Brian Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I just traded my Sports Trac in for a Focus at the end of December and I love it. With gas prices and the Sports Trac, I would pay $75-80 to fill up. With the Focus, maybe I pay $40 and it gets just as good mileage. I got that truck out of college when I got my first job and was a dumb choice. Wanted to look cool and free. Had 110,000 miles when I traded it in and got $4500 from Ford. Was surprised. Miss the truck in weather like this though. Ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Go try a volt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamshack Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 21, 2012 -> 01:04 PM) Go try a volt! Man, I wish I could... I fought all day with these dealers and ended up getting the Audi Q7 w/ 43,000 miles on it. Just got it home...awesome machine...and I got them to agree to install OEM Navigation/Bluetooth/Ipod integration next week. So I am pretty stoked. Got a very good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I was at a Scouting event yesterday and may have found an interesting deal. 1990 Suburban 4x4 that had been a ranch vehicle that has been sitting for a couple years since they sold their ranch. Lowish miles, brush guards and HD bumpers. There is some rust but the owner was about to have truck bed liner sprayed on the outside to stop the rust and make it more brush proof. He takes really good care of his stuff so I know it was cared for in an uncaring environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 20, 2012 -> 11:55 PM) So finally decided to take the plunge and start car shopping. There is an audi dealership literally right across the street from my work, so I went there, especially considering I was interested in a Q7 to haul the dogs around. Ended up test driving a 2010 Q5, a 2007 Q7, and a 2006 Range Rover HSE. The Q5 is more than I'd like to spend, as it's about $39k and I am trying to be more around $30k. The Q7 and the RR were both right at $29k. The RR has 61k miles but is super clean and has all the bells and whistles...backup camera, proximity sensors, navigation, Bluetooth, yada yada....but man, it drives like a tank and I'm not sure I can deal with that after driving around my little TT for 5+ years. The Q7 had a nicer ride but was a bit under-equipped for a 5 year old $30k car IMO, as it didn't have nav, bluetooth, ipod integration, backup camera, etc. But it was still more refined than the RR and has a beautiful interface and a gorgeous pano sunroof. It has 43,000 miles on it. They were really pressuring me to make a decision tonight, at which point I told them I needed to sleep on it. They tried to make me some special offer that was good only for tonight, and I reamed them out. Would love to hear from anyone who has knowledge of these vehicles or has any other suggestions. Do not let them pressure you into a decision. Walk away at that point, and they will come back with something better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamshack Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 (edited) QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 22, 2012 -> 11:52 AM) Do not let them pressure you into a decision. Walk away at that point, and they will come back with something better. Yeah, exactly...I walked out of there two different times and I walked out of a Toyota place and had the owner (who is a semi famous Vegas car dealer, not unlike Bob Roooooohhhrrrmmmaaaannn in Chicago) calling me to ask what went wrong. Ended up getting the Audi dealership to give me exactly what I wanted...OEM nav/bluetooth/iPod integration. I have to tell you though...now that everyone has access to the information and pricing for every car in town, and around the country for that matter, they have switched gears to trying to really scam you on the financing now. I had the Toyota guy try to sell me on financing at 9.95 % by picking apart my credit report and telling me some dashes in my credit report meant delinquent payments on my old auto loan. They will try to get you to agree to a bs interest rate even though they are really getting your loan at a much better rate. If I would have had the patience, I would have arranged to get my own financing separately, sold my trade at CarMax or private party, and brought those to the table and just negotiated the price of the car. If you can do that, you can control a lot more variables and preclude them from playing games with you. Or better yet, save your money and just pay cash! Edited January 22, 2012 by iamshack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 22, 2012 -> 12:27 PM) Yeah, exactly...I walked out of there two different times and I walked out of a Toyota place and had the owner (who is a semi famous Vegas car dealer, not unlike Bob Roooooohhhrrrmmmaaaannn in Chicago) calling me to ask what went wrong. Ended up getting the Audi dealership to give me exactly what I wanted...OEM nav/bluetooth/iPod integration. I have to tell you though...now that everyone has access to the information and pricing for every car in town, and around the country for that matter, they have switched gears to trying to really scam you on the financing now. I had the Toyota guy try to sell me on financing at 9.95 % by picking apart my credit report and telling me some dashes in my credit report meant delinquent payments on my old auto loan. They will try to get you to agree to a bs interest rate even though they are really getting your loan at a much better rate. If I would have had the patience, I would have arranged to get my own financing separately, sold my trade at CarMax or private party, and brought those to the table and just negotiated the price of the car. If you can do that, you can control a lot more variables and preclude them from playing games with you. Or better yet, save your money and just pay cash! Congratulations! To add, along with the finance rate, extended warranties and any other b.s. they can heap on you. My last couple cars have been through private party sales and I paid cash. Buying from friends can be tricky, but I have some very trustworthy friends and it worked out great. My next vehicle will be bought from one of two Scouting buddies and I have complete confidence the truck will be exactly as they describe it. Plus, I've sat around a campfire and listened to them tell about their vehicles before they were thinking of selling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 22, 2012 -> 12:27 PM) Yeah, exactly...I walked out of there two different times and I walked out of a Toyota place and had the owner (who is a semi famous Vegas car dealer, not unlike Bob Roooooohhhrrrmmmaaaannn in Chicago) calling me to ask what went wrong. Ended up getting the Audi dealership to give me exactly what I wanted...OEM nav/bluetooth/iPod integration. I have to tell you though...now that everyone has access to the information and pricing for every car in town, and around the country for that matter, they have switched gears to trying to really scam you on the financing now. I had the Toyota guy try to sell me on financing at 9.95 % by picking apart my credit report and telling me some dashes in my credit report meant delinquent payments on my old auto loan. They will try to get you to agree to a bs interest rate even though they are really getting your loan at a much better rate. If I would have had the patience, I would have arranged to get my own financing separately, sold my trade at CarMax or private party, and brought those to the table and just negotiated the price of the car. If you can do that, you can control a lot more variables and preclude them from playing games with you. Or better yet, save your money and just pay cash! Having your own financing set up ahead of time is huge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasox24 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 22, 2012 -> 02:20 PM) Having your own financing set up ahead of time is huge I did that with the car I bought last month and it made things so much easier/quicker. I walked in, said I had 2.99% financing which they knew they couldn't match, so we just got right down to business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Just bought a new car myself. Traded in the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid for a 2012 Honda Pilot Touring. Loving it so far. Superior in most every way to the previous car, except on gas mileage (the FEH was great for that). About financing, Honda was running 1.9% when I bought the car, so sometimes the dealership can do better than outside financing. Always check both. And I highly, highly recommend, especially if buying a new car, you check out the site truecar.com. Gives you the ammo to know exactly what prices everyone is paying, where and when and on what trim levels. Got a price that was very close to the bottom of the range, so I am happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonWeltall Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 23, 2012 -> 04:20 PM) Just bought a new car myself. Traded in the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid for a 2012 Honda Pilot Touring. Loving it so far. Superior in most every way to the previous car, except on gas mileage (the FEH was great for that). About financing, Honda was running 1.9% when I bought the car, so sometimes the dealership can do better than outside financing. Always check both. And I highly, highly recommend, especially if buying a new car, you check out the site truecar.com. Gives you the ammo to know exactly what prices everyone is paying, where and when and on what trim levels. Got a price that was very close to the bottom of the range, so I am happy. Just curious: why did you get rid of a car that was only 4 years old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 QUOTE (CrimsonWeltall @ Jan 23, 2012 -> 10:22 AM) Just curious: why did you get rid of a car that was only 4 years old? 1. Expanding family, and the FEH was getting a bit tight, especially for road trips to family, etc. 2. Used cars are getting stupid money on trade-in right now, especially hybrids, so the timing was good 3. New cars and financing are both relatively cheap right now 4. The FEH was also just past its warranty, and needed new tires soon as well, so that also contributed to the decision point thing I typically try to keep new cars a little longer than that, more like 5-6 years, but this just made a lot of sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonWeltall Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 23, 2012 -> 06:48 PM) 1. Expanding family, and the FEH was getting a bit tight, especially for road trips to family, etc. 2. Used cars are getting stupid money on trade-in right now, especially hybrids, so the timing was good 3. New cars and financing are both relatively cheap right now 4. The FEH was also just past its warranty, and needed new tires soon as well, so that also contributed to the decision point thing I typically try to keep new cars a little longer than that, more like 5-6 years, but this just made a lot of sense. Gotcha. I have a 2008 Mazda 3 and it feels like I just got it, so it seemed a little odd to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 QUOTE (CrimsonWeltall @ Jan 23, 2012 -> 11:52 AM) Gotcha. I have a 2008 Mazda 3 and it feels like I just got it, so it seemed a little odd to me Well of course, everyone is different about cars. I know some people who feel the need to get a new (or different used) car every year or two, to get the latest and greatest. Financially that makes little sense, but everyone has places they like to spend their extra money. If it is on newer cars, hey, go for it. For me, I usually go 5-6 years, but I also keep my eyes open for opportunities. Some people like to go 10 or even more. All personal preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 23, 2012 -> 01:04 PM) Well of course, everyone is different about cars. I know some people who feel the need to get a new (or different used) car every year or two, to get the latest and greatest. Financially that makes little sense, but everyone has places they like to spend their extra money. If it is on newer cars, hey, go for it. For me, I usually go 5-6 years, but I also keep my eyes open for opportunities. Some people like to go 10 or even more. All personal preference. I have a perfect record of never trading a car in. They have all either been totaled or the engine blew up and wasn't worth it to fix. We got a new vehicle a year ago finally because our 1997 blew the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwritecode Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 23, 2012 -> 01:07 PM) I have a perfect record of never trading a car in. They have all either been totaled or the engine blew up and wasn't worth it to fix. We got a new vehicle a year ago finally because our 1997 blew the head. I'm the exact same way. I just keep totalling cars. Which really scares me because I need my current car to last another 6 or 7 months. Even then we are probably going to keep it and just pass it down to my daughter who turns 16 this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 23, 2012 -> 01:07 PM) I have a perfect record of never trading a car in. They have all either been totaled or the engine blew up and wasn't worth it to fix. We got a new vehicle a year ago finally because our 1997 blew the head. Interesting. I've never totalled a car. Only drove one into the ground, and that was my first one: 1986 Subaru GL-10. 175k miles, 10 years old, two teenagers learned to drive on it, 5 accidents (most minor), before it finally gave up the ghost. Camshaft shattered into a million pieces which then went flying around the engine block. Lots of black smoke. Mechanic told me I'd need a new block. Told me that would cost $2000 (keep in mind I was in college at the time). When asked how much the car was worth, with the new block, he said, probably a little less than $2000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 23, 2012 -> 01:33 PM) Interesting. I've never totalled a car. Only drove one into the ground, and that was my first one: 1986 Subaru GL-10. 175k miles, 10 years old, two teenagers learned to drive on it, 5 accidents (most minor), before it finally gave up the ghost. Camshaft shattered into a million pieces which then went flying around the engine block. Lots of black smoke. Mechanic told me I'd need a new block. Told me that would cost $2000 (keep in mind I was in college at the time). When asked how much the car was worth, with the new block, he said, probably a little less than $2000. Heck. I had one car I got right after college, I put most of the $ down on up front, and was going to pay the last $1000 only to have someone run a red light and total it while I was on the way to the dealership. The car that replaced that one got totaled six weeks before I got married by a bus driver with a 0.05 BAC after working for 4 hours . That was in 2000. The car we bought then (a used 97) was the one that blew up last December. We bought one new in 2004, which is now my train car. Before those I had a few different cheap after and during college junkers which two ended up blown up, and one got stolen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSteve Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 22, 2012 -> 01:27 PM) Yeah, exactly...I walked out of there two different times and I walked out of a Toyota place and had the owner (who is a semi famous Vegas car dealer, not unlike Bob Roooooohhhrrrmmmaaaannn in Chicago) calling me to ask what went wrong. Ended up getting the Audi dealership to give me exactly what I wanted...OEM nav/bluetooth/iPod integration. I have to tell you though...now that everyone has access to the information and pricing for every car in town, and around the country for that matter, they have switched gears to trying to really scam you on the financing now. I had the Toyota guy try to sell me on financing at 9.95 % by picking apart my credit report and telling me some dashes in my credit report meant delinquent payments on my old auto loan. They will try to get you to agree to a bs interest rate even though they are really getting your loan at a much better rate. If I would have had the patience, I would have arranged to get my own financing separately, sold my trade at CarMax or private party, and brought those to the table and just negotiated the price of the car. If you can do that, you can control a lot more variables and preclude them from playing games with you. Or better yet, save your money and just pay cash! What ultimately made you pick the Audi? I've been kicking around looking at Land Rovers (love the way they look) since I need something that can handle snow in a small town better than a 3 series BMW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamshack Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 QUOTE (SuperSteve @ Jan 24, 2012 -> 08:42 PM) What ultimately made you pick the Audi? I've been kicking around looking at Land Rovers (love the way they look) since I need something that can handle snow in a small town better than a 3 series BMW. Steve, I had an Audi TT previously and loved it to death. The Quattro (AWD) system is incredible. I love their design philosophy as well as their build quality and quality of materials. I feel their cars as are every bit as good as BMW and Mercedes with a better interior design and a lower pricetag. I'm not going to lie, the Range Rover had every gadget and gizmo I could have wanted. That being the case, I feel like whoever designs the interiors of their cars should take a clue from the guy who designs the exteriors. The insides of them feel and look about 10 years behind the exterior styling, in my opinion. Although I will say they do use extremely high quality materials. Additionally, when I drove the RR it was just too heavy. The vehicle I drove had the standard 305 HP engine, which, believe it or not, is not enough for that particular model. It feels underpowered and like you're driving a school bus or something. I knew after sleeping on it that if I were to get an RR it would have to have the Supercharged 400 HP engine. One vehicle I also loved was the Toyota 4-Runner. It wasn't as nice on the interior as the luxury brands, but it was tastefully done and it drove extremely nice. They also retain their value very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwritecode Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 My wife and I have been having a debate for the past couple of weeks. We are planning on getting a new car in the next 1-3 months. My daughter is 15 and just started taking driving lessons. She has to have her permit for a minimum of 9 months so she won't be getting her license until December at the absolute earliest. The car we have now is a 2003 Grand Prix with over 222,000 miles on it. It has a few minor problems but runs pretty good for the most part (knock on wood). The debate we are having is whether or not to keep the old car for her to drive around so we don't have to worry about her getting into an accident with the new car or trading it in and knocking some money off the new car. My wife wants to keep it so our daughter can drive it and there's no chance of her wrecking the new car. I'm looking at all the added costs of keeping it when the only person that will be driving it doesn't even have a license yet since my wife doesn't drive at all. Our insurance will go up, we still have to keep up the maintenance, plus we have to find a place to park it since we only have a single car driveway that's already filled up with 3 other vehicles. We have full coverage on our car now but if when we get the new one, we could drop to liability on the old one to save a little money. The problem with that is if my daughter has a minor accident (say she backs into something and takes out a taillight and cracks the bumper) then we are on the hook for the cost of the entire repair. Also, if the car suddenly needs some major repair (engine blows, transmission goes out) then we might as well junk it and get something else. At least if we trade it in we'll get something out if it. Even if it's only $1000. We do have a suburban that she could drive if she really needed it but my wife thinks its too big for her. I think she'd actually be safer in it. It takes a lot to wreck a suburban. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamshack Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Feb 13, 2012 -> 01:25 PM) My wife and I have been having a debate for the past couple of weeks. We are planning on getting a new car in the next 1-3 months. My daughter is 15 and just started taking driving lessons. She has to have her permit for a minimum of 9 months so she won't be getting her license until December at the absolute earliest. The car we have now is a 2003 Grand Prix with over 222,000 miles on it. It has a few minor problems but runs pretty good for the most part (knock on wood). The debate we are having is whether or not to keep the old car for her to drive around so we don't have to worry about her getting into an accident with the new car or trading it in and knocking some money off the new car. My wife wants to keep it so our daughter can drive it and there's no chance of her wrecking the new car. I'm looking at all the added costs of keeping it when the only person that will be driving it doesn't even have a license yet since my wife doesn't drive at all. Our insurance will go up, we still have to keep up the maintenance, plus we have to find a place to park it since we only have a single car driveway that's already filled up with 3 other vehicles. We have full coverage on our car now but if when we get the new one, we could drop to liability on the old one to save a little money. The problem with that is if my daughter has a minor accident (say she backs into something and takes out a taillight and cracks the bumper) then we are on the hook for the cost of the entire repair. Also, if the car suddenly needs some major repair (engine blows, transmission goes out) then we might as well junk it and get something else. At least if we trade it in we'll get something out if it. Even if it's only $1000. We do have a suburban that she could drive if she really needed it but my wife thinks its too big for her. I think she'd actually be safer in it. It takes a lot to wreck a suburban. What are you looking at buying? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwritecode Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 We are going with the Hyundai Sonata. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Back when I got my license, my dad had a crappy old car that he put my name on as a driver, and I actually drove that fora about 6 months. After that, he decided to sell that car, and he found that his insurance premium went up a ton. Turned out that I'd moved from being a full time driver on the car with almost no value to being a part time driver on one of the more expensive newer cars, and that was enough to increase the insurance he was paying by a lot. Don't remember the actual number but it was in the hundreds. You're probably not going to get a whole lot on a trade for a 222,000 mile car, right? But even if your daughter doesn't technically drive that car much, if you can have her name on it for the purposes of insurance, that might be worth more to you than the value of the trade on the car over the course of the next couple years. Thus, keeping it might well make you more money than selling it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I'd definitely drop it to liability only because full coverage for teens can be incredibly expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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