Lease or finance?
Buy new or used?
Cars you advise against or for?
Car insurance!? Who to avoid!? Who do you like?
I`m literally so confused with all of this. I emailed one company the vaguest question and they harassed me daily via emailing and calling for two weeks. Also the last time I owned my own car I was young and stupid and paying waaay too much in car insurance and got massively ripped off.
I think you need to be a little more specific and you would get better results.
What do you need the car for?
How much do you want to spend?
Do you like cars or are they just a means of transport?
Will you be the only driver?
What is your usage? business, pleasure, all-purpose
What is your driving record ?
Good luck. It can be a big decision.
When Phil Edmonston (Lemon-Aid car guides' author) spoke at the Hamilton Public Library over a decade ago, he wisely said:
Men want to know how fast a car can go from 0-60kph.
Women want to know how fast a car will brake from 60kph to 0.
Used cars can be good if you are trying to keep to a budget, know what you want and maybe even able to do some routine things yourself. The Lemon Aid Used car guides tell you what to look for, what to avoid and any secret warranties or repair issues that could follow car models during ownership. The moneywise place to get car parts is to try an auto wrecker's yard with your own tools if going to a dealer part's place is $$$ for you.
Insurance companies have a thing about pricing in relation to postal codes.
https://www.thestar.com/business/per...nce_rates.html
https://www.ratelab.ca/by-postal-code/
Wonder if Belair Direct is as fast and friendly as the commercials portray the entity with the shining armour mascot?
CAASCO stores (some locations) act as an insurance broker for car insurance btw. Handy if you want to get some on a Saturday when the big companies might be Mon-Friday ones only.
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/22...s-postal-code/Quote:
So he takes the postal code conundrum in stride. He sees the humour in it, but the inflated premium isn't funny.John Caines, media relations with Canada Post in Ottawa, tells me: “It's an urban postal code but delivery is by Rural Route 2. The postal code is for delivery purposes only. It's a forward sortation area, an FSA. I don't know when it was assigned; it might've been to do with amalgamation.”
John, who was very helpful, said that while postal codes usually line up with specific geographic areas, they don't always. That's why insurance companies shouldn't set rates by them.
https://www.thestar.com/business/per...nce_rates.html
https://www.thestar.com/business/per...e-roseman.html
Lease or finance?
- Finance if you must. No reason to lease unless you have a business.
Buy new or used?
- Used! Soon as you drive a new car off the lot, there is depreciation - 15 to 20% per year for the first several years. However, this depends upon the type of vehicle.
Cars you advise against or for?
- That totally depends upon your needs, you have to do research.
Car insurance!? Who to avoid!? Who do you like?
- Luckily, we live in SK where there is only one government insurance company.
Lots of research coming your way; good luck!
http://www.canadianblackbook.com/used-cars.html
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/autos/rese...%9D/ss-AAhHXLT
Despite what terms car manufacturers use to call their vehicle (CUV, SUV etc), it is Transport Canada that determines by weight what a vehicle of a certain size is. I tell you this in case your eyes spy an SUV (used) and when you try to get insurance quotes, you encounter information indicating it is a truck. That could affect your insurance rates.
Car tires-manufacturers have codes to indicate when tires were manufactured (you may be unthrilled to find tires and realize they were made 10 years ago. You might like "fresher" rubber to ensure you can get most use out of them). It is important when buying replacement tires that the same kind and size are bought as they affect the odometer's ability to track mileage correctly. Some models you may only be able to get through the dealer just because the size is unique to that car and may not be carried by aftermarket tire dealers.
The Lemon-Aid car guides may help you get the basics down. Some libraries don't let current year's guides circulate, some do-can depend on the branch librarian's call. Definitely take out the 2014 or 2015 issues if that is the case at your local library. Consumer Reports usually talks about new cars in the April issue.
I am looking into the same sort of things now for my first car soonish...
Lease or Finance?
I would say Finance, although for my first car, I am going to pay cash for it, if the car you are looking at is a reasonable price to pay cash for and you don't want to have to worry about getting a loan, try to pay cash for it if you can. Personally my parents just leased a new car which is nice, rate isn't too bad for it (16' Buick Verano for about $250/month)
New or Used?
USED!!! as per @Natalka , you lose a lot of the value when you drive it off the lot, I would say get a 3 or so year old car(2013), its relatively new, but you will be able to get a better deal since it is not brand new.
Cars that are advisable?
None that I can think of off the top of my head, personally, I am looking at a 2006/07 Ford Focus for my first car, gas mileage is pretty decent and insurance here in Ontario for someone my age isn't the worst ($181.00/month with BelAir Direct)
Car Insurance?
Right now I am with StateFarm as an occasional driver on both of my parent's cars (10' Dodge Grand Caravan & 16' Buick Verano) and my rate is very nice ($26/month but was as low as $8/month with a discount I am no longer eligible for), but If I wanted to get my own car even on their policy, I'd be looking at $500+/month, but with BelAir Direct, I'm only looking at anywhere from $181/month (School Address), $187/month (By next October, were moving up north where everything seems to be cheaper) or a whopping $272/month (Current Home Address). Because of your age and that you are a woman, your rates should be significantly lower than mine. With some assumptions, the highest I can get your rate with BelAir and the car I'm looking at getting, about $160/month, but I'm sure you could get it much lower than that!
And of course, it isn;t just the cost of the car, gas and insurance to look at
Don't forget about maintenance costs and of course the stupid sticker for your plate which seems to go up so frequently.
:shock:!!!
Thanks all , if anyone else has anything to chip in feel free
Consumer reports - best used cars
http://www.consumerreports.org/used-...5000-and-less/
Used cars to avoid - use drop-down menu by manufacturer
http://www.consumerreports.org/used-...-avoid-buying/
An insurance broker might be worth checking out - where they shop around and get the best deal for you. Also CAA has good insurance rates.
I agree with above - buy used and make sure you get it checked over by your mechanic before you buy it. Not sure what your price range is but I highly recommend Honda. I used to drive GM cars but was constantly at the mechanics for repairs....hardly see my mechanic now that I own a used Honda.
CAA auto club is the best if you need road side assistance.
If you are unsure of what car you want - go around to the dealerships and test drive them out. It will give you an idea of what is out there and you can eliminate what cars you don't like. After I did that I chose my current Honda which I would have never had bought had I not done a test drive.
I prefer Toyota and Honda for durability and reliability. I have looked at a newer Hyundai for low cost, reasonable gas mileage, low insurance rates, and great warranty. Best idea is list what you need the vehicle for: # of people, distance you are driving, etc. Check with an insurance broker like kanetix.com on how much your insurance would be for different vehicles.
I just bought my son a car at a local car auction in Innisfil, ON. It ended up costing half the price of a dealership. We were happy for a first car. There are many different ways to buy a car out there.
Good luck!
It is difficult to give advice without knowing more about you, but I will give some of my thoughts.
Regarding the axiom "never buy new, you lose tons of money as soon as you drive it off of the lot". This may or may not be true. In fact, with our favoured vehicle, a Dodge Grand Caravan (I know, booooring), it is quite untrue.
Assuming that you can afford it, $20,000 brand new with 30 km on it beats the heck out of $17,000 two year old with 120,000 km on it any day. This was the kind of thing that we were looking, and bought our first one in 2003. While it may be true that you can't get much for your two year old Caravan with 120K km, but just try buying one. Different story altogether.
And one of the biggest deals with the new versus used debate - we are fanatically good to our cars. We're not talking wasting time polishing the stupid thing like some, but rather making sure that oil changes are done religiously, no jack rabbit starts and the like. We still get asked if our '09 with 120,000 km is a '16. When you buy a used car when somebody else has had the "good" first 100,000 km, more often than not, they drove it like a maniac. I would rate my vehicle probably better than somebody else's 20,000 km who drove the heck out of it.
We will probably get 15 years out of our vehicle, unless some bozo rear ends us like happened to our '03. For us, new makes sense.
I have never, ever, ever, nor will I ever pay interest on a car loan. Period, end of story. This is a personal thing, I am not against paying interest, but I will not pay it on a depreciating asset, such as a vehicle. Interest is paid when the expected profit or money saved from the item far exceeds the cost of the interest.
If you live in a city, you may be best off not buying a car. I know that it is one of those "rites of passage" things, but it is often nothing but an expense.
Now may be the time to look if you are interested in new - with the '16 models being cleared out. We just said "no" to a good deal on a Grand Caravan. We just can't justify the cost when ours is still working well. Sure there are times when it would be convenient to have a second one, it's a lot of money for that bit of convenience.
My first car was a little sports car, manual, and I loved that car. And 20 years later here I am, with a baby seat in the back of a different but very similar sports coupe, doing yoga practically trying to squeeze the baby in there, and playing tetris with all the baby gear trying to fit everything in, but still never buying a car that's not a manual and not fun to drive. Maybe if my first car was not so much fun to drive, I'd also have this utilitarian view of car, rather than kind of romantic, fun, somewhat childish exuberance driving.
I would say like the rest of the wise people here: own, not lease. I think of it like this. You calculate your net worth by adding up your assets and your liabilities. If you lease, you only have the liability (lease payment). If you own, you may have the liability (finance payment), but you also have the asset (what the car is worth) to offset that liability, so your net worth is stronger. Also, you can look at the math of leasing for, say 5 years v.s. finance for 5 years - if you add up all the payments you make over those 5 years for these two scenarios, and then factor in the value of the car that you own after 5 years of financing (keep in mind after the lease you have nothing, have to give the car back. yes the car has depreciated but it is still worth something), it is actually much more expensive to lease. I personally don't understand why people lease.
Used/newish makes more sense because cars depreciate. But then it depends on the car and how long do you want to keep it. In my case, the cars I like get really beat up by previous owners generally. It depends on the age of the car, type of car, mileage, how long do you want to keep it, new warranty vs condition of used. I actually am on the fence on this one. Because I think it depends on the particular car situation. I have bought both new and used.
Type of car. What do you like? It's like asking someone what you should wear. To a young person I would recommend a hatchback probably, because they go camping, move a lot and have to lug their belongings with them, have friends and hobbies and hatchbacks are great for that sort of thing. Not too big but you can still get a lot of utility out of them. If you're a single young person, why would you get a mini van. If you live somewhere rural vs urban, that also factors into what kind of car might make most sense. Sedans I am personally not a fan of, don't see a point of. But it's a personal thing. All goes back to what you like. As far as quality, all brands have come a long way recently. Also, if there is a car you like, you can always look up reviews online, there is a lot of info available these days.
What insurance company - get a lot of quotes from everyone and compare prices and type of coverage and perks like 1st accident forgiveness. Shop around a lot.
There are pros and cons to everything, really. I personally think used car is a good option as cars depreciate fast in value. I would look in to dealerships. Autotrader.ca is a good website. I own a Toyota, Yaris - it's Very good on gas, and low maintenance. It's a '08, only thing it required so far is regular maintenance (tires, oil changes, breaks). Toyota is also known for their reliability. I currently have belairdirect for insurance, I had no issues with them and they offer reasonable rates - they give multiple discounts as well. For insurance, I think it's always a good idea to shop around and see who gives better rates. Good luck 😉
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Husband bought a car for our 18 yr old (grad present - excellent grades off to university). Buy a four door vehicle , while it was oh so cute at the time -- fast forward a few years -- done university married and baby on the way -- they traded it in for a van. Probably would have been ok except for the 2
doors. Also check out CAA often cheap rates for new sign ups.
If buying new, the Automobile Protection Association/Lemon Aid new car guide is a good reference.
http://www.apa.ca/lemonaid_2016NEW.asp
If buying used, the Automobile Protection Association/Lemon Aid used car guide is a good reference
http://www.apa.ca/search.asp
:)
i'm not sure if this still holds true but 2-door cars used to be considered "sports cars" by the insurance companies. rates for 2-door model of same car were a lot higher than the 4-door model.
Sometimes buying a used car is buying someone else's problems. So make aure its certified, emission tested and a trusted mechanic who is yours looks over the car thoroughly, before you buy it.
If its not too old and doesn't have lot of mileage on it, its better. Generally don't buy a used car which is more than 4-5 years old or lot of KM's on it.
If you are not too brand conscious you can get almost 0 % financing and brand new cars like Kia, Hyundai certain models for the same price as an used card.
I have seen them for less than $ 15,000 all inclusive :) Brand new cars. You can jus go for third party liabilty insurance , and NO comprehensive insurance if you want to save on insurance cost. Your car is still covered if you are not at fault under third party insurance.
That reminds me-open each and every car door. When Mom was looking at the 5 door Chevy hatchback, I opened a back passenger door with an obvious hinge issue (had to hold door up or door would hang at weird angle). We made a point to keep that door locked at all times after she got the car but in hindsight, I should have said we need a repair quote or keep looking. But otherwise the car was fine (windshield leaked but that got repaired) for the three or so years of use.
Also check the carpet area in the foot pedal area of car. There could be coolant or other fluid leaks under the carpet. My brother noticed such an issue when he flew out to BC to buy a car he wanted. Dealer did a fix but issue came up again. Brother did something to deal with issue.
Ellen Roseman tweeted that buying used is preferable to leasing new (car).
https://twitter.com/ellenroseman/sta...81372959424513
The story link- http://www.financesuperhero.com/the-...dable-villain/