**McDeath ** and I are looking at getting a new vehicle - we have two vehicles, both from 1990! We’ll probably keep his truck and either trade in my car or sell it privately.
Anyway, what is YOUR advice on purchasing a new car? Some questions to get you started:
a) Is a brand new car worth it? We of course like the idea of the warranty protection that accompanies a new vehicle, but the instant depreciation is a little scary.
b) What’s the best way to get a good price, and leave the lot without feeling like you’ve been ripped off? Neither of us have dealt with this situation before.
c) We have the April edition of Consumer Reports which has a lot of info about many of the new vehicles, so we’re not going into this completely blind. Are there any other good sources of information out there?
Personally, I would get a year old car (usually a lease turn-in). This way the initial hit was taken by someone else, and lots of dealers are going to offer you the same loan structure as a new car with the low interest rate and length of loan. You can also get the balance of the warranty and maybe even an extension if you feel it’s worth it. So, you get the best of both worlds, you just don’t get to pick and choose as you would a new car.
a) It can be worth it. Many used cars (especially “lady driven”) can be abused or neglected which means rather expensive repair bills. All my prior vehicles were used and had many issues (of course many of them were actually manufacturer issues like trannies etc).
b) there are plenty of ways to get a good price. You could try getting several prices on the phone and playing each dealer against the others or finding out the invoice price and starting the negoiations from there Better cars will demand a better price though. Toyota IME doesn’t move too much from their MSRP unlike GM which loves giving you incentives (because you’re going to need that extra cash to fix it after a few years).
c) lots of info everywhere. Most car forums will list problems with their specific vehicle. When I was buying my Toyota Matrix I found and joined a forum discussing that specific vehicle. Lots of good information. Also, I wouldn’t use “initial quality” as a measure of a vehicle either unless it’s an older line of vehicles. Caranddriver.com will have many articles on long term test of most vehicles.
d) Test out several vehicles. Depending on your priorities, find one that you really want and test drive the hell out of it. A 4 minute drive around the block isn’t enough when you’re considering what car you’ll own for 5-15 years.
e) Don’t lease unless you know what you’re getting into!
a) It can be worth it. Many used cars (especially “lady driven”) can be abused or neglected which means rather expensive repair bills. All my prior vehicles were used and had many issues (of course many of them were actually manufacturer issues like trannies etc).
b) there are plenty of ways to get a good price. You could try getting several prices on the phone and playing each dealer against the others or finding out the invoice price and starting the negoiations from there Better cars will demand a better price though. Toyota IME doesn’t move too much from their MSRP unlike GM which loves giving you incentives (because you’re going to need that extra cash to fix it after a few years).
c) lots of info everywhere. Most car forums will list problems with their specific vehicle. When I was buying my Toyota Matrix I found and joined a forum discussing that specific vehicle. Lots of good information. Also, I wouldn’t use “initial quality” as a measure of a vehicle either unless it’s an older line of vehicles. Caranddriver.com will have many articles on long term test of most vehicles.
d) Test out several vehicles. Depending on your priorities, find one that you really want and test drive the hell out of it. A 4 minute drive around the block isn’t enough when you’re considering what car you’ll own for 5-15 years.
e) Don’t lease unless you know what you’re getting into!
Better cars will demand a better price though. Toyota IME doesn’t move too much from their MSRP unlike GM which loves giving you incentives (because you’re going to need that extra cash to fix it after a few years).