I'm In The Market For A New Car

[ROMOSAPIEN9]

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So yesterday, my lovely fiancee and I are driving along, headed to the Golden Corrall to harf down some major food units right!?! Then all of a sudden...BLAM!! the timing chain goes out on the stupid thing.

So now we need to buy a new one. The deal is, we want to pay cash instead of a loan. Not gonna get a loan in this economy. We're looking to spend right at $15,000. I think we can prolly get a $20k car for $15k cash. Money Talks!

Anybody got any experience car shopping with cash? Anybody got any recommendations on what I should or shouldn't be looking at?

Personally, I want a Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Mazda. They seem to be the best built IMO. They last longer, and we're gonna need this baby to last at least as long as the last one which was 8 years. Plus I have a Mazda pickup with 260K miles on it and it's still going strong. So I know how well built the Japanese cars are. But the lady wants to look at Chevy and Saturn. She's in love with the Chevy Impala. I'm in love with Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Mazda.

This could get ugly!

Wish me luck.

 

[Jon88]

I know a guy who has a Saturn with over 180,000 miles on it and he's had no problems with it. A lot of people are hesitant to buy GM though because they don't know if it's going to stay afloat or go under. If it goes under, your warrantly will be voided and you won't be able to get certain parts.

Why don't you just replace the timing chain on your old car and get some more miles out of it?

 

[TwoCentPlain]

On a $20,000 car, I would expect the Big 3 dealers to come down around 10%. Based on my experience, I don't see Honda and Toyota coming down that much on a cheaper car where the profit is not that much.

Don't tell the salesman you are paying cash. Settle on a price for the car first. Let them think they can make some more money on the finance charges. In the end, tell them you'll just pay cash on the previously settled price.

I'm guessing a new Honda Civic will be around 18-19K. Not much out there for 15K new.

 

[ROMOSAPIEN9]

Yeah I meant to say that I realize that $15k ain't much when it comes to buying a new car. I was just hoping that cash would still have some weight behind it. We could possibly go 17-18k. But no higher than that.

 

[Jon88]

You can get a better deal on a car with 10k-15k miles on it. New cars depreciate so much, but again, I would try to fix the one I have now.

 

[needforspeed]

You can get a better deal on a car with 10k-15k miles on it. New cars depreciate so much, but again, I would try to fix the one I have now.

Exactly! I bought my BMW with 30K miles on it. I saved quite a bit of money on that deal. And I didn't have to eat the depreciation. Another suggestion is to look for program cars, lease returns, courtesy vehicles, etc. Sure, they've got a few miles on them, but they're not worn out by any stretch of the imagination. And the prices are going to be more realistic.

And, no, that's not my BMW in my sig. The Alpina B7 in the photo goes for $110,000.00. I paid a little over $16K for my '04 X3.

 

[big dog cowboy]

The deal is, we want to pay cash instead of a loan. Not gonna get a loan in this economy.

Don't pay the cash, get a loan. They are not that hard to get. Most manufacturers now offer 0% financing.

The media has you thinking money isn't available. That just isn't true. Dealerships around here are putting commercials on TV telling everyone they have money to loan.

So take the interest free loan and save your money.

 

[the kid 05]

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So yesterday, my lovely fiancee and I are driving along, headed to the Golden Corrall to harf down some major food units right!?! Then all of a sudden...BLAM!! the timing chain goes out on the stupid thing.

So now we need to buy a new one. The deal is, we want to pay cash instead of a loan. Not gonna get a loan in this economy. We're looking to spend right at $15,000. I think we can prolly get a $20k car for $15k cash. Money Talks!

Anybody got any experience car shopping with cash? Anybody got any recommendations on what I should or shouldn't be looking at?

Personally, I want a Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Mazda. They seem to be the best built IMO. They last longer, and we're gonna need this baby to last at least as long as the last one which was 8 years. Plus I have a Mazda pickup with 260K miles on it and it's still going strong. So I know how well built the Japanese cars are. But the lady wants to look at Chevy and Saturn. She's in love with the Chevy Impala. I'm in love with Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Mazda.

This could get ugly!

Wish me luck.

that was true in the early/mid 90s and Mazda never was built well they are ford cars.

I say go with the wife and go Chevy

 

[Signals]

Consider a low mileage used vehicle. You might be pleasantly surprised at how good of a deal you can get in this market. Then purchase a 100k extended warranty for it with road side assistance for the lady. She'll love the added security.

BTW I am Honda man myself. Owned three of them in my life. I worked as a salesman for Lute Riley Honda in Dallas years ago and part of my training was to spend a couple of hours every day test driving every model and it was a blast. I would recommend just about any Honda product.

Since you have your truck to get around temporarily, and your not under pressure to get a car ASAP. Go to Consumer Reports. Org they have tons of wise advise for FREE on car buying. Also for a small fee you can purchase a one week or month subscription giving access to other really good info on car buying. It might be the best small investment ever. You will be blown away by the top notch information from this non-profit org.

Good luck Dan... lets us know how it all turns out.

 

[CF74]

Honda or Toyota if you go 4 banger. Chevy is ok if you get a V-6 or larger engine but don't ever buy an American 4 cylinder, the heads always crack. Also look into using Amsoil synthetics...

My wife has a 2002 Toyota Camry with a 4 cylinder pushing 100K right now, runs like a brand new car.

 

[Jon88]

Honda or Toyota if you go 4 banger. Chevy is ok if you get a V-6 or larger engine but don't ever buy an American 4 cylinder, the heads always crack. Also look into using Amsoil synthetics...

My wife has a 2002 Toyota Camry with a 4 cylinder pushing 100K right now, runs like a brand new car.

The Japanese make great 4 cylinders. I think they're even better than their 6 cylinders.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I saw the Chevy Cobalt on TV, it's like 12-13gs

looks nice, 34 miles to the gallon

 

[Yeagermeister]

You'll never see me buying a Toyota. My fat arse doesn't fit in them. :

I've rented them before and have a hard time getting under the wheel because they are too low even after adjusting it.

 

[Jon88]

You'll never see me buying a Toyota. My fat arse doesn't fit in them. :

I've rented them before and have a hard time getting under the wheel because they are too low even after adjusting it.

I'm not a big fan of cars, but it might be the route I go after I get rid of my Tacoma. You just can't see as much of the road in them, but then again you can't beat the gas mileage.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I'm not a big fan of cars, but it might be the route I go after I get rid of my Tacoma. You just can't see as much of the road in them, but then again you can't beat the gas mileage.

My explorer is the most comfortable car/truck I have ever owned.

 

[ROMOSAPIEN9]

First of all...Thanks to everyone for the good advice. Much obliged.


We already got us a car.

We got a 2005 Toyota Corrolla Matrix, Metallic Blue. 60k miles but it's still under warranty until Dec, 2011.

The sticker price was $13,999 and I managed to play hard enough ball to get $2000 taken off that. We walked out the door with the car for $13,200. Almost got him to $12,900. But he was literally begging us @ 13200.

It's the top of the line Matrix. Has all wheel drive, 6-CD changer. Sun roof. Front and Rear Spoilers. New tires and brakes. Cruise Control. Even a first aid kit which I really think is cool. The one previous owner kept up with the maintainance to a T. I feel like we got a great deal.

I'm very happy with what we got for the $$.

 

[theogt]

Don't pay the cash, get a loan. They are not that hard to get. Most manufacturers now offer 0% financing.

The media has you thinking money isn't available. That just isn't true. Dealerships around here are putting commercials on TV telling everyone they have money to loan.

So take the interest free loan and save your money.

THIS! Don't pay cash. That's not smart. 0% financing is the way to go.

 

[trickblue]

You can get a better deal on a car with 10k-15k miles on it. New cars depreciate so much, but again, I would try to fix the one I have now.

Exactly... find one with lower mileage that has the 100k mile warranty...

 

[Chief]

First of all...Thanks to everyone for the good advice. Much obliged.


We already got us a car.

We got a 2005 Toyota Corrolla Matrix, Metallic Blue. 60k miles but it's still under warranty until Dec, 2011.

The sticker price was $13,999 and I managed to play hard enough ball to get $2000 taken off that. We walked out the door with the car for $13,200. Almost got him to $12,900. But he was literally begging us @ 13200.

It's the top of the line Matrix. Has all wheel drive, 6-CD changer. Sun roof. Front and Rear Spoilers. New tires and brakes. Cruise Control. Even a first aid kit which I really think is cool. The one previous owner kept up with the maintainance to a T. I feel like we got a great deal.

I'm very happy with what we got for the $$.

Too funny.

I got onto this thread late and was ready to suggest a Matrix.

We bought one two weeks ago when my Grand Am finally gave out.

The Matrix we got had about 10,000 miles on it and we spent $13,500. Got the extended warranty (100,000 miles), and are very happy with it.

 

[trickblue]

Hard to go wrong with a Toyota...

My wife drives a Prius and we are very impressed... plus that $18 fill-up is pretty sweet...