needing a new car..

[Bignate603]

Yeah thats what I remember seeing, just about everything else is rated higher I believe, hell even the new Fiesta is rated higher.

Just looked it up, the Fiesta got 4 stars for frontal impact, 5 for side and 4 for rollover. Not bad at all.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Just looked it up, the Fiesta got 4 stars for frontal impact, 5 for side and 4 for rollover. Not bad at all.

Yes its quite a formidable car for its size and what you would expect from it. I should know, theres one in the driveway.

 

[Bignate603]

Yes its quite a formidable car for its size and what you would expect from it. I should know, theres one in the driveway.

I'm considering one for my wife's next car. Maybe late this year if they start trying to ditch 2011 models with a reasonable discount when the 2012s come out. That may be wishful thinking though, the way that they've been selling I don't know if they've been giving many discounts on the Fiesta.

Which one do you (or your family) have, the sedan or the hatchback? What trim level? Any issues or things that you don't like?

 

[PhoKingGuy]

I'm considering one for my wife's next car. Maybe late this year if they start trying to ditch 2011 models with a reasonable discount when the 2012s come out. That may be wishful thinking though, the way that they've been selling I don't know if they've been giving many discounts on the Fiesta.

Which one do you (or your family) have, the sedan or the hatchback? What trim level? Any issues or things that you don't like?

I helped my uncle buy one a few weeks ago an auto silver SES hatch fully loaded. He was tired of maintaining and paying for gas for his 1999 S420 (shit kept breaking right and left, wasn't very well maintained either).

FWIW, he compares driving it to driving his old 944 turbo in the early 90s. I've driven it a bit around town and a little on the freeway, you would be surprised how well composed it feels, drives nothing like a little car at all, perhaps at the same if not better than my Jetta. His is loaded to the brim with just about every single option you could tick off and the interior does definitely look pretty spiffy with the black leather. I got the dealer to go about 500 below invoice by sending them a truecar page, the sales manager admitted that was the lowest hes ever gone on one of them, the cars dont need much marketing incentives right now as they are only in stock for about 1-2 weeks at the most.

The only real thing thats annoying is that while the audio controls are on the wheel, the volume is on the console...not that big of a deal.

Also...theres no factory armrest, also not that big of a deal.

 

[Bignate603]

Hmm, might be worth using USAA's autobuying service if that is the case. I can get $500 below invoice if I go through them.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Hmm, might be worth using USAA's autobuying service if that is the case. I can get $500 below invoice if I go through them.

Cant hurt to ask around, I'm in so cal where they sell pretty quickly because of the hip/cute factor involved. I see tons of teenagers/older people driving these things around.

The hatch outsells the sedan almost 2 to 1 apparently.

 

[Vetterin]

Thanks everyone! We decided on a 2010 Honda Civic, new...got $1,300 marked off the sticker price (not much, but still lol) with a .9% interest rate! 🙂 we did opt for the extra coverage because it didn't make the monthly payments go up TOO bad, but covers the car till after it's paid off. For an extra $70 a month the interior (seats, carpet, dashboard, door panels, etc.) are covered for stains and will be reupholstered for no extra charge (for 7 years, car will be paid off in 5), the exterior paint is covered from wheather, bird poop, acid rain, the salt in the air (we live coastally and the salt in the air ruined my Jetta's paint job!) so they will repaint it for no extra charge, we won't have to wax it for the first 6 years, we can take it once a year to get the outside detailed...the warranty is good for 8 years/100,000 miles instead of 3 years/35,000...if they take it into the shop for any of these reasons they will pay for the rental car, like i'm taking it in friday to get all the PermaPlateing done (for the stains and such) and they are going to pay for me to have a rental car for the day!...if we break down over 100 miles from home they will pay for our exspenses $100 a day for 3 days, and they are going to change my oil for 5 years....what we liked the most is all the extra coverage after the car is paid off...so that way if the interior is all dirty and won't come clean we can reupholster it and when we trade it in we will get a better deal....all in all, we are really excited about it...runs great, gets about the same gas mileage as my jetta, if not better...and feels a lot safer to drive our baby around in!

Xzilon, Simonize, Perma-Plate, DuPont PTFE™, etc -there is no polymer, synthetic or natural wax, or after-market coating available that can provide a five year or lifetime protection to a paint film surface; this technology doesn't exist, read the fine print in the contract offered by car dealerships.

There is normally a clause that states you should return the vehicle for a "maintenance" application of the product (at 3 or 6 months intervals) failing to do this will void your warranty or the fine print will basically exclude every condition you could claim against so I would read that warrany real good.

 

[Mermaidman]

I'm also worried that because I am a woman, they will assume I'm dumb and try to rip me off. What type of warning signs should I look for? because I don't know a whole lot about cars, except for Jetta's. This one has been my baby so I tried to learn more about it.

🙂 we did opt for the extra coverage because it didn't make the monthly payments go up TOO bad, but covers the car till after it's paid off. For an extra $70 a month . . . lol

😵
Run (or drive) to your dealer now and cancel that $70/month ripoff!!

 

[Arkaign]

Well, it could be a lot worse, and there's something to be said about the peace of mind that having a new car can provide. The current Civic is inches away from replacement though, so it's kind of weird to see one purchased so late in the lifecycle. This gen is middle of the pack, next gen should be a pretty huge leap considering the tremendous competition in this class now.

 

[newmommy2010]

Xzilon, Simonize, Perma-Plate, DuPont PTFE™, etc -there is no polymer, synthetic or natural wax, or after-market coating available that can provide a five year or lifetime protection to a paint film surface; this technology doesn't exist, read the fine print in the contract offered by car dealerships.

There is normally a clause that states you should return the vehicle for a "maintenance" application of the product (at 3 or 6 months intervals) failing to do this will void your warranty or the fine print will basically exclude every condition you could claim against so I would read that warrany real good.

Thanks, that's good to know! I will talk to them about it friday when I take I in!

Everyone is saying the extendend warranty is shit, but after seeing what the salt in the air did to my paint job on my last car I'm not taking chances! I invested in cleaning products for my last car, tried several different things and nothing worked. Were going to resale the car about the time the warranty is up, so to be able to get it fixed up for a higher resale value will be worth it. I forgot to mention the Gap protection is included with that $70, that puts our minds at ease!...and to whoever mentioned the mini van, so not me! I'm having a time getting used to the size of this car, i'd die in a van! lol. Were really happy with the car and the payments.

 

[kornphlake]

Soembody's got to say it, might as well be myself. You sound like a real menace behind the wheel, un-confident of yourself and afraid of everyone and everything around you. Maybe it's just the way you come across in your posts, or maybe it's how you are. What kind of insurance coverage do you have? I'd consider increasing it.

 

[newmommy2010]

Soembody's got to say it, might as well be myself. You sound like a real menace behind the wheel, un-confident of yourself and afraid of everyone and everything around you. Maybe it's just the way you come across in your posts, or maybe it's how you are. What kind of insurance coverage do you have? I'd consider increasing it.

well it must just be my posts because i've never been in an at fault accident...i have full coverage....i'm one of those "rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it" people...i'm completely confident in my ability to drive, because i know i am a good drive...but like i said, with a kid, the weather we have here, and just general day to day life, i'd rather have such a large investment protected, even if it does cost us extra every month...i even have renters insurance...i like the feeling of being protected in the event that something will happen...i pray nothing does happen, but just in case...i like knowing that we will be able to have the car fixed up before we trade it in and get more for our money, something i truly wish would have happend to my last car

 

[fbrdphreak]

I understand the need to be protected. I have full insurance up the wazoo and renter's insurance as well.

But what you've bought for your car is not any type of insurance. It is somewhere in between a maintenance plan and a very very limited warranty.

If you are the least bit careful with your car, you will not need any reupholstering. Stain or odor removal can easily be handed by yourself or a professional.

Let's think about the paint now. For $70/month, you can buy a very nice detail package with a private detailer who will do a monthly inside & out cleaning of the car that will protect the looks of your car FAR better than some hyped-BS at the dealership. Getting the car detailed once a year is ludicrous - no matter what coating they put on that car it needs a proper cleaning at least once a month to proper protection, much less to keep the car looking good.

As I and others have said, you would be better off to return this plan IMMEDIATELY and put $70/month into a savings account. At the end of the 7 year term you are paying for this plan, you will have paid $5880. If they don't give the car a full repaint that makes it look showroom fresh, you will have wasted a shit ton of money for no reason.

Please don't take this as a personal attack - take it as constructive criticism and an opportunity to learn and improve. We just don't want you wasting your money 🙂

 

[medichawk1]

honda is a great car. but you got sucked in on the extended warranty like most do. But those little cars last a long time. My wife had one and she kept it 10 years had over 200 miles on it and still got 2500.00 on a trade in. Honda is more expensive then others but they hold there value for a long time.

And FYI on the Hyundai its built with kia parts so a Hyundai is just a KIA.

 

[alkemyst]

honda is a great car. but you got sucked in on the extended warranty like most do. But those little cars last a long time. My wife had one and she kept it 10 years had over 200 miles on it and still got 2500.00 on a trade in. Honda is more expensive then others but they hold there value for a long time.

And FYI on the Hyundai its built with kia parts so a Hyundai is just a KIA.

That's like saying a lexus is a toyota, infiniti a nissan, etc.

Even in the same makes and parts, manufacturing plant can have a big impact.