Buying a car - bad idea?

[Numenorean]

Wow what a fucking moron.

It took me like a minute to find a couple Camry's with low mileage in your area (Arizona) that are about $16-18K. 2008, 2010. Both the V6.

Of course from the sound of things, you would probably take the ad for the $18K Camry into the dealer and end up paying $25K for it.

 

[SN4p]

I'm in my 40's. I've been driving since my teens. I've owned many cars. "Fun to drive" I still have trouble comprehending this. WTF? All the cars I've owned had steering wheels, brakes, gas pedal, turn signals, etc. The van that we currently drive a lot has Sirius in it - that's a different feature that the others were lacking which makes it more enjoyable to drive. But, wtf makes it "fun." Every other feature was the same from vehicle to vehicle (with the exceptions of cruise control & some were standard transmissions.)

"Wheeeeeeeeeeee This car is so fun to drive!" Wtf? I know the car ads try to portray some of these cars as "fun" to help them justify some of the sticker prices. But people actually get brainwashed into believing that? I suppose those are the same people who watch commercials with those fancy talking soap suds and decide that brand X makes washing the bathtub a lot more fun over brand Y.

Driving: you steer, you control your speed, you brake for stop signs, etc. If you're in car A instead of car B, you're doing the exact same thing, with the possible exception of shifting (if it's a standard), and getting used to a different placement for the light switch, wiper switch, and cruise control switch (if so equipped.)

I can only imagine a semi dealership trying to convince a truck driver that their brand is more "fun" to drive. "This is a lot more fun to drive than the Mack trucks and Peterbilts. Every time you run over something on the road, it makes a little 'ding' sound like hitting a coin in Mario Brothers. Road kill? <ding> <ding> <ding> Isn't that fun!"

You have never had fun driving?

I feel like you are 40 and have yet to have one of the most visceral experiences out there.

 

[L1FE]

If some teenager can get a Porsche on CL from 14 trades, I think you can spend under 35k and still get a fun car...

 

[Felisity]

lol, an Altima/Camry is a fun car?

That's what I was wondering ....

No offense meant OP - but for the price range of those vehicles, you should take a look at Mazda 6. WAY more fun, better looking and more features for the $$. I've owned a Camry and tried an Altima. Blech!

Zoom zoom, baby!

(plus 0&#37; financing for 60mos atm also)

EDIT: I would personally go with option C and spend under 30k. Most brands are starting clearance deals now, or very soon. That coupled with the zero financing many are offering, you can obtain the enjoyment factor + reliability for your commute.

 

[thepd7]

Oh, and if you're driving "far more" than 15k per year, I *would* replace the 98 truck with something a little more fuel efficient. Plan B. Of course, I've never owned a $30k+ used vehicle. Do they give you blow jobs while you're driving or something?

Of course, if you do the math,
driving a 20 miles per gallon vehicle for 20k miles each year versus driving a 30 miles per gallon vehicle for 20k miles each year really only saves you less than $1000 annually in fuel expenses. I've known a few idiots who when gas prices were high, ended up upside down on their car loans, sold their cars, and purchased newer vehicles to save money on gas - in the end, they paid 10-15k to save 2 or 3k, but didn't recognize that. When they write out that car payment check (which includes the balance of what they lost on the trade in value of the other car rolled into the new loan), it's once per month. But, when they fill up the tank, it's more like once per week.

Haha you need to rent a Mustang and get on a windy road. And that's just the V6.

 

[DrPizza]

Used to have a Mustang.. red, sunroof, 6 cylinder. PITA to change the oil. I think it was 1989? 15000 miles per year, I don't think the OP is looking for windy roads to drive those miles on. His commute to work will most likely be the exact same route he uses now.

 

[tk149]

If your credit rating is good, you can get 0&#37; financing for some new cars.

If you have to save up for 5 months for a $5K down payment, then you shouldn't be looking at $35K vehicles. Just my two cents.

If you really must have a new car, I'd recommend test driving a variety of less expensive cars. You might be surprised. I was shocked to see a 2010 RAV4 V-6 has a 0-60 time of 7.2 seconds and a 2010 Camry V-6 does it in 6.2. Realistically, how often are you going to floor it?

 

[AstroManLuca]

Dodge Omni GLHS Turbo. Most driving excitement you can get for the least amount of money.

Nothing like an old American econo-shitbox with far too much power for its size to get your blood pumping. Every trip is an adventure and you feel lucky to be alive every time you arrive at your destination.

You could also get a sport bike... same idea.

 

[D1gger]

I've owned more than a dozen vehicles in my life, and have never financed an automobile purchase. It just always seemed like a really bad idea to be paying interest on something that depreciates so quickly.

I have had some fun vehicles over the years:
1964 Mini Cooper S (handled great and lots of horsepower for the weight)
1967 Firebird (handled very poorly, not great horsepower/weight ratio, but attracted girls)
1973 BMW 2002 tii (handled quite well, pretty good horsepower)
1986 Porsche 911 (most fun car I ever had, but really expensive to maintain).

The key is to buy one in good shape when it is a few years old. You pay a fraction of the original price, and it won't depreciate as quickly.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I think you can have:

- Power/handling
- Reliability
- Low price

Pick 2.

 

[Kelvrick]

Wait, wait. 15k miles a year is considered a lot now? Does that only include work miles and not personal miles?

 

[jlee]

I'm in my 40's. I've been driving since my teens. I've owned many cars. "Fun to drive" I still have trouble comprehending this. WTF? All the cars I've owned had steering wheels, brakes, gas pedal, turn signals, etc. The van that we currently drive a lot has Sirius in it - that's a different feature that the others were lacking which makes it more enjoyable to drive. But, wtf makes it "fun." Every other feature was the same from vehicle to vehicle (with the exceptions of cruise control & some were standard transmissions.)

"Wheeeeeeeeeeee This car is so fun to drive!" Wtf? I know the car ads try to portray some of these cars as "fun" to help them justify some of the sticker prices. But people actually get brainwashed into believing that? I suppose those are the same people who watch commercials with those fancy talking soap suds and decide that brand X makes washing the bathtub a lot more fun over brand Y.

Driving: you steer, you control your speed, you brake for stop signs, etc. If you're in car A instead of car B, you're doing the exact same thing, with the possible exception of shifting (if it's a standard), and getting used to a different placement for the light switch, wiper switch, and cruise control switch (if so equipped.)

I can only imagine a semi dealership trying to convince a truck driver that their brand is more "fun" to drive. "This is a lot more fun to drive than the Mack trucks and Peterbilts. Every time you run over something on the road, it makes a little 'ding' sound like hitting a coin in Mario Brothers. Road kill? <ding> <ding> <ding> Isn't that fun!"

..this is srs post?

That's like saying you don't know the difference between filet mignon and a mcdonalds burger...'it's just food, you just chew it and swallow it..'

If your credit rating is good, you can get 0&#37; financing for some new cars.

If you have to save up for 5 months for a $5K down payment, then you shouldn't be looking at $35K vehicles. Just my two cents.

If you really must have a new car, I'd recommend test driving a variety of less expensive cars. You might be surprised. I was shocked to see a 2010 RAV4 V-6 has a 0-60 time of 7.2 seconds and a 2010 Camry V-6 does it in 6.2. Realistically, how often are you going to floor it?

'04 Forester XT does it in 5.3 and I bought mine for $7390.
I agree, there are tons of options available...plenty of enjoyable cars for far less $ than $35k.

 

[StageLeft]

Sounds like you've already before posting the thread decided to buy a new car. I doubt advice to the contrary will have much teeth. The idea that only a new car would be fun to drive is pure comedy, though. Tell me you wouldn't have fun lighting up a $20k Mustang GT and at that price it wouldn't have that many miles on it, either.

 

[Krazy4Real]

..this is srs post?

That's like saying you don't know the difference between filet mignon and a mcdonalds burger...'it's just food, you just chew it and swallow it..'

Exactly!

OP. I would take my time if I were you. Write down exactly what you are looking for in a car. You will be able to find a 2 to 3 year old used car with probably 95%+ of what you want within your option B price. That should boost your driving enjoyment to 8/10 or so and you'll still be able to save money every month.

 

[kornphlake]

I kind of agree with the Charlie Brown poster above who said driving one car is the same as another although not for the reasons he lists. My daily commute is my daily commute a Chevy truck would be about as fun as a Ferarri Testarosa if I'm sitting in traffic or driving the speed limit on the freeway. I'd rather have a vehicle that is quiet, has comfortable seats, a nice sound system and average power and agility. If I had the money to own a second vehicle to take to a track or drive in the mountains on weekends I'd own something with above average power and handling, but for a daily driver I don't really understand why someone would choose a vehicle that is uncomfortable and noisy when the opportunities to exploit the superior capabilities are limited.

 

[jlee]

I kind of agree with the Charlie Brown poster above who said driving one car is the same as another although not for the reasons he lists. My daily commute is my daily commute a Chevy truck would be about as fun as a Ferarri Testarosa if I'm sitting in traffic or driving the speed limit on the freeway. I'd rather have a vehicle that is quiet, has comfortable seats, a nice sound system and average power and agility. If I had the money to own a second vehicle to take to a track or drive in the mountains on weekends I'd own something with above average power and handling, but for a daily driver I don't really understand why someone would choose a vehicle that is uncomfortable and noisy when the opportunities to exploit the superior capabilities are limited.

...which a 1998 truck is probably not, and PLENTY of used cars well under $35k are.

 

[kornphlake]

...which a 1998 truck is probably not, and PLENTY of used cars well under $35k are.

yeah, that was what I was getting at. I wouldn't spend $30k instead of $15k just because one car is quicker around the track, unless I was in a situation where I could afford a car to only use at the track. For a daily driver I'd rather drive something comfortable and save some money than own something exceptionally quick.

 

[Mermaidman]

What's that old saying? It's more fun to drive a slow car fast, than to drive a fast car slow.

For example, I had LOTS of fun wheeling a rental Ford Taurus around last week at its fullest capabilities. :awe: (Disclosure: I did not abuse the rental car.)

 

[BassBomb]

buy a fun to drive used car

 

[StageLeft]

buy a fun to drive used car

New to him or used?

 

[BassBomb]

New to him or used?

what is the difference?

 

[Throckmorton]

Since when does the value of the car determine the fun factor? Why can't you spend 12k for a fun car?

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

If you have to save up for 5 months for a $5K down payment, then you shouldn't be looking at $35K vehicles. Just my two cents.

I knew that as soon as I listed any vehicles everyone would turn this into a retarded thread about which cars are better at what prices thread. Thanks for making one of only a handful of relevant comments.

Saying I had $1k/month in unallocated income, what would you consider the maximum appropriate monthly car payment?

 

[StageLeft]

i knew that as soon as i listed any vehicles everyone would turn this into a retarded thread about which cars are better at what prices thread. Thanks for making one of only a handful of relevant comments.

Saying i had $1k/month in unallocated income, what would you consider the maximum appropriate monthly car payment?

400

 

[tk149]

I knew that as soon as I listed any vehicles everyone would turn this into a retarded thread about which cars are better at what prices thread. Thanks for making one of only a handful of relevant comments.

Saying I had $1k/month in unallocated income, what would you consider the maximum appropriate monthly car payment?

It's great that you have that much spending money per month, but how you spend it totally depends on your priorities. If you don't have these already, you should factor these into your calculations.
- own your home
- early retirement fund
- emergency cash fund (conventional wisdom says that you should assume that you're unemployed for 6 months)
- loved ones needing to "borrow" money
- kids' college fund

How far away from retirement are you? Do you want to retire early? What are the wife's priorities? Do you have kids or expect to have kids? Kids eat money.

Of that $1000 per month, how much do you want to spend on recreation (e.g. dining out, new PC and games, barhopping, vacations)? You could have a great car, but it wouldn't do you much good if it sits in your garage because you have no money to spend on other entertainment.

Sorry, I can't really provide much guidance for you because only you can decide how important these things are. When I was younger, none of that stuff I listed seemed more important than a fast set of wheels. Nowadays, utility and reliability in a vehicle is more important to me than a quick zero to sixty time.