CarMax is pretty far out of my way. I live in Lansdale and the nearest store is in Lancaster.

I went to the second dealer to look at the newer Prius this afternoon and think I'll go back tomorrow to buy it.

phatj wrote:CarMax is pretty far out of my way. I live in Lansdale and the nearest store is in Lancaster.

I went to the second dealer to look at the newer Prius this afternoon and think I'll go back tomorrow to buy it.

Worst part of the new prius is the stupid "bridge" dashboard. The older ones had much better storage options.

phatj wrote:No way I'm buying that Prius from that dealer. Aside from the high-pressure sales environment, I have learned this morning that they were playing games with the price. They said it was 16,900 for the car yesterday (it was new on their lot and didn't have the price in the window) but I see it on toyotacertified.com today for 16 even.

Plus, that was a fairly bare-bones 2009 and I see a 2010 (an updated model, better all around) at another dealer for the same price.

i really can't stand salespeople who think the most important part of a deal is them selling something, not the customer buying something.

If I ever see that "steve says sell 'em" guy on the street, i'll rip his toupee off

phatj wrote:CarMax is pretty far out of my way. I live in Lansdale and the nearest store is in Lancaster.

There is a CarSense right up 309 from you in Hatfield



personally I think both places overcharge even though they may have a better buying experience

Bucky wrote:
If I ever see that "steve says sell 'em" guy on the street, i'll rip his toupee off

I can walk 10 minutes from my house and do it for you

deal

The Crimson Cyclone wrote:

phatj wrote:CarMax is pretty far out of my way. I live in Lansdale and the nearest store is in Lancaster.

There is a CarSense right up 309 from you in Hatfield



personally I think both places overcharge even though they may have a better buying experience

We actually bought the car we're trading at that CarSense. I think they're overpriced, and we liked the second Toyota dealer we went to yesterday much better.

My wife found a third Prius, also a 2010 but a higher trim level (the III vs. the II that we looked at yesterday) with about 20,000 fewer miles (34 vs 54) for only a few hundred more. The downside is it was bought at auction, which I'm guessing means it was repossessed, and possibly mistreated as a result. The other car is off-lease. Thoughts?

1 wrote:

phatj wrote:CarMax is pretty far out of my way. I live in Lansdale and the nearest store is in Lancaster.

I went to the second dealer to look at the newer Prius this afternoon and think I'll go back tomorrow to buy it.

Worst part of the new prius is the stupid "bridge" dashboard. The older ones had much better storage options.

Yeah, that's kind of dumb.

phatj wrote:

The Crimson Cyclone wrote:

phatj wrote:CarMax is pretty far out of my way. I live in Lansdale and the nearest store is in Lancaster.

There is a CarSense right up 309 from you in Hatfield



personally I think both places overcharge even though they may have a better buying experience

We actually bought the car we're trading at that CarSense. I think they're overpriced, and we liked the second Toyota dealer we went to yesterday much better.

My wife found a third Prius, also a 2010 but a higher trim level (the III vs. the II that we looked at yesterday) with about 20,000 fewer miles (34 vs 54) for only a few hundred more. The downside is it was bought at auction, which I'm guessing means it was repossessed, and possibly mistreated as a result. The other car is off-lease. Thoughts?

not necessarily. IMO that's an inherent risk in any pre-owned car. Just had this discussion yesterday. Game, set, and match when I said I've owned only three cars since 1986 (all purchased new). My wife is a "used car" person, and has had 6 cars since 1995.

phatj wrote:

The Crimson Cyclone wrote:[
My wife found a third Prius, also a 2010 but a higher trim level (the III vs. the II that we looked at yesterday) with about 20,000 fewer miles (34 vs 54) for only a few hundred more. The downside is it was bought at auction, which I'm guessing means it was repossessed, and possibly mistreated as a result. The other car is off-lease. Thoughts?

not a correct assumption-

reasons why newer used cars are in auction-


1) Lease end car that the dealer didn't need to buy for their lot (bank is seller in this case)
2) Trade in a dealer couldn't sell or didn't want to sell usually because of clash in their line of cars that they sell
3) Rental car like from Enterprise. (believe it or not, these aren't always bad cars to buy, I know Enterprise does a great job of maintaining their fleet) Since the car is low miles I doubt it is a rental but still plausible.
4) repo


that's just off the top of my head

get the VIN number and run the carfax
and if you really want to buy the car, pay a little extra to have a mechanic you trust go over it, if a dealer won't let you do this then walk

Is there any warranty on the auction one? If so, I wouldn't be scared of it.

It's Toyota Certified, so there's that, plus the balance of the factory warranty (through 2016 on the gas part of the powertrain, 2017 on the electric).

Then buy the one that looks less like a gay spaceship.

Been owning and driving cars since 1973... here's my current POV based on that experience:

Safety should be your #1 concern to the extent you can afford it. IOW, buy the biggest and near-newest car you can afford. And there is no better $$$ spent than brakes & tires.

If budget is really driving you, buy Japanese. It will cost more than a comparable American car, but you'll make it up in reliability and reduced repairs.

If you have some financial flexibility and you care about the driving experience, German cars are much better than anything else. Americans and Japanese are full of bright shiny object features that distract rather than inform. Case in point, the absurd navigation system on Acuras. If you need a manual to change the radio station, the marketing folks overruled the engineers.

Old cars break down a lot and need maintenance; brand-new cars are great fun but an expensive way to drive.

My current philosophy is to buy a near-new car, 1-2 years old, with 25k miles or less. Buy it from a dealer; he made his money on the schlub who traded it in. Better yet, find a German car on an American car dealer's lot; it's an oddball that the dealer is happy to move at a low price. Shop on Autotrader, print off 5 of the same cars selling at the bottom prices, and talk.

If you buy this way, someone else took the big depreciation hit, and you get a bargain on a car that still has 40k miles to go under warranty. Drive it until out of warranty, rinse and repeat. My 2011 VW still looks and drives new.

Take your car for dealing servicing if included for free (I get free oil changes at VW), or if getting warranty work done. For everything else, use your trusted local mechanic. Your local guy MAY be ripping you off, but your dealer SURELY will find and "fix" things that don't need fixing AND at a premium rate. It has happened to me with Acura, Honda, Mitsubishi, Saab, and VW dealers. All crooks in the repair shop.

phatj wrote:It's Toyota Certified, so there's that, plus the balance of the factory warranty (through 2016 on the gas part of the powertrain, 2017 on the electric).

Toyota certified is a marketing tool (or any "certified")

it just basically means that the dealer had to complete some sort of maintenance check list that Toyota requires and they add in an extended warranty

which reputable dealers were doing for years prior (well except maybe trying to sell you the extended warranty separately past the 30 day requirement set by the state)

if anything it's bumped up the price a hair, but the good news is that you know that you have a guarantee that certain maintenance was done to the vehicle. That said I still think paying a mechanic you trust to look it over is a good idea.

Is there a general % discount you can expect from a new car to comparable 2 or 3 year old new car? Consider a reasonably driven and maintained car should give you close to 10 years more or less trouble free (repairs other than brakes, tires, battery) then you should get at least a 25% discount for a 2 year old car and 35% for a 3 year old car--you're losing the best 2 or 3 years of a car's life, and you're also not going to get the latest improvements and gadgets.

TenuredVulture wrote:Is there a general % discount you can expect from a new car to comparable 2 or 3 year old new car? Consider a reasonably driven and maintained car should give you close to 10 years more or less trouble free (repairs other than brakes, tires, battery) then you should get at least a 25% discount for a 2 year old car and 35% for a 3 year old car--you're losing the best 2 or 3 years of a car's life, and you're also not going to get the latest improvements and gadgets.

it's dependent on brand, demand/supply, reliability and reputation

Toyotas for example hold their value longer and won't have such a drive off the lot dip than the average car

Cadillacs conversely lose half their value in 2-3 years

kbb.com has a yearly "best resale value" (based on 5 years)

http://www.kbb.com/new-cars/best-resale ... ards-2013/

The Crimson Cyclone wrote:

TenuredVulture wrote:Is there a general % discount you can expect from a new car to comparable 2 or 3 year old new car? Consider a reasonably driven and maintained car should give you close to 10 years more or less trouble free (repairs other than brakes, tires, battery) then you should get at least a 25% discount for a 2 year old car and 35% for a 3 year old car--you're losing the best 2 or 3 years of a car's life, and you're also not going to get the latest improvements and gadgets.

it's dependent on brand, demand/supply, reliability and reputation

Toyotas for example hold their value longer and won't have such a drive off the lot dip than the average car

Cadillacs conversely lose half their value in 2-3 years

I'm not surprised really, but I wonder given that US cars have gotten close to Japanese cars in terms of reliability whether buying a used Japanese car is such a great value.

From a true value perspective, perhaps not. But the general consensus still holds they age better and so will inflate their resale price for a time yet.