Wife bought a car today

[disneysteve]

I won't say this was a sudden decision but it all happened over the past week. My wife's van, though not high in miles (about 98K) is now 12 years old and hasn't aged well. A lot of exterior molding has deteriorated, the paint has not worn well, and there is some rust starting in a few places. We didn't feel it was worth putting a bunch of money into fixing up. What sped up the decision is that my wife will be having surgery next month and probably won't be up to car shopping for at least a month or more, which would take us solidly into winter, which isn't when we want to be shopping. So we started looking.

Wasn't quite sure what she wanted so we went over to Carmax to check out a bunch of models. It came down to a Subaru Forester or a Nissan Rogue with preference to the Forester. We went back a couple of days later and test drove one. We both liked it so she then went online and searched for a specific one she wanted (not the one we test drove). Found one at a Carmax in PA and had it shipped to our location. They called this morning that it was all set for her to check out. She made an appointment for this afternoon. We went over, examined it carefully, took it out for a while, and decided to buy it. Traded in the van for what I think was a fair price. I'm not a fan of selling cars privately even though I know we could get more that way. I'm just not comfortable with the process.

We paid cash so it was a pretty simple transaction. Signed all of the paperwork and drove off with it. This isn't her actual car but it's identical as far as color and all. 2019 Subaru Forester.



Coincidentally, our daughter is also in the process of buying a car. She ordered it from Carvana today and it's being delivered on Thursday. She had reserved one from Carmax on Sunday but somehow between the time she reserved it and the time she called them on Monday, it got sold to someone else. Anyway, she's getting a 2019 Hyundai Elantra.

[kork13]

Congrats to both on their "new" wheels!

We've bought one car from CarMax, and though I know it's never the very best of deals, they tend to be fair. My brother worked for a CarMax dealer for a little while, and had little negative to say of them, and encouraged us to give them a shot when we bought that car (he had already left the job by then to work for a bank). Smooth, simple, honest process. I was impressed, especially compared to typical car dealers.

[ua_guy]

Subarus are great cars! Sounds like a nice easy purchase experience.

What kind of van did you replace?

My niece (early 20's) has an older Elantra. It's been a good car over the years. Congratulations to you all on the new chariots!

[kork13]

My niece (early 20's) has an older Elantra. It's been a good car over the years. Congratulations to you all on the new chariots!

That's what I forgot to mention -- the Elantra can be a great car. My SIL has an old Elantra that used to be DW's. I believe it's a 2006 model (not sure on miles), and although it could use some TLC with a good mechanic, everything still runs just fine.

It's silly, and probably a guy thing.... But new cars are always fun.

[rennigade]

How much of a price difference was it from new to used? I heard used prices are still high. New prices are bad too though.

[disneysteve]

Wife replaced a 2011 Toyota Sienna.
Daughter is replacing a 2010 Hyundai Accent.

New versions of the same cars would each be a few thousand more. The Forester only has 10,800 miles. The Elantra has 33,000 and was already pushing the upper end of what I really felt she should be spending so new would have been out of the question.

[QuarterMillionMan]

My strategy for car shopping is let's take this ad for instance and show up at the dealership and tell the salesperson I want this specific stock number or VIN number at that price. They will provide the financing which now a days could be close to 10% but sign on the dotted line, drive it home today and pay it off after maybe 5 payments.

[disneysteve]

We've bought one car from CarMax, and though I know it's never the very best of deals, they tend to be fair. My brother worked for a CarMax dealer for a little while, and had little negative to say of them, and encouraged us to give them a shot when we bought that car (he had already left the job by then to work for a bank). Smooth, simple, honest process. I was impressed, especially compared to typical car dealers.

This is our 2nd CarMax purchase. I bought my car there 2 years ago and loved the process. I hate dealing with traditional car dealers. CarMax is absolutely zero pressure. Prices are fixed. There is no haggling. You never walk out of there feeling like you've been ripped off or didn't get the best price you could have gotten. I don't think I'll ever buy a car any other way.

[bjl584]

Subaru's are good cars. They have a reputation of running forever, so I'm sure you'll be satisfied with it.

I owned a Hyundai Elantra, and it was a great car. Your daughter should enjoy years of trouble free driving

[rennigade]

The Elantra has 33,000 and was already pushing the upper end of what I really felt she should be spending so new would have been out of the question.

Isnt your daughter and adult? Why would you be making financial decisions for her?

[rennigade]

Subaru's are good cars. They have a reputation of running forever, so I'm sure you'll be satisfied with it.

Just keep oil on hand. I have an older forester and they eat oil. Coworker has a 2016 outback and even that eats oil. Has to add before oil change.

[disneysteve]

Isnt your daughter and adult? Why would you be making financial decisions for her?

I didn’t make the decision but I did discuss how to make that decision responsibly. She values my financial knowledge and life experience.

[rennigade]

This is our 2nd CarMax purchase. I bought my car there 2 years ago and loved the process. I hate dealing with traditional car dealers. CarMax is absolutely zero pressure. Prices are fixed. There is no haggling. You never walk out of there feeling like you've been ripped off or didn't get the best price you could have gotten. I don't think I'll ever buy a car any other way.

Traditional car dealers are also no hassle anymore. The price on the sticker is what you pay. We bought one less than a year ago, simple process. This was for a new vehicle, I cant comment on used car prices. There still may be some wiggle room, I dont know.

Another example that would have me furious. Friend went to hyundai dealership to buy their larger suv, it was $50k. They put a deposit down on the exact car that was in transit to location. Couple weeks went by and friend noticed that vin was no longer listed on dealerships web site. He called, they accidentally sold it to someone else so car no longer available. They did however have another vehicle that was identical all except maybe a wireless charger or something that made vehicle cost $200 more than the car he put money down for that they sold. They wouldnt even budge. He had to pay the additional $200 for vehicle. No sorry, no apology, just a "my bad" response. I would have had a tough time buying it but their suv was in rough shape and they did actually need something since they have 3 kids...normal sized suv doesnt work for them.

I personally like the way things are now with new cars. No negotiating, if you cant afford it or do not want to pay sticker, move on. It blows my mind that people used to spend hours and hours at a stealership negotiating a price to get it $1k-$2k cheaper...but those same people wont spend any time trying to figure out investing and saving strategies when it comes to finances. Couple hours 20 years ago figuring out how to invest a couple grand cost then $10s of thousands overall.

[ua_guy]

Only a few new car dealers around here have fixed pricing, and they're not always the best deal. They can be an OK deal, but it really depends if you have a trade and how strong their offer is.

The longest part of working a car deal is usually after an agreed price and before signing paperwork. The finance desk is usually backed up with deals either needing financing, or needing signed. I don't know what the people who spend hours and hours working a deal are doing. Maybe they can't get financed or get wrapped up in silly games? IDK.

[disneysteve]

I don’t think any dealers around here do fixed pricing. It’s the same stupid haggling it’s always been.

at least we were paying cash so we got to skip the whole finance part.