I Hate Car Shopping

I just helped my mother buy a little car. There are two websites I would recommend that make the decision and buying process much much easier.

the first one is Yahoo autos.... because you can choose the things that are important to you and then a list will come out... example... I want a car with three rows, seating from 6 to 7 people or seating 8.... you choose gas consumption, etc... so it really helps. They also have very complete reviews.

The other one is http://www.thecarconnection.com/new-cars It will tell you the right price to pay. That way you already know who is giving you the right price from the beginning. All this information helps to make the buying process much much easier.

In a personal note, I will be looking to buy a new Mazda 9.

Good luck!

I hate car shopping too and I used to work for General Motors as a "factory rep" on the service side of the house.
If you have the economic ability and want to keep the car for more than three or four years buy, don't lease. If you have to have the latest trinkets and toys on cars or trucks and are not able to make a car payment then lease.
My pickup is a 2003. I saved a bunch of money by buying. I also saved because I bought a "loss leader". (A "loss leader" is when the dealer orders a vehicle without the most popular options in a less popular color and then features the vehicle on their ads for a price that is actually below their actual cost to increase their floor traffic.) My truck was advertised at $16997 and cost the dealer $21,xxx. It didn't have power door locks and power windows. To have these options I would have had to buy a different truck for $6500 more. I decided I could roll up my own windows and lock and unlock my own doors for $6500. So not only did I save $6500, I also didn't pay sales tax or license tax, or etc. tax or interest on the $6500.
For me it has been well worth the savings. You have to decide if the savings are worth it to you.
If you lease, the salesman will always ask if you want your vehicle to be worth as much as possible at the end of the lease. Your answer is almost always yes. So the salesman raises the price of the vehicle on the lease. I've seen a leased vehicle "sold" for over list price to increase the "value" of the vehicle at the end of the lease. What you should do is settle on the price of the vehicle and then ask for it to be a lease. You'll save money on the monthly poayment and on how much you can buy the vehicle at the end of the lease.
If you really want to save money buy someones one or two year old vehicle. Almost 50% of the depreciation that occurs on a vehicle in the first 5 or six years happens in the first 12 to 24 months of a vehicle's life.
GOOD LUCK!

My husband and I purchased the caddilac SRX... it is an SUV but it gets really good gas mileage and does not cost a lot to fill up... It is a V6..... I felt the same with you about the SUV thing... but this has turned out to be an awesome car... we bought it two weeks ago this Friday.

Well I have a lease on my Honda Accord but I want to purchase it at the end of my lease. It is extremely roomy, gas friendly, and drives immaculate like the day we got it 2 years ago. I have had several cars in my lifetime, but have been more happy with my Accord than any other car. You should go test drive or check one out. I know now why Honda has great resale value and is one of the most dependable out their.

First off with leasing a vehicle is not a great idea because by the time you have driven it until your lease it up you could have bought 2 cars. They tend to heighten the prices so it's better to buy. My parents leased Saturns for a few years and noticed that now if they had just bought one it would have saved so much money. but I found this website you should check out and see if you like it. It tells you what trucks, vans, and SUV's have the best gas mileage. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bestworstEPAtrucks.htm hope that helped.

Never lease a vehicle. Also, you would be better off not to even finance anything.

My husband and I have been listening to Dave Ramsey for awhile and here are his AWESOME thoughts on car buying:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIgLyl66QxQ

Why not buy a cheap car and "make payments" to yourself in the amount you'd have paid for a lease or finance. Say you set aside $450/mo for 10 months, you'd have $4500 and your cheap car to sell for around what you originally paid for it. (Say it was $2500 just for kicks, then you'd have $7000 cash for a better used car in just 10 months). Pay yourself again for another 10 months and sell the one (still worth the same) and you have $11,500 for a great used car. You can do this till you can buy a new one with cash or drive this one and continue to "pay yourself" into a mutual fund or something. After a few years you'd have enough interest to buy another car right out and you could do this forever! Basically free cars for life because you're using the interest to do it:).

Check out some of Dave's ideas, seriously. Even if you don't implement everything you will see vast improvement in what you do:).

I recommend against leasing. You find yourself in the unenviable position of always making payments. Yes, the monthly payments are a bit higher when you buy, but at the end you actually own the vehicle. I think leasing is just throwing away money. And if you pick a vehicle with a reliable history, it will last you for years after you are done with payments. Of course, if you're someone who likes getting a new car every three years then maybe buying isn't for you.

As for type of vehicle to fit your family, may I suggest you don't rule out the minivan. I was soooooo not the minivan type, either, but guess what I've been driving for the past 7 years? A Toyota Sienna minivan -- and it really changed my mind about the whole minivan thing. It seats up to 8, has good gas mileage, has a spacious interior and is very comfortable on long drives, and I've never had any major mechanical issues. I expect to be driving it for at least 3 more years before I seriously consider getting a new car, and have been car payment free for several years no. And the new Sienna gets even better gas mileage. Of course the caveat is whether or not you trust Toyota now . . .

But if you're absolutely sure the minivan is not for you, I've seen a lot of nice crossover vehicles on the road lately. Chevy has a bunch, such as the Traverse and Equinox. Or how about the Honda Pilot? In the next few days while you're driving around, take a look at the other vehicles on the road and see what piques your interest.

I drive a Ford Explorer, my Mom drives a Chevy Equinox. We both have the convenience of hauling 5 + lots of cargo, I have 4WD/she has AWD, & we both get 22mpg. For both of us, the trade-off between the mpg & the cargo space/all terrain capability is doable.

My Explorer is definitely a SUV, but her's feels more like a cross-over. She chose this after a lifetime of larger sedans & loves the convenieces it provides while still offering some luxury. Soooo, maybe a cross-over would be more of an option for you.

As for the lease vs. purchasing, my entire family firmly believes in purchasing. Having that equity (even allowing for depreciation) is a nest egg of sorts.....if one of us lost our job, then we wouldn't have to worry about making a car payment. & there is no harm in driving an older vehicle, especially when it means the difference in putting food on the table or not!

We love our 2009 Dodge Journey, it gets good gas mileage and has third row seating :) Good luck!

I really like my Buick Enclave. It is like a cross between a SUV and a car....so plenty of room, but good gas mileage. I got it last March from the dealership in Lewisville on I35. I worked with Ruben. He showed me the invoice, and pointed out all the available rebates. There was no negotiating. Ultra-simple. Loved the process! -- (We had leased the car before, but went back to purchase. I hated on being on a timeline where I had to get a new car by a certain date.)

My husband is in the auto sales industry and many banks aren't leasing anymore as a result of the changes in financing due to the economy. With the problems toyota is having I'd stay away from them for now. My husband sells fords so he has a ford five hundred, it looks like the vw passat and has plenty of room for three kids and an extra bigger kid or adult. We also used to have a Nissan maxima or Altima, lots of room in those as well. Accords are also bigger, and i love the passat too. His suggestion is to do most of your research online, to discover how much cabin space you need, what features you want, etc. Then you can usually check a dealership's inventory online and go in informed, so no one's time is wasted looking at cars you don't want!

Mazda's "new" crossover vehicle, the CX-9 is a very nice vehicle. The mileage isn't fantastic, but isn't horrible either. I think it is around 20-22 mpg. But the CX-9 has a 3rd row and seats 7. Comfortably. I mean.. with actual legroom in all 3 rows. I test drove a few, but it isn't in our budget to buy right now.

I would NEVER lease a vehicle. If you can't afford to buy a new model then buy something 1 or 2 years old (look inside the driver door frame for the manufacture date of the vehicle... it might be an '08... but was actually manufactured in '07.. that's how they had the 2010 models out last October, lol). As soon as you drive your brand new vehicle off the lot.. well actually, you don't even have to drive it.. you just have to have the papers written up that will show the vehicle has been bought/owned, your vehicle will depreciate a minimum of $1,500.
The CX-7 is nice also, but is a little smaller and I don't think it has the 3rd row.

As for sedan's, my husband has a 2003 Mazda 6 that has more room in the backseat than most cars (still only 3 seatbelts though of course). The newer ones are supposed to be even bigger inside.. so you might check them out as well. Never had any mechanical problems with it. It has almost 180,000 miles on it now and still running just fine.

Do you like SUVs but are unsure of gas milage issues only? I say that becasue a friend has a kIa sorento and LOVES it. She bought it for the look, gas milage and room. Because of that review and a few others I have actually put that vehicle on my list to look into one the next time this task rolls around.
Personally, I am a station wagon gal (insert groans here). Volvo and subaru make some great ones if that reveiw helps and you are at all interested.
Good luck!

I am currently driving the Chevy Malibu - you can follow that story at www.girlfriendgetawaydfw.com - but if you are looking for something that can take everyone comfortably, you might check into the Chevy Traverse which I thought was a non-minivan alternative (my in real life car IS a minivan so you may want to disregard everything I say :)) haha.

Happy car shopping.

If you have leased your last 4 cars, then you probably know already better than any of us if it's right for your situation. But I think you are going to have to find a compromise between a medium-sized vehicle and fuel economy. Generally speaking, the larger the car, the bigger the back seat. It doesn't sound like you are needing a third-row seat but want a sizeable car if you are looking the Avalon. The vehicles that compete with the Avalon are the Buick Lucerne, Chrysler 300, Chevy Impala, Ford Taurus, Dodge Charger and Pontiac G8. Have fun shopping!