Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
My wife would fall into that category.
But, I was doing a bit of snooping on-line, and there are about 6 or 8 2003 L-series for sale within 100 miles of work. Prices range from a low of $6900 to a high of $14,500. These are both L200 (4-cyl) and L300 (6-cyl) models.
Most were on dealer lots, but it gives me an idea of what to shoot for should I decide to trade it in or sell it privately.
I wish there were a Honda dlr. like that near me--the 2 closest to me, & the Acura dlr., are the WORST--really high pressure, where the young nitwit salesman tries to control you at every second, then talks so much during the prescribed "test drive" that you can't possibly focus on the car.
Too bad, I'd go test drive a Honda or Acura more often but the dlrs. near me make it so depressing it's difficult to judge the cars fairly. And the Subie dlr. near me was like that too when I went in "to look": the guy talked so incessently that I didn't have the fortitude to take a test drive & have to listen to him tell me for the 10th time all the stuff that I already knew about the car.
I can't believe so many car dlrs still think that kind of thing "works", esp. in an area populated by mainly very educated, higher income individuals????? (Not that anyone should be treated like that!).
(End of rant.....)
When I stopped at the Acura dealer closest to my office a couple weeks ago (the same one, ironically, where dad23 leased his TSX), I was totally put off by the sales guy.
Lucky for us, we have the Go dealers here in Denver - Go is the brand name for the Auto Nation owned dealers in town, and they promote the no haggle, low stress buying experience. Very nice for when you just want to kick tires.
Is the Volvo wagon idea kaput? They are expensive--personally I'd probably go to a new bmw 3 series wagon for that kind of $$.....
The Volvo idea is still sort of on the back burner, given that you can get over $10K off MSRP on leases .. at least, that's what I've been reading over in the "Prices Paid" forum.
But, for the time being, I'll continue to drive the Saturn. Perhaps I'm getting cheap in my old age.
That, plus the registration amount should drop by half next January (will be year 5).
I will continue to keep an eye on trade in and private sale prices, however.
I have thought about a 3-series wagon, but I don't think there are as many lease incentives as there are on the XC70.
I saw a 2001 BMW 325xI wagon stick with nav on a lot the other day. That is one rare bird. I would've been more interested if we didn't have the Subie already.
Our salesguy is one we have worked with before, he used to work for the GMC dealership, never bought from him though. Super nice guy, I can't say enough good about him, when I went into the Honda dealership a month or so ago and saw him I was so happy. We've been in there a few times, he's always been pleasant no matter what. On Friday I walked in and he had already seen us pull up. He was standing near the door smiling. I just said "we're getting close just wanted to drive one more." Our plan was to narrow it down to either the Honda or the Nissan, then if it was the Honda wait for a better color to come in. He said "ok, which one are we on this time?" LOL, we've gone from the Odyssey to the CR-V now on to the Pilot. I just said "Pilot, the black one" and laughed.
He slapped a dealer plate on it and said see you in a few minutes, so off we went. Course in that time he dug up that grey EX-L and we all know the rest of the story, lol.
No pressure, no rude managers, we dealt directly with the general manager for the numbers. Finance was wonderful, no pressure. Just overall a great experience. Would buy there again in a heartbeat. We bought a used truck from them years ago, was a good experience, but no where near as great as buying a new car from them.
Qbrozen... you are right, but my other half can't drive a stick so that was out. And, I just don't want to shift a car myself.
Also, when I looked at the Jeep Liberty, it had an MSRP just over $30,000.
Cars aren't cheap.... especially the small ones! (loaded up)
Mark156
Now a question for you and anyone else here. We got a coupon for a free nitrogen fill on the tires from the local Mazda dealer and plan to go there tomorrow afternoon. have you tried nitrogen in any of your tires and is there really a difference with it over plain old air?
Thanks.
The Sandman
This guy rambles about it:
Straight Dope
If I were to go back there, I'd certainly want the name of the GSM from you so I could work with him directly.
I guess I'm comparing him to the guy we talked to at the Volvo dealer, who was older and more polished. Didn't feel pressure from him at all.
Jolie, here's hoping you have many (3? 4?) years of driving pleasure with your Pilot. I know my sister loves hers, and she's got 3 boys, ages 9, 6 and 3. The nice part is that whenever you decide to trade it in, it should be worth something.
mark, I agree with you that the small SUV's are getting more and more expensive. While waiting for the Saturn to be done on Friday, I wandered the lot and was looking at the new '08 VUE. Nice, nice, nice vehicle, but the XE V6 AWD (not the top of the line XR) was priced at $24K to start. The XR with all the bells and whistles will easily exceed $30K.
I was walking the Saturn lot on Sunday hoping the new Astras might be in. Doubt I would but one seeing that they will want top dollar for awhile until the newness wares off, but I figured I can at least sit in one to see if it fits.
Plus, the VUE only has 2 rows of seats, so I can't imagine someone cross-shopping the two.
dad23, I'm not sure that I'm "searching" at the moment. Heck, I'm not even sure I'm in the market, to be honest. I am just reviewing my options at the moment. Want a new car but don't really "need" one.
Having said that, I might pop in the local Infiniti dealer, just to see what they have.
G37 coupe maybe?
I kinda knew the Astra were not in , I was just hoping that maybe the General would surprise me.
Xi? I've never driven an E46 with the AWD. In 2000 I drove a new 323i RWD wagon, w/stick & SPP, w/manual sport seats. It drove like a go-cart--in retrospect, I probably should have gone for it. Tiny for a wagon, but.....fun, fun, fun.
I saw a current gen 525xi sedan yesterday, & tried my best not to drool all over it. But no way am I gonna sell my 7 y.o. 5-series for $10-15K, & pay $55k+ for a new one.....
One of the only things I like as much as cars is being frugal, which for me leads to trying to keep cars for maybe 10 years. (But if they're trouble prone, I will dump them fast).
However I'm gonna keep my eye on new Pilot & 4Runner pricing over the summer. "At the right price", w/new everything (tires, brakes, shocks, etc), & AWD or 4wd, I might get tempted.....
I am still living in the 70's , anything over $20k and I just can not believe that is for a car.
Before they bought their '03 Sonata a few years ago, the last new car they had bought was 1973. Since then, they had purchased used cars (one MB and two Toyotas), paying, at most, $11K for the '91 Camry.
So, when they started car shopping, my dad was determined to spend under $20K. I really thought they were going to get another Camry, but when he found out he could get a V6 Sonata for less money than the 4-cyl Camry, he jumped at it.
I think he paid somewhere around $16-17K for the Sonata before TTL.
It now has 15K miles on it in 4 years.
Try 101,300 BASE MSRP for the top of the line W12 model.
101,300
I drove one of those and it is an amazing car. Not 100,000 dollar amazing though.
They are a huge bargain used but I would be afraid of most VW dealers working on that car. There are already W12 models listed for under 50,000 on cars.com with mid 20,000 mileage.
The TDI touregs could be over 70,000 MSRP.
But, they re-priced the '07 models... The same truck is around $65K, now... cheep!!
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
It would be foolish to sell a perfectly good, paid off Accord, just to take on a lease paymnet, right? Right?
I suppose I could nip this in the bud by just going to take a look at one. I assume that after driving it, my passion would cool right down.
Yeah, that's it, the best thing to do is face your fears!
Dark blue with beige interior please...
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I can see you working the numbers already. Take the $19-21k you get from the Accord, invest it at 8% bringing in $125 a month and you get that lease payment under 200/month. Throw in the free maintenance and you are saving $50/month.
Geez,give me some more time and they will almost be paying you to drive a 328.
Although I don't exactly spend $50 a month on maintenance on a 2005 Accord. More like $6, if you amortize the cost of an oil change every 6 months!
WHat the heck, I have been meaning to go check out the new BMW sales palace they just built near me. 2 floors, all glass front, tons of cars. The facility itself might be worth the trip.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I will just ignore the fact that there are only 6 payments left on the van, so (in theory) we will have 2 paid off cars by New Years day.
Or a BMW. Tough choice...
My son also just got his learners permit. I suppose I can just trot out the safety advantage (there must be one, right? Right?). Maybe the wife will buy that lame excuse?
Or I could just keep the Accord, but I don't think my kid needs something that nice!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
As far as safety , it's all about accident avoidance,right. A rwd BMW has to be more nimble than an Accord. And if it helps I have neighbor that bought his daughter a '98 BMW 3 series convertible over the Civic she wanted because he said the sheet metal is thicker. I don't know if that is true or not , but it makes a good rationalization.
I do like his ability to rationalize getting himself a BMW convertible though. Maybe I should try that!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I was driving my wife's X3 2.5 when it got rear-ended by a Chevy/Geo Prizm. The X3's rear(plastic) bumper and its backing plate took the brunt of the hit. Aside from scratches and a minor dent the bumper looks fine. The Prizm had a kinked hood, broken radiator mounts, and a torn bumper. I'm fixing the truck myself, since I was already planning to fit the OEM hitch- and I had a spare bumper(which cost all of $240). Anyway, his insurance only wound up having to pay me $93. Who knows what the Prizm cost to fix...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Not sure if a convertible is the best choice for safety (?!), but in general, bmw's are built like tanks. I have a friend with around an 8-9 y.o. accord; I have a 7 y.o. bmw, & they're not even from the same planet in build quality & solidity. I do feel a lot less safe riding in his accord.
There's a short article on the current-gen 5-series in the 8/07 R&T & the upgrades for '08. One of the journalists managed to put one in a ditch & then it flipped & rolled several times. He had a few minor injuries & the car was fairly structurally intact.....
Whatever you do, don't test drive the 335i w/the twin-turbo I6. Reading about that, & the new 535i, is almost making me ill.
I might get blue also; but I'm getting obsessed with the "montego blue metalic".....
The years later , and she has only had a minor scratch on her fender. I am amazed , but I still think that is too much car for any kid. (And if it was a stick I would take it off his hands as a favor to him :shades: )
I was checking the internet for used Vibe & Civics and came across my Mazda6 wagon still for sale. The Ford dealership I traded it in at went out of business in December and sold their inventory to a Toyota store. The pictures still have snow in the background.
I traded it 18 months ago. You would think they would have lowered their price but the Toyota dealer is asking almost what I could get a new one.
Of course it would just about pay for the blown engine in my daughter's Camry (yes, even a Toyota can have an oil line blow....add an 18 year old driver and the mix is deadly. She's fine but my wallet died.)
So much for Toyota reliability ... perhaps she'd like to drive a nice Saturn!
I am now drooling over the BMW 1-series. I'm hoping the 128i comes in under $30K to start. Red or Blue with a tan interior, stick shift, minimal options.
Then, I'd have to figure out a way to convince the wife that I'd need a $1500 beater for the winter.
Life goes on...
I have never shopped for a new BMW, but to the move much off MSRP at the end of the model year ?
Guess we'll have to wait and see. The one thing about the 1-series is that it will only be available as a coupe initially, with a convertible to come later.
No sedan or 3/5 door hatches for the US.
But with 3 kids , I dunno if will be practical. My kids are smaller so space is not too much of an issue. It's more about stuffing them back there. Two are still in booster seats making buckling an issue.
I checked out the Altima coupe , but with seating for 4(center middle is tiny) she did lot make the short list.
Wifey still has her VUE for passenger and/or cargo duty.
Have signed up for more info on the 1-series; I'm curious about curb weight, standard features vs. options and MSRP.
How much is the new engine going to run you?
The price of the engine very nearly approximates the original price of the car.... It was a $6K car now getting a $5K engine. Assuming it doesn't blow a tranny (I would have the luck to have the first Toyota to blow both...) the engine should be worth it. Add to this that I now have my daughter's full attention on the "what we will do once a week to make sure all is well with the car" speech.
Just curious: have you commited to getting the $5K engine in the $6k Camry? Instead of maybe some kind of $2k disposable beater?
She's starting college locally and it will be worth my while to not have her calling at work to get bailed out. I've had the car looked over pretty carefully and other than front brakes there's nothing likely to go wrong. I'll live with it.