If I give you the money...

[C.Ann]

will you go out and buy me a vehicle, come back and hand me the keys and say, "Here.. Deal with it.. This is what you've got.."

I am soooooo tired of trying to figure out what kind of vehicle to buy.. I'm not going brand new, but have looked at vehicles from 2001 all the way up to 2005.. Have found some great prices with low mileage from large, reputable dealerships, but I just can't decide how much I want to spend or what kind of vehicle I want..

I've been looking at things like cargo space (because I have to haul all that stuff up and back from the lake every year) - gas mileage (because the cost of gas is going to continue to rise and will never go back to the "cheap" prices) - safety features - style - color - reliability - and of course I have read reviews and solicited opinions from people who have above average knowledge of vehicles..

Still - I can't make up my mind.. So would someone be kind enough to go out and buy a vehicle for me - or at least tell me how to decide on one?

 

[Doug123]

A big factor, of course, is how much do you want to spend. My mom drives a Toyota Highlander and loves it. I know you don't want to buy new, but a brand new Highlander Hybrid retails for around $33,000. A lot of money, maybe, until you start realizing how long Toyotas last and the great gas mileage you'd get (especially for the cargo space).

Just a thought.

 

[C.Ann]

A big factor, of course, is how much do you want to spend. My mom drives a Toyota Highlander and loves it. I know you don't want to buy new, but a brand new Highlander Hybrid retails for around $33,000. A lot of money, maybe, until you start realizing how long Toyotas last and the great gas mileage you'd get (especially for the cargo space).

Just a thought.

--------------------------------------

Sounds like a great vehicle - and I know that as a rule, Toyotas are VERY reliable - but I don't want to take the "hit" of the depreciation by purchasing brand new..

Hope you Mom enjoys her car - I think it's going to last a long, long time!

 

[golfgal]

We just got a new, used car for Dh to commute with and now I don't have a van. I like my Blazer but it isn't big enough for us, so we are looking for a van. DH refuses to buy anything brand new and I really want the Toyota Sienna but you can't find them used around here. I have settled on a Dodge Grand Caravan, 2005 with the Stow and Go seats. There are some dealerships in the Twin Cities that have some great deals on them and while I would like to buy one locally, they don't have any available. We can do an almost even up trade on the Dodge for our Blazer.

 

[puffkin]

We are in same boat, except we can't decide if we want to buy used, new or lease......

Need to trade in my DH's pick up for when the baby comes since it doesn't have a back seat. We know nothing about cars, so something reliable (preferably with warranty) are what we would like. The used car prices are just ridiculous around here right now....we could get a brand new car with full warranty (obviously not with a lot of bells and whistles though) for the same price. It is driving me nuts......we are heading out to the lots again this Sunday for more research. Gee, I really feel like trekking through car lots on a cold Sunday when I am 8 months pregnant....

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Rajah]

DH was recently in a similar position. He went with a Honda CRV that was almost new, and loves it.

 

[Lanshark]

Look at consumer reports. Look at edmunds.com. Figure out what is most important to you and look at carmax.com to find a good used vehicle. We did this about a year ago and have been very happy with the purchase. The car we decided on was actually in Texas. It was the year we wanted, it had the features, it was low mileage and at a cost we wanted to pay. I called the Texas dealership and asked several specific questions. We then decided to have it transported to Atlanta. The car was exactly what was described.

Typically, I believe vans have better gas mileage than SUV's. I have a Toyota Sienna with 120,000 miles on it that is still going strong. We were able to remove all four seats in back and load a full size sofa in it with no problem. Lots of cargo space.

The car we purchased from Carmax was a Toyota Avalon. We did a bunch of research before we decided on the Avalon. We made sure to go to a local dealership and test drive one before we decided.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[liamsaunt]

I am the same as you! I hate to buy cars. We had a really bad experience buying our first car together many years ago (in no small part due to our own naivete) and I swore after that experience I would not set foot in a dealership ever again.

After that car got crashed up, our second car was a terrible thing (we called it the jalopy) but we drove it for six years because neither of us could stand the thought of going back to a dealer! The jalopy was a gift from my dad, so we were able to continue to avoid the dealer, even though we could have afforded something much nicer if we would actually go to a dealership! :

Finally, this fall DH gave in. I still refused to have anything to do with it, but he got us a very nice car, conducting most of the transaction online. We donated the jalopy to Volunteers of America.

 

[C.Ann]

Typically, I believe vans have better gas mileage than SUV's. I have a Toyota Sienna with 120,000 miles on it that is still going strong. We were able to remove all four seats in back and load a full size sofa in it with no problem. Lots of cargo space..

-----------------------------

Right from the beginning I really, really wanted a mini van - specifically a Honda Odyssey - but the prices on even the used ones makes me feel faint - LOL..

I've seen some really nice Chrysler Town & Country mini vans - even a 2005 with low mileage (I'm thinking it was probably a courtesy car) - and the price was good, but then some people say they're a great vehicle and others still complain about the Dodge/Chrysler transmission issues.. I guess if the price was right on the van I wouldn't mind replacing the transmission at 100,000 miles or so (that would be a long way off for my driving habits), but if I needed one at 50 or 60,000 miles I sure wouldn't be very happy about it..

 

[Servants of Evan]

If you'd consider a new car, do you have an auto show which comes to your area? Go. Pay the admission and sit in the cars. Pop the trunks, visualize stuffing the bodies of people who tick you off in there. Would there be enough room? Should you consider a larger vehicle or should you need to make a few life-changing choices? There are usually so many people attending the auto shows that if you want the sales vultures to leave you alone they will. Afterward, go to a few dealerships. Make it clear that nothing they do will get you to buy a vehicle that day. Nothing. No-way, no-how. Then tell them you would like a test drive to help narrow your choices. Take the vehicle out on the road and drive it. See what you think. Write down your impressions (but please, not while driving!) Repeat as needed with different vehicles and dealerships. Then go to a website like Edmunds.com or KBB.com (Kelly Blue Book). There you will find dealer invoice pricing alongside the "window sticker" pricing. Ignore the window sticker. Looking at the Invoice, how much profit do you think would be fair for the dealer to make on selling you a car? $500? If you and a sales-dweeb can argree on that profit, the deal is done.

If you're sure you need to get a used car, and we've all probably been there -- go to your library and look at Consumer Reports. They've got a huge booklet devoted to used cars. They'll tell you what vehicles to look for for a particular price range, and just as importantly -- what to avoid. Look around at the dealerships in your area and see what is out there. Again, Kelly or Edmunds should give you a very good idea of what that car should cost -- and it should help cut a lot of the negotiation crap right out of the equasion. BEFORE you agree to purchase anything or put any money down on a used car, I'd go to carfax and have them do a title check. There are a lot of flood/Katrina damaged cars hitting the markets right now and you don't want one of those!!! It's not as simple as finding a fish in the taillights, you need to have it checked out. Do you have a mechanic you trust? Any dealership worth it's salt will allow you to take a car you're considering purchasing to the mechanic of your choice for an inspection. Additionally, you can ask your mechanic for suggestions on a used car -- which cars are they seeing on a daily basis for one problem or another, which cars are an absolute pain to work on, etc. I'd just eye him with a bit of suspicion if he recommends a particular model with a gleem in his eye and you know he's got a large boat payment due every month...

 

[inaminute]

When I was trying to decide, between a van and an SUV I was making everyone nuts with the pros and cons of each. We looked and looked. I just couldn't decide. There were very good reasons to purchase either car. My DH finally asked me a simple question. "If you took all of your reasons (pro and con) out of consideration, which car would make you the happiest?"

It worked. I knew immediately that I REALLY wanted another SUV and had my new car within three days. We bought used, saved a ton of money, and I got a much more luxurious car than I'd ever hoped to own!

So, C. Ann, if you were to take all other considerations out of the picture, which car would make you the happiest? Once you know that (and I'm pretty sure you already do--even if you don't realize it yet ), the rest will fall into place.

 

[kmp1191]

We just got a new, used car for Dh to commute with and now I don't have a van. I like my Blazer but it isn't big enough for us, so we are looking for a van. DH refuses to buy anything brand new and I really want the Toyota Sienna but you can't find them used around here. I have settled on a Dodge Grand Caravan, 2005 with the Stow and Go seats. There are some dealerships in the Twin Cities that have some great deals on them and while I would like to buy one locally, they don't have any available. We can do an almost even up trade on the Dodge for our Blazer.

I traded my 2000 Blazer on a used 2005 Grand Caravan...stow & go...auto doors...all the bells and whistles...I LOVE IT!!! we travel to Illinois and Alabama a couple of times a year and it works great...kids have their own space and plenty of room for luggage...and it's great on gas!
just my opinoin.

 

[Servants of Evan]

One of my high school teachers once told me,
"Forget looking at the Pros and Cons. Just look at the cons and see if you can live with them. The pros are easy and everyone wants them, but can you stand the cons day-in and day-out?"

 

[4nana]

Decisions, decisons....

Base on what you say you need, and also what you've had previously...

I vote a nice used reliable van with low milage.

They are:
comfortable,
economical,
plenty cargo space,
better gas mileage,
lower ins. premium that SUV

Good luck C.Ann, know it's got to be mind boggling to make these type decisons.

 

[C.Ann]

Okay - let me throw this question out there (and I'll preface it by saying that I normally drive my vehicles till they drop dead - OR - some old lady hits the gas instead of the brake and totals my van) so I really don't know much about trading in a vehicle..

I'll just pick a figure out of the sky.. Let's say I could get a nice 2005 mini van with maybe 15,000 miles on it for $15,000.. I drive it for a year and decide that I HATE it.. What could I expect if I wanted to trade it in and purchase a different vehicle? Obviously I would prefer to NOT have to go through that sort of hassle, but let's say I did.. How do you think it would pan out?

 

[golfgal]

Okay - let me throw this question out there (and I'll preface it by saying that I normally drive my vehicles till they drop dead - OR - some old lady hits the gas instead of the brake and totals my van) so I really don't know much about trading in a vehicle..

I'll just pick a figure out of the sky.. Let's say I could get a nice 2005 mini van with maybe 15,000 miles on it for $15,000.. I drive it for a year and decide that I HATE it.. What could I expect if I wanted to trade it in and purchase a different vehicle? Obviously I would prefer to NOT have to go through that sort of hassle, but let's say I did.. How do you think it would pan out?

A lot would depend on the van of course but you could get a 2005 Caravan/Grand Caravan for that or even a bit less. If you traded it next year, you could probably get about 10,000 on a DEALER trade in, depending on the mileage. If you sold it yourself, probably $12-13,000.

 

[Servants of Evan]

you'd take a little hit, but not much to speak of. The major depreciation comes when a new vehicle is first driven off the lot. One other thing to think of -- go to a dealership and see what customer's vehicles will be coming off a lease in the near future. You may find something in that info which can help. You could find a 3 year old minivan with under 36,000 miles on it at a decent price. If they've had their service at the dealership they'd even have the servce records.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Sure just send me your check and I'll get back with you.

 

[amburger]

I know basically nothing about cars and good deals. I have a 2001 Honda Accord that I love. Apparently 11,000$ was good for it, but sounds expensive to me. hahaha. But then again I was 17 at the time so 5,000$ would've sounded a lot to me. Gotta love those car payments. Gah.

Anyways, I would have to say diffently go with either a Toyota or a Honda as those are going to last you the longest. I was orginally looking for a Toyota Corrolla, but wasn't having any luck finding one, so we found a Honda Accord, and that's what we well actually I went with seeing as I pay for it myself, lol, but yeah.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[C.Ann]

Well now I feel better knowing that I wouldn't take a "huge" hit..

A mini van it will be - unless.......... I absolutley, positively fall in love with something else.. LOL

Now WHICH mini van? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...