Car shopping--need advice

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
I'm leasing a new car in Dec & I've been looking at the Jeep Liberty. I just love the Jeeps--they're so cute, the front of the car looks like it's smiling at you. :) I actually wanted the Patriot, it's a smaller, less expensive version of the Liberty, but the lease price is almost 2X as much--isn't that crazy? Something to do w/residual value & no incentives since it's a fairly new model, blah blah blah.........

The Liberty payment will be about the same as my Mazda 3 (a car I never really liked but got b/c my dad, former Mazda salesman, insisted). But I was really hoping to reduce my payment.

So my question really is, has anyone done any research on less expensive cars? Would a low end Honda or Hundai bring me below $200 a month? I'm making my decision based on the payment. If a boring but reliable little car is still within $100 of the Liberty, I'm getting the Liberty. But if I can save more than $100 a month, I'll go for the boring but practical car.

Bottom line--has anyone leased a reliable but inexpensive car recently for less than about $180 a month?
 
I got a Honda Civic lease for about $186 per month (taxes included) back in May with I think $2500 down when all was said and done. I love the car and love the payment even more! ;) It was a special Honda was running at the time and with the economy I am sure specials are still coming and going like crazy. You might even be able to grab a better one!
 
I don't know about leasing, but Honda's been having a big sale to clear out the 2010 cars. This is a good time of year to car shop.

We own Honda's, but rented a Hundai this summer during vacation and were very impressed by the quality and economical price.
 
I have never leased a car but last summer I bought a brand new (orange) 2008 Kia Rio. They were doing whatever they could to get them off the lot since they were the previous model year and I got my brand new car for $9,000. I tend to keep my cars for over a decade so over time it is really, really cheap.

Since I had been sick and out of work for over two years I needed a really inexpensive car. My previous car of 16 years needed a lot of money put into it which did not make sense. What I did was go from car lot to car lot in our area telling them I needed one of the least expensive cars they had. It did not make me many friends in the auto industry, but I am wildly happy with my car. My splurge was a personalized plate that reads NRGWOMN.

Have fun finding a new car :)

Shayne
 
Well, I'm def. waiting til Dec--that's when my current lease is up, & according to pop it's the best time of year to buy a car b/c it's their slowest month & they have incentives out the ying yang. :p So the lease price of the Civic is only about $75 less a month than the Liberty. I'm kind of surprised by that............things are tight for me right now, but by the end of 2011 I'm gonna be in pretty good shape. Since I'll be driving this car for at least 3 years I'm wondering if I should get the car I love instead of being practical.............;)

Honestly, I hate car shopping. It's a pain in the neck, & I have to bring dad (he won't let me buy a car without him, he still thinks I'm 16 LOL). I guess I'll go to one of those car supercenters (not that I have a choice, seems to be all that exists these days) & see what their best deals are.

I wish I could get the Patriot. That's the car I really want. Base price is $15K, & the monthly lease payment is $500+. Can you believe??????? :eek:
 
NRG Woman said:
I have never leased a car but last summer I bought a brand new (orange) 2008 Kia Rio. They were doing whatever they could to get them off the lot since they were the previous model year and I got my brand new car for $9,000. I tend to keep my cars for over a decade so over time it is really, really cheap.


Shayne
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Oh Shayne, my second car ever was a '79 camaro, orange with different shades of yellow & orange stripes down the hood of the car. It was hideous, but at the time I thought it was the coolest car ever. And I love your license plate! :D
 
LauraMax said:
I wish I could get the Patriot. That's the car I really want. Base price is $15K, & the monthly lease payment is $500+. Can you believe??????? :eek:
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Why don't you start looking for good car loan rates and BUY the Patriot? That lease rate is CRAZY!
 
My husband works for Nissan, and he has been leasing a Cube and it is SO FUN to drive. I'm jealous because I have to drive a Quest (mini-van), but occasionally I get to take the Cube places and I love it. It's very reasonably priced and is a zippy little car. (http://www.nissanusa.com/cube?dcp=ppn.28434549.&dcc=0.205796030) He also used to drive a Versa, which also is a good deal and gets great gas mileage.

(But I am biased, of course. :eek:)
 
mspina said:
Why don't you start looking for good car loan rates and BUY the Patriot? That lease rate is CRAZY!
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Leasing makes much more sense for me. I only drive about 10 miles a week, & it's nice to have a car that comes with full servicing for the length of the lease. And I get to turn it in for a new car at the end of the lease term, instead of having a car that's worth virtually nothing once the loan is paid off.

Also, I did look into buying the Patriot. Still $400+. The problem is it's so new (only been out for 2 years) there are zero incentives offered right now. And when it comes to the lease, they still don't have numbers for residual values so the payment stays high. The Liberty base price is about $10K more, & the lease payment is half that of the Patriot.

Stephanie, I'm gonna check out Nissans too. I really wanted the Leaf--that's the electric car, right? But the price is outrageous for that ugly little car!
 
I love to go car shopping as long as someone else is with me to do all the talking. :p

I did, however, buy 2 cars on my own. Both were Saturns because they had the "no haggle" policy so I didn't have to worry about the "talking" part. ;) I swear those are the best 2 cars I ever owned! They were relatively inexpensive, cute, reliable and the company was awesome. They treated their customers well. I got a car wash with every oil change and they didn't charge anymore then anyone else would have w/o the wash! The employees were always so friendly and welcoming. My DH said that it was the best company GM had and the one they got rid of. WHY???? I wanted a third Saturn when I ended up getting the Civic because Saturn was out of business by then. :( We still have the 2nd Saturn actually. DH uses it as his commuter car. It's the 3 door coupe. It's got about 150k miles on it, original clutch (yep it's a stick) and has had no issues (knock on wood) outside of regular maintanence. It still runs like a champ 10 years later!:D
 
well, in general I don't think its wise to lease a car that isn't very expensive...it's better to buy the cheaper cars. I bought our Mazda3 (which I LOVE, don't know why you don't like it Laura! It's perfect for LA Freeways!) for 3K under invoice because I got it at the end of the year clearance in 2006. But do you guys have a Jetta deal right now in NJ? There's a "california edition" out here that's going for $169/mo before taxes etc. Jettas are tons of fun IMO and that's a pretty decent monthly lease price for a nice car.

GL!
 
Fit_mommy said:
I love to go car shopping as long as someone else is with me to do all the talking. :p

I did, however, buy 2 cars on my own. Both were Saturns because they had the "no haggle" policy so I didn't have to worry about the "talking" part. ;) I swear those are the best 2 cars I ever owned! They were relatively inexpensive, cute, reliable and the company was awesome. They treated their customers well. I got a car wash with every oil change and they didn't charge anymore then anyone else would have w/o the wash! The employees were always so friendly and welcoming. My DH said that it was the best company GM had and the one they got rid of. WHY???? I wanted a third Saturn when I ended up getting the Civic because Saturn was out of business by then. :( We still have the 2nd Saturn actually. DH uses it as his commuter car. It's the 3 door coupe. It's got about 150k miles on it, original clutch (yep it's a stick) and has had no issues (knock on wood) outside of regular maintanence. It still runs like a champ 10 years later!:D
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I KNOW! I was considering the Vue! Imagine my surprise when I discovered they no longer existed. :(
 
Laura, check out the jeep site, there are incentives for a 2010 Patriot, I used the zip code for Franklin Lakes, lol, because I know it, but I'm sure it's the same in all of NJ. There is a $1500 allowance or 0% financing for up to 60 months, which on a car that will costs $19,000 comes out to only $396/month for a 4 year loan, and about $580 for a 3 year loan (not much more than that horrid lease price they offered), with no money down.

Just some thoughts, I agree with another poster, buy the less expensive cars, lease the pricier ones, unless the lease is under $200/month, you may be better off with purchasing cars under $20k. You do get a few thousand out of them at the end, and if it's running well and you choose to keep it, you go a while with no payments. And in this case, you get the car you really want.

http://www.jeep.com/dma/501/index.html?zip=07417&family=patriot#family=patriot&zip=07417

loan calculator:
http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/auto/auto-loan-calculator.aspx
 
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hottiescientist said:
well, in general I don't think its wise to lease a car that isn't very expensive...it's better to buy the cheaper cars. I bought our Mazda3 (which I LOVE, don't know why you don't like it Laura! It's perfect for LA Freeways!) for 3K under invoice because I got it at the end of the year clearance in 2006. But do you guys have a Jetta deal right now in NJ? There's a "california edition" out here that's going for $169/mo before taxes etc. Jettas are tons of fun IMO and that's a pretty decent monthly lease price for a nice car.

GL!
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Not great experiences with VW, I love the ride, can't beat it for the money, but my first was a true lemon, granted a long time ago, then gave them a second chance when the Passat came out, and we had it back in the shop every few months for burnt out day runner lights and some other electrical issues. But at such a cheap lease, I would be willing to risk it.

A couple people in my family are loyal Mazda 3 owners, they both LOVE their cars, I think my uncle is on his second one now. I just saw what I think is a newly designed Mazda 6, and it's amazing looking, they did a great job, every time I see it, I think it's a new BMW or something.
 
Take a look at this, it lists Septembers best lease deals, you can get an Infiniti G37 for $319/month, or a vw tiguan for 279/month. A couple toyota deals too, but they are region specific.

I have had a few Infinitis now, and they are all fantastic cars, I have driven the newer G37, the horsepower and feel of that car is great.

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/best-car-deals/Car-Lease-Deals/

ETA: I think the G37 at that price is not the AWD version, probably no good, I believe it's RWD.
 
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I'm car shopping too. I have had my 97 T bird for 10 years. She needs a new intake air manifold (design flaw.) and a transmission. I have resigned myself to the fact that I need to sell it. Sigh.

I'm looking at the new Rav 4 but I think that would be out of your price range. I like the 5th door because I can get my audio/video gear in the back easily.
 
RapidBreath said:
I'm car shopping too. I have had my 97 T bird for 10 years. She needs a new intake air manifold (design flaw.) and a transmission. I have resigned myself to the fact that I need to sell it. Sigh.

I'm looking at the new Rav 4 but I think that would be out of your price range. I like the 5th door because I can get my audio/video gear in the back easily.
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Actually the Rav4 is in my price range. It'd cost about as much as my Mazda 3. I'm just not crazy about it. I figure if I'm gonna get a car I'm not crazy about, I might as well get a Hundai. ;)

Dela, I've looked at those deals too, but they're bogus. When you get to the dealership you get a completely different song & dance. :( The Infiniti is def. out of my price range. I'm keeping it at $250 or lower. I still can't believe I can lease a Liberty for $250, but the Patriot is over $500. :mad:

VW is out. I will never ever ever buy a VW.

<sigh> Someday I'll be able to buy the real car of my dreams, a Lexus. In the meantime I have to go through all these contortions just to find something I don't hate. :p
 
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