Topic: Looking at a new car...

[BlindDruid]

I drive a 2009 Kia Sedona with almost 170,000 km on it.  I have had no issues and the only maintenance has been the usual brakes and tires and regular oil changes. 

[Sasquatch]

Yeah I said that wrong.. I mean the cars are basically the same with a different skin.
Tech and all that are the same on many models, I think there are only a few that are unique to each brand.

[Broken Bones]

Yeah I said that wrong.. I mean the cars are basically the same with a different skin.
Tech and all that are the same on many models, I think there are only a few that are unique to each brand.

I get what you mean now, similarly how the Ford Focus and Mazda3 used to be the same car until Ford pulled out of Mazda ownership.

[psahlgren]

Hyundai SantaFe is an excellent vehicle; I own a 2010 myself, just love it.

[Broken Bones]

On saturday I went out and test drove the Subaru Impreza, Nissan Senata, Kia Forte, and Toyota Corolla.

The Impreza is a nice car, and the salesman was great (as we were test driving their service vehicle vs. a new one) in that he encouraged me to test the AWD by pulling off onto the gravel shoulder and accelerating to feel that the car doesn't want to pull you into the ditch like FWD cars do.  The only drawback I have on the car is that it lacks "value" in terms that you have to go to a pretty high price point to get 95% of the features I am looking for, and the trim line that addresses just my "needs" as oppose to "bonus wants" is only slightly cheaper than other vehicles that give offer me 100% needs and wants.

The Nissan Sentra was a nice drive, but I found the interior to be surprisingly "cheap" looking compared to other manufacturers with comparable models.

The Kia Forte is a nice car and has made my short list. One surprising yet very "cool" feature was the cooled front seats.  Not only do you have a heater for the winter months, but you can turn on the seat coolers which essentially gives you AC on your butt/lower back.  A very pleasant experience when I got into the car with black leather seats on the sunny day.  The Forte also includes air vents at the back side of the center console for the rear passengers.

Toyota Corolla S has also made my short list.  Pleasant drive, nice body design and well finished interior.  The only "knock" on it in comparison to the Forte was the lack of cooled seats and the rear air vents.  Though at the same time, no other car but the Kia Forte offered both of these.

So out of all the cars I have test driven, I have made a short list in no particular order.

Toyota Corolla
Kia Forte
Hyundai Elantra

And on the bubble is the Mazda3 and Subaru Impreza due to pricing/value.  To achieve 95/100% of my needs/wants I am looking at a +$30,000 car after taxes and negotiating discounts.

As dumb as it may seem, the Hynundai Elantra is nearly "off" the list simply because everybody has these cars.  Given the fact that it is essentially the same vehicle as the Kia Forte, you don't see as many Forte's out there as you do Elantra's.

[Metalhawk]

Kia has come a long way, but still tends to get a bad rap. Whether or not it's justified (or still being judged for past issues) isn't for me to say as I'm not knowledgeable enough for that.

Most cars you (and I) looked into are all over the road, from the Elantra to the Mazda 3 or the Corolla. It's just that most people are not willing to shell out astronomical amounts when a car at half or a third of the price would be just as good for 99% of us.

Now that you're almost there, it's time to dust off your negotiating skills.

[Broken Bones]

Yes, in reviewing many sites, included Consumer Reports, the reliability rankings for each brand is as follows.

Toyota, Mazda, Kia, and then Hyundai, all of which are in the top end of brand reliability.

And yes, these cars are all over the place.  But my impressions are this.  A huge portion of the Hyundai Elantra's I see are of the current design (2013-2015), the majority of Mazda3's are pre 2014 design (2007-2013 I believe), and I haven't spotted any current designs of the Toyota Corolla.

When I purchased my Dodge Caliber I was drawn to it for one main reason, the design, it stood out from the rest.  All other hatchbacks in 2007 looked like jelly-beans on wheels and the Caliber actually had an aggressive design like it could, potentially kick some ass on the road, which was likely achieved by the SRT version of the Caliber.

I like the Mazda3 because of its design and the positive reviews it gets in comparison to other brands.  It has style and good handling making it fun to drive while being fuel efficient.  The knock on all other brands is that it misses out on the "fun to drive" aspect.  For me personally, it is also a cost issue.  All my needs, wants, and fancy desires can be achieved with the Mazda3, but at a price.  I'd have to cut out half of these aspects to get a model that is more competitive in terms of pricing with the other brands.

Right now I am trying to decide between the Toyota Corolla and Kia Forte.  The Mazda is simply on the bubble as I like it, but it comes down to value as well.

I obtained invoice reports from Car Cost Canada for each vehicle which has put me in contact with large dealers closer to the West end of Ottawa.  Mazda is the only local dealer that is referred through CCC, which happens to be the dealer I visited when looking at the cars.

I'd like to buy "local" vs just going to these mass volume dealers, so I will be taking the numbers/offerings from these big dealers to my local dealer to give them a chance to beat it, or at least match and toss in some free winter tires.

[Broken Bones]

I decided to go with the fully loaded Corolla S.  I tried dealing with Orleans Toyota but they weren't willing to negotiate on anything below MSRP of $29,900.  My wife and my in-laws were so kind to remind me that my in-laws season tickets are beside the owner of the Toyota dealership in Brockville and they offered me $28,300.  After informing Orleans Toyota of the offer, suddenly they were able to offer me $28,200, but I couldn't have the manufacturer finance assist rebate of $500.  Well the Brockville Toyota wouldn't stop me from using it as it is a manufacturer rebate, not a dealer discount, no skin off their back.  They are also offering me $300 more on my trade-in, sight unseen, and committed in writing on the price.

I should have the Corolla on Thursday... I won't be missing my Dodge Caliber!

[Metalhawk]

Nice, but unless the offer from the Orleans dealer was significantly better, I still would have gone with the Brockville one out of principle. Just like Banks vs Mortgage Brokers at renewal time. The bank's absolute best, can't get anything better offer suddenly gets a lot better when they realize you talked to a mortgage broker that can offer you a much, much better rate.

[Broken Bones]

After the run around I had no real interest in dealing with Orleans Toyota unless they were able to beat $28,000.  I had told them they needed to beat that amount for me to consider purchasing the vehicle they had on their lot (black one) vs. having them run around trying to get me a preferred colour choice (red or blue).  Brockville dealer does have a $400 admin fee, which Orleans Toyota does not, which they won't budge on.  I am satisfied in paying it in this case as they have had to absorb the expense of swapping cars with another dealership, which either would be in Cornwall or Kingston.

Orleans Toyota would have only gotten my business had the actually beat $28,000 and didn't play games with the Toyota manufacturer rebate.