What is a good price for a decent first car?
i think your 6,000 range is reasonable. 1. WRX STi's will run you about 10k-20k used with average mileage and a clean title. 2. Late 90's sentra will run you 2-4k, Corolla 2-5k, and Civic 2-5k. Personally if your going with either, a 2002 Honda Civic coupe would be great- sporty, fun to drive, can be found for about 6-7k, and are really reliable. 3. Mileage ranges from how old the car is. Low milage= 10,000 miles x how many years old Mid/Regular mileage=15,000 miles x how many years old Mileage is irrelevant if it wasn't maintained, so check for that too. 4. Buying through a dealer would be more expensive, so as long asyou get your car checked out by a mechanic, you should go for a private seller- less money for more car. 5. I'd say if your planning to keep th ecar for a couple of years, try to stay newer than 1998- older than that can question reliability and safety. 6. YES. It really matters- some cars that get into car accidents never drive the same afterwards- and sometimes random stuff falls off, depending on how well the job was done. If your buying a salvage title/crashed car, make sure it wasn't flooded, and had no frame damage. 8. Repo cars are iffy- most people didn't have money to pay the car, which means they didn't have money to maintain it. It really depends on how good of a car you find. Good luck! EDIT: Stay away from SAAB's- they are infamous for their many mechanical and electrical problems, which is why the car is so unpopular. If you want something reliable, but cheaper than the honda, check out the Ford Focus. Despite ford's not so great name, the Focus is quite reliable if taken care of, and it's about 1/3rd cheaper than the Civic. Other models: Mazda 3, Mazda Protage, Nissan Altima, Toyota Celica. You can tell if a cars a "dud" if you bring a mechanic with you. Yes, it'll cost about 50 dollars, but if he catches a major problem, he can save you thousands. I say look and test drive cars, then call a mechanic specializing in the car make, and ask him to take a look at it, then buy it :).
If I change a car every 2/3 years, should I buy and then sell it or lease it?
Getting a new car every two or three years is fairly expensive, as I’m sure you already know, so you must obviously have a pretty good disposable income.So you have three choices:Pay for the entire car upfront, and sell it privately on Kijiji or something when you’re tired of it. That requires a hefty cash outlay. Do you have a mortgage? If you do, I would tell you to put that money towards the mortgage and finance the car instead.Finance the car. Most finance terms are 60–72 month terms, so in only 2 or 3 years you will still have negative equity. You will owe more than the value of the car. This can be solved by taking a 36 month finance term, but your monthly payment will be really high.Lease on a 36 month term. Just drop the keys off at the end a get another car. On the surface, this looks like the best option, however, there are pitfalls to leasing. The dealership holds all the cards in the negotiation. You don’t own the car, and if you don’t want to lease another one of THEIR cars, suddenly, they start finding a whole bunch of things “wrong” with your car, so they can ding you with extra charges. If they are losing you as a customer, they take one last shot at picking your pocket.In conclusion, my advice, if you have a mortgage, is option 2, financing it over a 36 month term, and owning it free and clear in three years. It will be a high payment, but if you can’t afford it, you really ought to be asking yourself why you need a new car every two or three years, if it’s not in your budget. There is nothing wrong will keeping a car 4, 5, or 6 years.
I need to find a cheap and reliable first car. What is the best thing to look for in a car?
Where do you live? How old are you?In the UK the first year’s insurance for a teenager would probably cost 2 to 3 times the cost of a second hand car. You can vastly increase that by chosing an inappropriate car.I would go for summat very simple and basic, according to your budget:a 10 year old Seat Ibiza, Ford Fiesta, or Fiat Punto could probably be had for less than £200. A 6 year old one for less than £500. At that sort of level you might be lucky and get a 3 month warranty from the dealer, one month is more likely. Or none, but most will do something if it fails within a week. Pick one with a long MOT and expect to throw it away if anything expensive goes wrong and get another at the same sort of price.Frankly, very few cars now are cheap to maintain: Fords probably have the lowest price for normal spares. You can’t avoid brake or tyre wear, and the prices for those are broadly similar whatever you buy: get one with good tyres at least. You can buy second hand tyres from some outlets: check them carefully first.Have a look around Auto Trader UK Site and use the price filters - you will be amazed what you can find.
Should I buy a Tesla car now? Or wait 2-3 years when it might be 1) a more "mature" product, and 2) hopefully a bit cheaper?
Think of the Tesla as a technology product not an automative product. Tesla uses a premium pricing model (like Apple), so, while price points will stay firm, the Tesla you can buy next year will have more stuff in it than the Tesla you buy today. If you can make peace with that, then a couple of things to consider.Lease: Assuming you do not put tons of miles on the car, leasing, especially with the Tesla Buy Back guarantee can be a good way to make sure you have the latest and greatestCPO: Pick up a lightly used car to get to a more approachable price pointI will add this one last piece of personal insight. I have a 2013 P85 which is pretty bare compared to today’s cars—no parking sensors, let alone Autopilot. I have also driven current year P85Ds loaners and I have to say, beyond faster acceleration, the fundamental driving experience/enjoyment is the same—its a fun car to drive, regardless of age.
Is the 2003 Cadillac Deville a good first car?
I am at the point were I will be looking for a first car. I want a Cadillac, they are my favorite cars. I have considered a 1995 Fleetwood Brougham but am worried that it is almost 20 years old and reliable or not things will start to break and need replacement. I have always loved the 2000-2005 Devilles and have found one in my area for sale that I like, It's a 2003 im not sure what the guy wants for it but i'm going to call him today and maybe take a ride over there and take a look at it. I have heard some bad things about these cars, in particular window motors the car stalling randomly, I always thought the Northstars were very reliable, I know they had head gasket problems in the 90's but I do know that when General Motors redesigned the Deville in 2000 they also reworked the engine and the Northstars after 2000 don't suffer from that problem anymore. looking to pay around $2,000 for something and can't afford to be spending more than what I pay on the car. I really want to get a Cadillac but if all else fails I may just consider Buick, but the only Buicks I liked were the Lucerne, which is out of my price range, and the Roadmaster, which I feel is going to be the same situation as if I got a Fleetwood. I really want a 2004 or 2005 Deville but haven't seen any in my area for sale, are those going to be any more reliable than a 2003, should I go for the 2003 if the price is right, or should I still consider a Fleetwood?
What strategy works best to reduce the financial cost of car ownership: to buy a new car and sell it after 2 years, or to buy/sell a car every 4 years?
One of the poorest investments any human being can make -- worse than gold -- is the purchase of new automobile, so the way to minimize the damage is to keep the car long enough that you don't have to commit the same error soon afterwards. Given the conditions of the question, the second option makes more sense. I keep a "fleet" of three automobiles and now am in the habit of maintaining them well and using them for at least ten years. I recently gave away a Toyota Camry with 250,000 miles on it and the recipient still drives it. It has had no larger repair incident than a new radiator and normal fixes like shocks/struts and one muffler.According to Edmunds (Depreciation Infographic: How Fast Does My New Car Lose Value?) , a new car loses 9% of its value in the first minute you own it and 31% total in the first two years. After 4 years, only 49% of its original value remains. That means that the next 6 years of a ten-year automobile possession see a lessening of depreciation. Even at ten years, one can expect to recoup at least 10% in a sale or trade-in. BTW I once traded in a Toyota (the one I later gave away) and convinced the dealer to let me take it home with me as he felt it had no market value. I drove it for another three years before giving it to the kid.
Which car holds more value if I want to sell it after 2-3 years: a Lexus IS 250 Sport, a BMW 328i or an Acura? If I take it on lease, which will be my best take?
I’ll address your question from the leasing standpoint.Although BMWs tend to depreciate more quickly than Japanese cars like Lexus and Acura, if you’re looking at leasing they tend to be subsidized to the point where they are cheaper than comparable makes and models. Take this current example from a local dealership:Our BMW X1 had an MSRP just above $40K (premium package, technology package, leather, pano sunroof, etc.), but we leased it for 3 years with zero down for $396/month, including TTL. A Honda Accord was just $10/mo. less at the time we were shopping, and an Audi A4 Quattro was over $100/mo. more.Also, BMWs have 3 years/36K miles service included, all you need is insurance and gas over the life of your lease. They even replace windshield wipers!
Should I Buy or Lease a car?
Okay...I want a Toyota because I just really like them. I have one but it's way old. My thing is that the life span on a car isn't much...so should I buy or lease? If you have bought a car, buying a car, and have experienced leasing...which do you prefer?