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Buying a New Car (IN THIS ECONOMY???)

124

Comments

  • MikeDamone
    MikeDamone Member Posts: 37,781
    Go European. Anything else is trash. Unless your buying a towing/hauling vehicle.
  • MikeDamone
    MikeDamone Member Posts: 37,781

    We like to lease cars on a 3 year cycle. That way they are always under warranty and have mostly all the new tech, safety, etc. The internet makes it fairly easy to shop, but I like to pick a dealer near home for convenience. I have not tried any of the online car buying services, but they look intriguing. I once used a car broker, Frank Guisness (former HUSKY Basketball legend), and ended up with a good deal and ease of shopping. He ded now tho. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/husky-basketball-great-frank-guisness-dies-at-87/

    I trust Tom McParland; car buying expert, lots of good advice here: https://automatchconsulting.com/advice/

    I'm a fan of Toyota and Mazda too.

    Do you haul around kid(s) or pet(s), or both? If so, a fold down 3 row seat is a good idea, so Highlander makes sense.

    If not, you don't need a Highlander. Look at the RAV4 AWD Hybrid. Our Camry Hybrid has ~150k and all I've done is tires, oil, and the major services 30, 60, 90, 120k. It has never had a brake job tho due to the Hybrid system. Rock solid. Fuel efficient. Safe. Shitty in the rain and snow, even with good tires.



    We have a Mazda CX5 that is great. Kinda sporty, safe, not as fuel efficient as you'd expect for a 4 banger. A good size without being cramped. Big enough for 4 adults to take to the mountains or peninsula for the weekend. The '20 has a turbo option. The lease is up in October so will likely replace it with a new one.


    Lease....smart move.
  • whlinder
    whlinder Member Posts: 5,388
    edited July 2020
    In terms of the experience we just got a new one. We've had 1 leased and 1 owned for several years at this point. Owned one I drive and is an old beat up VW which I will drive til it dies. 6 years ago we flipped the leased one from Infiniti to BMW. My wife husband like thes 3 series but wants Xdrive and a bunch of other features. Leasing has been decent since it covers all maintenance, as we've thus far stuck to loaner cars with a few more miles on them, which knocks the price down.

    With the old one's lease ending my wife basically went searching on local dealerships looking for what would meet her requirements. Once she found one she liked she emailed and negotiated that way, eventually getting the price she wanted for the one she preferred. They tried to claim production had slowed due to COVID so there was little inventory but they came down anyway. Ended up with what I think is a pretty good deal.
  • BennyBeaver
    BennyBeaver Member Posts: 13,346

    Go European. Anything else is trash. Unless your buying a towing/hauling vehicle.

    Not all of us are Toilet Moguls.
  • MikeDamone
    MikeDamone Member Posts: 37,781

    Go European. Anything else is trash. Unless your buying a towing/hauling vehicle.

    Not all of us are Toilet Moguls.
    That’s for sure.
  • RaceBannon
    RaceBannon Member, Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 115,556 Founders Club

    New Ford Bronco is coming out soon. Lot of rave reviews for them already. Jeep is cramming a 392 V8 w/450 hp in the Wrangler, but I guess you care about mpg for some reason even though that's one of the most overrated things to consider when buying a car, IMO.

    If you buy a Japanese car it means you don't really care about cars.

    Exactly

    Cars haven't been the same since my modified 64 Nova died

    Nissan gives me 40 mpg reliability
  • BennyBeaver
    BennyBeaver Member Posts: 13,346

    We like to lease cars on a 3 year cycle. That way they are always under warranty and have mostly all the new tech, safety, etc. The internet makes it fairly easy to shop, but I like to pick a dealer near home for convenience. I have not tried any of the online car buying services, but they look intriguing. I once used a car broker, Frank Guisness (former HUSKY Basketball legend), and ended up with a good deal and ease of shopping. He ded now tho. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/husky-basketball-great-frank-guisness-dies-at-87/

    I trust Tom McParland; car buying expert, lots of good advice here: https://automatchconsulting.com/advice/

    I'm a fan of Toyota and Mazda too.

    Do you haul around kid(s) or pet(s), or both? If so, a fold down 3 row seat is a good idea, so Highlander makes sense.

    If not, you don't need a Highlander. Look at the RAV4 AWD Hybrid. Our Camry Hybrid has ~150k and all I've done is tires, oil, and the major services 30, 60, 90, 120k. It has never had a brake job tho due to the Hybrid system. Rock solid. Fuel efficient. Safe. Shitty in the rain and snow, even with good tires.



    We have a Mazda CX5 that is great. Kinda sporty, safe, not as fuel efficient as you'd expect for a 4 banger. A good size without being cramped. Big enough for 4 adults to take to the mountains or peninsula for the weekend. The '20 has a turbo option. The lease is up in October so will likely replace it with a new one.


    99% sure the RAV4 Hybrid has the same powertrain (engine, motors, battery) that the Prius and Camry Hybrids have. Solid, proven tech.
  • BennyBeaver
    BennyBeaver Member Posts: 13,346

    We like to lease cars on a 3 year cycle. That way they are always under warranty and have mostly all the new tech, safety, etc. The internet makes it fairly easy to shop, but I like to pick a dealer near home for convenience. I have not tried any of the online car buying services, but they look intriguing. I once used a car broker, Frank Guisness (former HUSKY Basketball legend), and ended up with a good deal and ease of shopping. He ded now tho. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/husky-basketball-great-frank-guisness-dies-at-87/

    I trust Tom McParland; car buying expert, lots of good advice here: https://automatchconsulting.com/advice/

    I'm a fan of Toyota and Mazda too.

    Do you haul around kid(s) or pet(s), or both? If so, a fold down 3 row seat is a good idea, so Highlander makes sense.

    If not, you don't need a Highlander. Look at the RAV4 AWD Hybrid. Our Camry Hybrid has ~150k and all I've done is tires, oil, and the major services 30, 60, 90, 120k. It has never had a brake job tho due to the Hybrid system. Rock solid. Fuel efficient. Safe. Shitty in the rain and snow, even with good tires.



    We have a Mazda CX5 that is great. Kinda sporty, safe, not as fuel efficient as you'd expect for a 4 banger. A good size without being cramped. Big enough for 4 adults to take to the mountains or peninsula for the weekend. The '20 has a turbo option. The lease is up in October so will likely replace it with a new one.


    99% sure the RAV4 Hybrid has the same powertrain (engine, motors, battery) that the Prius and Camry Hybrids have. Solid, proven tech.
    Oh, and if you are going to buy via finance, get pre-approved loan from your bank/CU so you have financing ready to go. A lot of manufacturers are offering 0% loans or if not, better rates than your bank. But being pre-approved gives you more flexibility. And get a ball park of the trade-in value of your Honda before going in.
  • PurpleThrobber
    PurpleThrobber Member Posts: 48,558 Standard Supporter
    edited July 2020
    Now that I think about it - we're a total Nip/Nap family: Mazda CX9, Toyota Highlander and Nissan Titan.

    USA! USA! USA!

    The CX9 is the best snow car I've ever driven. Better than der Audis or BMWs we've owned and definitely better than any American rides like the Explorer or Jeep.

    Mrs. Throbber v2.0 looked cute in her Beamer but that car was shit in the snow.