Shopping for a car

I had an appointment to get another opinion on the brake work this morning. When I walked in, the receptionist said they'd have to reschedule because the mechanic called in sick.

I asked a few guys that give me the impression they know about these things. It's almost the same - they know a guy that knows a guy that can look at it, or I have a friend that has a kid that likes to work on cars. I really want a qualified car mechanic to do the work. Brakes aren't something to do a slap-dash repair.
 
Shopping for a car
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I don't know which is worse, as far as the shopping experience- new car dealers or buying used from a private party. :rolleyes:

Car dealership: pressure from several sales people, talking the "logic" of adding on more features to increase the price tag. The sales manager fancies him/her self as being in control of the transaction, with you in the subservient position.

Private parties: Some are vague about discrepancies with their used vehicle. They are full of "I think so" "maybe" and "I don't know" answers to questions that you as a buyer need straight answers to. :unsure:
 
Several months ago I was shopping for a new car and I had decided on a 2025 Mazda CX-5s. I liked it because it had a natually aspirated engine and a 6 speed automatic transmission. I do not trust these new turbo charged engines or CVT transmissions. I'm just old school that way. That being said they made a lot of changes to their look for 2026 and I did not like them. If I were looking now I would try to find a left over 2025 CX-5 or cx-5s.

If you can pay cash, that is the way to go. But don't tell them that until you have negociated an OTD (Out the door price). These dealerships often make more money on the financing end then they do on the car itself. So if you tell them up front that you are paying cash they might be less likely to come down on the price. Or you cn go ahead and finance it and then pay it off right away. Just make sure there is no pre-payment penalty. One way to do this would be to initially finance it for 6 years (72months). In the US lenders are prohibited from charging prepayment penalties on auto loans with terms of 61 months or more.

But in the end I decided to keep my 2009 Honda accord LX-P that still runs just fine with 172,000 miles on it.
 
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Aunt Bea said:
if that’s true, it’s probably best to stick with the Honda dealer.
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debodun said:
I really want a qualified car mechanic to do the work. Brakes aren't something to do a slap-dash repair.
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If you REALLY want quality service you can depend on, go to a qualified Honda dealership and get it done right. Yes it will cost more and I KNOW how you hate to part with your money but the work will be guaranteed which will include a warranty. These are things you won’t get from a back alley mechanic. You’re a smart woman Deb. Don’t let your mental distortions dictate what you should do. Do the RIGHT thing.
 
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debodun said:
That's a problem here. The only nearby dealerships are the Ford place I mentioned and a Totoya dealer a little farther away. Any other would be 20 miles or more. Not convenient to travel to have serviced. Even the Honda place is about 15 miles away. It was different when I was working and had to be in the "big city". Even my current car I bought at a dealer which is not where I now have it serviced.
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If your local Ford dealer doesn't have the car you want, they'll have one sent over from another Ford lot.

The issue then would be, you'd have to make another trip to your local dealer to do a test-drive in the one that was sent over, and if you're not happy with it, this routine would be repeated.
 
I've always dreaded buying new cars, which is why I kept my last one for 9 years. We lease Hub's cars for 3 years, and I hate going back to the Mazda dealership to trade. But times have changed. Most of the negotiations can be done online.

This time, I found the car we wanted online, went back-and-forth with the Manager in email and we had already reached a deal before we picked it up. I checked various sites to make sure I was getting the best deal and was quite satisfied.

When I decided I wanted to trade my '17 Audi A4, I found a Certified Pre-Owned 2025 A5 that had only 2,900 miles. It had already taken close to $6000 in depreciation. I expressed an interest, then the salesmen sent me a whole online packet with pics of the car. I looked on Autrotrader and found all the maintenance records. I didn't buy it at first, and the salesmen sent me an alert with a price drop.

The only variable was the trade-in on my '17 so I checked its' trade-in value on Kelly Blue Book and brought in the estimate. Aside from the salesman saying he could offer me a more significant discount on a new one and me saying "no thanks" it was easy-peasy. It has been over a year, and I have 7,000 miles on the new car with no issues. It is the first time in years I've bought a pre-owned car, but I guess I'm getting stingy in my old age.
 
debodun said:
Used cars are almost as expensive as new. I am just in a quandary - why buy a new car at my age (I'll turn 74 next month). Also, I am teetering on the edge of bad vision - hardly any in left eye and right is extremely nearsighted. If I get a retinal detachment in the right eye, I will be legally blind and not be able to drive at all. Then I'll have a $30K paperweight in the garage.

Yet my old friend is requiring more and more repairs and becoming a money pit.

I am just not good at making important decisions. 🤔
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My 2014 Dodge Dart still gets me around, but if my driver's license is renewed this year I plan to look for a helofa good deal on a gently used car with very low mileage. Warren Buffett says, "Never buy a new car."
If my license is not renewed, I'll save a lot of money --probably enough to take a cab or a limo wherever I need to go.
Either way I'll be good to go, knockin' on wood.
EDIT:
Or we can always rent a car.
 
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