janeliz
Drama Llama
I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
Posts: 5,641
Jun 26, 2014 14:35:07 GMT
|
Post by janeliz on Aug 21, 2020 18:59:17 GMT
It’s time for a new vehicle for our family, and this is always a stressful time because my husband and I have very different purchasing styles. I don’t mind if it’s a few years old, but I want a warranty and I’m not opposed to financing if need be. I’m more comfortable dealing with a dealership or an auto buying service. I research, make a decision, and make a purchase. As long as I like my car, I’ll drive it for several years. My husband is mistrustful of dealerships and is convinced they’re all ripping him off. He wants a used vehicle and he wants to pay cash. He needs an SUV or a truck due to his job, but he has no preferences other than that. His disinterest in the process usually means he procrastinates and takes forever to find something. Once he does take the plunge, he will drive it until the wheels fall off. I seriously had to look at who posted this. This is exactly what happened with my sister and her new husband YESTERDAY!! She called me freaking out because they are expecting a baby and his car is now a piece of junk and won't even last until the baby gets here next year! They are exactly you and your husband! Her ex-husband is the one who would go buy something on his lunch break because he saw it and liked it while he was getting Carrabba's! Hahaha! It can be really frustrating! It’s like he thinks the perfect deal will appear if he just sits and waits long enough.
|
|
janeliz
Drama Llama
I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
Posts: 5,641
Jun 26, 2014 14:35:07 GMT
|
Post by janeliz on Aug 21, 2020 19:01:52 GMT
The last time that I bought a car my daughter was going to the dealer to buy a new one and I told her to pick one up for me too, in black, while she was there. I like your style. 👍
|
|
|
Post by anniefb on Aug 21, 2020 22:23:11 GMT
New from a dealer and then keep long term. I don't finance but save and buy outright. My current car is coming up 11 years old and I'll probably replace it in a year or two.
|
|
|
Post by Zee on Aug 21, 2020 22:32:12 GMT
I'm the one that waltzes into the dealership, takes a test drive, and buys it. I don't want to haggle and I don't want to talk about it and I don't need to sleep on it, if I like the test drive
But I tend to keep my cars for several years so it's not a regular thing.
|
|
SabrinaP
Pearl Clutcher
Busy Teacher Pea
Posts: 4,408
Location: Dallas Texas
Jun 26, 2014 12:16:22 GMT
|
Post by SabrinaP on Aug 21, 2020 22:32:54 GMT
New vehicle. Finance for as low a rate as we can find and then drive it until the wheels fall of. My last car was 15 years old before we got a new one. I love driving a paid off car.
We are also not afraid to walk away. Dealerships count on customers not wanting to “walk away” because you’ve wasted so much time there. We always stretch out the buying over several days and they usually come chase us.
Also end of the month and winter months are way better times to buy a car. I worked in a dealership through high school and college.
|
|
|
Post by AussieMeg on Aug 22, 2020 0:48:41 GMT
My last two cars (both Toyotas) were bought from a big auto auction place, and were both ex-Government fleet cars, 2 years old. The car before that was also a Toyota, and was an ex-demo model. My mum worked for Toyota at the time so I got a good deal on it. I've had my current car for 9 years, and the one before that for about 14 years. I will probably buy my next car at auction as well, once I've driven this one into the ground.
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Aug 22, 2020 1:20:00 GMT
We used to be ‘drive the wheels off’ people but now we’re not. There is a certain point in a vehicle’s lifespan where the value just drops right off a cliff and it isn’t worth anything. By that point, it feels like you are dumping in a few hundred here and a couple hundred there when things go wrong and since it’s out of warranty you end up just paying the price to keep rolling.
We figure there is an inherent annual cost to driving any vehicle whether it’s brand new or a rusty bucket, so for peace of mind we buy new with the warranty, hang onto it for a few years and then sell it while it still has some value that can be put toward the next one. Because the interest rates right now are so much lower for a new vehicle compared to a used one, we end up being money ahead by leaving the money in our investments, taking out the loan and using their money. We turn down all the extra add ons (other than the Weather Tech floor mats, because all the snow and salt in the winter makes a mess in the car) that they try to hard sell you at the end and just tell them we don’t plan on keeping the car that long. If the rates were considerably higher we probably would be more inclined to pay cash.
ETA: I ended up with the car I have now because I took its predecessor in for an oil change ($70), it needed new tires ($900), the license tabs were expiring ($400) and one of the sensors was acting up and the warranty was up and it would cost another $150 just to hook it up to the computer to see if there was actually something wrong with it. By the time we would have paid for all that, it would have been like three payments toward a brand new one off the lot, so that was what we did.
|
|
|
Post by freecharlie on Aug 22, 2020 1:37:04 GMT
We usually buy from a dealer. Dh's truck came from a neighbor. It was the neighbors work truck and the company was upgrading and allowed employees to buy their vehicle.
We knew it had been taken care of and was in good condition and was much cheaper than any f150 we were going to find.
|
|
|
Post by huskermom98 on Aug 22, 2020 1:41:01 GMT
We buy used and drive for as long as possible. DH tends to have bad luck with cars so he's had a couple more than me since we got married.
How we buy depends on why we are buying. With my van, I watched cars.com and waited until I found the exact Odyssey that I wanted--ended up taking 5 years, but in that time we saved up a lot for it. Six weeks after I got the van DH was in an accident with my old car and it was totaled. We bought a cheap old car hoping it would get us through the lifespan of the van's loan, but it died before we paid the van off. So then we had to look quick and take what we could find, but he had somewhat of an idea of what he wanted. When we bought DS's car this summer it was pure torture because he had no idea what he wanted because he had only driven 3 cars in his life (my van, DH's CRV, and a sedan at drivers ed). So one day I finally took him out to look at some cars that DH & I liked. Since he is 15 he technically couldn't test drive any of them, but he was right there in the front seat with me. I don't know why, but it surprised me that he wanted a sedan more than a small SUV, so we ended up with an Altima.
I'm to the point where I'd like to replace my van (it's almost 12 years old) but I don't know what I'll want. I won't need a van any more, but I think I like being tall like in my van versus short like in DS's Altima...it's like laying on the road!
|
|
|
Post by librarylady on Aug 22, 2020 2:30:15 GMT
The credit union to which we belong has a no hassle price set with several dealerships. We usually go with that. My DH wants to only purchase Ford vehicles, so...........
We keep a car for years, but now that we are retired we are not driving as much. My 2010 Fusion only has 70,000 miles on it. I love that car and will probably keep it at least 5 more years.
|
|
|
Post by Butterfly Momma on Aug 22, 2020 4:56:05 GMT
I drive my cars for years. I'm 40, bought my first car when I was 23 and have only owned 2 vehicles before the 2 that I currently own.
Vehicle #1 - knew I was looking for a smaller car, test drove every possibility in the size class I was interested in. Bought a Corolla, new from the dealer, financed and negotiated myself. Kept for 17 years.
Vehicle #2 - my husband's boss was dating a woman going through a divorce. The Grand Caravan was the sticking point in the divorce and my dh's boss just wanted it done with. Offered us the van for about 40% less than appraised value, for cash. We needed a larger vehicle than my husband's Corolla (yes, we were meant to be. We both bought corollas just prior to meeting). Bought it sight unseen. Literally. Kept for 5 years.
Vehicle #3 - realized close to the beginning of covid shutdowns that vehicle #1 was on its last legs. Bought a new Corolla, from the dealer, sight unseen and completely through email, texts and phone calls. Negotiated excellent deal.
Vehicle #4 - my husband decided since we had such good luck buying vehicle #3, coupled with the fact that the van's (vehicle #2) transmission was starting to go, we should also replace it. I knew I was stuck with a van for the next vehicle, because of family needs, and that I wanted a Toyota. Contacted the salesperson from vehicle #3, negotiated a deal and bought a new one.
Interestingly enough, I bought vehicle #1 in the midst of a divorce, vehicle #2 in the midst of infant losses and vehicles #3 & 4 during covid shut downs. I told my husband that I would be perfectly happy if the next vehicle was bought during a totally boring, calm period of my life 🙂
|
|
|
Post by chaosisapony on Aug 22, 2020 5:03:57 GMT
I generally know the car I want to buy and I have always bought new. I go to the dealership and test drive it. Ask any questions I might have about the car. If all is good I start negotiating the trade in on my current car and arrange the financing with my credit union.
Luckily for me I have not needed to buy a car in 13 years. My 2007 Yaris has been rock solid and it's so easy to take care of. So while I want a Rav 4 super bad, I just don't want to pay for a new car. I love not having a car payment and not having to stress over keeping a new car looking super nice. When the time comes for me to get the Rav 4 I'll likely buy a model that's a couple years old but that still has a good warranty. Cars are much more expensive these days and I don't want the payment that comes with a new car at those prices.
|
|
|
Post by Patter on Aug 22, 2020 10:45:44 GMT
I love buying cars. I go in knowing what I want and what I will pay, and I walk out if I don't like it. In fact, this week, DD#3 (by a minute) wanted to look at cars. She said "Mom, will you go with me? You are so much better than dad." LOL! The girls have seen me do it several times over the years, and I think they like my style. I have never used USAA buying services but DD#3 is looking at using them.
|
|