Ugh..car shoppping!!

[cjcouple]

Any suggestions for make/model of a pre owned? Need something mid to small, cheap and good on gas. But enough room for 2 teens and dog in back.

[macmars45]

I love my Mazda CX-5! It's a crossover SUV but drives like a car.

[jinkies]

Well my H is obsessed with his Honda fit, but you may not want quite that small.

My kids are 5'4 and 5'11 and fit fine in the back. They do complain when our 70 lb dog is back there with them, but it can be done for shorter trips.

It definitely fits the small, cheap and good on gas criteria though

[sproctopus]

Dec 29, 2022 11:47:30 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

I love my Mazda CX-5! It's a crossover SUV but drives like a car.

I also LOVE my CX5, but depending on the size of the dog, it's gonna be tight back there (so is any car in this category though).

[audry80]

A prius. I loved when we had ours, it was compact for city living but was able to haul an amazing amount of cargo.

[TR]

Dec 29, 2022 11:47:30 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

I love my Mazda CX-5! It's a crossover SUV but drives like a car.

I’ll ditto this, I love mine. But I’d steer clear of the 2017 models, that’s what both my mom and I have and the electronics/radio/Bluetooth are a little buggy.

[verycontrary247]

4 door VW Golf

[killercupcake]

I have a Hyundai Tucson. It’s not too bad. I might go up to the Santa Fe for a little more space with teens and a dog though. Got it used for a good price and the gas mileage is comparable to our Elantra.

[cjcouple]

I'm so irritated. I just left a dealer who tried pulling ridiculous sales tactics.

They offered me one car. Saying that's the only car I can get approval for. Trying to say "I have 4 people showing this car right now, so it could be gone by the time my husband sees it."

I said "well if it's gone, it's gone."

I went to a different dealer. Hopefully I find something here.

[cheeseplease]

Dec 29, 2022 13:31:48 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

I'm so irritated. I just left a dealer who tried pulling ridiculous sales tactics.

They offered me one car. Saying that's the only car I can get approval for. Trying to say "I have 4 people showing this car right now, so it could be gone by the time my husband sees it."

I said "well if it's gone, it's gone."

I went to a different dealer. Hopefully I find something here.

As someone who sold cars but learned this as a consumer, go to your bank and talk to them about a loan. It gives you more leverage as a buyer and less games with a salesperson. If you bank at a credit union, many in my area have special pricing with dealers if you are buying new. 

[SusanBAnthony]

I bought a Honda Element 2 years ago. It's basically a civic, but hybrid. Didn't sell super well and the price has been lowered. I got a great price on mine. Under 20k new. That was two years ago but gives you an idea.

I have had no issues and it gets 45-50 mpg. 1 teen plus two standard poodles fit in the back. I wouldn't call it roomy in the back but you have to size up a lot to get a roomy back seat.

[Aloe Vera]

Dec 29, 2022 12:51:45 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

I have a Hyundai Tucson. It’s not too bad. I might go up to the Santa Fe for a little more space with teens and a dog though. Got it used for a good price and the gas mileage is comparable to our Elantra.

Me too. You can fit A LOT in the trunk. It has good gas mileage and it's a reliable car. I just got a letter from the manufacturer saying the warranty has been extended to 150K miles or 15 years.

[Aloe Vera]

Dec 29, 2022 13:38:26 GMT -5 cheeseplease said:

Dec 29, 2022 13:31:48 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

I'm so irritated. I just left a dealer who tried pulling ridiculous sales tactics.

They offered me one car. Saying that's the only car I can get approval for. Trying to say "I have 4 people showing this car right now, so it could be gone by the time my husband sees it."

I said "well if it's gone, it's gone."

I went to a different dealer. Hopefully I find something here.

As someone who sold cars but learned this as a consumer, go to your bank and talk to them about a loan. It gives you more leverage as a buyer and less games with a salesperson. If you bank at a credit union, many in my area have special pricing with dealers if you are buying new. 

My bank gave me a 6% rate with a 800+ credit score. The dealership gave me a 1.8% rate with a credit union.

[flex]

Dec 29, 2022 13:38:26 GMT -5 cheeseplease said:

Dec 29, 2022 13:31:48 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

I'm so irritated. I just left a dealer who tried pulling ridiculous sales tactics.

They offered me one car. Saying that's the only car I can get approval for. Trying to say "I have 4 people showing this car right now, so it could be gone by the time my husband sees it."

I said "well if it's gone, it's gone."

I went to a different dealer. Hopefully I find something here.

As someone who sold cars but learned this as a consumer, go to your bank and talk to them about a loan. It gives you more leverage as a buyer and less games with a salesperson. If you bank at a credit union, many in my area have special pricing with dealers if you are buying new. 

Ditto! Plus bear in mind they're DYING to unload cars before the end of the year. The more you hem and haw ("Wellllll...I think I need to go home and think more about this") the lower their offers will go. You have the upper hand right now.

[macmars45]

Dec 29, 2022 12:14:47 GMT -5 TR said:

Dec 29, 2022 11:47:30 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

I love my Mazda CX-5! It's a crossover SUV but drives like a car.

I’ll ditto this, I love mine. But I’d steer clear of the 2017 models, that’s what both my mom and I have and the electronics/radio/Bluetooth are a little buggy.

I have a 2014 base trim. It doesn't have backup camera. At the time we bought (July 2014) we couldn't afford 2-3K more to go up a trim for a backup camera.

[circa1978]

Dec 29, 2022 13:40:06 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

I bought a Honda Element 2 years ago. It's basically a civic, but hybrid. Didn't sell super well and the price has been lowered. I got a great price on mine. Under 20k new. That was two years ago but gives you an idea.

I have had no issues and it gets 45-50 mpg. 1 teen plus two standard poodles fit in the back. I wouldn't call it roomy in the back but you have to size up a lot to get a roomy back seat.

Are you sure you mean an Element? I had one and loved it but it was nothing like a civic, not a hybrid and they stopped making them in 2011.

[SusanBAnthony]

Dec 29, 2022 17:36:07 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

Dec 29, 2022 13:40:06 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

I bought a Honda Element 2 years ago. It's basically a civic, but hybrid. Didn't sell super well and the price has been lowered. I got a great price on mine. Under 20k new. That was two years ago but gives you an idea.

I have had no issues and it gets 45-50 mpg. 1 teen plus two standard poodles fit in the back. I wouldn't call it roomy in the back but you have to size up a lot to get a roomy back seat.

Are you sure you mean an Element? I had one and loved it but it was nothing like a civic, not a hybrid and they stopped making them in 2011.

I just realized the same thing. What the hell was I thinking? Insight.

[ksun]

Rav4 or Tucson. I'm also happy with the amount of space in my Sonata. We can fit 5 people in it and fit two full sized suitcases, two carry on sized suitcases, a backpack and duffel bag in the trunk.

[MixedBerryJam]

Dec 29, 2022 17:36:07 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

Dec 29, 2022 13:40:06 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

I bought a Honda Element 2 years ago. It's basically a civic, but hybrid. Didn't sell super well and the price has been lowered. I got a great price on mine. Under 20k new. That was two years ago but gives you an idea.

I have had no issues and it gets 45-50 mpg. 1 teen plus two standard poodles fit in the back. I wouldn't call it roomy in the back but you have to size up a lot to get a roomy back seat.

Are you sure you mean an Element? I had one and loved it but it was nothing like a civic, not a hybrid and they stopped making them in 2011.

I was wondering if this poster meant an insight? Which I believe is a hybrid on the civic chassis. They also have the Clarity (or did) which is basically a hybrid accord. I had a civic hybrid for 10 years that I loved like whoa. I bragged about getting 54 mpge. And I could easily make it from DC - Boston on less than a tank of gas. I’m still sad they stopped making it. ETA jinx!

[simpsongal]

Dec 29, 2022 13:31:48 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

I'm so irritated. I just left a dealer who tried pulling ridiculous sales tactics.

They offered me one car. Saying that's the only car I can get approval for. Trying to say "I have 4 people showing this car right now, so it could be gone by the time my husband sees it."

I said "well if it's gone, it's gone."

I went to a different dealer. Hopefully I find something here.

it may be that bad - we’ve been looking for a car for months. We finally pre ordered one that will take 3-5 months (ford bronco sport hybrid). We looked at 3-4 other makes/models but couldn’t find one in stock for a decent price. 😞

[blondemoment123]

I love my Pathfinder, but it might be slightly bigger than you want.

[cjcouple]

Dec 29, 2022 18:48:51 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Dec 29, 2022 13:31:48 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

I'm so irritated. I just left a dealer who tried pulling ridiculous sales tactics.

They offered me one car. Saying that's the only car I can get approval for. Trying to say "I have 4 people showing this car right now, so it could be gone by the time my husband sees it."

I said "well if it's gone, it's gone."

I went to a different dealer. Hopefully I find something here.

it may be that bad - we’ve been looking for a car for months. We finally pre ordered one that will take 3-5 months (ford bronco sport hybrid). We looked at 3-4 other makes/models but couldn’t find one in stock for a decent price. 😞

I really don't think so. This dealership is huge. there are 3 locations and each locations has 3-4 makes they are certified for. Between Kia, jeep, dodge, chrysler, nissan, buick, gmc, hyundai. I'm not even set on a particular car.

They're claiming they can only get me financing on a 20k 2019 Nissan Rouge. why can't I get financing on a car that's 16-18k so it's in my budget? I look online and see 293 used cars on their website. They can only get me approved for 1 car? They also have not pulled my credit yet.

The lady was all "well, you need a car so you may need to just suck up the extra for this payment for 6 months?!?!" WTF?

I went to 2 other dealerships and have at least 5 options. They are not trying to scare me into putting a deposit down. I said I wanted to sleep on it and he said "no problem". I'm here at 9am tomorrow, so text me if you need anything.

the other place is bringing 2 specific cars in tomorrow to check out.

I felt much better at both of the others. They're smaller dealerships but not giving me the BS.

[cjcouple]

Dec 29, 2022 13:38:26 GMT -5 cheeseplease said:

Dec 29, 2022 13:31:48 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

I'm so irritated. I just left a dealer who tried pulling ridiculous sales tactics.

They offered me one car. Saying that's the only car I can get approval for. Trying to say "I have 4 people showing this car right now, so it could be gone by the time my husband sees it."

I said "well if it's gone, it's gone."

I went to a different dealer. Hopefully I find something here.

As someone who sold cars but learned this as a consumer, go to your bank and talk to them about a loan. It gives you more leverage as a buyer and less games with a salesperson. If you bank at a credit union, many in my area have special pricing with dealers if you are buying new. 

I called my CU. They sent me to their preferred dealers to check out.

[cheeseplease]

Dec 29, 2022 19:56:02 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

Dec 29, 2022 13:38:26 GMT -5 cheeseplease said:

As someone who sold cars but learned this as a consumer, go to your bank and talk to them about a loan. It gives you more leverage as a buyer and less games with a salesperson. If you bank at a credit union, many in my area have special pricing with dealers if you are buying new. 

I called my CU. They sent me to their preferred dealers to check out.

Thats good. I know it depends on many factors, especially with the current situations on who will do better with rates, but it never hurts to check with your bank before shopping. 

Good luck in your search!

[simpsongal]

Dec 29, 2022 19:37:12 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

Dec 29, 2022 18:48:51 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

it may be that bad - we’ve been looking for a car for months. We finally pre ordered one that will take 3-5 months (ford bronco sport hybrid). We looked at 3-4 other makes/models but couldn’t find one in stock for a decent price. 😞

I really don't think so. This dealership is huge. there are 3 locations and each locations has 3-4 makes they are certified for. Between Kia, jeep, dodge, chrysler, nissan, buick, gmc, hyundai. I'm not even set on a particular car.

They're claiming they can only get me financing on a 20k 2019 Nissan Rouge. why can't I get financing on a car that's 16-18k so it's in my budget? I look online and see 293 used cars on their website. They can only get me approved for 1 car? They also have not pulled my credit yet.

The lady was all "well, you need a car so you may need to just suck up the extra for this payment for 6 months?!?!" WTF?

I went to 2 other dealerships and have at least 5 options. They are not trying to scare me into putting a deposit down. I said I wanted to sleep on it and he said "no problem". I'm here at 9am tomorrow, so text me if you need anything.

the other place is bringing 2 specific cars in tomorrow to check out.

I felt much better at both of the others. They're smaller dealerships but not giving me the BS.

yeah that sounds just! Glad you’re walking away from those ridiculous tactics

[keh2oblue]

I have a VW Tiguan and love it. It has a small optional third row that would probably work for the dog.