tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17379339.post4697133865690363526..comments2023-11-03T05:57:24.997-04:00Comments on Coupons from the Edge: 10 Things That Suck About Buying a CarBecky Willis Motewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00136555605339679351noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17379339.post-15255535976766350662009-07-27T08:39:57.404-04:002009-07-27T08:39:57.404-04:00Thanks, Kay. I am having a very strange experienc...Thanks, Kay. I am having a very strange experience with a car dealer right now. I'll post on it as soon as I can.<br /><br />bBecky Willis Motewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00136555605339679351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17379339.post-75612520854546163462009-07-27T08:14:24.042-04:002009-07-27T08:14:24.042-04:00What Sandman 1 says!!! :)
Guys! They just don'...What Sandman 1 says!!! :)<br /><br />Guys! They just don't get it ... (Apart from Sandman 1 that is!)<br /><br />Good luck - you'll make a good choice; I just knows it.Kay Cookehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01791873464409271216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17379339.post-3510822308747844322009-07-26T15:10:40.099-04:002009-07-26T15:10:40.099-04:00Ooooooh, you are so right, Kris. GRRRR on that gu...Ooooooh, you are so right, Kris. GRRRR on that guy.Becky Willis Motewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00136555605339679351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17379339.post-19802956832009184352009-07-26T14:33:57.370-04:002009-07-26T14:33:57.370-04:00I love that freak-out-bunny picture, and I'm s...I love that freak-out-bunny picture, and I'm sure I make the same face when anyone mentions timing belts to me.<br /><br />I say there's nothing wrong with punishing an unlikeable salesman by not buying from him. How else is he to learn?<br /><br />I spurned a Realtor in my house shopping days because the young man (my age, you'd think he'd know better) listened to every question I asked, then turned and addressed every answer to my husband if I didn't speak the language. Made me furious.Kristinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03005060328496062807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17379339.post-41880722869379656642009-07-25T14:02:41.428-04:002009-07-25T14:02:41.428-04:00Well I was going to say you wouldn't get much ...Well I was going to say you wouldn't get much for it, but I checked <a href="http://www.edmunds.com/used/1999/honda/accord/11976/options.html" rel="nofollow">Edmunds prices</a> just now and it might be worth more than you think. If the condition is average and it's a DX, they say $1000 for trade (higher for private sale and other models/options). For me the hassle of selling privately isn't worth the extra money, but that's me being lazy; at any rate, it's good to insist that the dealer pay book value and then try to negotiate the new car price separately.sandman1https://www.blogger.com/profile/11066816633017905095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17379339.post-41677458275089484282009-07-25T07:19:38.145-04:002009-07-25T07:19:38.145-04:00Thank you again. Those prices include my trade, b...Thank you again. Those prices include my trade, by the way. It's kind of a clunker, 99 Honda Accord, 149,000 mi. <br /><br />bBecky Willis Motewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00136555605339679351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17379339.post-40587061793740291882009-07-24T22:39:32.371-04:002009-07-24T22:39:32.371-04:00I'm not so good at the money part or knowing a...I'm not so good at the money part or knowing a good deal when I see it. Those are lower than sticker prices for sure, which are more like $21k+. Consumer reports says the invoice price for the cheapest Accord or Altima is about $19k; Camry is lower at a bit under $18k. All of those are manual transmission, so add several hundred for an automatic. But, that's just one price point -- I dunno about rebates or current demand. CR (and others) will sell you some pricing product that factors in those other things, which might be worth it. The Hyundai Sonata is also about $19k according to CR, but in January we were offered prices under $17k.<br /><br />The other money-related exercise I did with my mother was to compare the blue-book value of used versions of the cars to try to guess how the value might be retained; I don't have the data here, but I remember the Hyundai lost more than average and the Subaru less -- that matters more if you're going to trade soon, less if you keep it 10 years. Conversely, the Hyundai warranty is very long (much longer than Honda/Toyota), which is better for long-term owning (and offsets the value loss if you have to pay for repairs on a competitor).<br /><br />As for the options, the Subaru Impreza is definitely smaller and cheaper than the Accord/Camry/Altima (it's a class down), though they just came out with their all-new larger car (Legacy). During this weak car market, Subaru has often been nearly the only company not losing money or sales, interestingly. The all wheel drive is good for snow but less good for mileage and costs.<br /><br />Sometimes car magazines do big comparison reviews -- I've found those useful occasionally when they bring attention to something you might have overlooked. Here's a couple:<br /><a href="http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/08q1/2008_honda_accord_vs._nissan_altima_chevy_malibu_hyundai_sonata_toyota_camry_ford_fusion_dodge_avenger-comparison_tests" rel="nofollow">2008 Car & Driver</a><br /><a href="http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_0802_midsize_sedan_comparison/index.html" rel="nofollow">2008 Motor Trend</a><br /><a href="http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/09q1/2010_ford_fusion_hybrid_vs._camry_hybrid_altima_hybrid_and_malibu_hybrid-comparison_tests" rel="nofollow">2009 C & D large hybrids</a>sandman1https://www.blogger.com/profile/11066816633017905095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17379339.post-13349365854171428622009-07-24T07:31:28.708-04:002009-07-24T07:31:28.708-04:00SM,
Most of these cars are telling me $18 or $19,...SM,<br /><br />Most of these cars are telling me $18 or $19, in that vicinity. Does that seem good to you?<br /><br />bBecky Willis Motewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00136555605339679351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17379339.post-19185249368127452902009-07-24T07:30:39.238-04:002009-07-24T07:30:39.238-04:00WOW, sandman, you have given me a lot to think abo...WOW, sandman, you have given me a lot to think about! I guess you're right about the test drive. Ugh. I'm currently looking at Altima, Accord, and Camry, as pictured. Maybe I should look at Subaru....hmm. THANK YOU. bBecky Willis Motewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00136555605339679351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17379339.post-50494879924941879142009-07-23T23:55:25.967-04:002009-07-23T23:55:25.967-04:00I am a car guy, and I hate buying cars. My mother...I am a car guy, and I hate buying cars. My mother's car died on our way back from Christmas last year so we had to shop cars in a hurry when we got home. From that I can suggest a couple things. First, I think it's very important to test drive it. You learn things you wouldn't learn otherwise. I know someone who dislikes cars and years ago she decided to buy one completely through the internet, sight unseen, no salesmen to deal with. That was all fine, but when she got it, she found the seat uncomfortable, and said she should have gone for test drives. It's better if the salesman doesn't come with you -- they're just a distraction. Bring a friend who can help you compare things if you're alone or keep the salesman occupied if you're not. Things like how the seat feels and how windy is it with the windows down and how the pedals feel could bug you if they aren't right.<br /><br />For my mother, I did a lot of research online with ConsumerReports and so forth, mostly focusing on trying to avoid known problem cars or brands. That gave me a list of options, used and new (trying to keep to a mid-teens price). Then we forced ourselves to go out and drive things, as many as she could stand in a day (three or so).<br /><br />We ruled some out because of dealers -- that's fine I think. Although it's actually more important to think about the service department, if possible, because you'll never talk to sales again but you'll see service a lot. We also skipped one brand that's got a good reputation because the local dealer is said to be crooked -- grudges are fine too! There are plenty of good cars out there.<br /><br />For used cars, CarFax seems great to me. Dealers will sometimes provide it for you, sometimes you can see it free online. Note that I've heard that the used market is actually a bit pricey now because many people have gone used instead of new and thus driven up demand. <br /><br />In our case, we ended up somewhere unexpected, with a new Subaru, which wasn't on my initial short list. But the dealer was good, the car was good, and it was what we liked best of what we looked at. I couldn't believe how great the purchase itself was -- very nice people, very easy, good price with no nonsense. Polar opposite of my own last purchase, which was almost complete nonsense. A plus is that apparently Subarus tend to hold their value, so if after a couple years she decide sit isn't the right one for her, it'll hurt less to trade it.<br /><br />We also looked at recent-used Accords and Camrys like you have pictured -- the Honda's prices were crazy high I thought. We liked the Hyundai Sonata quite a lot -- it was our second choice but had pushy salesmen, worse value used, and only automatic transmission (Mom wanted a stick). We drove a rented one 500 miles when our car died, so we knew it was pretty good from that.<br /><br />We didn't drive the Altima -- didn't get around to it I guess. Personally I think it's quite nice looking though, with a lot of French influence (now that Nissan and Renault have merged). The new Mazda 6 (wasn't out then) is pretty good too, though I don't have any Mazda dealers I like (my car is a Mazda) for service... And I haven't been a fan of domestics for a while, but the Fusion isn't bad (though we didn't like the older one we drove very much), and the Malibu is said to be competitive, and it might be possible to find good deals on those.<br /><br />-A<br /><br />PS That rabbit picture is freaking me out a bit...sandman1https://www.blogger.com/profile/11066816633017905095noreply@blogger.com