really don't care if it's a "girl-car"  Up until last week I was driving a '96 BMW 318ti -- it was about as macho as a Mini Cooper.  Also, my daughter is getting her license in a few more months, so I wouldn't have to listen to the pissing and moaning about a "boring dad-car."  Having a ton of cargo space is good; I'm done with not being able to bring stuff home from Lowe's.  And if it gets good enough gas mileage for daily use, AND will last 10 years/200,000 miles ... I'm sold

[01101010]

I really don't care if it's a "girl-car"  Up until last week I was driving a '96 BMW 318ti -- it was about as macho as a Mini Cooper.  Also, my daughter is getting her license in a few more months, so I wouldn't have to listen to the pissing and moaning about a "boring dad-car."  Having a ton of cargo space is good; I'm done with not being able to bring stuff home from Lowe's.  And if it gets good enough gas mileage for daily use, AND will last 10 years/200,000 miles ... I'm sold

Oh it's not just her female friends. I mean literally almost all her friends here have a Fit - probably 60/40 girls to guys. It is damn weird. Hauling stuff is ok, but forget anything long (+5ft). And for the record, I am not put off by them at all... just not my style. They are a honda so the powertrain will run forever and a day if taken care of with regular maintenance - everything else though for me screams economy car.

[Stewie]

Ive been seriously looking at the new Civic Hatchbacks. Great reviews all around. Tons of safety features, super practical with a ton of cargo space and great gas mileage to boot. (also I really love the new look, but some people hate them) 

This being said I would be financing a car so getting a new car I can get like 1.99% whereas buying used would be significantly higher rate, With this in mind I figure I mas as well go new.

If you are just looking for a good sedan, reliable, good on gas etc and you can afford to buy it straight out, I'd seriously consider a 4-5 year old corolla or possibly even an Hyundai Elantra. With a Corolla you know it will last you for ever and never give you any grief. You will also be able to get something for it when you decide to sell it or trade it in some time down the road. The Hyundai will also last you (they have been awesome value for the last ~5 years or so) but due to the old Hyundai rep you may not be able to resell for much down the road. 

[Merusk]

I really don't care if it's a "girl-car"  Up until last week I was driving a '96 BMW 318ti -- it was about as macho as a Mini Cooper.  Also, my daughter is getting her license in a few more months, so I wouldn't have to listen to the pissing and moaning about a "boring dad-car."  Having a ton of cargo space is good; I'm done with not being able to bring stuff home from Lowe's.  And if it gets good enough gas mileage for daily use, AND will last 10 years/200,000 miles ... I'm sold

Huh.. I was confused at you saying "ton of cargo space" but looking at a subcompact. Just did some research on the Fit and that "magic" seat is nice! 52.7 cu ft when everything's folded is amazing for a car that size. The distance between the wheel wells is still only 40" though, so no sheets of material.

Have you considered a crossover like the Subaru Crosstrek, Mazda CX-3 or Honda HR-V?  They're all little more expensive than the fit (19-25k vs 15-21 for the fit) but definitely larger base cargo. (16.6cu ft for the fit, 18 Mazda, 32 Honda, 23 Subaru)

[Torinak]

Oh it's not just her female friends. I mean literally almost all her friends here have a Fit - probably 60/40 girls to guys. It is damn weird. Hauling stuff is ok, but forget anything long (+5ft). And for the record, I am not put off by them at all... just not my style. They are a honda so the powertrain will run forever and a day if taken care of with regular maintenance - everything else though for me screams economy car.

8' 2x4's fit just fine (we hauled 6 8' 2x6's in one) if you can fold the front seat down and rest one end on the passenger-side dash. The rear seats fold down separately, so we could have 2 adults in the car (driver and cargo herder). Not wide enough for sheets of plywood/drywall, though.

Great for Ikea and Costco runs. There's so much cargo room that you can easily exceed the weight limits before you get close to filling up the space if you're hauling gardening or yard supplies.

The driver's seat/steering column may not be very adjustable in some models, so be wary of that unless you're completely average in your height and arm/torso/leg ratios.

The Fit is definitely not a luxury car, but it's very competitively priced, very fuel efficient, and has tons of cargo space.

[Viin]

Figure out what kind of car you want and then call a car broker. They will find you the best car for the best price with the options you want. Best car buying experience, unless you are buying a Porche (and even then .. ).

[Rasix]

I used AAAs car buying service and it was great. Could I maybe have gotten a better deal if I walked into the car dealership with their offer? Perhaps. Then they would have found a way to extract the same amount or greater through haggling (aka f'ing you over with addons "hey, it's already there"). When my car arrived, it was sub 30 minutes of paperwork, and I was driving away. I got exactly what I wanted (options, color, etc) with the minimum amount of hassle.

I did get a mean text from the guy I did the test drives with. So, that was interesting. I just didn't want to deal with dealers. It's godamned torture. I don't fare well in those types of negotiations.

[Father mike]

Great for Ikea and Costco runs. There's so much cargo room that you can easily exceed the weight limits before you get close to filling up the space if you're hauling gardening or yard supplies.

The Fit is definitely not a luxury car, but it's very competitively priced, very fuel efficient, and has tons of cargo space.

That sounds like exactly what I need right now.  Money is a touch tight so I want an economy car. Also a low-to-medium chance my teen-aged daughter will have her first wreck in it, so no point getting something super nice.  

I have 75-100 miles of driving every day, so gas mileage dictates sub-compact*.  I'm not hauling the materials for a new deck, but being able to get more than two bags of potting soil and an extension cord would be nice!

As far as a concierge car buyer, Auto Authority and CarBargains are the only two I can find that seem to have a national footprint.  Searching for "Car buying services" yields a bunch of folks who want to haul off old cars.  Everyone else seems to be affiliated with a dealer or limited to one large city.


*I've thought about a hybrid, but the upfront cost, plus the looming spectre of battery replacement drove me away.

[Viin]

Search for 'auto broker'. They usually serve a general area (eg: Denver-metro) and are not national brands.

[Comstar]

I've been looking at small cars and Honda apparently hasn't spent any money on R&D for the last 6 years.

The i30, Imprezza and Mazda 3 are what I'm looking at, probably ending with the i30 with the Turbocharger.

[Merusk]

Wife loves her cx3, as I stated. Try it out though, you might find it cramped. It's got a smaller cockpit setup than other cars in its class.  I also find the location of the Nav display to be offputting.

[MisterNoisy]

Great for Ikea and Costco runs. There's so much cargo room that you can easily exceed the weight limits before you get close to filling up the space if you're hauling gardening or yard supplies.

The Fit is definitely not a luxury car, but it's very competitively priced, very fuel efficient, and has tons of cargo space.

That sounds like exactly what I need right now.  Money is a touch tight so I want an economy car. Also a low-to-medium chance my teen-aged daughter will have her first wreck in it, so no point getting something super nice.  

I have 75-100 miles of driving every day, so gas mileage dictates sub-compact*.  I'm not hauling the materials for a new deck, but being able to get more than two bags of potting soil and an extension cord would be nice!

As far as a concierge car buyer, Auto Authority and CarBargains are the only two I can find that seem to have a national footprint.  Searching for "Car buying services" yields a bunch of folks who want to haul off old cars.  Everyone else seems to be affiliated with a dealer or limited to one large city.


*I've thought about a hybrid, but the upfront cost, plus the looming spectre of battery replacement drove me away.

The Fit is a genius little car.  If you dig it, go for it.

[slog]

A common mistake people make is over-estimating the importance of gas mileage.

The difference in cost between a 22 MPG car and a 30 MPG car is about 10 dollars a week.

[Yegolev]

My car gets ~18 mpg and when I did the math comparing to a 30 mpg car, I found that I was eager to pay the difference.

[Sky]

Have to agree with slog, though it really depends on your mileage needs. I have just over 48k miles on my 9 year old truck, so... mileage not a very important statistic for me.

[RhyssaFireheart]

I'm with Yegolev on this though.  My commute is 35 miles one way, so my car getting 20mpg on a good day sucks.  Even if gas is cheap now, having to fill up once a week (or slightly less if I do anything else in addition to going to work) still sucks.  Mileage is a primary factor for the next vehicle, to the point where I'm fine with paying for a hybrid.  I'm currently leaning towards a Rav4 version, but OTOH, I really happen to like the Kia Soul and while it doesn't have a hybrid version, the mpg on it's own is just fine.  Mostly, I just don't like sedans and prefer smallish crossovers instead, so getting a decent mpg rating is important to me, personally.

[Merusk]

Fill-up time also has a cost. If I have to fill up one less time every 2 weeks I've gained 10-20 minutes or more, depending on how crowded the pumps are and how out-of-the way the trip to the station is.

[Viin]

Cars with bigger tanks are awesome. My A6 gets 450 miles to the tank at ~19 MPG for my normal driving.

[TheWalrus]

I'm with Yegolev on this though.  My commute is 35 miles one way, so my car getting 20mpg on a good day sucks.  Even if gas is cheap now, having to fill up once a week (or slightly less if I do anything else in addition to going to work) still sucks.  Mileage is a primary factor for the next vehicle, to the point where I'm fine with paying for a hybrid.  I'm currently leaning towards a Rav4 version, but OTOH, I really happen to like the Kia Soul and while it doesn't have a hybrid version, the mpg on it's own is just fine.  Mostly, I just don't like sedans and prefer smallish crossovers instead, so getting a decent mpg rating is important to me, personally.

Getcher Kia if like, but just a heads up, their engine is really persnickety about oil. Make sure you change it regularly, and use quality stuff. Their variable valve system is a lil clunky and hates to be starved of oil, either by gunking or neglect.

[01101010]

If I had a garage with power I'd sign a 3-year lease on a Volt in a minute.

[Samwise]

I'm really eyeballing that goddamn Tesla 3 as the eventual replacement for my 2004 hybrid Civic.  For a while I was thinking parking it in my garage for charging would be a pain, due to my garage being barely big enough to fit a car into, and then I realized it has that "valet" feature where it'll get itself in and out of the garage for you.   

[Yegolev]

There are two Superchargers in the ATL, so I'll need to wait a bit on a Tesla.

Also I think I phrased it poorly when I meant to say that I'm eager to pay for extra fuel.  Because I like my car to go when I press the pedal.  Sparing the math, I would spend about $9.60 per day on gas if it was $3/gallon if I just do a normal, shortest commute.  Driving something that gets 30mpg, it would be more like $5.70 per day.  I'm fine paying $3.90 a day for a spritely drive.

[schild]

I have a model 3 on preorder.

While my garage says its for 2 cars, it really isnt. I also dont get want to get rid of the new whip. Tesla will likely be street parked.

[Sky]

People need to stop calling them '2 car garages' when they are clearly '1 1/2 car garages'. Pet peeve in our house hunt, because up here a garage isn't optional.

Then again, I don't know how people deal with a single lane driveway.

[Morat20]

My car gets ~18 mpg and when I did the math comparing to a 30 mpg car, I found that I was eager to pay the difference.

I went from a beat up Ford Explorer (like 14mpg on a good day) to a Prius back in 2009. Which averages about 40mpg.

Since then I've placed 125k miles on it. And had one single repair, for 400 bucks. So 8900 gallons versus 3,125.

At 2 bucks a gallon, I've saved...about 11,500 bucks on mileage.

And also, I enjoyed the car. :)

[Count Nerfedalot]

My 2010 Prius has not done quite so well, but not too bad. I call it my hybrid truck. I've hauled lumber (lots of 8' boards, maybe three or four 10' boards with hatch closed), bags of dirt or fertilizer or mulch, bricks, blocks, rocks, a 65" TV in the box, a few trees, full size garbage cans, desk chairs, and who knows what else. No, not all at once! LOL And no sheetgoods of course. It's comfy, peppy, and even now still gets between 40 and 46mpg with over 125K miles. It started around 47-50mpg when new with the same driving patterns.

I've had every maintenance and oil change done on schedule at the dealer, and paid a lot for that. The battery (12V) gave out two years ago and I had to buy a new "special" one to replace it because Toyota. And the brakes all had to be done last year, even though I use the regenerative braking as much as possible. And I'm on my third (or is it fourth? ) set of tires. I've given up on Michelin and gone back to Goodyear. 

The worst thing is it's got an oil leak somewhere on the combustion side, because there's not a single drip in the driveway but it burns more than a quart per 1000 miles. This started about 5K miles out of warranty, and Toyota wont cover it but would be glad to charge me over 2 grand to take it apart and tell me whats wrong with it and how much more it will cost to put back together!

Oh, and there is no way to prop the hatchback open to haul really long stuff without it beeping at you every single foot of the way. And the stupid thing beeps INSIDE the cabin the entire time it's in reverse!

[Strazos]

For the oil burning engine, I can recommend one of the Lucas Oil oil stabilizer products. I had a '96 Mustang when I was in college that burned oil with no obvious leaks, and the Lucas stuff solved the issue.

[Morat20]

My 2010 Prius has not done quite so well, but not too bad. I call it my hybrid truck. I've hauled lumber (lots of 8' boards, maybe three or four 10' boards with hatch closed), bags of dirt or fertilizer or mulch, bricks, blocks, rocks, a 65" TV in the box, a few trees, full size garbage cans, desk chairs, and who knows what else. No, not all at once! LOL And no sheetgoods of course. It's comfy, peppy, and even now still gets between 40 and 46mpg with over 125K miles. It started around 47-50mpg when new with the same driving patterns.

I've had every maintenance and oil change done on schedule at the dealer, and paid a lot for that. The battery (12V) gave out two years ago and I had to buy a new "special" one to replace it because Toyota. And the brakes all had to be done last year, even though I use the regenerative braking as much as possible. And I'm on my third (or is it fourth? ) set of tires. I've given up on Michelin and gone back to Goodyear. 

The worst thing is it's got an oil leak somewhere on the combustion side, because there's not a single drip in the driveway but it burns more than a quart per 1000 miles. This started about 5K miles out of warranty, and Toyota wont cover it but would be glad to charge me over 2 grand to take it apart and tell me whats wrong with it and how much more it will cost to put back together!

Oh, and there is no way to prop the hatchback open to haul really long stuff without it beeping at you every single foot of the way. And the stupid thing beeps INSIDE the cabin the entire time it's in reverse!

I use cheap discount tires (fuck those nitrogen ones. Who has that kind of money?). I haven't had a problem with the oil or anything else. I did have to replace the 12V battery -- it was like two or three times as expensive as a regular car battery. That was a pisser.

Still on the original brake pads though....:) (Regenerative braking doesn't use them. Although I've heard the replacement pads are pricey. Normal pads aren't meant to last that many years...)

[Yegolev]

So maybe $119 in gas per month sounds great to some people, but I'd have to drive a fucking Prius. 

[Chimpy]

So maybe $119 in gas per month sounds great to some people, but I'd have to drive a fucking Prius. 

I pay less than that on average a month, and I don't drive a Prius. 

I just don't drive much.

[Count Nerfedalot]

I don't think I could burn that much gas in a month if i tried!

[Abagadro]

I drive a 4.4L V-8 that requires premium and I don't think I pay 120 buck a month in gas. Yay for short commutes!