The Car Care Thread

[chonies]

Jul 19, 2016 20:50:49 GMT -4 cabbagekid said:

I'm finally going to bite the bullet and buy a new car. I'm choosing between a Rav 4 and a Mazda CX5. Any advice for a female who will be negotiating this on her own? As in, I can't find anyone to go with me (which is a whole other story on the people in my life not being there when I really need them), but I'm looking to bite the bullet on the July 30th-31st weekend.

Anyway, i know men and women are treated differently in terms of car buying, what can I do so I'm not taking advantage of?

Know your financing situation forward and backward, so to the dealership with at least one offer from another bank or credit union.

Practice saying 'no' when it comes to driving your monthly payment down, any add-ons your don't want, and other things. I googled 'how to buy a car if you're a woman' and there was a lot of solid, common sense advice, like 'know what kind of car you're buying', which for me meant studying the automotive literature, knowing about any recent changes in body type or mechanical stuff (to the extent that you are not bullshitting, heh), and being able to know what is standard and what is not standard.

Test drive--obviously, but this can be a good thing for you. If the salesperson is a jerk or a creeper, go elsewhere.

Watch the episode of Futurama where Amy tries to buy a car, and do the opposite : )

ETA: Two of my male coworkers recently bought cars for themselves and they were specifically saying their female partners were doing all the haggling. Also, know how 'hot' the car is--one of these colleagues bought a 2016 Honda Accord, which had a redesign and excellent reviews, so he wasn't going to get that car at a low, low price. It was a hot potato and he had to decide if he wanted that car at a slightly higher than he hoped for price, or a different car. FWIW, the RAV4 is also having a better than expected sales year, so be prepared!

[azaleaqueen]

I don't know what to tell you about women being taken advantage of by car dealers except take someone of the male persuasion with you if you possibly can. I bought a 2014 Honda in February of 2015 with 6000 miles on it (it had been a lease car). Fortunately, my SIL knew this salesman and went with me. I doubt I would never have been shown that car. As for your possible choices, all I know is that Toyota makes a good car.

[Deleted]

Buy a Subaru. Their salespeople are known for being non-pushy, including in two of my own car-buying experiences.

[petitesuite]

I bought a car as a solo lady in May. I think the best things you can do are 1) know EVERYTHING that you possibly can about the cars you're looking at, 2) read dealership reviews and (if possible) be willing to drive a town or two over to find a place that's known for not being pushy, and 3) have a firm and well-researched price in mind; it will be much easier to stick to your guns if the number you're sticking to is one you've had in mind for a while. In my case, I was buying a used car and I purposefully went to Carmax (even though it was more expensive) because their prices are all online and not negotiable and my local one has a good reputation. Also they let me go on the test drive by myself, I don't know how common that is but I REALLY liked it.

[cabbagekid]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I joined AAA since they offer a car buying service (my car insurance offers towing for free and I never saw the need to have AAA before now). If I can save myself the time so that I don't have to haggle these prices down, it's well worth the $63 I paid for membership.

Anyway, in the car buying front, the last few days, the cart kept getting ahead of the horse. Today, I finally got it back and ingrained in my head that I don't need a car right now, there's no rush for me to get one. If needed, I can wait until the end of the year to buy a car, so I am in control of this ship, damn it!

[mrspickles]

Jul 22, 2016 1:24:42 GMT -4 cabbagekid said:

Thanks everyone for the advice. I joined AAA since they offer a car buying service (my car insurance offers towing for free and I never saw the need to have AAA before now). If I can save myself the time so that I don't have to haggle these prices down, it's well worth the $63 I paid for membership.

Anyway, in the car buying front, the last few days, the cart kept getting ahead of the horse. Today, I finally got it back and ingrained in my head that I don't need a car right now, there's no rush for me to get one. If needed, I can wait until the end of the year to buy a car, so I am in control of this ship, damn it!

If I remember correctly, the new year models start coming out in September or so. You might be able to get a good deal then on a 2016.

[americanchai]

Questions for anybody who can answer:
1) Kia Soul, Nissan Cube, Scion xB - experiences owning any one of these?
2) Online buying experiences: good/bad/ugly -->has anybody used Carvana?

[chonies]

One of my friends bought a Kia Soul and loves it. He's a big guy--tallish and, uh, portly--and he calls it his Tardis because it's bigger on the inside.

I have some experiences with online car buying, but they are pretty mediocre and not much more than enhanced ads or listings. Carvana looks intriguing.

[Deleted]

So my motor is a tantrum throwing teenager (15yrs old in July) when its good its very very good but when its bad it limps, it has a wiring fault that would cost more to find and maybe not fix than its worth but here we have to get an annual check once car is 10 years old and despite its faults my limpy motor passed its annual check again ..yay! Proud motor mom😁

[azaleaqueen]

I'm so sorry Saturn went bust. I had an ION for 12 years that I absolutely loved. I have a Honda now that I like fine but I had an emotional connection with Goldie. I would have gone straight back to Saturn if they'd still been around.