Car Purchase - help me help a friend

[Big Perm]

Ok, so a friend of mine is looking at a car purchase by end of this month....at first, she wanted a used BMW or Infiniti......small sedan....something that could carry 4 people, comfortable, stylish, and reliable.....we were looking at 2-3 year old CPO vehicles and found a number of good options in that range....

Well, over the last couple of months, she is now thinking new car......she has been looking at new Camry's, but I have NEVER been a fan of Toyota interiors....they are ugly, and I remember the seats to be lackluster and not as comfortable as leather should be.....

I plan to do some shopping this weekend, check out the Camry, maybe look at a Maxima, as well as some other models for comparison.......the price point is $25k, she wants a nice, reliable 4-door with good options (leather), and something she can keep for at least 7 years......she is trading a Chevy Impala - she had a great experience, but she wants something new, so Chevy is out.....also, I just don't like Ford cars, so we won't be looking there.....is there a RELIABLE dodge option at that price point nicely dressed??? Other cars???? Audi, Saab, other???

Thanks in advance for any help.....I don't shop for cars very often, so I'm not much help to her....maybe some of you have done some recent looking and can chime in ;-)

 

[FATJACK]

Honda Accords are very good cars and hold there resale value better than anything else. 2 to 3 year old used bring almost as much as new

 

[eddie102870]

Honda Accords are very good cars and hold there resale value better than anything else. 2 to 3 year old used bring almost as much as new

what he said and they look good. nissan altima's look good too. make sure and check them out too.

 

[amtrucker22]

I say look at the Maxima or at the very least a loaded Altima. They are quick if you get the bigger engine and great creature comforts.

 

[Manic]

Just drove the '09 Chevrolet Malibu and was very impressed with it. The price was affordable too.

Wil

 

[Big Perm]

Thanks guys :rock:

 

[JTS VENOM PERFORMANCE]

Big Perm this is my suggestion from personal experience.

Is she a small lady? You know , not 6ft tall

the reason I ask is the BMW mini cooper is an awesome deal.

it gets about 35+mpg.

its cute as a bug for the ladies:rock:

relativley quick , easy to navigate, park, get thru traffic and so on.

but the best thing is , and we have had two, the resale is freaking unreal:rock:

Joanne had two, one with 20,000+ miles and almost two years old, and bought it new for 25k sold it for 24k

the second one she had over 10k and a year old, bought it for 26k and sold it for 26k.


Its just a thought, and on the west coast they are really hard to come by, but here in charlotte, they are still at retail

but just a note if this is being thought of. buy one that has just the emminities. heated seats, harmon radio, door locks, so on, dont neccessarily go for every option available, that really drives the price up.

if you go with the basic options, you are almost guaranteed to get you $ back out of it. even if its three or four years old

 

[ChrisAZ]

New: Pontiac G8, Chevy Malibu, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima or Maxima

Used: Audi A4

Audi's are nice. The interiors are second to none. They are pretty quick and very fuel efficient. The warranty includes all service such as oil changes, brakes, etc. and they will give you a loaner car when it's in for service. I bought a used Audi and then purchased the extended warrranty through Audi and I am super pleased. You get top notch service and a very nice car for the money. I am talking used of course. All luxury vehicles tank in value fast and Audi is no different. My personal opinion is that it is a better financial decision to buy slightly used luxury vehicles as opposed to bottom of the line or cheaper new cars. You get all the goodies on the car and the great service offered by luxury makers without the big depreciation hit. If you have never owned a Mercedes or Audi under factory warranty then you do not know what real service is at a dealership. It is a world of difference compared to say a Dodge or Chevy dealer.

Here's a tip to get you a list of ALL the vehicles in you price range. Go to autotrader.com and enter in all makes of vehicles for the search, seacrch within only say 50 or 100 miles, enter the top price as $25,000, enter the vehicle type as 4 door, you could say 4 cylinder or 6 cylinder, automatic, etc. In other words, don't specify a brand of vehicle just put in all the items you want. You will then see every vehicle that fits the description within your area which will pretty much be everything possible, new and used. I did this when shopping for a convertible and had never considered Audi until they popped up in my price range on autotrader.

Once you narrow down your choices, go out and drive each of them in one day. You will be amazed how easy your decision will be at that point. You will have a clear winner after driving all of your choices back to back.

 

[Roz]

Infiniti G sedan gets my vote. . .

If you get the 6MT you've got yourself a kickas little sedan!!

 

[5_0_BAIT]

No Chevy's I installed a satellite radio in an 09 Malibu yesterday and any modding to car takes alot of effort (relays for accessories and small guage wiring) and very expensive parts.

 

[Prof]

Jason, just a strategic approach...

Ask at a friendly used car dealership if they know the name of a private buyer who purchases cars at wholesale at the auctions. You may remember that my best friend in Florida does this as a hobby. The mark up over wholesale at the auction is usually about $400.

When I want a car I give my friend a specific description and he finds it with a computer search of the auction sites. I always purchase something that still has some factory warranty. I also pay for the auction warranty, which is short term but allows, for cause, the return of the vehicle for a full refund. Some times I have had to wait for two weeks but never longer.

You will need to be prepared to pay cash...and then take the vehicle directly to the dealership to get it checked out...

Just an approach that can usually save 10 to 15 percent.

 

[Big Perm]

She's financing, due to the issues in the market that many of us are facing, she's not gonna sell anything right now to pay cash.....

I think she's sold herself on new.....

Thanks for the mini idea......it's a bit small for her tastes, and she actually is 6 foot tall......

Appreciate all the help, really means a lot....

 

[JTS VENOM PERFORMANCE]

She's financing, due to the issues in the market that many of us are facing, she's not gonna sell anything right now to pay cash.....

I think she's sold herself on new.....

Thanks for the mini idea......it's a bit small for her tastes, and she actually is 6 foot tall......

Appreciate all the help, really means a lot....

Well dang, heck have her drop by a dealership and try one:dontknow: never know, they have tons of room in em

I know the other guys have talked of others, but Perm I am so sold on these things I was pissed when whe sold the last one and didtn get another.

take a little time and go to autotrader or something and look up ones from a year old to three years old, man you will find that they are still asking basically what they paid for them

there isnt many that can say that, to me its a really good investment

that goshdarn cayman thing she jsut bought used? she cant even get 5k near what she bought it for

 

[Big Perm]

Well dang, heck have her drop by a dealership and try one:dontknow: never know, they have tons of room in em

she cant even get 5k near what she bought it for

Hell, we may just check them out, you never know :dontknow:

Sorry on the caryman Tony....I know that feeling all too well.....just before things blew up, I got rid of my 10 for a damn diesel for reliability and mileage.....never had issues with my QC 10, but this damn diesel has been in the shop 5 times, and with the hike in fuel, I almost could have kept the 10......I once got 15mpg on a cold, calm December night ....now all this POS diesel thing is worth is what the scrap yard will pay

 

[JTS VENOM PERFORMANCE]

Hell, we may just check them out, you never know :dontknow:

Sorry on the caryman Tony....I know that feeling all too well.....just before things blew up, I got rid of my 10 for a damn diesel for reliability and mileage.....never had issues with my QC 10, but this damn diesel has been in the shop 5 times, and with the hike in fuel, I almost could have kept the 10......I once got 15mpg on a cold, calm December night ....now all this POS diesel thing is worth is what the scrap yard will pay

yep, and the sad thing is.......freakin diesals now can be had for almost nothing since fuel went crazy our dealers around here were offering them at like a 15k discount because there were not selling.

but on a different note, they do make tuners now for mileage on diesals

 

[Big Perm]

Correction, I mis-spoke...

I finally got the diesel to 20mpg.....I meant on a few trips, taking it easy in cold weather, I got 15mpg in the 06 SRT-10 QC.....at 15mpg, I could have just kept the truck

Too bad I only got 12 in hot weather....

 

[JTS VENOM PERFORMANCE]

Correction, I mis-spoke...

I finally got the diesel to 20mpg.....I meant on a few trips, taking it easy in cold weather, I got 15mpg in the 06 SRT-10 QC.....at 15mpg, I could have just kept the truck

Too bad I only got 12 in hot weather....

sweet! not bad at all, heck the little toyota only gets a few more than that

I know bully dog makes an E3 programmer that is supposed to help mileage over stock

http://www.bullydog.com/product/index/product_detail/147

and no , not trying to sell ya, jsut for info

but bro, keep us posted on what she gets, Heck mabe someone will pop up and be able to get ya a discount on a new ride:rock:

 

[SilvrSRT10]

Well dang, heck have her drop by a dealership and try one:dontknow: never know, they have tons of room in em

Yeah......right. Although for a six foot tall lady they might. I've heard of some pretty good size guys getting into them (Mini's). Stay away from a VW Beetle. My wife had one that was nothing but trouble. If she's into the crossover style vehicle, take a look at the Nissan Murano. It has lots of room and a lot of neat features and not bad looking in my opinion.