New car recommendation?

Question

2008/2009 model, within $30K MSRP, family sedan, which would you suggest:

Honda Accord

Toyota Camry

Nissan Altima

Please write your personal experiences.

Are there any rebates available now?

Which is the best time to buy from a car dealer?

Any other buying tips will be appreciated.

Answer 1

I personally favor the Accord, but you really can't go wrong with any of them.  Do some reasearch on Cars.com, look at photos, reivew specs, and test drive each one before making a decision.  

As far as pricing, one thing you'll notice about Japanese makes, especially Honda, is that they don't promote sales and rebates as much as other manufactures.  When you decide which car you want, make sure you visit more than one dealership and have them compete for your business.  This will give you the best price

Answer 2

I have owned a Toyota Camry.  My wife loved it, and I thought it was a very nice car.  We had it for about 7 years, and it did not give us any major problems.  My best friend owned a Honda Accord, and he never had any major problems either.  I have driven it several times, and I thought it felt new even after it had close to 100,000 miles -- very impressive.  I've rented the Nissan Altima several times.  It was roomy and drove well.

I think all three of your choices are good cars that will give you years of problem free driving, as long as you change the oil and take care of basic car maintenances.

I have owned over 10 cars during the past 15 years, and I believe for you to be certain that you bought the "right" car, you must drive all three cars that you are considering.  Let the dealer know that you are considering the three cars you have named.  Go to an area where all three dealers are near each other and drive all three of them within a couple of hours so that you can compare how they felt while driving.  No matter what they say, do not sit to negotiate -- just tell them you'll be back if you choose their car.  Do not give them a trade-in to check out even if you want to trade it in -- they'll hold it until you sit to negotiate.  Remember, ALL you want to do is drive them to decide which one you want to buy!

A good thing to do is create a checklist of things that are important to you and rate them from 1 to 5:

--  does it look good?

--  how does it drive?  sporty & noisy? luxurious & smooth?

--  does it have enough power?  how does it brake?

--  what kind of visibility do you have when seated at the driver's seat?  are their blind spots?

--  how comfortable are the seats?  is there enough room in the back?  trunk space?

As far as rebates, dealer holdbacks, and special financing rates, go to www.edmunds.com and click on "new cars".  That will have all the current rebate information in your area.  Also, click on "tips & advice".  They have detailed information on how to negotiate.

Also, before you go to negotiate, find out the "dealer cost" for each car.  Knowing this information (dealer invoice, rebates, special finacing rate) will allow you to know the "true" cost of that particular car and a reasonable place to start your negotiation.  In addition, you should find out about your credit rating and get pre-approved from another lender (credit union, bank, or online lender).  This will keep your car dealer's finacing department "honest" and offer a more reasonable rate.

Buying a car can take a long time, but remember, you're going to have to live with your decision for a while.  Take your time.  Don't let anyone rush you and try to have fun.  You're getting a new car.  It should be a fun experience.  Good luck.