A step-by-step guide for buying a new auto in 2024?
June 25, 2024 11:33 AM Subscribe
My 2009 Toyota Tacoma has passed 250k miles, and is really starting to show it's age. But it's been 15 years since I bought a vehicle, and the market is all over the place since covid, and I'm lost.
I just want a reliable vehicle to drive until it explodes or I do. For reliable vehicles, the cost between used and new is usually minimal, so I'm looking at new, EV or gas. I'm tempted to go to Costco and say: one of those, please. But I'm not even sure whether that's a good deal. Help?
I just want a reliable vehicle to drive until it explodes or I do. For reliable vehicles, the cost between used and new is usually minimal, so I'm looking at new, EV or gas. I'm tempted to go to Costco and say: one of those, please. But I'm not even sure whether that's a good deal. Help?
Last October my wife traded in her 2011 Honda CRV for a 2024 Chevy Equinox. With the options she wanted if was pretty pricey, but we both are happy with it (her as driver, me as occasional passenger). Only nits we find are that sometimes there isn't enough room for some stuff (e.g., sun shield bangs up against On-Star stuff at the top of the windshield, no easy place to put full size coffee mugs in the central console). But on the other hand the heated seats and steering wheel, the remote start, etc. are nice. YMMV. FWIW.
posted by forthright at 12:14 PM on June 25
posted by forthright at 12:14 PM on June 25
Response by poster: Last October my wife traded in her 2011 Honda CRV for a 2024 Chevy Equinox
Did you go to a dealer? Use a purchasing service? Self finance or bank or dealer? Purchase at a remote location? Order via maker website?
Just a lot of options I'm trying to sort through.
posted by SunSnork at 12:27 PM on June 25 [2 favorites]
Did you go to a dealer? Use a purchasing service? Self finance or bank or dealer? Purchase at a remote location? Order via maker website?
Just a lot of options I'm trying to sort through.
posted by SunSnork at 12:27 PM on June 25 [2 favorites]
I've heard on reddit that the Costco program is not as good as it used to be, since it was never them, but just an agreement with local dealers. The dealers are not as desperate as they used to be. I've always financed through a credit union with preapproval and if you have one, they may also offer a service that helps you find specific models. My employer also offers a car buying service, but I think it is the same thing, where they are mostly just searching inventory nationwide to find you something specific if you want it. They aren't really helping you get a good deal or anything.
CDK Global is a software company that works with car dealers and they are in the middle of a huge outage. Here is the CNN article about it. Be prepared to wait or find an unaffected dealer. Some reports say people who do get a new car have delays registering it with their state.
posted by soelo at 12:36 PM on June 25 [4 favorites]
CDK Global is a software company that works with car dealers and they are in the middle of a huge outage. Here is the CNN article about it. Be prepared to wait or find an unaffected dealer. Some reports say people who do get a new car have delays registering it with their state.
posted by soelo at 12:36 PM on June 25 [4 favorites]
Figure out your top few priorities and add them to this thread, so people can suggest vehicles!
For example do you need to....
SAVE MONEY - Fuel economy, Cheap parts and repairs
HELP THE EARTH - Electric or Hybrids may cost more up front but are better for emissions. Size of car matters too.
MANEUVERING - City or highway driving
CLIMATE - If you get lots of snow, choose all wheel drive, and a taller vehicle that won't get stuck in snow
CARGO SPACE- Transport a bike? Carry entire sheets of plywood? Tow a boat? Fit dogs in the back?
SIZE - Need to easily park on a city street? Commute a single person?
KIDS - Safety features, Wide back seat for 3 car seats, Comfortable height for buckling, Room for a big stroller
LOOKS - Highlight your wealth or taste - important for some careers. Or, blend in as much as possible - useful if you ever worry about police racial profiling, or being stalked, or you want fewer speeding or parking tickets.
If you share these kinds of priorities and lifestlye details, people here will have great suggestions.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 1:00 PM on June 25 [5 favorites]
For example do you need to....
SAVE MONEY - Fuel economy, Cheap parts and repairs
HELP THE EARTH - Electric or Hybrids may cost more up front but are better for emissions. Size of car matters too.
MANEUVERING - City or highway driving
CLIMATE - If you get lots of snow, choose all wheel drive, and a taller vehicle that won't get stuck in snow
CARGO SPACE- Transport a bike? Carry entire sheets of plywood? Tow a boat? Fit dogs in the back?
SIZE - Need to easily park on a city street? Commute a single person?
KIDS - Safety features, Wide back seat for 3 car seats, Comfortable height for buckling, Room for a big stroller
LOOKS - Highlight your wealth or taste - important for some careers. Or, blend in as much as possible - useful if you ever worry about police racial profiling, or being stalked, or you want fewer speeding or parking tickets.
If you share these kinds of priorities and lifestlye details, people here will have great suggestions.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 1:00 PM on June 25 [5 favorites]
If you can get a good rate, definitely finance rather than paying your own money. Sock away a bit of your car budget for emergencies and invest the rest.
Location - If you're buying a used car from a person who you'll never see again, it may be worth driving an hour or two outside of a city - you'll get better prices in less-dense areas.
But if you're buying from a dealership, weigh the distance more carefully. Dealerships want to build loyalty with you, and keep you coming back, so they offer free perks and discounts - but you might miss out if the drive is too far. My dealership offers cheap oil changes, and promos for car washes and detailing. They also do cheap winter tire installation, and they store winter tires for free. Those services are probably worth about $300 a year.
Also, the dealership will likely fix minor issues for free, especially within a year of purchase. My key fob broke, and a gasket got unglued. I'm sure I could have made my dealership fix those issues for free, but my dealership is 90 minutes away, so I just paid to do it closer to home. Next time I'll buy from a dealership that's closer to home!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 1:09 PM on June 25 [1 favorite]
Location - If you're buying a used car from a person who you'll never see again, it may be worth driving an hour or two outside of a city - you'll get better prices in less-dense areas.
But if you're buying from a dealership, weigh the distance more carefully. Dealerships want to build loyalty with you, and keep you coming back, so they offer free perks and discounts - but you might miss out if the drive is too far. My dealership offers cheap oil changes, and promos for car washes and detailing. They also do cheap winter tire installation, and they store winter tires for free. Those services are probably worth about $300 a year.
Also, the dealership will likely fix minor issues for free, especially within a year of purchase. My key fob broke, and a gasket got unglued. I'm sure I could have made my dealership fix those issues for free, but my dealership is 90 minutes away, so I just paid to do it closer to home. Next time I'll buy from a dealership that's closer to home!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 1:09 PM on June 25 [1 favorite]
Consumer Reports has a lot of good info on buying a car nowadays. Most of it requires a subscription, I believe, but IMO it's worth it.
posted by BlahLaLa at 1:29 PM on June 25 [1 favorite]
posted by BlahLaLa at 1:29 PM on June 25 [1 favorite]
Woops, sorry SunSnork, you asked for a step by step guide, my fault.
We stopped in at the closest Chevy dealer to our home. Before my son got a job in another state it was the one he bought his car at and which he routinely went for service. We did want to test drive it before we purchased, and they did have one in the color/options we wanted. We financed through the dealer since we did not intend to let it run the entire length of the loan (we had been saving money knowing a new car was coming up... we then made extra principal payments each month and then paid it off completely just a week ago).
posted by forthright at 1:48 PM on June 25 [2 favorites]
We stopped in at the closest Chevy dealer to our home. Before my son got a job in another state it was the one he bought his car at and which he routinely went for service. We did want to test drive it before we purchased, and they did have one in the color/options we wanted. We financed through the dealer since we did not intend to let it run the entire length of the loan (we had been saving money knowing a new car was coming up... we then made extra principal payments each month and then paid it off completely just a week ago).
posted by forthright at 1:48 PM on June 25 [2 favorites]
EVs are very hard to beat on cost of ownership. Especially if you are able to add a charger at home. Buying with Tesla is super simple, no haggling, no back and forth. Federal and many state incentives can be significant unless you earn too much to disqualify.
Buying experience with Tesla is 1000x better than any car dealership. I know Musk is insane, but I for sure will never buy from a dealer ever again. Checkout their new inventory (vs. ordering a custom made), this can yield lot of additional savings especially at quarter end.
posted by zeikka at 1:54 PM on June 25
Buying experience with Tesla is 1000x better than any car dealership. I know Musk is insane, but I for sure will never buy from a dealer ever again. Checkout their new inventory (vs. ordering a custom made), this can yield lot of additional savings especially at quarter end.
posted by zeikka at 1:54 PM on June 25
Best answer: I just bought a car last month after totaling my jetta. I'm in a big urban area with lots of options.
I went to edmunds and looked at their list of best of suvs and hybrids then compared them with my old car to see what the size differences and engine types were. Picked a couple smaller SUV's to test drive (didn't really notice a big difference between them other than touchscreen placement and capabilities)
Decided on the one I liked and then emailed a bunch of dealerships in the area asking what their Out The Door price was. Got a great deal on a car farther away, so asked the other dealerships that had responded to me if they could meet that. One closer could and I like the color of the car they had available better, so I went a got a cashiers check for it. On the way to the dealership the other company gave me a call and when I said that the other dealership had matched they offered to take another 500 off and give me free oil changes for a year. I said no because I had already gotten the cashiers check and just wanted to be done. If they had called 10 mins earlier I would have said yes.
Once I got to the dealership they tried to raise the price again but I showed them the cashiers check and said I've got this much, if you can't match this price I'll go back to the other place and they matched the amount. I paid cash because I've been saving and don't like having loan payments hanging over me.
I went from a Jetta to a CX-5 and am still adjusting to it. The CX-5 is actually slightly shorter, but it feels like a tank right now and I'm still learning it's dimensions.
posted by Art_Pot at 2:34 PM on June 25 [8 favorites]
I went to edmunds and looked at their list of best of suvs and hybrids then compared them with my old car to see what the size differences and engine types were. Picked a couple smaller SUV's to test drive (didn't really notice a big difference between them other than touchscreen placement and capabilities)
Decided on the one I liked and then emailed a bunch of dealerships in the area asking what their Out The Door price was. Got a great deal on a car farther away, so asked the other dealerships that had responded to me if they could meet that. One closer could and I like the color of the car they had available better, so I went a got a cashiers check for it. On the way to the dealership the other company gave me a call and when I said that the other dealership had matched they offered to take another 500 off and give me free oil changes for a year. I said no because I had already gotten the cashiers check and just wanted to be done. If they had called 10 mins earlier I would have said yes.
Once I got to the dealership they tried to raise the price again but I showed them the cashiers check and said I've got this much, if you can't match this price I'll go back to the other place and they matched the amount. I paid cash because I've been saving and don't like having loan payments hanging over me.
I went from a Jetta to a CX-5 and am still adjusting to it. The CX-5 is actually slightly shorter, but it feels like a tank right now and I'm still learning it's dimensions.
posted by Art_Pot at 2:34 PM on June 25 [8 favorites]
Also don't forget to check the official websites to see what financing and other deals the brand offers. That'll help you know if the offer from offer you're getting from the dealership is decent or not.
posted by Art_Pot at 2:37 PM on June 25 [1 favorite]
posted by Art_Pot at 2:37 PM on June 25 [1 favorite]
Nicole Cliffe's classic article entitled "How to Buy a Car Without Interacting With a Human" seems relevant to your interests. It's from 2014, but the general approach still seems relevant. It's similar to the process Art_Pot described above, and it's basically how my spouse and I bought our car a few years ago.
posted by peperomia at 5:37 PM on June 25 [2 favorites]
posted by peperomia at 5:37 PM on June 25 [2 favorites]
Best answer: We used the all-email-don’t-talk-to-a-human method in December. Worked great and I recommend it.
My young adult child lives across the country and his trusty hand-me-down Toyota got totaled through no fault of his own. I was trying to help him buy a car from a distance. The cost differential between used and new was shockingly low so we decided to get a new car. I was co-signing the loan and was flying into his town for a few days, so his pitch was: I am buying a car on XYZ date from the local dealership that offers the best out the door price. I want (non negotiable things) and am flexible about (variables.) I will not answer phone calls. Please send me your best offer by email by (date minus two days.)
Some dithered, all called (he had strict instructions not to answer) a few sent real offers. We picked one, let the sales guy know we wanted to buy it, made an appointment, got to the dealership, did the dance to turn down all the extraneous shit, walked out with a new car.
He got another Toyota that hopefully will last for decades. My current car is a Chevy Bolt which I adore—is charged from my solar panels at home. If EV charging does or can work for you I strongly recommend it. They are terrific to drive and the environmental benefit is tremendous.
posted by Sublimity at 7:10 PM on June 25 [6 favorites]
My young adult child lives across the country and his trusty hand-me-down Toyota got totaled through no fault of his own. I was trying to help him buy a car from a distance. The cost differential between used and new was shockingly low so we decided to get a new car. I was co-signing the loan and was flying into his town for a few days, so his pitch was: I am buying a car on XYZ date from the local dealership that offers the best out the door price. I want (non negotiable things) and am flexible about (variables.) I will not answer phone calls. Please send me your best offer by email by (date minus two days.)
Some dithered, all called (he had strict instructions not to answer) a few sent real offers. We picked one, let the sales guy know we wanted to buy it, made an appointment, got to the dealership, did the dance to turn down all the extraneous shit, walked out with a new car.
He got another Toyota that hopefully will last for decades. My current car is a Chevy Bolt which I adore—is charged from my solar panels at home. If EV charging does or can work for you I strongly recommend it. They are terrific to drive and the environmental benefit is tremendous.
posted by Sublimity at 7:10 PM on June 25 [6 favorites]
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posted by HearHere at 11:38 AM on June 25 [1 favorite]