buying a new car

[noj19]

yo, any dudes out there into autos able to help a regular simpleton. need tips on what i should look for in a car and how to lowball a salesman and get away with it

budget is at most 40,000
looking at this especially: https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/JF1VA2V66H9801802


fuuck, that hood scoop is sexy

[GardenSkater77]

Buying a new car is a huge waste of money. So many people lease that there are ton of low mileage cars that dealers have to move.

However, performance cars are rare, so if you find an STI on a lot it will be hard to negotiate the price down.

Do you really want an STI? That car is dated. I would check out a Honda Civic Type R.

Personally, I am a VW guy and would recommend a slightly used GTI.

Go on autotrader.com and put in a search in a 50 mile radius and see what comes up.

I would try to buy off a private seller if possible. You can usually get a good deal on performance cars because those guys want to buy something new.

Remember, insurance in more on performance cars.

If you buy from a private seller tell him or her that you want to have the car looked at by a mechanic. Even if you don’t go through with this listen to how the person responds. If they start babbling some unintelligible shit then I would walk away.

Make sure a private seller has title in hand.

I think that is about it. Post what you buy. Happy car shopping.

[rawr1922]

Curious to see why you think sti are dated?
 
Also, looked at Civic Type R, she's pretty

[Dog the Bounty Hunter]

If you’re set on new, truecar.com. I’ve used it to buy my last 2 new cars.

[GardenSkater77]

Curious to see why you think sti are dated?
 
Also, looked at Civic Type R, she's pretty

I think the STI is cool and all, but I feel like Subaru is slow to change. I am not in the market for a hot hatch, but I have heard a lot of good things about the Honda and I really like the design of that car.

I believe the Type R has a skid pad that is better than the WRX, but I would buy a VW GTI because Recaro seats are the shit and VW plaid is tight.

Here is a comparison between the Subie and the Civic:
https://www.edmunds.com/car-comparisons/?veh1=401760180&veh2=401779549

[LUGR]

Go kook-off somewhere else.

[El Nugjar]

In all honesty, I’d go for a truck or van. But that also depends on what you do for work or if you travel a lot or not. Never was a “look at how fast my car looks, vroom vroom” kind of guy. I think a vehicle should serve may purposes especially being a skateboarder. Trucks and vans are great for travel and carry building material.

[Chavo]

They won't go that low as dealers still need to make a profit. First make a visit and look around or drive one. Make some price inquiries, but don't make a deal on the first visit. Do some research on your model to determine what the lowest dealers are willing to let go. Assuming you have good credit, hang on to that number. I would look for universal manufacturer rebates, since the dealer won't absorb that loss. You could also get a good deal on a current year car since 2020s are already arriving.

[rawr1922]

In all honesty, I’d go for a truck or van. But that also depends on what you do for work or if you travel a lot or not. Never was a “look at how fast my car looks, vroom vroom” kind of guy. I think a vehicle should serve may purposes especially being a skateboarder. Trucks and vans are great for travel and carry building material.

I agree. Been driving trucks my whole life & owned a van at one point. Find it impossible for me to buy a car as my next ride, feel like a downgrade. I do love cars & always admired Subarus. If youre gonna spend $40K, might as well buy a new 4 door Tacoma

[El Nugjar]

Expand Quote

In all honesty, I’d go for a truck or van. But that also depends on what you do for work or if you travel a lot or not. Never was a “look at how fast my car looks, vroom vroom” kind of guy. I think a vehicle should serve may purposes especially being a skateboarder. Trucks and vans are great for travel and carry building material.

[close]

I agree. Been driving trucks my whole life & owned a van at one point. Find it impossible for me to buy a car as my next ride, feel like a downgrade. I do love cars & always admired Subarus. If youre gonna spend $40K, might as well buy a new 4 door Tacoma

If I’m spending 40k, it’s for sure on a Chevy Colorado diesel or a full-size diesel truck.

[rawr1922]

Brand new diesels are expensive , super legit though

[zorinafaglie]

I believe that buying a new car is a waste of money. A new car loses 20% of its price tag as soon as it leaves the dealership. So, you better buy a used car in good technical and cosmetical condition

[TastyBurrito]

Same. I'd go used. A car loses the most appreciation in the first three years.

I bought my 2018 SUV in 2021. Body type didn't change. And it had 8,000 miles. Bought for $19k instead of $30k MSRP.

But if you are going to buy new, make sure you read the contract.

Dealerships tend to add a lot of fluff fees like a prep fee for preparing the docs you'll sign. Or pre-purchase inspection fee which is making sure the car is in working order before you take it off the lot. Even simple "additional dealer mark up" fees which is just making the car more expensive because they can.

Many times, when the dealer drops the price for you, they make up for it with these fees. Ergo, a $40,000 car after fees can be $44,000.

Tips:

Buy your car during Q4 when the next year's models are being released. When the 2023's start hitting the floor, the 2022's will start being dropped in price.

Buy on a weekday. Less people on the lots during normal work hours means salespeople are willing to cut a better deal to make the sale and get their commission.

Buy on a rainy day if possible. Again, less people at the dealership and salespeople are more willing to cut a better deal to make the sale.

If possible, ask for the floor manager. They're salary. Seeing they don't work for commission, they won't try to up-sell you and will make it a touch easier for you to get your car and go.

Go to a bank/credit union and get pre-approved for a loan amount. DO NOT get a loan from them. Their goal is to get you a loan. So they'll call a bunch of different companies doing hard credit pulls and you'll end up getting dinged for 30+ points on your credit score. I went to Navy Federal, got pre-approved and only saw a 5 point hit to my score.

Have a max number in your head you're willing to pay total! If they ask you what you're looking to spend, say "$39K max out the door." Salespeople know their numbers and if you say "$600" month, they'll push you to a cheaper car with a bigger commission rate for them.

Know exactly WHICH car - make, model, trim – you want. Call ahead and make sure they have it on the floor. Lots of times they'll say it's just sold when you get there and upsell you to a higher trim for more money.

At any point, do NOT let them pressure you. You can simply walk away at any time. Even if they printed out the contracts for you. If you didn't sign, you can walk.

My source: I worked in marketing for an online car buying place and had to do HELLA research on typical dar dealership practices. Even went to dealerships under the guise I'd buy a car, got to the form signing desk and left.

If possible, go to your library and look up the book WHAT CAR DEALERS WON'T TELL YOU. It's written by a former car dealer who wrote this book exposing the mental game dealers play with you. Like keeping you in the dealership for hours to mentally wear you down so you'll be tired and just want to sign, get your car, and go without noticing they might've added

[pugmaster]

Same. I'd go used. A car loses the most appreciation in the first three years.

I bought my 2018 SUV in 2021. Body type didn't change. And it had 8,000 miles. Bought for $19k instead of $30k MSRP.

But if you are going to buy new, make sure you read the contract.

Dealerships tend to add a lot of fluff fees like a prep fee for preparing the docs you'll sign. Or pre-purchase inspection fee which is making sure the car is in working order before you take it off the lot. Even simple "additional dealer mark up" fees which is just making the car more expensive because they can.

Many times, when the dealer drops the price for you, they make up for it with these fees. Ergo, a $40,000 car after fees can be $44,000.

Tips:

Buy your car during Q4 when the next year's models are being released. When the 2023's start hitting the floor, the 2022's will start being dropped in price.

Buy on a weekday. Less people on the lots during normal work hours means salespeople are willing to cut a better deal to make the sale and get their commission.

Buy on a rainy day if possible. Again, less people at the dealership and salespeople are more willing to cut a better deal to make the sale.

If possible, ask for the floor manager. They're salary. Seeing they don't work for commission, they won't try to up-sell you and will make it a touch easier for you to get your car and go.

Go to a bank/credit union and get pre-approved for a loan amount. DO NOT get a loan from them. Their goal is to get you a loan. So they'll call a bunch of different companies doing hard credit pulls and you'll end up getting dinged for 30+ points on your credit score. I went to Navy Federal, got pre-approved and only saw a 5 point hit to my score.

Have a max number in your head you're willing to pay total! If they ask you what you're looking to spend, say "$39K max out the door." Salespeople know their numbers and if you say "$600" month, they'll push you to a cheaper car with a bigger commission rate for them.

Know exactly WHICH car - make, model, trim – you want. Call ahead and make sure they have it on the floor. Lots of times they'll say it's just sold when you get there and upsell you to a higher trim for more money.

At any point, do NOT let them pressure you. You can simply walk away at any time. Even if they printed out the contracts for you. If you didn't sign, you can walk.

My source: I worked in marketing for an online car buying place and had to do HELLA research on typical dar dealership practices. Even went to dealerships under the guise I'd buy a car, got to the form signing desk and left.

If possible, go to your library and look up the book WHAT CAR DEALERS WON'T TELL YOU. It's written by a former car dealer who wrote this book exposing the mental game dealers play with you. Like keeping you in the dealership for hours to mentally wear you down so you'll be tired and just want to sign, get your car, and go without noticing they might've added

+1, great information

[Coastal Fever]

Do all of you saying “don’t buy new, buy a low mileage lease return” or whatever.. realize that many of those vehicles are selling for more than new ones right now, due to the wait times for new models and limited availability of newer low mileage vehicles?  My gf bought a new ‘22 Mazda CX-5 this year, and I’m now seeing one’s that are 1-2 years old with 10-30k+ miles on them selling for more than what she paid.

Also telling a guy who’s looking at sporty-ish cars to buy a van or Tacoma is pretty left field.  They’re functional for certain people, but definitely aren’t the most comfortable, fuel efficient or fun to drive for everyone.

I dunno, I’m no expert myself, I drive a 13 year old Civic sedan.  Which has been a pretty great commuter car, but I’m dead set on an AWD compact SUV for my next.  Winters here are rough, I want some extra height/comfort/cargo space, but nothing too big or gas guzzling.  I’ll probably get the newest/lowest mileage RAV, CRV, or CX-5 I can afford.. or an old one if money’s tight and I want to roll the dice on a beater.

[JRF]

Buying a new car is a huge waste of money. So many people lease that there are ton of low mileage cars that dealers have to move.

However, performance cars are rare, so if you find an STI on a lot it will be hard to negotiate the price down.

Do you really want an STI? That car is dated. I would check out a Honda Civic Type R.

Personally, I am a VW guy and would recommend a slightly used GTI.

Go on autotrader.com and put in a search in a 50 mile radius and see what comes up.

I would try to buy off a private seller if possible. You can usually get a good deal on performance cars because those guys want to buy something new.

Remember, insurance in more on performance cars.

If you buy from a private seller tell him or her that you want to have the car looked at by a mechanic. Even if you don’t go through with this listen to how the person responds. If they start babbling some unintelligible shit then I would walk away.

Make sure a private seller has title in hand.

I think that is about it. Post what you buy. Happy car shopping.

Only problem is that the used car market is ridiculous right now. I bought my e46 m3 about a year ago and now the price of e46 m3s have skyrocketed.. I took my car to a bmw dealership for an airbag recall and they offered me 9k more than I bought it for.. I’ve seen some ridiculous prices on used cars lately.

[GardenSkater77]

Expand Quote

Buying a new car is a huge waste of money. So many people lease that there are ton of low mileage cars that dealers have to move.

However, performance cars are rare, so if you find an STI on a lot it will be hard to negotiate the price down.

Do you really want an STI? That car is dated. I would check out a Honda Civic Type R.

Personally, I am a VW guy and would recommend a slightly used GTI.

Go on autotrader.com and put in a search in a 50 mile radius and see what comes up.

I would try to buy off a private seller if possible. You can usually get a good deal on performance cars because those guys want to buy something new.

Remember, insurance in more on performance cars.

If you buy from a private seller tell him or her that you want to have the car looked at by a mechanic. Even if you don’t go through with this listen to how the person responds. If they start babbling some unintelligible shit then I would walk away.

Make sure a private seller has title in hand.

I think that is about it. Post what you buy. Happy car shopping.

[close]

Only problem is that the used car market is ridiculous right now. I bought my e46 m3 about a year ago and now the price of e46 m3s have skyrocketed.. I took my car to a bmw dealership for an airbag recall and they offered me 9k more than I bought it for.. I’ve seen some ridiculous prices on used cars lately.

When I wrote this post 3 years ago STIs were selling for $35K and I was finding GTIs with 30K miles for $25K. For me it was a no brainer. Today that same GTI is listing for over $30K. The whole chip shortage is really turning the car market upside down.

At this point I don’t believe I would ever buy a new car again (for fun). I am not a fan of the safety shit they are cramming in. I was driving a rental car and I changed lanes without putting a turn signal on and the car told me I needed to take a break because I was tired—or something to that effect.

Modern cars are basically rolling cubicles. How can you put a touch screen on the front console (I think we can agree they look like shit) and claim the car is more safe because now it breaks for itself?

I have a 2009 Jetta S with 110K miles with heated, comfortable, low pile cloth seats and the engine sounds brand new. I shit you not. I can’t believe how smooth that 2.5 L engine is. My dad has a 2012 Rabbit, which is basically the same car, and his engine is perfect also.

I was looking for a new car but whenever I rent a car I can’t stand all the new features. Over the last 3 years I have really lost interest in cars. Wish I could get a brand new Mark III…

[IUTSM]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Buying a new car is a huge waste of money. So many people lease that there are ton of low mileage cars that dealers have to move.

However, performance cars are rare, so if you find an STI on a lot it will be hard to negotiate the price down.

Do you really want an STI? That car is dated. I would check out a Honda Civic Type R.

Personally, I am a VW guy and would recommend a slightly used GTI.

Go on autotrader.com and put in a search in a 50 mile radius and see what comes up.

I would try to buy off a private seller if possible. You can usually get a good deal on performance cars because those guys want to buy something new.

Remember, insurance in more on performance cars.

If you buy from a private seller tell him or her that you want to have the car looked at by a mechanic. Even if you don’t go through with this listen to how the person responds. If they start babbling some unintelligible shit then I would walk away.

Make sure a private seller has title in hand.

I think that is about it. Post what you buy. Happy car shopping.

[close]

Only problem is that the used car market is ridiculous right now. I bought my e46 m3 about a year ago and now the price of e46 m3s have skyrocketed.. I took my car to a bmw dealership for an airbag recall and they offered me 9k more than I bought it for.. I’ve seen some ridiculous prices on used cars lately.

[close]

When I wrote this post 3 years ago STIs were selling for $35K and I was finding GTIs with 30K miles for $25K. For me it was a no brainer. Today that same GTI is listing for over $30K. The whole chip shortage is really turning the car market upside down.

At this point I don’t believe I would ever buy a new car again (for fun). I am not a fan of the safety shit they are cramming in. I was driving a rental car and I changed lanes without putting a turn signal on and the car told me I needed to take a break because I was tired—or something to that effect.

Modern cars are basically rolling cubicles. How can you put a touch screen on the front console (I think we can agree they look like shit) and claim the car is more safe because now it breaks for itself?

I have a 2009 Jetta S with 110K miles with heated, comfortable, low pile cloth seats and the engine sounds brand new. I shit you not. I can’t believe how smooth that 2.5 L engine is. My dad has a 2012 Rabbit, which is basically the same car, and his engine is perfect also.

I was looking for a new car but whenever I rent a car I can’t stand all the new features. Over the last 3 years I have really lost interest in cars. Wish I could get a brand new Mark III…

I've got an 07 outback 2.5. It will need new head gaskets within the year, maybe, but I can do it myself. Whips got 205k on it. I  paid 4500 in 2015.

Older cars are able to be worked on by the owner, which is a plus for me. I cannot fathom spending 25+ or any # really on a vehicle designed specifically so that I cannot work on. An object, like that rental that told you to take a nap, that tries to dictate my choices. No fucking way. I'll drop 15k to convert my 85 to full electric before I buy something like that.

[j....soy.....]

Buy something cheap, reliable, within your means, save for property…..

I see a lot of people making vanity purchases in cars trying to play it off as adulting….it cripples them down the road ie. buying a new Tacoma….

[eSK3]

Stay away from performance cars unless you want to pay those performance car maintenance costs.

Example:
If you blow a tire on that STI, you have to replace all four tires…

[Hevonen]

Buy something cheap, reliable, within your means, save for property…..

I see a lot of people making vanity purchases in cars trying to play it off as adulting….it cripples them down the road ie. buying a new Tacoma….

So many of my friends are doing this now that they've kinda settled down and it's infuriating. I'm like you can get a ten year old model with low mileage for third of the price of a new one, main difference is that they've attached a bigger shitty iPad on the new one. Response I usually get is something like it's time to do adult stuff.

If you're enthusiastic about cars or got loads of money then it's cool, but buying a brand new car just to drive to work and back is the biggest waste of money

[Coastal Fever]

I guess the exception would be if you have a gnarly commute or travel for work, in which case the peace of mind of a new(er) vehicle may be worth the monthly payment.  You also may pay the same for an older model as a new one once you factor in the interest over time.  We looked at a used RAV4 with a sticker price of $28k, but total financing cost was $42k.  Absolutely insane.