Help choosing a new car to buy.

[chalms04]

I went out looking for a new ride today (with a similar budget, ≤$10k) and am pretty much sold on a '08 Nissan Versa.
Seemed to be quite a bit of car for not that much coin.

[Bertuzzied]

If you buy a 2002 civic. Get a standard and get the coupe.

The four door 2001-2005 civic is the ugliest civic ever made.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Hyundai is making good cars and has narrowed the quality gap big time over the last few years/decade. In fact, they make some cool cars like the Genesis. I also think the Kia Soul is the best looking of all the boxy econo cars out there.

I don't think you know what you're talking about anyway. You say you like the new Tiburons but there is no such thing as that model was retired and replaced by the rwd Genesis last year I believe.

I'd take a Hyundai over a Chev in a lot of cases.

I know the Hyundai by it's proper Euro name, the Coupe. And if you think the Kia Soul is a good looking car, may god have mercy on your soul.

[Dynamic]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

If you buy a 2002 civic. Get a standard and get the coupe.

The four door 2001-2005 civic is the ugliest civic ever made.

I second that, get the standard. There is some ppl who have had issues with 01, 02, and 03 automatic trannys. Apparently it was fixed for 04 and 05 but I can't remember the exact issue. And 5 speeds more fun.

My 05 Civic is a great little car, just passed 300k last month. Haven't done anything more that maintainence. Wish I would of got the 4 door though, a coupe can get annoying at times.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Grunt

Except for getting to drive a new car, of course.

I use my leased car for work. It's great not having to worry about a lot of mechanical issues. I also get to write off my lease payments. With a car I owend, I could only write off the CCA.

I looked into both options. Right now you can lease a brand new car for 250/month. After tax savings it works out to under 200. One moderate repair on the used car and you have lost more money than a lease.

[Suave]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

I know the Hyundai by it's proper Euro name, the Coupe. And if you think the Kia Soul is a good looking car, may god have mercy on your soul.

Ummm the Genesis is not the "Coupe" in Europe, that was the Tiburon. The Genesis wasn't even initially sold in Europe and then only as a limited special edition.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

I know the Hyundai by it's proper Euro name, the Coupe. And if you think the Kia Soul is a good looking car, may god have mercy on your soul.

This coming from the guy who bought a Chevy Cobalt.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by flameswin

This coming from the guy who bought a Chevy Cobalt.

LOL, the chevy Cobalt may not be a good looking car (I never said it was), but the Kia Soul is brutal. Only the Nissan Cube is uglier.

[Nuje]

Now I haven't drive the Cube, or the Soul, but I have to say that the Chevy Cobalt is one of the worst driving cars I've had the displeasure of operating in a while.

Ultimately, Hyundais and Kias aren't still what one would refer to as a "desirable brand", but most definitely no longer fall into the "steer away" category that they used to.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Nuje

Now I haven't drive the Cube, or the Soul, but I have to say that the Chevy Cobalt is one of the worst driving cars I've had the displeasure of operating in a while.

Ultimately, Hyundais and Kias aren't still what one would refer to as a "desirable brand", but most definitely no longer fall into the "steer away" category that they used to.

The Chevy Cobalt isn't that bad. I don't know why you'd say it is one of the worst driving cars. Do you drive BMW's and Audi's exclusively?

I would still recommend steering away from Kia, brutal company. Hyundai at least makes 1-2 good cars.

[DementedReality]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Don't lease unless you like wasting a ton of money every month with nothing to show for it.

if you dont know what you are talking about, refrain from giving advise.

1) a good general rule is you RENT things that depreciate and you OWN things that appreciate. Cars rarely appreciate

2) Leasing puts the risk on the car company, if you like the car, you can buy it out ... but if its a lemon, been in an accident or doesnt suit your needs, you can give it back.

3) finally, the BEST evidence that leasing is GREAT for the consumer, they DONT OFFER LEASING on American cars anymore. if it was a ripoff for the consumer, wouldnt the car companies continue to offer it? they dont offer it because they DONT WAN THE CAR BACK! if a car company, with all the infrastructure needed to sell cars feels they cant sell the used car, what makes you think you can?

we have been through this before, but leasing makes alot of sense if you think about it.

edit: meant to add, if you can keep a car for 10 years, then it makes sense to buy it ... but for most of us, leasing is a great option. for the comment you have nothing to show for it, thats simply not true, you wil save thousands of dollars over the 4 years and what you do with that $$$ is up to you and isnt invested in rubber and metal that goes down in value every single day.

[mikey_the_redneck]

Go with the Honda.
I have never owned a Honda, but everyone around me who owns one seems really happy with them, ...and they seem to be fairly durable.

Besides...you never know how high gas will go again.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by blankall

I use my leased car for work. It's great not having to worry about a lot of mechanical issues.

You don't have to worry about mecahnical issues because it's on warranty. A financed car that is new or near new will have warranty, too, so this perk isn't a "pro" argument for leasing.

Originally Posted by blankall

I also get to write off my lease payments. With a car I owend, I could only write off the CCA.

That's great if you're a business owner. I have a leased vehicle for my business as well. A private individual doesn't get this benefit so that's not a "pro" for the OP, either.

Originally Posted by blankall

I looked into both options. Right now you can lease a brand new car for 250/month. After tax savings it works out to under 200. One moderate repair on the used car and you have lost more money than a lease.

I don't get this logic. At the end of a lease, you lose everything...the whole car. If you finance a used car, you still have the car at the end. Even if you end up putting some money into maintaining it, which is arguably no more than you'd put in on maintaining a leased car assuming both are on warranty, you still have a car with at least some value. By the way, you're comparing leasing a new car with buying a used car, which is setting up a false dichotomy.

Also, don't pretend people lease cars because they want something for $200/month. Many people lease cars because they want to drive something they can't afford to buy, which is obviously a bad reason to lease a car.

Originally Posted by DementedReality

if you dont know what you are talking about, refrain from giving advise.

Originally Posted by DementedReality

1) a good general rule is you RENT things that depreciate and you OWN things that appreciate. Cars rarely appreciate

Yes I've heard this weird piece of advice before, and I'm not sure if I'm being obtuse or if it is just that stupid, but it makes no sense whatsoever. Do you rent your furniture? Your electronics? Your clothes? etc.? Of course not, but all that stuff probably loses 50% of its value the second you walk out of a store and all of it can be rented.

Originally Posted by DementedReality

2) Leasing puts the risk on the car company, if you like the car, you can buy it out ... but if its a lemon, been in an accident or doesnt suit your needs, you can give it back.

See all this applies to a non-leased car as well. If you don't like it, you can sell it. There's actually more flexibility than if the car is leased. Sure you can give a leased car back. After four years.

And don't forget, you're paying through the nose for your so-called perks.

Originally Posted by DementedReality

3) finally, the BEST evidence that leasing is GREAT for the consumer, they DONT OFFER LEASING on American cars anymore. if it was a ripoff for the consumer, wouldnt the car companies continue to offer it? they dont offer it because they DONT WAN THE CAR BACK! if a car company, with all the infrastructure needed to sell cars feels they cant sell the used car, what makes you think you can?

First, I don't know that this is true. I thought leasing was suspended for a while on some domestics during the peak of the credit crisis and when the manufacturers were in bankruptcy protection, the residual values of the cars were potentially $0 pending the outcome of their restructuring and credit wasn't available, but I could be wrong on that.

Second, you're reversing cause and effect. Just because they don't/didn't offer leasing, doesn't mean the reason they don't is because it's "GREAT for the consumer."

Originally Posted by DementedReality

we have been through this before, but leasing makes alot of sense if you think about it.

Not from a financial perspective.

Originally Posted by DementedReality

edit: meant to add, if you can keep a car for 10 years, then it makes sense to buy it ... but for most of us, leasing is a great option. for the comment you have nothing to show for it, thats simply not true, you wil save thousands of dollars over the 4 years and what you do with that $$$ is up to you and isnt invested in rubber and metal that goes down in value every single day.

lol, you have a car when you're done financing. Leasing you have nothing.

Why do you call it "investing" when you finance, but you don't apply that label to leasing? If we are talking about investing, I'll take the option that I have something to show at the end of my term vs an investment where I lose 100% of what I put in.

[Rerun]

Leasing..... another way to say "Renting".

If you want to rent your car for 2, 3, or 4 years.... go ahead.
But watch out for the penalties that you will probably incur when your lease is up. Almost every leasee gets hit with them (ie.. too many kms, damage to the vehicle, etc etc).

An at the end of your lease, what do you have? Nothing, except perhaps another large bill.

I leased once. I'll never do it again. Its money down the drain with no return.... other than the prestige of driving a late model vehicle around town and pretending its actually yours.


Anyways... back to the point of the original post. Have you considered getting a small or a midsize truck? The most practical vehicle I have ever owned is my truck.... and its not a big one either. You would be surprised at how handy it is to have a truck at your constant disposal. I'm always hauling this, that, or the other thing in the back of my pickup. I don't know how I managed to live without it before I got one.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Anyways... back to the point of the original post. Have you considered getting a small or a midsize truck? The most practical vehicle I have ever owned is my truck.... and its not a big one either. You would be surprised at how handy it is to have a truck at your constant disposal. I'm always hauling this, that, or the other thing in the back of my pickup. I don't know how I managed to live without it before I got one.

I'm actually in the market for an older used midsize truck - for exactly all the reasons you stated. I just bought a home, and I kinda need to put a truck to work on getting the house the way I want it. Heck, I can't even carry a ladder home with either of my cars.

BUT, I really don't have a lot of experience with buying a used truck, specifically regarding reliability. Does anyone here have any advice regarding buying a used truck?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Knalus

I'm actually in the market for an older used midsize truck - for exactly all the reasons you stated. I just bought a home, and I kinda need to put a truck to work on getting the house the way I want it. Heck, I can't even carry a ladder home with either of my cars.

BUT, I really don't have a lot of experience with buying a used truck, specifically regarding reliability. Does anyone here have any advice regarding buying a used truck?

I've owned a 97 Ranger, a 2005 Ranger, a 2000 Frontier and currently have a 2008 Tacoma.

I think the Toyota is better than them all - no real complaints.

I had bad luck with my Frontier even though it had ~80,000 kms which shouldn't be much for those. Everything seemed to go wrong with it even though it gets a 5/5 in Lemon-aid, so who knows. I guess I just had a lemon.

The Rangers were fine, but they basically haven't changed at all since the mid-90s so I'd steer clear for that reason alone.

[Knalus]

Thanks for the reply, but I'm actually looking for a really cheap truck - sub $2000 total. I might be able to find a 97 ranger for that price, but none of the others. Anyone have experience buying older vehicles? Or should I make a new thread (as I might be derailing this one).

[Flashpoint]

As far as the noted downsides to leasing goes:

Mileage: If you know how much you typically drive a week, it's not hard to calculate your annual mileage. I had 15k a year and never came close on my last car. My commute is longer now, so I added 3K a year for about $10 a month ($360 total). It is important to keep track of it. My penalty rate is $0.18 a mile over - so if you were 1000 miles over you'd be out $180. The point is - be aware of your limits. Never caused me any concern.

Return fees: I can only speak to my personal experience, but I wasn't hit with any. I had a few small dings and some scratches, so nothing major. But living in Texas, I don't drive in winter, so that's probably a significant difference.

Not owning anything at the end of the lease: Well, I don't want to have to pay for anything on the car if it breaks. My Mazda warantee was 36 months or 60K miles, whichever came first.

I wanted a dependable ride for not much money. I got that.


And if you like it after 3 years you can always buy it.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Rerun

I leased once. I'll never do it again. Its money down the drain with no return.... other than the prestige of driving a late model vehicle around town and pretending its actually yours.

Aren't most people driving around in late model cars pretending it's actually theirs too? Doesn't the bank own it?

[CalgaryFan1988]

Pontiac Vibe, no question. Toyota powertrain and you save because of the pontiac name. For example.... 07 with 92000kms, asking $8600

http://www.autotrader.ca/used_cars_C...v=Alberta&r=20