Help me pick a car for 35 000

TheOneToBe

I am looking to purchase new/used car in next several months. I am at the point where I would like to make a plan of what I would like to try it so I can look for a good deal…I am planning to spend around 35 000 and out of that it would 10 000 in cash and rest of it would be financing. With a new tax law coming in to power in July I am think if it is a good time to buy a car or not…
First of I do not have currently car so I would be buying car without trade in. I am interested if this gives me better chance at negotiating a good deal from used/new car? Is there some starting point here? Like at least 1000 euros of advertised price to start?

Here is my list of possibilities…it could look strange but at my age (32)…look like this…

2007 Honda Civic Type R
2008/2009 Honda Accord (new one, I am not sure when it will be out?)
2007 Golf GTI
2007 VW Passat
2006 Audi A4 2.0 TDI S type
2006 Lexus IS220D (with leather)
2007 VW EOS
2008 Honda Civic Type S

What I am looking for is a car with excellent resale value and quality. I am planning to keep a car for 3 years and I really do not want to pay anything more then monthly payments for it. I am also looking to get a good resale value and to sell it easy (quickly) when I have to. I would also like to buy a car that will be around for a while with current shape. Please comment and make suggestions…

As for financing I am looking for lower monthly payments up to 600 but I would like to have possibility of paying it off at any point.
Any suggestions or help is welcomed

MagicMarker

Well, firstly, if you want to do it through finance, then imo you're best off getting a bank/credit union loan. Rather than organise it with a dealer.

As for what car to get? I haven't a clue!!:)

Saruman

How about a newCivic Hybrid

Its the right price, i would imagine in 3 years people will be looking for Hybrids in the second hand market...

Eoin

MagicMarker wrote: »

Well, firstly, if you want to do it through finance, then imo you're best off getting a bank/credit union loan. Rather than organise it with a dealer.

As for what car to get? I haven't a clue!!:)

That's not always true. If you are happy to keep the car for the duration of the loan, then HP can be a little cheaper. It's when you start trading in, or looking to settle before the term it can be more expensive.

.Longshanks.

TheOneToBe wrote: »

2007 Honda Civic Type R
2008/2009 Honda Accord (new one, I am not sure when it will be out?)
2007 Golf GTI
2007 VW Passat
2006 Audi A4 2.0 TDI S type
2006 Lexus IS220D (with leather)
2007 VW EOS
2008 Honda Civic Type S

Jees your options are as diverse as they come - a CTR to a VW Passat.....Chalk and cheese:D
I think u need to clarify rougly what your after a bit more - a hot hatch thats as fond of petrol as Shane mcGowan is of booze, or a motorway diesel cruiser?

E92

Longshanks100 wrote: »

Jees your options are as diverse as they come - a CTR to a VW Passat.....Chalk and cheese:D
I think u need to clarify rougly what your after a bit more - a hot hatch thats as fond of petrol as Shane mcGowan is of booze, or a motorway diesel cruiser?

I wouldn't regard a car that averages 35 mpg(Golf GTI) as "as fond of petrol as Shane mcGowan is of booze" anyway I know that!

Stephen

The CTR is pretty decent on fuel too, unless your right foot is rather heavy

groupb

A passat as a quality car?

JHMEG

CTR is the quickest of the bunch, the IS220 is the most refined. The Passat is terminally boring, and you're about 20 years too young for it.

anthony4335

I would second the Civic hybrid, drove one a little while ago and they are a nice car. Going by the resale in England, it should hold onto its value, and with the all the tax rebates it will be less than 30K, and tax will be €146 per year.
But if that is not your cup of tea, I would go for the lexus Is220D, I have a IS200 and I love it, would love to afford the 220.

.Longshanks.

E92 wrote: »

I wouldn't regard a car that averages 35 mpg(Golf GTI) as "as fond of petrol as Shane mcGowan is of booze" anyway I know that!

I wouldn't either but i was trying to empathise my point, GTI 35mpg vs ~55MPG diesel.
The Civic Type R would be my choice but must be a totally different kettle of fish to drive compared to a passat. I've been in a type S but not a Typr R.

TheOneToBe

Just to clarify couple the things... as for choices I am very indecisive what should I get... I am a Honda guy, but 35 000+ for Type R is very much over priced...btw... I just arrived from Canada and I had 2006 Civic Si which is almost equivalent to Type R, and I loved it...on other side I like IS 220D but they are hard to find and for fully loaded it is getting closer to 40 000... I would like to know generally when you go to dealer or private sale what can you expect as regarding a price? What should I start with? As for finance if I can get a bit more details since I am new to Ireland and I am not sure how it is working here but in Canada it was much more simpler
Also... it looks like VW holds its price very well here...
Should I concentrate more on private sales or dealerships? What about UK imports? I do not notice much of price difference after taxes...
Should I wait for July or should I just go shopping after new years as the cars will be one year older and get it over with?
Any other suggestion regarding car selection?

Orange69

Why the hell don't you just buy a 10k car and avoid needlessly getting into debt?

The minute you drive that new car off the lot you can write 5k off its value..

.Longshanks.

Rule of thumb regarding the new VRt changes (only applies if buying new or importing after July '07). If going for a powerful petrol buy now, if going for diesel hold out until after July.
If your buying straight (no trade in) then then you will be in a very strong position to bargin for the best deal from a dealer.

CrowdedHouse

JHMEG wrote: »

CTR is the quickest of the bunch, the IS220 is the most refined. The Passat is terminally boring, and you're about 20 years too young for it.

Agree except the IS220 is a dog,and this is coming from someone who really wanted to buy one....

The interior mirror vibrates most of the time.
You can't legally use 6th gear it Ireland,cos it labours until about 125kmh.
The rear head & leg room is a joke,the console with stereo,AC controls etc really look cheap/down market.

They reputedly,although I can't confirm this,have a lot of rattles and squeaks and are thirsty on diesel.(salesman said mid to high 30's)

I got a longish test drive(10 miles or so on my own) in an exec with premium pack but despite trying very hard,I couldn't get tuned to it.

I was offered a very good trade in on my 06 GTI but had to say no thanks.

irishpartyboy

If your a Honda man, then an S2000 GT would be a good shout. I've not been lucky enough to drive one yet, but I'm told great fun, but perhaps bit of a bumpy ride. Here's a good example.

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=Car&carID=858636

Apparently new CTR is very bumpy.

I'm a Honda man myself, so S2000 GT would be my choice.

E92

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

Agree except the IS220 is a dog,and this is coming from someone who really wanted to buy one....

The interior mirror vibrates most of the time.
You can't legally use 6th gear it Ireland,cos it labours until about 125kmh.
The rear head & leg room is a joke,the console with stereo,AC controls etc really look cheap/down market.

They reputedly,although I can't confirm this,have a lot of rattles and squeaks and are thirsty on diesel.(salesman said mid to high 30's)

I got a longish test drive(10 miles or so on my own) in an exec with premium pack but despite trying very hard,I couldn't get tuned to it.

I was offered a very good trade in on my 06 GTI but had to say no thanks.

The IS220d averages 44.8 mpg, rather poor when you consider that a BMW 320i which is a 2.0 petrol averages 1.5 mpg more than the Lexus and has only 5 bhp than the Lexus. A 320d would average 58.9 mpg and has more power(2 bhp to be precise) than the Lexus. Then again a 325i or even a 330i would use less fuel according to the EU figures than you Golf GTI and those cars have a 3.0 litre straight 6!

What in gods name does it mean for an engine to be labouring?

CrowdedHouse

E92 wrote: »

What in gods name does it mean for an engine to be labouring?

...er....the car is unable to rev/accelerate smoothly...gear selected is too high

TheOneToBe

irishpartyboy wrote: »

If your a Honda man, then an S2000 GT would be a good shout. I've not been lucky enough to drive one yet, but I'm told great fun, but perhaps bit of a bumpy ride. Here's a good example.

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=Car&carID=858636

Apparently new CTR is very bumpy.

I'm a Honda man myself, so S2000 GT would be my choice.

Love to have that one, but I would need back seats maybe one day as fun car

TheOneToBe

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

Agree except the IS220 is a dog,and this is coming from someone who really wanted to buy one....

The interior mirror vibrates most of the time.
You can't legally use 6th gear it Ireland,cos it labours until about 125kmh.
The rear head & leg room is a joke,the console with stereo,AC controls etc really look cheap/down market.

They reputedly,although I can't confirm this,have a lot of rattles and squeaks and are thirsty on diesel.(salesman said mid to high 30's)

I got a longish test drive(10 miles or so on my own) in an exec with premium pack but despite trying very hard,I couldn't get tuned to it.

I was offered a very good trade in on my 06 GTI but had to say no thanks.

thanks for info... good points.... how do you like your GTI?

TheOneToBe

Longshanks100 wrote: »

Rule of thumb regarding the new VRt changes (only applies if buying new or importing after July '07). If going for a powerful petrol buy now, if going for diesel hold out until after July.
If your buying straight (no trade in) then then you will be in a very strong position to bargin for the best deal from a dealer.

good point.... only problem is that for instance for Lexus it would only save me money if I would import it from UK, since I would not have money to buy new... what is going to happen with used diesel cars? Are the prices going to go down since new once will cost same as old soon?

E92

Don't forget that UK cars will still have mph speedos because they still use miles over there.

JHMEG

E92 wrote: »

The IS220d averages 44.8 mpg, rather poor when you consider that a BMW 320i which is a 2.0 petrol averages 1.5 mpg more than the Lexus and has only 5 bhp than the Lexus.

Economy isn't everything.. the Lexus is infinitely better built, cheaper, and has the kind of reliability BMW can only dream of. Dunno about Ireland, but in the UK they have dealer service that is top tier.

hellboy99

Orange69 wrote: »

Why the hell don't you just buy a 10k car and avoid needlessly getting into debt?

The minute you drive that new car off the lot you can write 5k off its value..

I'd have to agree with Orange69, if your thinking about finance or even a loan and you may end up buying a used car then just go out with your €10k and buy a decent used car instead of getting into debt.

sdanseo

Orange69 wrote: »

Why the hell don't you just buy a 10k car and avoid needlessly getting into debt?

The minute you drive that new car off the lot you can write 5k off its value..

+1, if you''re going to be taking out a loan it's a silly move. If on the other hand you happen to have thousands in cash lying around, what about a nice 2006/2005 3-series instead of brand new?

TheOneToBe

E92 wrote: »

Don't forget that UK cars will still have mph speedos because they still use miles over there.

that is true, and I do not like that much

TheOneToBe

sdonn_1 wrote: »

+1, if you''re going to be taking out a loan it's a silly move. If on the other hand you happen to have thousands in cash lying around, what about a nice 2006/2005 3-series instead of brand new?

Personally not a bit fan of BMW, I like a new coupe but to expensive...as for a loan, I will be paying it off with an year and half, that is why I am looking for a loan which I can pay off at any time

E92

JHMEG wrote: »

Economy isn't everything.. the Lexus is infinitely better built, cheaper, and has the kind of reliability BMW can only dream of. Dunno about Ireland, but in the UK they have dealer service that is top tier.

Did I mention reliability;)? I wouldn't be reading into that survey at all. I don't believe it. The Mitsubishi Carisma has a reputation for not being the most reliabile car ever made. Same goes for the Jag X-Type(I think it finished 128th in a JD power survey(I know its a lot more than just a reliability survey, but reliability is still an important part of that survey too)). Anyway, what about the Toyota Corolla? 91st place like:eek:? I'm really going to believe a survey that has a Corolla down that low, and the Boxster in 100th. Or the Fiat Marea being more reliable than a 3 series. The German TUV found the Ford Focus to be the most reliable car on more than one occasion yet this survey has it in 44th. Nuff said. I'm not saying that the 3 series is going to be more reliable than a Lexus btw. Lexi are in fairness bulletproof, better than Toyotas generally. Of the 2 the Lexus would be better no doubt about that.

And after July the Lexus certainly won't be cheaper either to buy or run. As for better built we've just had one poster tell us that the IS is not at all well built(the E90 does feel like a well made product incidentally and yes I have sat in one).

S.I.R

imo id just buy a saab 9000 turbo and spend the rest on lotto tickets if not , just use banger nomics... buy a banger and save your money for when the econemy collapses... then your ultra rich. !

CrowdedHouse

TheOneToBe wrote: »

thanks for info... good points.... how do you like your GTI?

The GTI is a really great car to drive.It can be quick when I want it to be.Runs like its on rails,in truth it's probably too fast for my middle age value system
Driven sensibly it can be surprisingly economical,high 30's to the gallon no problem(my journeys are usually open road,little town/in traffic driving)
I've had no problems with it in the 2 years I've owned it- no breakdowns,no squeaks or rattles.
From what I've been offered as a trade in seems to hold it's value very well(except at the dealer where I bought it :mad:)


Quibbles:Expensive insofar as the Irish spec in 06 had no AC of any sort (in a 36K car),in fact there is still only manual AC as standard.I added Climate control,leather,alarm..even a front armrest is extra,so it ended up over 40K-a lot of money for a Golf.

If you open the window during or after rain,the water pi**es in off the roof-unforgivable !
The standard stereo sound quality is very poor.
This time last year I found it difficult to get reasonable quotes from the major insurers-considering I have decades of accident free driving,although this year they all seem to have come down for me.

All in all though - a great car.

EDIT: BTW Red ones are fastest

JHMEG

E92 wrote: »

Did I mention reliability;)? I wouldn't be reading into that survey at all.

It's NOT a survey:
The list, compiled by independent mechanical breakdown insurer, Warranty Direct

Things that are better built last longer. Lexus put the effort into parts of the car the owner typically doesn't see.

IS220d is 2k cheaper than 320 at moment, and is a higher spec. Not sure how the VRT and road tax from July will be tho. You might be right. I can't find conclusive CO2 figures on either car for Ireland.