Smart Shopper - Suggest a topic of discussion

Kirstie_H · May 2006

We've already got it - Current Best New Car Deals.

dad23 · May 2006

Thanks! Headed there now

yogiowner · May 2006

should i try to buy a used car at a clean car auction? i'm a first time car buyer, looking for a late model used honday, toyota, acura or lexus...what should i be aware of? my co-worker agreed to hook me up with a friend of his, who has a dealer's license...should i be skeptical?

Also, how do i find a reputable car dealer in new york city? they all seem extremely crooked....I want a 2005 camry se or xle, honda accord lx for $13k, acura tl or tsx or a lexus es300 equally reasonable....does that make sense?

Kirstie_H · May 2006

Hey yogiowner,
We're talking about this subject in our discussion called Purchasing Used Vehicles. Just click on my link to get there, where other members can help with your questions.

jipster · May 2006

Used car prices: What dealer asked & What I paid.

Similar discussions but none that focus primarily on price of used/preowned...that I know of. I believe this type of discussion would give members a much better idea/insight on dealer mark-up on various makes and models...and see that the wide margin between what a dealership asks and what they actually sell a vehilce for is "often" overinflated and therefore negotiable. Would also allow members to see the "range" at which Edmunds TMV(True Market Value)works.

bigthinker · May 2006

maybe I just haven't found the topic section yet(my first day registered)but someone must know the tricks to direct purchase from the manufacturer at the factory or- does someone know how to buy direct from the manufacturer say of Korean made stock with pickup straight from the dock-why pay a dealer to push papers I can push myself for free and dealer prep is a wash and vac($540 here)-tried to go on the Kia site but no go without a fax # ??? likely have to deal with the corp but those business as usual types are like trying to communicate with donkeys

jipster · May 2006

you guys awake? Check out post #217. Will help you guys overtake cars.com in the numbers rating.

Kirstie_H · May 2006

jip, that's what Real-World Trade-In Values is all about. If you're suggesting a separate discussion for each make/model, you'll want to do that through the help link at the left - there's no way that car_man & I can add 60+ new discussions to our list every day!

Kirstie_H · May 2006

Don't think you can do it, bigthinker. Closest thing available is some of the Euro delivery options offered by the likes of Volvo.

You can try our Purchasing Strategies discussion if you like, though.

jipster · May 2006

Real-World Trade-In Values is more for sellers than buyers isn't it? My proposal would deal with dealer retail prices instead of wholesale or trade-in values...or Real World Dealership Prices. i.e "Toyota of Edmundsville had a list price of $12,500 for a 2000 Camry LE loaded with 63,000 miles in good condition. I was able to negotiate a price of 10,250 +ttl."

If you think this is already covered, fine. But, I think it would be benefical to have a centralized discussion for preowned that would give members insight into the asking price of a vehilce and what it actually sold for. Naturally, I would volunteer to host the discussion as to leave yourself and car-man more free time.

jipster · May 2006

jipster · May 2006

Can we reopen the "Festivus Airing of Grievances" discussion?

I like to shop early.

audia8q · May 2006

I'm still working on my list of grievances....but I can assure you my festivus pole will be red this year.

growwise · June 2006

Does anyone think that this is a good idea for a new topic? I was living in states and moved to canada for career opportunity and was able to take my vehicle to canada (import it) thanks to letter of permission from my lien holder (GMAC). I might move back in a couple of years and was wondering if I would be able to do that again since most likely the new vehicle purchased in canada (not yet) wouldnt be paid off in time. That means I wont have title and have to get the permission from lien holder. The problem is I dont want to base my next car purchase solely dependent on who will let me take the vehicle across the border while continuing to make canadian payments. So far only domestics' finance arms are sounding more lenient (GMAC, Ford finance etc). I am not sure if I want another domestic or foreign owned by domestics (volvo,saab etc). Anyway out of this? I would like to purchase any car I want and not worry whether I have to dispose it off (liquidate) before I move since I might take resale hit.

Kirstie_H · June 2006

This is a unique situation, so I don't really think we could base a whole new discussion on it. You might try posting in our topic called Importing Car into Canada from US, because that's where folks who have interest in and knowledge about this subject are most likely to be found.

dhamilton · June 2006

thread on the following racing seasons

F1
Le Mans?

jneal · June 2006

thread on how many scratches and dings your wife can put in your new truck before you finally see them

Kirstie_H · June 2006

Those discussions are better suited for the Automotive News board, which is why we've got a Motorsports discussion there

audia8q · June 2006

If anyone on here remembers 7-10 years ago compu-serve had a pretty good auto forum...kinda like townhall on edmunds. Its pretty lousy now but when things were going pretty good somebody came up with the idea to involve as many members as possible....so the idea was to get an item across the country (pictures at every stop) via forum members...when it made it to the end a big collage was put together with everyone pics....it was alot of fun following the daily travels of the item. the first guy included a couple throw away cameras to record every stop.
Lots of funny stories along the way and we got to see/meet the faces of the folks we chat with everyday..(things got a little more civil after putting the faces to the screen names)...I drove my boat to the eastern tip of long island and met the next contact point. We had a couple beers, some clam chowder and took some pics. it was great to talk in person to some of the forum members....from there the guy met somebody else and on and on....after a couple months it made it to the last stop...by the end alot more items joined the parade, each with a funny story.

Why don't we try something along these lines?

Kirstie_H · June 2006

I've passed this one along. I think it sounds like a load of fun!

jlawrence01 · June 2006

A couple comments regarding your idea:

1) At least in the early days on the CompuServe forum, you used REAL names (at $12.95/hr, you had a lot less monkey business) and strict moderation so people were less likely to spam.

2) A lot of the forums had "get togethers." The Travel Forum had a get together in Las Vegas that attracted 60+ people from 30 states. It was a real blast and kept teh forum more civil.

Great idea.

usafwilson · July 2006

Question.. A little more than a year ago, when I first got stationed at my permenant duty station I went and bought a car. I bought a 2004 Pontiac Sunfire for $10,000 even, tax included, but bought an extended warranty which cost me about $1,500 extra. In the past year and a few months, I hit my yearly raise and started getting flight pay, which is more money than actually getting promoted to the next rank. All in all I make a little more than $300 extra a paycheck, which is about $600 extra a month. I owe a little more than $8,000 on the car and I am aware that the trade-in value is at about $7,000. I was wondering if a dealership would completely pay off my loan if I were to buy a more expensive vehicle from them. I am honestly not happy with my car and would like something better, within the 15-20k range.

Any comments, reccomendations?

british_rover · July 2006

what about a topic to discuss current auto ads on TV, Print or radio.

These could be corporate ads like the Dr. Z campaign, which I actually kind of like I think they are well done, or local ads for a particular dealership. Like if you saw a ad for a local dealership that was just too funny or completely absurd you could talk about it.

Probably would not want to give the dealerships exact name though.

imidazol97 · July 2006

I just posted about a Honda ad I saw over in Who will sell you your next car. It's a Ridgeline ad, in poor taste IMHO. Good idea for a topic. It would be easy to stay on topic there.

For local ads, I think the dealer's name could be posted; after all, they ran the ad publicly.

Kirstie_H · July 2006

Try our Owe more than it's worth discussion, usafwilson - and welcome to our Forums!!

Kirstie_H · July 2006

Let's just use the Car Commercials discussion - makes the most sense to keep all of the comedy car ads there. I may even change the title.

british_rover · July 2006

Ah I missed that one. That pretty much fits my idea to thanks.

dad23 · July 2006

I was wondering if there were avenues to find good/great deals on cars that have been repossessed/lienholder owned, almost in the way you could get a good deal on a foreclosed house.

Worth while or would it be a short thread? :confuse:

Kirstie_H · July 2006

Hm... doubtful that would go anywhere. Probably best just to post in one of the existing discussions about used vehicles.

dad23 · July 2006

Thanks, just thought I'd ask:)

thrllskr · July 2006

I can't find this anywhere. I am moving and love my Jeep but it gets 17mpg. I need a nice commuter car and am looking to downgrade. My Jeep is worth about 15k and I'd be looking at a car for about 12-15k. How does this work if I trade it in? Seems weird. It's too difficult to sell so I'd rather just trade it. I owe about 17k on it, so I'd eat the additional $2k. Thanks.

tidester · July 2006

That could fit into Real-World Trade-In Values. Give it a try!

tidester, host

bigbutr · August 2006

I currently work for the USPS doing rural mail delivery 2-3 days a week and am looking at replacing my current vehicle. It is a still-in-pretty good shape 1996 Chevy S-10 extended cab truck with a little over 86,000 miles on it. I average around 14 mpg on my route, which encompasses about 75 miles and something like 600 plus boxes.
I plan on driving the truck until it quits, though I've heard with proper maintenance, that 4.3 Vortec V6 will run forever. I managed to suck up some water into the engine on one day :sick: , but after draining, drying and new fluids, it runs even better (mileage actually went up from 12 to 14 after that, though I can't figure out why :confuse: ).
I've looked at numerous small SUV's (RAV4, CRV, Element, new FJ Cruiser, Escape Hybrid, HHR among many) and even some cars, though I don't really need another car since my 96 Beretta with just over 80,000 miles is still running strong and delivering right around 30 mpg.
The only requirements necessary are being able to drive the vehicle from on or half-of the passenger seat without sitting on a gear shifter and plenty of storage space.
The Element seems to fit the overall package, but I'm a little concerned with some reports of poor gas mileage, and that's just regular driving, not the hard stop-and-go I subject my truck to.
Plus, I don't know if I void any warranty coverage since I'm sure the hard work will strain some parts. I ask this because one of our other rural carriers bought a right-hand drive Jeep Wrangler (made specifically for rural mail delivery) but was told if she used it in that manner, she voided her warranty coverage. How crazy is that?
Sorry if I rambled on, but if there are any other rural carriers out there, I'd like their thoughts. Any other thoughts are appreciated as well.

Steve
Panama City, Florida

tidester · August 2006

Hi, Steve!

I started up a discussion for you called What's the best vehicle for my needs?. Please post your request there and we'll see how it goes. Good luck.

tidester, host

audia8q · August 2006

There are a few rural carriers in my area who have right hand drive Subarus. They purcahsed them from the local subaru dealer....maybe Subaru has a deal set up for USPS carriers.

apriorius · August 2006

I'm looking to buy a '98 Jaguar XK8 that has a salvage title. I'll be driving down to inspect it (and have it inspected by a mechanic) tomorrow morning. The seller has sent me pictures of the car before and after repairs; the damage looked purely cosmetic, and he claims to have spent about $1800 fixing it.

Assuming the car is mechanically sound, what is a fair amount to deduct from the edmunds TMV price in good condition for a car like that with a salvage title? I tend to keep cars for maybe 2-3 years (stupid, I know) so down the road I will probably end up reselling it.

THANKS!

qbrozen · August 2006

I have a hard time believing that this car with only $1800 in damage would be declared a total by the insurance company.

In any case, to discuss this, you could try this topic:
Real-World Values

audia8q · August 2006

I wouldnt take that car for free....Jaguars are less than perfect cars mechanically to begin with...add the problems associated with a salvage title and your just asking for it. Does your budget allow the normal maintance costs related to this kind of car?? The hood doesnt open for less than $500+. If your determined to put yourself into this money pit I would value the car at 30-40% of low wholesale value..

Good luck.

tidester · August 2006

Give Jaguar X-Type a try.

tidester, host

qbrozen · August 2006

just and FYI, but the X-type and XK are not similar in any way, shape, or form.

well, ok, they both have Jaguar badges. that's where it ends, though.

tidester · August 2006

Thanks for catching that. Let's try again: Jaguar XK-Series

tidester, host

danosu9 · August 2006

Wondering if anyone could give me some advice. Its kinda long and I apologize. Ill cut to the point. After a dealership couldnt find me the car they promised me they tried to sell me just about anything since they already had my car and i was in a lender. So the dealer asked if I like the color of a car we looked at previously and I said I did. When I came back to pick the car up the car was lighter than I remembered. So I just bought a new Mazda 6 that is a color I really do not like. Its called dark cherry which to me looks purple. I thought it was a dark red not a dark purple. In maryland their is no cooling off period. So now Im stuck with a 6 year loan and a purple car. This was the first car I purchased it and Im the kid who bought a purple car. Im really unhappy about the whole situation. And dont really have any options I dont think. So if anyone has any suggestions for me I would appreciate it. Its really bumming out driving around in a purple car. I know this probably sounds petty. But it is. Thanks

PS I know its my fault for signing the papers. Just looking if theirs anywhere I could go from here.

tidester · August 2006

Here's the reply to your earlier posting of your question:

tidester, "Forums Discussion Finder: Get Directions Here" #6910, 16 Aug 2006 11:13 am

tidester, host

krony · September 2006

Here's my idea: "At what point do you dump a used car?" There are some forums that touch on this but none address it head on.

My take is if the major mechanicals are ok I figure it's always worth putting tires, brake pads & rotors and other "consumables" on a vehicle. Even a clutch I could put justify for a manual trans. My most recent trade in 2004 I got rid of a '93 Buick with 140K. Could have ran it longer but the rocker panels were beginning to rust bad and other things (brake master replaced, slow leak on intake manifold, etc) were beginning to go wrong.

If you fall in the "run it forever" camp, what's your definition of forever? (Mine is until it costs more than $750)

jlawrence01 · September 2006

If you fall in the "run it forever" camp, what's your definition of forever? (Mine is until it costs more than $750)

When the car becomes unsafe to operate, it is time to get a new one.

When a engine or a transmission fails, that is a good time to make a move.

Repairs of $750 really don't bother me all that much ... if the problem REMAINS fixed. If I have a good mechanic, I generally get the car fixed. If I am between mechanics, I *might* dump the vehicle.

Personally, I would prefer to have a 5% chance of a $750 repair occuring in a month than a 100% chance of having a $400 car payment.

Kirstie_H · September 2006

How about To fix or trade up, that is the question?

(It's almost as if we saw your question coming

)

krony · September 2006

I think that'll work.

In particular I'm curious when folks 'plan' to let a car go. I know that's sometimes a tough call given the history of the car and issues you're having with it. (Asuming not everyone gets rid of a car because it has problems.

)

herc76 · November 2006

I was looking at a 04 Navigator that I had saw on-line from a local dealership. The Navi has 26,960 miles and they are asking for $26,995.Do you think it's better to deal with the internet department rather dealing with the saleperson on the floor? I was told you will get better deal by going through the internet department.

Kirstie_H · November 2006

Hi,
Try our discussion called Internet vs. Traditional Car Buying.

thong24k · November 2006

I read through a lot of forum, but didn't find any answer. I just wonder that do we need to pay for window etch if we buy a used car at used car dealer? I don't think we need to since the first person who buy a car already pay for it.

Smart Shopper - Suggest a topic of discussion

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