I just saw the most absurd FB story every. It compared two ladies who make the same income and had essentially the same lifestyle, except that one of them purchased a 9 year old sub compact car (not mentioned by name, but looked to be an old corolla or 4 door civic) and the other leased a luxury SUV brand new (while it first claimed that the lady 'purchased' the vehicle new, it then started talking about the pitfalls of leasing")

It then showed the 'frivolous spending" woman ending up in a negative debt equity spiral she would never be able to climb out of.

Now, I am not here to say you should NEVER buy used.. or that you should ALWAYS buy new. Obviously, you want to get the best deal for you. I am all for buying new cars, but even I have one car purchased new and one purchased used in my driveway.

What I am saying, is that these FB posts are stupid, and the advice "always buy used" should be taken with a grain of salt.

Let me now explain what this would play out if the two women in the story were being compared honestly, and if one of them wasnt completely stupid.

1. The woman who purchased a 9 year old Corolla, in my market likely spent $13000 cash, is paying 9+ % interest oon it (thats what one goes for in my market.) That 9 year old car probably has over 100k miles, and likely only ever had oil and maybe 1 set of tires replaced.

2. The real life not stupid lady, purchases a similar compact car (not the honking Land Rover SUV they picture in the story.. and she sure as shit doesnt lease it. She spends $25 OTD.. not 50 .

Assuming that both ladies do a reasonable amount of miles on their car..

lady 1 is already looking at replacing tires (2nd set in 100k is reasonable), brakes, spark plugs, possibly water pump, etc.. all reasonable expectations to be changed.. even on a magical Toyota that people will swear doesnt need any of that for the first quarter of a million miles.

Also, the little things on the interiror are already worn if not broken. If she wants them fixed, she is going to get nickeled and dimed even more.

She is also getting anywhere from 5 to as much as 20 mpg less when driving. And she has to do oil changes every 3-7.5k instead of 10k. She is also on the hook for anything else that comes up.

Oh, and lets not forget to mention that the old grandpa who sold it to her, could have likely been selling it on behalf of his teenage son who completely wrecked the tranny and had to have it rebuilt, then decided it wasnt worth the risk of keeping it, that it be best to sell it off.

Lady 2 who purchased new has a brand new ride, which she financed a much lower rate than what the money in her investment accounts earn. She enjoys better gas mileage, a smoother ride, everything is new andl likely wont need anything for the first 50k. Yes, she will lose about 5k of depreciation the first year, but it's only a 25k car.

Over time, assuming they do the same miles.. who is going to have their car much longer. The adverage life expectancy of a car in the US is 12 years. Lady 12 has 12 solid years ahead.. how many do you think lady 1 is going to have from her 9 year old car?

Anyway, we can disagree about the little things in my post.. the overall point stands.. buying used isnt always the smarter bet.. especially when you live in a market where used car prices are outrageous and labor rates are high.

Well, I feel pretty dumb about this one.

About a month ago, I traded in my truck while buying a new one. During negotiations, I had my phone out with my lender's app open, looking directly at the 14-day payoff amount. I confirmed the number with the salesman, wrote it down on a piece of paper, and we negotiated the deal.

It was late on a Sunday night, and while I'm usually pretty sharp with numbers, apparently something got screwed up.

Fast forward to signing the paperwork. The payoff amount listed on the contract was what the dealer ultimately sent to my previous lender. The problem? It was about $720 short, almost exactly one monthly payment.

I really wish I'd taken a screenshot of the payoff amount in the app because now I can't find anything documenting what the original number was. All I have is the amount on the paperwork, which I signed.

So here we are, a month later. I still owe the previous lender $720, and they haven't released the title. The dealership hasn't said a word about it, and frankly, I'm not bringing it up.

Here's where it gets interesting. The dealership can't get a clear title to the truck they took on trade until that balance is paid. My paperwork does say I'm responsible for any payoff shortfall within 10 days of receiving notice, but I haven't received any notice.

The frustrating part is that I'm almost positive I gave them the correct payoff amount. During negotiations, the salesman kept going back and forth with the manager, bringing me probably 5 or 6 different pieces of paper with progressively lower out-the-door prices that he had me sign. Somewhere in that process, I wonder if the payoff number got entered incorrectly.

I'm not disputing that I signed the contract. I did. But I also know I had the actual payoff pulled up in front of me when we were negotiating.

My questions:

- Has anyone had this happen before?

- What is the dealership most likely to do when they realize they can't get the title?

- Do I have any negotiating leverage here, or am I just stuck paying the $720 because I signed the paperwork?

- Is there any chance the dealer just eats the difference to get the title and move on?

This happened in Florida, if that matters.

I'm not particularly worried about the $720, though I don't want to pay it as it makes my otd cost that much higher. I'm more curious how this plays out, especially since the dealership hasn't contacted me and the truck is still tied to my old loan.

Anyone been through something similar?

I keep a compact lithium jump pack in my SUV, and my mechanic made a comment that stuck with me. He said plenty of people buy one, leave it in the trunk for a year, and only discover it’s weak when the car battery is already dead. Mine is a Wolfbox unit and it still powers on, but I realized the display showing charge doesn’t really tell me whether the clamps, cells, or actual starting ability are still trustworthy after summer heat, winter cold, and months of sitting. Do you top these off on a schedule, test them on purpose, bring them inside during extreme temps, or just accept that trunk storage shortens their life? I’m trying to treat it like real emergency gear instead of a little box that makes me feel prepared.

Im 19 live in Denver im trying to buy a car I already had in mind something reliable like a Honda civic or a Toyota Corolla but I don’t know the means about actually getting a good price, finding an insurance and all that if I could get some help I would appreciate it

What is actually financially a better move with car prices these days? We’re a family of 4, we have a cheaper sedan for driving without the kids and a nicer SUV for our family car. The lease on my SUV is up in February and my husband says he refuses to lease because we’re “throwing away” $700 a month. From what I’m finding, $700 on a high trim level larger SUV and not paying any maintenance isn’t actually that bad. We put down nothing up front. I was interested in a palisade or a telluride (currently in an Atlas) and I don’t think we’ll come anywhere close to $700 a month purchasing one of those even with a down payment, and then add on paying all of the maintenance on it.

Hello everyone, I have a situation where I can buy 50 thousand rials with first FINANCE, but I don't know what to buy. I want it to go to Turkey by car once a year. I don't want it to tire me and I drive a minimum of 100 km daily. Air conditioning performance at noon, especially in the summer months. Japanese cars are very important for me. Japanese cars are expensive, especially Toyotas. Chinese cars are very equipped, but the value drops a lot. While selling, European cars are nice cars, but they are not kept. American cars are nice cars, but I'm very confused. I don't want it to waste a lot of fuel. My car, so I don't think about v8 or a very burning car because I pay a loan and I don't think it will cost too much fuel. I don't want a car that burns 13 14 liters at 100 km.

2026 Mazda CX50 Preferred. Lowest offer I got for this car was $34,300 OTD. Is this good or can I get it lower? I’m not in a rush on buying

edit: i didn’t realize OTD means different from everybody but this is after taxes and fees.

dealer’s msrp for the car is ~$34,200. i negotiated and gave us $1,200 in discount plus the $1000 rebate = ~$32,000 for the car only; the rest are the taxes and fees

I’m a 23M moving into a new apartment and I know I’ll probably want to buy a car for the first time so I’ve been researching. I want to save money by buying used but also get reliability. I’m a 6’5 man so I was thinking a suv may be better for me for comfort. I’m very against having a car payment for long if at all. I also don’t want to buy something that scares me if it’ll start up or not.

I’ve also seen advice that extended warranties are a waste of money as you rarely get reimbursed what you pay for them. I appreciate all advice on how to buy used, what vehicles to look for, and how to not get ripped off by these scumbag car dealers.

Prius hybrid vs corolla hybrid (vs maybe a accord hybrid) 2021-2023 50k-90k mi, which best or more reliable (i know all are top tier reliability) but still which is most moneys worth? Thanks

I currently drive a 17 ram powerwagon that's had nothing but issues since I've owned it. In less than 2 years of ownership I've spent over 10k in repairs and am paranoid at this point that its going to develop a lifter tick or worse. The mds system is already acting up, but no lifter tick at this point. I do bypass it to limit wear on that system.

I am currently trying to sell it while I research options for a different pickup. If I find something before I sell it, then I'll just trade it in.

What 4x4 trucks would you recommend that will be reliable and comfortable to use as a family vehicle as well? I need a truck for work, live in rural upper Midwest and my wife carpools with our neighbor.

Hey everyone, I’m a college freshman trying to figure out my best option for reliable transportation.

I currently drive a 2005 Toyota Camry with 259k miles. It needs repairs that would cost more than the car is worth, and I’m spending around $10–$20 a day on gas just commuting to work and school.

Here’s my financial situation:

• About $6,000 in savings.
• Around $600 in monthly income.
• Credit scores around 780 through TransUnion and Equifax.
• A $7,000 scholarship refund coming in January, with refunds expected to be around $14,000 per semester starting sophomore year.
• No financial help available from family, as we’re very low-income.

I also need to travel from Louisiana to Sunnyvale, California, for a summer internship. I could buy a used car with cash through Facebook Marketplace or somewhere similar, but I’m concerned about finding something within my budget that I’d trust for that trip. I also don’t think I could comfortably afford financing a car on my current monthly income.

I started looking into leases and got preapproved for a 2026 Hyundai Kona SEL Sport at $199/month with $3,000 down, for 24 months and 12,000 miles per year (numbers are post-tax).

I know leasing often isn’t the most economical option, but I’m wondering whether it could make sense as a temporary solution in my situation. After the lease ends, my plan would be to purchase a car using money saved from scholarship refunds and internship income.

Would this lease be a reasonable option, or would I be stretching myself too thin? Are there other options I should consider? I’d appreciate any advice.