Topic: Looking for my first car.

[Noto]

What's your reasoning?

Four year lease is fine if you stay within the warranty period IMO.

I'm not against 4 year leases where the warranty period is 4 years...in most cases, I find that warranties are only 36 months.

...but, I'd think one of the benefits of leasing is the quick trade-in.  Four years is becoming a long-er time with your rental

Also, tooscoops has a point:

less flexibility if you need to get out or if life changes... more time to damage the car

[Solstice2006]

What's your reasoning?

Four year lease is fine if you stay within the warranty period IMO.

I'm not against 4 year leases where the warranty period is 4 years...in most cases, I find that warranties are only 36 months.

...but, I'd think one of the benefits of leasing is the quick trade-in.  Four years is becoming a long-er time with your rental

Also, tooscoops has a point:

less flexibility if you need to get out or if life changes... more time to damage the car

Not really sure when he means damage to the car.  Someone can hit me, or I can hit someone whether I am in 1 month into the lease or 39 months into the lease. 

[Heck493]

so i went to A chevy dealer today, got to sit inside the chevy Sonic 1.4T and that is one nice damn car I know i said I don't like hatches but this might be an exception, I almost impulsively got it, had to step back a bit this is why you bring friends lol. But yeah I really enjoyed that car and I might do a 3 year lease and build my insurance

[G.Bombay]

What's your reasoning?

Four year lease is fine if you stay within the warranty period IMO.

I'm not against 4 year leases where the warranty period is 4 years...in most cases, I find that warranties are only 36 months.

...but, I'd think one of the benefits of leasing is the quick trade-in.  Four years is becoming a long-er time with your rental

Also, tooscoops has a point:

less flexibility if you need to get out or if life changes... more time to damage the car

Not really sure when he means damage to the car.  Someone can hit me, or I can hit someone whether I am in 1 month into the lease or 39 months into the lease.

That's what I thought too. I guess he means an older car will have more dings, scratches and stone chips. Also it can really suck if life changes force you to sell/trade in a car you own. Leases can be bought out and transferred.

[G.Bombay]

so i went to A chevy dealer today, got to sit inside the chevy Sonic 1.4T and that is one nice damn car I know i said I don't like hatches but this might be an exception, I almost impulsively got it, had to step back a bit this is why you bring friends lol. But yeah I really enjoyed that car and I might do a 3 year lease and build my insurance

Have you checked out a Golf? Decent deals on late model used ones too.

[Heck493]

so i went to A chevy dealer today, got to sit inside the chevy Sonic 1.4T and that is one nice damn car I know i said I don't like hatches but this might be an exception, I almost impulsively got it, had to step back a bit this is why you bring friends lol. But yeah I really enjoyed that car and I might do a 3 year lease and build my insurance

Have you checked out a Golf? Decent deals on late model used ones too.

I have not tbh, Lot of negative stuff around VW stuff and service quality as of late, but yeah I'll go check out a Golf but it'd most likely be a normal one not a GTI or anything so idk

[Solstice2006]

What's your reasoning?

Four year lease is fine if you stay within the warranty period IMO.

I'm not against 4 year leases where the warranty period is 4 years...in most cases, I find that warranties are only 36 months.

...but, I'd think one of the benefits of leasing is the quick trade-in.  Four years is becoming a long-er time with your rental

Also, tooscoops has a point:

less flexibility if you need to get out or if life changes... more time to damage the car

Not really sure when he means damage to the car.  Someone can hit me, or I can hit someone whether I am in 1 month into the lease or 39 months into the lease.

That's what I thought too. I guess he means an older car will have more dings, scratches and stone chips. Also it can really suck if life changes force you to sell/trade in a car you own. Leases can be bought out and transferred.

Probably cheaper to buy a 4 year old car, drive that for 4 years, and sell it vs leasing it new for 4 years. 

[Noto]

Not really sure when he means damage to the car.

Well, if you own the car, and you get some curb rash on the lower front bumper, then you can "live" with it.  With a lease, that would be considered "beyond" excessive wear and tear that would be covered by the "wear-pass" or whatever it's called by each dealer.

Same with "excessive" stone chips, etc.  And that's all assuming that you buy the "wear pass" any way.  My buddy's dad got knocked major for scrapes on the top of the rear bumper from loading/unloading luggage.

so i went to A chevy dealer today, got to sit inside the chevy Sonic 1.4T and that is one nice damn car I know i said I don't like hatches but this might be an exception, I almost impulsively got it, had to step back a bit this is why you bring friends lol. But yeah I really enjoyed that car and I might do a 3 year lease and build my insurance

Did you like the Sonic more than the Cruze?  I'm not a huge fan of the Sonic, personally.  It has personality, which I like, but I tend to shy away from the smaller stuff.

[OliverD]

That's why I think the wear and tear protection is a no-brainer.

It meant I could bring my GTI back to the dealer with stone chips in the windshield and brakes near the end of their life without incurring any additional costs. That was $1000 well spent.

[Heck493]

Not really sure when he means damage to the car.

Well, if you own the car, and you get some curb rash on the lower front bumper, then you can "live" with it.  With a lease, that would be considered "beyond" excessive wear and tear that would be covered by the "wear-pass" or whatever it's called by each dealer.

Same with "excessive" stone chips, etc.  And that's all assuming that you buy the "wear pass" any way.  My buddy's dad got knocked major for scrapes on the top of the rear bumper from loading/unloading luggage.

so i went to A chevy dealer today, got to sit inside the chevy Sonic 1.4T and that is one nice damn car I know i said I don't like hatches but this might be an exception, I almost impulsively got it, had to step back a bit this is why you bring friends lol. But yeah I really enjoyed that car and I might do a 3 year lease and build my insurance

Did you like the Sonic more than the Cruze?  I'm not a huge fan of the Sonic, personally.  It has personality, which I like, but I tend to shy away from the smaller stuff.

Well as parking is going to be tight for me unfortunately, I've now been forced to looking at nothing bigger than a compact sedan Like a Corolla or something, But something even smaller like the Sonic, or sadly even the Yaris might be what I'm forced into regardless of my personal wants right now, and admittedly I did sit in a yaris and the inside for my tastes was quite nice and it weirdly fit me quite well, But its a Yaris and I know without a test drive it will have 0 Go power, so it looks like something like the Sonic with the 1.8 or 1.4T will be what i go with cause at least they'll be somewhat enjoyable, and as my first car it wouldn't kill me as much on insurance.

[Noto]

In what way would parking be "tight"?  As in, you don't have any, or you have a spot that is exactly 74" wide (I'm being somewhat coy)?

If you go for the Sonic, make sure you get the 1.4T and not the 1.8, the latter of which garners a big "meh" in all terms.  The 1.4T is a fantastic little motor.

[Heck493]

In what way would parking be "tight"?  As in, you don't have any, or you have a spot that is exactly 74" wide (I'm being somewhat coy)?

If you go for the Sonic, make sure you get the 1.4T and not the 1.8, the latter of which garners a big "meh" in all terms.  The 1.4T is a fantastic little motor.

As in we need to make space in the garage which is full of tools and what not to somehow squeeze a car in there, or else I straight up won't have any parking come winter time, and have at least 4-5 parking tickets a month come summer, so right now a small little hatch or sedan is about what i can do, my Dreams of the V6 camry and what not are gonna have to wait for the next car.

Edit* The reason I didn't take this into account before was the landlord for the apt was originally fine with parking on the lawn in the back, but he did a 180 and suddenly refuses to allow that, so it is what it is.

[JohnnyMac]

If you don't mind hatch backs now, want a short term lease, and have limited space, I would probably suggest a Mini Cooper.  They are buckets of fun and seem to lease out reasonable considering they have strong residuals.  Even having one in an automatic doesn't take away the fun completely.

[Gurgie]

If you don't mind hatch backs now, want a short term lease, and have limited space, I would probably suggest a Mini Cooper.  They are buckets of fun and seem to lease out reasonable considering they have strong residuals.  Even having one in an automatic doesn't take away the fun completely.

  Was just about to write that as well! Mini will be a ton of fun, my GF had one & it was a blast!

[tooscoops]

ohhhhhhh... did i call it like 150 comments ago?!

we get teenagers in here all the time wanting help, but in the end, they rarely end up getting what even they want (definitely not the brown, stick, wagon we all suggest)... they end up with what their parents are willing to cosign on. so i wish you all the best, and i hope it doesn't end up being a used yaris like most end up with (just because it is against what you want, not that it's a bad car).

heh... again... not a bad choice, but keep those options open.


to comment on a few others...

solstice, you are alright as you are in a 2 year lease and looking at possibly another! if 2 years is too long, you are a crazy man!! ha! as to the damage comment, the longer you have the car, the higher the chance of ANY damage. be it serious stuff, or just a stone chip in the windshield. while damage can happen at any time, the increase of time is directly correlated to increase in damage/wear. that is why the more used a car is, the lower the cost... those kms aren't just a number, they are wear and tear on EVERY part of the car, visible or not.

bombay, getting out of a financed car will cost you more than a leased one to get out of almost every time. people act like getting leases taken over is easy-peasy. sure they *can* be... if your car is in a sweet spot of lower than expected kms, desirable in the current market, in perfect shape, was purchased during the best incentives, the perfect amount of time is left, and you throw some money their way to take it over. what usually happens if you need out is that you have to trade it... and to do that you have to buy it out, or return it early. both are somewhat complicated, add some tax ramifications and are nearly always higher than what the buy out would be on an equivalent purchased car. a finance... you trade it in or sell it. the end. at any point in the term, in any condition with any current market. every case is different of course, but in the majority of cases, this holds true.

heck, VW has been getting some grief sure, but much of it is still residual from dieselgate. there cars have dropped a bit in quality, but i still think they are a solid choice.

oliver, all a gamble with the lease care stuff. some brands will basically never call you on brakes and such. so a grand is fine. but if the tires were going to pass, and all the dents were within acceptable points... putting in new glass would set you back like 350 cash. the peace of mind is nice, but generally, the manufacturer has done the math and found that on average, lease end damage has totalled "X" on their vehicles. so they offer this product of lease care at X to the dealer which allows the manufacturer a small profit. then the dealer makes a profit as well.  so say the average VW comes back with 400 of damage. they make the lease care dealer-cost 600 so they can profit and let the dealer mark it up 400 to make it worth while for them. so while that 1000 might seem like a deal, you are basically assuming you will cause over 100% more damage to your lease than the average VW buyer.... are you really that much rougher than average with your car?

as always, YMMV. 

[JohnnyMac]

ohhhhhhh... did i call it like 150 comments ago?!

we get teenagers in here all the time wanting help, but in the end, they rarely end up getting what even they want (definitely not the brown, stick, wagon we all suggest)... they end up with what their parents are willing to cosign on. so i wish you all the best, and i hope it doesn't end up being a used yaris like most end up with (just because it is against what you want, not that it's a bad car).

heh... again... not a bad choice, but keep those options open.


to comment on a few others...

solstice, you are alright as you are in a 2 year lease and looking at possibly another! if 2 years is too long, you are a crazy man!! ha! as to the damage comment, the longer you have the car, the higher the chance of ANY damage. be it serious stuff, or just a stone chip in the windshield. while damage can happen at any time, the increase of time is directly correlated to increase in damage/wear. that is why the more used a car is, the lower the cost... those kms aren't just a number, they are wear and tear on EVERY part of the car, visible or not.

bombay, getting out of a financed car will cost you more than a leased one to get out of almost every time. people act like getting leases taken over is easy-peasy. sure they *can* be... if your car is in a sweet spot of lower than expected kms, desirable in the current market, in perfect shape, was purchased during the best incentives, the perfect amount of time is left, and you throw some money their way to take it over. what usually happens if you need out is that you have to trade it... and to do that you have to buy it out, or return it early. both are somewhat complicated, add some tax ramifications and are nearly always higher than what the buy out would be on an equivalent purchased car. a finance... you trade it in or sell it. the end. at any point in the term, in any condition with any current market. every case is different of course, but in the majority of cases, this holds true.

heck, VW has been getting some grief sure, but much of it is still residual from dieselgate. there cars have dropped a bit in quality, but i still think they are a solid choice.

oliver, all a gamble with the lease care stuff. some brands will basically never call you on brakes and such. so a grand is fine. but if the tires were going to pass, and all the dents were within acceptable points... putting in new glass would set you back like 350 cash. the peace of mind is nice, but generally, the manufacturer has done the math and found that on average, lease end damage has totalled "X" on their vehicles. so they offer this product of lease care at X to the dealer which allows the manufacturer a small profit. then the dealer makes a profit as well.  so say the average VW comes back with 400 of damage. they make the lease care dealer-cost 600 so they can profit and let the dealer mark it up 400 to make it worth while for them. so while that 1000 might seem like a deal, you are basically assuming you will cause over 100% more damage to your lease than the average VW buyer.... are you really that much rougher than average with your car?

as always, YMMV.

I'm not one to lease but I could totally seeing myself buying the lease care stuff as it would take the pressure off trying to keep it in perfect shape.  Everyone knows a person who returned their lease and had to pay a considerable amount of money to bring it back to lease end specs.  If I leased something, had the coverage, and knew I was well within limit I might do some burn out and open the window with a hammer on my way to drop it off (completely kidding but I'm sure you could do this and get away with it).

[OliverD]

oliver, all a gamble with the lease care stuff. some brands will basically never call you on brakes and such. so a grand is fine. but if the tires were going to pass, and all the dents were within acceptable points... putting in new glass would set you back like 350 cash. the peace of mind is nice, but generally, the manufacturer has done the math and found that on average, lease end damage has totalled "X" on their vehicles. so they offer this product of lease care at X to the dealer which allows the manufacturer a small profit. then the dealer makes a profit as well.  so say the average VW comes back with 400 of damage. they make the lease care dealer-cost 600 so they can profit and let the dealer mark it up 400 to make it worth while for them. so while that 1000 might seem like a deal, you are basically assuming you will cause over 100% more damage to your lease than the average VW buyer.... are you really that much rougher than average with your car?

as always, YMMV.

Fair enough. I do know that the dealer installed new pads and rotors all around on my car after I dropped it off and before they put it on the lot. I'm guessing they had VW pay for it.

[Heck493]

ohhhhhhh... did i call it like 150 comments ago?!

we get teenagers in here all the time wanting help, but in the end, they rarely end up getting what even they want (definitely not the brown, stick, wagon we all suggest)... they end up with what their parents are willing to cosign on. so i wish you all the best, and i hope it doesn't end up being a used yaris like most end up with (just because it is against what you want, not that it's a bad car).

heh... again... not a bad choice, but keep those options open.


to comment on a few others...

solstice, you are alright as you are in a 2 year lease and looking at possibly another! if 2 years is too long, you are a crazy man!! ha! as to the damage comment, the longer you have the car, the higher the chance of ANY damage. be it serious stuff, or just a stone chip in the windshield. while damage can happen at any time, the increase of time is directly correlated to increase in damage/wear. that is why the more used a car is, the lower the cost... those kms aren't just a number, they are wear and tear on EVERY part of the car, visible or not.

bombay, getting out of a financed car will cost you more than a leased one to get out of almost every time. people act like getting leases taken over is easy-peasy. sure they *can* be... if your car is in a sweet spot of lower than expected kms, desirable in the current market, in perfect shape, was purchased during the best incentives, the perfect amount of time is left, and you throw some money their way to take it over. what usually happens if you need out is that you have to trade it... and to do that you have to buy it out, or return it early. both are somewhat complicated, add some tax ramifications and are nearly always higher than what the buy out would be on an equivalent purchased car. a finance... you trade it in or sell it. the end. at any point in the term, in any condition with any current market. every case is different of course, but in the majority of cases, this holds true.

heck, VW has been getting some grief sure, but much of it is still residual from dieselgate. there cars have dropped a bit in quality, but i still think they are a solid choice.

oliver, all a gamble with the lease care stuff. some brands will basically never call you on brakes and such. so a grand is fine. but if the tires were going to pass, and all the dents were within acceptable points... putting in new glass would set you back like 350 cash. the peace of mind is nice, but generally, the manufacturer has done the math and found that on average, lease end damage has totalled "X" on their vehicles. so they offer this product of lease care at X to the dealer which allows the manufacturer a small profit. then the dealer makes a profit as well.  so say the average VW comes back with 400 of damage. they make the lease care dealer-cost 600 so they can profit and let the dealer mark it up 400 to make it worth while for them. so while that 1000 might seem like a deal, you are basically assuming you will cause over 100% more damage to your lease than the average VW buyer.... are you really that much rougher than average with your car?

as always, YMMV.

Tbh as much as i did like the interior of the Yaris It won't be a vehicle i get unless i literally can't get anything else for whatever reason, although i doubt it cause again I have final say in my vehicle and I'd rather park the 2-3 blocks away and walk then get the Yaris, but anyways, I haven't looked at any other smaller hatchs besides the chevy sonic and Yaris, so we'll see what else is out there, idk if i'm big on the Golf just based on pictures, it still gives off a big Meh vibe to me, the GTI is interesting but the regular one Meh, the hyundai is still on the table cause it is a small car, Lancer I've removed just because of the warranty problems, longevity of Mitsu itself, and frankly without that spoiler it just looks odd, saw one today in a parking lot without it an no, and with all the options i have I can afford to be a little picky over dumb stuff, it's just all the big cars that are 100% crossed out for now.

[Noto]

Being a lawyer, I'd read the excess damage waiver terms and conditions and then decide.  The Foz was leased and then bought out, so it was a waste of money in any event , but it increased the size of allowable dents from a penny to a loonie.  Basically took dents on the doors out of our concern.

Heck, based on what you've now said, you should absolutely not lease a vehicle...tools etc lined up beside your car...it's fairly likely that you're gonna have a few woopsie moments.  Buy a gently used Mini and enjoy it for a few years.  Problem solved.

[Heck493]

Being a lawyer, I'd read the excess damage waiver terms and conditions and then decide.  The Foz was leased and then bought out, so it was a waste of money in any event , but it increased the size of allowable dents from a penny to a loonie.  Basically took dents on the doors out of our concern.

Heck, based on what you've now said, you should absolutely not lease a vehicle...tools etc lined up beside your car...it's fairly likely that you're gonna have a few woopsie moments.  Buy a gently used Mini and enjoy it for a few years.  Problem solved.

Right now We're just waiting to see, but getting a car now has been pushed about until probably September November, as We're discussing if we're going to continue living in the current apt or not after we talk with the land lord some more and see what's going on