Shopping for a new car.. what a headache

[Pardus]

My lease is finally up on my chevy.. why did i lease, seemed like a good idea at the time.. no, i won't buy a chevy ever again, the car was worth $23k in 2004, today its worth less than $10k.. not good. The car never gave me one bit of trouble, which is a rare thing.

So i'm gonna give the car back to chevy soon and buy a nice new car and keep it forever or until it dies.. hopefully 200k miles or more.

First off, really wanted a SUV.. looked at everything from a to z, all poor gas mileage and too pricey for me.

So my choices are down to 4, in this order
#1 - 08' Accord LX - priced around $19k - 36k warranty, 60k powertrain
#2 - 08' Camry LE - priced around $20k - 36k warranty, 60k powertrain
#3 - 08' Altima 2.5s - priced around 14.5k - 36k warranty, 60k powertrain
#4 - 09' Sonata GLS - priced around $17k - 60k warranty, 120k powertrain

The prices are what i got from finding out the dealer cost and some negotiation, for the most part, toyota sales people have a pay msrp or leave it attitude. The prices don't include tax and all that extra crap.

The reason for those 4 cars is due to price, warranty, reliability and the cars i have test driven and actually liked.. yes, i test drove cars like kia optima which is so poorly built, you can see the bumper isn't aligned properly to the side panels and even test drove a lexus, which is nice and all.. very pricey, not for me.

So.. based on the cars i picked, just wondering from previous owners, which is the right choice.. aside from safety and options.. my main concern is a car that will last after its paid off.. thanks.

 

[woodie1]

My family and I have had very good service with the Camry line for some 20 years. Only fair service from two Accords. Poor to bad experience with Nissan.

If Toyota wants you to pay MSRP then get the 2009. The 2008 is on sale everywhere now.

 

[Rumpltzer]

I bought a 2004 Accord V6 coupe back in 2004 without stepping foot in a dealership until I went to pick up the car. I read the forums on Edmunds.com and saw what everyone else was paying by negotiating over email (pretty simple), and I'm happy with the price I got. It also took only about an hour for me to show up, drive the car, sign the papers, and drive away in my new car. No taking the price up to the manager and all that crap. I knew the out the door price when I walked in.

So the 2004 Accord was in the second year of that generation. Something went wrong in less than 10K miles where I was losing my brakes (air would get in the lines without me opening them). It had something to do with some anti-lock brake part and it was replaced under warranty free of cost and they gave me a rental while they fixed it.

My center ceiling sunglass holder also stopped staying open in less than 10K miles and they replaced that under warranty.

At about 30K the backlighting in the stereo and climate control console stopped working. They replaced that under warranty.

Last week (82K miles), the starter crapped out. I pushed the car into my garage and popped in a new one this weekend. It cost me $140 at Kragen and about an hour to get the old one out (20 minutes to get the new one in... learning curve). I'm a little surprised that the starter crapped out at only 82K.

Other than that, it's been maintenance according to the manual or as needed: I recently turned the front brake rotors, I replaced the brake pads all around at 40K, I'm on the second set of tires, the second cabin air filter, the third engine air filter, I swapped out windshield wipers as needed, changed the oil, and added gas.


That's my Accord. Overall I'm happy with it. It's my first new car, so I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing is typical of what's considered a reliable car.

 

[Chunkee]

new sonata

/thread

great vehicles. more bang for buck. go drive it.

 

[krunchykrome]

I'd get the Accord. If I hadn't been in the market for a small SUV and didnt buy the CRV, I would have definetly bought the Accord. I think it looks great inside and out.

 

[OdiN]

Look at the new Maxima

But of those choices I'd go with the Altima. Seems like a really good price and I really like Nissans.

 

[Mermaidman]

Originally posted by: Chunkee
new sonata

+1

Why are you getting rid of the Chevy if it has been trouble-free? You've already paid for the depreciation--might as well keep it if your intention is to drive your car until it dies. $20K can be very useful for other purposes.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: Chunkee
new sonata

+1

Why are you getting rid of the Chevy if it has been trouble-free? You've already paid for the depreciation--might as well keep it if your intention is to drive your car until it dies. $20K can be very useful for other purposes.

I agree. What's the residual on the Chevy?

 

[desy]

If your keeping a car for the money 'good idea' you keep it 10 yrs of course the Chev depreciated by half most do by 5 yrs even Toyotas, Chev's and Fords do by 3 typically.
If its a SUV 'would be helpful if you mentioned what kind of vehcile you leased' then obviously it would have evne more due to fuel prices.

Personally I'd keep driving it as many more fuel efficient choices are coming up in 2-3 yrs time and even more so in 4-5
Your Chev will easily go another 4-5 yrs Just read an article where almost half of all cars manufactured are still on the road after 15 yrs and that was cars from 1992.
Cars built today will go even longer.

 

[dud]

Originally posted by: ActiveX
My lease is finally up on my chevy.. why did i lease, seemed like a good idea at the time.. no, i won't buy a chevy ever again, the car was worth $23k in 2004, today its worth less than $10k.. not good. The car never gave me one bit of trouble, which is a rare thing.

So i'm gonna give the car back to chevy soon and buy a nice new car and keep it forever or until it dies.. hopefully 200k miles or more.

First off, really wanted a SUV.. looked at everything from a to z, all poor gas mileage and too pricey for me.

So my choices are down to 4, in this order
#1 - 08' Accord LX - priced around $19k - 36k warranty, 60k powertrain
#2 - 08' Camry LE - priced around $20k - 36k warranty, 60k powertrain
#3 - 08' Altima 2.5s - priced around 14.5k - 36k warranty, 60k powertrain
#4 - 09' Sonata GLS - priced around $17k - 60k warranty, 120k powertrain

The prices are what i got from finding out the dealer cost and some negotiation, for the most part, toyota sales people have a pay msrp or leave it attitude. The prices don't include tax and all that extra crap.

The reason for those 4 cars is due to price, warranty, reliability and the cars i have test driven and actually liked.. yes, i test drove cars like kia optima which is so poorly built, you can see the bumper isn't aligned properly to the side panels and even test drove a lexus, which is nice and all.. very pricey, not for me.

So.. based on the cars i picked, just wondering from previous owners, which is the right choice.. aside from safety and options.. my main concern is a car that will last after its paid off.. thanks.

Buying a new car is easy these days ... all you have to do is use the net. I bought a 2007 Civic for my wife last year from my computer desk at home. All I did was send an email request to each dealer within 75 miles of my home for a quote. I told them I was buying within 3 days. I received quotes from 6 of 9 dealers and two (2) were VERY good. The closest dealer called me and asked if I liked their quote ... I told them it was $800 higher than the lowest and within an hour they matched the lowest price. I bought the car that evening.

The key is knowing what you want and what it is worth to you. I agree with a lot of what you said above, especially about the Toyota dealers. They are hurting badly but you wouldn't know it from their negotiation stance.

The prices you listed above are not necessarily accurate. The Accord price is too low and I seriously doubt that you could pull of an Altima for less than $19K. Invoice is $19.6K for the base 2.5S with auto minus $500 in rebates gets you to $19K. How did you come up with $14.5K for an Altima? You might be able to get the Hyundais for less than your listed prices if you negotiate hard.

Decide what you want and then play the dealers against themselves on the net.

 

[Pardus]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: Chunkee
new sonata

+1

Why are you getting rid of the Chevy if it has been trouble-free? You've already paid for the depreciation--might as well keep it if your intention is to drive your car until it dies. $20K can be very useful for other purposes.

The chevy has 43k on it, buy out is 9k... but it needs new brakes, new tires, all new fluids, alignment and there is some wierd issue with the shifter, gets stuck when going from park to drive.. prob minor.. i didnt exactly take care of it cause it was a lease.. and since its out of warranty, i'll have to buy a extended warranty and i'm not too sure if it will last to 100k.

Thanks for the all the other responses as well..

 

[evident]

the Camry's 4 cyl is very anemic for the frame its in. Honda has the best 4 banger engine. either 170HP or 190HP depending on the model. It has a timing chain, which is one less big maintenance item you have to worry about. I can't really speak for the altima 2.5S or the hyundai though.

 

[bruceb]

So you put in new brakes & change the coolant and maybe the brake fluid.
All inexpensive fixes. Even the shift linkage problem should be cheap to fix.
Tires will run about $100 per wheel depending on brand & store. As to the
car lasting until 100K miles, it will, with just routine maintenance like oil &
filter changes. Consider new plugs & plug wires around the 80K mark or so.

 

[Svnla]

I recommend the Honda. I drove a Honda coupe <bought new> for 120K before passed it down to a sibling and it still running.

I am driving a small Honda SUV now <bought new> and it is at 90K now and no problem so far.

If you are buying a new car, I recommend go to Edmunds.com and read up the article about how to buy a new car (break it down as 3 separate transactions - 1)cost of the car, 2)how to pay for it, 3)trade in (if you have one). Dont fall in love with a car, be ready to walk away if you don't think you have a good deal.

 

[StageLeft]

Altima or sonata. The warranty on that thing is just awesome.

 

[sniperruff]

$14.5k for a mid-size. it's a no-brainer to go with the altima.

 

[Pardus]

The nissan dealer ad for the altima goes like this :
MSRP $21,905
You Down: $3,740
We match: $3,740

However, the ad doesn't say you must be a current nissan owner, in the military and a college grad. Sales people are so deceptive, that deal would have brought the price down to $14,425, but they were only willing to sell me the car for $19,085 with zero down, and 7% financing..
the altima drives nice but is not worth that price.

The Sonota ad says get the GLS model for $14,993 or the Limited model for $19,983. I will be test driving the sonata tomorrow and report back.

Right now, i'm considering buying my chevy.. oh yea.. its the malibu and looking of for a company that will extend the warranty to 100k. I'm taking the car to a repair shop soon to see what it will cost to fix the car (breaks, tires, linkage, fluids, and have them check everything from A-Z as well.)

 

[desy]

With the Malibu you may notice a kind of clunk when turning the car at low speed, usually in one direction.
If you do, make sure they change the steering gear and intermediate shaft 'upgraded part' under warranty, both my mom and mother in law had it done on their 2005's

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: ActiveX
The nissan dealer ad for the altima goes like this :
MSRP $21,905
You Down: $3,740
We match: $3,740

However, the ad doesn't say you must be a current nissan owner, in the military and a college grad. Sales people are so deceptive, that deal would have brought the price down to $14,425, but they were only willing to sell me the car for $19,085 with zero down, and 7% financing..
the altima drives nice but is not worth that price.

The Sonota ad says get the GLS model for $14,993 or the Limited model for $19,983. I will be test driving the sonata tomorrow and report back.

Right now, i'm considering buying my chevy.. oh yea.. its the malibu and looking of for a company that will extend the warranty to 100k. I'm taking the car to a repair shop soon to see what it will cost to fix the car (breaks, tires, linkage, fluids, and have them check everything from A-Z as well.)

thats how most dealers advertise... lure you in and then slam you with the real price. i suggest used or lease for $199/month if you like driving new cars every few years.

 

[rh71]

agree with dud... have dealers fight each others' prices after thorough msrp vs. invoice investigation (make sure they know you know) - you can't lose. Did it in January and having control feels great.

 

[dud]

Originally posted by: ActiveX
The nissan dealer ad for the altima goes like this :
MSRP $21,905
You Down: $3,740
We match: $3,740

However, the ad doesn't say you must be a current nissan owner, in the military and a college grad. Sales people are so deceptive, that deal would have brought the price down to $14,425, but they were only willing to sell me the car for $19,085 with zero down, and 7% financing..
the altima drives nice but is not worth that price.

The Sonota ad says get the GLS model for $14,993 or the Limited model for $19,983. I will be test driving the sonata tomorrow and report back.

Right now, i'm considering buying my chevy.. oh yea.. its the malibu and looking of for a company that will extend the warranty to 100k. I'm taking the car to a repair shop soon to see what it will cost to fix the car (breaks, tires, linkage, fluids, and have them check everything from A-Z as well.)

Op,

In the case of the Altima above your price is not $14.5K but $18,165 (MSRP - the dealer's matching your down payment) ... which is a great price on the Altima. It is worth it. The prices I got on the Hyundai models were lower than what you posted but I personally would avoid them. I rented a few recently for work and the ride is unremarkable at best (boring to the extreme) and resale (say in 5 to 7 years, if you plan to keep it that long) is terrible on these cars.

Have you considered the Civic? My wife LOVES hers, perhaps more than me. :brokenheart:

Good luck ...

 

[Pardus]

Originally posted by: bruceb
So you put in new brakes & change the coolant and maybe the brake fluid.
All inexpensive fixes. Even the shift linkage problem should be cheap to fix.
Tires will run about $100 per wheel depending on brand & store. As to the
car lasting until 100K miles, it will, with just routine maintenance like oil &
filter changes. Consider new plugs & plug wires around the 80K mark or so.

thanks bruceb, i'm having the car checked out as i type this and told them to check everything.

Originally posted by: desy

With the Malibu you may notice a kind of clunk when turning the car at low speed, usually in one direction.
If you do, make sure they change the steering gear and intermediate shaft 'upgraded part' under warranty, both my mom and mother in law had it done on their 2005's

thanks desy, there checking that too.

at least my car shopping is over, so time consuming. once the car is fixed, i'm gonna have it fully checked out at every oil change just to be safe.

the hard part now is to find a good extended warranty company, so many out there.

thanks for all the replies.. you all been very helpful.