Owning your first car in the U.S.

[Clownies 2]

Hello all,

After more than 3 years in the States, i decided to start investigating purchasing a car. Even tho I'm not sure how to pay for it .

Would anybody be so kind to share his/her experience with buying his/her first car here?

I'm thinking of going for an used car. I've read a lot about it already, and i just wished there was a magic ball telling me which salesman/vendor/dealer is honest, if there is such thing!

I have a harder time tho with finding some good info re: car insurance. I checked a few websites, and the only way I can get an idea of the costs, is by requesting a quote. And for that I need to give them all my info, which i don't want to do at this time. Besides, i don't have a car yet, so what would they be quoting on?

Anyway, I know there are a lot of unknowns, but basically what I'm looking for is to have an idea of how much insurance costs per month.

I'm also wonder how the process works. How can you have the car checked by an independent mechanic? You take it for a test drive, and go to the mechanic's shop, or what?

All stories welcome

[trailmix 77]

Hi,

We did buy a used vehicle in June.

We decided to go with a car dealer. Here is our experience (this is in Florida)

- Took the vehicle for a couple of test drives.

- Negotiated a price. Now they did reduce the price a bit, for that reduction we had to forgo the 6 month warranty they were offering originally.

- They registered the vehicle for us, we paid them for it when we picked the registration up.

- Check the vehicle Carfax report - sometimes a dealer will offer to get you the full report at no cost to you - worth asking for, however it only covers things that are reported - so don't rely on it to say the vehicle is ok to purchase.

They had done an inspection on the vehicle and were happy to share that information with us. We organized to pick it up and take it for an independant inspection. I think it is a wise idea. Just let them know up front that before you buy any vehicle you are going to have an independant inspection.

That all checked out - we bought the vehicle.

As for insurance, we transferred it when we got the new truck - however I hear what you are saying. What I did, when I was shopping around for insurance was to call a few agencies and say - we are thinking of buying a - whatever - can you give me an estimate of what the insurance will be on that. I want x coverage - I know there are other factors but if you can give me a rough estimate it will help me decide whether I want to even buy that truck.

I really only called Geico and Allstate - for us Allstate was about 1/3 cheaper - so we went with them.

My personal advice - no matter how good the deal - walk away from it and think about it - at least - overnight.

Good luck

Edited October 29, 2009 by trailmix

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Also you get can get a pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic -costs are roughly 200 here in the Bay Area....your area may be cheaper. Its worth doing the quotes ahead of getting a car because the rates change drastically based on the cars your looking at even if they appear to be similar on paper.

When I bought my last car I was between a Subaru, Toyota, and a Mitsubishi Lancer....surprisingly the lancer was cheapest to ensure despite engine size being larger etc.

Edited October 29, 2009 by Sousuke

[Clownies 2]

Also you get can get a pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic -costs are roughly 200 here in the Bay Area....your area may be cheaper. Its worth doing the quotes ahead of getting a car because the rates change drastically based on the cars your looking at even if they appear to be similar on paper.

When I bought my last car I was between a Subaru, Toyota, and a Mitsubishi Lancer....surprisingly the lancer was cheapest to ensure despite engine size being larger etc.

"My area" is the same as "your area" .

200 bucks for an inspection? Yikes

So where did you buy your car, if i may ask? Do you feel they treated you fairly and were honest about the car?

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Actually I ended up buy new and it was an out of state car. If your buying something worth more then say 3 - 4,000 I think the 200 is worth it. What car are you thinking about?

Edited October 29, 2009 by Sousuke

[Clownies 2]

Actually I ended up buy new and it was an out of state car. If your buying something worth more then say 3 - 4,000 I think the 200 is worth it. What car are you thinking about?

i'm hoping for a toyota, but i'll settle for anything that has good used car reviews.

Another thing that worries me, the insurance wil look at my driving record. I've driven a car for 20 years now, but only had a US licence for the past 3, and i'm afraid they will charge me a lot because they will base their decision on those 3 years only.

[kaus&Sanu 0]

Hi,

We did buy a used vehicle in June.

We decided to go with a car dealer. Here is our experience (this is in Florida)

- Took the vehicle for a couple of test drives.

- Negotiated a price. Now they did reduce the price a bit, for that reduction we had to forgo the 6 month warranty they were offering originally.

- They registered the vehicle for us, we paid them for it when we picked the registration up.

- Check the vehicle Carfax report - sometimes a dealer will offer to get you the full report at no cost to you - worth asking for, however it only covers things that are reported - so don't rely on it to say the vehicle is ok to purchase.

They had done an inspection on the vehicle and were happy to share that information with us. We organized to pick it up and take it for an independant inspection. I think it is a wise idea. Just let them know up front that before you buy any vehicle you are going to have an independant inspection.

That all checked out - we bought the vehicle.

As for insurance, we transferred it when we got the new truck - however I hear what you are saying. What I did, when I was shopping around for insurance was to call a few agencies and say - we are thinking of buying a - whatever - can you give me an estimate of what the insurance will be on that. I want x coverage - I know there are other factors but if you can give me a rough estimate it will help me decide whether I want to even buy that truck.

I really only called Geico and Allstate - for us Allstate was about 1/3 cheaper - so we went with them.

My personal advice - no matter how good the deal - walk away from it and think about it - at least - overnight.

Good luck

Dont trust carfax. I can site many instances where i've gone out to look at cars with clean carfax reports and they werent.

Go to

www.kbb.com, and www.thinkbank.com click on auto loans and they have a good tool there as well.. the blackbook.. and it will also give you your interested cars actual worth.

it's easy to look over a car, do some research. I'll post more pointers once i get some time at work.

[trailmix 77]

Yes, that is why I also said - don't base your decision on a carfax report. It is simply a tool - a person needs to use all avenues available, including an inspection, before purchasing a vehicle.

Oh and one other thing to check, if you jot down the VIN number of the vehicle you might buy - many car manufacturers have a system on their website whereby you can look up your vehicle by VIN number to see if there are any outstanding recalls on it.

While recalls are not that uncommon, you will be able to see if the vehicle is up to date and that may reflect on how well the vehicle has been taken care of.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

3 Years is pretty good actually...that is often the first milestone to lower rates (and then 5). With my wife I was able to put her on the car (we only have one at the moment...ie we walk to work or use public transportation) and she's listed as 10% use which keeps the rates low.

Edited October 30, 2009 by Sousuke

[Malrothien 6]

Hi,

We did buy a used vehicle in June.

We decided to go with a car dealer. Here is our experience (this is in Florida)

- Took the vehicle for a couple of test drives.

- Negotiated a price. Now they did reduce the price a bit, for that reduction we had to forgo the 6 month warranty they were offering originally.

- They registered the vehicle for us, we paid them for it when we picked the registration up.

- Check the vehicle Carfax report - sometimes a dealer will offer to get you the full report at no cost to you - worth asking for, however it only covers things that are reported - so don't rely on it to say the vehicle is ok to purchase.

They had done an inspection on the vehicle and were happy to share that information with us. We organized to pick it up and take it for an independant inspection. I think it is a wise idea. Just let them know up front that before you buy any vehicle you are going to have an independant inspection.

That all checked out - we bought the vehicle.

As for insurance, we transferred it when we got the new truck - however I hear what you are saying. What I did, when I was shopping around for insurance was to call a few agencies and say - we are thinking of buying a - whatever - can you give me an estimate of what the insurance will be on that. I want x coverage - I know there are other factors but if you can give me a rough estimate it will help me decide whether I want to even buy that truck.

I really only called Geico and Allstate - for us Allstate was about 1/3 cheaper - so we went with them.

My personal advice - no matter how good the deal - walk away from it and think about it - at least - overnight.

Good luck

Dont trust carfax. I can site many instances where i've gone out to look at cars with clean carfax reports and they werent.

Go to

www.kbb.com, and www.thinkbank.com click on auto loans and they have a good tool there as well.. the blackbook.. and it will also give you your interested cars actual worth.

it's easy to look over a car, do some research. I'll post more pointers once i get some time at work.

Carfax is reliable - it's the people who fail to report who are not.

[Clownies 2]

3 Years is pretty good actually...that is often the first milestone to lower rates (and then 5). With my wife I was able to put her on the car (we only have one at the moment...ie we walk to work or use public transportation) and she's listed as 10% use which keeps the rates low.

That's interesting, thanks for the tip!

Gosh I miss my Peugeot!

[justashooter 430]

the kelly blue book website gives you fair price estimates, but they are a little high (10-20%). some states require an inspection at point of title. some require it annually. any inspection mechanic can look at a potential purchase and tell you what is wrong for $50 (in penna).

stay away from the euro imports. they are expensive to repair and overpriced. stay away form the jap imports. they are overpriced. both types are expensive to insure. stay away form any car with over 120K miles. they are prone to failure. look at buying a car in terms of how much it will cost you to drive, per mile, till you replace it. add price, expected repairs, and insurance. divide by number of miles you expect to get.

your best bet is an older low mileage gas guzzler. the difference in price will pay for the difference in mileage if you drive less than 50K before replacing it, and you will be much safer in a full sized car than in a compact. then there is the comfort issue. i bought a recent cadillac with 40K miles on it for my wife for 20% of it's new car price. she is very happy, and very safe, and gets an average of 24 MPG.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

3 Years is pretty good actually...that is often the first milestone to lower rates (and then 5). With my wife I was able to put her on the car (we only have one at the moment...ie we walk to work or use public transportation) and she's listed as 10% use which keeps the rates low.

That's interesting, thanks for the tip!

Gosh I miss my Peugeot!

Peugeot 206? I'm trying to think of similar autos over here...

Lets see you could get a Subaru Impreza (go a for an older model)...they are awesome and reliable cars.

Anything built by Honda be it a civic or accord.

Avoid VW, but you probably already know that....

Domestic? Actually Ford focuses/fusions if they are fairly new are okay.

The problem I have with a lot of domestics is that their steering is unresponsive and very light....its like your playing a video while driving...

I had an Opel once...very sad when I had to leave it in Euroland....

Edited October 30, 2009 by Sousuke

[yogib37 3]

3 Years is pretty good actually...that is often the first milestone to lower rates (and then 5). With my wife I was able to put her on the car (we only have one at the moment...ie we walk to work or use public transportation) and she's listed as 10% use which keeps the rates low.

That's interesting, thanks for the tip!

Gosh I miss my Peugeot!

Peugeot 206? I'm trying to think of similar autos over here...

Lets see you could get a Subaru Impreza (go a for an older model)...they are awesome and reliable cars.

Anything built by Honda be it a civic or accord.

Avoid VW, but you probably already know that....

Domestic? Actually Ford focuses/fusions if they are fairly new are okay.

The problem I have with a lot of domestics is that their steering is unresponsive and very light....its like your playing a video while driving...

I had an Opel once...very sad when I had to leave it in Euroland....

What is wrong with VW? I am on my third one, I traded my first one in for the SUV ( Biggest mistake of my life) I decided to seel the suv because it was too much of a drain. I did not have any problem with that one. The first VW I had I never had a problem. The 3rd one is good still I had no problems with that one. just keep up the maintenance and you will be ok.

SO I do not see anything wrong with VW

[kaffy 2]

I don't see anything wrong with VWs either.. We are a VW and Honda family and haven't had any problems with either