I need more car buying help. PLEASE

Original post by marymoon

Apr 26, 2005 10:51 AM

I'm so stressed with this. When I bought my car, it was FUN. This is awful.

WOuld you buy

a 2005 old bodystyle Jetta for $17,500 (MSRP $19,500)

a 2002 used jetta with $15K miles for $13,500.

a new hyundai elantra for $13,000

a new honda civic for $15,000

I'm SO confused. If we weren't buying the car with the wedding $$, I'd be buying a brand new jetta with all the bells and whistles and call it a day...but it's the wedding $$, so price is important..but I also don't want to buy a hunk of junk. I'd rather get value for my $$

What do you think is good? Also would you ever buy a used car? How do I get a good price on a new or used car>

ETA: PLEASE GIVE ME TIPS ON NEGOTIATING

marymoon Posted: Apr 26, 2005 11:23 AM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

Thanks I am defintiely going to look at the civic. it seems like a good medium. Because FFIl wants us to get a hyundai, and to me hyundais are plastic cheapo cars. I just don't like them. I don't want to spend money on something that I don't feel is high quality. And you know I love the jetta but we can't afford it. The civic sounds great. maybe we can get it in a fun color.

What kind of trim level do you have and what does it include? Are theyre any feature syou would recommend defintiely getting or definitely not getting? Thanks so much

june262004 Posted: Apr 26, 2005 11:25 AM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

I have the EX. I wanted the EX cause it has a moonroof. I didn't buy my car new. When I bought it it was 5 years old already. My friend Rob has a newer Civic EX and he loves it.

june262004 Posted: Apr 26, 2005 11:26 AM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

Heres mikes Civic he totalled. R.I.P I loved that car.

june262004 Posted: Apr 26, 2005 11:28 AM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

The Hyndai is not a bad car. Its not made cheap. Ive driven my brothers.

MCDO15 Posted: Apr 26, 2005 11:35 AM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

Posted by june262004

The Hyndai is not a bad car. Its not made cheap. Ive driven my brothers.

hyandi is a respectable car with a great warranty. you should consider those also... but also ask about buying it also ... since its a cheaper car, you may get a good payment that you can do...

once you have potintal cars picked out, i would get those vins number and run them though your insurance agent cause your insurance will change once you get a new car

marymoon Posted: Apr 26, 2005 11:36 AM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

FFIL, FMIL, FSIL and BIL ALL have hyundais. I just don't like them. I don't like the sound they make when the doors close, I don't like the way the itnerior feels. Maybe I'm just a snob. :-P But I have t tell myself..it's FH's train station car..it's not my car..

although I am trying to talk this guy in jersey down on the 2005 Jetta.

marymoon Posted: Apr 26, 2005 11:41 AM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

How do you negotiate?

I am really bad. I don't even negotiate at the flea market.

june262004 Posted: Apr 26, 2005 11:42 AM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

What sound the doors make? How does the interior feel? If its going to be a station car I think you are nuts to buy a new car. Id buy a cheap old car or a cheaper car.

Bunnymonkey Posted: Apr 26, 2005 11:45 AM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

Another vote for the civic - mine lasted forever and i fell in love with it.

I hear you on the 'cheapy' feel of the Hyundai - FH wants to get one (they are supposedly of much higher quality than they used to be, great warranty, etc...) but I can't bring myself to like them.

I'm fighting for a Subaru Forrester right now, but if I didn't need more room, I'd get a civic in a heartbeat.

Good Luck!

marymoon Posted: Apr 26, 2005 11:45 AM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

It's not really that. I just have tot ell myself that. He doens't even drive tot eh train station. It's hs car to go out and go shopping where he lives. We actually mainly use his car when we go places...wedidng related stuff, family events long trips, etc. We use his car for everything. I'm just trying to talk myself out of the jetta.

marymoon Posted: Apr 26, 2005 11:48 AM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

I just want to add i'm sure there's nothing wrong with hyundais. I just personally think they're cheap. The doors are light, everything's thin plastic, the u[holstery feels crappy. It's totally just my personal preference. In the VW the doors are nice and hevay with corrugated steel inside. Everyhting's weighty. Everything in the interior is this velvety plastic. Everything has these hydraulic buffers. I don't know how to explain. it's just a difference inside. I know hyundais ahve gotten better, but I just can't bring myself to like it at all. I think the civic sounds good. I hope we can get a good deal on it.

BriBri529 Posted: Apr 26, 2005 12:00 PM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

I am all for the Honda Civic for 15,000

I have had 2 hondas and have had great experiences- the Jetta is a nice car, but expensive to repair.

marymoon Posted: Apr 26, 2005 12:12 PM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

They guy who gave me $17,500 on the 2005 jetta won't go any lower. I guess he really doesn't want to sell the car I told him we could drive it away on saturday. I KNOW that's what he needs.

Janice Posted: Apr 26, 2005 12:17 PM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

we are getting 2 hyndais-cars only depreciate. so even if you are against leasing, because you want to own something, you are never going to really get your money's worth.

IMO..if this is your train car, I would get something used and in cash..I would never pay a cent of intrest on any car. Then just put away a little each month for your next car purchase. good luck

katieshope Posted: Apr 26, 2005 12:20 PM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

civic

marymoon Posted: Apr 26, 2005 12:22 PM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

thanks janice. I hate how when you drive a car off hte lot it's worth $2000 less. I HATE it.

mrswask Posted: Apr 26, 2005 12:38 PM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

If this is a train car mostly, I would either buy a used car or put the couple of thousand into his current car. I think it's nuts to spend the amount of money required for a new car, esp when you've talked about having to save for the wedding and possibly having to borrow money from family members for the wedding. You do what you have to do to get through a rough time and I don't think your money (from what you've talked about) would be best spent on a new car right now. JMO.

marymoon Posted: Apr 26, 2005 12:42 PM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

we're so afraid to buy a used car because we don't want to have to put $$ into it. We have put so much money into Doug's car. it's worth less than $1000, and so there's no way we're going to put thousands more into it, that's just a waste. I think Fh is pretty set on a new car. I think his parents will help him with a downpayment on a new car... If we bought used, it would have to be certified, because we don't want to go through this all over again like with his buick. We want a car where we can change the oil and not put in any more $$ for a few years. And the certified pre owned are almost as expensive as new.

I'm serioualy SO confused right now. I HATE this. I don't know how we're going to pay for anything

marymoon Posted: Apr 26, 2005 12:43 PM

Re: I need more car buying help. PLEASE

Also it's not really a train car. It's our car. My car is getting old-ish and I use it to commute to school and stuff so I don't want to put a lot of miles on it, so his car will probably be our main car.