Please help me find a new car!!

[TangoJuliet]

My head is spinning from trying to find a new vehicle after my primary car was totaled.

Previous Car: 1999 Ford Mustang, leather interior, convertible, satellite radio + premium sound system

Work info: 120 miles r/t per day

Have: $15,000 for down payment

The list:

2008 Toyota Prius (used). 8000 miles; package 6 with leather, navigation and sun roof. Would have to purchase from a private seller. $23,000; payments range from $323-309/m for 36 months. I would be able to drive in the HOV lane as a single occupant possibly saving 15-30 minutes on my drive every day
46/42 mpg

2009 Honda Fit Sport - automatic with navigation package. No special APR rates or rebates. $19,000; payments range from $185-177/m for 36 months
27/33 mpg

2009 Nissan Versa Hatch 1.8 SL - automatic CVT, moonroof, XM Radio, ABS. $19,085. Nissan special APR of 3.9% or $750 cash back. Payments range from $220/m for 36 months or $261/m for 24 months.
27/33 mpg

2009 Toyota Corolla Sport - Toyota special 2.9% APR for 36 months
4 speed auto, Package #4 (moonroof, stability/traction control) $20,755 ($228/m for 36m)
4 speed auto, Package #5 (JBL speakers, bluetooth, moonroof, 16" wheels, traction control) $22,014 ($261/m for 36 months)
27/35 mpg

2009 Ford Focus Coupe SES - $500 cash back plus 0% APR for 36 months
Heated leather seats, Sync, moonroof, sirius satellite, ABS, ambient lighting
$19,239 ($172/m for 36 months)
24/33 mpg

2009 Hyundai Elantra - 4 speed auto, sunroof, XM, heated leather seats. $500 cash back
$19,470 (no special APR) estimated 6% = $195/m for 36m
25/33 mpg

2009 VW Jetta TDI - leather, moonroof, automatic, $1300 tax credit and maintenance free for first 3 years. $25,000. No special APR. Estimated 6% APR = $381/m for 36m
29/40 mpg

I considered the Matrix, Civic and Vibe but there weren't either any good options, specials that put them ahead of the vehicles above.

 

[SearchMaster]

Which one do you like the best?

Personally, with $15K in cash I'd find a nice recent model used car for $12-$13K and pocket the rest for repairs and the like.

Also, I like the new Insight/CR-Z since you're obviously targeting fuel economy on your new car. If you like those cars, you could get a slightly older used car for a couple of years and take much less of a depreciation hit.

 

[DivideBYZero]

The Focus jumps out as the best buy, to me at least.

EDIT: I think your math is wrong. If you put 15k down then you have to finance $4239. At 0% APR over 36mo that's $117.75 a mo, not $172.

 

[Chunkee]

deduction is your friend.. i will start you out... remove the POS Jetta from the list.

 

[desy]

Those are all good cars
quit using the internet and get out and test drive and see what dealerships you like

When I test drove my car I discovered I was no longer fond of manuals, esp 6 speeds, you might not like how the seats fits you and so on.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: SearchMaster
Which one do you like the best?

Personally, with $15K in cash I'd find a nice recent model used car for $12-$13K and pocket the rest for repairs and the like.

Also, I like the new Insight/CR-Z since you're obviously targeting fuel economy on your new car. If you like those cars, you could get a slightly older used car for a couple of years and take much less of a depreciation hit.

I like all of them. I am going to go test drive them all today and see which one feels right. I keep going back and forth on used/new and while I'd prefer to buy used my gut tells me to buy new for peace of mind. I just don't want to take a risk of buying used and a couple months/years down the road it breaks down on me.

I was saving up for the Insight but it won't be out until March/April and I need a car sooner then that.

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

EDIT: I think your math is wrong. If you put 15k down then you have to finance $4239. At 0% APR over 36mo that's $117.75 a mo, not $172.

Are you sure? I used a car payment calculator web page and that would include tax, tags and title.

Example

Focus: $19239
Tax: $1660
Title & Reg: $289
Down payment: $15,000
APR: 0%
Loan Terms: 36 months
Monthly Payment: $171.89

 

[Funyuns101]

couldn't you buy a cheap, used car and sell it to Carmax (or privately) when the Insight, which you seem to want, comes out?

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: Funyuns101
couldn't you buy a cheap, used car and sell it to Carmax (or privately) when the Insight, which you seem to want, comes out?

I could but then I have to go through the hassle of selling it and trying not to lose more then I spent on it. Plus, yes I do want the Insight but thats from just reading about it and such. It may turn out to be not a good car or I may not like the way it drives. There will also probably be a long waiting list for the car, no special APRs and will sell over MSRP (initially).

 

[TangoJuliet]

So the guy that has the used 2008 Prius just emailed me and said the mileage is more like 10,000 since he posted the ad. We came to a middle of $23,000 for the car but I think that is still too high for those amount of miles. I really hate going the used car route even more so when buying from a private seller (it can be stolen, rode hard, etc). However, getting a package 6 Prius for say $22,000 would be nice. 45mpg plus being able to ride in the HOV lane by myself is an added bonus.


Edit: I just found a 2007 Honda Civic EX Coupe with a moonroof, cloth for $15,000. It has 16,300 miles on it (not bad). Think that would be a better bet then buying new? It has a balance of 7 years, 100,000 miles left on the warranty.

 

[Chunkee]

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet
So the guy that has the used 2008 Prius just emailed me and said the mileage is more like 10,000 since he posted the ad. We came to a middle of $23,000 for the car but I think that is still too high for those amount of miles. I really hate going the used car route even more so when buying from a private seller (it can be stolen, rode hard, etc). However, getting a package 6 Prius for say $22,000 would be nice. 45mpg plus being able to ride in the HOV lane by myself is an added bonus.


Edit: I just found a 2007 Honda Civic EX Coupe with a moonroof, cloth for $15,000. It has 16,300 miles on it (not bad). Think that would be a better bet then buying new? It has a balance of 7 years, 100,000 miles left on the warranty.

sounds good!

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: Chunkee

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet
So the guy that has the used 2008 Prius just emailed me and said the mileage is more like 10,000 since he posted the ad. We came to a middle of $23,000 for the car but I think that is still too high for those amount of miles. I really hate going the used car route even more so when buying from a private seller (it can be stolen, rode hard, etc). However, getting a package 6 Prius for say $22,000 would be nice. 45mpg plus being able to ride in the HOV lane by myself is an added bonus.


Edit: I just found a 2007 Honda Civic EX Coupe with a moonroof, cloth for $15,000. It has 16,300 miles on it (not bad). Think that would be a better bet then buying new? It has a balance of 7 years, 100,000 miles left on the warranty.

sounds good!

which one? both?

 

[MiataNC]

Check with your local credit unions for repos.

There is a ridiculous amount of 1-3 year old cars being turned in by people who can't make the payments. Most are not abused and can be had for thousands below KBB.

 

[JDub02]

I'd go for the Jetta TDI. VW makes some great diesels. And the resale value of them is CRAZY. This is the only one that, IMO, is a real car and not an econobox.

Other than that, I've heard great things about the new Honda Fit. Supposedly much better than the last gen.
Focus + Sync might make for a more entertaining drive.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: JDub02
I'd go for the Jetta TDI. VW makes some great diesels. And the resale value of them is CRAZY. This is the only one that, IMO, is a real car and not an econobox.

Other than that, I've heard great things about the new Honda Fit. Supposedly much better than the last gen.
Focus + Sync might make for a more entertaining drive.

Yeah, after some consideration, I'm definitely thinking about a Passat TDI wagon in the future.

 

[TangoJuliet]

I belong to a credit union. How do I go about finding if they have repos? Do I just stop by and ask their loan department or something?

 

[BlackTigers]

That Focus looks killer...

 

[BassBomb]

How many threads do you need?

Someone in your previous thread stated they no longer issue HOV passes for hybrids (I can't confirm this)

 

[TangoJuliet]

I only have 2. One is about the reliability of hybrids and then there is this one. I have an OT one but that's about my legal matters.

This thread is about all the cars listed above. Thanks

 

[MiataNC]

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet
I belong to a credit union. How do I go about finding if they have repos? Do I just stop by and ask their loan department or something?

Call them up and ask for the collections department. Then tell them you are interested in seeing a list of their current repo sales.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Miata, thanks. I'll be in the area today and I'll stop by and see if they can help. I'd call but maybe they have a list with pictures I can browse.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Bassbomb - they no longer issue HOV passes in CA. I live in NY and they are still issued.

 

[ayabe]

Yeah I might look at a used Accord or Camry just as a mileage mule, or even a Civic/integra/corolla. I've been looking at those recently as a second car since I drive 80 miles a day round trip.

I haven't looked at these types of new cars in a long time, but $22K for a Corolla and $19K for a Fit? F-me, that's a lot of jack for not much of a car. You are almost in real car territory, ie Mazda3/Impreza etc.

 

[Arkaign]

2008 Toyota Prius $23,000 - Expensive, generally high resale, boring to drive, pretty comfortable.

2009 Honda Fit Sport -$19,000 - Nimble, configurable, Honda reliability. Good resale. Decent buy.

2009 Nissan Versa Hatch 1.8 SL $19,085 - This car has no way of equaling the Honda. It's good, but not quite up to the same level. Tons of complaints about the CVT.

2009 Toyota Corolla Sport $22,014 - Wallpaper-paste bland. Probably a rival to the Fit in terms of longevity. Good resale. Bland interior/exterior.

2009 Ford Focus Coupe SES $19,239 - Excellent feature set. Best in class power/acceleration/handling/cabin noise insulation. Lighter than it's contemporaries. Reliable Duratec/Mazda motor. No 4-wheel disc available, braking performance is only 'adequate'. Excellent fuel economy. Moderate resale. This would probably be my pick of the lot for the sake of balance.

2009 Hyundai Elantra $19,470 - Very comfortable. Much improved drivetrain/reliability over past Hyundais. Slightly less power, more weight, worse handling than the Focus, which makes it difficult to recommend unless you find a stellar deal on price (which is entirely possible).

2009 VW Jetta TDI $25,000 - Diesel is a PITA to have for numerous reasons. VW remains questionable on reliability / electronics. Parts and service are higher. Decent car, but wouldn't recommend for either a long-term vehicle, or for someone unaware of the hassles of owning a diesel.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Ok. I went to ford and saw the above Focus. It's sweet! they had a special on it for $17650. Leather, heated seats, moon roof but no ABS. They had a black one with ABS for $600 more. I don't think I can beat it with anything else. A used civic is $15000 and didn't have leather. Both had sync and satellite radio. I hooked my iphone up to it and made some calls during the test drive. I'm hooked!

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet
Ok. I went to ford and saw the above Focus. It's sweet! they had a special on it for $17650. Leather, heated seats, moon roof but no ABS. They had a black one with ABS for $600 more. I don't think I can beat it with anything else. A used civic is $15000 and didn't have leather. Both had sync and satellite radio. I hooked my iphone up to it and made some calls during the test drive. I'm hooked!

good You are listening