New Cars

My son and daughter in law had a Kona Electric. Loved the car, but the dealer and the dealer service department were the pits. They had a battery recall and dealer had nobody on staff who knew how to do the recall. Sat for over 30 days in the service department so my son called Hyundai direct. The said that was an automatic buy back since it had been over 30 days. Took another two months to finish the buy back as the DEALER would not let the Hyundai representative on the lot to inspect it. Right now I would think twice about buying any Hyundai or Kia because of the huge engine issues they are having. They ARE fixing them for free, but why put up with that? Hyundai dealerships around here just don't last. The original dealer owns like almost every brand dealership you can think of, but dumped Hyundai. No idea why. And the ownership since they seems to change hands ever couple years.

Sorry your son has had issues. But that has not been our experience. Our dealership owner has several different franchises including Ford, Chevy, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, RAM, Buick, Mazda and Hyundai. They’ve been in business since 1969. We’ve been buying cars from them since the late 80s. My husband has great relationships with the salesman we use as well as the service department manager & workers. My husband is very particular about cars, takes exceptional care of them & has bought new cars many times from this company. Because of that, they’ve taken very good care of us with pricing & trade in value. We’ve never had any issues or been dissatisfied with Hyundai or our dealer’s customer service.
 


We just got a Chevy Trax for our daughter. They completely restyled it last year and it’s very sporty and the perfect size for her, it looks like a mini blazer. I drove it up to Orlando when we first got it and it handled really well and was fun to drive.
 
I custom ordered a Ford in 2007. When I went to Toyota to replace it in 2017, I told them the options I wanted, and they found a car with those options at another dealership in the state and had it delivered to the local lot for me to purchase. I did not have to get any options I did not want in either case. I think it helps if you have time to wait so they can look around for exactly the car you want.
 
If the Toyota Crown we are driving now is what a Toyota hybrid is supposed to be like, I don’t want one.

When it turns on whatever it needs to charge the battery the entire car vibrates and makes a really loud humming noise.

It accelerates horribly and the overall driving experience leaves a lot to be desired.
 
I bought a 2024 KIA Sportage Hybrid this past March and I'm really enjoying it. I do see a difference in gas usage vs. my old gas-powered KIA Sorento. I'm driving the same amount, but get about an extra week between fill-ups with my Hybrid. And my new car has a 13-gallon tank vs. 16 gallons in my old one, so I'm definitely using less gas than before.

Back in January, I decided I want the Sportage Hybrid EX in a specific color combination. The KIA website showed the EX in blue with either a black or gray and navy blue interior. I really wanted the gray and navy interior, so we started searching dealerships in our area. We were told that color combination didn't exist and that the blue exterior only came with the black interior. We pointed it out on the website and were repeatedly told that it must be an error because they'd never seen it. We asked three dealerships if they could order one or try to locate one for us. They all said no, they only sell what they have on the lot or what they know is coming in the next week or two. So I called KIA Corporate and got through to their sales department. The person I spoke with said that the color combination definitely exists, but they aren't as readily available as the ones with black interiors. He said he would do some research and send me a list of dealerships where I could get one. It took about two months, but I did get the list. The exact car I wanted was coming to a dealership about 150 miles away. I was able to do all the negotiating by phone and emails, and a nice man drove the car down and delivered to our house! It took a little investigating, but I did get the car I wanted and I'm glad I did.
 
Back in January, I decided I want the Sportage Hybrid EX in a specific color combination. The KIA website showed the EX in blue with either a black or gray and navy blue interior. I really wanted the gray and navy interior,

That’s part of the reason it took us over 2 months to get our Kona too. We wanted the green Kona with grey interior. The dealers would get a green Kona periodically, but they all had black interiors. I didn’t need a car, so wasn’t going to settle for 1 I didn’t want. I just kept checking the Hyundai website til I found the 1 I wanted within a reasonable distance. I never even thought to call the corporate sales department, so thanks for that tip.
 
the last time we purchased a car we used the Costco New Buying Service. we chose the options we did/did not want and the authorized dealership near us handled the sale but secured the car from another location (in our case it came from another state). we had done some research ahead of time on costs of the options we wanted/wanted to omit and the Costco pricing was at the lowest numbers we had found combined with the easiest no haggle/no hassle purchasing.
 
Have you ever had a dealer order you a car to your specifications vs just buying what they have on the lot? Most of the cars on the lot have a lot of options I don't need or want to pay for. I built the car the way I want but all the cars on the lots are $3,000 or more because of unnecessary options.
I ordered my most recent vehicle since I didn’t need it right away- I also wanted/needed a few options so it was nice to cherry pick everything on the truck. This was the first time I didn’t buy something off the lot.
It was a good experience- I’d do it again.
 
DW bought a Toyota Rav 4 hybrid last year, she's really happy with it.
Same for me…..I love love love my car! ❤️

OP - we ordered my car since we weren’t in a rush for it.
As of now, I can honestly say I will never go back to a gas only car - I save so much money with not buying gas all the time.
 
I am a little concerned about it being a little too large for me, since I have driven sub-compacts for the past 20 years.
If it's at all possible, I would suggest seeing how it will fit in your garage before you purchase something larger than you've owned in the past. DH upgraded from a 2001 focus to a 2019 hybrid fusion and we have to pull the car out of the garage for someone to enter on the passenger side.

My mom had ordered a hybrid Camry from the dealer in 2022. They had told her it was a six month wait for the vehicle she wanted. At month 10 after ordering, she caved and cancelled the order. She bought a car that was on the lot that day. (She and my stepdad were sharing one car during the wait.)
 
My niece has a Toyota Rav4 hybrid and loves it.

I think you now pick your car based on the trim level rather than individual options. I'm sure there's an actual term for it but I mean how some company's have the LE, SE, Platinum, etc. Really once you have that selected I don't think there are many options left to pick other than interior and exterior colors. Or AWD or frontwheel drive.
 
I bought a Subaru last year and I really like it. Plus they were fair with me on the price, unlike the Toyota dealers who wanted to jack up the prices. They have several small SUVs.
 
If it's at all possible, I would suggest seeing how it will fit in your garage before you purchase something larger than you've owned in the past. DH upgraded from a 2001 focus to a 2019 hybrid fusion and we have to pull the car out of the garage for someone to enter on the passenger side.

My mom had ordered a hybrid Camry from the dealer in 2022. They had told her it was a six month wait for the vehicle she wanted. At month 10 after ordering, she caved and cancelled the order. She bought a car that was on the lot that day. (She and my stepdad were sharing one car during the wait.)
Good suggestion. I don’t currently park my car in the garage. It is a small one car garage. But I do plan on cleaning it up and organizing it some to be able to.


My niece has a Toyota Rav4 hybrid and loves it.

I think you now pick your car based on the trim level rather than individual options. I'm sure there's an actual term for it but I mean how some company's have the LE, SE, Platinum, etc. Really once you have that selected I don't think there are many options left to pick other than interior and exterior colors. Or AWD or frontwheel drive.
There are plenty of upgraded options still available. Upgrades to the audio, floor mats, moonroof, etc on the cars I have priced out. Nothing that I need or want. And one options, the cargo cover that I do. The trim package I have built on their website is at least $3k less than any of the models on the lot within 160 miles of here.
 
I am in the process of looking for a new car. I expect to keep the car around 10 years (or more potentially). I am debating a hybrid, not really interested in an electric. My current car is a 2014 Ford Fiesta hatchback. I am thinking of getting a compact SUV.

Any recommendations for someone who is used to small cars? What features are must haves for you?

edited to add another question:
Have you ever had a dealer order you a car to your specifications vs just buying what they have on the lot? Most of the cars on the lot have a lot of options I don't need or want to pay for. I built a car the way I want but all the cars on the lots are $3,000 or more because of unnecessary options.
I've only :ordered" a car once and that was in 1984. What I did for my last car is that I searched dealerships on line. When I found what I wanted, I went to the dealership I wanted to work with (closest), test drove a similar car. The dealership got the car that I wanted from another dealership that the car was supposed to go to.
 
I traded in a 13-year-old Kia Optima with ~150K miles earlier this year. I spent roughly 8-12 months researching new vehicles and narrowed it down to 2 choices. Mazda CX-30 or Acura Integra. I contacted about 10 different dealers and finally found the exact model/trim/color I wanted. I had to drive about an hour away but purchased it onsite after test driving the identical vehicle at my more local dealers months ahead of time. I saved a substantial amount.

I still am amazed at the safety/convenience features where my previous car's latest tech was Bluetooth functionality. It's like going from kindergarten to 12th grade overnight.
 
I can't recommend anything because I have a larger SUV, but I can tell you that financially, you're much more likely to strike a deal with something that's already on the lot. If you time it month end, year end and/or right before a body styling change, you can find better incentives. Many of those features you may or may not want are also trim or package specific. I have a bunch of things on my vehicle that I didn't want, but they were tied to packages involving some must haves. Some makers will offer these things a la carte, but it can be like trying to find a unicorn if it's too specific. Some makers will let you put in custom orders, while others it's more of a wish list that comes close to what you want. In either case, you'll likely be paying full sticker with the potential for some added fees.

I'd also test some things with some of these other features. I don't think I could ever go back to a vehicle lacking Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, adaptive cruise, and safety features like blind spot warnings and lane assist. Same for having a power liftgate.

Beyond that, depending on your cargo area plans, you may want to use a comparison tool to explore dimensions and test out folding the rows when you go to shop. In the same vein, if you plan on having anyone in your backseat, take a friend and have them test it to see if it's fit for adults. It's not uncommon to find some SUVs where the second row is a real knee squeezer to allow for more cargo.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/compare
 
Too funny since many of those newer supposed 'safety' features I find more of a distraction while driving. The ones that beep/chime/buzz or constantly flash some warning message are a nuisance. They tend to get set off for reasons not obvious to me and cause you to take your eyes off the road to figure out what the car thinks you are doing wrong.............LOL. Fortunately, on the car I now own, you are able to go into the setup menu and turn most of those annoying things OFF...........fine by me.
On a prior car, the steering would suddenly get very stiff if it thought you were drifting out of your lane. Actually, I was changing lanes in order to prepare for a left turn. I can imagine someone getting startled by how the steering suddenly behaves and might overcompensate by pulling very hard to the other direction and perhaps run their car off the road.

If that sort of software logic is also used to feed any of those 'self-driving' features some cars now offer, I would NEVER use it and think it will be years before systems are advanced enough to be safely incorporated into the vehicle operation.
 
Too funny since many of those newer supposed 'safety' features I find more of a distraction while driving. The ones that beep/chime/buzz or constantly flash some warning message are a nuisance. They tend to get set off for reasons not obvious to me and cause you to take your eyes off the road to figure out what the car thinks you are doing wrong.............LOL. Fortunately, on the car I now own, you are able to go into the setup menu and turn most of those annoying things OFF...........fine by me.
On a prior car, the steering would suddenly get very stiff if it thought you were drifting out of your lane. Actually, I was changing lanes in order to prepare for a left turn. I can imagine someone getting startled by how the steering suddenly behaves and might overcompensate by pulling very hard to the other direction and perhaps run their car off the road.

If that sort of software logic is also used to feed any of those 'self-driving' features some cars now offer, I would NEVER use it and think it will be years before systems are advanced enough to be safely incorporated into the vehicle operation.
Our Camry has Toyota Safety Sense with most of those futures. Are you using your turn signals when you change lanes? On the Toyota, the steering correction is turned off if the turn signal is on. The lane departure warning is funny, because of how some of our surface streets are marked. It beeps because there are markings on the road it can't figure out.
 
I can't recommend anything because I have a larger SUV, but I can tell you that financially, you're much more likely to strike a deal with something that's already on the lot. If you time it month end, year end and/or right before a body styling change, you can find better incentives. Many of those features you may or may not want are also trim or package specific.

I'd also test some things with some of these other features. I don't think I could ever go back to a vehicle lacking Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, adaptive cruise, and safety features like blind spot warnings and lane assist. Same for having a power liftgate.

Beyond that, depending on your cargo area plans, you may want to use a comparison tool to explore dimensions and test out folding the rows when you go to shop. In the same vein, if you plan on having anyone in your backseat, take a friend and have them test it to see if it's fit for adults. It's not uncommon to find some SUVs where the second row is a real knee squeezer to allow for more cargo.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/compare

There are definitely things that I don't necessarily need that comes standard. But all the models on the lot have upgrades that are not part of the standard offerings and are upgrades when you build it on the website. I don't NEED a new car right away, so I can look more and hope that the dealers get something more basic or have a good end of year clearance, since I am sure the 2025's are coming in and they will want to get rid of the 2024's to make room. I don't want to waste 3k or more for upgraded audio, a moon roof, over priced floor mats and every other unnecessary optional items. One I looked at even had a key fob "glove" to me those look ugly and I would likely remove it anyway.

I know it seems silly but I am more interested in the look, style and color of the car than I am cargo space or even backseat space, as it will be rare that I have back seat passengers or will need to haul anything more than groceries.
 
There are definitely things that I don't necessarily need that comes standard. But all the models on the lot have upgrades that are not part of the standard offerings and are upgrades when you build it on the website. I don't NEED a new car right away, so I can look more and hope that the dealers get something more basic or have a good end of year clearance, since I am sure the 2025's are coming in and they will want to get rid of the 2024's to make room. I don't want to waste 3k or more for upgraded audio, a moon roof, over priced floor mats and every other unnecessary optional items. One I looked at even had a key fob "glove" to me those look ugly and I would likely remove it anyway.

I know it seems silly but I am more interested in the look, style and color of the car than I am cargo space or even backseat space, as it will be rare that I have back seat passengers or will need to haul anything more than groceries.

Not silly at all. I know lots of people who strictly went on looks. I have some needs that required us to do a bit of both. My last vehicle wound up being a lemon, so I spent several months during the lemon process going through the looks and function of each SUV on my list before deciding on what I have now. I tested something like 15 different makes and models.

Many of the 2025s hit lots as early. My husband needed a new truck back in May (old one totaled by a tree) and he wound up in a 2025. We have been pretty successful with buying older new vehicles on the lot and timing shopping at period end for added discounts. The depreciation hit with this approach is a tough pill to swallow if you end up in a total loss situation, but most people will never have to experience that.

Your key comment reminded me that a lot of base models are not keyless. That's another must have feature for me. You may not care about that. DH certainly doesn't even though he doesn't mind the perk. For me, I HATE having to dig for my keys. I zip them into my purse or sling bag and just use the app or button on the handle to lock and unlock. For that reason, a fob glove seems kind of bizarre...although, I guess men that only carry a wallet might want one. Floor mats also reminded me...depending on your vehicle cleaning routine/needs, all-weather floor mats are a nice add. No more stains or things getting ground into carpet. Again, personal preferences, but something I didn't realize was so good until they came equipped on one of my vehicles. I certainly ended up with some things I didn't want or need (ex. dual sun/moon roofs), but for the vehicle I wanted...there were no a la carte options. Nothing was perfect and this was the best overall vehicle for me after an exhaustive search, so it came down to either getting a lower trim and scrapping some of the features I really wanted or going for the higher one and getting some things I didn't need. If you don't need to buy right now, it's a great time to just car shop during your free time to narrow down your preferences.
 














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