So, I've had my car for 2 and a half years. I bought it while I was in the middle of school, basically just to get me through school. When I bought it, it had 96K miles on it (supposedly it was a business car before..), and now, it is about to go over 121K. It's a 2004 Ford Focus. Anyways, I recently put about 400 bucks of work into it, and now, three weeks later, I have an oil leak. So, I think before it's too late, I'm going to try and trade this car in and get a new one (or a slightly used one). I still owe on the Focus, but I'm hoping I can find a trade in value that will pay off what I own. What I want: I'm looking to spend 10 to 12 thousand dollars at most. I don't need something that is the top of the line car. I would like something decent, but I don't need an Escalade. I live outside of Buffalo, New York, so I would like an All-Wheel Drive. I would also like for it to be, a 2005 or newer. My question to you, Clutchfans, is who has some of the best deals going? I hear that Kia and Hyundai have some great deals going. I also know that the Jeep dealer near me is one of the Chrysler places that were told to close down, so I think I might be able to get a deal on a Jeep. My dad says that if they don't cover what I owe with my trade-in, I can tack what's left on to the end of my loan. Anyone have experience with this? Would it hurt my credit? And last but not least, what is your recommendation? (I'm posting this as I'm cruising some local dealers' websites...)
You are going to get more by just selling it yourself rather than trading it in. They will prolly give you bag a chips for it.
Do you need a new car? I bought an '06 Volvo S80 with every option you can think of a year ago, and I haven't had a problem at all. One of Blue Book's most dependable cars. Paid $18, also.
Thanks. It'll probably be a difference of 1,000 dollars or so. I may just pay that off. Or, I'm due a 1,500 dollar bonus from work in a month. I may either use that to pay the difference, or wait a month until I buy.
I realize that I'm not being totally realistic. I'm looking now, for something between 10 and 20 grand. I would rather spend something more like 15. I'm trying to get a deal on a new Kia Sportage. I test drove the car, and it is a pretty good fit for what I want. Only problem is that the one I test drove was a 2008 with AWD (which is what I want) and 40,000 miles. They wanted about 15 K for it. Said my payments would be about 200 dollars a month. I told them I would call them back about it. Now that I waited, I realize they're crazy. I can get a new one, pretty loaded, for about 19K. So, for 4,000 more dollars, I'll get a much better interest rate (including a probably 0% for 4 years), a very nice warranty (6 years/100,000 miles), and a more worry-free car. So, therefore, when I call them back, I will tell them all this. The only way they will even pique my interest is if they bring the car down to around 10 or 12,000. This will more than likely not happen, so, I think they lost their chance. So, my new question: Anyone have any experience with Kias in general? How about Sportages? The warranty is nice, and they seem like good cars.
i think you can get a way better car that's used than the Kia, but if your looking for a new car the price on the Kia is good, but i dunno how reliable Kia's are.. heres a list of cars that are similar to the Sportage http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/Affordable-Compact-SUVs/ Sportage is #11... I would also look at the Subaru Forester
I would avoid Kia if I could. They have a history of being poorly built vehicles. They've improved since Hyundai took them over, but man did they build some junk. I'd buy something like a used Honda or Toyota before a new Kia. *EDIT* : Oh, and you mentioned their warranties. I had a co-worker who bought a Kia. She bragged about the warranty. The problem was, there were so many problems and issues with her car, it didn't matter. It got to be a pain. We all went in her car to lunch and her bumper was falling off... we had to manually pin it back into place. She said it had happened before, but she had gotten it fixed. Whenever she went in for warranty work, they always made it out to be "not covered under warranty" until she b****ed about it and then it would take days for her to get the car back.
Thanks for posting that link. I love the looks of the new Jeeps, but they're still building crappy crap! Crap!
I wouldn't buy new due to depreciation factor as soon as you drive it off the lot. There are alot of good used cars on sale recently due to repossessions due to bad economy. I would suggest getting a used Lexus for anywhere between 10-12 grand. You can literally drive those to about 175K miles with no problem. Its the most reliable car on the road.
I just read an article the other day off of MSN talking about if you find one of the dealerships that are closing down then you can get significant mark downs on new vehicles. They even had a pdf with a list off all the Chrysler shut downs. They said some people were getting as much as half off. How true that is I don't know, but if I was looking for a new vehicle right now it's be worth it to research it imo.
I think I've decided that on Tuesday, I'm going to buy a Suzuki Sx4 Crossover. This car sounds like exactly what I want. It's a crossover (much like the Saturn VUE or Toyota Matrix...although it looks a bit like a mini cooper) that is billed as America's cheapest AWD vehicle(A local dealer is offering them for 13,995 brand new). On top of that, it comes standard with a ton of little nuggets. You actually get an in dash Garmin standard on this car. The best thing about it, is that I haven't seen a bad review yet, the warranty is absolutely great (7 year/100,000 mile powertrain...and I think three year/36,000 mile bumper to bumper that is transferable). It sounds perfect. One of many glowing reviews... Please, tell me why I should not buy this car...other than it's a Suzuki and they don't make very many...
Well... Suzuki reliability has been pretty much terrible in the recent past. The 2009 JD Power VDS study covers cars from 2006 and well... Suzuki is at the bottom : http://www.autonews.com/assets/PDF/CA60525318.PDF Reviews don't tell you what issues the car is having. Read Suzuki forums. Magazine and auto site reviews are based upon people usually driving the car for a day or two. On forums you'll find reviews or complaints from people driving the car for hundreds and thousands of miles.
Thanks for the links. I see nothing bad in a thread someone posted about its reliability. I see no other issues on those forums. In fact, someone pointed out that Consumer Reports Automobile Annual issue showed the repair record for this car was much better or better across the board in all categories than its competitors. Problem is, they haven't been around for very long to know how they start acting at 100,000 miles. With the warranty, though, I'm not too worried. If it drives as well as reported, and I'm approved (which I see no reason why I wouldn't be, other than not enough credit established...but I should have enough), it will be hard for me not to go for it. I think I fit the criteria of exactly who they're targeting with this car.
what a coincidence, ive been looking to get the sx4 crossover too. crappy thing is that the ones sold where i am, malaysia, only has the 2WD version to 'improve engine efficiency n mileage'. oh and for the price im paying for here, its about more than 23-24K USD
I'd still get a used Honda or something, but if you're set on getting it, you're set on getting it...
