I'm thinking about buying a new car.

[Wee baby Shamus]

like others have stated before, it depends on your needs, location, budget, etc.

i just got a new car this february and ended up getting a 2014 Buick Verano because my dad insisted on an American brand (which narrowed it down to GM vehicles due to a relative discount we get at GM, which further narrowed it down to Chevy or Buick in terms of budget and aesthetic desires) and he's friends with a sales guy over at Buick.

if it had been entirely up to me, i wouldn't have minded getting a Chevy Cruze or Sonic. buuuut, i got the Verano with some nice discounts, and i really like it.

it gets good gas mileage, it looks nice (it def has eyebrows over the tail lights), and it's not a bad price. i think i got mine for about 22k?

22K compared to the Nissan Versa at 12K is a no brainer for me. I would take the Nissan Versa but I'm glad you like your car.

[motherofkitties]

I have had two recent Hyundais (I totalled one and got another of the same model but a couple years newer) and liked them both. The price has really gone up lately since they are becoming more popular but they are nice cars with an incredible warranty. I have the Elantra which is larger, and fancier than the Accent but not a lot more expensive new. I would test- drive one if you are looking for a smallish sedan with good gas mileage and nice standard features.

The only other small car I have driven lately was a rented Chevy Volt. Don't get one.

[Pecan]

If you're looking at the Versa, I suggest also looking at the Honda Civic and possibly the Honda Fit. The Accord is great as well, but it sounds like you're going for more of an economy car. Anyway, I've owned 4 cars in my life and the last three have been Hondas. They run forever. I had an '86 Accord that I drove until it had 270,000 miles on it. When I finally had it towed away as a donation, the engine still ran great. The rest of the car was falling apart around it, but the engine itself still pretty much hummed. Then I had a '98 Civic that I drove until it had 165,000 miles on it and I was still able to sell it for $1800. Currently, I have a 2012 Accord, which is probably the closest thing I'll ever have to a dream car.

Anyway, I just really recommend that people look hard at the Hondas. I've found them to be tremendous vehicles.

[DemiNymph]

I have a Nissan, a Latio 2008, it has the CVT transmission which was problematic in all their cars. The transmission was replaced for free by Nissan in 2010 as it was under warranty, there was no official recall thou. I don't know if they have fixed their transmission issues. And we've all been warned about the lower tier Volkswagen cars, terrible reliability issues.

[aceluby]

Next car I get is going to be a Subaru Impreza. Good gas mileage, AWD, under $20k, and enough space to haul most of my music gear.

[Suttree]

Next car I get is going to be a Subaru Impreza. Good gas mileage, AWD, under $20k, and enough space to haul most of my music gear.

Great call I absolutely love my Outback. Very easy maintenance, happy with how it drives and plenty of room for any activity you can think of(surfboards, music, snow gear etc.).

[aceluby]

Great call I absolutely love my Outback. Very easy maintenance, happy with how it drives and plenty of room for any activity you can think of(surfboards, music, snow gear etc.).

Yeah, I already have an old Subaru Legacy and absolutely love it (190k miles). The AWD is a necessity in MN, the price is reasonable, and they are incredibly reliable.

[TerraPrime]

Next car I get is going to be a Subaru Impreza. Good gas mileage, AWD, under $20k, and enough space to haul most of my music gear.

Great call I absolutely love my Outback. Very easy maintenance, happy with how it drives and plenty of room for any activity you can think of(surfboards, music, snow gear etc.).

Modern hippies :-p

:kiss:

[Underfoot]

My dad had a '99 Honda Civic that lasted him 10 years and 350,000 miles. It was still working when he sold it (for only $500), but the clutch was going to need to be replaced so he decided to buy a new car instead.

His experience and anecdotes from various friends and family members lead me to think that Hondas are a really good bet. Whenever I can afford a "new" (gently used recent model) car, I will be starting out by looking at Hondas.

[peterbound]

Yeah, I already have an old Subaru Legacy and absolutely love it (190k miles). The AWD is a necessity in MN, the price is reasonable, and they are incredibly reliable.

Ahhh Subaru. The official car of Colorado.

Gina is thinking about picking one up, and I'm all for it. I've been on some fucking horrific vehicle accidents with Subarus involved, and the passages in them always come out better than the rest. We actually had to buy new cutters because of the prevalence of Subarus in out area, and the amount of boron they put in the a and b posts. The damn cars were breaking our equipment when we were trying to cut them open.

Great cars. Not sure what the fuck suttree is talking about with the gas mileage though. They are notoriously bad on the pocket book when it comes to gpm

For me? My next car will be a Tacoma. Best mid size pick up you can buy, and reliable as hell.

Eta: the nickname that Subarus have here is funny as hell too. I'm sure someone would get offended around these parts though, so I won't mention it.

[Suttree]

Great cars. Not sure what the fuck suttree is talking about with the gas mileage though. They are notoriously bad on the pocket book when it comes to gpm

Ermm that wasn't me. Ace was referring to the Impreza. Regardless 24 city & 30 highway isn't bad for an awd vehicle.

[peterbound]

Ermm that wasn't me. Ace was referring to the Impreza. Regardless 24 city & 30 highway isn't bad for an awd vehicle.

Rgr. Misread that. Tiny screen and all.

Guess I'm just use to my tdi and the 40-45 I get.

[Maithanet]

My 2002 Corolla is the first car I ever had, and it still runs great, never had any serious repairs. I'll have to replace it eventually, but I'm hoping that isn't for a few more years yet. I'd check them out, they're typically cheaper than a comparable Honda, and I think my car is really nice.

[The Anti-Targ]

Never buy new unless you can get a tax break from it. Used near new means you get all the benefits of a new car at significantly less cost.

[Larry of the Lawn]

Does anyone here have any experience with dog sledding?

[Inigima]

Never buy new unless you can get a tax break from it. Used near new means you get all the benefits of a new car at significantly less cost.

I know people say this and that's great but I don't know shit about cars. Like, I am not competent to change a flat. I have absolutely no idea of knowing whether the car I'm looking at is going to fall apart into its component pieces 500 feet off the lot.

[H von T2]

I am pretty much the same and that's why I buy new cars. My last car was a Camry and it lasted me ten years with no issues. I bought a Subaru Impreza Sport in 2012 and so far it's been great. No problems mechanically and it gets pretty decent gas mileage. I plan on keeping it for ten years before I get another car. The storage space isn't as big as I first thought, but my dog is usually in the back seat which cuts down on the room.

My wife is obsessed with Audi SUVs at the moment. We could afford it, but I have a hard time spending $60k on a car.

[Jace, Extat]

I know people say this and that's great but I don't know shit about cars. Like, I am not competent to change a flat. I have absolutely no idea of knowing whether the car I'm looking at is going to fall apart into its component pieces 500 feet off the lot.

If you buy from a certified dealer, they'll sell you something good and reliable 99% of the time. Never buy private unless you get a good mechanic to give the car a thorough inspection, and never EVER buy from someone you know.

[zelticgar]

In my experience the theory of buying a nearly new car that is under warranty never works out. The price difference is generally negligible to the point where it turns out it is almost better to just buy the new car. I'm sure it works out for some models but i looked for Honda, Toyota and Nissans and could not find any deals that made sense. It could also be the geography (i live in the Northeast).

Screw you - i've heard mixed reviews about Nissan's with the CVT Transmission. I know a few folks that drive older Altimas and those seem to be rock solid. I'd also look at Honda Fit or Civic, Corollas, Sentras, Focus. I'm not a huge fan of the smaller EPA compliance cars like the Versa and Fit. One level up seems to get you a much nicer vehicle and even though the safety ratings on new cars are generally good, i'd rather have a little more size around me if i was in an accident.

Definitely look up some of the old threads about how to now get scammed but if you are too lazy here are some basic steps for buying new:

1. Get financing from a credit union first. The new car dealers will always ask about how you plan to pay. Tell them you are paying cash and are only interested in talking about the price of the car. You will be pre approved and will know the cost of financing ahead of time.

2. Only go to the dealer to test drive the cars. When you go in tell them you are only test driving and will not buy today. Let them know you are still trying to decide between different makes and have not driven the other models yet (even if you have already settled on a model). They have a tougher time arguing with you if you say i still have not decided on a make/model.

3. Once you have settled on a model ask for quotes from 3 to 5 dealers through their internet department - make sure you know the exact model and trim level first.

4. Negotiate over the phone or email only. Dont go in the dealership until you have the deal done with the internet department.

5. Use the internet to get price data - edmunds, truecar, kelly blue book - they all have forms of the actual price you should pay for a specific model.

6. Know the total cost - price of car, tax, document fees, plates and reg fees. Always get this info from the internet department ahead of time. You'll be surprised on the variance of doc fees. 250 to 300 is about right.

7. Once you buy beware the finance department. They are the real sharks, avoid financing through them even if they tell you the rates are slightly lower. I just got a 1.75% loan rate so even if they come slightly lower you are better sticking with the credit union. Tell them you do all your banking with the CU and it is more convenient. Dont buy an extended warranty on site. You can shop around on line and usually have 6000 miles or so to buy one. A lot of them are not worth it but the manufacture ones can be okay. The goal is to get out of the finance office without have any additional costs added on to the deal.

Good luck!

[Tempra]

Very helpful, Zelticgar. Thanks.

Anyone have any experience buying through USAA?