Reliable New Car

[herbivor]

Aren't you in school for a couple more years? Maybe buying a car isn't a good idea until you have a stable job. Use your E30 if it's drivable. I make plenty of money, have 2 kids and still DD them around in my E30. Plenty of room for daily driving. Use a roof rack for long trips where you need to bring more crap.

[Threehz]

Yes I'll be in school for a couple more years, and my E30 is fantastic, not to mention my 280Z will soon be finished and driveable as a backup.

The problem is my girlfriend needs a reliable vehicle too, and not one that gets like 8mpg and only has two doors, especially when the baby is here.

I'm sure we'll find a nice vehicle, this thread has given me a lot of new ideas!

[canadiankid]

I was looking at off lease 08 civics. This is Canada so everything costs more, but they could be had with 60xxxkm for $12,500 with 2 years left on the powertrain warranty. Every dealer only has 1 5 speed coupe on the lot. Didnt like either at my 2 local dealers. That was these 2 specific cars' problems though not the civic in general.

[N2MYE30]

How about a Jetta? You could lease one for super cheap too.

You may be surprised on the amount of crap you and you wife will have to carry when the baby comes around. Take your stroller with you while shopping for your car to make sure it fits in the back. When we had our 1st, we had an 4dr e46. It was just enough space. Round 2 we got an rx330. A bit more space but I was still amazed on how much crap he always had. I can't tell you how many times I thanked myself for getting that car just to change the kids on the flat cargo area.

[Threehz]

Changing station is definitely a grand idea, +1 in my book for the Rav4.

I would never lease a vehicle.

I've looked at Jetta's, but half of them are the 5-cylinders and that doesn't float with me...

The hardest part is that my girlfriend doesn't want a manual (there goes 95% of the perfect cars I've found so far).

[b*saint]

I drove the Versa for from Toledo OH to Knoxville TN 4 weekends in a row. I recommend against them. Also 2002 and newer used car will have baby seat hooks. Just clip in the base and tighten. WAY better than threading a seat belt through a car seat. Also our running stroller doesn't fit in a car the size of a Ford Focus. If you have a cheapy stroller it may fit. So thus, we went from my 318ti to a Escape recently and LOVE it.

[LuckyHenriksen]

Changing station is definitely a grand idea, +1 in my book for the Rav4.

I would never lease a vehicle.

I've looked at Jetta's, but half of them are the 5-cylinders and that doesn't float with me...

The hardest part is that my girlfriend doesn't want a manual (there goes 95% of the perfect cars I've found so far).

5 cyl in the VW is sweet. Don't rule it out

[stamar]

Nissan Versa is a dreadful car. You would be much better off buying something a few years old.

Ya the versa is terrible, the sentra is really good though.

for the true bottom level car Im almost sure the toyota yaris is best. but the hyundai accent is reliable too.

for the one step upgrade the suburu imprezza is the hottest thing.


I would definitely lease a car if the dollars were right. or even monthly rent from like enterprise, but leasing is cheaper usually. both of them can be so much smarter than buying. Thats just a short calculator function away.

A 1000$ down, 100 a month 3 year least, like they offer for smart cars right now, would save you soooo much money over a 20% down 300 a month 3 year payment its ridiculous.

it just depends are you under the mileage can you keep it sparkly? Either way is a waste of money because the full insurance costs a few grand anyway.

but the car you have at 3 years, sell it for half ( thats industry average) the lease is much smarter. Unless its a bad lease lol. But leases dont happen unless you save money over buying new.

and the warranty ugrades itself to fully comprehensive basically. Once dollars come into play buying a brand new car is last place on the intelligent decision. but it is a new car you own, it has that security.

[Threehz]

Leasing may be cheaper than the cost of buying a new vehicle, but that doesn't make it worth it. To me you are throwing money away, the same way you throw money away when buying a new vehicle. Both buying new and leasing vehicles seem like bad decisions to me.

The only reason I considered buying a new vehicle was the cheap price of the Versa, but it's still too much, with title, registration, and insurance all summed up, it becomes way too much to be a logical decision.

I just have to borrow my friend's stroller and start checking trunk spaces ;)

[stamar]

um in the instance i gave of the smart car...

by the time you paid off the 15k, plus interest

you would have enough for 5 3 year leases. All of brand new cars, totally ignoring repairing them or even changing the oil really.

and the decision to delay between each lease too lol you might not be in the mood for smart cars for 15 years.

Id do that all day. I dont even want to own a 15 year old smart car and I have my doubts as to what its worth.

Some leases could be worse.

Its just the terms of the lease. That lease is way smarter than buying new but a lease could be dumb.

Ill be honest, once buying a new car is the baseline, everything else is way cheaper.

[stamar]

Leases are always competitive but I will admit the lease the smart car has is pretty good.

Theres always going to be a model out there that has the best lease.

Its not going to be the one thats selling the best either. The car thats selling the best doesnt need you to lease it. So they offer bad leaases.

I bet a nissan versa has a really good lease value at times.

[canadiankid]

So what is a good car for lease value then? This thread just got interesting.

[herbivor]

You're not necessarily throwing money away leasing. Most cars are worth leasing if you only want them new, only want to keep them for three years and don't drive over 15k miles a year. The cost to lease can actually be cheaper than owning for some models (mainly american cars). But again, if you drive them a lot and want to keep them for awhile, then leasing will not be cheaper. My wife bought a new car twice and each time she wanted to sell it after three years. By the time I did the math, leasing would have been about the same or slightly cheaper. The cars were a Honda Accord and Mini Cooper S, probably the best resale cars out there at the time.

[eskimo810]

Too bad this new round of compacts haven't existed for a few years. 5-door focus would be shweet.

[Threehz]

Sorry I think I confused everyone with the thread title, I was never intent on buying a new car. It was a far off consideration I wanted to help get talked out of because it goes against everything I believe in.

I think leasing is for people who want a new car, but cannot afford it (as I think Vivek mentioned). That is not me, I hate new cars. I feel like even the lowest end new cars now have a million extra features and they are packed full of accessories and bloatware and technology. Not for me.

If I can find a nice used Honda or Toyota with around 100k miles on it (maybe less?), and use it for the next 15 years, I will get exactly what I need, and be taking a super-minimal loss. Then, it'll be time to pass it on to my child as their first vehicle, and because we'll have saved so much money, the wife and I can go pick up an E30 M3, 70's Porsche, some other classic, or maybe by that time alternative fuel vehicles will have become mainstreamed, highly efficient, and competitively cheap.