Buying A Car

[spookyturtle 9,465]

If you like the Focus, buy it. It is a good car from a good company. If you want to cross shop, check out the Honda Civic or Fit, Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra, Nissan Sentra, Chevy Cruze, etc. I wouldn't be afraid to buy any of them. The VW Jetta is also in this segment but at the upper end.

[Messybrownhair 251]

Thanks for all the advice!! We will be test driving a couple of cars this weekend and hopefully we can make a good decision.

I know I said we would buy, but does anyone recommend leasing, and why?

[Darnell 8,478]

i recommend a lease IF you are a company, then the lease is an expense for yer business. There are other caveats, though.

Edited January 12, 2012 by Darnell

[웃 910]

I know I said we would buy, but does anyone recommend leasing, and why?

My recommendation is a used car ALWAYS. Cars are really bad investments that lose money the second they are taken off the lot.

You can get some really beautiful cars in any price range.

From $2,000 to $20,000, depending on your budget.

I bought the car below (1999 Audi A6) for $1800. This is the real picture of the vehicle. Drives like new. Of course I know some really good mechanics that are extremely honest and fast. The seller knew it needed a rack and pinion (bad power steering leak). His quote was over $2,000 to get serviced. So it made sense for him to sell it. I knew I'd get the rack and pinion done for much cheaper. My price was $600!

So total paid was $2400 for this beauty!

So if you can get such a gem for under $2500, trust me, you can find amazing deals in whatever your price range is.

People are afraid of high miles. Some people think 40k miles is high! I bought my wife an 03 Jeep Liberty with about 170,000 miles on it! No fears at all! Cars can last 100s of thousands of miles if you just change the fluids regularly.

But to get back to your question, the main thing is you can get huge discounts if you just buy used. Even if you want to stay relatively new (2009 model, 2010 model) you are getting much better deals than buying new, saving 10s of thousands.

I always see people posting 'lease takeovers'...They've had the car for 5 years and still owe $17,000 on it....For example, I saw a guy trying to sell an 06 Charger for almost $20,000 (what's left on their lease) when you can get them all day for under $10,000!

[DiZZyLoX 114]

I loved my focus! I traded her in for an Element and every now and then I miss my focus. I'm just getting that 5 year itch. I'm ready to drive something new! I'm going to use new hubby who needs a car and new baby as an excuse to upgrade!! teehee

[photomile 101]

Just, out of curiosity and sorry to hijack a bit, but where DOES one go to look for used cars online in the USA short of autotrader.com ?

[DiZZyLoX 114]

My recommendation is a used car ALWAYS. Cars are really bad investments that lose money the second they are taken off the lot.

You can get some really beautiful cars in any price range.

From $2,000 to $20,000, depending on your budget.

I bought the car below (1999 Audi A6) for $1800. This is the real picture of the vehicle. Drives like new. Of course I know some really good mechanics that are extremely honest and fast. The seller knew it needed a rack and pinion (bad power steering leak). His quote was over $2,000 to get serviced. So it made sense for him to sell it. I knew I'd get the rack and pinion done for much cheaper. My price was $600!

So total paid was $2400 for this beauty!

So if you can get such a gem for under $2500, trust me, you can find amazing deals in whatever your price range is.

People are afraid of high miles. Some people think 40k miles is high! I bought my wife an 03 Jeep Liberty with about 170,000 miles on it! No fears at all! Cars can last 100s of thousands of miles if you just change the fluids regularly.

But to get back to your question, the main thing is you can get huge discounts if you just buy used. Even if you want to stay relatively new (2009 model, 2010 model) you are getting much better deals than buying new, saving 10s of thousands.

I always see people posting 'lease takeovers'...They've had the car for 5 years and still owe $17,000 on it....For example, I saw a guy trying to sell an 06 Charger for almost $20,000 (what's left on their lease) when you can get them all day for under $10,000!

I second this! You get so much more car for your $$ when you buy used. And nowadays with places like CarMax you can find them pretty easily. If you get a car under $10k and let them take the payments out bi-weekly you won't even know it hit your bank account. *sigh* those were the days! I would do it again when I get the chance!

Just, out of curiosity and sorry to hijack a bit, but where DOES one go to look for used cars online in the USA short of autotrader.com ?

i LOVE CarMax!! www.carmax.com

[DiZZyLoX 114]

Just, out of curiosity and sorry to hijack a bit, but where DOES one go to look for used cars online in the USA short of autotrader.com ?

p.s. we met on twitter, too <3 Tweethearts <3

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

My recommendation is a used car ALWAYS. Cars are really bad investments that lose money the second they are taken off the lot.

You can get some really beautiful cars in any price range.

From $2,000 to $20,000, depending on your budget.

I bought the car below (1999 Audi A6) for $1800. This is the real picture of the vehicle. Drives like new. Of course I know some really good mechanics that are extremely honest and fast. The seller knew it needed a rack and pinion (bad power steering leak). His quote was over $2,000 to get serviced. So it made sense for him to sell it. I knew I'd get the rack and pinion done for much cheaper. My price was $600!

So total paid was $2400 for this beauty!

So if you can get such a gem for under $2500, trust me, you can find amazing deals in whatever your price range is.

People are afraid of high miles. Some people think 40k miles is high! I bought my wife an 03 Jeep Liberty with about 170,000 miles on it! No fears at all! Cars can last 100s of thousands of miles if you just change the fluids regularly.

But to get back to your question, the main thing is you can get huge discounts if you just buy used. Even if you want to stay relatively new (2009 model, 2010 model) you are getting much better deals than buying new, saving 10s of thousands.

I always see people posting 'lease takeovers'...They've had the car for 5 years and still owe $17,000 on it....For example, I saw a guy trying to sell an 06 Charger for almost $20,000 (what's left on their lease) when you can get them all day for under $10,000!

High mileage cars can start to have expensive repairs, thats my only concern with buying used high mileage. You can buy a 3,000 dollar car but end up dumping 5000 in it 6 months down the road.

[웃 910]

Just, out of curiosity and sorry to hijack a bit, but where DOES one go to look for used cars online in the USA short of autotrader.com ?

I get mine on Craigslist in the "cars+trucks" (by owner) section.

[Leatherneck 693]

Just wanted to get the thoughts of people who are knowledgeable on cars.. We are looking to get a car ASAP (Like this week) and we were looking at the 2012 Ford Focus. Does anyone have any feedback on this vehicle? Is FORD ok, or should we stick to a Japanese brand car like Honda or Toyota? Thanks everyone!!

I had the use of a Ford Focus (make that 2 of them-both 2011 models) for about a month, excellent car for the money. Great fuel mileage, was a joy to drive and quite comfortable during the road trips I used it for.

But why buy a new car? There are so many good repos on the market with very low miles and in excellent condition. Carmax is a good place to start if you have minimal time for research.

The Focus would be an excellent buy, I know it did have a higher resale value than Camry, I'm not sure if that is still true.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Just, out of curiosity and sorry to hijack a bit, but where DOES one go to look for used cars online in the USA short of autotrader.com ?

cars.com

[MyLittlePony 340]

How come no one talk about the Mitsubishi brand is it really that bad of a car?

[Ban Hammer 13,333]

How come no one talk about the Mitsubishi brand is it really that bad of a car?

mitsubishi is for people who can't afford a honda.

[photomile 101]

mitsubishi is for people who can't afford a honda.

Yup