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Little sister totaled her car yesterday. Buying advice?

Tyler

Tyler

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Hey guys. My 20 year old sister totaled her car. Other vehicle was an older Dodge Ram. She did get hurt, but she is home now and she will be fine. We don't have to discuss her in this thread, it's all good.

But her car is gone so we are looking at options. I think this is a great opportunity for her to get herself something modern, safe, and "awesome" to her. Problem is, she doesn't have a credit score at all yet (I know), and she doesn't have a career or go to college yet. But I think she should get something nice in return for starting her life (like starting college). I'm pretty sure you can get a small car loan as a first time buyer.

In reality, she's probably going to end up with something around $8,000, paid in cash. I just feel like everything is a piece of crap because you don't know who you're buying from. In my case, everything I have ever bought was either an old enthusiast vehicle (like a square body Chevy truck), so it didn't matter, or brand new from the dealer.

But I don't know much about buying the average car. Her taste seems to be around the 2013ish sedans, like the Ford Fusion. All of these types of cars are ugly and boring to me, but it's her car, not mine, so I'm trying to find her some options.

What do you think about a 2013 Fusion, 78k miles, for $8,490 asking price. Certified used dealer. Clear VIN report, but 3 owners, and this is a corporate fleet car, which I guess can be good or bad.
https://www.cartecenterprise.com/20...ens-Connecticut-Suffolk/used_car/pzAuDLi7DRg=

Stay away from corporate fleet? Stay away from Enterprise car sales? Stay away from certified used dealerships and go with a nice old lady one owner car from Craigslist?
 
Oh, and here's this:

1594842253348.webp
1594842272909.webp
 
Sorry to hear about your sister and she'll be okay!

My first car after driving the family mini van was a 2010ish Kia Forte. I know when we leased it, it was right around the time Kia/Hyundai was making a turn around on their vehicles quality. My Forte was awesome and it drove nicely and got me through college and a year or two after that. I'm pretty sure they still have the 10 year/100k mile warranty, so if you find anything around your price range for a Kia, you still have plenty of miles to get to 100k under warranty. For example: https://www.carmax.com/car/18994612

Also, back when we leased it, we were able to negotiate $250/monthly payments for 3 years with $0 down. Leasing new may be an option too and can build some credit.
 
3cent.Taco said:
Sorry to hear about your sister and she'll be okay!

My first car after driving the family mini van was a 2010ish Kia Forte. I know when we leased it, it was right around the time Kia/Hyundai was making a turn around on their vehicles quality. My Forte was awesome and it drove nicely and got me through college and a year or two after that. I'm pretty sure they still have the 10 year/100k mile warranty, so if you find anything around your price range for a Kia, you still have plenty of miles to get to 100k under warranty. For example: https://www.carmax.com/car/18994612

Also, back when we leased it, we were able to negotiate $250/monthly payments for 3 years with $0 down. Leasing new may be an option too and can build some credit.
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Doesn’t look too bad, thank you!
 
She need 4wd?

I remember in the past when I was looking for the best "bang for your buck", the Mini Coopers stood out. Although I was looking to spend no more than 3k on a daily but I remember being able to find them with under 80k and still equipped with all the gadgets.

For under 10k she could probably get into a Yukon/Tahoe or even an X3. Ideally, I'd be looking at the X3's with the inline 6; that is BMW's most invincible engine they have ever made - bar-none.

Or get her a bicycle. Make her tough it out and save up until 2022 to get that Bronco 😜
 
nickyreno said:
She need 4wd?

I remember in the past when I was looking for the best "bang for your buck", the Mini Coopers stood out. Although I was looking to spend no more than 3k on a daily but I remember being able to find them with under 80k and still equipped with all the gadgets.

For under 10k she could probably get into a Yukon/Tahoe or even an X3. Ideally, I'd be looking at the X3's with the inline 6; that is BMW's most invincible engine they have ever made - bar-none.

Or get her a bicycle. Make her tough it out and save up until 2022 to get that Bronco 😜
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I’d like her to have 4wd and an SUV, especially for New York winters (not like it snows anymore though).

But she said she doesn’t want it to be big. So like, Jeep Liberty size. And she also likes the look of the 2013ish Ford Fusion.

I’m trying to help her find stuff but damn, idk how anyone buys these ugly/boring cars.
 
Tyler said:
I’d like her to have 4wd and an SUV, especially for New York winters (not like it snows anymore though).

But she said she doesn’t want it to be big. So like, Jeep Liberty size. And she also likes the look of the 2013ish Ford Fusion.

I’m trying to help her find stuff but damn, idk how anyone buys these ugly/boring cars.
Click to expand...

I would consider these then:

Rav4
X3 X-drive
X1 X-drive
Q5 Quattro
Countryman All4
Cherokee
Forester

I used to own a Countryman All4 and it was a fun car. Single turbo was too big, should have been a twin, but nevertheless it was a good car and weighed more than you'd think so it was great in the snow. It's actually assembled in a BMW plant.
 
nickyreno said:
I would consider these then:

Rav4
X3 X-drive
X1 X-drive
Q5 Quattro
Countryman All4
Cherokee
Forester

I used to own a Countryman All4 and it was a fun car. Single turbo was too big, should have been a twin, but nevertheless it was a good car and weighed more than you'd think so it was great in the snow. It's actually assembled in a BMW plant.
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Awesome. Gonna start looking for them all now.
 
Tyler,
I sold cars for about a decade, and my dad has owned a used car dealership for 30+ years. If you still need some advice, give me a buzz, and we can chat. Pm for my cell, or better yet my dad's cell :)
 
Biohazard said:
Tyler,
I sold cars for about a decade, and my dad has owned a used car dealership for 30+ years. If you still need some advice, give me a buzz, and we can chat. Pm for my cell, or better yet my dad's cell :)
Click to expand...
I appreciate that. I'll take up your offer if/when we need it. She'll be checking out a 2013 Fusion with 60k miles from a friend of a friend on Monday.
 
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