cool beans!

That's great but do be cautious. Dealers can sense your "squeee".

It's important that you are willing to walk away at any point and that you take the time to carefully review everything. For example, the last time I purchased a car we talked about a four year deal that on the paperwork somehow became a five year deal. Catching that saved me a year of extra payments. Just assume the dealer is a hard core democrat watch them accordingly.

Good luck!

Oh and if it's used be sure to run a Carfax on it.

hmm, may be getting the '08 after all. The underwriter seems willing to get me more at an even LOWER rate.

I'm dyin' here!

Stay calm....whoooooo

NirvanaMan is here! This thread was made for me. And no, all the choices of cars titillates as opposed to terrifies me.

Hopefully you haven't gone too far in the process. The advice to look at a Toyota or Honda is a solid one, if you are just looking for boring reliable transportation. Honda has a solid racing history as of late with a solid investment in F1 so they are going to be a touch more fun to drive than the floaty Toyota's.

Generally, you don't want to finance through a dealer unless you are getting a subsidized rate through the OEM (in this case Honda Credit America or whatever the financial arm of their company is called. Teaser rates such as 0% are great if they are offered. However, if the dealer is financing themselves or more than likely, going through another bank, you will typically not get the best deal. These are operated at no-cost and no-effort profit centers for dealerships. They buy a low rate, tack on a couple percent, then give it to you. Bad move.

Also, the one piece of advice I always give and too many people ignore: SHOP AROUND. Test drive a lot of cars. See what you like. Never be too anxious. Dealers can smell it and a good salesman will prey on it. Don't fall in love with the first car you see. The segment it sounds like you are looking at is a commodity segment so a similar vehicle can be found and they are a dime a dozen. Don't let the dealer tell you it is the only one like it around. Not in that segment. You could always order a car as well.

The myth that the Japanese make the only good cars is slowly dying. Toyota has been riddled with recalls and bad reviews in consumer reports as of late while the American OEMs are doing much better. Overall, all companies make good cars with a few bad apples out there. At this point, I wouldn't buy the following makes for unreasonably bad quality (if quality is a primary concern): Land Rover, VW, Mercedes-Benz, some Audi's. Other than that, they are all pretty damn close. Typically, here are the top 5 makes in terms of quality: Lexus, Jaguar, Cadillac, Buick, Toyota. As I mentioned, Toyota has been slipping a lot with several of the GM and Ford brands making inroads. Generally, the Japanese do have the best quality, followed closely by the Americans with the Germans a very distant third. I know, not what the laymen would expect. But perceptions always lag reality. Especially true in the Auto industry.

If you can tell me a little bit more about what you are looking for, how you expect to use a vehicle, and rough price range I can help you better. For example, is power more important or fuel economy. Do you need the flexibility to hold large items. Are features (Navigation, blind spot sensors, reverse object detection ultrasonic sensors) important to you. Is a car a fashion statement, reflection of your personality, or just basic transportation from point A to point B. I need details. :)

(emphasis mine)

This is hilarious to read because NM drives a Land Rover :eek:

That gave me a giggle as well.

Ah yes, but quality is low on my personal priority list while shopping for a personal vehicle. And my Range Rover Sport has been basically flawless, knock on the hand-selected and hand-finished satin cherry wood veneers. My pre-production LR3 on the other hand, don't get me started. The first year with that car ::shudder::.

Oh and 80% off had something of an impact in my decision matrix. :)

Don't buy a Mercedes. Worst car I ever had.

You may remember my description of how I shop for clothes and such. Essentially whatever is closest to the store's door is fine by me.

Pretty much the same with car buying. Lani and I decided without ever seeing or driving one (or doing any real research) what we wanted. We found a dealer that had one. We said "how much?" They said "This much." We said "ok" and left with the car. I'm sure the salesman was ecstatic and I was happy that the whole ordeal took less than two hours (ignoring the eight hours of driving since we had to go to LA to get it).

I highly recommend this method of car shopping.