Tell me how much I can afford to pay for a new car
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Anonymous
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My 12-year old Mazda just died and it will cost too much to fix it. I need a new car, but I can't decide how much I can afford to spend. Help me out:
-38 yrs old, one child -$140K/yr income - roughly $400K net worth, but only $45K in liquid savings (the rest in retirement and college savings) - currently saving about $1200/mo in addition to TSP |
Anonymous
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This is an extremely open-ended question. Are you a car person? Or do you just want A-to-B transportation? Any preference for type of vehicle?
Just because you CAN spend $800 month on a lease/car note doesn't mean you should. |
Anonymous
| I'd get a 25k car and pay cash if I were you. If you liked Mazdas, start there. |
Anonymous
| With a 12 yo Mazda, it sounds like you are practical and the car is for basic transportation purposes. No specifics but suggest going with the lowest priced and highest rated in safety, reliability and maintenance in the Mazda, Subaru, Honda or Toyota lines. |
Anonymous
| Just get another mazda and stay under 25k. I'd keep it simple. |
Anonymous
OP here. I'm not a car person. What I need first and foremost is a reliable means of transportation that is efficient and safe. Fun to drive/sporty would be a bonus. |
Anonymous
That would get me down to $20K in liquid savings. Not sure if I'm comfortable going this low. |
Anonymous
| buy a 2-3 year old used mazda, honda, toyota, something like that. i'd imagine you can get one without a bunch of bells and whistles for 10k-ish. |
Anonymous
In that case I'd get a V6 Accord or Lexus GS350. Both Honda and the higher-end Lexii have absolutely exceptional safety and reliability, and are quite nice to drive. With your financial situation, I'd imagine you'd have good credit and would qualify for a good interest rate. |
Anonymous
| To expand on my above post, finance a 2-3 year old car. Buying something brand new that loses 20% of its value in the first year (especially when they can reach 250k miles with just oil and tires) is very foolish. |
Anonymous
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How's your credit? I'd check to see which models are offering 0% financing. If you are someone who drives it till it dies (with a 12 YO Mazda you qualify), I wouldn't worry about depreciation.
Also, how much are you driving? MPG should also factor into your deceision. And know your insurance will increase as well. Call your insurance company and price check the models you are considering. We had to replace a 12 YO Subaru outback unexpectedly (5K repair). We considered the Civic, Corolla and Sentra. Then I looked at the Subaru delaership and they were offering 0% financing on the FOrrester. We purchased through the USAA car buying program. The salesman said the buying program at Costco had similar pricing. |
Anonymous
In your situation I'd probably buy a 5 year old Honda or Toyota, whatever model you want, for $15-17k. |
Anonymous
| OP here. I was thinking new Mazda3. Got a couple of quotes for $18-19K. Any thoughts? |
Anonymous
| We have a Mazda 3 hatchback and we love it. It's great for city parking, gets good mileage, and is a little more fun to drive than a civic. |
Anonymous
| don't buy a new anything. waste of money. |