• Car noob in need of a car to replace '89 Accord, what do?
    17 replies, posted
Feel free to close this thread if there is some kind of used/new car buying megathread guide on this forum, I didn't see any at a glance. Allright so I'm a car noob. I've never really done car buying before or know what to look for, what brands, what is considered to be a bad deal, if I should just go new, etc. I have an '89 honda accord, and have been driving it for the past three years at 117k miles currently that I bought privately with the help of my dad. It's not a bad car and I've enjoyed driving it, but nows the time to look into getting a replacement. I just had a set of ball joints break, and I'm told by my mechanic that all of my wheel ball joints are in bad shape and pretty close to going too. The AC just stopped working, and to fix it would require me to get a converter kit. Basically, I'm looking at dropping $1500-$2000 to get the car in decent safe condition, which is a little much to be dropping for such an old vehicle. Problem is, I have no idea what to do when it comes to looking for alternatives and I want to be educated. Is it better to just buy new and make payments month to month? On the low end I make about $1k a month, on the high end $1.5k. I deliver pizza so gas is a major cost - about $120-$150 a month with my current ~22MPG. So would doing payments really make life hard for me? I don't want to broke as a mofo. On the other hand I can only seem to find decent deals for cars that are used and under $2k in price as being in the same shoes as my accord and it makes me wonder if I am better off getting newer. As for what I prefer in a car, I'm pretty open. Decent MPG is a must with my job. Any less than 20 is a deal breaker. I'd like a car that is reliable too - but I don't really know the "good" brands for this kind of thing. I'm told honda is good and I like my car, but I'm having to spend quite a few $$$ into it at "only" 110k miles. Hopefully a car that can also work well with carrying something like a kayak, though this isn't nessicary as I don't actually own a kayak yet and could just buy a car mount for one when I do. It's one of those things I plan on purchasing in the future. I hope this thread isn't too open ended to be useless to you all. I guess a good spot to start would be advice on what to buy and what not to buy, if it's better to go new vs. used with my income, or your first car buying experiences and how you handled it. Also, my Accord is fitted with dual 20" subwoofers, which I discovered were in my car when I bought it. Nice little things, but I can afford to part with them when I get a new car. How much do they sell for? Surprisingly google isn't being very helpful with this.
It's best to buy a newer used car if you want something relatively safe with good mileage and good reliability with lower costs in general - car payments are a pain in the ass to say the least. Judging by the 20" subwoofers, it sounds like your accord may not have been taken care of too well; Honda and Toyota generally do good in the reliability factor as well as newer Fords, Volvos, and Mazdas. The number one thing that matters in a used car in terms of reliability, however, is how good it was taken care of; ask for service records, get the car checked out by a mechanic, ask for carfax, and be extremely wary of anything with aftermarket parts.
Thanks for the advice. When I got the car, it looked like it was in pretty pristine condition, which is part of the reason I got it. The body was almost perfect, had 90k miles and the interior was in great shape and very clean. I can only assume though that the teen that drove it, despite taking good care with it's looks drove it rather harshly seeing as my timing belt is about to go along with all of my ball joints.
Welp muffler just fell off on my car today lol. Anyone have any more advice on wither or not I should go for used, like-new or just new and what to look out for?
Try looking at an older Camry or something. Those are safe, and, well, It's Toyota. Super reliable. [editline]7th June 2011[/editline] You could probably get a 99' or so for around that price. Maybe even newer. Like, on Craigslist, I found a 2001 Volvo C70 Convertible with a HPT for 3k. It had a clean title and everything.
Honda also lasts a while, ive seen plenty of old accords and civics around. My sis has a 2000 accord v6 sedan with about 120k and its running smooth. I do have to agree with the aftermarket parts, stay away from cars that are lowered in suspension and any other mods like that. Also, if you can, try to make your budget a little more than 2k. I live in NJ and found it hard to find a decent car for 6k. Also, ill throw some advice in as to how to negotiate with car dealers in a little bit [editline]8th June 2011[/editline] 1. Never ever let the salesperson take over your shopping experience when you’re buying expensive items, or when the store offers a certain discount. You must control the bargaining process. So when you’re looking to buy something, have a good idea about what it is you want. 2. Know that the posted price for a big ticket item can be brought down — whether it’s a car, a big TV, a computer, furniture, or a house that you intend to purchase. This is especially the case now, in these difficult times. 3. Never ever let them know that you really want something. Give the impression that you’re just browsing, looking, and not really interested in buying anything. 4. Force yourself to leave if the merchant doesn’t give you a lower price. As you walk toward the doors, 9 times out of 10 they will chase you down to offer a better price. 5. Remember, you are the client, you have money in your checking account which the seller desperately wants. If they work on a commission (most of the time they are), they would rather sacrifice half of their take to make the sale. You have the power. Some people have told me that they simply don’t have the courage to haggle, and that they feel embarrassed to try it. Embarrassed, shmarrassed! It’s your hard earned money; why should you give it away? It’s a win-win situation: they make a sale and you get a discount. Nothing wrong with that. [editline]8th June 2011[/editline] For dealers wait until the end of the month or financial quarter, the end of the quarter is coming up (June 30th) this is the prime time to buy because dealers are trying to reach their bonus quotas. (if they sell a certain amount they get a bonus pay raise) So they will do anything to sell. Try to get a super low quote from another dealer and bring that paper to them, then they will either lower their price or match it and give you extra shit. You can also negotiate paper prices (the bullshit paper work add-ons that they use to add a few hundred dollars on like paper fees and shit). Claim that another place has lower fees or something because each dealer has them. So yeah, if it comes to it, pretend to walk out, also mention if you are paying in cash, they SALIVATE for that and you can use it as a reason to get extra shit or a lower price. Also, presentation matters, dont go in a shit hoodie and sweat pants the richer you look the more power and attention you have. As always be aggressive and assertive, dont budge. You can get that car for a little under the invoice price which i can look up real quick. Good luck. [editline]8th June 2011[/editline] just some advice i posted for another person that was looking to buy a car
[QUOTE=Cpn Crunch21;30322650]Honda also lasts a while, ive seen plenty of old accords and civics around. My sis has a 2000 accord v6 sedan with about 120k and its running smooth. I do have to agree with the aftermarket parts, stay away from cars that are lowered in suspension and any other mods like that. Also, if you can, try to make your budget a little more than 2k. I live in NJ and found it hard to find a decent car for 6k. Also, ill throw some advice in as to how to negotiate with car dealers in a little bit [editline]8th June 2011[/editline] 1. Never ever let the salesperson take over your shopping experience when you’re buying expensive items, or when the store offers a certain discount. You must control the bargaining process. So when you’re looking to buy something, have a good idea about what it is you want. 2. Know that the posted price for a big ticket item can be brought down — whether it’s a car, a big TV, a computer, furniture, or a house that you intend to purchase. This is especially the case now, in these difficult times. 3. Never ever let them know that you really want something. Give the impression that you’re just browsing, looking, and not really interested in buying anything. 4. Force yourself to leave if the merchant doesn’t give you a lower price. As you walk toward the doors, 9 times out of 10 they will chase you down to offer a better price. 5. Remember, you are the client, you have money in your checking account which the seller desperately wants. If they work on a commission (most of the time they are), they would rather sacrifice half of their take to make the sale. You have the power. Some people have told me that they simply don’t have the courage to haggle, and that they feel embarrassed to try it. Embarrassed, shmarrassed! It’s your hard earned money; why should you give it away? It’s a win-win situation: they make a sale and you get a discount. Nothing wrong with that. [editline]8th June 2011[/editline] For dealers wait until the end of the month or financial quarter, the end of the quarter is coming up (June 30th) this is the prime time to buy because dealers are trying to reach their bonus quotas. (if they sell a certain amount they get a bonus pay raise) So they will do anything to sell. Try to get a super low quote from another dealer and bring that paper to them, then they will either lower their price or match it and give you extra shit. You can also negotiate paper prices (the bullshit paper work add-ons that they use to add a few hundred dollars on like paper fees and shit). Claim that another place has lower fees or something because each dealer has them. So yeah, if it comes to it, pretend to walk out, also mention if you are paying in cash, they SALIVATE for that and you can use it as a reason to get extra shit or a lower price. Also, presentation matters, dont go in a shit hoodie and sweat pants the richer you look the more power and attention you have. As always be aggressive and assertive, dont budge. You can get that car for a little under the invoice price which i can look up real quick. Good luck. [editline]8th June 2011[/editline] just some advice i posted for another person that was looking to buy a car[/QUOTE] Wow awesome advice. I'm not a huge person on haggling but I have have my means when I need and want to, while being nice about it too :cool: I think I'll try and stick with Toyoto or Honda or Volvo, since I've heard good things about all of those. I certainly like my Honda accord, its just a shame everything but the engine itself is starting to fall apart. I think I'm still running on the original timing belts and fan belts from 1989, same with all my ball joints... I've been thinking though, would it be better to just get the $2k or so done in repairs and have a solid car for the next 3-4 years I figure before getting a car I have to spend a lot more on via payments? As if I'm going to be paying into a car overtime that will well exceed the cost of repairing my accord I'd want it to be a vehicle that'll last and that I'll want to use a while. I'm just wondering if its worth doing that right now, or if I'm better off spending the cash for a repair and not having to worry about doing $200 payments every month for the next 5 years. Which I'm sure I could afford, mind you. I'll just obviously be spending a lot more money overtime, on something that might be best for me to hold off on until I get out of college or something.
Here's the thing, if you get a car for about 2k then its most likely going to be on it's last leg anyway, so you will probably be dropping some serious cash on fixing it up which can run you an extra 1k or more depending on how good or bad the car's condition is. So fixing up your car with the 2 and a half k will be a better investment than buying a totally 'new' used car
[QUOTE=Cpn Crunch21;30362144]Here's the thing, if you get a car for about 2k then its most likely going to be on it's last leg anyway, so you will probably be dropping some serious cash on fixing it up which can run you an extra 1k or more depending on how good or bad the car's condition is. So fixing up your car with the 2 and a half k will be a better investment than buying a totally 'new' used car[/QUOTE] Well if I would go for a "new" used car I would try and get something that'll last a while, but obviously not be too expensive for my current means. In otherwords, the $5000-$8000 price range, and have it involve me doing monthly payments for it over time. I'm just wondering if I should get involved with that kind of thing while I'm still in college and making $1k-$1.3k or so per month (not including rent, gas, etc). I still have 3 or so years left to go... but yet on the otherside of the coin, if I'm going to be getting a "real" car sooner or later anyways, why not now? I don't know, I just don't know if its a good idea to get a newer car, which would require me to start spending a lot of money into it right now, versus me just fixing up my current car for comparatively much cheaper. But yet then I'd be spending $2k or so on an old car from 1989, which smells "bad investment" to me, so I dunno :sigh:
if you are going to drop 5-8k on a used car, that will definitely last long. Sounds better for the long run.
But make make make make sure you Carfax it before you buy it.
[QUOTE=Second-gear-of-mgear;30365689]But make make make make sure you Carfax it before you buy it.[/QUOTE] yes, dont let the silly commercials fool you, this is very important
[QUOTE=Second-gear-of-mgear;30365689]But make make make make sure you Carfax it before you buy it.[/QUOTE] Hm :( $35 a pop for one. Ah well.
I'm sure me and a couple other people who post here can get free carfax reports. That are more detailed.
[QUOTE=KorJax;30380951]Hm :( $35 a pop for one. Ah well.[/QUOTE] It is way better than what happened to my mom. She purchased an 03 Galant. Noticed it was shifting weird, like, it felt like we got rear-ended every time it shifted. She carfaxed it, it was actually TOTALED 8 times with frame repair and everything. We got a little suspicious before that due to cracks right beside the passenger airbag, and one on the glass covering the speedometer.
[QUOTE=Second-gear-of-mgear;30381847]It is way better than what happened to my mom. She purchased an 03 Galant. Noticed it was shifting weird, like, it felt like we got rear-ended every time it shifted. She carfaxed it, it was actually TOTALED 8 times with frame repair and everything. We got a little suspicious before that due to cracks right beside the passenger airbag, and one on the glass covering the speedometer.[/QUOTE] Biggest thing when buying a used car is go for a thorough test-drive. If the owner won't let you, chances are something is up. If they are honestly uncomfortable with you driving it too much, ask for a CARFAX. Otherwise, you can't tell if anything's wrong. Get it onto the highway, test the steering, test the brakes (This includes slamming the brakes), test the throttle (At some point punch it, listen to the engine). Keep the stereo off and listen the entire time. When in doubt: Even if you end up spending $105 on 3 Carfax's for cars you are interested in, it's better than buying a car that needs $500 in repairs shortly after.
Hmm sounds like a good idea then. How do I get a carfax done if I do it in person? Just ask them for one?
you can get the vin number and enter that into the carfax website you'd have to buy it though [editline]wef[/editline] if you're buying at a dealer though there's a chance that they'll have a free report available
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.