Help me buy a new car

Dubi Doo

Registered User
Aug 27, 2008
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Hell all!

I am in the search of a new vehicle. Sadly, my 2008 Elantra that lugged me through college has seen better days; it's time to move on. My budget is 12K w/ a 6K down payment. I am looking for a newer model vehicle with less than 60k miles. I have a test drive scheduled for two vehicles:

- A 2015 Buick Verano priced @ $12,500. Only 42K miles, and comes from a certified dealer.
2015 Buick Verano 4dr Sdn w/1SD for sale Rochester, NY - 1G4PP5SK1F4112812

- A 2016 Chevrolet Trax priced @ $11,999. It has 60K miles, and comes from the same dealership.
2016 Chevrolet Trax FWD 4dr LS for sale Rochester, NY - 3GNCJKSB7GL260162

Does anyone have any info on these vehicles? The Blue book says the Trax is a pretty good deal coming from a certified dealer, but the Buick is a bit over priced. I <3 Buicks, so I may be willing to go a bit over fair value if the car is right. Also, it'd be greatly appreciated if anyone had any other vehicles that are a bang for the buck in my price range.

Thanks!
 

saluki

Registered User
Nov 18, 2017
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397
I take it you really want an SUV? I had a Trax as a loaner for a few days a few years ago and it seemed fine.

I checked in my area using your parameters and there is a LOT out there, especially sedans. For ex: On one of the first pages that came up there was a listing for a 2014 Passat (which is a nice car) with around 65,000 miles for $10,000.
 

Baby Punisher

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Mar 30, 2012
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Hell all!

I am in the search of a new vehicle. Sadly, my 2008 Elantra that lugged me through college has seen better days; it's time to move on. My budget is 12K w/ a 6K down payment. I am looking for a newer model vehicle with less than 60k miles. I have a test drive scheduled for two vehicles:

- A 2015 Buick Verano priced @ $12,500. Only 42K miles, and comes from a certified dealer.
2015 Buick Verano 4dr Sdn w/1SD for sale Rochester, NY - 1G4PP5SK1F4112812

- A 2016 Chevrolet Trax priced @ $11,999. It has 60K miles, and comes from the same dealership.
2016 Chevrolet Trax FWD 4dr LS for sale Rochester, NY - 3GNCJKSB7GL260162

Does anyone have any info on these vehicles? The Blue book says the Trax is a pretty good deal coming from a certified dealer, but the Buick is a bit over priced. I <3 Buicks, so I may be willing to go a bit over fair value if the car is right. Also, it'd be greatly appreciated if anyone had any other vehicles that are a bang for the buck in my price range.

Thanks!

I would avoid GM pre-owned vehicles at all costs. Look into a Toyota or Nissan. They might be more money up front, but cheaper to operate in the long run.
 

ProstheticConscience

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Apr 30, 2010
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I would avoid GM pre-owned vehicles at all costs. Look into a Toyota or Nissan. They might be more money up front, but cheaper to operate in the long run.
This. So much this. GM quality is nowhere near Honda/Acura or Toyota/Lexus.

@OP: Have a look at things in your price range from those manufacturers. When I was buying a new (for me) car a few months ago, I briefly considered a Corolla. It had a one-line CarFax. It said: "It's a Corolla. It's fine." But personally, I've found through painful experience if you want a quality product that's going to fire up when you need it to and hold its value...go Honda or go home. That's just my personal bias from being a now three-time Honda owner. Check this out:

https://www.autolist.com/honda-accord-rochester-ny?utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=DSA&p=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1cOR7_6i6wIVJBvnCh17bgG6EAAYAyAAEgJfv_D_BwE#page=1&make=Honda&model=&latitude=43.1694889708687&longitude=-77.6150590711628&buyer_intelligence=true&sort_new_cars_last=true&location=Rochester,+NY&sort_filter=distance:asc&price_min=10000&price_max=12000

My advice is have a look through there. Build quality is night and day different from GM to Honda.
 
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Winger98

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Feb 27, 2002
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I would probably go with the Verano because I just don't like little four cylinders that are boosted. Some of those little engines can take that extra beating, but I just don't like it. Assuming both vehicles were not abused, I'd probably side with the normally aspirated Verano.

I did a quick and dirty autotrader search for the zip code of the dealer in your post and got this. My in-laws have an impala of a similar year as in the search and haven't had any issues. I've had multiple friends who have had horrible luck with Ford Focuses, though. Folks I know who have had various Hondas, Nissans, and Toyotas have generally been pretty happy with their purchases. they just seem to hold up. From personal experience, Subarus are also something that will just go forever and take a beating.

quick edit: something else I'd consider, if you want to minimize your chances at having to take the car to the shop, don't get a lot of bells and whistles. All of those things that you see and think, "a heated seat might be nice" is also something that go wrong. It's less of an issue if you're buying new or leasing. Buying used, I've generally tried to limit the number of things that can go wrong.
 

Dubi Doo

Registered User
Aug 27, 2008
19,217
12,687
This. So much this. GM quality is nowhere near Honda/Acura or Toyota/Lexus.

@OP: Have a look at things in your price range from those manufacturers. When I was buying a new (for me) car a few months ago, I briefly considered a Corolla. It had a one-line CarFax. It said: "It's a Corolla. It's fine." But personally, I've found through painful experience if you want a quality product that's going to fire up when you need it to and hold its value...go Honda or go home. That's just my personal bias from being a now three-time Honda owner. Check this out:

https://www.autolist.com/honda-accord-rochester-ny?utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=DSA&p=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1cOR7_6i6wIVJBvnCh17bgG6EAAYAyAAEgJfv_D_BwE#page=1&make=Honda&model=&latitude=43.1694889708687&longitude=-77.6150590711628&buyer_intelligence=true&sort_new_cars_last=true&location=Rochester,+NY&sort_filter=distance:asc&price_min=10000&price_max=12000

My advice is have a look through there. Build quality is night and day different from GM to Honda.
I've dropped my budget down a bit to around $11,000. Unfortunately it's hard to find a low mileage car from those manufacturers.

Are Kia Fortes a good model? They rank out pretty well in reliability and safety, and are relatively cheap..

3KPFK4A79HE119076 | 2017 Kia Forte LX for sale in Rochester, NY

I've also been looking at Nissan Sentras and Versas. Hyundai Elantras or an option, too. But man, I've always been a sucker for Buicks since my 95' Le Sabre.
 

ProstheticConscience

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Kias and Hyundais are supposed to be very good; I personally put them a notch below Honda and Toyota myself, but that's just my own personal bias. IIRC they both have very good consumer ratings. Nissans used to be right up there but they've taken a hit in recent years. I've heard bad things about recent models, and their market share has plummeted in the last couple of years. That Ghosn guy did a world of bad for them as their CEO. In your price range it might not be an issue, but the Sentra is just such a boring car generally. There are better options out there, surely.

As for Buicks...I've had GM products. The experience of going from watching a ten year-old car fall apart around me to mourning an eighteen year-old car that was still rock solid before it was written off has made a deep impression on me. 3 cars ago, I got a Pontiac Bonneville. Kid still lived at home, needed the space, low miles, got a good deal...and fell apart within, what, 3, 4 years? Needed a head gasket, had electrical problems, door seal issues...finally got rid of it and got an Acura RSX. Had probably twice the mileage and no issues whatsoever in 6, 7 years. Now, that's an Acura so it's a level up from the standard Honda equipment, but it was absolutely rock solid. GM cars, things rattle and squeak. Cheap plastic parts break off in your hands. Planned obsolescence still haunts US manufacturers. Sometime in the 70's or early 80's, US car makers all sat down and said: "Okay, we *could* build our cars to last 25, 30 years...but if we did that, people wouldn't buy more than one car every three decades! We'd never sell any cars! So we better make them to fall apart after a few years so people will have to come back and buy more!" And that mindset has never fully left the US auto manufacturing industry, especially at Chevy/GM. Americans can understand you need to build pickup trucks to last and take punishment, but they've never really let go of the disposable car mentality. And it still shows today. They just simply never closed the quality gap between them and Japanese and German car makers. And the market share reflects that.

So yeah. IMHO, don't be put off by higher mileage on something like like an Accord vis a vis a Buick. You'll still be 99.9% more likely to get more miles out of the former than the latter. Kia Forte? Sure, decent. Never owned a Hyundai myself, but they're very highly respected. Versa, Sentra, meh. Not personally a fan of Nissan outside of Skylines and GTRs. Buick...yeah. See above.

Again, just my opinion.
 
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Dubi Doo

Registered User
Aug 27, 2008
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Kias and Hyundais are supposed to be very good; I personally put them a notch below Honda and Toyota myself, but that's just my own personal bias. IIRC they both have very good consumer ratings. Nissans used to be right up there but they've taken a hit in recent years. I've heard bad things about recent models, and their market share has plummeted in the last couple of years. That Ghosn guy did a world of bad for them as their CEO. In your price range it might not be an issue, but the Sentra is just such a boring car generally. There are better options out there, surely.

As for Buicks...I've had GM products. The experience of going from watching a ten year-old car fall apart around me to mourning an eighteen year-old car that was still rock solid before it was written off has made a deep impression on me. 3 cars ago, I got a Pontiac Bonneville. Kid still lived at home, needed the space, low miles, got a good deal...and fell apart within, what, 3, 4 years? Needed a head gasket, had electrical problems, door seal issues...finally got rid of it and got an Acura RSX. Had probably twice the mileage and no issues whatsoever in 6, 7 years. Now, that's an Acura so it's a level up from the standard Honda equipment, but it was absolutely rock solid. GM cars, things rattle and squeak. Cheap plastic parts break off in your hands. Planned obsolescence still haunts US manufacturers. Sometime in the 70's or early 80's, US car makers all sat down and said: "Okay, we *could* build our cars to last 25, 30 years...but if we did that, people wouldn't buy more than one car every three decades! We'd never sell any cars! So we better make them to fall apart after a few years so people will have to come back and buy more!" And that mindset has never fully left the US auto manufacturing industry, especially at Chevy/GM. Americans can understand you need to build pickup trucks to last and take punishment, but they've never really let go of the disposable car mentality. And it still shows today. They just simply never closed the quality gap between them and Japanese and German car makers. And the market share reflects that.

So yeah. IMHO, don't be put off by higher mileage on something like like an Accord vis a vis a Buick. You'll still be 99.9% more likely to get more miles out of the former than the latter. Kia Forte? Sure, decent. Never owned a Hyundai myself, but they're very highly respected. Versa, Sentra, meh. Not personally a fan of Nissan outside of Skylines and GTRs. Buick...yeah. See above.

Again, just my opinion.
Whats your opinion in a 2013 Civic?

https://carfax.app.link/1a6n6pcu88
 

ProstheticConscience

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Apr 30, 2010
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Whats your opinion in a 2013 Civic?

https://carfax.app.link/1a6n6pcu88
:laugh: Outstanding car. I have one myself. 2013 Si, in fact.

20200528_144517[1].jpg


That's my baby. Had it now for almost three months. Love it.
 

Dubi Doo

Registered User
Aug 27, 2008
19,217
12,687
Yeah, that one looks pretty good. If it checks out mechanically and doesn't have some huge accident in its past, looks like a great deal.
Unfortunately the car sold before I could make my way over there. It was an hour and a half away, so I coildnt find time to test drive it until the middle of the week. Sucks. Hopefully another deal like that pops up. Wouldve been a great get.
 

ItsFineImFine

Registered User
Aug 11, 2019
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I actually have the same budget as OP (I'm flexible but I just need a basic small sized sedan so I see no sense in going above $12Kish although in Cdn).

The two I'm considering are a 2014-15 Elantra or a 2014 Mazda3 (I've read a lot of good things about these two since that year). I hate how a 2010-12ish Corolla drives and these two other cars I could get for a newer/less milage version than an older Corolla and they seem to be fairly reliable since their newer generations starting in 2014.

I haven't test-driven either though partly cos of Covid concerns. Don't wanna go for a Camry or Accord due to their longer sizes.
 

Suxnet

Registered User
Jan 4, 2012
5,962
569
I've worked for a few car dealerships in the past. Stay away from Buicks and don't get a Trax. I hated those things. I don't have much experience with Korean manufacturers, but apparently, they're pretty good now. Of course, you can't really go wrong with the Japanese ones like Honda and Toyota either. I had over 180k miles on my Accord and it was still working great. You'd be lucky to get that much from an American manufacturer. Older Acuras are pretty underrated imo. You can find TSXs for around $12k with low-ish miles and they're absolutely fantastic cars.
 

DaJackal

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Aug 3, 2015
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Eastern front
Being from another continent and not being very able to understand your needs, I won't try to give you specific advice on what car to buy. But I'd like to give one point on this:

Why on earth do so many people always want their cars to have "low mileage"? 60k miles is NOTHING for a modern day car. I understand this coming from my old man who has lived those days in the 60's and 70's when cars needed full engine rebuilds like once every 50k, but why are you younger ones so afraid of miles?

I've been driving relatively cheap high-mileage "premium" cars (Audi, BMW) for a couple of years. Never had a problem that would have been due to high mileage. My current car is a BMW 530dA '05 with over 300k miles on the clock. For what I got I paid next to nothing for it, and it's been very reliable. My coworkers newer cars seem to be more often on the repair shop.

I do most repairs myself, though, so if you aren't able to do basic stuff on your own, I wouldn't recommend you to buy cars that are quite this old and/or with this kind of mileage. But there is a lot between 60k and 300k. I'm just saying that if you limit yourself to options which only have low mileage, you're leaving a lot of options on the table.

My advice would be to keep your mind open and at least not stretch your budget. It's not a bad option at all to buy a $8-10k car and leave some money to spare just in case something breaks. (I use a rule of thumb: a daily driver shouldn't cost more than your 3 month salary. Cars are always bad investments anyway.)
 

Dubi Doo

Registered User
Aug 27, 2008
19,217
12,687
So I'm in the process of buying a 2015 Honda Civic for $11,200 with a trade-in . Only 55K miles, so it should last me 10+ years. Ill have it paid off in 4 years at only $125 per month. Should have it paid off in 3 years. Happy with the investment.

My trade-in was a 2008 Elantra with a salvaged title and in need of new struts. I just took $800 to avoid playing the market to sell it. I figured a salvaged title wouldve made it a cheap sell regadless.
 
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ruaware41

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Oct 22, 2019
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I take it you really want an SUV? I had a Trax as a loaner for a few days a few years ago and it seemed fine.

I checked in my area using your parameters and there is a LOT out there, especially sedans. For ex: On one of the first pages that came up there was a listing for a 2014 Passat (which is a nice car) with around 65,000 miles for $10,000.
Nice to see VW getting some love
 

TD Charlie

Registered User
Sep 10, 2007
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So I'm in the process of buying a 2015 Honda Civic for $11,200 with a trade-in . Only 55K miles, so it should last me 10+ years. Ill have it paid off in 4 years at only $125 per month. Should have it paid off in 3 years. Happy with the investment.

My trade-in was a 2008 Elantra with a salvaged title and in need of new struts. I just took $800 to avoid playing the market to sell it. I figured a salvaged title wouldve made it a cheap sell regadless.

You did alright in the deal it seems.

Lady friend just traded a 2015 Corolla with 51k and got 10k for it. So I assume the goal of the dealership was to turn and sell for 12-13. Last I checked they had it listed at 14.
 

Dubi Doo

Registered User
Aug 27, 2008
19,217
12,687
You did alright in the deal it seems.

Lady friend just traded a 2015 Corolla with 51k and got 10k for it. So I assume the goal of the dealership was to turn and sell for 12-13. Last I checked they had it listed at 14.
Yeah, it was a good deal. I had my finger on the pulse of the market for a week or so. The price was way lower than anything I saw on the market. I even looked through sales by owner, and the prices for lower mileage Civics were insane. People dont want to sell their civics below Kelley Blue Book value. In fact, they were priced much higher than the Kelley Blue Book value.

She's a beauty. Ill be taking very good care of her. Im a happy man. And yes, I'm one of those weirdos that refers to my car as 'her'.
 
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TD Charlie

Registered User
Sep 10, 2007
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Yeah, it was a good deal. I had my finger on the pulse of the market for a week or so. The price was way lower than anything I saw on the market. I even looked through sales by owner, and the prices for lower mileage Civics were insane. People dont want to sell their civics below Kelley Blue Book value. In fact, they were priced much higher than the Kelley Blue Book value.

She's a beauty. Ill be taking very good care of her. Im a happy man. And yes, I'm one of those weirdos that refers to my car as 'her'.

it’s unwritten law!
 
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WingsMJN2965

Registered User
Oct 13, 2017
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If you're getting a cheap car up near 60,000 miles, you're far better off getting a Toyota or Mazda. Maybe even a Honda.

You're gonna be paying repairs on a Chevy.
 
Jan 21, 2011
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I'm in the Honda Civic camp if you can grab that.

I had a 96 Toyota Camry that I had bought from a mom and pop shop that ran from 2011-2017. Everything ran fine until the undercarriage was slowly rotting out. Bought a 2014 Civic for 7200 and it's been reliable ever since. Only main issue I've had to change at the shop was brakes and a shifting solenoid (literally went uphill once and the car couldn't get out of second gear :eek::oops::biglaugh:)


Why on earth do so many people always want their cars to have "low mileage"? 60k miles is NOTHING for a modern day car. I understand this coming from my old man who has lived those days in the 60's and 70's when cars needed full engine rebuilds like once every 50k, but why are you younger ones so afraid of miles?

I think it's because the old-school way of thinking is low miles = more reliable. Recently went car shopping with my aunt about a few weeks back. She passed up on three Honda CRVs and Civics because they were over 140,000.

With your last statement regarding a rebuild, I thought that all cars needed a new timing belt and water pump (which were I'm from is an expensive fix), but because my car is newer, the shop that I went to said it's not needed since it's lodged somewhere different in the car vs. the Camry
 

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