Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86672 posts
Mon Mar-30-15 10:48 PM
"I'm going to need a new car. Advice?"
My old girl, Betsy, looking like she's driven her last mile. Bought that car with my own money in 2004. I'm pretty devastated.
Equally devastating: going through the motions of buying a new car.
Any advice for someone with literally *no* experience buying a car as an adult? I'll be driving it into the Palisades and such for work, but I can bike most of the time. I'd *prefer* a hybrid unless someone wants to scare me away from them.
1. "start with truecar.com" In response to Reply # 0
you put in the car you want and select the features you want, and it gives you the best price you can get in your zip code area. you can then take that to a participating dealer who will honor the price. If a non-participating dealer is closer to you, you can just show them the price and tell them that you'll buy from them if they'll match it.
It's affiliated with Consumer Reports, and you can google "consumer reports username password" and get a bunch of links to public libraries and schools that have subscriptions and post the login info on their website so that people don't bother the librarians asking for it.
Also, they're gonna tack on all kinds of fees at the end, make sure that you try to negotiate that price as the FINAL price including all fees.
Lastly, you can usually get a better price if you use their financing, but they'll give you a worse rate than you'll get elsewhere. Feel free to bait and switch them as if you're gonna use their financing, and then at the signing, either tell them you changed your mind and will be paying cash (if you can afford it) or go get your own financing and then do the same thing.
*Jews you*
"this is okp tho, reading is completely optional" (c) desus
11. "Bank or Credit Union" In response to Reply # 3
>>) or go get your own financing and then do >>the same thing. > >Do you mean (and pardon me if I'm showing my ignorance here) >at a bank? Where else can I go to get financing? > >I feel like a child having to ask these types of questions, >lol. The downside of moving across the country from everyone I >know.
If you're girl has a credit union, they'll usually let the family of members open an account. You'll get a better rate from a Credit Union than a bank, some even drop in the GAP coverage as part of the loan for a smaller fee or even free.
sometimes u gotta leave ur inner nigger in the bank vault. - desus
17. "In addition to what was said above, you can also use lendingtree.com" In response to Reply # 3
so you can get a loan from another source, so that you have enough to pay for the car. then you act like you're gonna use the dealership's financing, and when it's time to sign, be like "oh, I found a better rate somewhere else, so i'm gonna finance through them, here's a check for the full amount."
my dealership was extra shady and wouldn't tell me the interest rate I was gonna get until I was there for the signing. I could've walked when I saw their rate was higher than what I would've gotten online, but it wasn't that big a difference and I just wanted it to be over with at that point, so I signed.
*Jews you*
"this is okp tho, reading is completely optional" (c) desus
19. "credit unions usually have the cheapest rates" In response to Reply # 3
but of course, you have to be a member. If your job doesn't have one they're affiliated with, look around cuz there might still be one you can join. For example, the one I'm a member at, you just have to live or work in the city of Philadelphia. I was able to get 1.99% for a used car for 60 months, which is a fantastic rate.
You should get pre-approved for financing before trying to make a deal for the car IMO. Then you give the dealer the opportunity to beat it. If they can, go with the dealer.
credits unions are great for financing. plus you might be able to get gap coverage and a limited warranty for way less that anywhere else. and the customer service is likely pretty good.
being a member is usually pretty easy. most don't require you to put a ton of money into an account. I opened a savings account with $15. haven't put anything in since.
the downside of some credit unions is that they may not offer all the conveniences of a normal back. they may not have a good phone app or website. or you may not be able to make outside money transfers into the account. larger credit unions are probably fine, but some of the smaller ones are less easy to use for certain things.
24. "RE: Could you clarify this?" In response to Reply # 3
>>) or go get your own financing and then do >>the same thing. > >Do you mean (and pardon me if I'm showing my ignorance here) >at a bank? Where else can I go to get financing? > >I feel like a child having to ask these types of questions, >lol. The downside of moving across the country from everyone I >know.
WHen you go the some dealerships they have in House financing. because of this they will lower the price on the car because they know they gonna get it back in fees and interest if you finance with them.
So you can bait em and when they on the hook for the car price flip on em and pay cash or use your own bank... got to your bank and get a certified check before car shopping.
You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86672 posts
Mon Mar-30-15 11:18 PM
4. "I've heard this about Hondas." In response to Reply # 2
I'm not *married* to the hybrid vibe... I just know the amount of driving I'm realistically going to be doing and I see the writing on the wall for gas prices. (I'd buy electric if I could afford it, though that's without having done any research on the matter, lol.)
5. "if your absolute #1 priority is gas mileage, get the prius" In response to Reply # 4
there's no doubt abt it, it's the king of mpg and battery life when it comes to hybrids
its just they're so dang ugly, dissatisfying to drive, and I hate their design in general. They just feel weak, literally and figuratively lol
I think if you can part with a few mpg, and buy an accord, you'll end up with an infinitely more enjoyable car, that still gets phenomenal gas mileage, is one of the highest rated cars on the road, and yeah is just the overall best choice. I mean no one's gonna say anything other than you can't go wrong with a honda, they might have their favorites for whatever reason or another, but hondas are really a no brainer smart choice always imo
Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86672 posts
Mon Mar-30-15 11:41 PM
6. "If the price is much cheaper (and it very well may be)..." In response to Reply # 5
... then I'd go Accord over Prius in a heartbeat. Priority #1 is MPG, for sure... but at the same time, money is money. And I'm not exactly *rolling* in it right now. (To put it another way, the post about white people on the front page does *not* apply to me, lol.)
10. "You're in LA so a hybrid is the best choice" In response to Reply # 4
you can get a good deal on a certified used hybrid, just don't get something too old where the battery might be going out (hybrid batteries cost a lot to get replaced)
sometimes u gotta leave ur inner nigger in the bank vault. - desus
13. "Beware of Honda Hybrids" In response to Reply # 10 Tue Mar-31-15 08:18 AM by analog2digital
Just had to replace the battery on the Prius. Wasn't nearly as expensive as if I'd done it through Toyota, but the outside technician I used basically said to be thankful I didn't have a Honda hybrid. The hybrid batteries contain several cells and they don't all crap out at once--it's typically only a few. You can usually get away with replacing only the cells that went bad. Dealerships will try to get you to do a complete overhaul (through them) but it's generally not necessary.
Unless, of course, you have a Honda Hybrid. According to the technician, he has to replace entire Honda hybrid batteries much more frequently than Toyota ones. For some reason they just don't lend themselves to partial replacements as often.
It's always cheaper to do the battery replacement through an outside certified technician, but regardless of where you go the difference between complete and partial replacement could easily be upwards of a thousand bucks.
18. "I have a Camry Hybrid and love it. " In response to Reply # 4
it doesn't get as good of mileage as the prius, but the sightlines are WAY better (seriously, I went to the dealership, sat inside a prius on the show floor, looked in the mirrors and immediately was like "I'm not driving this car") and the motor is more powerful, so it still feels like you're driving a car.
It has a bigger gas tank than the prius to make up for the lower fuel efficiency (I still get about 40 MPG), and I regularly get 550 miles to a tank of gas.
*Jews you*
"this is okp tho, reading is completely optional" (c) desus
basically you buy a car and its worth lets say 15k. You have full coverage on the car but once you drive it off the lot it depreciates a few thousand and is now worth 11k. Well you still owe 15k on it. But your full coverage will only cover what it's worth, 11k. So if you get into an accident and the car is totaled out. Your insurance will only cover what it was worth, 11k. Now what you owe, 15k. So now you no longer have a car but you are still paying off 4k that was the difference in coverage. Gap insurance covers that Gap.
There was a guy that worked for me at THE warehouse *points to sig* that had this happen to him. The story is in there some where. But he saved and bought a car after riding his bike for a good year. Then crashed it at lunch time. It was totaled out and he owed 3k or so on it still. So he continued to ride his bike for another year to pay that off before he bought a new car.
November 8th, 2005 The greatest night in the history of GD!
35. "Plus standard AWD, and hot engines for the sedan/hatch models" In response to Reply # 14
The standard Subie engine is a little underpowered for the larger Forester or Outback, but it's really fun on the Impreza or Legacy.
The major problem with a Subaru, though, is the lack of used stock out there. You're not going to find one with low mileage, because people buy them new and keep them for a while.
15. "Go to carmax and spend a couple hours test driving different cars" In response to Reply # 0
Try to get the best loan you can from your bank or credit union.
you'll probably like the prius, i think camry has a hybrid too if you don't like the styling on the prius. ====================================== http://www.zuitomedia.com/
16. "Ask Car Sales on reddit" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Mar-31-15 08:40 AM by J_Sun
I just bought a new (used) car and this was a BIG help. http://www.reddit.com/r/askcarsales It's advice from people that work in car sales. Read the FAQ and do searches first, cuz chances are you're general questions have been answered.
Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86672 posts
Tue Mar-31-15 11:10 AM
22. "Glad to know someone who used that." In response to Reply # 16
I poked around there last night and was still mostly crazy overwhelmed at the options and opinions, lol. But gotta get em from knowledgeable people, I reckon.
21. "Negotiate the price of the car, not the down payment. " In response to Reply # 0
Some of these places try to get slick. They'll try to put you in an expensive ass car for $275 a month, but you're paying 7% over 92 months for that shit to work.
Negotiate total price of the car and the down payment will work itself out if you buy within your means. ______________________________________________________________________________
cscpov.blogspot.com
"There's a fine line between persistence and foolishness..." -unknown
30. "if ur looking long term............" In response to Reply # 0
those smaller dealers are crooks when it comes to warranties. also if ur buying used truecar and or having carfox is the way.....if ur going to a certified dealer HASVE THE ONLINE PRICE WITH YOU. they will swindle you for a higher price onsite.
my rule of thumb:
American tends to have repair issues along its life but are built like a tank. so they are good for accidents.
Japanese cars are built like tinker toys but will go to the moon and back on mileage.
German is the best of both worlds but will cost you are replacing parts.
I have a Nissan Altima which I like. also, California definitely is big on the electric car thing so I imagine pricing is different.
definitely test drive everything that you can!
follow me @oldirtyplaster on the Twitter thing.....i say awesome stuff
PoppaGeorge Member since Nov 07th 2004 10384 posts
Wed Apr-01-15 12:33 PM
43. "2003 Alero??? And it's on it's last leg???" In response to Reply # 34
>2003 Alero.
The only way I can believe this is if you were performing next to ZERO maintenance. It's the same car as the Pontiac Grand Am (GM N-body) and them things regularly see 200K+ with regular maintenance.
I'm a former Grand Am GT coupe owner ('97). Mine had 178K on the ticker before I got rid of it for a bigger car.
---------------------------
forcing myself to actually respond to you is like bathing in ebola virus. - Binlahab
Like there is stupid, and then there is you, and then there is dead. - VAsBestBBW
37. "When you decide what kind of car you want" In response to Reply # 0
Check with your credit union, most have a car buying service that will sell cars cheaper to their members instead of bullshitting at a dealer. And your CU can finance you, I am a manager for a CU, trust me it's a smooth process
40. "TrueCar.com and Cars.com" In response to Reply # 0
Those will narrow it down to what you want.
If you REALLY want a hybrid (typically those are more $, but if you got the cake, go for it), my boy loves his Pruis. However, the Civic Hybrid is a cheaper version, and very reliable.
If you're looking for a particular brand, I'm partial to Toyotas. But Hondas are very reliable, and Ford has made some better cars (the Fusion is a great car, and comes in a hybrid form as well)
In terms of financing, make sure it's something you can afford. If you can get a used joint and pay the note off quicker, I'd do that before buying a new car.
Printer-friendly copy 
Email this topic to a friend
General Discussion
