"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
08/04/2015 at 20:10 • Filed to: Car Buying
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"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
08/04/2015 at 20:10 • Filed to: Car Buying | 0
| 20 |
Alright so started checking out replacements today. Started in the sub-$10,000 range with independent dealers because I’m a dumbass with a Don Quixote complex. This week’s three were:
*2008 Mazda3 s Sport Hatchback
*2006 Ford Escape Hybrid
*2007 Audi A3 2.0T S-Line
Immediately after all this hassle I learned the following:
*Preapproval for financing and checking insurance rates are totally essential (see, I do take my own advice)
*If the dealer will not do the N.A.D.A. clean trade-in at 125% walk.
*It’s pretty scummy how many dealers add over 125% to the N.A.D.A. clean retail.
I might need to write an article on haggling if there isn’t one already because I have haggle my apartment lease consistently. I also was able to get an $8888 vehicle down to $7300 but had to walk because I couldn’t get it to $6600 for purchase. If someone else is better at haggling please help a brother out. (Granted, I started at the most difficult to deal with so that anything after this will feel great).
Baeromez
> Wobbles the Mind
08/04/2015 at 20:13 |
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I once got a salesman to go from $8k to $2k in less than a minute. I still didn’t buy that Supra.
iSureWilll
> Wobbles the Mind
08/04/2015 at 20:15 |
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Tell me your ways Sensei
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Wobbles the Mind
> Baeromez
08/04/2015 at 20:16 |
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Damn, must of been one of those Torchinsky Giant Cockroach powered ones.
Rico
> Wobbles the Mind
08/04/2015 at 20:21 |
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I don't have a whole lot of advice except if you are trying to save money buying a 2007 Audi is way out of your budget.
Bytemite
> Wobbles the Mind
08/04/2015 at 20:25 |
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What’s wrong with the Rio!?
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Wobbles the Mind
> iSureWilll
08/04/2015 at 20:25 |
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Only when this cheap. Get preapproval prior to buying so that you know what rates to expect. Most of the time (on the cheaper end of car prices) if anyone offers you under 3.49% they will ask for a certain amount down for the 2.89% rate (which will usually end up accounting for the percentage discounted). It also means that when you get your purchase agreement, your financing associate will call the dealer and ask for an even lower number than what you bring them (plus show you their actual values of the vehicle).
This way you get the “real” price of the vehicle (make sure you do all this with zero down and no trade-in).
Plus NADA Guidelines are the number one tools dealers and financing firms use. Car Guru also helps in hand with your own research.
I’m still learning.
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Wobbles the Mind
> Rico
08/04/2015 at 20:30 |
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For fun since it was there. Gotta keep entertained while vehicle shopping. Plus I was curious!
Steve in Manhattan
> Wobbles the Mind
08/04/2015 at 20:33 |
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They make far more if they finance it for you. What I did once was arrange financing, then show up and say I decided to pay cash instead. And the Mazda is the only thing on that list. Go for it.
mazda616
> Wobbles the Mind
08/04/2015 at 20:35 |
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I have an ‘08 Mazda3 S Touring hatchback. Ask me any questions if you need to. :) I wrote a review on it, too. I have owned it for six years this month.
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/2008-mazda3-s-…
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Baeromez
> Wobbles the Mind
08/04/2015 at 20:38 |
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It’s a good story actually. The car was an N/A Mk III Supra that had belonged to a good friend of mine and had some serious issues, including a head gasket leak. I was out shopping for a replacement for my totaled Grand Am and saw this unmistakable car parked outside the fence behind a local Toyota dealership.
I called the former owner of the car to confirm that he had traded it in and was told that he’d gotten a thousand dollars for it earlier that day, which is what his dad had paid for it four or five years before. I went into the dealership and asked about it and was told that they didn’t have any Supras, but I insisted that there was one behind the lot and the salesman went off to find out what was up. He comes back a few minutes later and tells me that they’re asking eight grand for it. I burst into laughter and was still wiping tears from my eyes as I walked out the door.
The sales guy comes running out after me, asks me to come back in and give him a counter offer. So I go back and sit down with him and explain that I’ve got $500 cash on me that I’d be happy to give him for this absolutely busted Supra. He goes to “talk to his manager” and when he comes back a minute later the price has miraculously dropped to two grand. I counter with $550. The salesman starts into it telling me about how this is such a great car, its in great shape (they hadn’t even looked at this piece of trash yet, lol), blah blah blah.
So I play my hand and explain that I know the entire providance of the car, that I have helped push this thing out of the road more times than I can remember, that I know how much they paid for it, and that they really didn’t give my friend such a good deal on his newly acquired Matrix (blegh). He actually went all the way down to $1,000, but I really didn’t want to deal with all the car’s issues for more than $600 so I walked.
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Wobbles the Mind
> Bytemite
08/04/2015 at 20:38 |
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So I took it in for the timing belt (Steve Lehto speaks truth) this morning. Found out the harmonic balancer I’ve been putting off since my 120k belt change finally wobbled off the screws and...well it is going to cost over $900 bucks since I do dealer for Kias since they aren’t too ridiculous and I can get things done same day as the drop off. After checking out vehicles that would $900 over 6 months of car payments I said fix the Rio because that fix will keep it going past 350k. Plus it is soooo cheap maintenance wise considering I do 40,000 miles a year on it. Still want a just in case vehicle though
dogisbadob
> Wobbles the Mind
08/04/2015 at 20:39 |
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Consider the Saturn Astra. Awesome fun car with a huge sunroof!!!! The Focus wagon is cool, too. Better gas mileage thean ven the Hybrid Escape, and more space, too. Plus better driving and more aftermarket support.
You should also put the Yaris on your shopping list. Awesome cars.
Also, Capital One Auto Finance is stupid because they base their LTV on wholesale, not retail, which means you can’t use it unless the dealer sells their car for less than what they paid for it :(
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Wobbles the Mind
> mazda616
08/04/2015 at 20:46 |
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It sold me on Mazda being worth all the hype, they just wouldn’t get the price down enough.
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Wobbles the Mind
> Baeromez
08/04/2015 at 20:49 |
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Im saving this story
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Bytemite
> Wobbles the Mind
08/04/2015 at 20:50 |
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Wow, that car is such a little trooper. I would say it’s just more cost effective to keep the Rio and let it go 500,000 miles. But I also know the struggles of the car buying bug.
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Wobbles the Mind
> dogisbadob
08/04/2015 at 20:53 |
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The Saturn and Suzuki are on my list. The Foci all seem to hover over $125 here in usable condition.
and wtf Capital One!
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Wobbles the Mind
> Bytemite
08/04/2015 at 21:07 |
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Completely agree, and I want to keep going. The adhesives, panels, locks, even the manual windows are going though. But the mechanicals, body durability, and the paint are super impressive. Zero paint fade, even on the roof and trunk lids
OPPOsaurus WRX
> Wobbles the Mind
08/04/2015 at 21:37 |
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I’d love to hear how you haggle on your apartment. My sister-in-law, what I think, ligned the first listing she found on craigslist. Its not a bad apartment but its not worth $950 a month. When I was looking for houses we looked at a house you would generously call a fixer-upper. They called us the next day and we said that maybe for $160k we’d be interested. I shit myself when the guy said ok. We still passed, they were originally asking $250k
Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> Wobbles the Mind
08/04/2015 at 22:11 |
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Their prices are super strong and sticky. However, the one you were looking at was a stripped one. Don’t go below the Touring unless you’re getting a screaming deal.
boxrocket
> Wobbles the Mind
08/05/2015 at 01:51 |
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I’d lean towards the Escape for durability and all-around comfort (they’re used as taxis, after all) and the Mazda. Also consider the Mercury Mariner Hybrid: Same vehicle as the Escape, but a tad nicer inside and arguably sharper looking.
The Audi sounds like you’d be asking for trouble.