Actually I’m more inclined to buy a very slightly used model but if the new car incentives are worth it a 2006 is a possibility.
I’ve been driving a loaded 1996 Taurus for about 10 years now which I’m still happy with but we will soon need a 3rd vehicle to go with it and a minivan.
Here’s what’s important to me …
TIA
I’d look for some of the incredible bargains car manufacturors are offering right now- like 0% interest and cash-back.
Perhaps providing a price range or model range would be helpful. Are you looking for something comparable to what the Taurus was when you bought it? Plus, the more specific you are with your desires, the more people can help you. For instance, I assume you want power everything, but do you care about how much torque/hp you get? Do you want a specific type of model (sedan, SUV, etc.)? Its also very difficult to account for personal taste when it comes to the body designs of modern cars. Do you care if its imported or domestic; do you prefer certain makes or have a particular distaste for certain makes?
As DrDeth said, with the new 2007s available for many models, and becoming available for the rest soon, this isn’t an unreasonable time to consider buying a new 2006 (though some of your options may be limited). From what I’ve heard, the time to get the best deals is around February.
How much you looking to spend?
For $15,000 I’ll sell you a year 2000 BMW 528i with 65,000 miles.
Dark blue, leather, sun roof, 6 disk CD. Excellent mechanical condition.
One headlight just went out, and there are 6 year’s worth of minor scratches etc, but no material dents.
Or you could buy a Scion.
Really you haven’t given us enough info to help you much yet. That said, a new or nearly new car is rarely really worthwhile, as unless you are getting something that is extremely popular (like a Mini Cooper) or extremeley rare (like a Ferarri) you are going to lose lots of value within the first 2 years.
In years gone by, when warranties were only a year or two long, the warranty made up for these first year losses, not any more. Many cars come with 4 or 5 year manufacturer warranties, and others have special manufacturer pre-used warranties available that will allow you to buy a used car and still have a decent ammount of warranty. Furthemore such things as car fax can help somewhat in avoiding lemons.
A few questions
Do you drive in bad conditions ( especially snow )?
Do you want to be faster than your neighbours car?
Do you want to have room to move lots of stuff?
Do you want to work on your car yourself, do you want to tinker?
In what way do you rate the importantce of: reliability, sportyness, luxury, value, resale value, milage, etc.?
If 2 seats is fine, Miata’s are great little cars, though probably not a good idea if you ever drive in the snow.
Scion xA’s are worth alook, they have been overshadowed in popularit by the xB but they have almost as muchpracticality and are faster with slightly better milage. In my oppinion they look better as well.
If snow is a comon event for you, then the entire Subaru range will probably have something suitable for your requirements.
I bought a used car 2 months ago. It’s a barely driven 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser that came with 12K miles on it. Old enough that I don’t have to pay the new car prices and new enough that the warranty is still good. If you’re looking for a minivan-esque car, this is pretty close. It’s roomy enough for four adults, you can remove the rear seats and fold down the front passenger seat for a lot of storage, and the 2006 has an aux in plug for my iPod too. Gas mileage is about 22 city and 26 highway (the car’s numbers state higher, but those are the real world figures I’m getting). It’s got good handling and gettyup and, IMO, is a bit sporty.
B.T.W. Nada site would suggest shelbo is making a very decent offer here.
That used to be true. But with used cars financing @7% or higher and new cars @0%, with $2000 cash back, the lost 1st year depreciation is negated.
Please take a look at the Toyota Hybrid Camry. It fits your description in the Op very well and you can be a proud owner of a Hybrid and know that you are helping the environment.
Jim
Here is a round up of all the Hybrid Sedans from Edmunds:
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/ViewMarketModels/category=market/attribute=hybrid/category2=type/attribute2=sedan
Good Luck,
Jim
Are there no strings attatched to the 0% financing offers? And can you get them if you are careful enough to ensure you pay only the minimum for the new car.
My husband and I bought a new car last fall, after researching them for about two years. Our finalists were the Toyota Corolla, the Hyundai Elantra, and the Mazda Protege, with most of your criteria (except seating for only two usually). The Nissans were out because of quality control problems, and the Hondas were out because the Accord was way too over-priced for us (and we heard rumours that Honda is resting on their laurels now, instead of staying on top of quality), and the Civic is virtually the same as the Corolla with less horsepower. The domestics were all out because they’re crap, every last one of them. The Subarus were out only because of price.
We didn’t buy the Mazda because it seemed just like the Corolla, for more money. We didn’t buy a Hyundai because their salespeople here really sucked and made the sale very difficult for us.
We ended up buying a slightly-used Corolla, and have been very happy with it so far. We took it on a very long road trip, and found only that we could have used a little more power, but overall it was very comfortable and very economical (it went forever on a tank of gas on the highway). If you went with a Camry, the horsepower probably wouldn’t be an issue.
So, in summary, I’d recommend a Corolla/Camry, an Elantra/Sonata, and looking into a Mazda (I don’t know enough about Mazdas to really recommend them).
Consumer Reports rates the Camrys very high, but I’d shy away from a hybrid. From what I read, you’re really paying a premium that won’t be made up quickly by theoretical gas savings.
I’m in the same process as you are, and I’m beginning to narrow in on the v6 Honda Accord. It fits all you mention, and holds value as well as anything on the market.
May I suggest going to the periodical section of your local library and looking at the (recent) 2006 Consumer Reports Car Buyer’s Guide? If you want a used car, they have a very detailed “look back” section that reviews specific models and years.
FWIW, the Camrys usually have a wider proce range, as you can pick and choose options. Accords are more ‘stock’, and their trim levels are fairly static.
Plus, if you get a Camry or Accord, you get a relatively trouble-free 100k.
-Cem
I’ve also heard very good things about the Mazda 3. When my wife and I were getting her Highlander, we came very close to getting a Hyundai Santa Fe…nice ride, spacious, and agreat warranty.
Sure, you have to have Very Good credit. Most of them are for 5 years, but a very few are for only 2 or 3 years, which isn’t so good. And, the finacning comes form the Manuf not the Dealer, thus it doesn’t hrt your “dealing” factor at all.
featherlou- never heard much abot Hyundai, but I know Toyota dealers are the very worst- they are very freindly, but they are the biggest crooks in the business. Out here in Ca, several have been indicted.
Consumer Reports is very biased towards Honda & Toyota. They rate “fit &finsih” very high as well as “projected reliabilty”-which figure they get from their readers. They used to rate “satisfaction with the deal” in which Toyota always came out the worst, but they stopped listing that as it made Saturn look good and Tpyota look bad. :dubious: They also rate their cars on a "list price’- which list price you can pay more than at a Toyota dealer- with very very high financing and a rip-off trade-in. As opposed to a deep discount, $2000 cash back, 0% financing and a decent trade in allowance at Hyundai and American Manuf cars.
Yes, based upon the factors they rate highly, and prices which have little to do with reality and not counting getting either ripped-offed or a great deal- sure, CR is fair & unbiased. :rolleyes:
I drove a Saturn for years, with a trouble-free 200K and so far a trouble-free 100K. The fit & finish isn’t as nice as a Toyota, I’ll agree. But when you figure out I saved many thousands of dollars on the finacning and got an extra $1000 for my trade in- AND didn’t have to worry about getting ripped off, I think I got the better deal.
Don’t get me wrong- Honda & Toyota boith make great cars. But their dealers are rip-off artists and you pay a premium in financing, smaller discounts, and a lower trade-in allowance. Is it worth it?
That is a very good point, though maybr most dealers are rip-off-artists. Before you buy be certain that you know both the right price to pay for the car you want, and how much your own vehicle is worth as a trade in. Use www.nadaguides.com or www.edmunds.com for price research. The Kelly Blue Book is not a good price tool (there prices reflect a good window sticker price for a car, but you should be able to get it for quite a bit less).
If you see a car you want, do the negotiation but DO NOT BUY it that day, sleep on it, double check your research that you are getting a good deal, and come back and buy it the following day if you are still happy. The car salesperson will make you feal that you need to buy today, and that you owe them a sale. It is there job to make you feel that way and they are good at it. None the less you NEVER OWE ANYTHING TO A CAR SALESMAN treat them with respect, but know they are trying to squueze you for every last penny that they can. BE READY TO LEAVE the salesroom whenever you feel tired/over stressed and likely to crack, or that you won’t get the deal that you want.
Read The Confessions of a Car Salesman .
Let me tell you how important it is to get a good finance rate. Standard is around 8%. Let us take a $20000 car, which will run you a bit more with various fees and taxes. With 0% financing, you’d pay a total of $21,900 over 60 months. With 8%, you’d pay $26,400 over 60 months, just about $5000 more. (Edmunds.com has financing calulators, it comes to $4740).
Now let us say you went to a Toyota dealer as opposed to a GM dealer. You want a $20000 car. You can get about the same car for that List price- but I’ll admit the Toyota is a better made car for that money. BUT- the GM dealer gives you $1000 in a rebate, deals the price down another $1000 more than the Toyota dealer will, 0% financing and $1000 more for your trade in*. You save $8000 (YMMV). Now, sure, the Toyota is a better car- but is it **$8000 ** better? No hwaaaay.
OK, say you go to a Saturn dealer who doesn’t dicker- but then the sticker price sratrts lower. Either way, it’s about the same (if you’re an excellent bargainer, you can save a tad over a “fixed price” Manuf, but it’s a LOT of work)
Every year, millions of Americans fall for this, just because either they aren’t very smart and can’t do the math, or they trust CR. Not that CR are Con artists or anything, but they don’t take all that into consideration, and it has to be.
Just a shout out to the Chevy Malibu Maxx. I was t-boned (driver’s side) by a Ford Explorer going about 45mph, was pushed into a light post, and wedged between said light post and a telephone pole. The witness said they were sure I was dead and couldn’t believe when I walked away with nothing but bruises where the seat-belt held me in, and s couple of minor burns from the air bags.
When a car saves your life you want to shout it from the roof-top.
Oh and the car got 28 MPH, and I have a new one on order right now.