I'm getting a new car...help me make my decision

Dude, trust me on this: Boots has more stret cred than a Dodge Caliber.

 

Or a girl named Destiny you met outside a club at 3 a.m. in San Francisco.

 

You're right, you're basically paying to rent their car, but when you buy a car, unless you put a ton down or get a deal on it, you're always going to be upside down in it until you get to the final year of your finance contract, which is usally at least 4 years down the road.

I've leased my last 2 vehicles. The vehicle is covered front to back without having to pay for any extra maintenance. After having a bad experience with a truck 7 years ago in which I sunk several thousands I didn't have into a vehicle I couldn't afford, I'm happy to rent for a few years and then give it back.

But whatever you do, don't buy at the end of the lease. You'll get hit with the used car interest rate (8 percent right now) and in the end pay more than you would have if you bought the car at the beginning.

Down side of a lease, when you're done with the term, you have nothing and have to go get another car. Then again, sometimes that beats having to shell out money to pay for engine problems.

As far as cars go, Hondas are great if you want something you can hop into and not worry about whether it's going to start or not.

 

Whoa, easy there.

Dodges served me well over the years until I became a full-on Jeep boy. That said, the Caliber sucks.

 

The idea of the Caliber is awesome. The execution leaves something to be desired.

And guy, I paid off my car 3 years ago (a 1999 pontiac Sunfire). I've had no engine problems and, other than oil changes, no maintence. And the Sunfire isn't a Honda or a Toyota in the reliability department. I've never understood leasing, other than you get a more expensive car than you can really afford.

 

But it worked so well for Al Bundy!

 

Same here. I had had a 1998 Neon for years, before driving it into the ground at 120K miles.

just bought a Ford Focus, so I'm back to having a car payment, but those 3-4 years without one were very nice.

 

Usually, leasing doesn't make sense for this profession.
If you drive more than 12k per year, a lease will never pay off for you. That stated, leasing in the last 10 has improved dramatically for the consumer. There are no more "open-ended leases." The dealership tells you exactly what your payment will be. It will not change. There will be no "depreciation charge" at the end of the payments. Many companies offer maintenance programs with leasing.
For the most part, you can get into a nicer car for a lower payment. The "rental analogy" above fits pretty good.

 

Anyone have any experience with Kia Sorrentos?

 

Can you get into a used Maxima? Sweet, powerful, smooth ride.

 

everyone's mileage will vary, but i would recommend an used honda civic or nissan sentra with less than 30,000-35,000 on it. and put as much money down as you can.

 

I'm also a big guy -- 6'3" so head and leg room can sometimes be an issue. The new Sentra had plenty. I haven't sat in a Civic in years.