Advice On Purchasing a New Car

[Seeker]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

How did you come to that conclusion?

I think JC came to that conclusion the same way I did.

Right now there's a multitude of people looking to downsize from 6 and 8 cylinder cars to these 4 cylinder autos -- even if it's a third auto for those times you don't need to cart around a ton of stuff.

I'm just not finding anything under 13k for the 4 cylinder models on several websites now. And the 13k ones that I do find have +60k miles on them.

I think people are snapping up the 4 cylinder Honda/Toyota cars just as soon as they become available; and because the demand is so high, the price for a certified pre-owened is all too close to that $15k for a brand new "0" mile auto!

[jc3900]

I'm just not finding anything under 13k for the 4 cylinder models on several websites now. And the 13k ones that I do find have +60k miles on them.

I think people are snapping up the 4 cylinder Honda/Toyota cars just as soon as they become available; and because the demand is so high, the price for a certified pre-owened is all too close to that $15k for a brand new "0" mile auto!

Exactly. I am not saying that used cars arn't a bad deal. I just think that the price for a NEW toyota or honda subcompact is too low to make it worth buying used. I need a car that is going to be very reliable for at the very least 7 years. I don't need anything flashy and all I care about is getting a lot of bang for my buck. Right now used honda's are at a premium. It just doesn't make any sense for me to give up 40% of a car's life for a 20% discount of what I would pay for a new honda or toyota. Basically, since I want to keep the car for a long time and the car doesn't have a high depreciation value and is cheep, I think I should buy new. But by all means if anyone can spot a deal let me know.

Edit: the other thing I have been thinking about too is that if I were to buy used the majority of repairs would come on my ownership time.

[Brokemofo]

I was looking at used Hondas and Toyotas, and 2 days ago bought the Honda Fit brand new. Most dealers will charge sticker for it. I got the base model for $14,500. It would have cost me 3k more for a comparable Civic. The Fit is a very fun car to drive especially in the twisties.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by jc3900

Right now used honda's are at a premium. It just doesn't make any sense for me to give up 40% of a car's life for a 20% discount of what I would pay for a new honda or toyota.

Sounds like you've done your homework and the new car makes more sense at this point. Make sure you do your pricing homework at edmunds.com or somewhere similar so that you are armed with all the data before negotiating the purchase price. Enjoy that new car smell. We haven't had it around here since 2000.

[aida2003]

When I drove Toyota Yaris in Europe a month ago, I was surprised that they are fun to drive and even have enough legroom. I didn't sit in the back, so I don't know about space in the rear. I thought at the time that I'd be interested in a small car when we need to replace one of our cars. But then we'll have 2 kiddos, so not sure

[bjl584]

My friend from Grad school has a Toyota Yaris. She really likes it. I thought that the gauge cluster in the center of the dash was a bit distracting, and I didn't like the shifter configuration, but other than that it seemed like a good solid car. She said that she got around 40mpg on the highway.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by bjl584

My friend from Grad school has a Toyota Yaris. She really likes it. I thought that the gauge cluster in the center of the dash was a bit distracting

I've had a Yaris a couple of times when my car was in for service. I agree about the gauges. I think it is very poor design. The driver needs to take focus off the road to see the gauges. I suppose you get used to it eventually but it is very awkward.

[bjl584]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

I've had a Yaris a couple of times when my car was in for service. I agree about the gauges. I think it is very poor design. The driver needs to take focus off the road to see the gauges. I suppose you get used to it eventually but it is very awkward.

Yeah, she told me that she was used to it, but at first it was uncomfortable for her to get accustomed to it.

[jc3900]

WOO, I just got a bomb delivered today. My older sister talked with my dad today and she suggested that instead of buying me a car that I be given the money to do with it as I please. Furthermore, my older sister has just offered to sell me I think 7 year old( maybe more) honda civic for $2500! It has 115K miles on it and hasn't had many technical problems. The only thing that needs replacing is some sort of belt that is off my head at the moment. This has definatly made me think differently about getting a new car. For one, as I will be in college, I won't really be driving huge amounts of miles. Secondly, I could pocket the money I would have put towards the new car minus the $2500 for the civic and pay for a year of college or invest in a vanguard account. If this idea holds with my dad and I can buy my sisters car, I seriously think I will ditch the new car idea. Oh and the civic gets low 30 gas mileage.

[Brokemofo]

Wow, sounds like a great plan JC3900. You can drive that car for a few yeas then maybe sell it for more than you paid.

[bjl584]

Originally Posted by jc3900

WOO, I just got a bomb delivered today. My older sister talked with my dad today and she suggested that instead of buying me a car that I be given the money to do with it as I please. Furthermore, my older sister has just offered to sell me I think 7 year old( maybe more) honda civic for $2500! It has 115K miles on it and hasn't had many technical problems. The only thing that needs replacing is some sort of belt that is off my head at the moment. This has definatly made me think differently about getting a new car. For one, as I will be in college, I won't really be driving huge amounts of miles. Secondly, I could pocket the money I would have put towards the new car minus the $2500 for the civic and pay for a year of college or invest in a vanguard account. If this idea holds with my dad and I can buy my sisters car, I seriously think I will ditch the new car idea. Oh and the civic gets low 30 gas mileage.

I'm betting that she is referring to the Timing Belt. It needs changed every 100K. You defenitely need to take care of this. Also, at 115K ask your sister if the car has had a tune up. (New spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, pcv valve, fuel filter, transmission fluid flush and fill, and coolant system flush and fill.) It's time for all that if it hasn't been recently done.

[sakigt]

Buy gently used!

We wanted a base Yaris. Sticker was $13,xxx

We found a 2008 with 1,400 miles and paid $10k for it.

Check out the dealer websites such as cars.com and take the VIN number to the local Honda, Toyota, whatever dealership. As long as the car isnt a lemon - save your money and buy used!

In our case the girls boyfriend decided to buy her a Dodge Charger SRT-8 and traded the Yaris in for cheap!

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by sakigt

Buy gently used!

We wanted a base Yaris. Sticker was $13,xxx

We found a 2008 with 1,400 miles and paid $10k for it.

Those are the best deals, but there are very few of them out there. I bought my car, a 1998 Toyota Camry, as a dealer demo in August 1998. It had 11,000 miles and I paid about $5,000 less than a brand new one. It looked great and still had the new car smell when I got it.

[jc3900]

disneysteve: That sounds right up my alley. Gently used and big discounts is what I would want when I eventually get to buying a new car. Where and how do I find those deals?

[rupeeman]

Toyota and Honda are both very well known brands in the car manufacturer list around whole world. I think there's should be no confusion about choosing the brands between these two!

[sakigt]

Originally Posted by jc3900

disneysteve: That sounds right up my alley. Gently used and big discounts is what I would want when I eventually get to buying a new car. Where and how do I find those deals?

Ive found the best deals at dealerships. People are lazy and want to get into a new car fast and a dealership is the easiest place to go.

autotrader and cars.com is where a lot of these dealers sell the trade ins.

Do your research and know what you want. Lowball the dealer too, but accept a fair price. Both parties should be making money.