OP, you can speak with your bank or credit union about a car loan and be pre-approved, just as with home buying. This is what we do with our credit union. Your salesperson will probably try to convince you and may even “run the numbers” to try and prove that s/he can do better than the bank. You do not have to let them do that, and probably won’t get as good a deal as your credit union or bank has already given you. That has been our experience, anyhow.
Whether you’re talking about “extras”, car color or financing DON’T let them push you into something you don’t want! Stand firm-my H is the negotiator in the family and he has had no problem walking away and saying that he will come back another day if he feels he’s getting pushed by a salesperson. Those pre-approvals last for more than a few days. You don’t have to buy the second you get one.
I like the idea of renting a car you may want to buy and trying it out for a few days. We zeroed in on the Prius because it’s one of the kinds of cars in the fleet where H works and he’s had the chance to drive them often. He knew how they handled and the kind of mileage they get, which was the overriding factor. FWIW, we had two American cars before that and they were fine-they just didn’t get the mileage we needed.
i spoke to my insurance company when thinking of a VW Jetta. 12 years ago, that was over $500 vs a Honda Accord $120. I’m glad I spent a few minutes talking to my auto insurance.
I wind up driving American cars via rental cars and they always just feel so awkward and clunky. I love, love, love my Prius and we will be buying 2 for our kids when they graduate, plus possibly another to replace h’s 10 yo Camry. I live in Chicago and I don’t know what you mean by “clearance in the snow” - it’s just fine.
MichaelNKat, many “foreign” cars are now made or assembled in this country. I mostly know about Toyotas, which can be made in Kentucky, Texas, or Indiana (it’s said to be the most “American” car.) Some Hondas and Subarus are made in Indiana. You could do a google search if you want more information.
We just bought a New Subaru Impreza for my son who totalled his Mazda 3in the snow/ice of NY. We like it, and he likes it. The insurance cost for a 2015 low end Impreza hatchback was LOWER than the cost of insurance for the 2010 Mazda 3. You can buy them for less than 20 K to over 25K, depending on options. And they all have all wheel drive.
Some car dealers are pleasant enough to deal with, but many car buying experiences are miserable. Be aware of “extra” costs such as processing fees, destination charges, etc. when getting prices, specify that you want the total, out the door price, including taxes, tags,and any other charges they have.
One other point. Check insurance rates BEFORE you buy the car. We bought my other son a 2 door Scion TC, which seemed very similar to the Mazda 3 or a civic, but the insurance on it is ridiculously high. We probably wouldn’t have purchased it had we known.
Let us know what you decide.
Put me in the Toyota camp as well. Drove the 1st Camry for 19 years. It handled desert heat and northern plains winters equally well. On our 2nd Sienna as well. Had a Prius for 6 years and due to the weight, it handled very well in snow as well. You can get a sportier version (though the regular Prius actually has a lot of zip, I had mine comfortably over 90 MPH on a few occasions). Also, in the NE and some other markets they offer a Plug-In version that can get like 95 MPG. Unlike other plug in types, the Prius still has the gas tank and will work like a regular Prius if you cannot plug it in. I am a big guy and drive 35 miles each way to work…the Prius is a bit small for me for so many miles, so I upgraded to the Hybrid Camry. I got the XLE and I think I paid 35K for it. If you leave off a few bells and whistles you can get it for less.
As for buying advice, know what you want and don’t buy anything other than what you want. Have the courage to walk away from a deal if it is not what you want to pay. Avoid extended warranties and all of the other add-ons that they offer.
I would also endorse the use of Consumer Reports. They do not take advertising so they are about as unbiased as you are going to find. They have been testing cars (and other stuff) since at least the 60s. You can get the online version, too. They will give great specific rating advice both about vehicles and reliability (new and used). They have a section on buying advice as well.
There are also apps and websites that will help with getting pricing for a particular vehicle in your area. That way you know what you are going to pay. Focus on price and interest rate. Don’t negotiate on ‘payment’ as that is a great way to get taken for a ‘ride’. (I worked in the Auto Finance business for about 8 years)
We went from midsize luxury to practical environmental - how’d that happen? I now drive a Ford Fusion Hybrid and love it - really quite nice inside and drives well. It actually has quite a bit of pickup. We’ve bought our last 3 cars (2 for the boys) through Cars Direct and USAA buying service. www.carsdirect.com provided the lowest price and great service and would highly recommend using them. Whatever dealership that ends up providing you the car via carsdiirect.com locally will be your dealer and they have typically been the largest dealerships in our area.
Count me in as someone who would rather have a root canal than go through the car buying process. It’s been ten years since we bought a new car and could really use one.
I checked out cars.com, are those reasonable prices to pay, is the msrp number there the sticker price one would see on the car?
I recently went from a very well equipped 2006 A6 to a dealer-used S4 (dealer had it as a loaner). I had no problems whatsoever with the A6, however the dealer maintenance will cost you. Their proprietary parts will keep you using them. I love, love my S4, but it probably isn’t the best for a person who might worry about operating costs.
We had a '99 Passat and it was also a good car - AWD & all the bells and whistles.
1D drives the '06 Kia Optima we bought to replace the VW as the kid car. No troubles at all.
2D has a used Acura that is going strong.
Some of the real car magazines have 4 season tests of popular cars. You can get a good idea of how it performs is pseudo-real world driving conditions. Consumer Reports serves its purpose, but I take a lot of what they say about certain car stuff w/a grain of salt.
If I were young and wanted a good driving experience, AWD, reliability, I’d go straight to Subaru and not look back. A Toyota Corolla or Camry would put me to sleep. They are just bleh.
If you are considering leasing - look at Lexus ct200h. This is an upscale Prius. I believe it is ranked dead last in the luxury segment and there are internal promotions. You may be able to lease it for the same price as loaded Subaru Impreza (and end up with comparable options) Both cars do not accelerate too fast but Lexus is better looking and MORE PRESTIGIOUS! AWD vs Hybrid.
We have had to replace both our cars in the last 3 years. Here are a few thoughts about the process. 1. Try to estimate what your annual mileage might be. If it’s around 15K or more, a hybrid car may make sense. (Don’t overlook plug-in hybrids, either.) 2. If buying new, pay attention to the calendar. Dealerships have monthly, quarterly, and annual quotas and may be more willing to drop the price if you are buying at the end of one of those periods. 3. Car buying services like Costco will get you a fair price, but not the absolute best price that you can get. 4. You can sometimes use competing cars as a negotiating ploy. Last year, I was between a Honda Accord and a Mazda (I forget the comparable model number). I told the Mazda dealer that I only cared about price, safety, reliability, and mileage, and I could get an Accord for less, and he came down quite impressively on his price - quite a bit lower than the Costco price, in fact. 5. If you’re a woman, consider bringing a guy with you even if you’re the sole decision maker - some study showed men are offered better prices than women by car salesmen - although minority men were offered the worst prices of all. And finally, what should have been first on the list - do figure out which features are most important to you - price? Performance? Styling? Safety features? Etc. This more than anything will help you to narrow the list of cars to look at.
If you live where you get a season’s worth of snow and ice days, consider getting another set of wheels (inexpensive steel ones are fine) with winter tires to install on the car for the snow and ice season.
Car company web sites can help you figure out what options and features you do or do not want for a given car model.
Any recommendations for cars that are fun to drive but still below that 32k price point and still reliable with low maintenance needs? They don’t have to be sports cars or luxury cars per se – just something less bland than a Civic, Camry, or Accord?
Not a huge fan of Subaru, though am willing to check it out just to give myself options.
Any recommendations for cars that are fun to drive but still below that 32k price point and still reliable with low maintenance needs? They don’t have to be sports cars or luxury cars per se – just something less bland than a Civic, Camry, or Accord?
Not a huge fan of Subaru, though am willing to check it out just to give myself options.
Check out the Edmunds.com review of the Mazda 3. Fun to drive (especially if you get the grand touring version), reliable, great mileage. Better at this point than the Civic, Corrolla, or Elantra, which are in the same class.
And with the money left over from your $32K, you can take one heck of a vacation. Europe, Hawaii?
I thought the Mini is cute and fun to drive. Obviously I don’t have any experience driving it but apparently kid #2 rent a Mini through zip car and she thought it was fun to drive and faster in acceleration than her Toyota Camry. She likes her Camry but liked the Mini better.
We loved our first Prius so much (now seven years old) that we bought a Prius V last year to replace our ancient Passat station wagon. Love it! And we live in the midwest snow belt and have no problems driving in winter weather.
Have you priced the cost of insurance? A friend’s kid bought a new car… $300/month payment became $600 because he also had to pay $300 for insurance (first car in a city where car break ins happen in broad daylight). One thing he did not plan for!