eljefino is buying a brand new car

[eljefino]

I punted.

It's the wife's car. We're both working a billion hours. Don't have time for breakdowns. We like having one "good" car and after looking around our dooryard, we couldn't figure out which one it was.

And it seems Toyota finally fixed the front tire snow traction problem that plagued my previous models. They stuck a 7 hp electric motor in the rear (in lieu of a spare tire) that pushes it at low speeds.

Say what you will, I wore out three salesmen.

 

[SatinSilver]

Congrats! And looks like I got the brand correct.

Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Hard to say given the OP. But I will make a general guess about what the brand is and say Toyota.

 

[NO2]

They don't exactly look like the Village People.

 

[KrisZ]

Nice and congrats!!!

Now I know you will want to keep it for a very long time and I think rust is not just a rock band to you. So plan on some sort of rustproofing strategy for this one.

 

[Quattro Pete]

What is it: Yaris? Corolla?

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
What is it: Yaris? Corolla?



Prius.

 

[rubberchicken]

I was just about to say a Suzuki Hayabusa ...

 

[nthach]

Prius AWD. I've been seeing those around, sadly most of them are Ubers that will never leave SF/Oakland.

 

[eljefino]

Fluid Film every November is the plan. First time around I'm going to take the plastic cladding junk off to be sure to get behind it.

I sold my rusty old one to some guy who does uber eats. I went on the test drive. He's nutters. Dealer was only going to give me $100 in trade.

 

[supton]

Is it worth going a step above FF? I presume this isn't your 5 and done vehicle.

 

[JTK]

Congrats and a very wise choice as is your custom! Great color choice too. Is this your first brand-new car?

 

[eljefino]

OMG there's some stuff that needs to be turned off.

"Toyota safety sense" is that extra naggy passenger you pick up at a hen party. Even on a foggy predawn morning she dings at you when you ride the center line. I do this on purpose, to stay on the crown of the road, because there could be deer on the shoulder, and because the road crumbles into potholes near the edges.

I should also apologize to the other drivers as I have piercing led projector headlights. They work well for me and are aimed right but they have sharp cutoff so I'm gonna get your retinas if we crest a hill simultaneously.

I did get around 64 MPG in a situation where my 06 gets 49. The rear suspension is tricked out a bit more and the thing takes tight corners without as much understeer. This car has an even more quick ratio steering box. Brakes are as generic and fake feeling as the 2nd gen.

The dealer punked me with a 6 percent interest rate when I could have got 2.9. Wife was not a supportive partner in the F&I office. She could have just exercised her right to remain silent. (I held out for free floor mats, side guards and bumper applique so I could have whittled down the APR.) Im gonna punk them back with an early payoff and or refinance through my credit union... Still got the cash rebate plus $4100 off MSRP. So I basically got this at the MSRP of a 2wd 2005 model year.

 

[Vikas]

any tax rebate since it is "electric"?

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted by eljefino
I punted.

It's the wife's car. We're both working a billion hours. Don't have time for breakdowns. We like having one "good" car and after looking around our dooryard, we couldn't figure out which one it was.

And it seems Toyota finally fixed the front tire snow traction problem that plagued my previous models. They stuck a 7 hp electric motor in the rear (in lieu of a spare tire) that pushes it at low speeds.

Say what you will, I wore out three salesmen.

Congrat, how much of a deal did you get? If you wore out 3 salesmen I bet they lose money on it.

So I guess I'm close with the "special purpose vehicle" (hybrid AWD), "free fuel" (well, very good fuel economy instead I guess), sending a daughter off with a reliable car (keeping a good reliable car at home just in case), and you can't get it used (it is new in 2019 right)?

 

[Andrew1972]

With respect to your interest rate you can refinance the loan too with a credit union. You likely can get close to half the rate. Example at wife's in work credit union>> https://www.aligncu.com/personal/rates#ConsumerRates

Congrats on car. The AWD piece of Prius makes the car a ton more appealing to me. Prius FWD seemed like garbage in the snow in my experiences chasing powder skiing in Maine, VT, NH.

 

[eljefino]

The Prius prime has a $2500 rebate and $4502 tax credit. Brings it down to competing with less-electric versions.

The loan was a cash-flow thing. (Aren't they always?). Also figured it would bait the dealer with the possibility of a kick back. I have options and a month to think about them while waiting for my first bill.

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted by eljefino
The Prius prime has a $2500 rebate and $4502 tax credit. Brings it down to competing with less-electric versions.

The loan was a cash-flow thing. (Aren't they always?). Also figured it would bait the dealer with the possibility of a kick back. I have options and a month to think about them while waiting for my first bill.


The cash flow is funny my wife was more comfortable taking 60 months loan(2.5%) last year and paying in 12 months then paying outright.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted by madRiver
The cash flow is funny my wife was more comfortable taking 60 months loan(2.5%) last year and paying in 12 months then paying outright.
Paying off a 2.5% vehicle loan early doesn't make any sense unless you have NO other debts that have higher interest rates (including your mortgage), especially credit card debts. Even paying cash for a new car (or making a big down payment) doesn't make sense if you have a 4.5% mortgage and you can get a 2.5% auto loan. Always pay off your higher interest rate debts first.

 

[fdcg27]

Good for you!
Sounds like you also got yourself a good deal.
I was vaguely aware that there was an AWD Prius but have never seen one on the road.
This car should serve you economically and reliably for many years and miles to come.

 

[MrHorspwer]

Originally Posted by eljefino
We like having one "good" car and after looking around our dooryard, we couldn't figure out which one it was.


That's a gem right there.