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Old 22nd May 2008, 21:35   #16
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Saurabh,if you intend using the car for less than 2 years,its best to get a used car with low miles,and there's never a dearth of such vehicles.
I own the Mazda 3 & the 2008 Lancer,and both have the 'economy+ fun factor' associated with a normal driving style.
And if you are looking at financing the car,I'd recommend stopping by your local Credit Union,and getting pre-approved. makes a big difference if you do that,rather than getting the average 11-15% APR that a dealership would offer.
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Old 22nd May 2008, 21:59   #17
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Originally Posted by sujaylahiri View Post
Never mind. Must be only in Canada then.

The Canadians are proud of their Subarus and Subaru knows that.
Yeah right! Thats why they add a few thousands more to the price in US!

Subaru in Canada is a ripoff!

On the topic: Mazda 3 is the way to go - a lot of car for the money!
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Old 23rd May 2008, 10:57   #18
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@ Surabh M

hey surabh i was searching some used cars on craigslist.com for my cousin lives in anderson, sc

i found some beemers less than 15,000 $ like 2000 323i indeed there are 3 of them and a previous gen 5 series. so if u need more info abt them feel free to ask.

i thought of posting them but i think its not allowed.

Abhi
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Old 23rd May 2008, 23:31   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abhiram7912 View Post
@ Surabh M

hey surabh i was searching some used cars on craigslist.com for my cousin lives in anderson, sc

i found some beemers less than 15,000 $ like 2000 323i indeed there are 3 of them and a previous gen 5 series. so if u need more info abt them feel free to ask.

i thought of posting them but i think its not allowed.

Abhi
Yes its very easy to find a decent BMW in your budget, I have been looking for e39's and have found countless numbers under 15k.
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Old 30th May 2008, 08:37   #20
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I would be very careful about buying out of warrenty BMWs if you plan to stick to your budget and dont want to spend a lot more on repairs next 2 years.If you want to play it safe and have fun at the same time a new Mazda3 like many people suggested or slightly used Mazda6 or any Subaru would be a good choice.
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Old 2nd June 2008, 11:57   #21
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I have almost zero'ed in on a Used 2005 Mazda3 2L, Manual Transmission Sedan having around 45K miles on the odo. The asking price is 12+ K. I am yet to inspect the vehicle physically and do a test drive. Please tell me the few things that I must check before finalizing it. I have noted down a few points:
1. Tyre condition
2. Underbody
3. Check for rusts and dents
4. Service/Maintenance records
5. CarFax report

Request all to please contribute to this list. Is it possible to bargain on the price? Is that a standard practice here in US? The car is with a Used Car dealer. Any help will be very much appreciated.
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Old 2nd June 2008, 13:14   #22
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1. If its a used car dealer, ask for warranty, trust me.
2. Dealers usually provide free carfaxes.
3. carfax will not tell you the whole story, several times there cars that get into accidents and they are never reported, used parts are easily available for a cover-up.
4. if its a delaer then it will not be as bad as a private seller, just make sure you get warranty.
5. Check for leaks, then check again for leaks after the car has warmed up.
6. Ask them for any receipts for previous work done.
7. Did I mention get warranty?
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Old 2nd June 2008, 13:15   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bimster View Post
I would be very careful about buying out of warrenty BMWs if you plan to stick to your budget and dont want to spend a lot more on repairs next 2 years.If you want to play it safe and have fun at the same time a new Mazda3 like many people suggested or slightly used Mazda6 or any Subaru would be a good choice.
Out of warranty BMW's giving you trouble? you must be thinking of a VW, BMW's usually are not too bad if they are well taken care of.
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Old 3rd June 2008, 05:34   #24
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Originally Posted by spawnofsatan View Post
Out of warranty BMW's giving you trouble? you must be thinking of a VW, BMW's usually are not too bad if they are well taken care of.
I have owned BMWs for several yrs now and I love them (if you couldnt tell from my username!) I am not saying that they give a lot of trouble but the fact is they are expesive to maintain.My first 3er didnt give me any major trouble at all for 4 1/2 years but the first time it did, it cost me about $4000.(perfectly maintained at the dealer during warrently period)Ofcourse this was about six months after the warrenty expired.Its not bad if you are a bit of DIY person but someone like the first poster,who is new to this country could easily get in to trouble with a 323i if on a budget.Moreover E36 323 or even a 325 arent that fun to drive compared to even Mazda 3s.You need atleast a 328 or 330 from this generation.Just my opinion.
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Old 3rd June 2008, 08:42   #25
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Originally Posted by iraghava View Post
Vcash was telling me about such a site & he was very impressed with it. I'll ask him to post the link here.
swapalease.com - car lease takeover - auto lease assumption - car lease transfer - auto lease take over - Interesting concept. Basically people want to get out of a lease and you can agree to take the lease over. So if you need a car for a short period, you can get one with a lease of 10 / 15 / 24 months and so on. There is $0 downpayment and sometimes the original lease owner will throw in an incentive lowering your to be monthly payments.

So as an example - you could get a M3 for $600 or an Accord for $200 a month.

Quote:
Originally Posted by spawnofsatan View Post
When you lease a car, you will never see the money you pay every month. When you buy a car you can get a lot of it back when you sell.
Au contraire, this logic is incorrect.

A) I buy a car for $20,000. I drive it for 2 years and I put 20,000 miles on it. I sell it for $12,000. Net Cost to me is $8000 at the end of two years plus a loss of any applicable interest I may have generated on the balance $12,000.

B) I lease the same car for $250 a month (A conservative number for a $20,000 car) and put down a down payment of $2000. Net cost to me after 2 years is $8000 plus opportunity cost of the remianing $12,000.

So you can see that you have lost the same amount of money in 2 years with both options. Infact I have used conservative numbers for the lease. Real world figures could tilt the argument in favor of the lease for short durations.

Of course Lease vs. Buy also depends on your driving pattersn / how much mileage you put on a car / how long you end up keeping the car etc and what lease deals you get.

Last edited by vcash : 3rd June 2008 at 08:46.
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Old 3rd June 2008, 09:39   #26
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Vcash is right - You stand to lose money over the period of ownership ,whether leased or owned. For example, a 2005 Acura MDX that my friend bought for 45k is hardly worth 25 nowadays. Assuming your lease cost was there or thereabouts, it would be the same as owning the car. Plus, you have the hassle of finding a buyer. In a lease, you just walk out,

As a footnote, dont even consider the Kia Spectra. It is an insipid car - I didn't find any fault with it, but niether did it excite me. If they consider Corolla etc as competition, I can only feel sorry for them.
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Old 3rd June 2008, 14:04   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vcash View Post
So you can see that you have lost the same amount of money in 2 years with both options. Infact I have used conservative numbers for the lease. Real world figures could tilt the argument in favor of the lease for short durations.

Of course Lease vs. Buy also depends on your driving pattersn / how much mileage you put on a car / how long you end up keeping the car etc and what lease deals you get.
Great post, Vcash. Lease also makes sense if you:

1. Change your car every 3 years and want the latest.

2. Buy German : Seriously, the dealer will take care of all repairs as well as give you a replacement when its in the garage.

3. Opt for a car that has low resale. You don't have to worry about resale, neither do you have to spend the time finding a buyer.

Even in India, lease makes sense to business owners. Do read my Article in the Advice section for more information.
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Old 3rd June 2008, 23:23   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bimster View Post
I have owned BMWs for several yrs now and I love them (if you couldnt tell from my username!) I am not saying that they give a lot of trouble but the fact is they are expesive to maintain.My first 3er didnt give me any major trouble at all for 4 1/2 years but the first time it did, it cost me about $4000.(perfectly maintained at the dealer during warrently period)Ofcourse this was about six months after the warrenty expired.Its not bad if you are a bit of DIY person but someone like the first poster,who is new to this country could easily get in to trouble with a 323i if on a budget.Moreover E36 323 or even a 325 arent that fun to drive compared to even Mazda 3s.You need atleast a 328 or 330 from this generation.Just my opinion.
You are right, what did you have to spend the 4k on? transmission work was it?

I did not realise he was on a such a tight budget.
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Old 4th June 2008, 02:08   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Saurabh M View Post
I have almost zero'ed in on a Used 2005 Mazda3 2L, Manual Transmission Sedan having around 45K miles on the odo. The asking price is 12+ K. I am yet to inspect the vehicle physically and do a test drive. Please tell me the few things that I must check before finalizing it. I have noted down a few points:
1. Tyre condition
2. Underbody
3. Check for rusts and dents
4. Service/Maintenance records
5. CarFax report

Request all to please contribute to this list. Is it possible to bargain on the price? Is that a standard practice here in US? The car is with a Used Car dealer. Any help will be very much appreciated.
There is a widely used practice called “Penny test” to see if the tires have enough tread.
Insert a penny into the tire tread groove with Lincoln’s head upside down and facing you.
f you see Lincoln’s entire head, then it’s time for a tire replacement. If part of Lincoln's head is covered by the tread your tires have enough tread. Tire replacement will cost you any where between $300-$450.

Take the car on the highways as part of the test drive and see how the car is performing in 75-80 mph range. One of my friends got cheated, dealer said that the car is low on gas, can’t take it to highway. Later we found out that it was giving too much of vibrations in 70-80 range.

Check the Carfax and see the owner ship reports. If it was a leased/rental vehicle, stay away from it. Best is to buy from original owner (As you know)

I hope you would have checked Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) or Edumnds (Edmunds.com) to get an approximate value of the car. Try bargaining it for a little above the private party price, you will get it. I bought 2003 Camry XLE 2 months back from a private party (first owner), I negotiated the price and got it for $1750 less than the price she quoted. Its ok to bargain, but make him feel that you are really interested to by the.

All the best.. Post the pics once you buy the carJ

Last edited by aah78 : 4th June 2008 at 02:39. Reason: Text format tags removed.
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Old 4th June 2008, 03:00   #30
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Mazda.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Saurabh M View Post
Is it possible to bargain on the price? Is that a standard practice here in US? The car is with a Used Car dealer. Any help will be very much appreciated.
Yes, please do bargain!

You have a slight advantage here because you're going in for a manual. In the U.S., cars with a stick-shift don't sell like hot cakes. Chances are high the dealer won't have too many takers for the car you're looking at.

As you would do in India, if you can, have a mechanic familiar with Mazda's check her out for you. You can find someone either at the nearest Mazda workshop, or even on craigslist (cheapest option).

Have the dealer check for any error codes. If he doesn't have the equipment, then take her down to the nearest auto parts store (Pep Boys, Autozone, Advance Auto Parts store, etc.), and they'll do it for free.

Ask him to throw in a free service (oil change and check-up). Is the car still under warranty?
The used car dealer will probably throw in a month's warranty or something similar. Go in for a warranty at a Mazda dealership - your car just might qualify (or it may not). They're relatively inexpensive to maintain, but it's always a safer option to be covered.

Last edited by aah78 : 4th June 2008 at 03:05. Reason: warranty.
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