I started noticing various BMWs yesterday in the store parking lot. Might be a sign of buyer’s remorse. According to Consumer’s Reports, the base price for a BMW X3/X4 is from $43,700 to $69,900 while several other BMW models are lower in cost starting in the mid-$30s.
Surprisingly, I am very interested in the Honda CR-V. Would have been just over $36,000 for the turbocharged gas version (base price ranges from $25,400 to $36,400). Really comfortable seats & easy access controls. Plus, our new car is too nice to drive so it will probably just sit in the garage while I continue to drive our other vehicle with over 120,000 miles on it. If I get the Honda CR-V, I will drive it, however.
The last new vehicle that we bought–a sports car-- just sat in the garage for years. Hated getting in and out of that convertible. After many years, it just had a few thousand miles on it. Sold it.
My dream vehicle is the Jeep Grand Cherokee. I just cannot get over the moderate ratings given it by Consumer’s Reports. Jeep Grand Cherokee base price ranges from $33,300 to $88,500. Yes, $88,500 is correct for, I think, the Trackhawk version with a 707 horsepower 6.2 liter supercharged V8 engine. I would just need a basic V-6 engine. Probably would be about $50,000. Just can’t get over the moderate CR rating.
Avoiding the BMW and Jeep was a good choice. I’ve owned both and while they’re good looking cars/SUV’s, they’ve always been maintenance headaches.
As for the 10-year extended warranty at $2,500, that’s $250/year w/o calculating the cost of money, return on sale, etc. Not horrible, depending on the car and how long you keep it.
We bought a lightly used, off-lease cr-v in September 2020. We really needed a new car, and I’m thankful we purchased when we did. It’s a great little car that’s fun to drive, but still easily carries everything we need.
The extended warranty makes for easy resale as a used vehicle if we decide to do so. Can purchase a manufacturer’s extended warranty at any time during the life of the initial 3 year /36,000 mile warranty.
The only reason that I believe that I can negotiate the 10 year/100,000 mile, zero deductible warranty for $2,500 is that we already negotiated a final price on an 8 year version which we cancelled prior to making payment on the vehicle.
I have CNBC on cable TV & just heard a BMW commercial offering up to a $2,500 rebate on “select models”. Ironic that we paid a $2,500 market adjustment mark-up over MSRP (plus tax on the $2,500 bounty). Rationalizing that we didn’t have to wait 8 months or longer for a brand new vehicle that may never get driven.
Actually, if the car has a full 3 year warranty included, then the extended warranty would only be for the 7 years after the included full 3 year warranty ends, and then only for stuff outside the corrosion, powertrain, and emissions warranties that may be longer than the included full warranty.
I am not much of a car person. If it can transport my retrievers in a comfortable manner and if Consumer Reports approves and if it is available on the lot or available within less than a month, then it will be given strong consideration.
I think my daughter is going to buy a Hyundai Kona EV. After she gets her tax credit for the EV, the cost will be $2,500 more than her sil who bought a Subaru Crosstrek recently.
I have been very happy with my 2017 Subaru Outback Limited that I paid less for new than that Crosstrek today! Yikes!
Great point. Individual dealerships price the Subaru warranties. No brochures. I asked the dealership person to photocopy what is covered & what is not covered under the extended warranty. But I did not buy it yet as I want to contact the SUV manufacturer for a pamphlet / brochure which gives coverage & other details.
Yes, I’m aware, but I don’t know if the standard warranty is “full,” nor do I know if there’s a deductible that has to be paid on the basic warranty. So, I don’t know what the 10-year no deductible extended warranty covers within the basic warranty.
Additionally, with a no-deductible warranty you probably won’t have to fight to get something fixed, when the manufacturer doesn’t publicly disclose a problem. As an example, I had to “fight” with Toyota when our car had a problem, that was plainly obvious that it should have been a recall, but the manufacturer balked at fixing it many years ago under the basic warranty period.
With a 10-year no deductible extended extended warranty, Toyota would have fixed it no questions asked in the basic or extended warranty period. And the no deductible extended warranty would have saved me from having a near meltdown at the dealership.
Plus, if the dealership wants to “cheat” on the repairs “needed”, then they are doing it to their manufacturer & not to me. Makes taking a car in for servicing less stressful.
But note that warranty jobs are compensated at book time with a specified rate typically based on local area rates. A high cost dealer may balk at warranty jobs due to the lower warranty rate (but you may not want like the higher rates even for non-warranty jobs), and the willingness of dealers to do warranty jobs is probably related to whether the job’s book time is underestimated, realistic, or overestimated.
The warranty is issued by the manufacturer & is valid at any authorized dealership of the particular manufacturer in the US or Canada.
Is your post referring to third party warranty companies ?
A reasonable concern regarding 3rd party warranty companies is that the warranty company may go out of business prior to the expiration of the warranty. Additionally, some repair shops /dealer service garages may not accept the 3rd party warranty. These are reasons why I will only consider an extended warranty from the manufacturer of the vehicle.
P.S. As a side note: New car purchasers can buy the manufacturer’s extended warranty from any authorized dealer; it does not have to be purchased at the same dealership where the vehicle was bought. This allows consumers to shop & compare prices. One Pennsylvania dealership publishes their extended warranty prices online. https://www.newmotorssubaru.com/added-security-extended-warranty-pricing.htm
At the end of the article below, links are given for Mercedes, VW, BMW, Lexus, & Nissan extended warranties.
I hope that diagnostics are covered by the warranties.
I just found this thread! I have been trying to figure out how to get a new car for months. D22 and I are sharing my car, since DH and I decided (actually, I decided) that it would be better to just get me the new car instead of D22 as she is going off to college in less than a year anyway. When D19 went off to college, the used Camry we bought her sat in our driveway, she only took it to school w/ her (OOS) in August.
I think I want a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, but am interested in the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid since just learning about it recently. I have a 9 year old Hyundai Veracruz, which has been (crossing my fingers) a great car.
DH and I went to a Toyota dealership last month, I dragged him. He’s trying to be super old school about buying a car, and I know that isn’t going to work. We noticed that any of the used cars they had were all dark in color, which I don’t want because we live in hot south Texas. And we got the spiel on how they aren’t getting new cars.
I have this friend whose DH is a GM at a car dealership. She says European cars aren’t having this chip issue. Well, great for her, because I can’t afford an Audi or Mercedes. So if anybody is looking into a European car, hopefully that’s the case.
Anyway, glad to hear from similar-minded folk about this issue. It’s difficult to sort out what’s actually true or not from the media.
BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis have said that the shortages may affect feature content.
Some other companies have stated only that safety equipment is not changed, but made no statement on other features.
Of course, shortages may affect which cars get built. If there is a shortage, a car company may choose to put the parts into more expensive cars, leading to a shortage of less expensive cars with those features.
Many who are targeting a specific make & model of car are calling dealers nationwide (continental US = 48 states) and placing $1,000 deposits as soon as the dealership is informed of their upcoming shipment of vehicles.
For Example: If you live in Houston, Texas & find the specific make & model of car that you want on the new car website of an Atlanta, Georgia car dealership, then you should contact that dealership, agree on a sales price (usually MSRP or MSRP & a premium), place a $1,000 deposit and arrange for the car to be shipped to you (costs vary by distance but can often be about $600).
One local dealer put a car on the dealership website & noted that it was “in transit” to the dealership. The vehicle was sold in two days & about a week before it reached the dealership lot.
Other cars are in supply. Consider the Honda CR-V hybrid. Unlike the gas version,the hybrid has a push-button gear selector. Also, Subaru Ascents are still arriving at dealerships, but not sure if they make a hybrid version.
Hyundai & Kia have substantial mark-ups over MSRP on many models. Jeep & Chevrolet dealer are adding hefty market adjustment surcharges up to $10,000 above MSRP. Other dealers are not adding any premium to the MSRP.
If you are looking at those 2, also consider the CR-V Hybrid. My bias is towards the Toyotas because I feel like they have the hybrid technology down better than the others. The RAV4 will also have higher mpg than the other 2. You may not be able to get one in Texas, but also consider the RAV4 Prime if you see one. It’s a plug-in hybrid, so you can get 42+ miles of range as an EV. Plus you have the hybrid engine for long road trips. The initial price is more (and often the markups), but after the federal tax credit and any state/local incentives it can be about the same price or less as a comparable RAV4 Hybrid.
My daughter just bought the Hyundai Kona EV. She felt it was a decent price and they gave her a good trade in for her present car.
She works in manufacturing and feels that the supply chain is going to get worse before it gets better. A global work stoppage is hard to get moving again.
She really wanted the new safety features this car offered her. And wasn’t sure that she wouldn’t be waiting for quite a while to get car supplies back.