Vehicle Shopping/Buying

[mcoy]

Originally Posted by Ella`Ella [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Then, when you get your first bill, just strike a check for the entire balance.

Read the paperwork carefully and ensure there isn't a prepayment penalty. It feels like they try to gouge you at every turn...

-Mcoy

[Evia]

Thanks again for the suggestions everyone. It's been very helpful!

I think I'm going to look for a Subaru Outback. As ugly as they are, the awd/utility is too good for the family for me to ignore. Still just sick how the used ones with 20-60k miles are only a few k less than a new one. I'm hoping as the year progresses used cars get cheaper.

I guess it's either station wagon or mini van. The dad life has consumed me.

[Lune]

Originally Posted by Evia [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Thanks again for the suggestions everyone. It's been very helpful!

I think I'm going to look for a Subaru Outback. As ugly as they are, the awd/utility is too good for the family for me to ignore. Still just sick how the used ones with 20-60k miles are only a few k less than a new one. I'm hoping as the year progresses used cars get cheaper.

I guess it's either station wagon or mini van. The dad life has consumed me.

Pay close attention to the interior when you're looking at Subarus, as some models/years can have brittle/shoddy or cracking interior plastic. Otherwise good cars with good reliability and manufacturing tho

[Patriam1066]

Originally Posted by Evia [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Thanks again for the suggestions everyone. It's been very helpful!

I think I'm going to look for a Subaru Outback. As ugly as they are, the awd/utility is too good for the family for me to ignore. Still just sick how the used ones with 20-60k miles are only a few k less than a new one. I'm hoping as the year progresses used cars get cheaper.

I guess it's either station wagon or mini van. The dad life has consumed me.

You could choose worse. I prefer Hondas or Toyotas but Subarus are good cars

[magnetaress]

Get an ebike with an orange vest and yellow reflective helmet.

[mcoy]

Originally Posted by Evia [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Thanks again for the suggestions everyone. It's been very helpful!

I think I'm going to look for a Subaru Outback. As ugly as they are, the awd/utility is too good for the family for me to ignore. Still just sick how the used ones with 20-60k miles are only a few k less than a new one. I'm hoping as the year progresses used cars get cheaper.

I guess it's either station wagon or mini van. The dad life has consumed me.

Make sure you change the oil. My idiot cousin just lost his free hand-me-down Outback because he didn't know you were supposed to do that...

I'm honestly surprised they let you run them to death like that - my lawnmower has a low oil shutoff but /shrug.

-Mcoy

[Toxigen]

Originally Posted by Lune [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

So I've bought two cars from dealers in the last 8 months. The last several years, inventory has been shit and prices have been high, particularly for used cars. Recently, that has no longer been the case, and the prices of all cars have come down, but particularly used cars relative to new ones. The gap is much larger than it was, but still small compared to the beforefore times

Let's say you're going through a dealer, you may need to haggle to get the price down depending on how you approach the process. Some tips:

1. Don't let them cook you. Some dealers will give you a few concessions preliminarily to hook you and then try to make you wait a long period of time to build up a sunk cost impetus when the real negotiations begin. Be ready to walk the fuck out and don't come back if they try this. imo it's better to get an agreement on bottom line price on the phone before you ever come in, if possible.

2. Make sure time is on your side, you need to be able to walk away-- if negotiations come to an impasse and you don't have the price you want, you need to be able to say "Hey, I'm really interested in this car but the price isn't where it needs to be, I'll leave you my contact information and feel free to give me a call if you can come down to $x", something like that. I said this when buying my wife's car and they immediately took off $1k and we had a deal.

This is another good one for a dealer, when buying my wife's car I said something like "Hey, my wife and I go through cars like crazy, we've bought 3 cars in the last 2 years and I'm going to be looking for a new car here in the next few years too, so if you can come down on this we'll be coming back year after year", something along those lines.

3. If buying a new car, one of the easiest strategies is simply to find a specific model you like and call nearby dealerships and bluntly say something like "I'm willing to pay $x out the door for this car, please give me a call if you have something available". This was my brother in law's strategy and he got the price he wanted within a week or two. He flatly refused to negotiate beyond his figure and only came in when they were willing to sell a car out the door at his price.

4. If financing, make sure you have your approval from your bank before negotiating the purchase of the car. (One time I had a dealer try to lie and say I didn't qualify for financing from any banks (my credit is 780 lol), only through their company's financing.) With your financing in hand, you can compare to what the dealer offers-- sometimes they will have promotions/incentives or manufacturer rebates that can result in a better rate than the bank/credit union can offer.

Be extremely wary of buying cars from places like Carvana, KBB, Carmax. They are pretty undiscerning about what they'll buy and resell, compared to a reputable dealer. While you do have the option, when buying from these companies, to take the car in and get it inspected, and return the car if they find it unfit, it's a fucking hassle. Buying a used car from, for example, a toyota dealer, you get a pretty good warranty and they're not going to certify a mess of a car that's under warranty and they're going to have to fix.



You won't. But I can tell you right now is a dramatically better time than 9 months ago.

this is spot-on 10/10 advice - depending on what vehicle(s) you're looking for and current inventory levels...the amount of haggling you can do will vary...if theres almost no inventory in your area the dealers won't budge much

if you can find a new 2023 that'll be the sweetest deal since '24s are rolling in and dealers want to get rid of old stock

also, just buy new...especially if you plan on keeping it for a long time...one-owner cars have great resell

now tell us what category / manufacturers / models you're looking at so we can argue like apes over brands!

[magnetaress]

Strap a chainsaw to the back of an office chair and use the blade like a snow tread.

[Toxigen]

not to hijack but id really like to buy a true 6 speed before i get too old

not trying to spend 100k on a toy (porsche, M3, etc)

looking at the caddy CT4 blackwing...everything Ive read is good...anyone driven one?

also have read the acura integra type S has one of the best 6 speeds on the market but man id feel old driving one

[Patriam1066]

Originally Posted by Toxigen [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

not to hijack but id really like to buy a true 6 speed before i get too old

not trying to spend 100k on a toy (porsche, M3, etc)

looking at the caddy CT4 blackwing...everything Ive read is good...anyone driven one?

also have read the acura integra type S has one of the best 6 speeds on the market but man id feel old driving one

If you’re not looking to pay for the BMW, I think the Cadillac is your next best bet (have driven, definitely fun to drive). No idea about the Acuras but I’d assume those have an appeal as they’re well made and Honda does manual transmissions well