Car buying

[Rush2112]

I'm not a gearhead by any means, but I've done routine maintenance myself numerous times via my Jeep and Dodge (MOPAR BABY) so I have no problem looking under the hood to check fluids or doing general visual inspections like cleanliness of the bay or the air filter.

Did your bases all have the garage the airmen and officers could use? My sister was always like "do the work yourself it's cheaper blah, blah." I also didn't have almost instant access to a pretty full-service garage.

[EnochRoot]

B*tch I don't even fit under my car anymore

[Johnnie]

If you buy during the week and have a guy you trust you absolutely can take it to the mechanic for. Quick once over. But I haven’t done that in years since the carfax usually works. But pull it yourself and don’t trust what dealer hands you. It is often outdated

Hmmm, I just assumed you can't because of the market and that the next person to come along won't do that. I guess I'll have to look into that.

Did your bases all have the garage the airmen and officers could use? My sister was always like "do the work yourself it's cheaper blah, blah." I also didn't have almost instant access to a pretty full-service garage.

The Auto Hobby shops have slowly started going away because funding has been steadily cut to MWR (Morale, Welfare, & Recreation) facilities over the course of time. 20 years ago they were necessary and vital. These days everything requires certified technicians because the electrical is too entwined with the mechanical, so usage of them has decreased. And the AF isn't going to pay to have specialized mechanics in that regard.

I used them every so often at my first base and constantly while in Germany (couldn't work on a Jeep anywhere else), but at Davis-Monthan I haven't used it once and at Kirtland I only used it to store my vehicle when I was deploying.

[Gunpowder]

Yeah if your car is new (last 3-5 years or so) or even slightly fancy you aren't doing shit to it.

Took me 4 hrs to change the battery on a 2020 Mercedes Peasant-class

[Steve of phpBB]

Yeah if your car is new (last 3-5 years or so) or even slightly fancy you aren't doing shit to it.

Took me 4 hrs to change the battery on a 2020 Mercedes Peasant-class

Even the damned wiper blades have gotten too complicated.

[Johnnie]

I finally was able to buy my car after it going through reconditioning and getting a few things fixed.

And I gotta say, I completely forgot that the toughest part of the transaction is at the end when you're dealing with the finance guy trying to upsell you on an extended warranty and getting you to buy a security system.

He was so slick to transition into his pitch I didn't realize he was trying to get me to buy something and thought he was just talking about something that came with the purchase.

It didn't dawn on me until he pulled out this Waffle House menu looking laminate paper and said "for an extra $50 a month if anything goes wrong it's covered by our platinum level." That laminate looked like something out of the late 90s too with its color scheme and font.

I had to decline like 5 times before he finally let me buy the car. The worst was him saying the car is 9 years old (it's, at best 8 since 2016s are built in 2015) and repeatedly saying "A vehicle this old will have something break on it in the next 4 years. If something breaks this will pay for itself." To which I replied "Well, aren't Hyundais pretty reliable? That's the point of me buying the car in the first place. I don't anticipate something simply breaking. And if something breaks I'll get it fixed then."

All of a sudden I could write my check, sign paperwork, and drive away.

[A_B]

I don’t think I’d want to buy a car from someone who says out loud that something is going to break.

[Johnnie]

I don’t think I’d want to buy a car from someone who says out loud that something is going to break.

That's a fair point. But he's the guy divorced from customer service and sales altogether and probably uses that for every person that comes into his office.

Dude was just a jerk.

[P.D.X.]

Been looking at Autotrader and Carmax, and occasionally Carvana (seems unlikely I'd use it though). Am I missing any other big listing sites?

[GoodKarma]

Been looking at Autotrader and Carmax, and occasionally Carvana (seems unlikely I'd use it though). Am I missing any other big listing sites?

Cars.com should show you all listings based on whatever criteria (price, location, etc.) you are looking for. I usually start there then go to dealer specific sites.

[rass]

I used Cars Guru successfully, once.

[DSafetyGuy]

CarGurus.com was very helpful to me. I recommended it to Johnnie and I believe he had a positive experience, as well.

[Sabo]

Been looking at Autotrader and Carmax, and occasionally Carvana (seems unlikely I'd use it though). Am I missing any other big listing sites?

A friend of mine bought a used Honda HR-V through Carvana, and he said he'd do it again in a heartbeat. But YMMV.

[DSafetyGuy]

Been looking at Autotrader and Carmax, and occasionally Carvana (seems unlikely I'd use it though). Am I missing any other big listing sites?

A friend of mine bought a used Honda HR-V through Carvana, and he said he'd do it again in a heartbeat. But YMMV.

Did he get it from the vending machine where those two highways meet in your necks of the woods (480 is one of them)?

But, back on point, there are multiple reports online that Carvana charges significantly higher prices than many other outlets.

[Sabo]

Been looking at Autotrader and Carmax, and occasionally Carvana (seems unlikely I'd use it though). Am I missing any other big listing sites?

A friend of mine bought a used Honda HR-V through Carvana, and he said he'd do it again in a heartbeat. But YMMV.

Did he get it from the vending machine where those two highways meet in your necks of the woods (480 is one of them)?

But, back on point, there are multiple reports online that Carvana charges significantly higher prices than many other outlets.

No, but I know what you're talking about (I-480 and I-271 interchange).

I think he said the car he ended up buying was originally in Texas, and they shipped it to NE Ohio. He said he was adamant about buying a used car from the south so it wouldn't have the road salt exposure.

[HaulCitgo]

Been since COVID but carvana gave me a very good baseline price on used cars. It was sometimes a little difficult to id proper price points on used cars because of so much margin difference from dealer to dealer and the variances from package to package and uniqueness of each car. Id say carvana had about 85% beat on price and 10% of the rest were lower for good reason. Theyve almost gone bankrupt since then... We also have an empty car vending machine... So maybe theyve become more disciplined on price. Ended up finding one on autotrader and they drove it to me from Kentucky. Had a warranty so wasn't as worried about sight unseen.

[Johnnie]

CarGurus.com was very helpful to me. I recommended it to Johnnie and I believe he had a positive experience, as well.

Yup. Last summer I was looking for a Hyundai Sonata specifically. The website posted a VIN for a vehicle that was traded in that morning well before photos or a price popped up. I was able to call the dealer and test drive it that day. They had no idea that the general public had info on it that fast.

So yes. 10/10. Highly recommend.

[P.D.X.]

Thanks GK and Dsafe, adding both of those sites to my search rotation.

But, back on point, there are multiple reports online that Carvana charges significantly higher prices than many other outlets.

This is my conclusion after watching prices for a couple months. I'm expecting to travel to purchase, but if the right vehicle pops up at the right time I could see how it might pencil out. Also their inventory is pretty limited compared to other sites, for at least what I'm looking for (long-bed Tacoma).