[sajo]

While buying at the lower end of the spectrum, how much does relevance does KBB values have ?
Do I quote under or over the KBB values (but still lower than the dealer's quote) for cars in the $5-8k range ? If a dealer is quoting 9k for a car whose value is pegged at ~7.5k by KBB , do I go under that ?
This is my first car purchase experience here, so I am confused. Dont know anyone here who may have experience in these matters, so heading out alone searching for cars.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Tats07

Fusion V6 is no longer sold. EcoBoost 2.0 (turbo inline 4) with 240 horses has replaced the V6.

Of course, am only talking of new cars, not used market.

I'd recommend Mazda 6 if V6 is not high on priority. Or even the Mazda 3 with the 2.5 Litre engine if boot is not an issue.

That's a pity

Any thoughts and comments on the 2014 Dodge Challenger RT? SHould be in a similar price bracket plus/minus a few thousand - 5.7L Hemi V8?

[Tats07]

That is not in the same segment. Challenger plays with Camaro/Mustang and is a 2 door. Dodge Avenger is a mid size player with Accords and Fusions but I don't see too many if those here.

Hemi V8 is available as an option in the full size Charger. Competition to Toyota Avalon, Chrysler 300 etc. Priced around $40k.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by idofsuresh

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

I started with Mustang, but I need to carry 4 passengers at times for long drives or sometimes even 5 (Okay, I can give up on the 5th passenger if everything else falls in place). Gave up Mustang with a heavy heart. And the 2015 appears like a new generation car, did not want to get stuck with an old gen car when buying new. Is the rear seat practical in Mustang ? I looked up the pictures but they don't convey very much.

Thanks for the WRX suggestion. I had driven Subaru Legacy in the past and liked the car. I have now already spent a few hours reading about WRX after your post!

The rear seats in the Mustang/Challenger etc are best suited for short jaunts, not for long road trips. Subaru's are reliable cars, but may not have the best tech and interior furnishings.

I think for you the best bets (given you want a v6) are the Accord V6 or the Altima V6. WRX is not going to be a comfortable car (it is meant to be a car that you can happily take tracking). If depreciation is a big consideration, the Accord V6 is going to be your best bet in that class.

Look at this for some comparisons (these are indicative numbers, just for comparison)

Honda Accord V6 TCO

Nissan Altima V6 TCO

Toyota is significantly updating the Camry this year. So I would stay away. The 2.0 Fusion Ecoboost is a good motor, but the V6s are far more refined and luxurious.

A few other more expensive models you could consider are the Chevy Impala (new model), Hyundia Azera and the Toyota Avalon. All of those can seat 4-5 in great comfort and are supremely comfortable highway mile munchers. They are a little larger than the midsize siblings, more luxuriously outfitted and about 10 - 20% more expensive.

[idofsuresh]

Thanks Vineeth for your inputs. Think it is going to be a head versus heart decision!

Depreciation is an important concern. I don't necessarily need a V6. V4 is also fine as long as it meets the highway mile crunching requirements. Going to live in Texas in the Dallas metro, where I guess the roads are flat and straight. If we have to drive 10-15 hours long trips from Dallas, probably ride quality & NVH levels are more important than handling. I guess WRX may be tiring to drive for such long distances especially if the roads are less than perfect. But, the WRX cockpit looks fantastic in pictures.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by idofsuresh

Thanks Vineeth for your inputs. Think it is going to be a head versus heart decision!

I think the best thing for you to do is to extensively test drive all these cars back to back on mix of freeways with 2-3 passengers. I4 engines are plenty smooth depending on your usage and the type of car. I prefer the accord v6 vs the Ford turbo 4 for comfort. However the turbo maybe better suited for spirited driving. So it is a matter of personal preference. The VW CC maybe another car you can look at, will depreciate more but it has much better highway manners than mainstream midsize cars due to the German roots.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by sajo

While buying at the lower end of the spectrum, how much does relevance does KBB values have ?
Do I quote under or over the KBB values (but still lower than the dealer's quote) for cars in the $5-8k range ? If a dealer is quoting 9k for a car whose value is pegged at ~7.5k by KBB , do I go under that ?
This is my first car purchase experience here, so I am confused. Dont know anyone here who may have experience in these matters, so heading out alone searching for cars.

KBB is generally a good starting point, no matter what the spectrum.
If a dealer quotes above KBB, show him the KBB value and then you quote below that.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by amitoj

KBB is generally a good starting point, no matter what the spectrum.
If a dealer quotes above KBB, show him the KBB value and then you quote below that.

Thank you amitoj! I test drove several vehicles today, all of them done 150,000+ miles viz.,
- 159000 done '04 Mazda3. The engine purred nicely, and felt quite good to drive. Dealer quoted $6900 after a lot of haggling.
- 143000 done '04 Camry 2.4. Nice shape mechanically, outside had some scratches and paint fade over the mirrors. Asking price was $9.5k , dealer not interested in negotiating it downwards.
- 128000 done '06 Focus. Peppy engine and good shape cosmetically. $7000, did not haggle as I was looking at only Japanese.
- 114,000 done Suzuki Forenza. Did not like it , there was too much paint fade on the hood. Asking $6k.
- 208,000 done '04 Corolla. Okayish shape, cosmetically some issues. Asking $7500 , did not haggle. Engine felt okay.

Guess I will just have to keep hunting until "The one" pops up.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by sajo

Thank you amitoj! I test drove several vehicles today, all of them done 150,000+ miles viz.,

All of those are some serious high miles.
I'd be hesitant to have any of those as my only car.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by sajo

Thank you amitoj! I test drove several vehicles today, all of them done 150,000+ miles viz.,
- 159000 done '04 Mazda3. The engine purred nicely, and felt quite good to drive. Dealer quoted $6900 after a lot of haggling.
- 143000 done '04 Camry 2.4. Nice shape mechanically, outside had some scratches and paint fade over the mirrors. Asking price was $9.5k , dealer not interested in negotiating it downwards.
- 128000 done '06 Focus. Peppy engine and good shape cosmetically. $7000, did not haggle as I was looking at only Japanese.
- 114,000 done Suzuki Forenza. Did not like it , there was too much paint fade on the hood. Asking $6k.
- 208,000 done '04 Corolla. Okayish shape, cosmetically some issues. Asking $7500 , did not haggle. Engine felt okay.

Guess I will just have to keep hunting until "The one" pops up.

Crazy high prices. I dunno who is paying this kinda money nowadays.

I have a 05 Corolla, yet to reach 100k. I'd sell it easily for 6k. PM me for details.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by amitoj

All of those are some serious high miles.
I'd be hesitant to have any of those as my only car.

Originally Posted by Jomz

Crazy high prices. I dunno who is paying this kinda money nowadays.

Precisely my feelings too on those prices. They are very very high. What city are you trying to buy a car at? I know some markets have very high car prices, but even factoring that, these prices are at least 25-30% higher.

[lamborghini]

A few years (valentines 2009) back I picked up a 65k run 2002 Galant V6 top end with all the gizmos for $7500.
These prices seem ridiculously high!

[idofsuresh]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

I think the best thing for you to do is to extensively test drive all these cars back to back on mix of freeways with 2-3 passengers.

Test driving everything should be the most reliable approach. However, if I place an order from India before I relocate, they'd have the car ready when I land and I don't have to wait for SSN and TX driving license before I have the car. Don't ask me how it works, but it works - my company has contracted a 3rd party agency and they said they can do it!

I was informed I need the US license in addition to SSN to buy a new car 'after' I reach US. Is it true ?

If I have to test drive and buy, maybe I need to wait for a couple of months for the license. I am trying see whether I can avoid it all by ordering one before I leave India. In addition to waiting, I also need to rent a car till I buy one - ~2000 USD for 2 months, which I could otherwise use to buy a better car!

[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by idofsuresh

I am considering Accord, Mazda 6, Camry, Ford Fusion. I briefly considered a used BMW 3 series but worried about the maintenance cost and reliability. Is it a good idea? Finally, is V6 accord worth the extra dollars compared to a V4?

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Will suggest for V6 , there is not much difference in mileage , extra power will be useful on highways & its better configured than V4 with little difference in price .

Just to correct, there is no V4 engine in any of these cars & I see lot of Desi folks in US referring to a 4 cylinder engine as V4

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Toyota is significantly updating the Camry this year. So I would stay away.

Isnt the latest Gen Camry only 2-3 years old, so the next new platform is atleast a year away, right?

Originally Posted by sajo

- 143000 done '04 Camry 2.4. Nice shape mechanically, outside had some scratches and paint fade over the mirrors. Asking price was $9.5k , dealer not interested in negotiating it downwards.

As others have pointed, these are very prices, where in US are you? A colleague of mine purchased a 2001 Camry base model 27k run for around 11-12k

Originally Posted by Jomz

Crazy high prices. I dunno who is paying this kinda money nowadays.

I have a 05 Corolla, yet to reach 100k. I'd sell it easily for 6k. PM me for details.

Originally Posted by lamborghini

A few years (valentines 2009) back I picked up a 65k run 2002 Galant V6 top end with all the gizmos for $7500.
These prices seem ridiculously high!

You cant compare Galant prices with that of Camry/Altima/Accord. Galant has poor resale

Originally Posted by idofsuresh

Test driving everything should be the most reliable approach. However, if I place an order from India before I relocate, they'd have the car ready when I land and I don't have to wait for SSN and TX driving license before I have the car. Don't ask me how it works, but it works - my company has contracted a 3rd party agency and they said they can do it!

You are planning to buy a car without seeing it, forget test driving it?

For most states, you need US license (SSN you would anyways need). You could however rent a car on Indian DL in most if not all states.

Also you havent spoken about the cost of Insurance which would be high for you & will impact your buying decision.

Somehow this whole idea of booking a car from India sounds very complicated to me.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by idofsuresh

I was informed I need the US license in addition to SSN to buy a new car 'after' I reach US. Is it true ?

I don't know how you could buy without an address proof in the US and proof of insurance. So even if you have SSN and License, you still need proof of address and SSN. My strong suggestion is to wait till you get here and then go after the car business. Check with your company if they can bear or share the cost of renting a car for the 1-2 months it may take for you. You may spend a few hundred dollars on a rental car, but you may have the opportunity to choose and buy a car you would like to drive for the next 3-4 years.

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Isnt the latest Gen Camry only 2-3 years old, so the next new platform is atleast a year away, right?

Yes, this is just significant updates, not a redesign. Not sure if you managed to check it out at the NY Auto Show.
Refreshed 2015 Camry at the NY Auto Show