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svrider · July 2011

Long time lurker, first time poster here. I am in the market for a used car after 2 years. The last car I owned was a 2000 Integra GSR, which was stolen (and stripped in 48 hrs) after 9 years and 80K miles. I am looking to buy a used car with some basic requirements - manual, 2004+ model and reliable. Which forum should I post in for suggestions?

kyfdx · July 2011

This looks like a good one:

Help Me Choose!

Mr_Shiftright · July 2011

Well, welcome out of the shadows! :P

You might try this topic for starters and if that doesn't work for you, come back here for more suggestions:

BEST USED CAR VALUES

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jgsaves · July 2011

Not sure where exactly to post this, but I have a 2008 Hyundai Sonata with 91k on it. I bought it from a Toyota dealership and got the Platinum Continuous Customer Care Agreement which expires after 100,000 miles or after 4/17/2013. It is transferable. Here is a link to the webpage where you can view the brochure: Toyota Vehicle Service Agreements

My question is this- if I know that we will be trading this car in within the next 2 years, is it of more value to a dealership while it is still under warranty? Should I be able to get a higher trade-in value if I do it before the warranty expires? ...or does it not matter at all?

Thanks for the help!

KCRam · July 2011

Try this discussion: Got a Quick Question for a Car Dealer?

kcram - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host

jgsaves · July 2011

ok thank you!

mtaxman777 · September 2011

Hi everyone, I am going to leave out the make and model of my new vehicle purchase and trade in experience but this story is 100% true. Yesterday I went down to a local dealer to purchase a new car and trade or close out my lease. Long story short, I agree on a price for a new car and a trade in value for my leased vehicle, where the dealer would purchase the car from me and remit the payoff to the financing company. I was very pleased until this point. I agreed to a trade in value of my leased car of $14,900 which they said would match the payoff balance of 14,900 at the leasing company (they called to confirm the payoff).

So I complete the bill of sale, purchase and financing contracts on 8/31 that show trade in of 14,900 and pay off of 14,900. However, it was the end of the day and for some reason the dealer had a computer glitch and I was unable to sign the electronic "Dealer trax" system they use. So as it was around 10pm, I agree to comeback on my lunch break for 5 minutes and finish it up. I went home with the new vehicle and turned my old vehicle over to them. Afterall, I did have the bill of sale contract and all the other paperwork.

When I went back today, I was there for more than I bargained for. Because I had made a payment on my lease on 8/31 the payoff had apparently dropped to around 14,000.00 with the leasing company. And I was told that I need to sign another bill of sale for the updated payoff amount. When I looked at the new bill of sale the trade in price was now knocked down to 14,000.00 again matching the lease payoff.

I refused to sign the new bill of sale and told them we have a done deal and they can work the accounting out themselves. I was rather livid.

I did not request the difference at the time, but the more I think I believe I am entitled to the difference between the original 14,900 on the bill of sale as the TRADE IN VALUE, versus the 14,000 that was the lease payoff amount. Am I wrong in thinking this way? and what would be the best approach to getting my money back? I feel like I should hire a lawyer or write a letter myself to recoup the difference. Any advice?? Thanks in advance.

Kirstie_H · September 2011

Your situation is interesting, and I'm not sure I've ever seen it before. However, I think that if you put your question in our topic called Purchasing at the End of Your Lease, you will get feedback. Some of our experienced members look at that discussion (and I will make sure to steer them your way).

You can just copy your post here, and paste it into that discussion - just click on my link to get there.

lcs6 · September 2011

I need an SUV and would even consider a minivan that can fit lots of people at least 8 and must have good cargo space.

What would you recommend as a very good vehicle and give me a good deal to lease? I don't intend to buy the vehicle at end of lease, will have low mileage and probably lease for 3-4 years.

thanks. :confuse:

KCRam · September 2011

These discussions should help:

Minivans - Domestic or Foreign
Cars for Moms - comments, concerns and wants!

and you'll find a lively debate here...
Minivans vs SUVs

kcram - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host

stixosu · September 2011

I am not sure where to post this. I just leased a 2011 Infinite G25X for 350 a month with nothing down, except tax and title. These costs came out to 2489 out of pocket. Was this a good deal? I am not picking the car up for a few days, so I can still get out of it. Please help!

stever · September 2011

Try asking here:

Infiniti G25 Lease Questions

lolivier · September 2011

HELP PLEASE!!!!
can someone please guide me in the right direction..
my FORD RANGER 2005 MODEL(4X4) (it is the auto select that works off a vacuum , not manual select) keeps dissengaging, whilst i am driving on the beach, the trick question is why? and.. why does it not happen whil'st i am driving in reverse??????
i am very far from the nearest workshop and i have to fix my 4x4 myself..
PLEASE!!!!!! HELP ME..what can i do to rectify this problem..
oh yes, and is there a way that i can download(free hopefully) a repair schematic cd/manual for this problem...

kyfdx · September 2011

lolivier..

Try posting here: Ford Ranger 4x4 Problems

Possibly, some other Ranger owner will have the information you are looking for.

regards,
kyfdx

bob252 · September 2011

Have you by any chance changed one of the tires? All four tires must be the same size due to differential ratios, if not then it will kick out the 4 wheel drive going forward. It may be something else, but from what was offered here that is where I would start.

tjmcar21 · September 2011

Is the invoice price for identical new cars the same for every dealer in the area? My company participates in the Chrysler Affiliates program, so is there any point in shopping around at different dealers or will I get the same price no matter where I go?

robr2 · September 2011

If it's anything like the Ford A/X/Z plans, it doesn't matter - the price is set by the manufacturer.

uday029 · September 2011

I am not sure where to post this:

I own a 2008 Altima2.5S which has 54000miles. I am moving from Seattle to Baton Rouge.
I am not sure which of these two options works out better:

1. Shipping the car to Baton Rouge - Shipping costs around 1000 bucks + cost to rent a car while my car is in transit
2. Selling my car in Seattle and buy a used car locally (will look for car with similar specs as mine)

How do car prices in Baton Rouge compare to the prices in Seattle? If cars are cheaper in Baton Rouge then I might prefer selling the car in Seattle. Any advice/suggestions/insights are highly appreciated.

Thank you.

tw69 · September 2011

Look at the difference in sales tax also between Washington and Louisiana. We had a rude awakening when we moved there from Alabama as they collect the difference in sales tax in order for you to get a license plate. Cost us about $600. Why don't you just drive the car there?

Mr_Shiftright · September 2011

Oh I'd ship it...."better the devil you know than the one you don't..etc"

But make sure your AC really works!

podunk1 · September 2011

Looking for a car for 17 year old son. The wrinkle is he'll be putting ~ 500 miles a week (20-25k/yr). This is 2/3 Highway 1/3 Country roads in Ohio Snowbelt. "Beater" sounds good in theory, but we also need safe in this case...and the beaters I'm seeing ain't lookin' too safe. Given the miles involved, a high mpg would be great, but we'll give that up over safety & price if necessary. Was hoping for $5-$6k. Any ideas?

Mr_Shiftright · September 2011

You might find our popular HELP ME CHOOSE topic helpful.

placeboeffect · September 2011

Hi there. I'm not sure where to post this question. I'm new here and haven't owned a car for 11 years so I'm *really* out of the loop.

My small family (myself, husband, and toddler) need to buy a used car in about ten days. We only have about $4500 total (tax and fees, etc) to spend. We don't need much. Good gas millage, good reliability, and four doors is all we need. I thought we needed something like a 2001/2002 Ford Focus, 1998/1999 Toyota Corolla, or a 1996/1997 Honda Accord. Based on my research using the Edmunds TMV I thought these would be good bets for our price range and for what we needed. I also thought that since these are popular cars there would be a lot of them on the market to choose from.

This has really not been the case. We live in San Francisco and every place I've contacted will come nowhere near the TMV value for these cars. I'm guess maybe they are so popular, the dealers don't have to worry about selling them. There's no need to give me the price I'm asking if they can sell it for 1-2K more tomorrow or next week.

I need some suggestions on what to do and where to start. What cars should I consider to get what we need at this price? I'm really at a loss. I don't even know where to post this question.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

kyfdx · September 2011

I would copy/paste your post here:

Help Me Choose!

regards,
kyfdx

infiniticruise · September 2011

Hey, I'm new to edmunds and I'm just wondering who are the admins or mods for this site... I have some questions about the forums?

Kirstie_H · September 2011

Ask away - there are several moderators (hosts) of the forums, and we all check this discussion, including the forums manager.

PF_Flyer · September 2011

Yep, you can find us almost everywhere!

diamondz13 · September 2011

Hello all,

I am new here, but have been reading the forums here for research purposes. Not sure if this is the right area, but I am going to lay out my situation to get some feedback from the group.

My in laws bought my then girlfriend a new 2008 Civic EX outright with the intent being my wife pay them back over time. Fast forward to now and there is about 2k left on the balance that we owe them for the car. We have some debt that we could use some funds to pay down so I am entertaining selling the car for that purpose. The Civic has about 45k miles and has some minor dings, so it should fetch a decent price based on my research.

Ultimately my question is does it makes sense to sell the Civic privately and then get a sub $200/month lease deal to have the additional cash for debt payoff and emergency funds? We dont exactly have a monthly payment now we just pay what we can when we can. On the other hand we would get a new car with little to no maintenance costs.

Your thoughts are appreciated and thank you in advance.

KCRam · September 2011

Kind of a narrow question, as it's not a traditional loan you're dealing with. With only $2000 left, there are a number of ways to go, but the one I would suggest is paying off your in-laws in one shot with a credit card (many offer "convenience checks" that are treated like a cash advance from an ATM). This would allow you to pay the $2000 on the credit card as you see fit, you're clear with your in-laws, and you can have the money you need for the debt reduction.

There are a few discussions in our Smart Shopper Board that may apply in varying degrees to your situation...
Pricing my used vehicle for private sale
To Fix Up or Trade Up, That is the Question
Prepping Your Used Vehicle for Sale
When is it time to get rid of an old car?

kcram - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host

amosz · October 2011

Hi

I'm new to purchasing and leasing cars.

I will be moving from NY to MD this summer. I am looking to possibly lease 2 cars before I move to MD. I know I will have to register the car in MD to get Maryland license plates. But will I be responsible for paying NY taxes on the lease vehicle or maryland taxes (which taxes the final sale cost)?

I can't find any information online so far.

stever · October 2011

Try here:

General Questions about Leasing Vehicles

tbrickey · October 2011

I'm trying to decide if I need to get ride of a financed 2008 Volvo XC90. I just purchased the Volvo last fall, replacing an aging minivan. The Volvo is in good condition, with lots of bells and whistles, and is valued more than I paid for it. However, it just drinks gas and the wife (it's her car) complains she has to put gas in it all the time.

I'm wondering if it would be to my advantage to trade it in on a Kia Serento or something similar, something with better gas mileage.

The Volvo is financed, is it good sense to trade?

Thanks.
T

Kirstie_H · October 2011

I'm not really sure what advice you are looking for. Are you wanting to find out what your Volvo will be worth to a dealership if you trade it in on another model? If so, you might try posting in Real-World Trade-In Values.

If you are looking to compare vehicles (prior to purchasing) to see what might suit you MPG-wise, you might have a look at the vehicle comparison tool: http://www.edmunds.com/car-comparisons/

MPG is one of the features listed for each vehicle that you select to compare.

Please let us know if you need more help or if I haven't really answered your question.

mtkli · November 2011

So... I'm currently trying to decide what to do with our next lease. I'm torn between the new 2012 BMW X3's and the MB GLK-350. Both seem to fit our needs. My question is... who has the better numbers? Which will yield a lower monthly? Here are the options:

X3 2.8 with an MSRP of $48,275. 36 Months 12K
X3 3.5 with an MSRP of $51975. 36 Months 12K
GLK-350 with an MSRP of $48,330. 30 Months/36 Months 12K

Thanks for any advice and help...

stever · November 2011

Try asking in these discussions:

BMW X3 Lease Questions

Mercedes Benz GLK-Class Lease Questions

mwood31781 · November 2011

Need some help!

I am currently leasing a 2010 Jetta- long story short, moved, waaaay over milage. Need to purchase something soon before trade in value goes down even further.

Looking to purchase a midsize suv/crossover. I spend a lot of time in my car, fairly long commute each day.

I can't spend a lot, would like to keep it under 27,000 and REQUIRE, leather/leatherette heated seats.

I have look at everything under the sun, but nothing seems to stand out to me. Would like to hear from others what they think, Safety? smoothest ride? Comfortable cabin? Excellent Technology? Etc...

Would really like to hear what others recommend.

Thanks!!!

stever · November 2011

Here's one place to start:

What is the Best SUV For me?

hambonecampana · December 2011

I'm looking to purchase an inexpensive, older two seater (ideally a convertible) that I can keep for years to come as a second car. I'd like it to be reliable, fun to drive, won't plummet in value, and a car that, if something breaks, there's information out there to teach me how to fix it. I'm pretty young, and I don't know a whole lot about cars (although I am pretty handy), but if I learn on the way that's great. I don't want it to start out as a project car, but if over the years it gives me some projects, I'm okay with that. I'm thinking about an older BMW Z3. According to edmunds prices a 96 would should come in at about 4-5k. Would appreciate thoughts from some that have gone before me. Thanks all!

kyfdx · December 2011

Try here: What's the best vehicle for my needs?

Good luck!
kyfdx

jraudi · December 2011

I found a car I'm interested in buying at a dealer in NY. I live in FL so I was wondering if there are any independent reps that could check the car out for me and possibly handle the transaction. I can fly up and check it out myself but the carfax showed a minor accident and I would love to get an independent professional opinion to determine if there is anything wrong with it. Does anyone offer this service? I have no contacts in NY so I'm kinda lost.

stever · December 2011

Pep Boys offers vehicle inspections but you'd have to get the seller to get it to their shop (or some other garage that offers a similar service, and most any mechanic should). Some sellers probably don't want the hassle but it doesn't cost anything to ask.

Finding someone to handle the transaction if you decide to buy the car is harder.

Try asking in the Purchasing Used Vehicles discussion or the Buying used cars from out of state one.

croatbag · December 2011

Signed a Purchase Order for Motor Vehicle for a lease of a car and was wondering what my obligation here is. It basically is a paper that just has the car information and what we agreed to as a monthly payment, mileage, term, and due at signing. The rest of the document was not filled out. I have not filled out any actual lease paperwork yet or any further documentation as the dealer is waiting to hear back from me about if I will take the offer for my trade in. I'm wondering if in the meantime some of the other dealers I spoke to got back to me with a better price am I obligated at all to complete the entire purchase now? I'm assuming I would probably lose my $500 deposit, but I want to make sure that would be the worst case if something came up and I did this. Any thoughts?

1 loophole I seem to have legally is that it says on the bottom This Order Is Not Binding Until Signed And Accepted By The Retailer, but he never countersigned before he gave me the receipt. Anyway just trying to figure out how much this sheet matter when none of the financing/leasing/insurance paperwork has been filled out yet . Thanks in advance for any answers.

Kirstie_H · December 2011

You should start by posting your question here:
Got a Quick Question for a Car Dealer?

We've got some experienced members who will see your question there and likely offer advice.

coopkoda · December 2011

The other morning on a very cold day up here in Ontario, Canada I went to start my car and after it turned over smoke poured in through the front vents along with what smelled like burning rubber or plastic. Immediately turned the car off, and noticed smoke coming out from the front of the hood, so opened it up and noticed that there was smoke coming from the blower area by the windshield on the passenger side.

The previous couple of days had been very wet, then followed by very cold freezing temperatures, just wondering if this could have caused the blower to be unable to operate function correctly and cause the smoke?

Any help would be great.

stever · December 2011

Try the Pontiac Grand Am Heating/Cooling discussion. Someone in post 25 had a similar issue, although I don't see a solution posted.

carteach · January 2012

I'm about to sell my 2006 Acura. I should get about 14K for it. I had originally planned to use that money for a down payment on another car which I'd probably keep another five years. (My logic is that I'd always have a down payment in the value of my old car.) But now I'm wondering whether I'd be better off putting that $14K in the bank/cd/?? and lease a car for three years. I've owned many cars, so the buying process is not new to me. But I have no clue about leasing.

I drive about 15K miles a year. Have two dogs (planning on wagon/suv with them NOT on the seats) that would go in it very occasionally and two grandkids that I tote around once in a while.

One more thing, I would not want a base model of any car I chose. I'd be looking to lease or buy close to the top of the line. Don't know whether this fact makes any difference in the equation.

Thanks.

Kirstie_H · January 2012

Your question is a great fit for our Leasing vs Purchasing discussion, so you might just click on my link and re-post there.

Don't be put off by the fact that the last post there is from a year ago - members who have experience with both transactions tend to keep those discussions on a "watch" list, and will jump in when they see a new post. Our members like nothing better than to help spend other people's money.

I think you'll get a variety of feedback there!

Kirstie_H · January 2012

Your question is a great fit for our Leasing vs Purchasing discussion, so you might just click on my link and re-post there.

Don't be put off by the fact that the last post there is from a year ago - members who have experience with both transactions tend to keep those discussions on a "watch" list, and will jump in when they see a new post. Our members like nothing better than to help spend other people's money.

I think you'll get a variety of feedback there!

Kirstie_H · January 2012

It sounds like you're looking at sedans. If that's the case, our members in our Midsize Sedans discussion will be happy to share their experiences. That discussion covers all of the non-luxury midsize sedans, like the Camry, Accord, and Sonata.

ntrainer · January 2012

For some reason the web site is not intuitive to me, and I can't quite see how to start a new thread in any particular discussion group... Could you switch my question there?

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