I go car shopping

[ZLoth]

As I said before, I am not purchasing a "new" vehicle until I get my home paid off which should be in 2034. At that time, my two cars will either be 20 years old or approaching that age.

The last two-three cars that I have purchased have been through Hertz Car Sales which sells their previously daily rentals with low mileage. I believe the other car rental places have similar programs. I would also look at the car purchase programs offered through Costco, Sam's Club, or AAA if you have a membership.

Personally, I would not purchase a vehicle unless it has heated seats, proximity lights, Bluetooth, and Android Auto integration. I prefer a sedan over a pickup.

[Max Rockatansky]

I usually buy the base model in almost every car I get if I'm purchasing new.  Even when I ordered my Challenger it didn't have any options besides the huge 6.4L Hemi V8.  I've rarely seen cloth seat Scat Pack trim cars and I don't even know if they were available in later model years. 

[Scott5114]

a "standard ass wall connector" (as Scott so eloquently put it)

I think he's talking about these.

Nah, I was actually talking about one of these.

[kphoger]

I was actually talking about one of these.

Proof positive that you can find literally anything at Wal-Mart.

—  Hi, I'm looking for a wallplate with donkeys on it.
—  Oh, sure thing!  Over there, aisle 37.

[noelbotevera]

Well, I've left this thread in the dustbin because I eventually settled on a hybrid Corolla. 23k, got it on a discount because it got banged up during a test drive -- minor bump in the bumper that warranted a trip to the shop (probably because it was a new vehicle). 510 / month; the Mazda at 28k was 490 and had some features I wanted (sunroof + comfy seats), but I can't turn down 40+ mpg and decent trade in value when I do this song and dance again. Probably every 6 years, so I'm gonna love doing this at 28.

I've hit a snag where I don't have my old car's title that I was gonna trade in. Unfortunately, things are much more complicated when I don't live in the same state of registration, so I'll have to straighten things out with the dealership tomorrow.

This is great.

[formulanone]

No reason you can't keep that car running for over 10 years; the hybrid components have warranties for 8-10 years, unless you plan on adding up over 150,000 miles very quickly.

[noelbotevera]

No reason you can't keep that car running for over 10 years; the hybrid components have warranties for 8-10 years, unless you plan on adding up over 150,000 miles very quickly.

Well I'm referring to the fact that I was 16 when I got this car and am now replacing it when I'm 22. Of course this is the first time I've done this, and the first time I'm on the hook.

Come to think of it, I'm wondering if it's worth trading in before the warranties expire for more value.

I've racked up 1000 miles over the last two weeks, but part of that is due to day trips (furniture shopping + exploration). I imagine that once I settle into a routine, I'll probably be driving around 800-900 miles a month (so an average of around 10k / year, which is slightly below average). This is mostly because I live pretty close to my job (~4 miles) and major grocery stores.

[formulanone]

No reason you can't keep that car running for over 10 years; the hybrid components have warranties for 8-10 years, unless you plan on adding up over 150,000 miles very quickly.

Come to think of it, I'm wondering if it's worth trading in before the warranties expire for more value.

Cars aren't really investments; to get maximum value out of your purchase, the best financial plan is drive it until the wheels fall off...12-15 years, minimum / 250,000-400,000 miles, maximum (though if it's running trouble-free, don't worry about a time or mileage cap). Worrying about the trade-in value is foolish because you get whatever they feel like giving you, or whatever the market demands, and it's almost always lower than you'll expect.

All you can do is try to reduce the freefall by keeping away from accidents/claims, routine factory maintenance, cleanliness (wash it a few times a year, wax it 1-2 times a year, don't trash the inside), and avoid any modifications until the warranty is expired.

The only cars that are "investments" are rare million-dollar vehicles which also cost a ton to maintain, to insure, and then might barely drive them so as to not lose money against another wealthy person with merely 123 miles on their prized possession, so they're not really useful investments...they're purchases with occasional nightmares unless you're a billionaire who doesn't care what pile of money burns to the ground this month.

[Max Rockatansky]

Well, I've left this thread in the dustbin because I eventually settled on a hybrid Corolla. 23k, got it on a discount because it got banged up during a test drive -- minor bump in the bumper that warranted a trip to the shop (probably because it was a new vehicle). 510 / month; the Mazda at 28k was 490 and had some features I wanted (sunroof + comfy seats), but I can't turn down 40+ mpg and decent trade in value when I do this song and dance again. Probably every 6 years, so I'm gonna love doing this at 28.

I've hit a snag where I don't have my old car's title that I was gonna trade in. Unfortunately, things are much more complicated when I don't live in the same state of registration, so I'll have to straighten things out with the dealership tomorrow.

This is great.

Basically the exact daily car I got two years ago. 

BTW that tiny electric motor on the Corolla hybrid has a 200,000 mile warranty.

[Rothman]

No reason you can't keep that car running for over 10 years; the hybrid components have warranties for 8-10 years, unless you plan on adding up over 150,000 miles very quickly.

Come to think of it, I'm wondering if it's worth trading in before the warranties expire for more value.

Cars aren't really investments; to get maximum value out of your purchase, the best financial plan is drive it until the wheels fall off...12-15 years, minimum / 250,000-400,000 miles, maximum (though if it's running trouble-free, don't worry about a time or mileage cap). Worrying about the trade-in value is foolish because you get whatever they feel like giving you, or whatever the market demands, and it's almost always lower than you'll expect.

All you can do is try to reduce the freefall by keeping away from accidents/claims, routine factory maintenance, cleanliness (wash it a few times a year, wax it 1-2 times a year, don't trash the inside), and avoid any modifications until the warranty is expired.

The only cars that are "investments" are rare million-dollar vehicles which also cost a ton to maintain, to insure, and then might barely drive them so as to not lose money against another wealthy person with merely 123 miles on their prized possession, so they're not really useful investments...they're purchases with occasional nightmares unless you're a billionaire who doesn't care what pile of money burns to the ground this month.

I dunno.  I'd rather turn in my car every 50,000 miles or so and spend $8-$10K on a brand new reliable one than have to fund a big payment at the end of a car's life (having had car loans in the past, I prefer to avoid them now).  Also have to take into account maintenance costs over the lifetime of a car.

Also speaking as someone who put about 38,000 miles in the first year of his current car, which was bought new.

Anyway, it may make strict financial sense to run cars into the ground, but for me, there's a lifestyle consideration as well (i.e., not dealing with car maintenance outside of oil changes/manual recommended tasks).

[1995hoo]

A colleague had a 2006 Camry hybrid that he just sold to Carmax earlier this year after it developed a transmission problem. The hybrid battery was just beginning to show signs of needing replacement and he would have replaced it had it not been for the transmission issue. I don't remember how much he said he got for it.

I still drive my 2004 Acura (it has around 152,000 miles) and the most likely thing that would cause me to decide to replace it, aside from things like being in a crash, would be if parts availability becomes a problem. My brother had a 1998 Acura 3.5 RL that originally belonged to our father. He sold it to Carmax two years ago or so because unavailability of parts was making maintenance a problem.