I asked this question yesterday & did get a few good responses but, a few responses that didn’t quite fit due to apparently more information being needed. A few mentioned my sisters as “first time drivers”. They are not. They have been driving since they were 13 (farm equipement @ my Uncle’s & my dad’s friend owns a track on which they have both driven a Hemi Roadrunner, a 1970 Chevy Nova, etc on countless occasions so they are not unfamiliar with muscle at all. They also have had their licenses since the day they turned 16. Another person stated that they thought my sisters were selfish to ask for these. I proposed this whole thing, not them, on the basis that they came up with the money & recieved straight A’s through Junior High & high school & they have. Also, they are far from selfish. They do all the yard work on 23 Acres because for the past 5 years, my father has not been able to because of a heart attack. They come clean my house & take care of my dogs if I get stuck @ work or my fiance & I go on vacation without even needing to be asked. They also volunteer @ local soup kitchens. You couldn’t ask for better siblings & they are the definition of unselfish. As far as insurance is concerned, that is covered for them for the first year by myself & my father & they will be listed as secondary drivers under me so the cost is not all that bad. Another person noted that whenever he was writing up auto loans he would purposefully deny teenagers even with co-signers & that many others do too. I am not co-signing, the car will be in my name completely & yes I know the risks of this but, if they can’t pay, I have it. A few people mentioned that they should sell their trade & just find a car for 12k but, the problem with that is, it wouldn’t have the premium warranty I want for them (unless u were to pay over 2 grand more for the extended which still may not cover everything & would not last as long as I want it to). Our family is very, very busy & don’t really have the time to take them somewhere should they have to wait for a car to be fixed. With the new cars I’ve selected, all the warranties state that if the car goes in for any repair, a rental is provided free of charge & are full bumper-to-bumper warranties. So, with new information provided i would like some feedback to the question:
For my sisters’ Senior year, I asked that they come up with 5k by the end of summer & they came up with 8k for me to sign for a new car for them. Their trade is worth 4500 & with all that as a down payment, these are the cars they have narrowed it down to: A 2010 VW Tiguan that will cost them like $303 a month but it’s LOADED! Bike rack, heated seats & steering wheel, u name it, plus their oil changes, inspection & emissions would be free for the life of the car. A 2010 Mazda3 grand touring 5 door that will cost them like $226 a month & I know that’s not all-wheel or 4 wheel like I wanted them to have but my fiance has one that’s a couple years older & it goes great in snow so I guess I’m okay with that. There’s a 2010 Dodge Nitro we looked at before that will be $286 a month (actually less cuz we didn’t calculate their trade in when we looked). Another we looked at was a new Subaru WRX-STI that’s all-wheel, loaded & would be about $300/month. There was also a Mercedes 2009 M-Class we found that was a demo for a salesman & only has 15k miles, it’s all-wheel & loaded, even heated seats & steering wheel & I can get 0% financing on it, the payments will be slightly higher ($363 a month) but I kinda saw their eyes light up when we looked at that. Plus with the payment split in half & that being the only bill they would have other than car insurance. (Dad pays cell bill) They still want to look at a new Pathfinder cuz they love mine but I think I might get jealous if they had a newer one than me, lol. And of course, they both are REALLY trying to talk me into the Dodge Challenger SRT-8 that would cost $400/month that we test drove just for fun but, now they want it. I know they could afford to split the payment on it & my father & I are covering the first 12 months of insurance. All have full warranties until the loan would be paid off. I’m a lil worried about the Challenger cuz I don’t want them to wreck in the snow. (We live in PA) What do you guys think? Also, today we looked at a new Cadillac SRX, A Nissan Rogue, & a Jeep Compass. The SRX is $361 a month, the Rogue & the compass are both about $289 a month.
April 10th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
I didn’t read all that.. From what I got they both have been driving for a while…
If they are paying for the car, they should buy what they can afford…
If you are paying, they should pick the one they like best….
April 10th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
The Problem with the STi…..Insurance will kill you. Just call and check. It has a high accident rate across the country and you have to pay. Really..I am not kidding, just call your insurance company. The car itself is safer than ANY other car you just named…But insurance will get you.
If she likes the STi….Check out the Forester XT. Turbo charged and only a BIT slower than the STi. I owned the 03 WRX and traded that car in for the 04 Forester XT. Forester was Faster and had Heated leather seats and sunroof. She may like a Forester that can beat many 2 seater sport cars. The Forester is Cheaper and insurance LOVES them.
Ofcourse Subaru = Best in snow AWD
April 10th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
Toyota 4Runner
or a Subaru
forget the jeeps, dodge
the Volkswagen Tiguan is nice but for that kind of money you can almost get an Acura MDX
April 10th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
That is quite a long read. In any case, I noticed you’re focused on monthly payments. It’s hard to say what’s the most reasonable option by comparing monthly payments alone.
Among the cars you listed, the 2009 M-Class is my favorite. There’s a reason why your sisters’ eyes lit up.
But you need to have more than enough to buy a luxury car. Mercedes is reliable car. However, when something happens and you need to have something changed or repaired, Mercedes parts can get really expensive.