Hate car shopping

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Bummer on the smash up. Happy hour wife is unharmed.

Marla has a 2015 Nissan Rogue. I don't know if it qualifies as a crossover however she loves it. It's the newer version of the last Nissan she had, the XTrail. It was never marketed in the US but it was trouble free and comfortable.
 
I like the rogue but dislike the local dealership. Test drove a RAV4 and Mazda CX-5 tonight, preferred the Toyota. I like the look of the Subaru Crosstrek will be test driving one. Also like the Chevy Equinox but too many of those in the family. Honda CR-V also has a good reputation. Decisions decisions.
 
If I was looking new......Subaru

We love our Highlander. Ours is a 2007 with 60k on it. The newer models are bigger.
I love to shop for cars........hate to pay for them.
 
Glad everyone is safe. The Hyundai Santa Fe (and Kia cousin) is nice and great value. However if you are 6ft or taller the driving position can be uncomfortable. Ours killed my knees (something hard to find outvduring the short test drives)so we had to trade it in.

I would recommend trying to rent what ever model you are serious about for about a week. Yes, renting can be expensive but it is worth it if it helps you determine if that car is good for you. It helped when we looked at minivans.
 
Glad your wife is okay. I wouldn't trade our new Honda HR-V for anything. The magic seats are great. We looked at Mazdas, Subarus, Kias, Hyundais, Toyotas etc and are very happy we went with Honda. We didn't need the extra size of the CR-V and didn't like the shape.

Michael
 
I know what you mean about car shopping...would rather go to the dentist!

However, look at all of the great news
- your wife didn't get hurt (hopefully neither did the kid)
- that kid and their insurance company just turned your Mazda into a Porsche!

WIN-WIN!! errr, I mean Vroom-Vroom~
 
Having just run the car buying gauntlet, I can relate to your situation. I highly recommend that you do most of your shopping on the internet. Read the reviews, check the real blue book values and decide which make and model you want. Then you can go online and advise all the local dealers exactly what you're looking for and wait for the barrage of emails and phone calls. Get the lowest price from your research and let them know that whoever meets your needs first with make, model, color, price etc, gets the deal. They don't like this, but that's business. If you're planning on buying a newer model used car, check to see how it stacks up against a 2015 "leftover". I found that I could buy a brand new truck for cheaper than a new, used one. I ended up buying a new 2015 Toyota Tacoma and got over $4000 off of sticker price. The same truck new, used was $2000 more. Several dealers stated that they couldn't/wouldn't meet the price so I wished them luck. Also, if you're 'going to finance the car, have all of your financing worked out before you ever show up at any dealers even if it's just to test drive the car. By the way, I am also a big Toyota fan. My last vehicle was a 2000 Toyota 4Runner which I bought new and put over 347,000 miles on it before I sold it. I buy my vehicles for the long haul. Good luck and do your research and financing first. It really pays off in the end and makes the car shopping must less of a hassle.

Jim Smith
 
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More bad news, wife's rental car has heated seats. Guess what is a must have now.

The kid that hit her was unhurt, shaken up but physically fine. He had a lot of mass and metal on his side.

As for American made, five of the top 10 cars made with the most American made parts and labor are either Toyota or Honda according to the following article. I do have the equinox and enclave on my list of possibilities.

10 Most American-Made Cars of 2014 - TheStreet
 
I've had an Equinox for three years. It's my company car, and I actually like it. It's the 4-cyl model, and I feel that it is grossly underpowered. I've inly had a couple of minor problems, but those are mostly drivetrain/suspension related, and my car is off-road all day at work (not smooth surfaces). The mileage is fair (I don't pay for gas, but I still pay attention to fuel use). It seems better constructed than any other GM I've had, the dash doesn't rattle at all, but there is substantial road noise.

I've always loved Toyota's products, but couldn't say anything about their products built since about 1995.

Anyhow, there's a free review of the Equinox :)
 
Several friends of mine have used a broker service to purchase new vehicles. No salesmen to mess with, no "how much will you give me", deals seem fair and fast.
 
Car dealerships love to confuse things....Generally I go in and tell them that I want to see just one price - exactly how much they want for their car with everything included so if I buy when they come with the contract it will say exactly what they told me - and absolutely nothing else. And I will walk if that isn't what I see. If I am trading something in which I might or might not be I tell them I want to see two prices the first the same as above and the second how much they will give me for my car so If I subtract that from the price they want for their car I will have the contract price....There is usually a dealer who will do that (and quite a few that won't). It is surprising though, how many 'sales managers' will try to call you back when you really do head for the door.
 
Whatever your strategy to get the best price, it needs to have been made known your viable intent to "walk" if your terms are not met. You need to get that worked out with yourself before you ever even contact the dealers. Something along the lines of Smitty's post #17.

If you do not have your terms locked down (in your own mind), the you will likely loose. The reason is simple: the dealer reps are experienced at getting a good deal for the dealer (including getting lots of high profit stuff added in)...the buyer is not experienced in getting a good deal. I had to be actually walking toward the door on my last new car purchase iot get the deal I would accept. It was hard to do, as I really wanted the vehicle that was under consideration, and I live on Kauai. That means only one dealer for each make of vehicle. At the point I was handed off to the guy that actually did the contract, he was just shaking his head, acknowledging the great deal I had just negotiated.

I wish you well in your efforts. Preparation is everything...
 
We love our Subaru Outback. It gets us where we need to go for all our son's Scout trips (all wheel drive and good clearance), it has a lot of room (we have had our son's complete drum kit in the back and I use it as my home away from home on scout outings -- I'm too old for tents and the ground!), has a great safety rating (peace of mind as it is the car our son is learning to drive in), and still gets pretty good mileage. Not sure if it is a "crossover" though (all the new buzzwords just confuse me :confused: ).
 
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My wife has a 2010 Hyundai Veracruz and it's been great. The Veracruz was replaced with a longer version of the Santa Fe and is even better for 2016,
 
Cwalker935 said:
My wife and her car were assaulted by a full size pick up yesterday. 18 year old kid ran a stop sign. Thanks to air bags my wife escaped unharmed but her car did not fare so well. So I find myself in the car market. Car salesman talk faster than I can process things. Shopping for a crossover, any suggestions?

Link to photos of the wife's car:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/18458935/Mazda pics.docx
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She scuffed it didn't she... glad she's okay ... cars can be replaced.

Can't give you any advice worth listening to on the car... I've been driving a 1996 Toyota Avalon for the last 10 or 12 years... great car, has over 290K miles on it and still runs like new... just put first major work into it last month with new CV joints on the front wheels, front wheel brakes, some AC work and a new motor on the driver's side window. but it's not a cross over...
 
The next time a car needs to be purchased it will be with a particular vehicle in mins, not something they think you should have. Then go find someone who will fill the bill. Lots of good suggestions being offered by others.
Good luck, I'd like to see what you settle on. .
 
So after 2 nights and one day of test driving crossovers, I still had a list of 5 vehicles that I would be willing to purchase. Each vehicle offered advantages and disadvantages. So I devised a scoring system that considered safety rating, appearance, warranty, mpg, comfort, size (legroom, headroom, and cargo space) and price with extra weighting for price. That eliminated 2 of the vehicles and now I am down to 3. I am awaiting some pricing info on one of those. I am finding that by asking for the Costco price that in most cases I am getting prices lower than suggested by online research. I am down to a Subaru Crosstrek (preferred appearance, smaller in size, slightly lower comfort), CR-V (appearance so so, larger in size, more comfortable) and a Rav-4 (2nd best appearance, otherwise same as the CR-V). Still awaiting pricing on Rav-4. I eliminated the Mazda CX-5 because it seemed to offer less options for more money and there was something about it that I just did not like. I did not like their sales approach either. It did not make it to my scoring round. I also eliminated the Buick Encore which ranked high appearance wise and in comfort because it was too small and too pricy. I liked the HR-V but it is smaller and I did not think that it offered as good a value as the others.
 
My car shopping is over and everything is settled with the insurance company. My wife is now happily driving a red Toyota RAV-4. Hope I do not have do this again for awhile.
 
My wife just bought a new GMC Terrain, her 15 year old Dodge van gave up the ghost.. We love it plenty of room and power.. Glad you and wife are ok.. Black Friday all month long get a 5,000 off list price
 
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We always go straight to Consumer Reports for their car info (you can find them online now too). Excellent help with decision-making. They also have suggestions for buying used cars, too.
 
Cwalker935 said:
My car shopping is over and everything is settled with the insurance company. My wife is now happily driving a red Toyota RAV-4. Hope I do not have do this again for awhile.
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Great minds think alike!
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