All things about Cars, Trucks & SUVs

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

HB, it is actually exactly what I was looking at. I have a 2016 Colorado work truck, and I was looking at if I took the auto allowance from work if it could be financially feasible to buy a new one. The problem is there none on the lots that aren't high-end trim 4-wheel drive models. About 10-15 grand more than I could consider. Looked for Rangers and Tacomas and it was the same problem.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

I hear you. The trucks are ridiculously expensive. It's sort of what the market will bear, but it's pretty crazy. Given that you currently have a GM truck, I could get a discount, but not nearly enough to close that gap, which I very much appreciate is too much.

I have access to a better discount for conquest sales (where you're trading in a non-GM vehicle for a GM vehicle).

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Anyone use Costco Auto? Wondering if they really do get no-hassle, lower deals.

Bought a Toyota today.

In short, the Costco was a line item discount of -$855 on the first offer. Not good at all, pretty laughable actually.

Told the guy I wanted the Truecar "average sales price" which I brought along with me, it was about $1k under MSRP. There was a convenience package that I said I didn't want (mostly BS type stuff). They left it in and gave me my Truecar price.

Got a bonus discount also. I was going to pay cash but finance guy said go with Toyota financing and they'll take another $1k off with a special rebate. He said I can pay it all off in first payment (no pre-payment penalty which I confirmed in the contract).

So overall a good day. The salesguy was pretty easy to work with. His manager also. But I spent about 1.5 hours with the finance guy for various reasons. But got the price I wanted and another -$1k off so not going to complain.

[Edward64]

Corvette SUV coming to a showroom near you.

I'm doubting the Corvette target market would want a SUV but may be wrong.

Access to this page has been denied

An SUV wearing the Corvette name may seem out of the ordinary, but it's happening for the 2025 model year. A source inside General Motors told us that Chevrolet, after years of hesitation, will finally follow many other sports-car makers by expanding the legendary Corvette sports-car brand to encompass vehicles beyond two-seaters. While the company is in the midst of creating a new performance-focused EV subbrand that will include an SUV as well as a four-door sedan, the first Corvette SUV will be powered by a gasoline engine and will ride on the same platform that underpins the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing. This means two sizes of SUV could be offered—one compact, one midsize

[Edward64]

PSA. Do not get a Blazer EV

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/202...rm-faults.html

What we got back from the dealer was alarming: the single longest list of major faults we at Edmunds have ever seen on a new car.

As of this writing, our Blazer EV has 23 different issues that need fixing, more than a few of which we consider serious. The car has been at the dealer for two weeks so far, and we still don't know when or how the fixes, repairs or updates will be implemented.

[stevew]

I had a bunch of issues when I got my Bolt EUV that were magically fixed with a software update. I’m sure they’ll get this sorted out quickly.

[Ksyrup]

I was expecting to see a picture of Russia's "Tesla Killer" EV in this thread, that looks like a malformed Pokemon walked in on its parents having sex.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I was expecting to see a picture of Russia's "Tesla Killer" EV in this thread, that looks like a malformed Pokemon walked in on its parents having sex.

I can't unsee those headlights

[Glengoyne]

Not exactly on this topic, but I thought I'd share.

My used 2015 Cadillac SRX, just spent three and a half months at the dealer because the fuse box failed. The part was on back order initially and missed the first couple of estimated shipping dates, and then there was the strike. Thank goodness that I've transitions to working from home. I'd have had to buy a replacement if I had needed to go into work every day.

It was pretty rough. When I inquired with my non dealer mechanic, he suggested that I wait it out for the factory part. In his words..."You want the factory part here, because If this part fails it is often catastrophic. Catastrophic usually means fire, and a lot of my customers park these cars right inside their homes". So, I eventually quit pestering my service rep on a regular basis, and was rewarded with the part coming in on the same day that GM told the Parts Department manager at the dealer that they had "no idea" when the part would ship.

[Ajaxab]

Anyone bought from any of the nationwide ship to store dealers like CarMax or Carvana? Reviews seem all over the map depending on which site you go to.

[GrantDawg]

Bought an SUV at Carmax. Was pretty happy with it but had buyer's remorse (it was about $8k more than I was planning to spend). Returned it and got all of my trade-in money back. 10/10, would recommend it. They will give the highest trade-in value, and the 30-day return policy is amazing.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

Anyone bought from any of the nationwide ship to store dealers like CarMax or Carvana? Reviews seem all over the map depending on which site you go to.

I've used CarMax before and been fine. Heard nice things about Carvana.

One thing I'd note is to know where your car was before with a CarFax report. If it's a rental, stay away. If it's a leased car, you're good. Also maybe stay away from older cars that are from areas where salt is used.

Those companies get their cars from different sources so the history matters more.

[flere-imsaho]

We've bought 3 of our 5 cars (yeah, we keep cars a long time) from Carmax and like GD, would say 10/10 would recommend. Yes, we're paying more than haggling at the dealership, but literally everything else is so reasonable and easy that it's worth it (for us).

And one of the two we didn't buy at Carmax was the brand new Volvo EV, so that wasn't going to be an option anyway.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Edward64

PSA. Do not get a Blazer EV[/url]

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

Not exactly on this topic, but I thought I'd share.

My used 2015 Cadillac SRX, just spent three and a half months at the dealer because the fuse box failed.

In order, our cars have been: Toyota Corolla, Subaru Forester, Honda Fit, Chrysler Pacifica, Volvo XC40 EV, Mazda3 (ignore my post above, it's 4 of 6 cars at Carmax).

The Chrysler has easily had the most issues. It's a 2017 we bought in 2019 and it already has had more issues than the Corolla (owned for 10 years), or the Forester (owned for 13 years), or the Fit (owned for 12 years). The Volvo and Mazda are on 2 years and 10 months, respectively, with no issues.

I knew it was a risk when I bought the Chrysler, and so it has been.

[Edward64]

Never bought anything at CarMax but couple times got quote for my old car. Been lowballed by dealers for my trade-in but they always matched the CarMax quote.

As far as cars go ...

Chevy Caprice, Nissan Maxima, Honda Accord, Mazda RX8, and currently 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid.

My recent Corolla was for the daughter. I'll probably wait 2-3 years for my next car. Still dreaming about the Nissan Z but that grill needs to be refreshed.

[GrantDawg]

I started to type out the cars we've had, but we went through a bunch of cars in our first 15 years of marriage. Since that time, we have had a 2004 Nissan Sentra, a 2012 Ford Fusion, 2014 Toyota Camry, 2016 Nissan Sentra, and a 2016 Colorado Work Truck. The 04 Sentra we owned till the engine blew out in 2016 and we bought our current Sentra. And I traded the 2014 Camry pretty much straight for the Colorado. My wife still misses that Camry.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[stevew]

Bought from Carmax, Carvana, and CarShop. I didn’t have a bad experience from any of them. Every dealer experience has been terrible.

[Edward64]

I assume you guys are buying used at Carmax?

I'm looking at some used Corolla LE models. The highest priced has the lowest mileage and is a 2018, 54k at $18,600. There's a 2019, 93k at $16,600. I got the 2023 Corolla for about $21,000 (before tax, title, registration, admin fee). So, I rather have a new car, for an additional +$2,400 than a used with much higher mileage.

Interestingly, also looked at Carvana. Same inventory of Corolla LE with same prices. But they are different companies?

[GrantDawg]

It depends on the vehicle for sure. Something like a Corrola is not going to save you much money used, especially with low miles. Older, higher mileage vehicles are where it would be much cheaper than new. I don't know why anyone would buy a slightly used car when they save very little money off a new one, and if you finance are going to pay a higher interest rate.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Radii]

My current car I bought certified pre-owned through the dealer. It's an Accord that had about 20,000 miles on it. It's a 2017, I bought near the end of 2018. I got financing pre-approved through the credit union I bank at and the rate was better than the dealer could ever offer, I think that saved me a LOT of time. It was still a dealer experience, but it was as streamlined as could be and I got exactly what I wanted.

Have also bought through CarMax and had a great experience there. Have sold to CarMax as well.

Cars: Nissan Sentra (hand me down from parents), Honda Civic Hybrid, Mitsubishi Lancer, Honda Accord. The lancer was a 2003, lasted me til 2018. The Accord I'm hoping lasts me well into the 2030s.

[Radii]

dola,

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

I don't know why anyone would buy a slightly used car when they save very little money off a new one, and if you finance are going to pay a higher interest rate.

Since I just posted that I did this with my most recent car:

I was able to get pre-approval through my credit union at a great rate (I forget what rate exactly but under 4% for sure, as I mentioned the dealer saw what I had been approved for and didn't even bother running my credit to try to compete with the financing). Going the low mileage certified pre-owned route through the Honda Dealer saved me about $5,000 compared to buying new and I paid off the loan in 18 months so I didn't pay a ton of interest anyway. At the time it seemed to me that saving the "driving it off the lot" depreciation was worth it. Long term I'm definitely thrilled with what I got.

This was 2018 so I don't know if the post pandemic world has changed all this. hopefully I don't have to figure that out for a very long time.

EDIT: this is for an Accord EX-L, at the time was the second highest end model behind the "sport", hybrids notwithstanding. I want to say new was $28,000 and I paid $23,000, but my memory is a little fuzzy on that level of detail.

[GrantDawg]

Radii, I'm talking about right now. The prices of used cars are much higher than they were in 2018, and the interest rates are much higher.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[GrantDawg]

I was trying to give you a comparison for today. I just looked at 2 year old Honda Accords LX with low milage are selling for 26-27k. A new Honda Accord Lx? Almost the same price. I'm seeing at 27.9 to 28k. Considering interest rates for used car runs about 2 points higher (and often you can get special financing for new cars you will never get used), I just don't know why anyone right now would go that route. In the past it made sense, but right now it just doesn't.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[GrantDawg]

A 2017 Honda Accord LX-L with 65k miles is $22.9k on Carmax right now. They are selling at almost exactly what you paid 4 years ago with more miles. The used car market sucks.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Edward64]

Son and I visited a Nissan dealership to check out the Z. Neither of us have seen one up close and we didn't have much to do so ...

Black Performance Z.

MSRP $52,210
Selling price $72,219

Included was various bogus markup stuff including Market Price of +$15,000

Seeing it in person wasn't "better". The grill is still gawd awful. Inside was somewhat plasticky. I'm going to say Nissan is going to have a hard time making this a good seller anytime soon.

[Bortaz]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Son and I visited a Nissan dealership to check out the Z. Neither of us have seen one up close and we didn't have much to do so ...

Black Performance Z.

MSRP $52,210
Selling price $72,219

Included was various bogus markup stuff including Market Price of +$15,000

Seeing it in person wasn't "better". The grill is still gawd awful. Inside was somewhat plasticky. I'm going to say Nissan is going to have a hard time making this a good seller anytime soon.

When they announced this car I was like hell yes, let’s go. Price dealers are asking they can all F off. I haven’t even seen this car out in the road. There are much better options out there for less. I’m considering a M440i right now.

I'm looking at buying a newish/used Sprinter. I don't possess fancy camper van building skills, so I'll probably go with conversion kits for Mercedes Sprinter, such as https://van2b.com/sprinter-van-conversion-kits/. Does anyone have any experience with buying whole conversion kits? Are the kits any good? Any brands or tips much appreciated.

[Edward64]

Yeah, agree.

I have fond memories of the 90's Z so would like to get one. But price and awful front grill pretty much eliminates it for me.

[Ksyrup]

So I just read something about the Cyber truck starting to rust/corrode following 2 days of rain, with no fixes from the Tesla service centers as of yet. People are resorting to DIY methods to restore the luster or, in at least one case, leaning into the "corrosion patina looks cool" stance in an effort - presumably - to try to save face about buying an $80K hunk of Elon Musk shit.

[albionmoonlight]

Tesla was always going to have a challenge when the legacy carmakers decided to enter the EV market.

But, man, did they make it so much easier for everyone else. They took their sky-high valuation and first mover advantage and squandered it chasing the impossible task of full self driving and making what appears to be a pretty below average truck.

If they had instead spent that time and money making the next generation of their standard EV lineup, they'd be in a much much better position right now.

[albionmoonlight]

I mean, that would have been "boring" and "normal," so I can understand why Elon wouldn't do it.

But sometimes "boring" and "normal" are how you make the most money.

[sovereignstar v2]

Hard to imagine the cause is actually two days of rain.

[flere-imsaho]

Regular Teslas have well-documented electrical problems that occur due to car washes, so totally not hard to imagine.

[sovereignstar v2]

Well whatever it is, it almost certainly has nothing to do with rain.

[NobodyHere]

I think I am now in the market for a new gas efficient sedan. I'm thinking of a Hyundai Elantra or something to that effect. Any advice? I',m afraid of getting screwed by the dealer.

[flere-imsaho]

Mazda 3.

[GrantDawg]

I have loved my two Sentra's. Had the first one for 12 years, and this one for 8. Great gas mileage, fun to drive, zero mechanical problems. The Civic have the best ratings in class, but they are pricier than the others. Personally I would buy a Toyota Corolla Hybrid if I were shopping.

[Edward64]

Can’t go wrong with a Corolla or Camry.

Best tip I can share about not getting screwed by dealer is print out the TrueCar average pricing and tell the dealer “I know you need to make some money so the average price, reported by TrueCar, should be fair”.

Second best tip is never pay for stupid options you don’t want. Stupid high markups. If the dealer say they don’t have non-optioned cars, tell the, you’ll wait for them to get one. The last Corolla I bought, they just gave me the tinted windows (and other extras) for free after I refused to pay for it and told them I’ll wait for the, to get me one without the crap.

[stevew]

Camry Hybrid

[Edward64]

Well darn. Would have been nice to see it in production. But yeah, probably for the best with the heavy capital investments and a decline in EV interest.

Apple has canceled work on its electric car, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, a decade after the iPhone maker kicked off the project.

Shares of the company were up 0.7% in afternoon trading, having pared some losses from earlier in the trading day.

Several employees working on the electric car project will be shifted to the firm's artificial intelligence (AI) division, according to Bloomberg News, which first reported the development.

[NobodyHere]

Why is it impossible for a car dealership to give me a price over the phone?

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Why is it impossible for a car dealership to give me a price over the phone?

There are places that will give a price through the internet. I will say be careful and try to find one that has good reviews for doing that. Most places will tell you anything over the phone or online just top get you in convinced they can sell you something else. The only companies that I know of that won't do that is Carmax and Carvana, but they only offer used cars. Trucar offers a online negotiation for new cars but I'm not sure how reliable that is.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Why is it impossible for a car dealership to give me a price over the phone?

I'm not sure about now, but I worked in that industry for one miserable year about 20-years ago and have some friends that still sell.

The primary reason is that the vast, vast majority of callers/buyers will then take that price somewhere else to get it matched or beat by another dealer. A secondary reason is that most cars have different packages and features, so if you call and ask "how much for a new Honda Accord?," it really depends on what you want and what they have, so unless you are a very informed buyer and know exactly what you want and what is on the lot, they know if they tell you how much the lowest priced Accord costs, that is where your mind will be set when you come in, even though you are probably going to want some features and packages and are more likely to "fall in love" with a higher end model. So, it is largely a waste of time for the sellers and they will 90% of the time just tell you to set up an appointment and come look or just stop by for a demo or just be dishonest in order to get you onto the lot to take their chances.

It used to be that about 20-25% of folks that stepped on a lot would buy within the next 48 hours, so getting the customer on the lot, on a specific (in stock) car, and then getting them excited about owning it is their main goal. Car salesmen want to quickly get you attached to a car on the lot and figure out what they need to do to get you to buy ASAP, because if you leave, you are pretty likely going to buy somewhere else in the next two days or become more informed (by researching, comparing to other makes/models or shopping around).

If you are in the market and know what you want and really want a price, work with an internet salesperson. They will be more patient and give you a price that they will honor for a set period of time.

A side-note is that inventory has been way down (in my area, at least) and it has become much more of a seller's market than it has historically been in my adult lifetime. I'm guessing that will change with the higher interest rates, but it doesn't seem to have around here just yet.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Trucar offers a online negotiation for new cars but I'm not sure how reliable that is.

That's wasn't my experience with Truecar. The dealer gave like a $500 discount for me initiating contact via Truecar. But honestly, I could have negotiated that all by myself.

The value of Truecar was being able to say "this is what Truecar says is average selling price for this model".

[GrantDawg]

I get that but there is supposed to be a way to get an actual deal through Trucar, but again I don't know how reliable it is. I imagine it is much like getting trade-in quotes. I got quotes from Carmax, Carvana, and Kelly's Blue Book when I sold my wife's car. The first two gave an actual quote that they stood by. Kelly's gave me a quote from a dealer, but when I took my car to the dealer they tried to low ball that quote by around two grand. It was already $800 less than the other two. I think it just depends on the dealer on how honest a price they will give you.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Ksyrup]

I haven't bought a car since 2020 (and financed, since 2019), so I about choked on my orange slice when I opened an email from the local Audi dealer with a "special offer" to purchase a new Audi with an APR of 8.15%.

Uh, sure. Sign me right up! You dropping $20K off the Edmunds suggested pricing?

[GrantDawg]

We bought our first new car, the interest rate was 11%. The second car we qualified for special financing from Ford....at 9.9%. Welcome back to the 1990's.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Edward64]

Ouch. I didn't know the rates went back up that high.

[Edward64]

I struggle with this. On one hand, whatever (mostly) is good for Chinese business is likely bad for the US, BYD's cheap EV is good for the environment.

Assuming it passes the crash tests etc., can't beat an EV for $10k. I know there's talk about EV market is dying in the US but I have to believe a cheap, reliable, safe EV for $10k and Joe's infrastructure plan could revive it.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/22/byd-...s-on-edge.html

Seagull, a small all-electric hatchback, starts at just 69,800 yuan (or less than $10,000), and reportedly banks a profit for the increasingly influential Chinese automaker.

“The introduction of cheap Chinese autos — which are so inexpensive because they are backed with the power and funding of the Chinese government — to the American market could end up being an extinction-level event for the U.S. auto sector,” the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a U.S. manufacturing advocacy group, said in a report last month.

BYD sold 1.57 million battery EVs last year, up from just 130,970 all-electric vehicles in 2020. That sales growth was enough to surpass Tesla to become the world’s largest producer of electric vehicles in late 2023.

Its initial study of the BYD Seagull found it to be efficiently and simplistically designed, engineered and executed, but with unexpected quality and anticipated reliability.

“What they did do is done very well,” Woychowski said. “It’s efficiently done.”

[flere-imsaho]

Interesting, but I'll wait for real world data. It should be noted that a Board member for Caresoft (who basically wrote the article) is with Bain, and Bain have a strong interest in driving consulting business in the EV space, especially championing BYD.

The e-mobility era: Winning the race for electric cars | Bain & Company

Search Landing | Bain & Company

Access to this page has been denied.

[Edward64]

I wouldn't do it (Fisker is teetering on bankruptcy) but it is a nice looking car.

2023 Fisker Ocean Trim price cuts STARTS MARCH 29th

Previous MSR. New MSRP Price. Difference.

Ocean Sport $38,999 $24,999 -$14,000
Ocean Ultra $52,999 $34,999 -$18,000
Ocean Extreme $61,499 $37,499 -$24,000

[stevew]

https://youtu.be/6xWXRk3yaSw?si=-h8t_eSzGqOidhIt