I will add the more i'm researching and asking around i'm thinking AWD isn't as important for me. though i have read the subaru legacies are nice and AWD comes standard EDIT: also haven't seen much about the buy vs lease debated. anyone? i mean i get people have different needs and what not. my thought process going into this...at least...is that i'd like to get a car and hopefully just make it last years and years before having to get another one (hence i asked about the durable brands) from what i understand, leasing means i'll be tied into probably a 3-5 year deal, in which case once that time is up i return the car and the process of getting another car starts over ie: buy the car outright (which is a bad deal if what i read was right, or return and look for another car. the upside is usually your monthly payments will be much lower if i leased. so obviously it depends on an individuals situation.. still...is there a predominant thought on that? just simple as if you plan on keeping the car for awhile buy...afraid you may want something, frequently lease?
So true, that first year hit isn't worth it, especially if you find a lightly used one. I'll even go 2 (depending). But regardless this is solid advice.
1. Visit truecar.com 2. Secure 'certified dealer price' 3. Do it for multiple participating dealers 4. Initiate an bidding war (Internet sales) 5. Profit
If you want a crossover, consider getting a 2011ish V6 rav4. They stopped making it but the V6 rav4 was an underrated beast and Toyota is by far the most reliable car maker out there. 0-60 under 6 seconds, faster than a lot of brand new supposedly quick luxury crossovers out now. I've driven Toyota, Honda (Acura), various American makes and vw/ audi. Toyota is even more reliable than Honda and has less squeaks and rattles.
I have heard good things about using Costco to buy the car. http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2015/08/why-you-should-buy-your-next-car-at-costco.html
Don't be afraid to walk away, may it be to used for your advantage, or to trust your gut. If you walk away and they have your contact info they WILL call you to get you back in there. If they want to sell the car. If you feel like you are being pressured into something your gut is telling you to walk away, LISTEN TO GUT. Remember, no matter how much they try to pressure you, or try to make you feel like they are in control, YOU ARE THE ONE WITH THE MONEY. You're always in control with your own finances. They will pull the "hot car" "come on I can see you in this" "We have lots of offers for this car" etc. Remember, they are trying to sell you a car. They don't want to be friends, and if people were lining up to buy the car it would have been gone. If it feels that overwhelming, I would bring a trusted friend with experience in buying cars. They can be a voice of reason.
Find a car and email the through the board the vin and I'll tell you what to pay. I always offer this to cf members. ANd if you do want a jeep, def email me. My sister owns 2 jeep/dodge dealerships in houston.
I've always been against leasing and I fully understand why everyone thinks it's a horrible idea and how it's no different than throwing money out the window. With that being said, I've leased my last two cars and couldn't be happier with my decision. Depending on the type of car and how many miles you drive, leasing actually makes the most sense for a select few. I'm not here to try to justify anything or start a debate, but I somehow ended up with positive equity in my last lease that enabled me to now spend $395 a month without putting anything down to drive a brand new 5 Series that's under full warranty and comes with free maintenance. BMW is notorious for subsidizing their leases by inflating the residuals so you pay less each month under a lease agreement. I couldn't pass up that deal considering I'd pay double that with about $10k down to finance a 2 year old used Japanese car for the next 4 years. Even after owning it, I wasn't dead set on driving it for the next 5-6 years. I also got rear ended in my prior lease 2 years ago and it didn't bother me one bit because I didn't own the car. My only obligation was to repair it and simply return the car at the end of the lease as usual without any repercussions. I settled with their insurance company for $8k which included diminished value on a newer car that I got to pocket. That's a nice little bonus I wouldn't have gotten if I owned a used car that was worth less. This is actually a huge benefit you don't really see people arguing for when it comes to leasing. Also, with how fast technology in cars are changing these days, I can't think of any car besides Tesla that's worth owning. I did put a deposit down for the Model 3 and I still plan on owning one eventually, but for right now I'm satisfied with leasing. If you're 100% content with whatever car you want to purchase and your intent is to drive it until it breaks down, I wouldn't waste any additional time thinking of leasing. But from the sounds of it, it's possible it might be right for you. Good luck!
I didn't read through the thread because I'm on my way to work, but do not let the dealership hustle you in their little financing office. Make sure you know about all those little extras that they try to tag on.....this sort of warranty, that sort of warranty, Lo Jack, blah blah blah. You could walk out of that office "feeling like you've been f***ed by a train" (the Warden to Andy Dufresne, "Shawshank Redemption").
How do you guys feel about extended warranties? I always buy them for the piece of mind but never end up actually using them. Just wondering if it's really worth it?
On leasing vs. buying... I think the key to that is how you want to handle things going forward. If you plan to drive a car for a few years, and then trade it in for a new one, then leasing could be for you. But, if you want to drive a car for a decade or more... then after it's paid off, you're monthly payment is zero. All you have to deal with then is maintenance and repairs. If you do that for several years, you'll save a lot of money - if you take care of it and it doesn't break down much. If you're leasing, you'll always have a newer car with fewer maintenance concerns, but you'll still be paying for it.
I've heard don't buy it on the spot. Wait until your standard warranty is nearly up. Dealers will call to offer you the extended warranty at a reduced price. You can also negotiate with other dealers, including out-of-state, for better pricing since the warranty company is typically the same.
This is true. OP mentioned AWD Subaru Legacy's. We have an Outback, which is on the same platform (they literally share the same enginges, dash, lights, etc. They're great cars. The outback is my wife's car, and I drive a 2008 Honda Fit (no car note and nothing wrong with it, so I can't bring myself to "upgrade" and get into a note), but if anything happened to my car, that would probably be the route I take. Subaru Owners swear on the dependability.
Yeah, I don't think the math ever makes sense to lease. If you want to pay more money for peace of mind and less liability, go for it. Maybe I am wrong but I can't imagine a scenario where you'd come out ahead leasing, save for maybe if you were definitely only going to need a car for say a year or less (such as moving somewhere temporarily for work, etc). The dealers are always going to lease the car at a higher rate (or put in added costs/stipulations for early trade in and/or mileage restrictions) than the vehicle depreciates. Otherwise they wouldn't make money. So in the example of $295/mo lease I read in this thread, let's say over 3 years, that's $10,620. I guarantee you that car will depreciate for less than that, according to the mileage restrictions given, over that time. Meaning you could have purchased the car and have lost less in total value than that $10k.
To add to this, don't be swayed by the quoted repair costs and "savings" in the future when the car breaks down. If the car is common enough, parts and service can be done at a fraction price at a non-dealer location.
Don't buy them if the car has manufacturer warranty. This also really depends on what you're buying... http://jalopnik.com/you-cant-get-a-cheap-carmax-range-rover-warranty-anymor-1655587419 I don't buy them on anything, and I've saved a lot, obviously though... if I was buying a luxury car w/ horrible maintenance stories then I'd probably change my mind.
When I bought my car, 1) Purchased a subscription to consumer reports for a year. They're naggy with the donation offers, but it's well worth the money beyond cars. Otherwise check out kbb, edmunds, caranddriver for research. 2) Go on truecar and start finding offers by local dealers. I would direct all inquiries to a fake email account. Compare both new (2016-17) and used cars. Craigslist will reveal some info on the resale market.. 3) Follow the advice of the others on this thread...Secure a lender and get Carmax appraisal before buying to use as leverage. *) If you consider buying through a private owner, do a vin check on both carfax and the other one. You don't need to buy an account. There are people online who do it at a discount. Some car dealers even provide a carfax for their preowned. For those into credit card points, I was able to dump at most 2,500 onto a credit card as part of the down payment. Never be afraid to walk away. When I bought my first car, I almost bought a car I didn't want because of pressure tactics and the test drive. I only walked away because another saleman tried to tack on warranty fees and claimed the car broke down a lot even if it was certified pre-owned. So I said **** it, and left all that paper work for them to unravel because I didn't sign anything. Don't get into that position by test driving cars and telling them you're only driving beforehand (you might even get giftcards just for doing it), and then show up again when you finally make your decision. I wasn't thinking about buying a new Sonata hybrid, but I saved 6 grand below MSRP because of truecar and it was the best value. I was looking at things like used coupes, convertables, midsize luxury sedans. Keep in mind that different models across different classes have their own edges. Things you know about car brands might not apply to trucks. Or trucks to minivans. That's where the Consumer Reports comes in handy. It's like 35 bucks for a years worth of new products and rankings, plus a nice book to compare with if you ever move out and need to buy a lot of appliances.
