Car under $25,000 (and request for general new car buying advice)

[Annulus]

i was in your shoes 2 years ago. i test drove a camry, accord and mazda6. i drove the mazda6 last and instantly fell in love with the speed, power (220hp), great handling, and even the breaking felt differently. i got a loaded 05 V6, moonroof, and all the trimings for less than $23,000. im very happy with my decision. look around and i noticed diff. dealerships are willing to beat others.

ps- also, fwiw, i think the guys suggesting a 2-3 old used car is very very good advice. if i could do it again, i would of def. took an older BMW or audi for less than 25k. but depends on you.

[Puf2006champ]

I rented a Mazda 3 for three days in Los Angeles. I thought it was very good value for the money. I was going faster than I thought on many occasions and it felt solid.

Don't buy a VW.

Pufchamp

[jjshabado]

Didn't read everything, but I just bought a new Honda Civic Hybrid. Overall, I'm really glad I got it and would definitely buy again. A few points:

- The extra money you pay for the hybrid is probably more than the money you'll save on gas. However, since there's a $2000 tax credit for the hybrid you'll probably save money with the hybrid over a standard civic.

- It doesn't drive as nice as a normal car. Nothing really bad, mostly just different. But, at times its a bit jerky, especially when starting up since it generally turns the engine off while stopped.

- I haven't got anything close to the 49 mpg for city driving. I'm like 37-38 for city. The Highway driving I'm getting pretty close to 50 (I think they claim 51). I've had a very small sample size, and my highway driving was mostly in Manhattan, which is very very bad city driving.

- I got the satelitte navigation system which is really kick ass. Probably not worth the extra money, but its [censored] awesome.

[West]

I have a 2005 Mazda3 and really like it.

[Apoc]

Agree with earlier poster that you've got more than enough good advice here, but since my girlfriend just bought a new car last week and we test-drove a number of cars, I figured I'd throw my two cents in.

First, this series of articles from Fool.com was very helpful: http://www.fool.com/car/car01.htm

Second, my gf did a ton of research and decided to test-drive a Civic Hybrid, Toyota Prius, and Mini. Whatever you do, both you and your wife must test drive the vehicle (assuming you'll both be driving it) and write down your thoughts separately right after.

Of all the vehicles, my gf decided she liked the Mini best as it got her heart pumping when she pressed the accelerator. She went ahead with faxing/calling around to different dealerships to see whether any of them had the features she wanted. After hearing over and over that no one had her car and the earliest would be a couple of months, she decided that the Mini wouldn't be in her future.

Since she's always driven Acuras, she decided to look at them as well. She test-drive the Acura TSX with and without the navigation system. She loved it, and Acura was running a great deal with 1.9% financing for 24 or 36 months. She negotiated that day with the dealership we test-drove at, but they couldn't agree on terms so we walked. Afterward, she called around to other local dealerships, she basically negotiated the entire thing by phone, successfully playing one dealer off another until she had the price she wanted.

In the end, she got a brand new (literally 2 miles on the car when we picked it up) Acura TSX with Navi for $27,500 plus tax, title, and license -- a pretty great deal which she was as happy in negotiating as she was with the car.

Overall, the car is a pretty sweet ride - a heckuva lot more get up and go than our previous Acura Integra, and certainly more than my Toyota SUV. Everything is voice-activated...the ultimate in lazy driving. Mileage is pretty good, but not great.

Since it's one of the higher end Acuras, I'd guess that the others models may be more in your stated price range, and they run forever like their Honda cousins.

Good luck with your purchase!
Apoc

[DLizzle]

a lot of people are saying that buying a new car is dumb, but I've heard many many stories of used car buying gone bad. what are the pros and cons of both?

[Austiger]

When buying a used car, find the ones in the rich part of town. If you like the car, lowball the hell out of them. They often just want to be done with the process and would rather used car buyers stop bothering them. I got a 5 year old Accord for $5k last time i was looking. Rich people go through cars quicker because they don't want to be seen driving a car more than 3-4 years old. Usually they trade in, but if you can find one going through craigslist or whatever, great.

[blinden84]

[ QUOTE ]
a lot of people are saying that buying a new car is dumb, but I've heard many many stories of used car buying gone bad. what are the pros and cons of both?

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL

Save money?

Just make sure you get a factory certified pre-owned with an extended warranty, don't buy a rust bucket.

[Austiger]

[ QUOTE ]
a lot of people are saying that buying a new car is dumb, but I've heard many many stories of used car buying gone bad. what are the pros and cons of both?

[/ QUOTE ]

Probably already been mentioned, but you can have a pro go do and inspection on it. Costs about $100 or so and I would never buy a used car without doing that first.

If you buy a Honda or Toyota that doesn't have a ton of miles on it and looks good and you get an inspection done, you're seldom going to have problems with it.

[ChuckyB]

It's under the range you're looking at but I have an '06 Hyundai Elantra...super-roomy, good-looking, good on gas. I'm 6'1", 225 and have no problems sitting in this car (and I could actually sit behind myself with plenty of leg room).

If you're looking for a little more upscale, the Hyundai Sonata is a good one.

Seriously...don't buy a new car. You're going to get raped. Buy one that's 1-3 years old.