Buying an SUV

“...How will Scorchie's chicky friends get in and out in their mini skirts and heels? Wouldn't be pretty...”
pixie
2:29:00 PM
1/27/05
ignore this user

To you maybe.”

“LOl pixie, i think the whole idea is to have them bend over and try to crawl into the back in a mini skirts.”

“Actually... the 'ho has boucoups of room (did I spell that right?) and is very easy to get in and out of the back. While not as easy as a 4 door it's....

oh... hold on a second. this is scorchfire we're talking about... no skirts or frilly pointy toed high heel shoes for her or her friends!

Pixie just wants to see me in my Minivan.”

“ScorchFire, read up on CU's methods for car buying. First, never tell them you have a set payment. They'll screw you every time by raising/lowering rates to meet your payment - so you end up paying more than you should. Always barter on the price of the car itself. Then any trade-in. Finally financing, if you haven't arranged it already through your credit union or bank. Always in that order, and never do one step before you finish the last one. Always be prepared to walk out if they start screwing with you, like this guy is.

Oh, and buy CU's reports on your old car and the one you are buying so you know what price you should be selling & buying at.

www.consumerreports.org then click on Autos.”

“You are right, they did a voluntary recall on the Vue's for the wrong spring in the rear suspension. It was an easy fix and they resolved the problem.
Saturn has a good track record about fixing their problems. The first year a supplier sent us a tanker of engine coolant that had been contaminated with acid. Ouch! The supplier offered to fix the problem by buying back all the cars affected including about 200 made before and after the suspect cars. Those customers recieved a brand new Saturn! All the bad coolant cars were crushed with security guards watching to make sure that they were disposed of properly. Those 200 others were auctioned off to us for a substantial savings even though some had more than a few miles on them.”

“what dealership did you go to ?”

“Go in with financing already pre-approved at the best rate you can find and then let them try and beat it. They will if they can because they want to write the loan but no way will they give you their best rate if they don't have to.

and what techntrek said, haggle over the price not the payment.”

“I used Capital One Auto Finance online for my new car. All you gotta do is go to their website and fill out a form...the next day they will call you and then overnight you a blank check. They don't ask what type of vehicle you are buying and they give you your rate up front. You get preapproved for an amount you apply for and can write the check up to that amount. I got 4.79% over 4 years and got .5% knocked off by setting up automatic payments. It made buying a vehicle really easy, I highly recommend them.”

“me too dub...got approval overnight with cap one , with rate, printed it out and took it to the dealer, it was like 5% lower than what the dealer wanted to give me. he didnt like it...but, they want to sell the vehicle the last couple of days of the month.”

“oh... hold on a second. this is scorchfire we're talking about... no skirts or frilly pointy toed high heel shoes for her or her friends!

damn straight!


ScorchFire, read up on CU's methods for car buying. First, never tell them you have a set payment. They'll screw you every time by raising/lowering rates to meet your payment - so you end up paying more than you should.

i didn't tell him my desired payment. i told him i wanted to see what he'd offer me first. then after he offered a payment that was outrageous, i told him i didnt' want to go below x amount of dollars. that x amount of dollars was actually 50 dollars less than what i really wanted to spend.”

“Talk price rather than payment, and when they ask how you plan on paying for it, say you'll determine that when you both decide on the price.”

“The best deal I ever got was on December 31. Last couple days of the month are the best to time to shop.

That being said, I hate buying cars. I bought most of my last cars at Enterprise Sales. One year old and saved some money. Most were former company lease cars, not rental cars. (When I worked for GM I never had to hassle with dealers...just ordered them or bought company cars).”

“i'm looking at 2004s this weekend (the '05 model doesn't come out til late february is what they are all telling me at the dealerships and it has a new body style, which i didn't like from the pictures). my friend kevin is coming with me who just bought an SUV with his fiance so he's been through the same crap recently with the BS that goes on. he's pretty "straightforward" so it should be interesting.”

“I just bought an '05 Outback! I get it Thursday or Friday! Can't wait!”

“I drove an 05 Forester during my search. It was not a bad ride, but the suspension looked pretty weak. I gave the salesman my financial requirements and he never called me back.”

“congrats, pineneedles!!!”

“I'm looking at the Toureg. Seems pretty damn sexyto me, anyone got one?”

“some friends of mine have a toureg. it's super nice!”

“some friends of mine have a toureg. it's super nice!”

“so nice you'd say it twice?”

“haha! ya sorry bout that!”

“I'm slowly talking the wife into getting a Nissan Murano instead of another Jeep Grand Cherokee. We must have the precious!

”

“Are the Grand Cherokees made in Ohio or just the Libertys?”

“Go with a minivan!!!!!!!!!!!

Chicks dig 'em!”

“Dave, it's not the minivan they dig; it's you, silly.;)”

“You're probably right Sass.....I do have that level of sexiness that most other men can only hope to achieve.


Hear that Sunshine?????”

“To be more specific it's his bald head and the tattoo on top of his head that says, "Let go of my ears. I know what I'm doing.". LOL!

I'm not sure where the Grands are made. The Nissan has nearly 50 more ponies than the V-8 Jeep yet gets like 4 more miles to the gallon, the Jeep is scored as a 50ish on a 1-100 scale by Consumer Reports (the Murano is in the 70s) and the Nissan is more than two grand cheeper. The Xtera is almost $10,000 cheeper and is rated higher.”

“You dope! Mine says "Please Add Alcohol." You must be thinking of thrifty.”

“No because his is on the BACK of his head and it says, "PULL FOR ME DADDY!".”

“Minivans have more useable space, use less gas, are cheaper to purchase, and cost less to insure. Most can even tow as much as a mid-sized SUV (3500 lbs). Leave the dark side, Nigal!”

“Clearance? AWD? Crumple zones? Safety? Starbucks cup holders? And most importantly, now nothing personal here Noncom, cool? I do not have Noncom's looks or his animal magnetism to with stand the van stigma.”

“I highly recommend Nissans, I have a Pathfinder, it's pretty much indestructible.”

“I was amazed at the BHP vs. mileage.

I told my wife we'd get her the cool suv and we'd get me a used Toyota Carolla or something super good on gas.
last edited: 1/11/06 2:14:30 PM”

“Another nail in the coffin for detroit.”

“See it's weird how they change these reivews around, a year ago the grand was SUV of the year, now it's not so hot.”

“People vote with their feet Y2. It’s just the way it is. It’s called competition. As Iacoca(SP?) said, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”. If Detriot wants my business they will make a better product and consumers will flock to them.

And of course, I blame the UAW.”

“I like my Nissan Xterra...

In two years and 30,000 miles I've broken one front shock, the rear window, and just replaced the tires. I whacked the kayak racks on the ceiling of the parking garage and almost lost the factory rack in the process. (darn near took out a few drive thrus with the kayaks on top as well, LOL...) I'd rather have a van for camping (less pita) but I need the clearance of an SUV. One reason I chose Xterra is because it has more clearance than other vehicles of it's type.

For camping we added some ceiling lights that are attached with velcro and mosquito netting for the windows. I've attached some grab loops on the factory rack so I can haul myself up onto the rear bumper. Took out the stupid basket thing and moved the bars to better attach the kayak carriers.

On nasty little thing is I can't pick up the tires. If I have a flat without some big strong man around to change it I don't know what I'll do, probably CRY, LOL...
Actually, I'll probably rig up some kind of pully thing...

Oh, and I'm told I look "hot" driving it...
LOL!”

“I love my mini SUV the Subuaru Forester that has all wheel drive which is good for when you hit unexpected wet pavement which you find a lot of in WA since we get a lot of scattered rain. It's great on gas mileage 22city/28hwy if I got the figure right.

I would steer away from the Jeep Cherokee unless you check out Consunmer Reports in the library first to see their track record. I'm not sure if it's all that good.

Get the online report from Consumer Report that you pay a few bucks for to find out what the real cost of the SUV is. I would look to pay what they pay since they have extra hidden fees where the dealer gets a kick back, so he still will be making money if he sells the vehicle at cost. Keep in mind SUVs are not in demand now, so you have the upper hand. Go in with a price you want to pay and do not deviate from that price, even if they pick a price and ask to be met part way. Big vehichles or expensive vehicles tend to have a lot of profit built in. Don't think $1,000 or $1,500 off sounds great since it does sound like a lot. There may be much more profit built into the price.

The ads on tv are selling my SUV with $500 cash back or really means they take that much off the stick, then it went to $1,000. People tend to think they can't bargain more off, but you can. I got about $2,000. off the sticker of my SUV.

Nissan is generally a good brand, but check their reliability also with the library Consumer's Report.”

“"Nissan is generally a good brand, but check their reliability also with the library Consumer's Report.”

The Murano scored 20 points higher than the Jeep in Consumer Report's reliability. They were overall ranked 'well above average'.”

“Consumers: The Murano is one of the better car-based SUVs we've tested. Its powerful 3.5-liter V6 is mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), delivering strong performance and respectable fuel economy. Handling is responsive, secure, and forgiving with optional stability control. The adjustable pedals help shorter drivers feel more comfortable behind the wheel. Roomy, comfortable rear seats and easy access are pluses. The interior is stylish and functional. However, a stiff ride, limited rearward visibility, and its need of premium fuel are notable drawbacks.”

“That is one thing that sucks, I got an older Pathfinder which has less horsepower than the newer ones, but the newer high horsepower ones required premium fuel. The fuel issue was actually the reason I got a 2000 instead of a later model, I'd love more horsepower even though I don't really need it, but not at the cost of needing to fill it with premium.

Out here I have to fill it with plus anyways because regular here is only 85 octane.
last edited: 1/11/06 6:01:42 PM”

“Nigal, that's a pretty fancy tent stake!”

“To be more specific it's his bald head and the tattoo on top of his head that says, "Let go of my ears. I know what I'm doing.". LOL!

That is one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time!!!! HaHa!!!”

“Don't worry Ruby, I'm still keeping the Pt Tentstake.”

“What is the difference in price between regular and premium gas? If you don't do long drives, it may not mean much, but may hurt for resale if you don't keep it until it dies.

I go for very long drives, so I need good fuel economy. I just came back from British Columbia this weekend. That was about a 3 hour drive one way, then the next day we did a drive further into B.C. for another hour one way. Bald eagles were nesting in trees along this river at this time of the year, had to see that even though I have the same thing in my state at a certain time of the year.

We do lots of 3+ hour trips to the coast also. Gas mileage is an issue.

Also, beware of the other negative points. Are your roads rough? A stiff ride can be awefully uncomfortable, which translates to you feeling every bump in the road. Bad rearward visibility? Hmmmm!

All your answers will be answered with a test drive and make sure you take it on a short hwy drive by getting on the hwy and getting off the next exit. I'm sure pick up is no problem unless the vehicle is too heavy to pull the weight of the SUV, but you can check the rear visibility and the road comfort. You may want to ask to drive on some rougher roads too that may be nearby.

Again, big SUV, premium gas guzzler, I wouldn't pay a dime over their cost for the vehicle.”

“Hey twigeater - how did you install the mosquito netting? I have a wagon and tried to do that w/ the back windows using sticky velcro. But, the moisture in the air took the sticky down and after a couple uses, the velcro started coming off. I want to re-attach for the next bug season cause I love sleeping in the back of my car.

(My interior is leather not cloth)”

“Sounds like your looking for a smaller SUV but I have a 2004 Explorer with 41,000 miles on it. She's still rock solid and filtergyrl nick named her Dora after the TV show.

Gas mpg is 17 city 19-20 highway.”

“HaHa... that's my trucks name too!”