When is the best time to get an '05 car?

[DG9]

I am finally thinking of getting an '05 something, but am not sure when the best price breaks occur.

Anyone have any thoughts on this.  Do not want to wait until all that's left are pink 4cyl specials either...

May still go used too  ...

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[John Masterson]

If you look at the the typical price curve of a car, it drops the steepest during the first 3 years, and then levels out more.

When I buy a car, I first decide on the vehicle I want. Then I look up the average price for the vehicle at 1 year old, 2 years old, 3, 4, and 5 years old.  I then plot the curve and look at where the curve "flattens, ...then buy that make at that age.

Usually it's 3 years old, depending on the brand.

I then meticulously maintain the car and keep in another 5 years or so.

Right now I have a 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan all-wheel-drive that I really like. I am 6'4", and the 6-way power drivers captain chair fits me perfectly. Extremely comfortable for me.

I bought it from an physician who had decked it out with all the options: leather, premium sound system, tinted glass, rear air, and of course the all-wheel drive, etc. It was a $29,000 car, that I got for just $9500, 6 years ago. It has run great for me.

Of course, some people get a real pleasure from having a newer car, and are willing to part with much more of their money to do it. That's fine. It'll just cost you quite a bit more to drive.

As far as the "I buy new because I want a reliable vehicle" argument, it really doesn't stand up to examination any more. And it'll really cost you.

Japanese, and even American cars today are very reliable and do not rust like they used to. My wife bought a 3-year-old Toyota Camry EX for $14k and has never had a single problem in the nearly 3 more years that she's had it.

I just make sure I buy the 3-year-old car from a person who has the service records, or can tell me the dealer they took it to where I am allowed to verify the records of maintenance.

If they changed the oil and rotated the tires, then that's my main clue that they took car of it. Rotating the tires is the big thing. It shows a certain good attitude, in my view.

--- JM

[jsicuran]

Wow have not been here a long time.Too busy billing and learning. What's with all the changes?

Picked up a new 05 vette fully loaded, through my company. RA!

[John Masterson]

So how much does the loaded Corvette cost per month...including insurance?

--- JM

[jsicuran]

Under a K a month so I deduct it. Only put down 2k and had a GM loyalty rebate of $1500.00. Will pay it off at end of year.

Hell still cheaper then my analyzers I was paying like $1400.00 a month for 3 years for those units from 1997 to 2k but hey they made me 800k in revenue and still do.

Check out the plates...

www.amilabs.com/vette.htm

The car is awesome what a blast.... RA!!!!

[DG9]

Very helpful, thanks!  Just test drove a bunch of new ones and did not find them much better than current car  .

Time to start plotting, thanks again!

[John Masterson]

jsicuran,

Clearly you are rich and can afford a $90,000 car or whatever it is. Nearly a millionaire by now or better, I'd guess.

Network consulting in New York City has been extremely lucrative for you. Good for you!

Enjoy your Corvette!

--- JM

[John Masterson]

DG9 said: "Just test drove a bunch of new ones and did not find them much better than current car."

Yeah, a car is basically a car, for the most part, in my opinion. I get a lot more excited by other things I'd rather spend my gold on.

--- JM

[DG9]

Good going!  Continued success!!!

[DG9]

JM said: Yeah, a car is basically a car, for the most part, in my opinion. I get a lot more excited by other things I'd rather spend my gold on.

DG says: Same here.  My current transportation is starting to bleed me on repairs and become unreliable.

I could not believe how "unexcited" I was when I took out the new cars.  I have not done that for QUITE a while!

The salemen kept wanting to help me get into "more" car, I just kept looking for safe, reliable transportation that would hold some value.  Will most likely go back to buying used.  The thrill is gone...  

Thanks again for the input JM.

[The Original Dinosaur]

Well, DG9, you're showing signs of age, i. e. maturity.

These days, I'm happy with my 1991 Voyager AWD, like JM's, essentially.  But I've owned some real toys in my time - 1963 Sunbeam Alpine (shaved the head and put in a 3/4 cam, good for 120 mph and really impressive accelleration), 1974 Fiat X/19, etc.

The minivan is a highly utile package - big enough for dogs and soccer kids, lots of groceries, and easy for grandparents and elderly dogs to enter and exit.  If you don't go off-road you don't need an SUV.  AWD lets you navigate some pretty serious snowbanks.

Lessee, now, my cars.

Age:

15, 1931 Essex (entry level Hudson), a very bad car even in 1931

16, 1947 Chevy fat-fender coupe, today I would trick it out with a small-block

17, 1937 Ford V8-60, solid Ford bodywork, puny 2.0 engine

18, 1941 DeSoto 4-door, the best damn car I ever had

19, 1949 Ford coupe, I really liked the instrument panel, the last of the 24-stud engines

19, 1947 Hudson, a solid family car, not outclassed by competitition, just outsold

20, 1948 Chrysler New Yorker coupe - very fast, smooth ride - 18 MPG overall, good for 125 MPH

21- 1950 DeSoto convertible (red), see my stories about Wild Willie

22, 1950 Chevy - totally mundane

23, 1948 Packard, geez I wish I had kept it

24 - 26, 1941 Plymouth, dad's car, strong runner, 240K miles with 2 engine rebuilds

30, 1952 DeSoto, fast - 115mph on frozen dirt roads in northern Minnesota

27 - 33, 1955 DeSoto, great car, small Hemi

35, 1969 Ford Galaxie 500, loaded - strong runner, got busted for 110 mph near Kearny, NE

36, 1971 Ford Pinto - I insisted on the 2.0 German Ford engine vs the 1.6 English one and disc brakes - retired at 105K miles due to body rust

39, 1974 Fiat X/19, later known as the Bert-one - one of the best sports cars of all time

40, 1975 Mercury Monarch, a very nice car

43, 1978 Chevrolet Malibu (lease car), adequate

44, 1979  Pontiac Bonneville, a really good GM car

45, 1980 Pinto wagon, a good package for transporting kids and standard Poodles and such - retired in 1998 after 190K faithful miles due to undercarrige damage inflicted by teenage son

46, 1979 Ford Fairmont, grandma's car - rugged and easy to fix, survived two cylinder head rebuilds

47, 1988 Ford Festiva - 48 mpg, really nice car for commuting and daily driver

47, 1985  Dodge Caravan - the second model year for the minivan which saved Chrysler Corp's bacon.  Not a good car, but the package sold thousands.

And since then the Voyager.

[Jim in Chicago]

To get the best price and the least depreciation?

2009....

[jsicuran]

Thanks JM, remember I have been driving my frist and only new car for 15 years before I got the vette. It's up on the link, the ole jalope. I waited and waited. I am very practical that way too. Many of my consulting buddies in the mid and late 90s, when things were booming, were driving around in BMWs etc and I was still driving around in my old car. Just a matter of priorities. I needed a new car and also wanted the "gift for my hard work" toy also so it worked out.

I was also out of the game for a couple of years to work on the wireless venture and I always lived below or within my means so when it came time to get a fun new car, I had something ready.

Yes NY has and is still good. a bill 60/hr and with the same client a special side project for 2 bills/hr for several days. This was a major subidary sale thing and I had to be a subject matter expert in front of ceo's and a room full of lawyers. Very high level. Great experience.  

When this is over I will take another look at the state of the wirless industry and I have the internal company research projects to complete.

Who knows my next gig may only be $85-100/hr but as long as you learn who cares..

Man this place has changed. Going through some threads it looks like a change in management. What happend to Geek?

More topics too.

Funny it has been 3 years since this place started and not much has changed.

Good luck to all.

See you in another 6 months..

[The Original Dinosaur]

Quote:Man this place has changed. Going through some threads it looks like a change in management. What happend to Geek?

Bigger changes in the works.  See "About" section.