Opinions needed..car people help me out!

[NoobCollector]

Two questions:
1) lease a new car or buy a used car?
2) what car should I get? Not looking to spend too much $...taking a loan from family..if I buy a used one...lease is a bit easier but it means I'm locked into a 24-36 month deal..HELP!!

[CAS239]

Buy a used car, no questions asked.

I'm currently leasing a car and its terrible. It was definitely a spur of the moment decision that was stupid and I highly regret. Unless you really plan to not drive it at all, then lease. But if you plan on actually driving and going places, then don't lease.

Leasing is ideal for older folks/elderly who drive 40 miles a week and barely use their car. They don't drive it, basically waste money on payments, then enjoy getting a new car and starting up a new lease at the end of their contract.

If you lease a car and actually use it how you want, you'll go over on miles. Then at the end you either keep the car and continue paying it off or pay for the mileage you went over

Buying new>buying used>leasing

Buy used...save money, no interest if paid in full, no mileage limit

[NoobCollector]

Originally Posted by CAS239

Buy a used car, no questions asked.

I'm currently leasing a car and its terrible. It was definitely a spur of the moment decision that was stupid and I highly regret. Unless you really plan to not drive it at all, then lease. But if you plan on actually driving and going places, then don't lease.

Leasing is ideal for older folks/elderly who drive 40 miles a week and barely use their car. They don't drive it, basically waste money on payments, then enjoy getting a new car and starting up a new lease at the end of their contract.

If you lease a car and actually use it how you want, you'll go over on miles. Then at the end you either keep the car and continue paying it off or pay for the mileage you went over

Buying new>buying used>leasing

Buy used...save money, no interest if paid in full, no mileage limit

My job is about a mile away from my house. The farthest I'd go is maybe New York once in a while...but once semester starts its either work or college (twice a week-8 miles each way)...so definitely won't drive TOO much....then again I could just be driving a bit now because I'm sharing a car..my family has always been leasing but they get like 12-15K miles per year..but I doubt I'd use that much...the only thing about a lease...is I'm eyeing the new Mazda Miata X-3...gorgeous car

[VWBUS1978]

Buy used.

Anytime you buy a new car you'll pay an extra $3k just for the new car smell.
The second you drive a new car off the lot it's devalued.
If you buy a low mileage used car (VW's are best at holding resale value FWIW) you get exactly what you see. You can compare prices and get the best deal.

New cars are for rich people who don't care.

I know new cars suck, I've gone down that road twice already. Not worth paying the premium.

Oh, and Mazdas do not hold value well due to relatively high maintenance costs, especially if the car your eying up has a rotary engine. Only Mazda dealers will work on them, which forces your hand to pay $100/hr minimum shop charges.

Toyota, VW, Subaru all have the best used cars.

[stripedbass91]

I agree with buying used over leasing...I just bought a 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander SE and am very pleased. Also took out a loan for it.....long run Id say buy used as well for the reasons they named above me.

[Tyler]

If you can't afford a car, then why would you be leasing a new one?

Find a mid 90's Toyota. Gas mileage isn't a concern for you, you need reliability.

[VWBUS1978]

Originally Posted by Tyler

If you can't afford a car, then why would you be leasing a new one?

Find a mid 90's Toyota. Gas mileage isn't a concern for you, you need reliability.

This man speaks the truth! You cannot kill those 90's toyotas.
A lot of times car buyers have delusions of grandeur, and it gets them in trouble.
Get what you can afford and leave some money in your pocket for repairs.

[oldgoldy97]

Get a bicycle (or walk) if you only have to go a mile a day and a cheap used car like stated above for the 8 mile drives.

[Whodatiz]

Don't lease. It's a terrible idea. I have a friend that decided to lease a brand new Lexus IS 250 since he was able to obtain a fairly well paying first job straight out of college. He ended up not putting any money down (was given $1,000 for his trade-in) and is now stuck paying $600 a month. He has no intentions of keeping the car at the end of his lease agreement. So, if you add that up over the course of the next three years, he will end up paying almost $22,000 toward a car he won't be keeping.

Buy used.

[oldgoldy97]

Originally Posted by Whodatiz

Don't lease. It's a terrible idea. I have a friend that decided to lease a brand new Lexus IS 250 since he was able to obtain a fairly well paying first job straight out of college. He ended up not putting any money down (was given $1,000 for his trade-in) and is now stuck paying $600 a month. He has no intentions of keeping the car at the end of his lease agreement. So, if you add that up over the course of the next three years, he will end up paying almost $22,000 toward a car he won't be keeping.

Buy used.

Couldn't have been a finance major, I'm guessing.

[NoobCollector]

I'm all for getting a used car..Trust me I hate leasing. My dad is all against used cars for some reason and would rather lease. I don't mind taking a 6-7K loan to buy a decent car. I will probably be transferring next year to a college where I will be taking a train daily, as parking in the city costs $$$. Much more affordable to take the train. I will have to look into it..when I have a car I may use it less DAILY, but I may take some roadtrips...I appreciate all the replies guys! Thanks!

[Whodatiz]

Nope. He's a CIS major.

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

Couldn't have been a finance major, I'm guessing.

[CAS239]

Originally Posted by NoobCollector

I'm all for getting a used car..Trust me I hate leasing. My dad is all against used cars for some reason and would rather lease. I don't mind taking a 6-7K loan to buy a decent car. I will probably be transferring next year to a college where I will be taking a train daily, as parking in the city costs $$$. Much more affordable to take the train. I will have to look into it..when I have a car I may use it less DAILY, but I may take some roadtrips...I appreciate all the replies guys! Thanks!

My thing would be why lease, pay interest, have to be cautious of miles, and drive away with a car that will cost you a lot in the long run...if you won't be driving it much. To me, there's no sense in paying say $300-500 a month for a car you'll only be driving 200 miles a month. You won't be getting your money's worth. Unless you're getting a car you LOVE

Especially if you're going off to college, probably won't be driving too much..just taking some road trips..you can find a huge list of good used cars for under 10k. You'll find good used for under 5k too.

Go used and save thousands in the long run

[mike barnes]

toyota in general is always a great idea their cars are very good for a long time id avoid somthing as old as the 90s at taht age head gaskets seem to be a common problem
honda is just as good same issue on 300k plus but thats crazy milage
best 4 words
civic
corolla
camery
accord
best 4 cars on the market
the toy tocoma is also a very strong choice all the advantages of toyota with out front wheel issues
the boss and me picked up a 2 year old civic last year for 15 out the door so we are good for about 10 years
the only bad thing is the price on both the resale is very high for a reason but a 5 year old of either will outlast any car GM makes
caution with older VWs they tend to have wireing issues after 10 years or so Esp the Bugs

[mfisher27]

Foreign car. Enough said.

[mike barnes]

that statement is kinda odd nowadays

toyota honda and Kia corp make almost everything they sell in the states here
most chevys are mexico or Korea ( daewoo production they picked up years ago) bmws sold here are made here Vws are mostly made in mexico ect
ford makes a good amount here and canada the northern states

its not so simple to say F or domestic

[SpastikMooss]

Buy. I was faced with this a few months back as the car I owned was on the fritz and I wasn't sure which to do.

Ended up buying a new (well about 250 miles on it from test drives lol) 2012 Scion XD. With Toyota's warranties I have 7 years of coverage for pretty much anything that happens to it, I mean I even get free car washes and crap from them which is cool. I pay less than $300 a month and that's with $1,000 down. If I hadn't put anything down it still was gonna be like $297 a month but I wanted a little less to pay in the end so I went with what I went with.

I'm very pleased with my decision, mostly because the warranties with new can be so good and when I pay it up it's mine versus me having to decide on payments versus giving it back. I'm gonna enjoy that freedom when it comes.

[mike barnes]

hard to go wrong with toyota any of her emblems are very good cars
from scion to toy to lexus and they had to up their warentee to come close to kia

[benshobbies]

Get a Used Prius. My Mom gets almost 55 MPG & buys gas twice a month.

needless to say, she drives an hour to work & back almost. Then to her other place of work sometimes. She puts in almost 14 hours of driving a week this way.

[SethMurphy]

There are so many ignorant and uninformed people here....

I work as a salesman at a dealership that sells Kia, Subaru, VW, BMW.

Where to start, VW doesn't hold their value better than any other brand, Subaru does, do some research.

Buying used isn't a bad idea, but be wary of buying cars beyond factory warranty, VW has very high service bills past warranty time, American cars tend to also start charging you left and right between 60 and 100,000 miles.

Kelley Blue Book rated Kia as the brand with the overall lowest cost of ownership based on the first five years of ownership

If looking into leasing, it's a great idea for anyone who doesn't want to own a car for a long time, you have the advantage of owning a car covered under warranty, and brand new, and with more features for the cost. Mileage isn't an issue, there are multiple mileage options for your leases, I have a 15,000 mile per year lease on my new Subaru, and love it. Also, if you lease you get to remove the market risk from buying a car. If the market tanks, and the value of your car goes down, you can just walk away from your lease at the end, no questions asked. Years ago open ended leases were a nightmare, but now leases are closed ended and the buyers risk has been removed

There is so much more, but the advice you are getting here seems outdated and somewhat jaded too


Sorry if I come across rude, but I get irritated by people who seem to think they know the best way to do something, and bad mouth things like leasing without actually doing the proper homework

[DaveTaplin]

Take the money you would spend and buy a used car.

I bought an 05 Saturn last year with 31k miles for $6k. Only been a year but I couldn't be happier.

[NoobCollector]

Used to have a Camry..now we drive a Hyundai..great car too. But like most people said not worth it to lease

[mike barnes]

leasing is ok if you do lower milage
i dump like 25 k on a year so i buy every 5 years
keep 2 and get rid of the oldest one
works pretty good so far
we stick with honda toy and mazda