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gah.. i screwed up in car buying, what now

N

NeoPTLD

Platinum Member
I sold my clunker Mazda(which have decided to cost me $800 in repair bill only about 6 months ago gah) and I got a Focus which I'm satisfied with except for the lack of A/C.

What now? pay $1900 to have A/C installed by an aftermarket installer, or trade-in this beast for a new Focus with A/C?

Which will leave me better off financinally if I'm planning on keeping it for say 3-4 years?
 
Originally posted by: her209
Why didn't you get an A/C?
Click to expand...

I'm in Oregon. I thought I could get by without it.. boy was I wrong. I bought it from a private party, so really not too much to lose to trade-in and they have a $2,000 incentive on new Focus right now.
 
either way the car already has negative equity. Adding AC won't add much to the car's value. Talk to the dealer and see if they'll haggle on the price if you trade it in.
 
If I add A/C, I will keep it for 3-4 years.

The question is, which will leave me in the better hand financially when I let go of it then.
 
How much did you pay for the car? What is it worth as a trade in? And who do you think is going to take it off your hands at the beginning of summer without A/C? 🙂

Seriously, I bought a Jeep Wrangler without A/C and added it later - $700 for the kit from www.ackits.com and it was the best $700 I ever spent. I factored this $ into the purchase price when I bought it, so it wasn't a surprise. Was a good solid 6 hours of labor for me to get it in, though. Unfortunately, they don't appear to make a kit for your car.

Honestly I think you might just have to suck it up for the summer. $2000 to install A/C is a ridiculous addition to a "low end" car - you could actually buy another car WITH AC just for this summer for $2000, and sell it at the end of summer for $1500.
 
Originally posted by: flot
How much did you pay for the car? What is it worth as a trade in? And who do you think is going to take it off your hands at the beginning of summer without A/C? 🙂

Seriously, I bought a Jeep Wrangler without A/C and added it later - $700 for the kit from www.ackits.com and it was the best $700 I ever spent. I factored this $ into the purchase price when I bought it, so it wasn't a surprise. Was a good solid 6 hours of labor for me to get it in, though. Unfortunately, they don't appear to make a kit for your car.

Honestly I think you might just have to suck it up for the summer. $2000 to install A/C is a ridiculous addition to a "low end" car - you could actually buy another car WITH AC just for this summer for $2000, and sell it at the end of summer for $1500.
Click to expand...

What kind of parts are there in the kit? I'm thinking of pulling them from a salvaged car.
 
I think a trade in will leave you better financially. BUT, we don't have enough info as to...

1. the price you pay for the focus
2. the trade in price for the focus
3. the price you'll be paying for the new focus after the trade in

but if the price difference betweent a new focus and the one you just bought its ~$2000, you getting a good deal...IMO

 
in PORTLAND, Oregon?

You need ac? 😛
:roll:

roll the windows down . . . . 😉


😀

if you NEED ac, go somewhere ELSE - other than the dealer - it'll cost ~$1,000. 😉
 
Originally posted by: apoppin
in PORTLAND, Oregon?

You need ac? 😛
:roll:

roll the windows down . . . . 😉


😀

if you NEED ac, go somewhere ELSE - other than the dealer - it'll cost ~$1,000. 😉
Click to expand...

$1,900 is from an aftermarket installer. Ford doesn't even make the A/C kit for Focus.

Anyways, I found a kit online for $800 shipped. Is this a DIY project? If not, how much should I expect to pay in labor to have an A/C shop do it?
 
It's a DIY if you're pretty capable. I can't imagine it's a quick, easy job for somebody who doesn't know what they're doing. Financially probably keep the existing one, though really I'd just try and make do. Oregon is reasonably far north, though some days it will really suck.
 
Originally posted by: NeoPTLD
Originally posted by: apoppin
in PORTLAND, Oregon?

You need ac? 😛
:roll:

roll the windows down . . . . 😉


😀

if you NEED ac, go somewhere ELSE - other than the dealer - it'll cost ~$1,000. 😉
Click to expand...

$1,900 is from an aftermarket installer. Ford doesn't even make the A/C kit for Focus.

Anyways, I found a kit online for $800 shipped. Is this a DIY project? If not, how much should I expect to pay in labor to have an A/C shop do it?
Click to expand...

i found a shop in SD that would do the whole thing for $1,000 (in '02) . . . . look around.

the kit is certainly DiY . . . . i'm guessing a shop would charge $300-400 . . .

i certainly wouldn't bother for San Diego and Portland is cooler . . . .
(but that's me)
 
Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
Or you could just sell the focus and buy something car for the same amount with a/c. My damn $800 caravan has working a/c.
Click to expand...

Selling a brand-new car will incur a BIG loss . . . . (a couple of Thousand $$$$s)

installing an aftermarket AC will detract from the REsale . . .

it's called 'being between a rock and a hard place' 🙁
- it's gonna cost the OP for his mistake 😛

my suggestion stands - live with it. As long as you don't move Inland, you should have no problem Reselling the car W/O ac in a few years. 😉
(Summer is short in Portland)

Originally posted by: suse920
i didnt even know that they made cars without a.c anymore.
Click to expand...
absolutly . . . . if you lived in Alaska would you get AC?
 
Originally posted by: apoppin
Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
Or you could just sell the focus and buy something car for the same amount with a/c. My damn $800 caravan has working a/c.
Click to expand...

Selling a brand-new car will incur a BIG loss . . . . (a couple of Thousand $$$$s)
Click to expand...

It wasn't bought brand new

Aftermarket A/C will not dectract from the resale if anything it would add. I wouldn't buy any car without a/c. I wouldn't even bother looking at them. Now that I have had it I will never go back to a car without it unless its a classic.
 
Just get one of those window mount air conditioners and stick it out the back window.

Try to sell the car to a private party, you'll get more for it than from the dealer at least. I imagine a car with no A/C would sell better in the winter though.

Just do the math, find out how much it'll cost for the new car, how much you could get for the old car, etc, figure out which way screws you the least (keeping in mind you'll have a slightly newer car).
 
Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
Originally posted by: apoppin
Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
Or you could just sell the focus and buy something car for the same amount with a/c. My damn $800 caravan has working a/c.
Click to expand...

Selling a brand-new car will incur a BIG loss . . . . (a couple of Thousand $$$$s)
Click to expand...

It wasn't bought brand new

Aftermarket A/C will not dectract from the resale if anything it would add. I wouldn't buy any car without a/c. I wouldn't even bother looking at them. Now that I have had it I will never go back to a car without it unless its a classic.
Click to expand...
WHAT wasn't brought brand new . . . i was talking to the OP (evidently HE bought a brand-new Fockus) 😛

Aftermarket AC DOES detract from resale value of a "nice" car. 😉

 
You might just want to get a different car... are you going to stick to getting a Focus?
Click to expand...

If he wanted a different car, he would have bought a different car. He can't possibly post in ATOT and not be aware of the reliability and resale of American cars.
 
the focus is a really nice car, wicked drive, so u didnt totally fail. but A/C is pretty much standard now isnt it? even here in the uk where its only used to demist windscreens fast you can get pretty much any family car and itll have A/C

even lotus puts A/C on its new elise (if u want)
 
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