Author Topic: First Vehicle Purchase  (Read 3559 times)

chappy

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First Vehicle Purchase
« on: May 16, 2016, 03:08:52 PM »
Hi. First time vehicle buyer (no lease/finance unless it ends up being cheaper) here in Toronto, Canada.
It'll be mostly for commuting to/from work and camping trips (1-2hr drive) thrice a year.

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Vehicle requirements: Safety (side, front, knee airbags), manual, 2009+, hatchback, 5000-7000CAD, decent gas mileage, reliable enough. Fun and looks would be nice IF the monthly costs are comparable.
I've pretty much narrowed it down to three candidates...

2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe (Toyota Matrix), slightly lower gas mileage than I would like, but the rear seats fold down flat. Would be getting the Vibe and not the Matrix (due to the premium commanded by the Toyota badge).

Mazda 3 hatch, supposedly most fun to drive of all the hatchbacks, but there seems to be a lot of backhanded comments about rust. And since it's fun to drive, I'm worried that the insurance would be higher. Doesnt fold completely flat either. 1st or 2nd gen I think is ok. 3rd gen would be too expensive.

Hyundai Elantra Touring, most cargo volume/area of the three, but rear seats dont fold flat.

Kia Forte5, I cant seem to find any under 7k in my area.
Ford Focus hatch, similar to Kia Forte5.

Honda Fit, too expensive, and too small. Good cargo volume, but I tend not to stack things to the ceiling as to block my visibility.

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I plan to drive the vehicle until like 2025 or whenever used EVs gets below 10k so I'm definitely going to proper preventive maintenance on the ICE vehicle.
My main concern would be the on-going monthly costs. I'm budgeting 750CAD/month as I'm still deciding on the vehicle.

Gas: ~250
Insurance: ~200
Maintenance: ~300

Are my estimates for insurance and maintenance correct?

Gas is definitely going to be ~250CAD due to commuting to work. Luckily, it'll be all highway driving (moving closer wont make it cheaper since I'm living with parents).
Insurance... I'm 29, male in Scarborough, ON, Canada.
Regarding maintenance, I wouldnt mind changing the oil myself, but I have no idea where to dump the oil so all of the maintenance would be the local shop instead. Most likely wont be DIY except for washing it.

What other on-going costs should I budget for?

Thanks!
« Last Edit: May 16, 2016, 05:16:57 PM by chappy »

TXScout2

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Re: First Vehicle Purchase
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2016, 03:34:31 PM »
I think your insurance and maintenance costs seem high.  I live in the U.S., but I would think the costs would be comparable.  I own a 2001 Corolla that I bought in 2007 when I was 29 years old.  I have probably spent around $2k in maintenance total since I bought it.   That averages out to around $20 per month.  You could get unlucky and have a big repair up front, but even still, $300 a month would be some major maintenance.  I pay $40 a month for car insurance.   

prognastat

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Re: First Vehicle Purchase
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2016, 04:35:07 PM »
Insurance rates for unmarried men under 25 are much worse than any others. The OP didn't specify his age but since it is a first vehicle and with the high insurance mentioned I would assume this may be a part of it.

TXScout2

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Re: First Vehicle Purchase
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2016, 08:54:12 AM »
OP says he is 29. 

prognastat

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Re: First Vehicle Purchase
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2016, 08:55:42 AM »
Missed that. Then I have no clue why he is expecting it to be that high. Maybe just an extremely high estimate?

chappy

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Re: First Vehicle Purchase
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2016, 01:10:18 PM »
I expect insurance to range from 100-200/month. Dont have time to send in quotes of 5 different vehicles yet (3 models, but different generations).

As for maintenance, I still have this feeling at the back of my mind saying used cars equals more problems. That's probably why I'm using 300/month figure.
I also dont expect the seller to include winter tires+wheels so that's going to add like 600 for the set? I also dont know how often tires and brakes needs to be changed. Oil change sounds like it'll be around four times a year. Else, I dont know of any other on-going mainteance. I guess I'm just budgeting for in-case-something-big-breaks-down situation.
Maintenance would be everything else that's not gas, insurance, licence/registration.
I'm expecting roughly 20000km/year (12400miles).

Is 300CAD/month (230 USD) still too high? 200CAD/month (150 USD) would be better?

Thanks!

SJS

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Re: First Vehicle Purchase
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2016, 06:25:36 PM »
Check out Beepi.com - our neighbor just bought a used Audi (2015) and got a great deal on it! They delivery it right to your door - and you have like 10 days to return if you don't want the car!  Pretty cool new site for buying/selling vehicles. 

DeltaBond

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Re: First Vehicle Purchase
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2016, 11:34:26 AM »
I couldn't be happier with my 2003 Volvo wagon - all wheel drive, its not too low to the ground, great cargo room, leather durable interior, sun roof - I bought it in November for $4K.

GuitarStv

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Re: First Vehicle Purchase
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2016, 12:25:55 PM »
If you're worried about cargo capacity, get any small car and install a trailer hitch.  Then get a small trailer.  Probably can be done for under a grand all in.


I think your insurance and maintenance costs seem high.  I live in the U.S., but I would think the costs would be comparable.

In Ontario we pay some of the highest insurance rates in Canada, and generally an awful lot more than the US.

Sibley

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Re: First Vehicle Purchase
« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2016, 01:40:44 PM »
I had a 07 Vibe and I LOVED that car. Would love to have it again (mine got crunched by someone else). It had a bunch of little design stuff that was really good. I mean, really little. Seats folded flat, cargo hook spots in the trunk, the trunk was wide enough to fit a lot of stuff, etc.

galliver

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Re: First Vehicle Purchase
« Reply #10 on: May 18, 2016, 04:17:12 PM »
My bf and I went through our first car-buying experience about 1.5 years ago (moved to SoCal). I don't know how many of these are applicable to the process in Canada but here's how I would go about it if I did it again:

1) Internet research to produce a "short list" based on objective measures like MPG, price (KBB/Edmunds/TrueCar), rough size, safety, etc.
2) Test drive everything on the short list; tell the salespeople you aren't ready to buy, at all, they tended to be fine with that and didn't bother us about it. We politely smiled, nodded, and took their cards when offered. Test drives tell you the stuff you can't get from "on paper" data. Does the ceiling curve down too much? Is the seat uncomfortable? How does it respond to brakes, gas, and steering? And so forth. I expected to love a Honda Fit, but it really struggled to take a fairly low-grade hill, and we found ourselves wondering how it would handle camping trips in the mountains. Also didn't seem very safe to not have reserve power to accelerate out of a bad situation...
3) Collect all your data, make pro-con lists, sleep on it, Ouija board, etc to settle on a winner.
4) DO NOT negotiate face-to-face. Those dealers are *massive sleazeballs*. Our massive error: on our final "make sure we are happy with this" test drive we said we "might be willing to spring if you make us a deal". 4 hours later, we walked out, severely dazed. The only reason we walked out is there were 2 of us and we kept each other sane and honest.
5) INSTEAD, request an internet quote from every dealer within a reasonable radius (e.g. 100 mi). 3 hrs of driving is worth saving a few thousand bucks (if you can get someone to drive you, obviously). They'll start calling but mostly you can ignore them.
6) Compare the quotes you receive and let the lowest 2-3 know about each other (e.g. "X dealership made an offer for $1k less but they are an hour father away than you, dealership Y, do you think you can match it?" etc.) You'll be dealing with the internet sales department; in my experience they (a) don't assume you're an idiot who can't google and (b) are less obnoxious overall. We emailed with ours but my coworker followed the same procedure and ended up texting with his. Either way, much lower-pressure situation, you can think about your options, and no/less underhanded sales tactics. It was almost an enjoyable experience!
7) Once you're tired of haggling, inform the winner and ask them to hold the car for you until you can make it out to complete the purchase. (I guess maybe some places do delivery but I'm not familiar with that process).
8) Enjoy your new car and the brain cells you *didn't* lose by sitting in a dealership listening to sleazy sales tactics!

KarefulKactus15

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Re: First Vehicle Purchase
« Reply #11 on: May 19, 2016, 04:02:53 PM »
I had a 07 Vibe and I LOVED that car. Would love to have it again (mine got crunched by someone else). It had a bunch of little design stuff that was really good. I mean, really little. Seats folded flat, cargo hook spots in the trunk, the trunk was wide enough to fit a lot of stuff, etc.

I had a vibe too!  There were parts labeled "Toyota" all over that car.  ALl the important bits are toyota branded.    One thing, from my experience, I dont recommend the All wheel drive Vibes.   That was my biggest gripe, I lived in fear of the AWD fluid coupler failing.  + the FWD has much less parts. All my AWD components "seeped" lubrication. That annoyed the hell out of me, but wasnt worth fixing.