Cars. What's your philosophy?

[GinGinD]

I found out the hard way that anti-lock brakes are too important not to have.

I agree. I've never had a car that didn't have them. I consider them standard, and I believe they are on the Mustangs.

One year-old car on the used lot . . . Far too likely it's a lemon that was bought back.

Not necessarily. My car had been driven for six months and then traded in because the owner decided she didn't like the manual transmisson.

Plus you can request a Car Fax and it will give you the service history, which should certainly indicate any recurring issues. Buying gently used cars from dealerships is getting less and less risky here in the US with the new laws about disclosing accident history and new resources such as Car Fax. Plus checking comparative prices is much easier as well. You can literally do it from your phone now. I feel much more comfortable negotiating now than I did 11 years ago when I bought my last car, which was an also gently used (500 miles) Saturn.

I know a lot of people find buying a car very stressful but it really isn't if you use your head and don't let the process intimidate you. One of the things I do is make them bring the cars to me. It saves me the whole dealership experience where the buyer is generally at a disadvantage and also lets them know I'm no pushover. This is particularly important for me as a woman. I wish it wasn't, but the world hasn't changed quite that much yet. Getting there though.

It goes like this. I pick up the phone and say something like: "Hi, my name is Jeannie and I need to buy a new or gently used car. I've done some research and the Hyuandai Genesis Coupe made my short list. I'd love to drive one but I have limited time. Would it be possible for you to bring a car to me at my office?"

No one ever ever said no.

I'd take the car out over lunch. If I liked it, I'd either call my husband and have him swing by the office to take it out, or take it home so he could drive it that evening. When we were done, we'd call the dealership and have them pick it back up. Worked like a charm and I ended up getting a very good deal on a car I still like to drive 2 1/2 years later.

BTW - The Genesis Coupe was waaaay a fun car to drive. In fact it was too fun, which is why I didn't get it. I still feel a little pang when I see one on the road. They offered me a super deal on one from the current model year that had been returned after 5300 miles because the owner wanted to upgrade to a more powerful version.

Jeannie

[billiybop]

I used to buy a new car just on a whim. One Wednesday morning I decided to buy a cream colored sports car. I took the day off from work and by noon time I had a new cream Alfa Romeo Spyder.
That night I woke and couldn't believe that I did it again. However, I put 1000 miles a month on that car and we became great friends.
These days since I'm married I decide along with the wife on a new car or p/u. We've had our Nissan p/u for 7 years now and no thoughts to sell it.

[streetracer101]

I bought my 2009 Subaru STI used with 7k miles on it with 6 months of the factory warranty used up. I had it inspected and validated at the Subaru dealership. To date I've had no issues with it and I paid about $8k less then msrp. That's the newest car I've ever owned. I don't think I'd ever buy a new car, but my wife may unless we can find her dream car (a Range Rover Evoque) lightly preowned in a year or two.
I do all the maintenance on my car myself. I enjoy turning bolts and it seems every time I trust someone else to work on it, something gets screwed up. Turbo Subaru's tend to run really well and then have catastrophic failures when the time comes. I plan to drive my current rig until one of these failures occurs. My plan is to keep it for around 8-10 years. At that point I'll be able to take the money I've saved over buying a new car every 3 years and apply it to a lightly preowned exotic car - most likely a Ferrari that will be kept forever.
The funny thing that most Americans don't seem to understand is that cars will usually last well over 100k miles when properly maintained, and the money that you spend and lose to get a new car every 3 years can easily be applied to buy a really nice preowned vehicle. Additionally, you'll never have the latest and greatest model because technology is always advancing at light speed. So, your better off keeping a car until its no longer economically sound, and then use the money you've saved to get yourself behind a nicer set of wheels then the last.

[Split Second]

Generally, I prefer to buy new. I appreciate the factory warranty, and not having to worry about what the prior owner either did or did not do. Buy over lease, and usually trade in while there is still a decent amount of value left to apply towards purchase price of the new car. Trade -in usually takes place shortly after warranty expires. I have all services performed at the dealer and find that it helps being friendly with and getting to know one of the service advisors.

[David Woo]

start engine, drive, turn off, repeat.
I'm a car guy.

[Tictocdoc]

Ive owned two cars for myself, first one was a "beat up" beater or as they like to call them down here in Florida "transportation" it was a very good car and I got it for just under 2k, 140 k miles on it and I put another 100k on it, all it required was a quart of oil every 15 days or so. When I traded it in, it was still good for another couple thousand miles i guess but I no longer felt safe in it, and fixing it would have cost more than the car was worth. So I traded it in for a brand new one. Next time however Im going to buy 1 to two years used and save some $$$$

[Split Second]

Next time however Im going to buy 1 to two years used and save some $$$$

Ironically enough, as more car shoppers elect to go this route, prices in the used car market have steadily inclined from what they would have been a few years ago. Though still cheaper than new, used cars aren't the deal they once were.

[Lord Monocle]

I buy only Japanese or German cars around 5 years old. I bought a five year old Mini Cooper with low mileage a few months ago and I bought a 2003 Toyota MR2 a couple of years ago. I'll probably trade the Mini in five years from now but I intend to drive the Toyota to death since there's nothing quite like it on the market any more. I've kept mileage records on it since I got it and I get around 39 mpg real world on average since I don't have much of a lead foot and spend most of my time in sixth gear.

[Monocrom]

Generally, I prefer to buy new. I appreciate the factory warranty, and not having to worry about what the prior owner either did or did not do. Buy over lease, and usually trade in while there is still a decent amount of value left to apply towards purchase price of the new car. Trade -in usually takes place shortly after warranty expires. I have all services performed at the dealer and find that it helps being friendly with and getting to know one of the service advisors.

As far as the factory warranty goes, those tend to expire when they're actually beneficial. 3 years or 36,000 miles is a joke. It honestly is. My car is just over 3 years old with just over 19,100 miles on it. Out of warranty. It went in for a couple of very minor fixes under warranty. Fixes that would have cost me very little had the car not had a warranty. And to be honest, that low-mileage makes my car practically new. Even for those who go the other way and put a ton of mileage on their rides, that just means the warranty period ends considerably less than 3 years from the date of purchase.

Either way, the factory along with the dealership is off the hook if anything goes wrong. Buy a brand new car, yeah; chances are (if it's not a lemon) it's going to be trouble-free for the first 3 years or 36,000 miles. So that warranty isn't truly worth much. There's Hyundai with their 10 year / 100,000 mile policy. That sounds great on paper, and Hyundai quality has increased over the years. However, I've heard from Hyundai owners that it's a very strict policy with regards to scheduled maintenance. Even to the point of Hyundai threatening not to cover breakdowns under warranty if a scheduled maintenance is put off or performed late.

Custom work done by previous owners used to be a real concern. But unless that previous owner was a computer genius, it's not likely that anything was done to a vehicle to any real significance nowadays. In the long run, if you're constantly trading in a vehicle, you're losing money. As far as cars go, the only way to not lose money on a vehicle (long run or short) is to buy a well-maintained classic, then sell it 5 years down the road for a bit more than was paid for it. Classic cars are the only ones that go up in value as the years roll by. But relying on a Classic is not without its disadvantages. Lack of A/C and other modern features, reliability issues if used as a daily driver, etc. Still, best way to actually save money.

I've had all services performed at the dealership as well over the past 3 years. Generally have been happy. However, about a year ago, the guy I normally dealt with was replaced. Not happy there. But thankfully the guy who replaced him was a good guy. Bit of an ass. But still not a headache to deal with. Last time I was at the dealership, dealt with a new person. What was supposed to be a minor repair ended up costing me $1,000. Not happy. While I can't prove it, I think I was cheated out of my hard-earned money. Due to that, I'm not too upset my car is no longer under warranty. Same dealership. But definitely not the same experience that I had with Frank, and later on with Bill.

[xevious]

Whether you flip cars every couple of years or hang onto them until the frame rusts through depends so much on the person and their own particular purposes/reasons.

I'm of the mindset that when I get a car, I'm very selective and will be OCD obsessive about the research (to the point of driving my friends and family crazy). But once I get it, I hang onto it unless a life changing event occurs. I once bought a 1995 Nissan Maxima SE with 5 speed and full luxury options brand new, my very first new car. I kept that car for 13.5 years. I loved it, until I ended up driving some newer cars and found myself really noticing how light and vague the steering was. I'd simply gotten accustomed to it. So, I got rid of it and went German. I thought I'd be keeping my Audi TT until it died, but I had to consolidate my situation and get one practical car... so I sold it after 4 years of ownership. Now I'm driving an Audi A3. I get pretty decent gas mileage, although I'd prefer to get better. But everything about the car is just terrific. If all goes well, I'll probably keep it until it starts suffering from problems beyond the normal wear and tear, or... gasoline becomes absurdly expensive and I find myself needing to make the move to a hybrid.