Rep Power: 396

Yesterday, I started hitting the dealers. My friend Neal knows a Salesman at the local Hyundai Dealer, so we went there. I now pay $230.64 a month and I have 3 years left on my loan till I own the car. I can either buy or lease a new car, Im not sure which I want to do.

The first car I looked at was a 02 Silver Elantra GLS with 15k miles, automatic and it was in excellent condition. It was also certified. They were asking $10,900 for the car but I could of gotten in for $8300. It was a nice car. It was also certified. I could of gotten it for $162 a month for 5 years, with the trade in of my car and no money down. My car is worth $10,200, plus the tax I will save if I trade it in, and I also still owe $7813.08 on my loan. If I add more money I can get it for cheaper.

The second car that I l looked at was a brand new 03 Hyundai Accent Gt Hatch, It was Silver with .8 miles on the odometer. It had the leather wrapped steering wheel, shift ****(Auto), sport seats, and suspension, no power windows, no power locks, no tilt. It also had a rear spoiler, and side skirts, white face gauges, and it was new. The bad thing was there wasnt much leg room in the back. The sticker was $12,300 and I could of gotten that car for under $10,000 with a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty. The loan would be $165 for 5 years. If I put some money down it would be less. I drove it too. It was a little slow, but thats not what im looking for. It has a DOHC 1.6, but you wouldnt believe it if you drove it.

Today, I am going to hit the honda dealer, because my friend, Stephan is a salesman there and they have specials on the sedan civic, for leasing.

I still want to look at other cars. I will tell you what I am looking for. I am looking for low mileage if it is used. A low payment under $180. a month. Maybe a lease, or maybe financing, automatic, good on gas, cheap to maintain, Preferrably a sedan....

Anyone have any advice on where I should look? What dealer? If you have any recommendations with the above qualities, please let me know.
Thanks.


Do you think its worth it to keep my car and pay the remainder of 3 years off on it or do you think I should get another car, even though I will have 5 years to pay it off?

 
Rep Power: 310

Whats wrong with your Honda? Is it a lemon? If it was looking for a new car, I'd be looking for a another Japanese product versus Korean at the moment. I'm not hatin' on Korean cars, but IMHO theyre just not as reliable yet. Hyundai however has come along way since they first started selling in the states. KIA, Daewoo just arent appealing to me either.

If I was going for used, I would be looking at something certified like an earlier Honda Accord, Civic or even Acura's that fall within budget. Maybe even an earlier Toyota Camry or Corolla.

That Accent is eewww btw.. not my cup of tea.

 
Rep Power: 396

I am looking for a cheaper, Automatic car. My car is a stick and I do not want stick now. I also want a lower payment or no payment because I need to save for future plans, engagement...marriage etc....I like Hyundais, there quality is up there with honda's quality....If not a little better.
I have had many problems with my 01 civic, most of them have been fixed but I still do have other issues. I am very unsatisfied with my civic and I am also very unhappy with Honda's quality of the car.

 
Rep Power: 0

the tibby! or maybe you should take a look at saturns, they've come a long way from before also. there's also some rumors about the focus getting a new 2.3L powerplant

 
Rep Power: 396

I am looking for a sedan, not a sport car...so the Tiburon is out of the question. As for the Focus, I wouldnt buy one....

 
Rep Power: 310

But the Accent isnt a sedan...

Anyways, if your stuck on Hyundia's, the first car doesnt sound like a bad deal. I havent researched them on reliability, but the one you mention is certified for whatever thats worth. As far as Hyundai quality being up there with Honda or even better, thats debatable. Hyundai's to have always been a lesser car in each category, but thats just my opinion.

 
Rep Power: 396

I know the accent I said above wasnt a sedan, but I can get it in a sedan. I am still going to look.....around. Maybe I can lease an Altima or a camry or a sonata....Im not sure what I should do yet...I dont want to make a mistake. I still gotta goto Honda. Maybe I can get a civic or the Element....on a lease.

 
Rep Power: 583

id say go find a nice used corolla or used civic 7thgen sedan. thy hyundai isnt bad, but i got a stigma about those cars. still dont trust them.

dont get a saturn, they suck. dont get a cavalier, they suck. dont get a ford, they suck. altho, i drove my sisters 97 escort when she got it and it wasnt too bad. i just hate the plastic feel of cars, and these on the dont list are ALL plastic.

look for a used jetta or golf 4 door. you wouldnt believe how much room is in the golf, those things are spaceous. the thing is they dont lose value that fast, so getting one cheap might be tough.

 
Rep Power: 396

I used to work for VW, and I wont buy a VW....Talk about low quality and bad reliabilty.....VW's still have there problems. I was just looking at Toyota's website, maybe I will take a ride over to the dealer to see what the leases are going for...

 
Rep Power: 0

a Tiburon would be nice. if you go to Toyota, get a celica.

 
Rep Power: 0

how about a corolla??

 
Rep Power: 0

i know you said you had a friend who was a salesman at a Honda dealership so he could probably give you a good deal, but if not PS Honda on Northern blvd has some pretty good deals as well

 
Rep Power: 396

Thanks Hank...but I dont like P.S. Honda, been there before and had a friend that had alot of problems with them. If I buy a honda, it would be from South Shore Honda...

I was looking at the corolla S on line last night, and I was thinking about looking into a lease on one....New or maybe buying a used one.

 
Rep Power: 0

"don't want a stick anymore"....

did anybody not see this....I"m ashamed...nah I'm just messing.....LOL

Seriously though, I'd stay away from the Huyndai, granted they have made alot of improvment over the years but would you rather have the most improved player on your team or the best player? I'd stick with Honda, Toyota or even Mazda, did you look at the Madza Protege? It's a 5 dr (wagon), you can get it in automatic and it's pretty fast.

 
Rep Power: 396

Yeah I considered the MAzda, but I have never really been fond of Mazda, or Mitsu's when it comes to Reliable Japanese cars. If I was going to get a Wagon, I would get the Matrix or a used Outback.

I dont know what to do.....The whole thing is that I want to be able to save more money. Im thinking that maybe I will just refinance my car and lower my payment.

Its not that I dont like the stick shift, I do...I guess Im just getting lazy in my old age....lol.

I would rather stick with honda, toyota, or subaru....

 
Rep Power: 0

 
Rep Power: 412

I think most of hyundai's cars are of very good reliablity. I would stay away from the Santa Fe, but the others are pretty good. They have made TREMENDOUS strides in their quality controls. As far as corolla's are concerned, I took a test drive and I didn't like it too much. I would consider the Nissan Sentra also. The base is pretty cheap. It is a good car. You can get a pretty fast one (Se-R) for less than a civic. Great cars.

 
Rep Power: 0

Hyundai is at sort of a cusp. The reliability issues seem to be improving, but there just isn't the track record yet to prove it. I do know someone with a 98 Elantra with about 60,000 miles without major problems, but minor things, hinges breaking, leaks, but nothing real expensive to fix. Mileage will not be as good as a Honda but only maybe 4 mpg between the Civic and Elantra. So if you don't do a huge amount of driving it shouldn't be too noticeable.

You might want to look into the Corolla or even the Matrix which is built on the Toyota platform or perhaps the Pontiac Vibe the Matrix clone which is made in the GM plant controlled by Toyota.

I think possibly that the is a rebate on the Corolla of $500? Check Edmunds or ask the dealer. Around here the rebate plus a discount of around $700 has been advertised. That's not bad for Corolla's since rebates are rare and discounts are usually meagre since the car is not too expensive to begin with.

Post back here to tell what you find out. I am interested in the Corolla and I'd be interested in hearing about your test drive experience, if you have one.

 
Rep Power: 396

I havent gone to any more dealers yet, but I will be going to some this week and this weekend. I saw a special lease on one of the local honda websites for a Accord LX sedan at $139 a month. I am hoping it isnt a misprint. I am going to call my friend that works there and find out about the lease. Right now I am thinking about either refinancing my civic and lowering the payment that way, or leasing a new car like the Accord Sedan, Camry, Corolla S, or the Sonata GLS. I will keep you posted.

 
Rep Power: 318

You should get a Kia Rio, MSRP is $5900, cant beat that.

Nah for real why not try a honda element & let us know how it drives, those are sooo cool IMO. Or a subaru 2.5RS or an outback or baja. I dunno, get what you want but please dont get a hyundai or saturn, stick with honda type quality.