So I am looking to buy my first car, my budget is 15 to 20 thousand Canadian. I do not have any preferences for compagnies or models. What i want is a car that isn't a money pit for fuel, is fast, AWD or FWD, automatic (no cvt) and a 4 door 5 seater. Also i want to be able learn and mod the car out to make it look better and faster. Last thing is i want it to be reliable so it doesn't become a money pit.
Thank you for any suggestions
I forget what kind of loan it is called, but I’m using Navy Federal to apply for a loan to buy a car from a private seller (off Facebook marketplace). My question is, should I apply for the loan now or can I apply for it tomorrow with the seller? I don’t want to do a hard credit check on a loan that I might use; because the seller ghosts me or I choose not to buy the car. What should I do?
Sorry, a bunch of stupid questions incoming.
I'm looking to get my first beater from Marketplace or Craigslist. Looking to spend 3K or less.
This would be the first time I'm buying a car and I'm just so confused on what the process is like and how long it takes.
Do people usually buy a used car the same day? What do I ask for ahead of time?
How do I go about getting a mechanic to inspect the car? Do I bring one with me or do I ask the seller if we can take it to a mechanic? What if they say no?
If I do bring a mechanic with me how do I find a trustworthy one? Do I just go to a shop and ask or look for a mobile mechanic?
What information can I get ahead of time? It feels weird asking for the VIN but I know that's how I'd get a Carfax report.
I read that it should be insured before I drive off, but what if I don't have an existing insurance policy? Do I literally sign up online before I drive home? Lol
I don't really have anybody experienced to come with me. I suppose I can always ask friends of friends but in the meantime I need an ELI5 break down.
I often see ads where someone will say things like "car doesn't start but it just needs a battery." While it's certainly possible someone would sell a car for cheap because they're too lazy to replace the battery first, an honest person and someone who wants the best price for their car will generally make that repair first before listing the car.
I believe it's far more common that someone is outright lying (e.g. the car's alternator is bad and that's why it won't start). Or else they know it's one of a number of things, and they're listing the cheaper fix as though it's the guaranteed solution.
Again, the battery is just an example. I've seen all sorts of stuff like, "car is slow to accelerate but just needs a new fuel pump filter" and on and on.
In general, I don't even advise buying used cars from private parties you don't know. But if you're going to, then I'd follow this advice.
Personally I'd only buy used if it's certified from a dealership with some kind of brief bumper to bumper warranty like 3 months/3,000 miles for anything you and the dealership missed during inspection.
I’m trying to find first time auto loan program with no credit no cosigner job less than 1 year. What should I expect?
im looking for a pickup trucks that's reliable while also having some type of style im thinking about going with a Toyota Tundra or Tacoma but I really want a 2000s-2010s Chevy/GMC any tips also is ford a good company to buy a truck from ?
Hey all, admittedly it's been almost a decade since I worked with a dealer for a finance loan. I agreed on an out the door price of $9,500 (everything including tax) over the phone and submitted the credit application. He confirmed the APR at 8.49% over 60 months and told me the monthly is $205.84. My math says this is a for a $10K loan. I'm not planning on financing all of it, especially the tax, and I'm likely going to be paying this off within a few months but I'm curious, is it the norm to be pre-approved for a higher amount and then be told the monthly by the dealership and not the exact amount we agreed on?
Edit: I'm going down on the weekend to finalize sale and review loan/sign docs. Just wanted some info before I make the trip down there.
20 years since last test drive; only showed license to sales to test then.
only tried one so far and felt weird but maybe that’s the new normal?
2024 CX-30 Select Sport AWD, 22.5k miles, Mazda CPO. 1-owner lease, clean CARFAX/no accidents, serviced mostly at the same Mazda dealership. MSRP was $27,920 new. CARFAX does show “wheel(s) repaired” during CPO prep, which I’m asking about.
Dealer agreed to $24,500 OTD with no add fee. Would you consider this a good/fair deal?
This is my first time to buy a car as a foreign student. so i need some advice and help. Thank you in advance..!
Hello, I know this is a very niche question but maybe someone has insight they can offer! Back in the beginning of May, I sold my vehicle to driveway.com. The vehicle was still financed at the time. Shortly after the payoff went through to the financing institution (Chase), I received a letter from them stating that a GAP rebate was applied to the payoff amount. This was several hundred dollars. I called Chase to inquire how I should be receiving these funds, they told me to contact driveway because it was applied to the payoff balance. I did that, at first they told me I’d receive a refund “after all paperwork was processed” but when I checked in on the status several days later another person told me they paid exactly the amount listed as the original payoff balance and that Chase would be the one refunding me directly. Called Chase again, the representative said she sees that a rebate was issued but it didn’t appear to have been processed so she sent it through again. Then I got a notification from Chase that the return could not be processed because it must be applied as a reduction to the outstanding principal balance, which had been done. Has anyone else experienced something like this? It’s not a small amount of money.
I started looking for a used car thinking the expensive part would be the actual car. Turns out, Ive already spent a decent amount just trying to find the right one.
One car looked great online but was pretty rough when I saw it. Another was nice, but the seller’s story didn’t quite add up, so I passed.
Ive got another one lined up now, but I am hesitant to run another full-price Carfax when there’s a good chance I’ll end up walking away again.
For those who’ve bought used cars recently, what are you using for VIN/ carfax reports? Is there a cheaper option that’s actually good?
In a tough spot and need some advice. My 2015 Subaru Crosstrek XV needs an engine replacement, $5k used or $9k new. I’m not considering either option, I’ve had bad experiences with engine replacements and find its better to just sell the car. The bad part is I still owe $11k on it, and I don’t think it’s worth that much in its current state. I would obviously be transparent in selling. So - how much is it worth? I’m in San Diego, CA. Then, what do I do with the rest of the loan, and what car do I buy next? A beater, newer, or lease brand new? I have no savings, and will be financing any of the above options. I also have credit card debt and student debt. Thanks in advance for the advice.
Hi, I’m 31m just passed my test and looking for a first car with budget 6k+
I’ve seen both cars at around same price but need some advice
Suzuki baleno 2018- 67k miles £6100
Mazda 3 2015-97k miles £6500
I’m not sure if I’m doing too much by looking at Mazda 3, I just love the car but Baleno looks really cheap to run too. Please advise, thank you.
Soo I’m trying to buy a blue trim 2.5 S Mazda3 negotiated the price for two dealerships down to $24,800 but one dealership the car after dealer trades and test drives is at 205 miles and the other dealership said they could get me a trade from a dealer and it would have less than 100 miles on it. The dealership with the car with 205 miles is offering me $1 off each mile cause when they showed me paperwork it only said 10 miles so I got pissed and now I’m getting that offer of $24,600. For context though the 205 miles car is like 80 miles away from me and the other place is only like 30 mins. Do you think it’s worth it to drive the extra miles for the $200 off or just get the car from the local dealership with no discount for any mileage accrued from the dealer trade. Please all suggestions and advice will help!!!
Location: Michigan.
My girlfriend and I live in Michigan. We owned a 2009 Chevy Malibu for a couple of years.
We bought her a new car and decided to sell the Malibu.
Sold it to a relative who typically strips cars for good parts, sells the good parts and then scraps the cars. We had sold him a couple other cars in the past without issue.
Anyway, sold him this car in 2024. He apparently then resold it to someone else relatively quickly. He did not transfer the title to his own name. The people he sold it to did not transfer it to their name. They then left it dilapidated on the side of the road somewhere and the vin number was traced back to us as it had not been transferred to anyone else’s name. This was in February 2026.
We get a ticket in the mail in March of 2026. Call the courthouse. They seem mostly understanding. They give us the phone number of the officer who wrote the ticket. We contact him. He says he will take care of everything. Tells us to call the courthouse back and inform them. We do that. They tell us the case is dropped and not even in their system anymore. We call the officer back and he tells us he will take care of the towing company who towed the car.
So that’s that. Or so we thought.
We got a letter in the mail in May from a collections agency saying we are being taken to collections for an unpaid towing bill. We never received a towing bill in the first place, let alone did not pay one.
I contacted collections. They said we need written proof from the officer and the court house and the relative we sold the vehicle to for this to be dropped.
Obviously we are unable to obtain these things.
Now 6 months later I just received a notice from my credit report that I have a collections notice on my report and it ranked my credit score.
The letter we received from collections in May said the original towing bill was for approximately $170. Now we are being taken to collections for $700 for a towing bill we never received, for a car we no longer owned when it was towed.
In Michigan we are unable to transfer vehicles out of our own names at the DMV/Secretary of States. The person you sold it to has to transfer it into their name for it to come out of your name. We did not get a bill of sale when we sold it to our relative, as I suppose we didn’t think we needed to do that with it being a family member we trusted. But also, I believe the law in Michigan is that you have to hold onto a bill of sale for 1 year. After that you can shred it/throw it away.
Maybe this isn’t a legal thing, but if anyone has any experience or knowledge in this matter, we would appreciate hearing what you have to say.
Who is buying these cars?
I was browsing the local used market today and just couldnt stop laughing .
2020 hyundai tuscon with 140k miles for 17k
2018 toyota rav4 with 120k miles for 28k
2022 Honda crv with 160k miles for 22k
Are people this dumb . Who the hell is buying cars with over 100k miles for 20k? These cars are basicly junk.
These wore listed prices without dealer fees and bullshit dealer warranties.
Hi! I’m in a little pickle .. i purchased a 2026 toyota corolla on July 31st & this past Monday a driver hit my while he was making a left turn ( i’m not at fault of course ) but I am very sad about it but VERY blessed and glad to have my life. It is very hard to get over the loss of my car because I worked so hard for it & it was my first car. I’m in school , I have a job but it’s looking like those things will need to be on hold. My insurance doesn’t cover a rental car so I have to WAIT on a police report. I’m just looking for some words of encouragement .. i’m only 23 years old but it feels like the man who hit me took away my freedom and ruined what I have going on right now. Anything helps im just really sad right now.
Hey I need as many inputs as I can get, it is a black exterior, harvest beige interior and comes with panoramic sunroof.
OTD is 43k
Is it a good buy and how do you feel about the colour options!
Please lmk want to put the deposit down today!
Hi everyone. Sorry for the long read. First-time buyer here, and I’m looking for some perspective because I’m experiencing a lot of anxiety about the final approval process.
For some background, I have a 710 credit score and have maintained perfect payment history across all my accounts. I recently applied with my credit union and was pre-approved for up to $20,000 at 8% for 72 months with $1,000 down. My base gross income is around $40,000/year, before factoring in overtime and commission. Current DTI is ~14%. They told me the final approval is pending submission of the purchase order and vehicle information.
I’ve chosen a 2024 VW Jetta with approximately 43,000 miles, and the vehicle is within the budget I’ve worked out.
I’ve spent a significant amount of time trying to make sure I am being financially responsible about this. I’ve built spreadsheets, calculated my OTD budget, taxes, fees, potential down payment, monthly payments, and LTV, and I’ve gone over these numbers repeatedly because I want to make absolutely sure I’m not putting myself in a situation I can’t afford.
At this point, the amount of time I’ve spent thinking through every possible scenario has honestly contributed to a lot of anxiety about the final approval. I know a preapproval isn’t the same as a final approval, and that’s the part I’m having trouble with mentally. I’ve done everything I can on my end to prepare, but I still don’t know what will happen when I actually submit the vehicle information.
My biggest concern is that I’m a first-time auto buyer. I have established credit and perfect payment history, but I’ve never had an auto loan before.
Realistically, what kind of position am I in? Should I feel reasonably confident going into the dealership with this preapproval, or is there still a significant possibility that the final approval could change substantially?
Thanks!