Help me decide on a new car

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GSRCRXsi

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so sometime within the next few months i'm going to purchase a new car. the problem is that i really dont know what i want. obviously i want something reliable with low maintenance cost. getting a brand new car will give me the possibility of getting some kind of maintenance deal with the dealer depending on what car i end up with (unless they dont do this anymore)

i dont need a race car, but i dont want an econo box either. i have my CRX track car for my speed. i want a car that is stylish, maybe a little luxurious, and has some oomph.

ive thought about:

Acura TL
Suburu WRX
Honda Civic Si
a few year old BMW (might be too expensive)

ive always liked the TL's and obviously i know my way around Acura/Honda, the WRX is a good option for power and AWD (it gets a little snowy here in baltimore), the beamer is just a good "pimp" factor

i'm also unsure if i should go with a brand new car, or maybe one a few years old. i'm really looking for a little guidance here. throw out some suggestions. if you need more info just ask :)
 
Yea, just how much do you want to spend? How much do you want to spend on maintenance and upkeep?
 
Looks like your choices are all over the spectrum...

How much can you spend and what is most important to you?
 
this is going to be a new(or ish) car. so total price isnt as much of an issue as monthly payment price. ive never made car payments before so i dont even know what to expect. i have good credit. what plans do dealers usually use? 24 months? 36 months? i dont even know the price on the cars ive listed. how much is a new TL? or WRX? and yea i know the cars are all over the place. they are all different, but i like them in their own way.

im just starting my job, so i havent recieved any pay from it yet, but i expect about 3-4k/month income.

so maybe a car in like the 30k range? maybe i can afford more who knows. like i said i dont know anything about buying a new car. thats why i'm asking lol. also keep in mind im not buying NOW. but rather in a few months once i've established my income and costs.

i defeinietly want something reliable and low maintenance cost. i dont want to be fixing it all the time lol.
 
ok looking at new TL, maybe a little out of my price range. i like the look of the older ones better too.

the 2010 WRX seems ok price wise, but they changed to hatchbacks? not feeling that. again, the older ones looked better. i could go pre-owned though
 
do you have all of your finances settled and debts clear? do you have a decent savings account?

stick with your car and your new job for 6 months. get settled in and see how much you can afford.

don't rush out and buy a new car just yet.
 
this is going to be a new(or ish) car. so total price isnt as much of an issue as monthly payment price. ive never made car payments before so i dont even know what to expect. i have good credit. what plans do dealers usually use? 24 months? 36 months? i dont even know the price on the cars ive listed. how much is a new TL? or WRX? and yea i know the cars are all over the place. they are all different, but i like them in their own way.

im just starting my job, so i havent recieved any pay from it yet, but i expect about 3-4k/month income.

so maybe a car in like the 30k range? maybe i can afford more who knows. like i said i dont know anything about buying a new car. thats why i'm asking lol. also keep in mind im not buying NOW. but rather in a few months once i've established my income and costs.

i defeinietly want something reliable and low maintenance cost. i dont want to be fixing it all the time lol.

how can you be considering buying a $30,000 car if you don't know what your income and costs are now?

A $30k car over 5 years is about $600 a month at 7.5% interest...plus you have to consider your insurance cost on a brand new car... how good is your credit?

I doesn't sound like you have factored in all of these things.

I wouldn't be buying a around a $30k if i were you.
 
BMW maintenance costs are fucking rediculous. I know it it was an old car, but 4 plug wires for my 318 were $150 I put more into that car getting it roadworthy than I paid for it, seriously. It was simple shit too, Wheel bearing, bushings, fuel pump, tune up, I'm sure there were a couple more things. but still. it was rediculous.

If you're gonna be makin that much money, then just save it up, and buy outright, that's my motto, if you can't afford it, you shouldn't have it.
 
Most manufacturers websites have a "build your own" option with a payment calculator so you can get an idea of what you'd be looking at. Most also allow you to view the inventory at your local dealers. The payment calculators won't be exact but should be fairly close.

I agree with those who say that you should wait a while and save some $ first. Make sure the new job works out before you get locked into a fixed monthly expense.
 
Save a down-payment first. When you walk into a dealership and tell them you'll put 5 grand down with no trade-in, they know you mean business. Dress the part too. Slacks, button-up, watch, nice shoes. Look like it'd be no big deal for you to put 5k or more down on a car.

Know what car you're looking for before you get there, know their cars better than they do. Ask the dealer/sales rep technical questions about the car that he has to defer to others to answer. Ask pointed questions and make him feel uncomfortable and out of control. Don't feel bad to compare the car to other cars by different manufacturers. Bring your own drink when you come into the dealership, politely decline coffee or water. Don't talk about price the first time you go, just tell them roughly what you'll be able to put down (5k is a good number to tell for a 30k car.) and say that you'll have to look over your finances. When they try to talk price, politely redirect. You want the dealer to want to make the sale. If the sales rep brings over a senior sales rep, you're doing good.

If you do all that, you'll get the best deal possible.


EDIT: If you still want an Si, I'll give you the dealership that I used for my Fit. I'm absolutely sure they'd hate to deal with someone I recommend, so you'd get a good deal, and a nice short process.
 
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lol, i am going to wait. but the integra is feeling its age, and so am i. its at almost 200k, leaks oil, needs new brakes, shocks, etc. rusting out, bad tie rod and/or steering rack. i just need a new car. and its almost time to renew the tags on it so if i can get a new car before that and save a couple bucks then sure i'll do it.

lets forget finances here for a while. since i obviously dont have all the numbers solid yet. lets stick with cars in the 20-30k (or lower) range and just assume i wont have any issues paying for it. really in this thread i just wanted to compare cars and their features to help me make the decision.
 
If your going to be spending up to 30k then you can easily get into a 04 M3 or 05/06 Audi S4.
 
I love the 07/08 Acura TL type s. They look sick, come with a really nice stereo, and can be had with an lsd 6 speed, so being fwd isn't so bad. Resale value and reliability will be top notch with it. A guy at work is selling one for his dad. The car is located somewhere in NY. It's an 08', 30k miles, silver with black interior. Looks mint. Wants $27k.
 
You should have bought my Acura TL.

BMW is the cheapest car to keep up of most every car, people whine about the cost yet BMW has included service for I think 4 years from brake pads to windshield wipers. I believe VW is also offering it.

The new TL looks like total chit. Older TL is the way to go but be warned its a bit boat like and a bigger car, very large seats when pushed you slide around in, at least I did at 160lbs, the seats are designed for a 250lb+ person

One choice you didnt list is the IS350, while the auto tranny sucks bawls, it is a really good car, the seats are a little bit and plush but the car comes with a lot of kick ass options and they're getting cheaper and cheaper I bet you can find one in the high 20s now. I'd take the IS350 over the TL
 
I love the 07/08 Acura TL type s. They look sick, come with a really nice stereo, and can be had with an lsd 6 speed, so being fwd isn't so bad. Resale value and reliability will be top notch with it. A guy at work is selling one for his dad. The car is located somewhere in NY. It's an 08', 30k miles, silver with black interior. Looks mint. Wants $27k.

I got around 13K for mine, paid 23K and had it for 2 years.

5K value drop a year.

08 with 30K miles is good age/miles so it should be up there but give it 2 more years at 60K miles and it will be worth maybe 15
 
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