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Originally Posted by rajushank84 BHPians in US: have a couple of questions for you:
1. Looks like diesel cars (like VW diesels) have good low-end torque. Is it a good idea to go for one of these? Any basic disadvantages? How is resale value for diesels in general?
2. Normally when buying an old used car from an owner (thru craigslist), what does it normally cost to register + tax + insurance? (I know "it depends", but a highly approximate figure would really help in planning how much money to save-up etc).
For eg: for a car like this which costs $7k: what would the DMV fees + sales tax + insurance + registration come to (highly approximately)? 2002 Ford Mustang ,V8, GT, run great 75K, one owner, Manual tranmissio |
Here are my 2 cents for 2 points.
1. Diesels are expensive to run and maintain. Also it is very hard to buy/sell a diesel. Generally, only we/Europeans are aware of diesel advantage. Most Americans are averse to term diesel. They think its very dirty. Also, price is more for diesel car and diesel itself. When you are in market to sell it, its gonna be very hard. Also, if you are planning to stay in CA, it has very tough rules about diesel so diesel cars are not easily available. That is why Mercedes came up with BlueTec and VW with their advanced diesels so they can sell in all 50 states. Its because of SMOG and other pollutants issues.
My advice, stay away from diesels.
2. As you said it yourself it depends. But let me give you an example so that it is clear for you.
I bought a 1998 camry for $3700 cash. So when transferring car to my name, i asked the owner to mention price of just $1500. So when i went to DMV to pay fees, i paid $150 or so. Tax is not included since its a personal sale. Now in case he would have wrote $3700, i would have ended up paying more something in range of $350. So i saved $200 straight away.
But when i bought G35 from dealer, i paid full DMV fees which was around $400 plus tax which was around $1100.
Now coming to insurance you can get quotes on following websites.
GEICO | GEICO Car Insurance. Get online auto insurance quotes and save today. Free motorcycle quotes as well. Car Insurance: Auto Insurance & Online Insurance Quotes - Progressive Auto Insurance Quotes | Home, Life & Car Insurance | Farmers Insurance Esurance Online Car Insurance — Get Your Quote & Save on Auto Insurance www.aaa.com redirect
these are good companies that provide reliable coverage.
Again an example to simplify your understanding of coverage.
I took 95% coverage for my camry which cost me $54/month. it includes 3rd party liability (property and bodily injury), comprehensive coverage (against vandalism and act of God), roadside assistance and uninsured motorist. The only option i didn't choose was collision coverage since my car's value was low and it is the highest priced component of any insurance.
Now when i bought G35 recently, i took 100% coverage and so it costs me $90/month for everything. But since this is second vehicle added to insurance, the total for two cars i am paying is $122/month since camry's insurance went down after adding G35.
When i went to Geico, they explained that they look at your driving history, how long you have driven in USA and outside USA and that way they have quoted me. I had 3 yrs of USA experience and some 5-10 yrs of India's experience.
When my friend went to get the quote from Geico, she was quoted $120/month because she started driving 2 months back and didn't have much experience on USA roads and the car she bought was a 2001 Elantra which is like 10 years old. So it was higher for her from Geico. So she went with Progressive that gave quote of $85/month for 100% coverage.
Now if you are getting the Mustang you posted, you have to convince the buyer to write lowest possible price on pink slip - say $2k-$3k. that way you pay less at DMV. Since its a v8, i don't know if you will have to pay gas guzzler tax which is usually there for sports cars. And meanwhile get insurance quotes online from websites i mentioned. You can expect to pay around $100/mo for full coverage.
hope this helps. Sorry for long post