[amol4184]

Originally Posted by Rajamass

Alternatively you can check certified pre-owned cars which do carry additional 2 warranty over the standard but slightly over priced than the used cars.

Regarding the finance options, does she has established credit score in the US? It will take 2 years for the credit history to build-up. Without good credit score, banks do not offer anything less than 25% APR. The credit unions do offer the cheapest rates around 4-5% for people wihout credit history. But I doubt if they can finance more than 20$K without credit history.

CPO prices of 1-3 year old cars are same or in some cases higher priced than the new ones off of dealer lots. Reason? New cars are impossible to come by and people need cars like yesterday.
The only cars, new or old available at reasonable prices are korean sedans and hatchbacks. Even battered brands like Mitsubishi are demanding premium in the market now.

The banks are absolutely the worst place to get loan but credit unions don’t offer 4-5% for people without credit history, no sir.
I was offered and approved for 4.49 on used car, private party, 5 year term two days ago in their highest category of borrowers at a big credit union here. This would be my second loan with them. All this with 8 years of flawless credit history. Compared to 2016 that’s a jump of 100%. I had APR of 2.2 back then, which felt high to me.

If you buy new car from dealer, rates can go to as low as 3.99 but thats the absolute bottom with highest credit score without any finance special. If there are specials, you might get lucky at 3.8. If you are without credit score or too young in the history, it’s a bad time to look for loan.

As for the actual cars that’s another story. Almost all dealers are adding ADM to the car’s pricing which is short for adjusted market value. On RAV4, non hybrid, mid trim model it’s 5k USD. Honda is 3k to 5k depending upon model and trim. Ford can charge you upto 10k on say Bronco Sport. Kia? 3k on Sorento. Only a Subaru dealer did not say anything about adm but they are out of cars for next 3 months. No cars available to TD even.

Source for this? Me. I am hunting for car last 3 months going lot to lot coming back empty handed. No way I am going to drop 40k on a new CR-V or RAV4 before taxes and registration. Nor am I going to pay new car price for a CPO. Times are tough with no end in sight.

[shishir1993]

Originally Posted by shishir1993

Hi Bhpians! Hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe!

Update on my car procurement quest:

Decided to bite the bullet and buy a BMW 330e (factory built). As esteemed members of this forum had mentioned, the lease residuals and money factors absolutely sucked, so I just went ahead with financing my buy instead! Interestingly, BMW was able to finance my deal for a sweet rate but not lease it to me at that money factor??

Decision making process:

As mentioned before, I was interested in only four brands, for personal and professional reasons. BMW, Audi, Lexus and Mercedes. My wife and I both test drove over 10 vehicles to understand which car's styling, product offering and customer service would be better. Talked to current owners of the 330e, A4, C300 and ES300h, and noted visibly bigger smiles on the BMW owners' faces

Here are a few things that helped me finalize on the 330e:

Federal and other incentives. The car automatically gets a US$6k tax credit due to its plug-in hybrid status, which brings the cost of this beauty down to Camry-XLE levels. Coupled with BMW's corporate incentives, willingness to finance someone with no US credit history, and competitive pricing, the purchase became a no-brainer. (Audi was willing to finance with 20% down, Mercedes refused flatly, but Lexus.. gave me a 13% APR... Kya phook ke aya be )

Fuel economy. Kitna deti hai! Took my friend's 330e for a day long spin throughout Chandler, Mesa & Tempe. The results were shocking. 50 mpg in the city and over 40 on the highway, even with sporty driving. The Xtra boost is a godsend on the freeways and the car easily sped up to 100 mph, even throwing my head back in some cases.

The buying experience. While Audi was understanding of my new to the US situation, Mercedes was next to useless. A less than satisfying shop floor tour+test drive, with the SA being barely bothered to answer my basic questions left a bad taste in mouth. Experience at Lexus was amazing but the best was BMW, even going as far as contacting BMW India and AG to get my India credit history imported. They followed up constantly and even gave me US DMV exam tips so I could pass!

Finally.. Driving experience. The worst was the Mercedes C300 base. The car was sluggish inside the city and the gear stalk irritated me to no end. Sport mode was not even close to the same level as the Bimmer's. The interface was too Tesla-ish for my liking (no offense to Tesla's, they're great).

Lexus ES300h. Beautiful ride. Comfortable throughout a 15 mile test ride, it floated on the roads! But the car is unwieldy in tight spots. The hybrid motor is paired well with the gas engine but the acceleration lags noticeably when flooring it.

Audi A4 Premium. The engine roars to life in sport and the interior is next to none. It's a superb sedan and the ride is supple. Rear seat was comfy too (wife and I are short so every car is a limo for us!). It handles well but the car is underpowered by over 50 hp than a standard 3-series.

The primo uno. Struggled with deciding on this one. While the 330i has a beautiful throaty note and is a great white shark on the roads, the 330e is a deadly hammerhead. Both were amazingly balanced and do justice to the Ultimate Driving Machine tag. But with the incentives in play, the 330i costs 5k more and this isn't even considering the gas prices! The only thing which held me back was the delivery times. While the 330i has a North American factory, 330e is assembled in Germany. And with the supply chain being horrible, especially in the US, it meant Hertz and Avis would be richer by at least a few grand! Ultimately it came down to long term value and the novelty of owning a BMW hybrid.

So this ends the purana of my car buying experience! Hope you didn't find it too mind numbingly boring!

[Amrik Singh]

My daughter, residing in Philadelphia, PA, USA, was visiting London to attend a conference. Back home, a friend took her 2016 Toyota RAV4 to the city centre. As he stepped into the car on return, some guys entered the car forcibly With a gun pointed at him they robbed him of his wallet, mobile phone and car keys, pushed him out and drove off.

There's no news of the car so far. Fortunately, it was covered under insurance and she could get a little amount from them. They even waited for a month expecting a recovery in any condition.

She has already started going through the options available in the 2022 models of the new Hybrid RAV4. Currently stuck between the Hybrid XLE Premium and Hybrid XSE. Other options not available as standard will be included too. She is banking on me for the best selection.

Will keep this thread updated on the final selection while any advice on Pros & Cons will be considered.

[supermax]

I initially thought this was a case of the car getting hacked into remotely, but later realized that the thieves just forced themselves in, physically. Sounds like the friend really had a scary experience. Glad the loss was only financial, and nothing worse, as it seems like it could have been much worse.

[ruturaj001]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Which would be a good YouTube channel to follow, for US car reviews?

As already suggest savagegeese and Alex on autos are great. Jason Cammisa is a great journalist for automotive enthusiast and is part of multiple channels, Hagetry being one of them. Jason from Engineering Explained doesn't do many reviews but generally covers few cool cars and go over various topics.

[Philistine]

What's the current market looking like in the US of A? Have things cooled down both in the new car and used car market? Any inputs from folks who have bought cars recently or assisted others in their purchase would be great.

[bhardwhu]

Originally Posted by Philistine

What's the current market looking like in the US of A? Have things cooled down both in the new car and used car market? Any inputs from folks who have bought cars recently or assisted others in their purchase would be great.

My colleague in NJ purchased a Corolla in December and was able to get the car from dealer in about two weeks when she decided to buy a 2022 model. For 2023 model, it was a couple months wait.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by Philistine

What's the current market looking like in the US of A? Have things cooled down both in the new car and used car market? Any inputs from folks who have bought cars recently or assisted others in their purchase would be great.

Brands like Hyundai, and Chevy have switched their focus to EVs. At most Hyundai dealers you will see some 50 Ioniq5 in stock, and less than 10 Sonata, Elantra, and Tucson. Same deal with Chevy, you will see many Bolt EUV and Bolt compared to other small cars. They are selling the EVs at MSRP now, without markups. Used car market is better than 2022. I have been shopping for a 4th car (for my daughter going to college). If there was an electric pickup truck for $60k, I would have bought it by now. As there is none, I am looking at used trucks. They are certainly affordable compared to 2022.

[vj123]

Originally Posted by Philistine

What's the current market looking like in the US of A? Have things cooled down both in the new car and used car market? Any inputs from folks who have bought cars recently or assisted others in their purchase would be great.

Market is better than post covid era but it also depends on the vehicle segment.
- Overall used car market is on a downhill.
- You might be able to find commuter vehicles in dealer inventory and dont have to pay ADM (dealers used to markup civics).
- Luxury vehicles can be purchased for MSRP or even with a discount if you are flexible on the spec and willing to wait.
- Performance vehicles are still under high demand and you might be waiting for months to get a build allocation for MSRP.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

Brands like Hyundai, and Chevy have switched their focus to EVs. At most Hyundai dealers you will see some 50 Ioniq5 in stock, and less than 10 Sonata, Elantra, and Tucson. Same deal with Chevy, you will see many Bolt EUV and Bolt compared to other small cars. They are selling the EVs at MSRP now, without markups. Used car market is better than 2022. I have been shopping for a 4th car (for my daughter going to college). If there was an electric pickup truck for $60k, I would have bought it by now. As there is none, I am looking at used trucks. They are certainly affordable compared to 2022.

50 Ioniq5 in stock? Really?

I thought Hyundai and Kia are very poor in supply chain. I don't see any of these available off the shelf even now. There is a waiting list for the Ioniq and Kia EV6.

Their production capability to demand sucks.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by mobike008

50 Ioniq5 in stock? Really?

Thats what I have been seeing locally. Ionic5 vs Palisade or SantaFe. They have 50+ Ionic5 vs 15 SantaFe or others.
https://www.kearnymesahyundai.com/new-vehicles/ioniq-5/

[kkstile]

Just moved into Dallas, Texas from Bangalore a couple of weeks back. Looking for a reliable 7-seater family car. I am thinking of a new Kia Telluride LX (base variant) or Sorento S (base+1 trim). Took a TD of the Sorento, and it seems adequate in most parameters. Simple NA engine and the power delivery is predictable and linear. Couldn't take it on the freeway so not sure how the acceleration is at higher speeds.

The MSRP is like 5k apart. The quotes don't seem to include the crazy dealer markups which were common a few months back- looks like the supply chain is slowly getting back in better shape.

The used car market still seems a bit odd. Some of the CPO options I researched online are just 2-3k lower than the new ones. But there also are a few 2020-21 Acura MDX / Infiniti QX60s run ~25-35k miles for ~$35k. Got greedy and took a TD of a QX60 - the insides felt luxurious and the power was addictive but on the last leg of TD, felt a definite judder from the engine (or CVT box?). The sales guy tried to brush it off but it just felt something was amiss. A simple Google search revealed that lots of QX60 owners have reported it with no real solution. Kind of made me jittery around those "carfax" reports or "CPOs". Are they really that trustworthy? Does it make sense to try a pre-owned "luxury" SuV instead of brand-new from economy brands?

With no credit history, I am not sure what's a good APR which can be considered. Texan Credit Union is offering 6.8% without credit history for newly relocated foreign nationals. Most dealership's I visited have hinted at 8-12% or even higher rates.

Can anyone living in Dallas give some pointers? Suggest some genuine dealerships?

[ruturaj001]

Originally Posted by kkstile

Just moved into Dallas, Texas from Bangalore a couple of weeks back.

Luxury segment is tricky. I would definitely trust used GX460 over anything else but it costs a lot, reliability is often indicated by low depreciation like in GX.

With no credit history I would take that 6.8% and pay as fast as I can.

Sorry not in Dallas, I am in WA. I would recommend checking out palisade as well, it's twin of Telluride. In my area there are no markups on it at one dealership while Telluride has up to 10k markup. If you can swing, I would recommend higher trim, Palisade SEL premium is about 45k and has tones of features for the money, it also has lower equivalent trim as well. Also take a look at new Honda pilot.

[hema4saran]

Originally Posted by kkstile

Can anyone living in Dallas give some pointers? Suggest some genuine dealerships?

I will stay away from Infiniti with CVT gearbox. The nissan pathfinder and QX60 is infamous for their CVT troubles. As a 2016 MDX owner, I don't have any complaints with the car except the gearbox. It was lagging a bit under hard accelaration and has its mind of own. It was our family car which is primarily driven by my wife and no complaints from her. I bought it as CPO car in 2019 and I vouch for the extended CPO warranty it comes with. My battery gave up in 2020 and since the car was under original 4 year factory warranty, they replaced it for free. I had issue with starter switch last year and it was changed under CPO warranty. Also lower control arm bushings were damaged by a pothole. That one was also covered under CPO but I pushed the service manager to change it under CPO and he reluctantly did the job for me. If I am in market again for a car for my wife, we will definitely consider latest MDX again.

We use MDX as a 5 seater primarily. But few times we need the 7 seats, we put kids and short folks in third row. I cannot sit in 3rd for more than 30 mins in my MDX.

Lexus GX460 is another worthy contender. That V8 is thirsty but it is body on frame, boxy luxury SUV. 3rd row legroom is negligible. Best used as a 5 seater. Its interiors are old and you don't have latest infotainment options (Carplay/Android Auto) even in 2021 model year. If I am buying SUV for my own use, GX460 is on top of my list just for its v8 and potential Off-road modifications.

KIA Telluride is good option. You can consider the new Pilot as well. The latest highlander comes in only 2.4l 4 cylinder turbo . I am a little old school and I like naturally aspirated V6 and V8s. Nothing can give peace of mind of a brand new car. Consumer protection laws are better here and factory warranty is considered seriously here if the maintenance is up to date.

For the auto loan, try RBFCU (local to Texas) as well as DCU. It is the best place to start. For no credit history 6 to 7% seems to be the norm with credit unions. Not sure of the latest rates though. Be aware of the dealership leveraging your no credit history by pushing higher interest rate, extended warranty and dealership addons/markups on you.

[kkstile]

Thank you @rutyraj001 and @hema4saran for the advice. It's better to stay away from pre-owned luxury options for now.

Any thoughts on the Mazda CX-9? 2023 will be the last production year for the CX-9 - it's being replaced with CX-90. So the dealerships are offering attractive rates with 2-3k discounts. The car looks pretty nice (except for the archaic infotainment system with Mazda's absurd "no-touch screen" policy). Feels solid inside out for a Japanese car. Not sure about the reliability though.