How to buy a car/ truck?

"XJDano" (xjdano)
09/27/2015 at 14:39 • Filed to: Research

I really don’t know. Last car I bought was my metro because I had a half top Cherokee and driving around winter was a bit too cold. I now need to purchase a replacement for my wife’ss 1st gen equinox for the need of more than 3 back seats.

There is a lot of stuff about new cars, but I don’t think I can afford that. We haven’t even sat down to look at what we can afford and what we want in her next car. The only real need is 4-5 car seats ranging from boosters to infant car seats. But I’d also like to be able to tow either a camper or my jeep (7-9K rating I’d guess) with whatever purchase we make.

The reason for this is my stay at home wife may be taking on some more children to watch during the day time for her sister & a neighbor. She walks he nephew to school daily as it is now. 2 boosters and a forward facing toddler seat in the equinox is at capacity. So adding 2 infant seats is not an option. The easiest would be a minivan, if I didn’t want tow capacity.

So where’s the good places to research used cars 2-5 years old?

DISCUSSION (10)

CB > XJDano
09/27/2015 at 14:46

I’m not sure on the best resource, but I’m just here to I can predict that someone is going to suggest a Flex with the 3.5 Ecoboost.

Nibby > XJDano
09/27/2015 at 14:48

Rob a bank, go to your local Bentley dealer, tell them you want to buy a new Subaru Impreza sedan.

whoarder is tellurium > XJDano
09/27/2015 at 14:53

Honestly, I hate edmunds after they ruined insideline... but they do have a good system for shopping vehicles:

http://www.edmunds.com/finder/car-fin…

XJDano > CB
09/27/2015 at 14:58

I doubt it’ll tow my jeep & trailer safely.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > CB
09/27/2015 at 15:05

Second that, the Flex sells so poorly it is cheap on the used market, it tows 4,500 lbs 1,000 more than a minivan and can easily tow up to a 25 ft camper. I bought my last car using Autotrader, it’s advanced search features help you wade through the crap.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > XJDano
09/27/2015 at 15:16

There are some lists out there on google. http://www.autotrader.com/car-deals/7-be…

Also, finding old article from like 4 years ago about what was good then also works. http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1063701_f…

Its mostly what you expect. Didnt realize the Armada had such good towing capacity.

dogisbadob > XJDano
09/27/2015 at 15:20

First, figure out how much you can afford. Don’t shop seriously until you know what you can spend on a car.

Wobbles the Mind > XJDano
09/27/2015 at 15:23

I think the cheapest vehicle would be a Chrysler Aspen. After that maybe a Nissan Armada. I would assume Sequoias, Suburbans, and Expeditions will all run the same price range.

I use a mix of Autotrader and Cargurus if I want to buy from a dealer. Craigslist if I want to buy privately.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > XJDano
09/27/2015 at 15:30

SUBURBAN

E92M3 > XJDano
09/27/2015 at 15:39

Without knowing your budget, and since you want that high of a towing capacity I’m going to suggest a Suburban. Not a lot of choices out there that will tow 7k lbs. A 2-3 yr old Suburban is going to still be $30k+. If you can afford more than that maybe a G-Class? All the other 3 rows max out at 5k lbs.