The Car Shopping Thread

I ended up buying a new 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan GT about a month ago. I've been waiting 20 years to buy a van. Everyone thinks I am crazy, but have wanted one for ages.

Having our previous cars be a smaller hatchback (Elantra Touring), and a small SUV (Honda HRV), we just needed more space for stuff. Playpen, strollers, bags of clothes..... it just is ridiculous the amount of stuff we need to haul around if going places.

The best part? Room for golf clubs when we go on vacation now. No more trying to stuff them in at the last moment.
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We've got a '15 Town and Country that's the wife's daily and I love it for long trips. Enough room in the middle that we can fold the rear seats down to carry all the vacation "stuff" and yelp it was the first vehicle that allowed me to take my clubs on vacation as well. That trunk or roof carrier space is at a premium in some vehicles.

Is it "cool", handle like a sports car, get prius fuel economy? Basically nope but for a family or a vacation vehicle, it's the best choice.
 
We've got a '15 Town and Country that's the wife's daily and I love it for long trips. Enough room in the middle that we can fold the rear seats down to carry all the vacation "stuff" and yelp it was the first vehicle that allowed me to take my clubs on vacation as well. That trunk or roof carrier space is at a premium in some vehicles.

Is it "cool", handle like a sports car, get prius fuel economy? Basically nope but for a family or a vacation vehicle, it's the best choice.
Funny enough mileage wise it is pretty on par with my Elantra Touring.... just the tank is like 1/3 larger. That was a shock the first time I filled up lol.

I will say though, power sliding doors and lift gates are the best inventions ever. Click a button, door opens, kids get in and done!
 
My wife’s 2007 BMW X3 with 180k has not the dust. Too much repair work. She purchased a 2016 Audi q5 with 68k nice car any body have one of them here?
 
Might be considering a change from my Mazda3, and have had a brief look at both the Cupra Formentor and the Cupra Ateca

The Ateca would likely be the preferred choice as it is slightly bigger and would handle all of the golf gear when we have a few days away, but the Formentor does look good in the right colour
 
I was in the market for a new f150 but inventory issues and jacked up prices have caused me to give up for the foreseeable future. Maybe 2022 or 3
 
Thinking about seriously considering the offer some dealerships are giving me for my 2017 Sierra. 30,000 miles and 3 1/2 years later and they want to give me just about what I originally paid. Am I crazy not to take it?

Looking at trading in for a Kia Telluride. Prices dont seem as inflated on them as the current full size truck market. Would eventually want to go back to a truck and trade in our Forester. So keep bouncing back and forth in this trade in.

Trade truck now, or keep it and trade in my wifes Forester later? Why must you tempt me dealerships?
 
Thinking about seriously considering the offer some dealerships are giving me for my 2017 Sierra. 30,000 miles and 3 1/2 years later and they want to give me just about what I originally paid. Am I crazy not to take it?

Looking at trading in for a Kia Telluride. Prices dont seem as inflated on them as the current full size truck market. Would eventually want to go back to a truck and trade in our Forester. So keep bouncing back and forth in this trade in.

Trade truck now, or keep it and trade in my wifes Forester later? Why must you tempt me dealerships?
Tough call... The truck market is sooo hot right now work trucks basically are nonexistent. Nobody can find them.

Good choice on Telluride. Curious if you compared to Palaside from Hyundai
 
Thinking about seriously considering the offer some dealerships are giving me for my 2017 Sierra. 30,000 miles and 3 1/2 years later and they want to give me just about what I originally paid. Am I crazy not to take it?

Looking at trading in for a Kia Telluride. Prices dont seem as inflated on them as the current full size truck market. Would eventually want to go back to a truck and trade in our Forester. So keep bouncing back and forth in this trade in.

Trade truck now, or keep it and trade in my wifes Forester later? Why must you tempt me dealerships?

Take advantage of the market if you find a vehicle you like for an affordable cost. The used market is the best it’s ever been and will be great until dealers get inventory. I have 13 payments left on my 20 F150 lease and I can turn it in early and get a check for at least $3,000.
 
Tough call... The truck market is sooo hot right now work trucks basically are nonexistent. Nobody can find them.

Good choice on Telluride. Curious if you compared to Palaside from Hyundai
I have compared against the Palaside, but the one who will be driving it more really likes the look of the Telluride. Can't say I blame her, I too prefer the look of the Telluride over the Palaside. When it comes down to it, they are basically the same vehicle mechanically, just different body and interior components I believe.
 
Take advantage of the market if you find a vehicle you like for an affordable cost. The used market is the best it’s ever been and will be great until dealers get inventory. I have 13 payments left on my 20 F150 lease and I can turn it in early and get a check for at least $3,000.
That's my thought too. If I can find something to buy at a good price I might pull the trigger. If I sell high, but also buy high, seems like a waste of time.
 
Thinking about seriously considering the offer some dealerships are giving me for my 2017 Sierra. 30,000 miles and 3 1/2 years later and they want to give me just about what I originally paid. Am I crazy not to take it?

Looking at trading in for a Kia Telluride. Prices dont seem as inflated on them as the current full size truck market. Would eventually want to go back to a truck and trade in our Forester. So keep bouncing back and forth in this trade in.

Trade truck now, or keep it and trade in my wifes Forester later? Why must you tempt me dealerships?


The Telluride is a great vehicle. The wife and I looked hard at it.
In the end, locally, they had an almost $5,000 markup on the Tellurides, which was a big turnoff for me. For special edition cars, sure, but for mass produced ones I refuse to pay that, as the buyer already has a disadvantage on negotiating price.

Now, not all dealerships will charge that (ADM or Additional Dealer Markup), so if that was the vehicle I really wanted, I’d seek out a dealer with better pricing. FYI.
 
The Telluride is a great vehicle. The wife and I looked hard at it.
In the end, locally, they had an almost $5,000 markup on the Tellurides, which was a big turnoff for me. For special edition cars, sure, but for mass produced ones I refuse to pay that, as the buyer already has a disadvantage on negotiating price.

Now, not all dealerships will charge that (ADM or Additional Dealer Markup), so if that was the vehicle I really wanted, I’d seek out a dealer with better pricing. FYI.
The Kia dealership that reached out to me didn't seem to have any crazy markups. I had been wondering about that happening in general, so I appreciate the comment.
 
The Kia dealership that reached out to me didn't seem to have any crazy markups. I had been wondering about that happening in general, so I appreciate the comment.


Good to hear. It’s a beautiful car, and I remain a fan of it, just not the local dealer. There is a reason they are calling them Sellurides...
 
Anyone else in the market for a more exotic or unique new or used car and finding the prices are super-inflated? For example, the asking prices for used Porsche 911's with lower miles are higher than paying MSRP for a new 911. One woman is advertising her used 2021 Turbo S on Ebay for $300k FIRM because she's getting tons of dealer inquiries to buy her car. The MSRP for that car (assuming she paid MSRP) is around $250k. At that point, someone can buy a very low mile Ferrari Portofino for less than that.

Then there's the GT500's and Vette's which are still well over $100k, up to $130k vs. $90k MSRPs. I understand the Vette pricing to an extent, but the upgraded models (Z06/ZR1) will be faster which will result in the current Z51 package becoming an "OK" Vette. Or, will the Z06 be $150k and the ZR1 be $200K? I guess that's possible. As for the GT500, I also understand that car's pricing, but the GT500 simply cannot get traction out of the hole. My buddy has one and he lost a stoplight drag race to a new Mach 1 which is half the price because the Mach 1 can actually get power to the pavement vs massive tire spinning. Imagine spending $130k and being beaten by "little brother"? Lol.

The prices on cars like a new Porsche 718 Spyder or a Corvette C8 are $25-$40k over MSRP or you have to wait a year. I have noticed that the slightly used C8 prices are coming down in the last month or two. You can now find one with less than 5,000 miles on it for about $100k which is still a $20k+ over new sticker but not what they were just a short time ago. I will wait another year until the price gouging is over.
 
The prices on cars like a new Porsche 718 Spyder or a Corvette C8 are $25-$40k over MSRP or you have to wait a year. I have noticed that the slightly used C8 prices are coming down in the last month or two. You can now find one with less than 5,000 miles on it for about $100k which is still a $20k+ over new sticker but not what they were just a short time ago. I will wait another year until the price gouging is over.
A friend of mine just bought an RS6 Avant - he had to haggle the hell out of the dealer for the privilege to buy it at a $30k mark up.
 
Thinking about seriously considering the offer some dealerships are giving me for my 2017 Sierra. 30,000 miles and 3 1/2 years later and they want to give me just about what I originally paid. Am I crazy not to take it?

Looking at trading in for a Kia Telluride. Prices dont seem as inflated on them as the current full size truck market. Would eventually want to go back to a truck and trade in our Forester. So keep bouncing back and forth in this trade in.

Trade truck now, or keep it and trade in my wifes Forester later? Why must you tempt me dealerships?
It's crazy what used cars are bringing. I'm really thinking about selling my 2016 Wrangler Unlimited. I play golf with a few car guys and one said the book on Jeeps has gone up about $7,000 the last 3 months and I could probably get what I paid for it or more. Thinking about buying a Sonata from a guy who will be selling in about a month and drive that for 6 months to a year until trucks start hitting the lots. They have all said that there are tons of trucks that are finished and sitting at the factory just waiting for chips. Add on that they will have 22's out and there could be some rebates.
 
A friend of mine just bought an RS6 Avant - he had to haggle the hell out of the dealer for the privilege to buy it at a $30k mark up.
Man, I just have such a problem with things like that. If its something new and limited, I get it. When the new T-bird came out, sure. Special versions of cars, ok. When everything on the lot is getting gouged just because of supply issues, I'll just wait until it goes back to normal.
 
It's crazy what used cars are bringing. I'm really thinking about selling my 2016 Wrangler Unlimited. I play golf with a few car guys and one said the book on Jeeps has gone up about $7,000 the last 3 months and I could probably get what I paid for it or more. Thinking about buying a Sonata from a guy who will be selling in about a month and drive that for 6 months to a year until trucks start hitting the lots. They have all said that there are tons of trucks that are finished and sitting at the factory just waiting for chips. Add on that they will have 22's out and there could be some rebates.
That's the gamble scenario I'm playing in my head. I still really want a truck, but can make due for a while if my used one brings in what I paid for it 3 years and 30,000 miles ago. I'm wondering if there will be an overabundance once the chips get caught up, and then that will drive good deals on the remaining '21's? Not sure, or will the price of new continue to climb?

On vacation next week, but looking to get a firm appraisal once we get back, and talk numbers on a potential replacement SUV.
 
Man, I just have such a problem with things like that. If its something new and limited, I get it. When the new T-bird came out, sure. Special versions of cars, ok. When everything on the lot is getting gouged just because of supply issues, I'll just wait until it goes back to normal.
I think the RS6 Avant fits both of those categories. It's new, and people want pay extra for it (I have no desire to be the first on the block in that regard,) but then tack on the extra $ for the current market and things get rough.
 
If you’re thinking about selling your car/truck always check Carvana. Someone one here did that and got a crazy good deal. I checked for what I could get on my Yukon and it said 2K more than what I paid for it. Just make sure to use all your options.
 
That's the gamble scenario I'm playing in my head. I still really want a truck, but can make due for a while if my used one brings in what I paid for it 3 years and 30,000 miles ago. I'm wondering if there will be an overabundance once the chips get caught up, and then that will drive good deals on the remaining '21's? Not sure, or will the price of new continue to climb?

On vacation next week, but looking to get a firm appraisal once we get back, and talk numbers on a potential replacement SUV.
Yeah I'm going to pick their brains about it. I've got about a month to decide. If I do then I need to put about $700 in mine to get the windshield replaced, some light hail on the hood fixed, and get it detailed. Depending on what I could get the Sonata for will determine if I decide to or not. It's a 2017 with just under 6,000 miles and if I can get it for what I think then I would put about $15K in the bank until I decide to get a truck. As you said it's a little bit of a gamble because if truck don't end up having incentives then I'll have to buy one around MSRP and then have a payment vs. no payment on the jeep. If things work how I think they could and I can get a good amount off of a new truck down the road then I would probably only need to finance around $15k for a nice brand new truck.
 
If you’re thinking about selling your car/truck always check Carvana. Someone one here did that and got a crazy good deal. I checked for what I could get on my Yukon and it said 2K more than what I paid for it. Just make sure to use all your options.
One of the car guys I was talking to said Vroom was really good
 
Carvana now offering $1.5K more for the 2018 Ford EcoSport I sold them than they were 2.5 months ago :oops: which was already $2K more than they had offered one month prior. What a crazy world!
 
Carvana now offering $1.5K more for the 2018 Ford EcoSport I sold them than they were 2.5 months ago :oops: which was already $2K more than they had offered one month prior. What a crazy world!

It’s so crazy right now that I bought a pre-owned car at the end of February. Then JB got rid of his SUV and got his car and I really wanted us to have an SUV so I just traded in the car I got just a few months ago to the same dealership I got it from and they gave me $2,500 more than what I paid them for it back at the end of February, and now they are reselling it for $5,000 more than What I bought it for just a few months ago.

Also, the car I just got was purchased brand new for almost the exact same price as the pre-owned ones they had on the lot. The car market is so weird right now.
 
It’s so crazy right now that I bought a pre-owned car at the end of February. Then JB got rid of his SUV and got his car and I really wanted us to have an SUV so I just traded in the car I got just a few months ago to the same dealership I got it from and they gave me $2,500 more than what I paid them for it back at the end of February, and now they are reselling it for $5,000 more than What I bought it for just a few months ago.

Also, the car I just got was purchased brand new for almost the exact same price as the pre-owned ones they had on the lot. The car market is so weird right now.
we had a good run. :ROFLMAO:
 
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