Buying a Civic SI this week: it's crunch time

[heater]

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Anybody in sales that can tell me how to not seem like a fish.

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Don't buy a new car. I can't emphasize enough that I am not being sarcastic or joking.

[firstyearclay]

100% agree that buying a new car is the best way to go.

Used cars are horrible, digusting, and generally leave more profit for the dealership(higher chance for the customer to get ripped off).

I think finding the car is the most important thing. If you know the EXACT car you want (color, model, options), their is PLENTY of honda dealerships in the United States that are ready to have you as a customer. Some are willing to make you a customer ALOT cheaper then others.

fyc

[heater]

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100% agree that buying a new car is the best way to go.

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Wow, you're [censored] daft.

[kassdog]

Buying new has its advantage. When I was looking I decided I wanted a new car because I'm paranoid that there is something wrong with used cars. So I paid more just for the knowledge of I know no one else did anything else to it. Personally I'm not a fan of civics because they don't have any power. I mean sure for the price but might as well get a cobalt ss for 3g's less and get a supercharger. Then again I'm a huge fan of the Cobalt SS.

[private joker]

Heater, can you explain the advantages of buying used? My lease is going to be up in about 14 months and I'll be ready to buy -- not sure if I want to go used or new, and not even sure what kind of car to get.

[Das Budrick]

New cars lose too much value in the first few years. Buy used from a private party, have it checked out by a mechanic and your all good.

[big D]

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Heater, can you explain the advantages of buying used? My lease is going to be up in about 14 months and I'll be ready to buy -- not sure if I want to go used or new, and not even sure what kind of car to get.

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I think that the EV of buying used can potentially be very small. It definitely depends on the car you are purchasing, and what your time is worth.

One easy way to see the advantage of a used car is with this hypothetical scenario. A new car cannot be resold for anywhere near what you pay for it, no matter how soon you sell it. It instantaneously loses value as soon as you own the car. A used car purchased from a private party should be able to be resold for the same price you paid for it, minus tax.

Now for the disadvantages:
The pricing of used cars at major dealerships (ex. a Honda dealership) is usually quite lousy and negates some of the value of buying used. If you buy what they call a "certified pre-owned car", they often sell at ridiculously high prices. I don't know of any used car only dealerships that I would trust with a ten foot pole.

It can then be difficult to find exactly the car you're looking for from a private party. If you can find it, it may be difficult to determine if the seller is honest, and that the car is as described. This is difficult to determine with any used car as it is easy to conceal things the buyer would want to know. It is never in the sellers interest to reveal problems with the car or its history, and it is difficult to fight back in the event you were cheated.

Finding the right used car is far from trivial and I don't think that its an unreasonable estimate that it could take you 100 hours or more. If you make $50/hour playing poker, its probably -EV to buy used.

Also, I would almost never lease a car. It is a rare circumstance that it is cheaper to lease a car than buy it and resell it after what would have been the lease period.

Oh, and advice not related to everything I just wrote. Most people spend a lot of effort negotiating the price of the car. They often fail to negotiate the terms of a loan, when this is something the can be bargained with at the dealership as well. Bargaining here can have a much greater impact on the total cost of the car than the bargaining done on the purchase price.

[DanS]

Thanks for all the replies. Does anyone know/have the link to the thread from maybe 6+ months ago, which was started by a car salesman? I remember it being very helpful.

Dan

[im a model]

hold on--i have a question. when you say that your "Camry finally [censored] out...." what is the censored word? i cant think of anything that makes sense.

thanks.

[Mens Rea]

"crap"