Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

nyccarguy

I've started to narrow my search down for my next punch. As most of you are well aware, used car prices are trending upward. I don't have the mechanical know how, time, or financial resources to buy something 10-15 years old and budget for repairs & maintenance. Quality used cars in the 5-6 year old range are simply bananas as far as price goes to the point where I'd have to finance one. If I'm going to finance, I might as well get something new (finance or lease), it be under warranty, and get what I want. Well, not what I want, but you get the point.

The Highlander has 71K miles and is about $15K away from being paid off. The Prelude has been running like a champ at 165K. I've been driving it as much as I possibly can.

The Tacoma is already over its miles with about 14 months to go on the lease. It is also too big of a vehicle for my autistic 18 year old to drive without me constantly worrying about him parking it. My wife doesn't drive it. My daughter hates it. She says it is ugly and it doesn't have vanity mirrors in the sun visors. My 16 year old son LOVES it. He thinks it is cool and loves to throw his hockey gear in the back. The biggest thing is that the Tacoma is worth about what the current lease buyout is, so that makes it expendable.

My wife is going to drive the new car. My 18 year old is going to drive the Highlander to and from his lifeguarding job. I'm going to continue to drive the Prelude until he goes back to school in Mid August, then I'll start driving the Highlander.

I'm focusing my search on an AWD Toyota hybrid. We do a lot of driving. I know that no matter what I decide to do, the Toyota will hold its value, is easy to service, and won't need brakes until 100K miles. RAV4s are still very expensive to buy or lease, unless they come out with some crazy incentive or program when they announce the new 2026 RAV4 tonight. An AWD Camry LE or SE work as a backup, but I'm going to zero in on an AWD Prius LE (just start calling me base model Bradd). Most have an MSRP of just under $32K and a 67% residual (thank-you @Michaell & @kyfdx ). The money factor is high, but as long as I buy anywhere else besides NY, I can buy it down with a reasonable amount of MSD. I'm going to start local and expand from there. I reached out to the dealer in my town where I service my cars. There is a salesman who has been there for 30+ years that my service writer recommends. They've got an incoming Wind Chill/Black Prius LE AWD with a $31.7 sticker price. I'm going to go and test drive one that they have on Thursday.

I have no problem traveling 3ish hours for the right deal on the right car.

tjc78

Sounds like a plan Bradd! I’m curious to what the lease payment will calculate to on the Prius

Let’s see who pulls the trigger first!

Michaell

@nyccarguy - have you considered the Hybrid Corolla Cross?

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

@nyccarguy - have you considered the Hybrid Corolla Cross?

You know, I was thinking about it late last night. What does the 36/10K program look like for the SE model? The S doesn't have blind spot monitoring.

kyfdx

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

@nyccarguy - have you considered the Hybrid Corolla Cross?

You know, I was thinking about it late last night. What does the 36/10K program look like for the SE model? The S doesn't have blind spot monitoring.

.00279 MF and 67% residual

nyccarguy

tjc78 said:

Sounds like a plan Bradd! I’m curious to what the lease payment will calculate to on the Prius

Let’s see who pulls the trigger first!

I'm targeting 10% off. Some of that will get eaten away by doc fees that range from $799-$999 in my area. Including my 6.35% local tax rate and multiple security deposits I'm shooting for about the $370ish range. I'll let you know how I make out.

nyccarguy

kyfdx said:

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

@nyccarguy - have you considered the Hybrid Corolla Cross?

You know, I was thinking about it late last night. What does the 36/10K program look like for the SE model? The S doesn't have blind spot monitoring.

.00279 MF and 67% residual

Thanks. So it comes out to a bit higher than the .0023 on the Prius LE AWD. Still a solid option with a 67% residual value.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

kyfdx said:

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

@nyccarguy - have you considered the Hybrid Corolla Cross?

You know, I was thinking about it late last night. What does the 36/10K program look like for the SE model? The S doesn't have blind spot monitoring.

.00279 MF and 67% residual

Thanks. So it comes out to a bit higher than the .0023 on the Prius LE AWD. Still a solid option with a 67% residual value.

I'm curious about the visibility of the Prius for a relatively new driver, versus that of the Corolla Cross, which has a more CUV shape to it.

au1994

Doesn’t the Camry offer an AWD version now?

Michaell

au1994 said:

Doesn’t the Camry offer an AWD version now?

They do ... and Bradd has asked for lease programs on the LE and SE trims.

stickguy

No AWD Corolla option?

If leasing how about an Altima if cheaper? And you get free big energy.

This might be heresy but if looking at basic Toyotas why not just buy it and make it a forever keeper? You maintain your fleet well so can easily push 200k with no big issues. A Corolla (cross or otherwise) or Prius is flexible enough to work for anyone in the family it seems. Including your commute. And Will save a lot in Gas costs if it gets to handle the bulk miles.

au1994

Having spent time in both the Camry and Corolla Cross, I would definitely spring for the Camry. Sit a little lower and pricier but worth it. Just my .02.

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

kyfdx said:

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

@nyccarguy - have you considered the Hybrid Corolla Cross?

You know, I was thinking about it late last night. What does the 36/10K program look like for the SE model? The S doesn't have blind spot monitoring.

.00279 MF and 67% residual

Thanks. So it comes out to a bit higher than the .0023 on the Prius LE AWD. Still a solid option with a 67% residual value.

I'm curious about the visibility of the Prius for a relatively new driver, versus that of the Corolla Cross, which has a more CUV shape to it.

excellent point

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

No AWD Corolla option?

If leasing how about an Altima if cheaper? And you get free big energy.

This might be heresy but if looking at basic Toyotas why not just buy it and make it a forever keeper? You maintain your fleet well so can easily push 200k with no big issues. A Corolla (cross or otherwise) or Prius is flexible enough to work for anyone in the family it seems. Including your commute. And Will save a lot in Gas costs if it gets to handle the bulk miles.

The AWD Corolla Hybrid is a bit too small.

xwesx

au1994 said:

Having spent time in both the Camry and Corolla Cross, I would definitely spring for the Camry. Sit a little lower and pricier but worth it. Just my .02.

For what you get, Camry seems like it is priced well compared to the CC or the Prius.

nyccarguy

au1994 said:

Having spent time in both the Camry and Corolla Cross, I would definitely spring for the Camry. Sit a little lower and pricier but worth it. Just my .02.

Nothing is off the table. Camry is definitely on the short list.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

No AWD Corolla option?

If leasing how about an Altima if cheaper? And you get free big energy.

This might be heresy but if looking at basic Toyotas why not just buy it and make it a forever keeper? You maintain your fleet well so can easily push 200k with no big issues. A Corolla (cross or otherwise) or Prius is flexible enough to work for anyone in the family it seems. Including your commute. And Will save a lot in Gas costs if it gets to handle the bulk miles.

I don't want to put any money down and then financing the full boat plus sales tax isn't what I'm looking to do right now at 6% interest.

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

au1994 said:

Doesn’t the Camry offer an AWD version now?

They do ... and Bradd has asked for lease programs on the LE and SE trims.

Thank-you and @kyfdx for your patience!

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

5.5 would be nice instead of the 4.5 I have now. That basically means moving up to a midsized truck like a ridgeline.

Old style Ford Rangers could be had with a 7’ bed which was what I was hoping to get. Good luck finding one though.

oldfarmer50

“(Just start calling me base model Bradd)”

Believe me, you’ll never miss those electronic nannys.

Michaell

@nyccarguy said:
Thank-you and @kyfdx for your patience!

You think you’ve been asking a lot of questions? You should see some of the members shopping for an EV. They are all over the place. They want every trim, RWD and AWD, and multiple terms and mileages.

tjc78

@Michaell said:

@nyccarguy said:
Thank-you and @kyfdx for your patience!

You think you’ve been asking a lot of questions? You should see some of the members shopping for an EV. They are all over the place. They want every trim, RWD and AWD, and multiple terms and mileages.

Blame Leasehackr

tjc78

I think you will all think this is funny … after I sent the email to the sales person this morning I never heard anything.

So me being me, I texted the salesman if I should move on. Texts me back and says the sales manager wants to review it with me directly. He is supposed to call me at 5

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

I think you will all think this is funny … after I sent the email to the sales person this morning I never heard anything.

So me being me, I texted the salesman if I should move on. Texts me back and says the sales manager wants to review it with me directly. He is supposed to call me at 5

————————————————
It looks like they blinked first. The one who blinks last loses. Good luck.

jmonroe

tjc78

This is probably the worst dealer group I’ve ever dealt with

Just had a quick conversation with him and they refused to go to buy rate money factor and they bump the price up compared to what they told me yesterday

Most likely time to move on

Michaell

@tjc78 said:

@Michaell said:

@nyccarguy said:
Thank-you and @kyfdx for your patience!

You think you’ve been asking a lot of questions? You should see some of the members shopping for an EV. They are all over the place. They want every trim, RWD and AWD, and multiple terms and mileages.

Blame Leasehackr

Why is that? I’m genuinely curious.

stickguy

That’s when the lease summary is great. Screen shot it and say this is what you will put a deposit down on today and pick up this week, take it or leave it. Very simple and leaves it up to them. Then you forget about it and look elsewhere assuming they ghost you. But never know, they might cave.

tjc78

@Michaell said:

@tjc78 said:

@Michaell said:

@nyccarguy said:
Thank-you and @kyfdx for your patience!

You think you’ve been asking a lot of questions? You should see some of the members shopping for an EV. They are all over the place. They want every trim, RWD and AWD, and multiple terms and mileages.

Blame Leasehackr

Why is that? I’m genuinely curious.

In the beginning before they had their premium service it was well talked about in the forums to contact Edmunds forums for money factors, and residuals.

breld

Spent a few hours again on Saturday testing out EV candidates...

• Local BMW dealer had a lightly used i5 M60. We liked even the base RWD model when we tested it out a couple weeks ago, so this was obviously nicer. But not sure all that extra power was necessary...I felt like I was feathering the throttle most of the test drive. Having said that, it was a very smooth and serene experience...may not be what buyers want from an "M-performance" vehicle, but I found it very pleasant. Problem is, even at $20k under MSRP, I think another $20k of depreciation is to be had right off the bat, so probably not a good used EV purchase yet.
  
  
• I know I'll get some flack for this one, but I was also curious as to the latest redo of the Tesla Model 3, so we found a 2024 "new model" 3 Performance at a Carmax and tried it out. All the reviews claim noticeable improvements in the suspension and refinement, but we were shocked at the level of change. Even in this performance model with skinny tires, the ride was much more compliant than we expected based on previous Teslas owned.
  

tjc78

@stickguy said:
That’s when the lease summary is great. Screen shot it and say this is what you will put a deposit down on today and pick up this week, take it or leave it. Very simple and leaves it up to them. Then you forget about it and look elsewhere assuming they ghost you. But never know, they might cave.

That works too, but sometimes you have lead them to your payment. It helps when they are straight shooters.

stickguy

Give them the calculation. Got nothing to lose.

au1994

tjc78 said:

This is probably the worst dealer group I’ve ever dealt with

Just had a quick conversation with him and they refused to go to buy rate money factor and they bump the price up compared to what they told me yesterday

Most likely time to move on

At the end of the month even. Hold tight, they may yet cave but they’re probably going to have a huge shindig with clowns and free hot dogs this weekend and expect to move the whole lot. Sounds like they are that kind of dealer. Probably one of the air man guys on the lot now.

breld

It's probably a good thing this VW dealer is over 50 miles away...just enough effort to lessen the temptation...

https://www.greeleyvolkswagen.com/new-Greeley-2024-Volkswagen-Golf+GTI-20T+380+SE-WVWSA7CD4RW223584

They have two of these leftover 2024 white GTI SEs - manual with the plaid seats at over $5k off MSRP.

stickguy

Wife shocked me today but pretty sure she was just yanking my chain. Got another letter from the NJ Acura dealer (where we bought her car) wanting to get her to trade it in on the same car but a 2025. They usually just say they will pay 110% of value (low book trade I assume) but today said (*pending in person evaluation) up to $30,500. And that probably assume double the miles it actually has (28k). Not bad because IIRC I paid $40k for it 5 years ago (a 2020)

I told her about it and her response was maybe I should get one (even after I explained it would be trade + ~15k). Not what I was expecting. But not wanting to look a gift horse in its mouth I said happy to go shopping but not to get the same basic car!

stickguy

Value seemed very high. Last carvana quite (they still send them) was in the 25-26 range.

stickguy

@breld said:
It's probably a good thing this VW dealer is over 50 miles away...just enough effort to lessen the temptation...

https://www.greeleyvolkswagen.com/new-Greeley-2024-Volkswagen-Golf+GTI-20T+380+SE-WVWSA7CD4RW223584

They have two of these leftover 2024 white GTI SEs - manual with the plaid seats at over $5k off MSRP.

White would not be my first choice but I love the car.

au1994

breld said:

It's probably a good thing this VW dealer is over 50 miles away...just enough effort to lessen the temptation...

https://www.greeleyvolkswagen.com/new-Greeley-2024-Volkswagen-Golf+GTI-20T+380+SE-WVWSA7CD4RW223584

They have two of these leftover 2024 white GTI SEs - manual with the plaid seats at over $5k off MSRP.

Let the countdown begin…

mjfloyd1

@tjc78 and @nycarguy - I’d compare pricing vs brokers on Leasehakr and go from there

@breld - I see a Tesla model 3 and 24 Golf GTI in your future.

qbrozen

breld said:

It's probably a good thing this VW dealer is over 50 miles away...just enough effort to lessen the temptation...

https://www.greeleyvolkswagen.com/new-Greeley-2024-Volkswagen-Golf+GTI-20T+380+SE-WVWSA7CD4RW223584

They have two of these leftover 2024 white GTI SEs - manual with the plaid seats at over $5k off MSRP.

good grief MSRPs are out of control. $40k for a GTI. That's staggering.

corvette

@Michaell - the comparing multiple drive options and trims of the same make baffles me. They should have a general idea of what they want vs. what's leasing "well" (from LH) before they start looking, and if acceleration is a significant criteria, they're probably not shopping FWD/RWD on most models.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

good grief MSRPs are out of control. $40k for a GTI. That's staggering.

I thought so too! But, I didn't want to say anything for fear of showing my age.

qbrozen

breld said:

It's probably a good thing this VW dealer is over 50 miles away...just enough effort to lessen the temptation...

https://www.greeleyvolkswagen.com/new-Greeley-2024-Volkswagen-Golf+GTI-20T+380+SE-WVWSA7CD4RW223584

They have two of these leftover 2024 white GTI SEs - manual with the plaid seats at over $5k off MSRP.

and .... what the heck in your signature would you get rid of for a GTI? I love them, but certainly not more than anything you currently have.

corvette

Addendum: a broker fee on LH is probably the best unnecessary fee I've ever paid. Make your life easy!

tjc78

@corvette said:
@Michaell - the comparing multiple drive options and trims of the same make baffles me. They should have a general idea of what they want vs. what's leasing "well" (from LH) before they start looking, and if acceleration is a significant criteria, they're probably not shopping FWD/RWD on most models.

Why? The programs can vary widely from trim to trim.

In the Ram 1500 lease questions someone asked about a Limited trim and the MF was equivalent to 4.1% on a Laramie trim it’s .24%

nyccarguy

@Michaell said:

@nyccarguy said:
Thank-you and @kyfdx for your patience!

You think you’ve been asking a lot of questions? You should see some of the members shopping for an EV. They are all over the place. They want every trim, RWD and AWD, and multiple terms and mileages.

I do. I try to look a few posts before I ask to see if someone in my area NY/NJ/CT has asked for a similar vehicle before I post.

nyccarguy

@Michaell said:

@tjc78 said:

@Michaell said:

@nyccarguy said:
Thank-you and @kyfdx for your patience!

You think you’ve been asking a lot of questions? You should see some of the members shopping for an EV. They are all over the place. They want every trim, RWD and AWD, and multiple terms and mileages.

Blame Leasehackr

Why is that? I’m genuinely curious.

People post these unicorn deals on certain vehicles (many times EVs), negotiate a phenomenal discount plus qualify for a hefty amount of rebates. Recently someone posted about an EV Charger they got for $175 per month with $175 Due At Signing or the guy who got a demo ‘24 Silverado EV Work Truck for cheap. The rest of these nut jobs go berserk trying to replicate the deal.

Michaell

tjc78 said:

@Michaell said:

@tjc78 said:

@Michaell said:

@nyccarguy said:

Thank-you and @kyfdx for your patience!

You think you’ve been asking a lot of questions? You should see some of the members shopping for an EV. They are all over the place. They want every trim, RWD and AWD, and multiple terms and mileages.

Blame Leasehackr

Why is that? I’m genuinely curious.

In the beginning before they had their premium service it was well talked about in the forums to contact Edmunds forums for money factors, and residuals.

OK, that we knew. Lots of referrals from LH to Edmunds. Thanks for clarifying, however.

Michaell

corvette said:

@Michaell - the comparing multiple drive options and trims of the same make baffles me. They should have a general idea of what they want vs. what's leasing "well" (from LH) before they start looking, and if acceleration is a significant criteria, they're probably not shopping FWD/RWD on most models.

You'd think, right?

@kyfdx and I have gotten to the point where if, in a single request, the member asks for 8 sets of numbers (2 trims x 2 drivetrains x 2 terms), we tell them no and ask them to pare back the number of permutations.

Happens with ICE vehicles, as well.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

@Michaell said:

@tjc78 said:

@Michaell said:

@nyccarguy said:

Thank-you and @kyfdx for your patience!

You think you’ve been asking a lot of questions? You should see some of the members shopping for an EV. They are all over the place. They want every trim, RWD and AWD, and multiple terms and mileages.

Blame Leasehackr

Why is that? I’m genuinely curious.

People post these unicorn deals on certain vehicles (many times EVs), negotiate a phenomenal discount plus qualify for a hefty amount of rebates. Recently someone posted about an EV Charger they got for $175 per month with $175 Due At Signing or the guy who got a demo ‘24 Silverado EV Work Truck for cheap. The rest of these nut jobs go berserk trying to replicate the deal.

Yeah, that's probably true. Then they get bent out of shape when they find out that the "unicorn" deal is just that - one of a kind.

Although I do know someone (not @breld) who is leasing a Charger EV for just over $300/mo. That seems more likely to replicate, given how slow they are moving.

Michaell

qbrozen said:

breld said:

It's probably a good thing this VW dealer is over 50 miles away...just enough effort to lessen the temptation...

https://www.greeleyvolkswagen.com/new-Greeley-2024-Volkswagen-Golf+GTI-20T+380+SE-WVWSA7CD4RW223584

They have two of these leftover 2024 white GTI SEs - manual with the plaid seats at over $5k off MSRP.

and .... what the heck in your signature would you get rid of for a GTI? I love them, but certainly not more than anything you currently have.

Nothing, my good friend.

At the moment, there is an empty space in the @breld garage the GTI would fill nicely.