Topic: Help needed for purchasing a car in BC!

[benhuang]

Happy holidays everyone.

I'm a new user here and was reading the forum for about 3 hrs-ish since I will be purchasing a car in the next couple months. I am looking at anything up to midsize in the price range of $20-30k. (30k is just about maximum) Since I am new in this I am wondering if I can get some professional advises from you guys ?

What's the pro and the con of buying a new / used car? I am looking for a at least 5+ years and I am always careful with my car. I saw one post said to buy new if I wanted to drive this car long term. Reason behind it?

What are the good choices within this price range? (both new / used) - and maybe more for the none listed ones? (I just list what I've checked online and came up on top of my head)
Ford Focus & Fusion
Toyota Carolla & Matrix
Miztubishi Lancer & Eclipse
Mazda 3 & 6
Volvo S40
BMW 3 series (used of course)
Honda Civic & Accord
Acura TSX

My concerns include gas mileage, insurance prices, future maintaince costs, interior room (I'm 6'2), inside must look pretty good (I'm a tech person - just rent a S40 for a week and loved it). I am wondering if anyone had driven those cars before and what you think of the individual vehicle overall performance?

Thank you kindly for spending your time reading this and hopefully maybe post your response. Wish all the best in 2010.

[dougjp]

Hi, and welcome to the forum 

Its difficult to begin to answer because it seems you are really early in the car looking process. Your car interests cover a majority of cars sold, especially if (price wise) late model used vehicles are included. At this point the concerns you list are entirely about saving money plus the height issue, and nothing about how the car drives, its space, comfort, performance or anything else. There is a lot of added information that would help us, such as, what kind of driving you will do, is this your first car, do you already have any people you know in the auto industry that you hope can help you and/or affect whether you go new or used, ie; trusted auto mechanics, sales people new/used.

You really need to spend more time (a) expand the priorities you want in a car beyond simple financial considerations (b) expand the number of cars on your list until its complete, because right now it only scratches the surface - read CanadianDriver test drives, and at the bottom of each, they list competitors' test drive links. Also you can look at the Buyers Guide, Used Car Reviews and Price Guide. Second, cross off cars that you aren't interested in based on....whatever reasons - personal preferences, things you read in the test drives that really turn you off etc..

You should phone your insurance company and find out which cars in the various segments you are looking at (economy, compact and some mid size) are really high and low in insurance costs for your area and kind of driving, AND what does that equate to $ wise with typical insurance options. You have to put insurance $ in perspective along with the cost of the car. Then you should travel around to various dealers showrooms and sit in cars to eliminate those where you feel there isn't enough headroom, if you haven't already. Having done those things, you will have narrowed down your list and learned a lot more about the cars without even driving them.

Based on what you have said so far, I'd suggest a new Hyundai Elantra or Sonata with 4 cyl because of the long warranty + reasonable price, the latter aided by the fact a new version will be out soon. Or a Corolla or Civic. In terms of used cars, many car companies have CPO (Certified Pre Owned) programs where they provide extended warranties. Buying a 3-4 year old car can often save a lot of money up front although in general terms the used market prices are closer to new prices than in the past.

All I can think of for now.         

[airbalancer]

My concerns include gas mileage, insurance prices, future maintenance costs, interior room (I'm 6'2),

You could also look at a 2010 Prius, I am 6-1, there is a lot on room for the drive and the passenger that seats behind him
After 13,000km we are avg 4.9l/km

[Julie]

Well, I'll echo dougjp's comments in that you are really at the beginning of the process and, if you're a car nut like some of us are , you'll love the time it takes to check out all the cars in the showrooms and on test drives.  But be aware that everytime you enter a showroom, most (but not all) will try their well-honed sales tactics on you.  But you can politely decline and say, "I am in the early stages of looking for a new car and I have doing my research first.  I am not going to buy today."  Although they may not be as interested in servicing you, those who know what they're doing will respect you for doing your research, especially if you come across as a serious buyer who has done their homework.

Cars will drop off your list after sitting in them, testing them out.  Things like look fine in pictures (e.g. interior cabin) will drop off sometimes by sitting in them (blindspots, seat don't go high enough/ don't go low enough, etc.

As for personal experience with these cars, I own a TSX, and although it's absolutely perfect me, size-wise (love the tossibility, agility of it), you'd have to see if the cabin was large enough - similar to the 3-series.


My Acura’s reliability has been perfect to date (but it’s a 3+ year old car only).  Acura's reliability is better than the 3-series reliability, but you can get a unreliable Acura or a very reliable used 3-series, so it’s also extremely important to check out the individual car you are looking at - inspect them carefully by looking at service records, getting an independent inspection, etc.  If I was going used on a 3-series and was buying from a dealer, I'd look at their CPO cars, because of the extra warranty but also because you should be able to get the record of the work they did to bring the car up to CPO standards, which can give you an idea if the car was treated roughly or not by its original owner/ leasor.  If I didn’t go CPO, I’d buy directly from a BMW car nut who has taken good care of their car with all the records (I’d still get the car inspected).  In that case, make sure you have contingency cash set aside.  This is somewhat analogous to paying a few thousand more for the CPO (you will always pay for the extra warranty). 

[Julie]

Also, there is no reason to have to buy new if you want to keep the car a long time.  Buying new means you know the car's history from the beginning and will be covered by the original warranty during the first 3-4 years, but you will also pay for the steepest decline in the car's value which occurs in the first 2-3 years.

[Trainman]

My concerns include gas mileage, insurance prices, future maintenance costs, interior room (I'm 6'2),

You could also look at a 2010 Prius, I am 6-1, there is a lot on room for the drive and the passenger that seats behind him
After 13,000km we are avg 4.9l/km

Can you get a 2010 Prius for less that the OP's stated limit of $30,000?  If so, that would be a good option.

My sister has a TSX that she bought used and has had no issues with it.  She got it through an Acura dealer so she felt pretty confident.  She has had it 3 years or so now, so its about 5-6 years old.  So if you want a used Acura, Volvo, BMW, etc I would suggest their certified pre-owned type service. 

Try driving some of the cars on your list, you should be able to eliminate a few rather quickly I would think.  Poor seat comfort, not enough room, etc.

There could be a lot more that could be added to the list of course, so keep an open mind.

As for lease/purchase, new or used, that is a real hot topic.  I have done it all and have concluded that if I want to keep a vehicle awhile, like 5+ years, then new is the way to go.  I know exactly what I am getting, it will have the options/colour I want and can live with over the long term, and I am not worried about depreciation.  And a full warranty is nice too.

Used pros are that someone else has eaten the depreciation hit and the vehicle will cost less in the short term.

Cons for used are you have no true idea of how it was driven or maintained, you will have no choice in options/colour, you will get less life from it than new by the amount of kms already on it.  Used is a good option if you plan on changing cars relatively soon, say less than 5 years.  My sister is already looking at what to replace her Acura with and she is leaning towards a Subaru, with a turbo (funny about Albertans and their go fast mentality    )

For insurance you need to talk to ICBC and see what some of your selected cars would cost.  Not knowing your discount rate, etc we can not provide any idea of what it will cost and I have found that just because its a cheap car (Ford Focus for example) does not necessarily mean cheaper insurance.  Our Sienna, 6 years old, costs almost as much as the Forester, 1 year old.  And the Forester was more $ to buy too.

Good luck in your search and welcome to the forum!

[benhuang]

Thank you kindly all for the tips!! I'll keep on doing my hw and get the research done. Very helpful tips indeed.

Blessings,

[airbalancer]

Base model of a Prius is around 427 before taxes, in Ontario we do get 2gs back on the PST

One think to remember about about BMW extended warranty it does not cover all electrical systems, eg sensor and wiring just ask me how I know 

[The Mighty Duck]

As others have said, it's tough to make a suggestion without knowing what you want. You've mentioned a lot of good cars, and from what you've told us, any of them would suit you just fine. Do you have a family? Kids? A dog? These sorts of things will narrow down your needs.

That said, don't forget the Honda Fit (a very good, well priced car that is, imo, best in class) and the Kia Forte (another excellent and extremely well-priced vehicle).