I'm in the process of looking for a new (to me) car. I'm not picky, I just want the newest car with the lowest mileage in my price range (which isn't a huge amount, but is respectable). I don't want a car payment.
As is my habit when making a big purchase, I ask advice from a lot of people. What's frustrating is all the contradicting advice I'm getting--not just from salesmen (I'd expect that.), but from everyone. "Don't buy a foreign car." "Toyotas and Nissans are great cars." "The Neon has a great customer satisfaction rating." "The Neon falls apart at 70,000 miles." "You want a V6." "A four cylinder is more practical." "A dealership will be able to get you a better deal." "Private sellers can offer a lower price." "Dealership X is trustworthy." "Dealership X's salesmen are a bunch of lying cheats."
Do you sense my frustration? And no, I'm not asking you all to leave me more advice. I'm just venting. Actually, I'm just praying that the Lord will make it clear to me which car to get. I really need His direction.
If you recognize in this rant advice you've personally given me, please don't take offense. I really do appreciate the input (I probably even solicited it!), I'm just confused by all the contradictions!!
5 comments:
Don't worry, I don't take "offence". :-D Sorry it's so confusing. I'm glad I haven't had to deal to much with buying cars, and frankly, the little that I have has been annoying enough. :-P
Here's some more advice to confuse you further....I read your post to Steve. We just bought a new car and looked quite a bit. I don't know what your price range is, but Steve said "get an old honda civic!" He has had friends for over 15 years who drive and buy used Hondas. Being musicians these guys are putting 1,000's of miles on their cars every month and a Honda runs for well into the 200,000 mile range. He got a Prelude, somewhat more impractical, but he really liked it. ;-) Good luck and let us know what you get. It seems like everyone is getting a new car.
I agree, some foreign cars are great. My advice would be to talk to people about cars they have PERSONALLY owned. Or talk to somebody you trust who was a mechanic, 'cause they've seen it. I personally am not a big fan of the neon, and I have known people who have had issues with Nissans. As for Toyota or Honda, sure why not. Or if you want to buy American, I like the upper Dodge cars, such as a Intrepid or Stratus. I haven't heard great things about Saturns. Ford's are OK, but personally I have little things about them.
My best advice ('cause I know you think my advice tops all others) would be to talk to people who have experience with the specific car, 'cause they will know the truth.
We went through the whole car-buying experience in March. Very irritating. We didn't know what to look for either, but figured out what we could afford pretty quickly. I just got online and visited all the well-known dealerships' websites to check their inventory which you can usually do by price. When we saw one we were interested, we went in and test drove that vehicle. It takes patience & praying! Because we were patient, the car we were interested in dropped $3000 due to being on the lot for too long.
www.cars.com was very helpful! Some cars are good some years, and not so hot other years. So, wehenver I saw a car we were interested in & checked w/ cars.com. Finally, when we did find one we liked, we paid $40 for a mechanic to check it out.
No advice on a particular car, just what our experience was.
Wow! I complain about all the advice and what do I get? More advice! Thanks everyone. Also, thank you Rachel for the English help. You know spelling is my weak area. I suppose I deserve it, seeing as I've corrected your blog before!
I'll keep you all posted (no pun intended) on what happens in the car search.
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