Bo.Horvat53 Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Hey everyone. Was thinking of buying a used car, looking at either a 2007-2008 BMW 328i or a 2007-2008 Acura TL. I am aware of the maintenance cost on the BMW, but I don't mind. I'm a huge car guy and it's been a goal since I was a kid to get a BMW one day. I really like the TL as well though. Advice on either car is greatly appreciated. And if you have either one, let me know how you like it.My biggest question here though is what is the best way to get a deal on a used car? I am planning to pay full cash for it, so will that bring down the asking price by at least 10% or so? How much is reasonable to bargain if the car is in the $14-16K range?If anyone has some tips or advice that would be awesome.Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck_Fan_52 Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Hey everyone. Was thinking of buying a used car, looking at either a 2007-2008 BMW 328i or a 2007-2008 Acura TL. I am aware of the maintenance cost on the BMW, but I don't mind. I'm a huge car guy and it's been a goal since I was a kid to get a BMW one day. I really like the TL as well though. Advice on either car is greatly appreciated. And if you have either one, let me know how you like it.My biggest question here though is what is the best way to get a deal on a used car? I am planning to pay full cash for it, so will that bring down the asking price by at least 10% or so? How much is reasonable to bargain if the car is in the $14-16K range?If anyone has some tips or advice that would be awesome.Cheers!Hey there, thanks for the question. I'll do my best to help answer them.First off, you need to ask yourself: Do I really NEED another car or is it just something I WANT? If you decide to go forward with the purchase, I would recommend purchasing through a private owner as it can provide more room for more negotiation compared to a car dealership.If you have the cash ready, I would definitely negotiate (regardless of a private or a dealer purchase). In fact I would even hold it out for them to see (another cash purchase strategy to show you are serious). How much can you negotiate? That all depends upon the seller and your negotiation skills.Additionally, Test drive it and ask for its maintenance history as well as ownership history.Hope this helps and have fun negotiating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 A BMW in that price range is likely to have a lot of KMs on it. Once you factor in the inevitable and high cost repairs you are likely to incur, there are far better options out there.Quite honestly, I'd look at another car or wait until you have about $25k to spend.For the Acura, you could probably get away with $18-20. Once again, if willing to buy a 7-10 year old car, there are better options.With used cars, you'll find as the certainty of what your getting increases so does the price. The best way to get one cheap is through an auction or direct from a buyer. This carries the most risk, as there are no warranties and you buy "as is". I would take a look at the BMW dealerships themselves. They do offer warranties on used vehicles and have lots of stock. The downside is that many will be lease returns with high KMs.Quite honestly, if I were you I'd buy a Subaru. Better value, more reliability, and more fun to drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etsen3 Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Going through the same process right now, if you have a very strong interest in a particular vehicle always get a mechanic to inspect it and get a carproof report showing registration history/accidents etc. This will all cost about $100 but definitely worth it for the investment you're making. It will prevent you from getting a complete lemon or will give you more bargaining power if certain parts are worn and will need to be replaced soon. If you're buying from a dealership they should have all this info on hand already. But you probably won't get as good of a deal from a dealership as you would with a private seller. Private sellers are definitely sketchier than licensed dealers, but if you do your homework you can save a lot of money. Honestly though, as a BMW fan and car fan, which you consider saving up more money for a different model? The 3 Series is a nice car, but if you're looking for some type of name recognition or cool factor (which it sounds like you are) it won't really stand out, at least not in Vancouver where 3 series BMW's are as common as a Honda Civic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliewud Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 I've bought a lot of cars off craigslist. Best bet is to wait for the right one with the lowest KM's and all maintenance records. Look for someone who takes care of their car...the people that do keep all their paper work.if you want to skip that part then get a mechanic to inspect it for a $50-100 ESPECIALLY if you're paying 14-16k cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.DirtyDangles Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Hey everyone. Was thinking of buying a used car, looking at either a 2007-2008 BMW 328i or a 2007-2008 Acura TL. I am aware of the maintenance cost on the BMW, but I don't mind. I'm a huge car guy and it's been a goal since I was a kid to get a BMW one day. I really like the TL as well though. Advice on either car is greatly appreciated. And if you have either one, let me know how you like it.My biggest question here though is what is the best way to get a deal on a used car? I am planning to pay full cash for it, so will that bring down the asking price by at least 10% or so? How much is reasonable to bargain if the car is in the $14-16K range?If anyone has some tips or advice that would be awesome.Cheers!Do not buy an Acura TL in Auto if it has the vtec engine. Vtec destroys auto transmissions . Other than that the Acura is very comparable to the BMW. I am a huge car guy and bought myself my dream Bimmer a few years back and have driven it every day for the past 3.5 years without any hassle. Mind you it is an 1988 e30 tank, and cost me only 3500.The Acura will be very close in repair cost to the BMW so I would say do your homework get the car you want inspected no matter what. Take it a shop you trust and find out if and what is possibly wrong.Taxi has some great advice but I would stay as far away from auctions as possible. They are the dumping grounds for people who want top dollar for their POS. I worked the auctions for a while for our dealership and I was amazed at what people tried to hide. It is nightmare waiting to happen. I have personally owned over 40 cars and I would never buy from an auction unless it is one of those out in the country auctions where you will find mint rides from old people lol.Honestly any car can be a diamond or a lemon regardless of the manufacturer. It really comes down to how the previous owner used and maintained the car.Fort he money your are willing to spend the sky is the limit if you decide to shop used. Buying from a dealership you will always have to pay top dollar for their units new or used, saying that I think BMW's pre owned program is actually pretty dam good almost the best in the biz I would say. Kijiji is a gold mine of deals if you know what you really want.Use these sites for reviewshttp://www.carsurvey.org/ ^^^largest owner reviewed used car database in the worldhttp://www.edmunds.com/http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/buying^^^ Actually really good to find the problems certain makes and models have with the avg maintenance cost for those possible repairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Take a gamble and buy rebuilt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tre Mac Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 I hear the Invacar has excellent fuel economy. It will get three hundred hectares on a single tank of kerosene. Just make sure to put it in 'h'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickly Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Used cars are a crapshoot. Do your homework on the car you want and when buying privately make sure to ask for any maitenance records the owner has, the vehicle history, and go over the car with a fine tooth comb. If you don't know much about what to look for than bring someone alone to look at it who does. Obviously look for a vehicle that has low kms, a responsible owner who has taken care of the vehicle, and bring cash with you if your serious about buying. If the car is 12k bring 10 with you make an offer for 9500 and see where he stands. If he knows you have money on you and depending on how desperate he is he may cave and accept your low offer. It's worked for me.When dealing with a dealership I find it way better cause typically the ball is in your court as they have quotas to meet so try and shop around the end of the month when they are desperate to fill them. You can easily negotiate a 15k vehicle down to 12 if you know what to say. Plus dealerships typically offer a guarantee and will provide a free carfax with their cars and you may be able to purchase a warranty of some sort or a cheap maitenance package in your final price. Reason I like dealers is I feel it's a safer route especially for a newbies and you shouldn't have to worry about the vehicle breaking down 2 weeks later. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offensive Threat Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 You can get a 2011 or so 328i for under $18k with reasonable mileage. The changes made in the 2012 model year. Especially to the interior, made the 2011 and prior Beemers drop in price pretty steeply. It used to be easy to find private sellers but in more recent years thats been getting more and more scarce. Nothing wrong with a dealership purchase if you can work them well and negotiate a rock bottom price. Just be prepared to walk away from a number of cars if they wont come down to your price. Its not a rare car and theres another one on the next lot over if they arent budging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaNuCkSLoUiE23 Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I'm interested in an 03 Acura RSX for about $5000. A few questions: Are maintenance costs usually high for Acura's? I know the car is pretty small, so will a 6'5 guy be able to drive comfortably? I'm guessing not. I'm not a car-expert, so I could use some help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 11 hours ago, CaNuCkSLoUiE23 said: I'm interested in an 03 Acura RSX for about $5000. A few questions: Are maintenance costs usually high for Acura's? I know the car is pretty small, so will a 6'5 guy be able to drive comfortably? I'm guessing not. I'm not a car-expert, so I could use some help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovesLikeDatsyuk Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Dont waste your money on a car. end of story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neversummer Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Find the newest lowest km GTI that you can afford. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortorella's Rant Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 On 2015-11-06 at 1:55 PM, Bob.Loblaw said: Take a gamble and buy rebuilt! Take it a step further and learn to rebuild it yourself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toni Zamboni Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 buy a Subaru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offensive Threat Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 22 hours ago, CaNuCkSLoUiE23 said: I'm interested in an 03 Acura RSX for about $5000. A few questions: Are maintenance costs usually high for Acura's? I know the car is pretty small, so will a 6'5 guy be able to drive comfortably? I'm guessing not. I'm not a car-expert, so I could use some help. My brother is 6' 4". We found the only way to find a car to fit him is to go sit in them. Test drive them. That was the first criteria before anything else. He had to cancel out over half the cars on his list by not being comfortable in them. Im 6' and there were more than a few I wouldnt be wanting to drive very far. The 03 RSX gets great reviews as a used car on Edmunds. It is 13 years old, have it checked out by a pro before making an offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 On February 2, 2016 at 11:58 PM, CaNuCkSLoUiE23 said: I'm interested in an 03 Acura RSX for about $5000. A few questions: Are maintenance costs usually high for Acura's? I know the car is pretty small, so will a 6'5 guy be able to drive comfortably? I'm guessing not. I'm not a car-expert, so I could use some help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neversummer Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 What about this? 2010 MB C300, $16,980 but you can talk him down to your price range - http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/bnc/ctd/5388045254.html Here's one in white - http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/ctd/5349967678.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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