ok I might have been asking for some advice on a few things alot lately but this shall be my last anyways, im looking to buy a new car soon, probably sometime late feb - early march. i want to see what kind of advice everyone has to offer on car makes and such. best car/car make looking for best gas mileage? best car/car make looking for safest? best car/car make looking for most dependable (wont break)? best car/car make looking for lowest insurance? is $2,500 a good range for a down payment? again, if there is anything else you can add that will help, go for it. thanks again in advance.
How much for down payment depends on the interest rate. If you are getting something like 2.9% or even 3.9% and you can make 5% plus in the CD or money market or bond, you want to put down as little as possible.
Consumer Reports has a Car edition, get it. With few exceptions buy a Toyota or Honda and you will be fine. Buick and Cadilliac are decent GM cars. Ford Fusion is getting good reviews. Mazda is not bad. Take a look at Nissan, but mainly go by Consumer Reports, excellent stuff. Follow the red dots. Incidently, do your own financing, your bank. When a dealer asks, "how much do you want to pay a month," ignore the question. Best buy, besides a friend taking you to an auction, is a 2 yr old vehicle with under 30K miles. It still has warranty, and some poor sap has paid a huge amount of depreciation. Sometimes you can buy such a car for 50% of the orginal selling price, I have.
Just to be helpful - you should consider the Mazda 3. It's incredibly cheap and falls into all your category. It's known to be the best bang for your buck (all around aspect) for under 18K. Are you looking for 2 or 4 door? Maybe a Honda Civic or Scion tC. Just some suggestion... Honda Civic Scion tC Mazda 3 or Mazda 6 Toyota Camry Just a few.
Well, the automobile market is sort of vast so...do you have a specific segment or type of vehicle in mind (e.g. midsize sedans, small/large trucks, roadsters, small/midsized/large SUVs, crossovers, etc)? What about price range? Personal preferences (fuel consumption, power, looks, etc)?
I have one and it has been great so far. I bought a used 2004 model with 15000 miles for about 12k. Definitely recommend this one.
im not so picky as long as its a good buy and all around good car. my gf on the other hand can be a little more picky. shes really been eyeing the new mustangs and recently, the new eclipse. im trying to put a little more thought into it and not just go for what looks nice... again thanks for the suggestions. oh and btw, for her, the radio controls on the steering wheel are a must.
