OT: Buying a Car ?

P.S.

I tend to keep my cars for a good while; i.e. b/w 8 and 10 years on avg.

I’ve been procrastinating forever on buying a car – I currently have a 15 y/o 200k mi car and want to get into something newer b/f my current car starts giving me issues.

When it comes to cars I’m more into “substance than style” – i.e. I look for good value and not necessarily something that will turn heads.

I keep going back and forth on whether to buy a low-mileage used car (~2012 w/ less than 20k mi or so) or a new car.

A used car is probably a better value but used cars seem pretty expensive, and also seem hard to negotiate, these days, plus there could always be something wrong w/ it that is hard to detect when buying.

Of course is a personal decision; but what are your thoughts/experiences w.r.t. used/new cars?

It can be tough to find a slightly used car with the features you want. But they are the best value if you find a good one.

It's like going VIP...it's expensive and you're never really sure what you're going to get until you've committed to it.

Buy a BMW. Either new or used. Used would be more cost effective. You can drive it 200K miles or more, and it is unlikely to give you any problems.

I've been driving BMWs for 35 years, and I really enjoy them.

I like my cars like my strippers -- very low mileage, beautiful to look at, and lots of fun to ride. For me, the DS equivalent of a car would be a new Shelby Mustang.

You're probably looking for better, but a used Crown Vic Interceptor may be the best bang for the buck ever. I live very frugally and don't borrow money .these cars ride and drive well and have a trunk that me and my son can put our snowboards in sideways. Not the best gas mileage, but plenty of room.

You better get a truck to haul all those fat ass heifers.

Gotta admit – so far tumblingdice has the best advice

Papi_Thanks for being a sport,do they give skim or 2%?

I buy new. I tend to keep my cars for a while, not 15 years 200k miles, but maybe half that. Yes, there's a disproportionate amount of depreciation front-loaded on to new cars, but I've suspect that a large portion of lower mileage used cards have lived hard lives. They're often repo'd, or if not they were owned by someone who knew it was a short term investment, so maintenance is shoddy at best.

I can't say I have first hand bad experience with low mileage used cars, but I do have plenty of first hand experience with friends/acquaintances who've been the first owners of those cars. Just since Christmas I've talked to at least 3 strippers who've had their cars and/or boyfriends cars repossessed. Granted, those were style over substance models, but I think the example holds as I also know a number of more practical car owners who've fell on short term hardships and had to trade in their 2yr old cars for 5yr old ones to lower/eliminate payments. In almost all cases the last year or so of ownership saw all the basic routine maintenance thrown out the window due to budget concerns. Even in the best case, where the owner bought the car new knowing he'd buy a new one in 2 years, something tells me those folks aren't meticulous with the maintenance, although they probably aren't dishing out the abuse the strippers are.

^ gotcha - don't buy a car from a stripper :)

In my best Andy Rooney-"Have you ever noticed strippers don't wash their cars."

Papi,

You live in Florida right? Miami?

I have no idea what you want, 4 doors, 2 doors, pick up truck etc or what your budget is..but I used to be in the car business and am a car nut... So just let me throw something out there.

Something fancy but doesn't look fancy... 2012ish Ford Tarus SHO. These care are quite amazing. Standard all wheel driver and you can get them loaded with options only found on cars that cost double. Heated and cooled seats, huge navigation screen and great power. You can find a nice used one for around $19,000-23,000.

If you want a truck, I have a friend that bought a nice quad can Dodge Ram 4x4 for just $23,000 brand new. It didn't have leather or all the options but was a nice truck and he got 0% interest. I thought that was a very good deal.

I've come to find there's a ton of nice used cars you can buy for under $25,000

Unless you are mechanically inclined stay away from a used car.

If possible pay cash; do not do the 'lease to own' scam.

Choose a vehicle that has, historically, very good resale value.

Personally, I am a big fan of the F-150. The cab and the box can certainly accommodate your 'heifers'. I have never been in Miami so I can't say if the F-150 is too big for comfortable driving on Miami's roads.

Papi, if new car prices give you pause, investigate the certified used car programs that all of the major dealers have. We picked up two Jeep Cherokees that were both three years old, had only 15,000 miles, were coming off private leases, were trouble free and were ~$15,000 each. They were bought for our daughters to take to college in 2003. My older daughter and her husband only traded theirs on a new vehicle last year. The other one was unfortunately totalled in an accident.

The other thing to look at is do you want foreign or domestic. If you're looking for value, I'd go for Hyundai or Subaru (the choice of my older engineer daughter and her engineer husband for both of their vehicles); no problems with either one.

American cars have gotten a bad rap over the last twenty years, but that does not reflect my experience. My last three cars, a Dodge Spirit ES Turbo with manual (1984), a Dodge Intrepid (1998) and my latest, a Dodge Charger R/T with a hemi have all given excellent service, as has my wife's 2003 Pacifica. I think that both GM and Ford have had similar quality improvements.

Crown Victoria is a solid choice. Very durable car, affordable, Rear wheel drive, Body on frame........You can buy these cars at CARMAX.

Papi - You should know this. The streets of Havana are filled with tons of good used cars. :)

I've worked in a family friends car shop over breaks for the past few years and the best car to buy new would be a Subaru in my opinion. They drive very well and have some of the best resell value among all cars. Subarus with over 200k will still sell for around 5k on Craigslist.

If you're going used I would suggest a brand where the people who buy from the brand aren't obsessed with the brand like most Subaru or jeep, etc owners on. Something very generic and I would say Japanese made, Honda or Toyota. The newer Hyundai and Volkswagen cars aren't bad choices either. Personally not a fan of Audi just because they cost so much to maintain but if that's not an issue, newer Audis aren't bad cars either

Papi,

Make sure it has been painted some awful color, has $10K worth of wheels and tires, a big ass annoying bass that'll piss off anyone near you, and you need a step ladder to get in it.

Find that and your ladies will start rolling in!

PS - Has to have 2008 and 2012 obama bumper stickers on it.

Buy certified pre-owned, if you prefer a used. If you would like a new car, I'm sure there are still 2014 new cars which the dealers wish to move now and would be a lot cheaper than MSRP. I always try to wait til the new models come and get the old model year new, except that when I had to get rid of my old Saturn Ion, it was because it was a timebomb, where I needed a new head gasket. I know two different people who trust in Carmax, but I don't know about them for sure. In theory, if I were to get used, but not certified preowned, I could go for them, but in practice, I don't know.

I bought my 2009 Toyota Corolla almost two years ago, pre-owned and certified, and, for the most part I've had pretty good luck with it. (A skid plate popped loose back in May, a heat shield (that's what a Minneapolis dealership called it) popped loose in August, and I just changed the battery in December. Okay, so maybe that isn't the best of luck, but at least it hasn't been a fortune in engine and brake work.)

If you can hold off until April, some tax-season sales could crop up.

Thanks for all the feedback – I currently have a Honda and b/f that I had an Acura – so I’m into Japanese cars.

I was first thinking of upgrading to a nicer car such as a Lexus ES; Infinity G37; or Acura TL – I was thinking of buying a 2012 model of one of these cars.

But – I really don’t have a need for a fancy car nor do I really care for one – so the more I thought about it the more I feel all I need and want is some reliable transportation that is fairly comfortable and not an eye sore.

I was now thinking b/w an Accord or a Camry and thinking I will go with a used (at least 2012) Camry since they are reliable and drive smooth.

Thanks for all the feedback – any further comments welcomed especially from Tumblingdice since he seems to have very keen insight.

Nissan Altimas are pretty good cars

If you want something with style but can do anything get a Grand Cherokee. Something within the last 5-10 years with around 100K miles or less should be easy to find. A LOT of these were owned by soccer moms who have since traded them in and you can find most in really good condition with a lot of features and can easily last you another 10 years. Good thing about them is they look really classy PLUS you can put a leveling lift kit on them with spacers and huge wheels so you can pull up at a wedding or at a huge patch of mud in the woods.

Papi,

I agree with your choice of brands. I've put over 200,000 miles on both an Acura and a Toyota Camry. Very few issues with either one.

I'd favor getting a late model pre-owned version of your listed choices that still has some meaningful warranty time/mileage left on it. (12 or more months)

Papi, Based on your reviews you must live in or be in florida frequently. Orlando (Ocoee) has one of the biggest used car auctions this side of the county.

If you are looking for value you'll want to consider toyota, lexus, honda, acura and possibly even hyundai or kia. Beware of nissan and infiniti as my understanding is their reliability ratings have nosedived beginning around 2011 or 2012. Also beware of CVT transmissions as they seem to be problematic, especially in nissan and infiniti products according to a relative who works for the dealerships.

You'll get your most bang for the buck buying a late model low mileage used vehicle just as you've indicated. In a state like ours you can find almost any model you want used and with low mileage if you are patient. There are lots of rich people in florida who buy cars new and suddenly decide a day, week or months later they don't like that color, model, features or whatever and trade it in on something else.

My last car purchase was in 2014 and I bought an 18 day old (450 miles) used luxury sedan that stickered at about 45K and I paid 27K for it. The original owners traded it in at a mercedes dealership for a new benz. Admittedly I got lucky because I WAS patient. And for all of you wondering yes it had a clean carfax report and no "issues".

Keep in mind that if you buy a late model used car like I almost always do you will benefit from the remainder of it's most basic warranty. On hondas and toyotas that would be 3 yrs/36K miles. On hyundai and kia their basic warranty is significantly longer (5yr/60K miles) which may buy you some peace of mind.

You can hire an automobile locator who works the auctions here near orlando and they can find almost anything you want unless your tastes are very exotic.

Your best deals will often be from a new car dealer that takes a trade in that is not their brand. If it's late model used they will often sell it at a very fair price but you need to be good at negotiating and even better at walking out of dealerships when they are sticking it to you. If you're ok with a camry or accord they should be easy to find with low mileage at reasonably fair prices. For the best idea of fair pricing look at edmunds and run their used car appraisor including specific features, mileage color etc. That site will give you 3 or 4 different prices including used retail, used wholesale, trade in and purchasing from private owner.

No disrespect to anyone above but I respectfully disagree with the idea of buying a used BMW. My experience with them is they will cost about $500 annually for maintenance and repairs while on warranty and over 10 times that much once they are off of warrantly. Since you've owned hondas and acuras you are probably aware they often will only cost $500-1000 annually for upkeep long after they warranty is expired if you maintain them well and have an honest mechanic.

PAPI -- buy new and maintain. Cheapest alternative. I got 257k out of an 02 Subaru wrx (original clutch) and replaced it last fall with a 2015.

Boring Papi!!!! Okay, boring but reliable is a Honda Accord. I've owned several over the years and each is better than the last.