New car buying: Am I getting a good deal?

[TitaniumJohnson]

Don't forget the one add'l benefit for buying new - sales tax refund.

Being able to deduct the sales tax on the car in your next income tax filing, thanks to Obama's 'ol bailout, isn't insignificant.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: ExarKun333

Originally posted by: AndrewR
I had looked up the BB on the truck awhile back and had a figure of $1200 in my head (it's in "Fair" condition, based on required suspension work and needing new tires), but I looked today and saw $1800 for the "Fair" price. Not sure where the previous price came from.

Anyway, I agree that the offer on the trade is too low, and I plan on asking for more on it. Given the condition, $500-1000 extra is a reasonable expectation.

Why in God's name are you looking to spend $19,500 on a focus when you can buy a barely-used 08 fusion for $7-8k less?

Gas mileage was the big consideration, but now that I look (mileage is nearly the same and considering the $3500 rebate Ford has on the '09 Fusion), I'm considering the Fusion. Crap, thought I had decided.

As for why I'm not buying used, it's a personal thing. I've had one new car in my life, and I had that for only 1 year before I was stationed overseas and had to sell it. I realize that it's not fiscally the wisest move, but I want to indulge a bit. 😉

Go for it. I just got my first new car recently, and I felt the same way. A used car is always a gamble, as you don't really know it was treated. If the price difference between a 1-2 year old car and a new one is not significant, sometimes the slightly higehr price is worth-it. Having the warranty lomnger, and knowing all that has been done to the car may be worth the price. It really depends on the type of car, and your situation though. I have had great luck with the 2 used cars I bought previously, so no bad experiences yet. 😛

Absolutely horseshit,
a car with 5-10K miles is for all practical purposes brand new. Tolerances in all moving parts will be within margin of error of a new car.

Moreover, the price of a used domestic econobox beater will be SIGNIFICANTLY lower than brand new. Those cars depreciate like no other.

halik speaks the truth. Who wouldn't take a year on a car plus 10k miles for a 25 or 30% reduction in purchase price?

While I agree with the sentiment, I did a check of the DFW Area (lots of Ford dealers) for 2008 Focus SE's, and most had 20-25k miles for $12-$14k (and you don't get all the new car incentives/rebates/etc, and still have to pay TTL + finance charges). The ones with under 10k miles were in the $13.5k+ range.

All in all, a $15k SE is not a bad deal, and there is a certain comfort knowing that the car hasn't been abused by a previous owner (or their 16-year-old taking it for a joyride).

When you say $15k you really mean $17k though. It's $15,900 after trade in, that makes it $16,900.

Wow I didn't think the X,999.99 actually worked on people.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Good point. I wonder what the real numbers would be?

While I like the idea of letting someone else take a massive depreciation hit, I just don't see it with the Focus. They seem to hold value pretty good compared to Cobalts, for example.

$13.5k for a 2008 with 25k miles vs. $16.9k for a 2009 with 0k miles, I'd pay the extra little bit to get a fresh car with a fresh warranty.

What would make sense is if one could find one in his local area with ~5k miles for $13k or so.

No such thing as "fresh warranty"... it's the same exact thing.

Also lols at Focus holding value linkie. Foci are being sold to fleets left and right, which means you'll get killed on depreciation.

I see a ton of SEs around here listed for 12K, which means you should be able to walk out with one for 11OTD.
Text
Text

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Good point. I wonder what the real numbers would be?

While I like the idea of letting someone else take a massive depreciation hit, I just don't see it with the Focus. They seem to hold value pretty good compared to Cobalts, for example.

$13.5k for a 2008 with 25k miles vs. $16.9k for a 2009 with 0k miles, I'd pay the extra little bit to get a fresh car with a fresh warranty.

What would make sense is if one could find one in his local area with ~5k miles for $13k or so.

No such thing as "fresh warranty"... it's the same exact thing.

Also lols at Focus holding value linkie

I see a ton of SEs around here listed for 12K, which means you should be able to walk out with one for 11OTD.
Text
Text

Halik, that data is from 2005, before Ford started resurging in terms of popularity and reputation. The data published in 2005 reflected the earlier Focuses with the much worse Zetec and SPI motors (lower power, worse fuel economy, less reliable).

Looking at 2008 Civics, Corollas, Cobalts, etc, I don't see much of a difference

Also, both of those Focuses you list are with 20k miles already, not a small number really. Take pretty much any car, drive it for over a year, and put 20k miles on it, and it will lose a decent amount of value. The question remains, is it worth saving a few grand to take on a car driven for that amount of time and miles under unknown condition and use? There's also the matter of the tax credit mentioned above, which can be about $1k as well on the numbers we're talking about.

Detroit is one thing, but I'm in Dallas, and did an autotrader search for a 100-mile range, and I listed what I found.

As for 'fresh warranty', it makes a difference to have 0k miles and 0 years used to start with for sure.

 

[vi edit]

I could think of probably at least a dozen other cars I'd rather buy for $15-$18k over a new Focus.

And I think you are getting hosed on the ranger trade in. If it's in halfway decent shape I'd drive over to Ohio from IL and buy it from you.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Good point. I wonder what the real numbers would be?

While I like the idea of letting someone else take a massive depreciation hit, I just don't see it with the Focus. They seem to hold value pretty good compared to Cobalts, for example.

$13.5k for a 2008 with 25k miles vs. $16.9k for a 2009 with 0k miles, I'd pay the extra little bit to get a fresh car with a fresh warranty.

What would make sense is if one could find one in his local area with ~5k miles for $13k or so.

No such thing as "fresh warranty"... it's the same exact thing.

Also lols at Focus holding value linkie

I see a ton of SEs around here listed for 12K, which means you should be able to walk out with one for 11OTD.
Text
Text

Halik, that data is from 2005, before Ford started resurging in terms of popularity and reputation. The data published in 2005 reflected the earlier Focuses with the much worse Zetec and SPI motors (lower power, worse fuel economy, less reliable).

Looking at 2008 Civics, Corollas, Cobalts, etc, I don't see much of a difference

Also, both of those Focuses you list are with 20k miles already, not a small number really. Take pretty much any car, drive it for over a year, and put 20k miles on it, and it will lose a decent amount of value. The question remains, is it worth saving a few grand to take on a car driven for that amount of time and miles under unknown condition and use? There's also the matter of the tax credit mentioned above, which can be about $1k as well on the numbers we're talking about.

Detroit is one thing, but I'm in Dallas, and did an autotrader search for a 100-mile range, and I listed what I found.

As for 'fresh warranty', it makes a difference to have 0k miles and 0 years used to start with for sure.

I couldn't find data for 2008,
but that's really irrelevant. Popularity and reputation doesn't have anywhere near as much impact on resale value as flee sales. Take a look at the list again - Taurus and Park Ave were both popular cars at the time (actually do was focus, NA COTY 2000 or 2001). Fleets are what kills your residual - large amount of the same models entering the used market from rental companies and company cars and so on.

But to the other point, those cares aren't used and unknown condition, they're lease turn-ins with factory warranty. Your argument pretty much amounts to FUD - be scurred of buying a certified preowned cars, because bad things might happen.

The point stands - buying a car with the one of the worst residual values in the segment brand new is a bad financial decision.

 

[Vetterin]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

While I agree with the sentiment, I did a check of the DFW Area (lots of Ford dealers) for 2008 Focus SE's, and most had 20-25k miles for $12-$14k (and you don't get all the new car incentives/rebates/etc, and still have to pay TTL + finance charges). The ones with under 10k miles were in the $13.5k+ range.

All in all, a $15k SE is not a bad deal, and there is a certain comfort knowing that the car hasn't been abused by a previous owner (or their 16-year-old taking it for a joyride).

If they are asking $12-$14k you should be able to knock off $2k without even breaking a sweat and FWIW how much abuse do you really think can actually be done to a focus?

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Vetterin

Originally posted by: Arkaign

While I agree with the sentiment, I did a check of the DFW Area (lots of Ford dealers) for 2008 Focus SE's, and most had 20-25k miles for $12-$14k (and you don't get all the new car incentives/rebates/etc, and still have to pay TTL + finance charges). The ones with under 10k miles were in the $13.5k+ range.

All in all, a $15k SE is not a bad deal, and there is a certain comfort knowing that the car hasn't been abused by a previous owner (or their 16-year-old taking it for a joyride).

If they are asking $12-$14k you should be able to knock off $2k without even breaking a sweat and FWIW how much abuse do you really think can actually be done to a focus?

After seeing my BIL and his teenaged/college-aged buddies all pretending like extras in a Fast and Furious movie (in cars like Cobalts, Neons, etc), I wouldn't put absolute faith that any used car, particularly ones which might be driven by teens/young adults, not to have been abused.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Good point. I wonder what the real numbers would be?

While I like the idea of letting someone else take a massive depreciation hit, I just don't see it with the Focus. They seem to hold value pretty good compared to Cobalts, for example.

$13.5k for a 2008 with 25k miles vs. $16.9k for a 2009 with 0k miles, I'd pay the extra little bit to get a fresh car with a fresh warranty.

What would make sense is if one could find one in his local area with ~5k miles for $13k or so.

No such thing as "fresh warranty"... it's the same exact thing.

Also lols at Focus holding value linkie

I see a ton of SEs around here listed for 12K, which means you should be able to walk out with one for 11OTD.
Text
Text

Halik, that data is from 2005, before Ford started resurging in terms of popularity and reputation. The data published in 2005 reflected the earlier Focuses with the much worse Zetec and SPI motors (lower power, worse fuel economy, less reliable).

Looking at 2008 Civics, Corollas, Cobalts, etc, I don't see much of a difference

Also, both of those Focuses you list are with 20k miles already, not a small number really. Take pretty much any car, drive it for over a year, and put 20k miles on it, and it will lose a decent amount of value. The question remains, is it worth saving a few grand to take on a car driven for that amount of time and miles under unknown condition and use? There's also the matter of the tax credit mentioned above, which can be about $1k as well on the numbers we're talking about.

Detroit is one thing, but I'm in Dallas, and did an autotrader search for a 100-mile range, and I listed what I found.

As for 'fresh warranty', it makes a difference to have 0k miles and 0 years used to start with for sure.

I couldn't find data for 2008,
but that's really irrelevant. Popularity and reputation doesn't have anywhere near as much impact on resale value as flee sales. Take a look at the list again - Taurus and Park Ave were both popular cars at the time (actually do was focus, NA COTY 2000 or 2001). Fleets are what kills your residual - large amount of the same models entering the used market from rental companies and company cars and so on.

But to the other point, those cares aren't used and unknown condition, they're lease turn-ins with factory warranty. Your argument pretty much amounts to FUD - be scurred of buying a certified preowned cars, because bad things might happen.

The point stands - buying a car with the one of the worst residual values in the segment brand new is a bad financial decision.

The point would stand IF the guy wanted to resell the thing in a few years, but he's probably the type of guy to keep a car for the long haul, as his trade is 10 years old.

And the warranty issue is NOT FUD, unless they're willing to start you with a brand new warranty to equal the factory warranty. This usually is not the case with cars in this segment, you either take the REMAINDER of the factory warranty, or pay extra for an extended warranty.

As they start with a 3-year/36k mile general and 5-year/100k drivetrain warranty, I see nothing wrong with getting the most out of that rather than starting down 20k miles.

 

[adlep]

My vote would be for $11,000 to ~ $12,000 low millage 2008 Fusion SE that can be had with Sync for that price. The 2008 Fusion is the same as 2009 Fusion.
Also, I own a 2006 Accord Sedan SE and it was at the body repair shop for a few days, and I rented a 2009 Focus SE with Sync.
This thing drove horrible and could not wait to get back to my Accord.

Edit: $15,993.22 + tax + registration fees + insurance.

This is NOT a good deal, and I hope that the OP will back off it.

Edit: Searching Autotrader for a low millage (under 30k) Fusion, under $15,000 gave me 154 vehicles within 300 miles radius from Metro Detroit.

08 Fusions in Metro Detroit

Bottom line: Don't friken do it, as it is a shitty deal.
Sell your car on Autotrader for $1500 and lowball a dealer in Ohio for a low miles 08 Fusion.
Apply the saved money toward your vacation or pay off your car faster.
🙂

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: adlep
My vote would be for $11,000 to ~ $12,000 low millage 2008 Fusion SE that can be had with Sync for that price. The 2008 Fusion is the same as 2009 Fusion.
Also, I own a 2006 Accord Sedan SE and it was at the body repair shop for a few days, and I rented a 2009 Focus SE with Sync.
This thing drove horrible and could not wait to get back to my Accord.

Edit: $15,993.22 + tax + registration fees + insurance.

This is NOT a good deal, and I hope that the OP will back off it.

Edit: Searching Autotrader for a low millage (under 30k) Fusion, under $15,000 gave me 154 vehicles within 300 miles radius from Metro Detroit.

08 Fusions in Metro Detroit

Bottom line: Don't friken do it, as it is a shitty deal.
Sell your car on Autotrader for $1500 and lowball a dealer in Ohio for a low miles 08 Fusion.
Apply the saved money toward your vacation or pay off your car faster.
🙂

30k miles is 30k miles, meaning that the car's usable lifespan has already been dwindled by that amount, on average. Looking over the list of fusions there, the price climbs rapidly for anything with under 20k miles, and gets pretty steep for most examples under 10k miles. That said, this seems the best of the bunch :

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/...ist=125&standard=false

And again, the Fusion may be different than what the OP wants. Driving a 3,100lb 2.3L midsize is a different experience than driving a 2,600lb 2.0L compact. Fuel economy will be notably different as well (though I'd expect moderate driving habits to be above these numbers for each) :

2008 Fusion 2.3L Auto : 20 city / 28 hwy
2008 Focus 2.0L Auto : 24 city / 33 hwy

I'd recommend the OP test more cars, and settle on what's right for him. It certainly bears more consideration.

The one constant truth in this thread, is that he should definitely private-party sell that Ranger, $2k is probable considering the demand for those type of cheap running vehicles.

 

[exar333]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Good point. I wonder what the real numbers would be?

While I like the idea of letting someone else take a massive depreciation hit, I just don't see it with the Focus. They seem to hold value pretty good compared to Cobalts, for example.

$13.5k for a 2008 with 25k miles vs. $16.9k for a 2009 with 0k miles, I'd pay the extra little bit to get a fresh car with a fresh warranty.

What would make sense is if one could find one in his local area with ~5k miles for $13k or so.

No such thing as "fresh warranty"... it's the same exact thing.

Also lols at Focus holding value linkie

I see a ton of SEs around here listed for 12K, which means you should be able to walk out with one for 11OTD.
Text
Text

Halik, that data is from 2005, before Ford started resurging in terms of popularity and reputation. The data published in 2005 reflected the earlier Focuses with the much worse Zetec and SPI motors (lower power, worse fuel economy, less reliable).

Looking at 2008 Civics, Corollas, Cobalts, etc, I don't see much of a difference

Also, both of those Focuses you list are with 20k miles already, not a small number really. Take pretty much any car, drive it for over a year, and put 20k miles on it, and it will lose a decent amount of value. The question remains, is it worth saving a few grand to take on a car driven for that amount of time and miles under unknown condition and use? There's also the matter of the tax credit mentioned above, which can be about $1k as well on the numbers we're talking about.

Detroit is one thing, but I'm in Dallas, and did an autotrader search for a 100-mile range, and I listed what I found.

As for 'fresh warranty', it makes a difference to have 0k miles and 0 years used to start with for sure.

I couldn't find data for 2008,
but that's really irrelevant. Popularity and reputation doesn't have anywhere near as much impact on resale value as flee sales. Take a look at the list again - Taurus and Park Ave were both popular cars at the time (actually do was focus, NA COTY 2000 or 2001). Fleets are what kills your residual - large amount of the same models entering the used market from rental companies and company cars and so on.

But to the other point, those cares aren't used and unknown condition, they're lease turn-ins with factory warranty. Your argument pretty much amounts to FUD - be scurred of buying a certified preowned cars, because bad things might happen.

The point stands - buying a car with the one of the worst residual values in the segment brand new is a bad financial decision.

Have you ever purchase a car? It certainly doesn't appear you have. The car warranty goes from the INITIAL DATE OF THE CAR BEING SOLD. That "2008" car you are so excited about probably was sold in the middle to end of 2007, and only has a year left on the warranty. I would pay an extra few grand for a few more years of a true BTB warranty.

You are the one full of FUD. Who the hell buys a car for a "good investment"? They buy it because they need or want it. I take very good of my vehicles, and I would rather pay a little more and get a new one versus one that people abused. Many who lease their car could give a shit about how they drive it. You are way off on so many things...

OP, get the new car if it is what you like. The focus is good (it's not the old crappy version) and the Fusion is also good (I used to have a Mazda6, very similar). It sound's like you might be choosing between a posh Focus or a basic Fusion if you want to keep in the same price range.

 

[StageLeft]

It should be noted that sometimes buying certified can in fact end a person up with a BETTER than new warranty. AFAIK, my mazda MPV came with bumper to bumper 50k new. When I bought it as a certified vehicle with 15k miles on it, I still had that 50k bumper to bumper, but they threw an extra 12k on from Mazda (it wasn't quite bumper to bumper, but very close for that last 12k), bringing it up to 62k--so basically although I had 15k already on it, I had 47k bumper to bumper remaining. Finally, though, they brought me up to 100k powertrain, so unlike a new car I had 85k of powertrain remaining.

I really think that even with slightly worse mileage, fusion is the ticket here. It is simply a nicer/better/larger car than the focus.

To be devil's advocate, the only advantage to trading in that ranger is that selling cars on the low-end like that can be a pain in the ass. You will get a lot of calls from complete fvck-tards in every sense of the word, like you ask $2200 they offer you $1000 to say stupid sh*t like "I will give you $1400 CASH", as if you had otherwise planned to take payments or something. Still, a thousand bucks is a thousand bucks. Just forget autotrader, it's useless; go with the local classified.

 

[AndrewR]

Wound up getting $1800 for the Ranger, which is in line with the KBB "Fair" value (and, honestly, that's where it should have been -- needed new tires, suspension work of about $400, new shocks, and at least one other replacement that I can't remember). I ended up with a Fusion SE for $16k off the lot. The Fusion has all of the "must haves" that I was looking for with a larger interior and a much larger trunk -- ABS, cruise, automatic.

Could I have done better? Probably, as I think there may have been some wiggle room of a few hundred dollars on the Fusion sale price. I finally just said, "Make it $16k even, and we're done."

 

[StageLeft]

Cool, I think you made the better choice! Also, this is one of the few times on Anandtech I've ever seen anybody actually listen to posters to the extent that it significantly swayed their opinion on something 😉

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Cool, I think you made the better choice! Also, this is one of the few times on Anandtech I've ever seen anybody actually listen to posters to the extent that it significantly swayed their opinion on something 😉

LOL! True enough. I probably would have been happy with the Focus overall, but I think we'll be happier with the more useful, albeit slightly less fuel efficient, Fusion. Insurance is lower on the Fusion, interestingly enough, though not by a huge margin ($16/6 mos).

I just almost couldn't stomach the $1400 in taxes and registration fees. Bend over, here come Maryland state taxes!

 

[jjanders]

True, though you do get to deduct the sales tax on your taxes next year, which will be nice.

 

[Arkaign]

Congratulations, post some pics and give us a review. It was wise to consider multiple options, and it looks like the impending arrival of the 2010 model made it possible to get a great deal on that one. You have the 2.3L I4? If you need just a bit more power, consider a Steeda Intake.

They're very high quality (seems a lot more solid and precision-made compared to the stock setup), although a bit pricey. I installed one on my Focus, and the performance difference is apparent, surprisingly even from low rpm. Also sounds a bit better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...stBrRs&feature=related

:thumbsup: on the deal 🙂

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: jjanders
True, though you do get to deduct the sales tax on your taxes next year, which will be nice.

Every little bit helps! However, I'd rather not pay any MORE money to an inefficient and unintelligent state government that won't spend highway funds in my county. I digress... 😉

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Congratulations, post some pics and give us a review. It was wise to consider multiple options, and it looks like the impending arrival of the 2010 model made it possible to get a great deal on that one. You have the 2.3L I4? If you need just a bit more power, consider a Steeda Intake.

They're very high quality (seems a lot more solid and precision-made compared to the stock setup), although a bit pricey. I installed one on my Focus, and the performance difference is apparent, surprisingly even from low rpm. Also sounds a bit better.

I'll take some pics when we actually have the sun out around here. Over 3" rain in the last few days...

Never heard of Steeda, but that looks interesting. What kind of gas mileage increase have you seen, if any (they claim some but don't specify)? With a modest increase, the new part could pay for itself within a short while.

My only regret is that it's white -- no choice because the stock selections for '09 Fusions are fairly limited (other colors were available but they had the "Moon & Tune" and sold for at least $2-3k more with other options). I said I wouldn't buy a white car, but I also said last year that we wouldn't buy an interior townhome. Now I have both. 😀

 

[Arkaign]

Fuel economy? I think it might be marginally better, I can't tell for sure. I installed it pretty soon after I got the Focus last March. As I've said before, I took a road trip to Knoxville, TN from Dallas, TX, and on the round-trip, even with mountains, A/C use, a passenger, luggage, and 70+mph speeds, I averaged over 40mpg. I do have the 5-speed, and I try to avoid hard acceleration most of the time unless I'm in a hurry.

Steeda is a famous company, mostly for Mustang mods, but they've been around a long time and have a pretty good level of respect from the tuner, hot-rod community. Unlike some companies which just make parts, Steeda produces entire vehicles for sale that make their way into dealerships based on Ford designs :

http://www.musclemustangfastfo..._mustang_gt/index.html

http://www.motortrend.com/road...ford_fusion/index.html

 

[ScoobMaster]

Hey - I was checking this thread out last night but didn't have time to post.

From one Fusion owner to another, CONGRATS. I hope you will like your new car (I have had mine for 3 months now and LOVE it!) I am one of those Skoorb was referenecing who "stole" a used 2008 Fusion for little $. I bought my 2008 SE with only 5800 miles on the odometer back in February for $10999 ($12K off the lot). I think you made a great choice (obviously I am a bit biased). Did you get Microsoft SYNC (I think it is now STANDARD equipment for 2009)?

 

[imported_Imp]

White is a really nice colour, and pretty in right now. However, while I like a white Civic and Mazda 3, I'm not sure how well it works on a Fusion. Oh well, nice choice and deal. I'd love a Fusion hybrid, the thing has more than double the fuel economy for city driving over the regular version according to advertising.

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: ScoobMaster
Hey - I was checking this thread out last night but didn't have time to post.

From one Fusion owner to another, CONGRATS. I hope you will like your new car (I have had mine for 3 months now and LOVE it!) I am one of those Skoorb was referenecing who "stole" a used 2008 Fusion for little $. I bought my 2008 SE with only 5800 miles on the odometer back in February for $10999 ($12K off the lot). I think you made a great choice (obviously I am a bit biased). Did you get Microsoft SYNC (I think it is now STANDARD equipment for 2009)?

No, it doesn't have Sync installed. I was looking forward to that a bit with the Focus, since I'm a technophile, but not having something I've never had is easy to accept. 😉

It does have four wheel disc brakes (which the Focus doesn't), an upgraded sound system with 6-CD player, and fog lamps, which is a first for me.

Originally posted by: Imp love a Fusion hybrid, the thing has more than double the fuel economy for city driving over the regular version according to advertising.

I was briefly tempted by the regular 2010 model, which was fairly basic, because of the fuel economy of the new engine which is comparable to the Focus at 24/33. However, that would have run me another $2-3k, which didn't make sense to me, plus it lacked some of the features in the SE model I bought (the 2010 was an S).

The Fusion Hybrid is nice, but the base price is $7-8k higher, from what I recall. I pushed the limit of what I wanted to spend originally by getting the Fusion, but going into the mid to upper 20s was too high for me.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: AndrewR
Wound up getting $1800 for the Ranger, which is in line with the KBB "Fair" value (and, honestly, that's where it should have been -- needed new tires, suspension work of about $400, new shocks, and at least one other replacement that I can't remember). I ended up with a Fusion SE for $16k off the lot. The Fusion has all of the "must haves" that I was looking for with a larger interior and a much larger trunk -- ABS, cruise, automatic.

Could I have done better? Probably, as I think there may have been some wiggle room of a few hundred dollars on the Fusion sale price. I finally just said, "Make it $16k even, and we're done."

Much better deal than the focus, congrats!

 

[adlep]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Cool, I think you made the better choice! Also, this is one of the few times on Anandtech I've ever seen anybody actually listen to posters to the extent that it significantly swayed their opinion on something 😉

Ditto!
Congrats on the choice. The Fusion is a much better car for the money than the Focus. It is also very safe. Just to let you know, I am going to be getting a new car for my wife soon, and it is going to be Fusion, unless we can find a steal on the 07 Accord. Still, 08/09 Fusion SE with Sync offers a lot of stuff for the price. Congrats again and enjoy the handling of a mid size sedan.