Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Sorry, I know this is ling, but I'm organizing my thoughts.
You might be able to skip to the *******
So, after rolling my suburban (its going to be my ugly tow vehicle from now on.... 2500, 4x4, 17 years old 123k) and the car I took to settle a debt being less than reliable I'm VERY tempted to pick up a light truck.
V4 or 6, "some type" of extended cab, and I'd REALLY like the 6' bed over the 4' El Camino essentially 4 door Nissan frontiers I've seen.
-many things I could use a bed for.
(I've had to park the car 5 miles from.my house at a buddies place and switch vehicles to get home. I don't need 4x4 EVERY day, but...)
I went to look at a 17 year old Frontier with 158k on it for $6k.
Guy used it as a 4x4 toy, and records indicated there would be a transmition replacement in its future.
I thought of offering less on account and having it done so them I knew it had a new transmition. (Did this with my 4 runner, I've always drive old/junky cars.) But there were some other questions.
And I was sitting there leaning on the tailgate and I realized "I don't have to"
I have the money (save your bit about financing, I'll only borrow on property.)
So I started looking at nicer vehicles.
I couldn't care less about trim, and I kinda liked the manual windows in that $6k one.
Bed, not standard cab, MPG, 4x4, basic radio and cruse control is all I care about.
I've had 3 foot surgeries so I'm trying to avoid a manual, but I might as they seem MUCH cheaper.
*************************
As age matters much less to me than miles I'm looking by:
Take the purchase price
Divide that by the numbers left before hitting 250k (should be a reliable daily driver/light hauler at least that far.)
And what I'm finding (other than the outright absurd) is:
1. Like the trucks above "needing work" that I think might not be worth getting (I'm 35, Medically retired from the Corps. I CAN work on cars, but don't like to, and.... it hurts.)
2. 100k-160k or so, $15k-$18k ($13k is 180k miles or more)
3. And then <50,000 miles for $23k (a couple 2015's today)
With NEW being perhaps as low as $26k
-I saw a 2010 with 123k on it at a stealer ship today.... they wanted $21k! Said the "trim" made the difference when I said I'd just seen a 5 year newer vehicle with 70k less on it for $2k more!
Using my "price divided by miles till a quarter million"
I'm coming up with $0.13-$0.10/mile cost regardless of age.
And it's actually making the idea of buying new and driving it for the next 15 years look more attractive (words I never thought I'd say!)
-$5,000 ÷ 50,000 miles is $0.10/mile. About in line with other
costs, and it takes "other owner" questions out the equation.
My concern is total price per "unit of use" not sticker.
I DO need to sit down and look at the cost of insurance though.
Perhaps I should forget the whole thing and either fix the car or get another. I have to drive ~120 miles 2-3x/week round trip to the doctor, and the suburban at 12MPG HURTS!
I WAS planning on driving this car into the ground (found out after the fact the people I got it from "didn't believe in changing the oil" the next few years while I pick up my investment property and my first 4 plex and THEN getting the truck (which I want)
I could still swing it, but it might delay the deal while I cash out some other assets... or I could stop "getting by" and just get what I want.
What amazes me is the "flat line costs" of these light trucks throught their lifespan.
Any advice to a guy used to driving $2k-$5k junkers?
Again, sorry for the length.
Ps: also.... I've only bought 1 vehicle from a dealership.
How much "wiggle room" is there in a used or new vehicle.
Could I get one of those $23k, sub 50,000 mile 2015 trucks for $20k? (I know my "cash offer" won't impact it much as they make money by fonancing, but I have no experence barganing for cars. (Although I'm good at haggling in general.)
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,642 posts, read 81,333,263 times
Reputation: 57884
Quote:
Originally Posted by Themanwithnoname
Ps: also.... I've only bought 1 vehicle from a dealership.
How much "wiggle room" is there in a used or new vehicle.
Could I get one of those $23k, sub 50,000 mile 2015 trucks for $20k? (I know my "cash offer" won't impact it much as they make money by fonancing, but I have no experence barganing for cars. (Although I'm good at haggling in general.)
I'm skipping to the PS.
I have bought brand new and used vehicles, for $4,000-5,000 off of the asking price. It's just a matter of negotiation, and being willing to walk away if they don't agree to your terms. My 2007 Ranger Supercab 4x4 4.0 V6 was listed at about $26k in late 2006, and I bought it for $22k. From 23k to 20k is very reasonable, and there are many trucks, especially Tacomas available in that price range to choose from.
Ranger xtended cab or 4 door, or the tacoma 4 door is the best thing going for a used truck.
Even the honda ridgeline, used , is a good deal right now, since a redesign is out already.
I would still go used, and refresh what i get with new fluids and a good tune up. At least i would not loose thousands in the first month of new ownership.
Look further afield.... shipping isn't difficult and need not be terribly expensive.
I'll plug my truck (not mine, it's not for sale, just something to look for) ~ Toyota T100. If you stick with the 1996~1998 models you'll get the 5VZ-FE V6 motor that's been Well proven (has oil leaks around the valve covers sometimes), my 4x4 extended cab routinely gets 18mpg with mixed driving though I've seen mid 20's with all highway, 6' bed, basically hits all your requirements. I'm just over 180k on mine, have had zero failures of any sort in 14 years. Wait, one battery failure... sorta to be expected to need a battery in that time though.
Couple more years and in most states you'll be able to apply for historic tags to save some $$$ too.
How much "wiggle room" is there in a used or new vehicle.
Could I get one of those $23k, sub 50,000 mile 2015 trucks for $20k? (I know my "cash offer" won't impact it much as they make money by fonancing, but I have no experence barganing for cars. (Although I'm good at haggling in general.)
On a new vehicle, the wiggle room is all in the incentives and holdback. There's just not a lot of markup. Trucks typically have more than cars.
Used cars are typically marked up by a significant margin so the dealer can show some schlub who's in love with his old car a bigger trade-in number than it's worth. On an outright purchase of a used vehicle priced at $23K I'd have no qualms about coming in with an offer of about $17K in the hope of ending up somewhere in the middle. $20K is more than reasonable, provided the $23K they're advertising hasn't already been discounted significantly.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
