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Car Purchasing Advice/Recommendations Needed

S

Soccer55

Golden Member
Within the next month or two, I am going to be buying my own car for the first time. I don't really know much about the way it works, but in the past two weeks I have been researching various makes and models and started reading about what goes into buying a car. I am thinking about getting a 2004 as I would think dealers will be lowering prices shortly to make room for the 2005's that are coming in soon. As of right now, I'm looking at a Mazda 6, Honda Civic/Accord, VW Jetta, or Toyota Corolla, mainly because they appear to fit with what I can afford (about $300/month for a car payment) and they have all received pretty good safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. I don't know how much weight those ratings carry, but I figured it would be a good starting place.

I would greatly appreciate any advice or recommendations that anyone has to offer, be it on other cars I should look at or on purchasing a car in general. Well, I am off to look at some cars. Thanks in advance.

-Tom
 
I thought the 2005's came out in like February.....unless I'm horribly mistaken

-Tom

EDIT: And I'm really off to look at cars this time.....😛
 
Originally posted by: Soccer55
I thought the 2005's came out in like February.....unless I'm horribly mistaken

-Tom

EDIT: And I'm really off to look at cars this time.....😛
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About the earliest I've seen NMY (new model years) roll out are in May. Some may trickle in earlier than that, but generally it's may. May & September seem to be the big months for new model releases.

Edit - But it depends largely on the brand. Some brands roll out earlier than others.
 
heh, I think the 2004 models just came out. A lot of dealers still have 2003 models in stock. You can probably get a good deal on a 2003 model.
 
Out of the ones you mentioned, I think the Mazda6 might be a little above your price range. The Civic and Corolla are both very reliable cars. I won't say anything about the reliability of the Jettas, because some of the VW nazis on this board get really pissed if you say something about a VW's reliability based on statistics rather than your own personal experience with the car. 🙂
 
I think you could save a lot of money getting a slightly used car. New cars lose something like 30% of their value as soon as you drive off the lot.
 
They won't have 05s on the lot for a while. Mazda is currently offering great deals on 03 Mazda 6s.
I think you could save a lot of money getting a slightly used car. New cars lose something like 30% of their value as soon as you drive off the lot.
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It's not that much - generally around 50% in 3 years is about the average for average miles and average brand, but naturally a used car is a better buy financially.
 
Go with the Jetta. They're pretty reliable except for small sh*t that breaks like the armrest, knobs, etc. And out of your choices, the Jetta looks best. 1.8T is very attractive.
 
I wouldn't recommend any domestic car in your price range. Your choices are good ones with the exception of the Jetta. I doubt you could get a Mazda 6 and keep your payments in the $300/mo range unless you put like $10k down.
 
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I wouldn't recommend any domestic car in your price range. Your choices are good ones with the exception of the Jetta. I doubt you could get a Mazda 6 and keep your payments in the $300/mo range unless you put like $10k down.
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How about a Caddy? Those are sweeet.
 
Originally posted by: krunchykrome
Go with the Jetta. They're pretty reliable except for small sh*t that breaks like the armrest, knobs, etc. And out of your choices, the Jetta looks best. 1.8T is very attractive.
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I would say No to Jetta..

I have a 2002 1.8t VW and I would not get another one in near future..

VW have very very poor customer service... Lots of little problems (Coilpacks, Windows regulators, Leaking sunroof, etc...)

VW also has very poor resale value...
 
VW also has very poor resale value...
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Huh? Unless the golf/jetta is some kind of freak, or if the market on VW's has collasped, that is simply not true. When I bought my passat wagon a year and a half ago, the Passat had the highest resale of ANY midsize car - even better than Honda or Toyota.
 
Feel free to add to my advice:

1) Consider buying used, 2-3 years old ... still reliable and usually under factory warranty. You don't take the initial depreciation hit when you drive a new car off the lot. However when we bought our 2002 Honda Accord SE for $2,500 below invoice as a loss leader I wanted a BRAND NEW car. This is our first BRAND NEW car and nothing replaces that feeling of driving home a BRAND NEW car 🙂

2) Ask your local credit union if they have an auto purchase program? Most go through AutoLand.com which locates the car you want at the best possible price. No arguing for 2-3 hours at a car dealership. Actually you don't have to go to a dealership, your car is delivered to your CU just before signing loan documents.

3) Read CarBuyingTips.com

4) Check out reviews on Edmunds.com of the cars you're looking for.

I would shoot for a 2004 Honda Accord LX automatic for around $20,000
 
Originally posted by: vi_edit
VW also has very poor resale value...
Click to expand...

Huh? Unless the golf/jetta is some kind of freak, or if the market on VW's has collasped, that is simply not true. When I bought my passat wagon a year and a half ago, the Passat had the highest resale of ANY midsize car - even better than Honda or Toyota.
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I agree. VW has one of the best resale values in the market.
 
Have you considered Hyundai? They offer some great warranties. If you really want to buy new, I would add some of their cars to your list.

IMO though, I would definitely not buy a new car. I would look for a used car, and get into something a lot nicer.
 
Soccer55,
I am gonna be buying one pretty soon and thats gonna be the first car I will have to pay out of my pocket. Anyway I have been considering the new civics/corollas/mazda3/6, but now I am interested in a slightly used car. say any of 00, 01, 02 's and for the same budget, even lesser, I found a lot many cars both more powerful & luxurious.
Haven't made up my mind though but you could have more choices if wanna go that way.
 
About the earliest I've seen NMY (new model years) roll out are in May. Some may trickle in earlier than that, but generally it's may. May & September seem to be the big months for new model releases.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info.....I don't know why I thought they came out earlier in the year. Maybe because I figured the Super Bowl would be a good time for commercials or something.

I think you could save a lot of money getting a slightly used car
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Yea, I was thinking about that too, but I haven't had the time to do a lot of searching for used cars. I plan on spending my day tomorrow doing that and taking a look at the Mazda as the only Mazda dealership near me is about 25 minutes away.

Have you considered Hyundai?
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I had never heard about Hyundai up until recently as their ads are all over the radio. A friend of mine just bought an Elantra as well so maybe I can take her car out for a spin in the next couple of days.

Thanks for all of the advice/recommendations so far as it has been very useful. Keep it coming if you have more. 🙂

-Tom
 
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