Buying a car?

So insurance companies use your credit but do not report to the credit bureaus, right? Seems a bit backwards.

Correct. The only time an insurance company would report to your credit bureau is if you have an overdue bill that goes to collections. They don't report pay history like a credit card or loan does. They basically just pull your credit score and then tie it into your premium. Since its costly to pull your credit, they usually only do it once every couple years (we do it once every 3 years at my company). So if your credit significantly improves, it is worth it to give you insurance company a call and have them re-run your credit. Otherwise you might be stuck with rates based off of a bad credit check that is several years old. My company will do credit reconsiderations if the customer asks for one before the time that we would normally recheck it ourselves.

edit - some states have made it illegal for insurance companies to use credit. Oregon is one where it has already passed, and several other states are currently considering doing the same.

I tried the Hyundai Elantra and didn't like it at all. It felt like it was fighting me for control.
The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid drove like a dream - best drive I've ever had. Yet it felt like "maybe in two more promotions".
I ended up buying the Hyundai 2012 Touring wagon - It felt right, like the smart choice. Great space for budding family. Only draw so far is that it doesn't like hills.
$14k; 35k miles; 60k warranty; $188 monthly min payments; 2.85% interest.

Acura TL.

I decided the Acura TL is probably the best buy (used) within my budget of 10-15k. My buddy (car nut) keeps telling me to not get the 04 model, because that was the first year for that TL design. I've researched and researched and found no evidence of the 2004 model having any problems. As far as I've read, it is just like the 05 and 06. Now, 2004 TL can be had, sometimes, for about 10k. 2005+ usually go for 12.5k-17k.

Seriously, is there any real reason to not go for a 2004 model? Shit, I would be saving a couple grand, allowing me to throw a tint on and a nice system. Some might say an 04 has older parts. True, but if the maintenance is all up to date (oil, spark plugs, sensors, TIMING BELT $$$), it shouldn't be an issue...

kidRiot_sl said:

Acura TL.

I decided the Acura TL is probably the best buy (used) within my budget of 10-15k. My buddy (car nut) keeps telling me to not get the 04 model, because that was the first year for that TL design. I've researched and researched and found no evidence of the 2004 model having any problems. As far as I've read, it is just like the 05 and 06. Now, 2004 TL can be had, sometimes, for about 10k. 2005+ usually go for 12.5k-17k.

Seriously, is there any real reason to not go for a 2004 model? Shit, I would be saving a couple grand, allowing me to throw a tint on and a nice system. Some might say an 04 has older parts. True, but if the maintenance is all up to date (oil, spark plugs, sensors, TIMING BELT $$$), it shouldn't be an issue...

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I just don't understand that mentality -- paying between 10k-15k for a vehicle that's almost a decade old. You could buy a brand new Focus for that amount. Yeah, it's not the same class of car of course, but the point is you can buy something sparkling new which you know will be reliable and trouble free for years.

Yeah, I don't care who makes it, I wouldn't buy a 10 year old car with 100K+ miles on it unless it's so cheap that there are no new options in that price range. Talking significantly under 10 grand.

joeboo_sl said:

Yeah, I don't care who makes it, I wouldn't buy a 10 year old car with 100K+ miles on it unless it's so cheap that there are no new options in that price range. Talking significantly under 10 grand.

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For reals.

I bought a car last night, 91 Toyota pick up for 250 bucks. I got the title without hookers, fines or felons, I think I'm doing it wrong.

ShakyJake_sl said:

I just don't understand that mentality -- paying between 10k-15k for a vehicle that's almost a decade old. You could buy a brand new Focus for that amount. Yeah, it's not the same class of car of course, but the point is you can buy something sparkling new which you know will be reliable and trouble free for years.

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Is he going to put spinners on it and lower it too?

ShakyJake_sl said:

I just don't understand that mentality -- paying between 10k-15k for a vehicle that's almost a decade old. You could buy a brand new Focus for that amount. Yeah, it's not the same class of car of course, but the point is you can buy something sparkling new which you know will be reliable and trouble free for years.

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...Very true. I need to really buckle down on my life. I don't need a TL (then again, no one really needs anything more than a focus). I just need a point A to point B vehicle.

That's why I love coming here to Rerolled. Someone will always put me in my place, and beat some sense into me.

What's yal thoughts on KIA Fortes and Optimas. In terms of how they drive, and head room (fuck I was in my buddies mini. I thought I was in solitary confinement). There are a few 2011+ in my area for around 10-15k.

kidRiot_sl said:

What's yal thoughts on KIA Fortes and Optimas. In terms of how they drive, and head room (fuck I was in my buddies mini. I thought I was in solitary confinement). There are a few 2011+ in my area for around 10-15k.

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I had a KIA Forte Koupe for a few years before trading it in for my Fusion. The SX line is actually pretty decent for speed but has odd gear ratios that you have to get use to. They have a stiff suspension that rides rough over bad roads but also offers excellent handling. Plenty of leg room for me and I'm 6'2". Headroom was a little short with the moonroof however. Getting out the wallet to pay in a drive-thru was never much fun.

Overall I liked the car and I only got rid of it do to the shitty roads in my neighborhood. If I lived somewhere where they actually repaired roads, instead of patching with shit black turf, I would of kept it. The SX model is fun to drive for sure.

ShakyJake_sl said:

I just don't understand that mentality -- paying between 10k-15k for a vehicle that's almost a decade old. You could buy a brand new Focus for that amount. Yeah, it's not the same class of car of course, but the point is you can buy something sparkling new which you know will be reliable and trouble free for years.

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What you said, and I'll add that the Focus will be a much safer car. Also, it's NEW and has a warranty. $15-$18k for a new car with modern crash safety, and a warranty. There is zero status in driving an old sub-luxury car.

Car Advice - I'm asking this time!

Spend all day Sat looking at cars.

I ended up thinking my best bet is at Ford, and here is why. My dad worked for Ford for years, and so I qualify for the Z plan, which is the best employee plan they have. Basically, as long as I'm buying a new car, I pay about invoice price, which knocks a couple thousand off sticker price. In addition to that, they will give me $6k on my trade in (the car I ended up paying $8500 for), as well as any factory rebates.

Now, I have around 120-150 mile commute everyday. I'm hoping to start carpooling, which may cut that down to 3 days a week instead of 5. So, my thoughts are that I want something that gets good mileage primarily.

They had me looking at the 2014 Ford Focus. It has a rebate of $2,000 right now, and it was fine when I test drove one. Total price after discount,rebate, and trade in would be around 11k, closer to 13k with all the taxes and fee's. I told them to give me a couple of days to look at my options, and I would get back with them on what I wanted, even if that just meant "get me a red Focus Sedan, with x features".

I started looking into them, and it seems like maybe the Fiesta would also work just fine for me, and save me a few thousand dollars. A lot of the reviews seemed to like them even more than the higher priced Focus.

The issue is, the rebate on the 2014 Fiesta is only $500 dollars, so I lose $1500 there (compared to the Focus), but of course it would still end up being cheaper in total. I also found there is a $1750 rebate for a 2013 Focus, but that would be harder to find (especially in any sort of "I want exactly this" package).

What it looks like to me is that I could potentially get a 2013 Fiesta for around 8-9k, a 2014 Fiesta for 10-11, or a 2014 Focus for 12-13.

Suggestions?

Focus. Get the 2013 model and save $.

So I sat down with the lady friend last night and did some looking on a few used car websites, and she seems to like the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and Hyundai Elantra. She's not sure if she'd want a 2 door, 4 door, or hatchback. She's probably looking at a 2008-2010, as her budget is only around $8,000, depending on what her insurance settlement for her stolen car is. Fucking thing still hasn't turned up anywhere, and the insurance company is dragging their feet like crazy as they think she's trying to commit insurance fraud. It's been over 2 months since the fucking car was stolen, and they're still dicking her around.

Anyone have strong opinions or good information on any of the above? Suggestions for alternates? I'm leaning more towards steering her to a Yaris or Fit. If she was going a couple years newer, then I'd be more open to the Hyundai, but my impression is that the quality/reliability of Hyundai's that are 4+ years old isn't quite up to Honda or Toyota, but I could be wrong. However if she were to get a 2010 Hyundai, depending on the in-service date, she would have a bit of warranty left, so that's a bonus.

She's most likely going to have to buy from a dealership, as she needs financing. Generally how negotiable are dealers on used car prices? 10% 20%? As far as financing goes, I would assume that the standard term is 48 months, and interest rates are around 6-7%? I gently offered a loan from the Bank of Eomer, but she declined. She can make a payment of around $150-200/month, so it looks like she should be able to afford a final purchase price of around $8,000, assuming she gets about $2,000 as a settlement from her insurance company.

Seriously bro? Loan her a car so you can abuse her and she is powerless to stop it. You can get a yaris for less than you spend on red pants. Run it through the company and write off mileage and even if it all goes to shit the king can't repo bjs

Bro, she won't accept my charity!

Tell her to buy my car, 2008 Astra hatchback with ~40k miles.

Shop around for financing before going to the dealership. I got financed for 6.8 at the dealer than refi'd a month later for 2.5. Banks here usually wipe off a percent or something if you having a checking acct with them and do direct debit... not that it matters much on 8k anyway.

If you find a price on the internet usually theres not much wiggle room as everything is pretty competitive. They took off 5% for me but i may have gotten fucked a little. I'd use autotrader and wouldn't be a bit scared to buy from an individual which could save her some cash -- just whatever you do give it a 400 point inspection and google the car to see if it has any huge common fuckups you can check the carfax to see if they're already repaired.

Yeah, I told her to check with her bank this week on whether she can get a loan through them instead. I'll also be contacting Xerxes, who does car financing for one of the major banks. Power move.