Buying a (used?) car

Parent Cafe
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<p>The new Subaru Forester and Mazda CX5 both get terrific mileage. Actually almost any car will get better mileage than that Volvo SUV. The Subaru is best in class, with the Mazda right behind. I believe they both get about 26mpg around town and well into the 30’s on the highway.</p>

<p>Both are very nice, comfortable, and have very good safety ratings.</p>

<p>I personally would NOT by any Jeep product. Not with the other options out there. Friend got one recently…gets terrible mileage and she says it feels like a truck.</p>

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<p>Ummm, what did she expect when she bought a Jeep?</p>

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<p>I sold cars for about a year, a decade ago. A terrible experience, it is awful knowing each day that you will have to deal with that degree of distrust and even hate, and it is just as awful seeing how callous and manipulative the sales force has become in response.</p>

<p>I won’t comment on actual cars, since I come to the thread after a choice has already been made, but I will point to this, which is much more timely:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-negotiating-tactics-that-actual-professionals-use/[/url]”>http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-negotiating-tactics-that-actual-professionals-use/&lt;/a&gt;
5, 3, 2, and 1 ALL play a big role in car sales, so:</p>

<p>5) The price of the car, the value of your trade-in, and the terms of the financing (if any), are SEPERATE issues, and should be negotiated separately. You should be able to see every single line item and have verified that it is what you want BEFORE you agree to buy. Most dealers want you to focus on downpayment and monthly payment, which are about what you can AFFORD, and don’t want you to focus on sale price and interest rates, which are about what you are SPENDING.</p>

<p>3) Fatigue is a HUGE role in car sales. Be prepared for a long process, and always be ready, willing, and able to walk away, either for the day or for good.</p>

<p>2) You should always have a competing vehicle in mind at a competing dealer, and should be able to consider the actual value of the two vehicles to you. This is too big a purchase not to have a second opinion.</p>

<p>1) A lot of people get screwed in the finance office - indeed, that is the main POINT of the finance office. Tell them up front that you are shopping today, buying tomorrow - anything you have not been fully informed about TODAY will not be purchased TOMORROW. You don’t want to have to decide on the spot whether or not those thousands of dollars worth of add-ons are a good idea or not.</p>

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<p>DD2 loves her Mazda CX5. It has quite a bit of cargo room for its size.</p>

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<p>I’m in Seattle, jym, and I’d much rather buy from you than just about any other option! Good luck with the anniversary present, and thank you for the thought-provoking links. Every time we think we’ve made a decision something scares us in another direction. I really hate these big-money decisions.</p>

<p>DH is going to look at a car today. Thanks for the tips, cosmicfish. </p>

<p>Cap and Thumper, I do like the mazda and the subaru. </p>

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<p>I loved that Mazda CX5, and if I had bought an SUV, that would have been it. But I decided on a Volvo sedan.</p>

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<p>zipyouips, even though I like hybrids, I would not buy a used 400h. The actual mileage is not that much different than what the non-hybrid version gets (it all goes to make the car more powerful instead of getting more fuel economy), but you are paying substantially more. I’d buy the one that jym has, but we already have one like that in the garage (to be replaced by the vapor ware electric tin can which, fingers crossed, might not materialize). :)</p>

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<p>If you like cargo space and a smooth ride… and you are not adverse to “minivan image”, consider a used Honda Odyssey. </p>

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<p>Ooh that would be a bit of a drive , zipyourlips. But we just put a new timing belt in it ( it has about 92k miles on it) so it would easily make the drive. It’s been a great car so I have no need to get rid if it. </p>

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<p>My 2004 Volvo V70 gets almost 30 MPG highway. Somewhere around the 2008 model year, the V70/XC70 fuel economy dropped significantly. The newest models are coming out with 4 cylinder engines that get over 30MPG highway … but prices are over your $30K limit. You may want to look for an older model with low miles and in good condition. </p>

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<p>Just circling back to say that we ended up buying a Lexus hybrid with 75,000 miles on it. The hybrid system is under warranty for 100,000 miles which gives us about three years before we’d have to worry about that since we don’t drive much. We spent what we’d spend for many new compact cars but are really happy with the condition of the car, its finishes and handling. The hybrid was worth it to us even if we don’t recoup the added cost. Thanks again for the suggestions.</p>

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<p>congratulations!</p>