BG Auto I summon thee. 1st time buying an actual car.

[Quixon]

The Focus and the Mazda 3 are really really similar cars still pulling from the Mazda+Ford era of mx6/probe, the Mazda is a tiny bit nicer, but if you're satisfied with a 3 you'd probably be satisfied with a Focus as well if that's where the best deal is.


Also in that price range, a Kia Optima from just a year or 2 ago should be down there and you'd be getting a car that's a couple classes up for the same money due to Kias getting shit on in the resale market. It is a bit bigger, but you'll still get ~25mpg.

Numbers don't always tell the whole story. That is more or less why I suggested the OP test drive it. The SkyActive Mazdas (13/14+) are completely different animals then the previous generation. The previous gen you were 1000% Correct. Nothing wrong with the older 3's, they are just a little more towards appliance than the new ones. The on/off partnership between Ford and Mazda is gone for good. They ended that in order to "team up/tech share" with Alpha/Fiat on the 4C and new miata roadster.


The Optima is great. My dad has the loaded model before you get to the Turbo Engine. I will say he has had a couple issues he's needed to bring the car in for, those were rather minor issues though. Sun Roof 2-3 times, and HVAC once.

Edit:

Versa has tons of room?

Yeah...... there's no room in those vehicles lol. This is coming from someone who drives a 2 Seater, and lives in a 1000 sq/ft house. I know living small.... and the versa is small lol.

[Meresgi]

Versa has tons of room? Are you and your gf midgets? I'm stuck with a Versa as a rental while my car is in the shop and I feel more cramped in that thing then I did with my 08 Civic I traded in. I will say though that it drove better than the 14 Impala I rented earlier this month though.

Lol I meant head room + room in the back if I drive my parents around. I'm 5'11 and it's cramped but small cars have never bothered me. Honestly just been looking at the Fiesta the past hour and might testdrive that today. MSRP is lower then Focus, price is about the same when you count in all the Focus rebates and shit. Insurance is lower on Fiesta though by $30 to $45 per 6 months.

I dont really drive other people around, I dont pack a lot of shit for long trips, I have brother-in-law with truck if I need to move big shit or buy a mattress/desk or w/e

[Quixon]

The fiesta is a nice little car. Honda fit isn't too bad either, but not too many deals to be had for Fit's usually.

[Meresgi]

Spoke to guy about focus and did some haggling. Obviously it went from $12,700 up to $20,000 after all their bullshit. Got them to agree on $185 a month at 5% APR if I qualify for that rate for 72 month financing with $4500 down on the car. Plus have to pay the $2,000 for taxes/fees and shit. Told them I would think about it to let them stew a bit. I mean at that price it's not BAD but still only like $2,000 off sticker. For that price I could get a used Jetta TDI under 40k miles or pick up a new Versa for like fucking $15,000 or lower.

[Kohan]

I would personally advise against getting a loan from a dealership unless absolutely necessary. You can usually do better through your own bank.

If you want to do more haggling, do go to your bank, ask about rates from them, and then see if you can get a better deal (and you probably can). Be sure to consider the big picture, not just the immediate benefits. Then, if it's better, take that back to the dealership and see what they say.

Like the car itself, the dealership makes extra money when they get you to finance with them, so that's their incentive. No matter how nice they make it sound to you, they are not doing you any favors.

[Anakron]

Spoke to guy about focus and did some haggling. Obviously it went from $12,700 up to $20,000 after all their bullshit. Got them to agree on $185 a month at 5% APR if I qualify for that rate for 72 month financing with $4500 down on the car. Plus have to pay the $2,000 for taxes/fees and shit. Told them I would think about it to let them stew a bit. I mean at that price it's not BAD but still only like $2,000 off sticker. For that price I could get a used Jetta TDI under 40k miles or pick up a new Versa for like fucking $15,000 or lower.

If it's only $2k off sticker, the dealership is not giving you any discount at all. There's a $2k incentive that Ford is doing now. It's not combinable with their financing offer, but if you're at 5% for 72 months, you're not getting their financing offer either.

http://www.edmunds.com/ford/focus/20...=financing_irr

[archibaldcrane]

I would personally advise against getting a loan from a dealership unless absolutely necessary. You can usually do better through your own bank.

If you want to do more haggling, do go to your bank, ask about rates from them, and then see if you can get a better deal (and you probably can). Be sure to consider the big picture, not just the immediate benefits. Then, if it's better, take that back to the dealership and see what they say.

^

[Meresgi]

Bank was only talking about 4.5% to 5.25% as well. Going to look into that penfed you posted earlier Archi and probably going to the Nissan dealership to look at some Versa's today as well. Thought the focus over, slept on it and the SE just has a bunch of shit I don't really need. I don't really need bluetooth, or microsoft sync or any of the fancy shit that costs an extra $1500 over the S model. They are also telling me that their processing fee, which is $300 is required. Which annoys me because I know it's not, as every other dealer clearly states on their site it's not required by law. Their site does not mention that though from what I can see so can't argue the fact.

[Tokitoki]

Bank was only talking about 4.5% to 5.25% as well. Going to look into that penfed you posted earlier Archi and probably going to the Nissan dealership to look at some Versa's today as well. Thought the focus over, slept on it and the SE just has a bunch of shit I don't really need. I don't really need bluetooth, or microsoft sync or any of the fancy shit that costs an extra $1500 over the S model. They are also telling me that their processing fee, which is $300 is required. Which annoys me because I know it's not, as every other dealer clearly states on their site it's not required by law. Their site does not mention that though from what I can see so can't argue the fact.

I do have to say, coming from my 2012 Fusion, the bluetooth and sync features are really nice. I mean, I do a lot of driving so the bluetooth was good for that, but it also did bluetooth streaming audio, loaded all my contacts from my phone, AND made the voice dial for contacts on its own. My '14 WRX doesnt do anything with contacts from my phone and I was severely disappointed when I found this out.

[Quixon]

Bank was only talking about 4.5% to 5.25% as well. Going to look into that penfed you posted earlier Archi and probably going to the Nissan dealership to look at some Versa's today as well. Thought the focus over, slept on it and the SE just has a bunch of shit I don't really need. I don't really need bluetooth, or microsoft sync or any of the fancy shit that costs an extra $1500 over the S model. They are also telling me that their processing fee, which is $300 is required. Which annoys me because I know it's not, as every other dealer clearly states on their site it's not required by law. Their site does not mention that though from what I can see so can't argue the fact.

You need to familiarize yourself with what that car actually costs. Until you do that you are arguing blind. That fee is bullshit as you have mentioned. Simply tell the salesman if that is the case you will shop elsewhere, there should be another Ford dealership close enough. Watch how fast they'll "do you a favor" and remove the fee. Anything you see for Vin Etched Windows, etc. is also 100% bullshit. Do not pay for it.

Also, in regards to the range the bank is giving you, there is no range. Tell them to run your credit, and give you an interest rate. Until they do that, anything they(outside bank or dealership) tell you is bullshit. It is impossible to negotiate for a car without knowing what your interest rate is going to be. Just make sure you are ready to buy, you can have your credit run for a car purchase multiple times within a 2-3 week period and it will only count as 1 pull. Verify the timeline of that yourself, I'm shooting off the top of my head for that info.

If you want to check the Focus, take the MSRP of the car and have the bank run that for approval. That way you know you will be approved since the price you negotiate is going to be cheaper.


If you are not top tier credit I agree with the above you'll get a better rate from a bank or credit union. You can still have the dealership check the financing though once you have a rate from the bank to see if they can beat it.

[Meresgi]

The first "inquiry" (a request for a credit report) has a minor impact on the credit score, but subsequent inquiries do not, says Melinda Zabritski, senior director of automotive credit for Experian.

"It's well known that consumers shop around when they are car buying," she says. So Experian, for example, groups multiple inquires occurring within a two-week period and they have no further effect on a consumer's credit score.

Pulled off Edmunds so yeah 2 week period. Honestly didn't know that till you mentioned it so thanks. Was hesitant about having multiple credit checks ran against me because I know how it effects it. Last time I ran it just to check, about 8 months ago when we were looking at apartments, it was high 700's. I'll have bank run it today to get an idea of what i'm looking at in terms of APR%.

Co-worker was showing me the Chevy Spark and Mitsubishi Mirage since he knows I like the Versa and sub-compact cars. They both have a CVT option which I like. Mirage is a 3 cylinder so was hesitant but after watching some videos on it i'm actually impressed. Sucks the closest dealer is 40mins away though.

Anyone had experience? Chevy/GMC irks me just due to all the recalls and shit, though I would assume a 2014 Spark would have been scrutinized much more to prevent future recalls and a bigger fiasco.

[Quixon]

Mitsubishi is borderline out of business in the United States. I wouldn't touch one of their vehicles with a ten foot pole if I were an average car buyer.

RE Credit.... Anyone that runs it, tell them you want the score. If you were in the high 700's, you will be very close to Top Tier if you aren't already. 740-790ish is where you start getting accepted for the 0% special financing and shit like that.

[Melena]

As others have said, Sync is pretty fucking awesome, especially if your state has strict hands free laws. Having texts read to me through the car as well as the built in blutooth for both calls and audio streaming (though I have XM Radio as is) makes my life a whole helluva lot easier, and my commute is only about 20 minutes each way.

[Meresgi]

Just ran credit, it's at 705. Not as high as I would want, but I have a shit ton of debt in student loans and 1 unpaid electric bill from 8 years ago back in NY that gets wiped next year off it.

[Quixon]

705 isn't horrible, it's on the higher end of mediocre.

It becomes a matter of comparing the rate you are getting, vs. the best rate they offer. If that % is worth it to you, wait until that electric bill comes off your credit.

[Meresgi]

Went with a 2014 Nissan Versa Note SV with bluetooth and shit. Put 5k down on it and financing the remaining 10k at 5% through Nissan for 4 payments and then going to check and see if I can get refinanced through NASA at 2% or lower. Did the Nissan finance in order to get some of their rebates and shit. $190 a month payments so i'm fine with that. Probably could have done better but haggled my way far below the $280/mo they were talking about or having me not put any down so they could get extra $$ from financing which I wasn't going to do either.

[Talint]

Mitsubishi is borderline out of business in the United States. I wouldn't touch one of their vehicles with a ten foot pole if I were an average car buyer..

They've been saying this for ten years though.'

That having been said, I would not get a Shitsubishi unless you're getting an Evo.

[Quixon]

They've been saying this for ten years though.'

That having been said, I would not get a Shitsubishi unless you're getting an Evo.

It's coming. Take a look at their sales numbers lol. I just think of it, as an average car buyer, from a warranty standpoint. Once they close up shop you are kind of left stranded in regards to warranty repair work.

[tyven]

yoiu guys should i get an optima? GRIFFIN FORCE

[Meresgi]

Honestly if you're not buying a Prius then you're killing the world m8.

Also if you live in Maryland make sure to put a "Co-exist" sticker on the back..so I can fucking ram you off the road.