How do you buy a car?

How do you buy a car?
I know the general perception around here is "buy used", but I really can't shake the fear of pre-owned vehicles.
I want the safety and frankly smooth brain approach dealerships offer, where I know they'll cover me.

I am not a car guy, or car enthusiast, but I like cars and want to own something nice.
I want to shake the feeling of the "parents bought you a new car when you were 16 that you're still driving a decade later" attached to it.

Why shouldn't I go through a dealership, and by not, what problems am I inheriting by buying preowned?

>I want the safety and frankly smooth brain approach dealerships offer, where I know they'll cover me
With this in mind you're cruising to get ripped off. Dealerships make money on your ignorance. Never thing "they'd never do that would they?" because they fucking would

Stealerships will 9/10 times overcharge you for a shitty car. However this is moreso used car dealers. New econobox is fine as long as you drive it into the ground to get the most out of your investment.

If you want to buy a new car, do so when you can afford it.

A bank putting you in debt for the next 3-5 years isn't ideal. Buy your new car outright, or not at all.

You just pay thousands more. All cars were once bought brand new. Used to financially smarter.

The logic here is, instead of buying a Civic or Corolla for $20,000 new, you can buy a $15,000 C5 Corvette and have $5,000 leftover for gas, insurance, maintenance, repairs, tires, and even upgrades to improve the car.

What shows your hard work more, another Civic on the road or a bad ass fuckin Corvette or other fun car that costs less than a new plebmobile?

This

Forgot to mention, what will be the more fun, and enjoyable car that you will appreciate and wash and keep clean?

that c5 z06 wouldn't be financeable. Too old to get any kind of decent interest rate. The smart thing is to get something interesting that's newer than 7-8 years and put a lot down if you're not paying cash.

(OP)

Try emailing a few dealers for quotes.

Dealerships understand they aren't the only ones being emailed and will give you a decent price if they want to close a deal.

Do not CC them all. That's just being cocky.

Of course some dealers don't move on a price or don't respond. Don't deal with them.

You can also print out the quotes, walk in and see if they can beat their competitors price.

I guess a followup question is, when do I do this?
I could feasibly drive my current trashbox into the ground, as it's perfectly fine with only 35k miles on it.

If I could sell my car right now for 10k, and invest that into my new daily, or drive it for another 10years and to 100k miles+, which would you choose?
The trade off is being better off financially later, versus the gratification coming sooner.
I'm young, have (some) money, and a decent career, why should I put off feeling good and having nice things till in my late 30s.

>35000 miles on it
Don't sell it. Just buy a second fun car used and learn to wrench on that.

If you do go to a dealership just go to carmax. There is no haggling on the price and they lay out every single dollar you will be spending

what do you drive now? why do you want something new?

it's a 2011 base Impreza hatch.
perfectly good car and exactly what I need for everything except making me happy.
My desire to replace is something to the effect of "it is not mine, nor is it a part of me".
I look at replacing this car like I would buying my own house. It's a mental step to becoming my own man so to speak.
It's stupid and childish and everyone around me says buying a car is terrible and will ruin your life and I'm not prepared to incur the costs and I should put owning anything nice out of my mind until I'm 60 and have retired.

Don't do this, their no haggling shit is a scam

listen fuckers, the most fun buying a car is to be had at the bottom of the scale

used cars offer infinitely more character and driver appeal for way less outlay. yeah its a fucking minefield buying used but imo thats all part of the fun, and the people selling shitty cars are usually so exceptionally dumb that you can spot em a mile off and avoid like the plague

>be britbong
>buy saab 9-3 aero for ~£1200
>dat turbo surge
>get bored
>sell for same money
>buy 4.6 range rover p38 for ~£2000
>its a fucking £50k car new
>dat v8 rumble

i honestly wouldnt dream of doing it any other way. people are so scared of used cars and theres no reason to be, just keep your wits about you, make sure the car has decent history and make sure the sellers not a total kook. its easy

do you even know what kind of vehicle would make you happy?

also worrying about repair costs on a ~20 year old car is absurd, theres a huge aftermarket/owners club scene for almost every car under the sun, and 20 year old electronics which may have been terrifying complicated at the time can now be fixed by a man in a shed with a soldering iron and an old laptop.you cant lose!

Let's just rename this thread
>ITT: OP is a fucking moron and wondering how big of a cock are the dealerships going to fuck my virgin asshole with?

You should.

Anyone saying you shouldn't is a moron.

Buying is used is for poor people and enthusiasts who know what they are doing.

Pretry much this

Research the fuck out of the cars you are interested in, be they new or used. Know what their strengths and weaknesses are. Look into how certain cars are put together. Many times a successful econobox will be rebadged and even repurposed several times throughout a brand.

I was in a similar position as you, new vs used. By some of the reason posted above i went with used just make sure to have it checked out by a mechanic or go carmax or vroom carvana or any dealer certified pre owned they have and offer warranties. Make sure you use due diligence new or used you can get screwed but used might be more problematic but if you can find one with little to no issues you hit the jackpot.
Also i drove my first car for 11 years and waited till i was 27 to buy my first car. Realized that i was missing out on having a nicer new (to me) car for about two years (when i felt i was in a position to buy one) an felt like i was missing out and regret it. in my experience don't wait, just make sure its within your budget and all those other factors. Also i would recommend to keep your other car if its in good condition have the space and maintain it financially and mechanically. Remember to mind your economical situation above else don't buy a car you cannot afford to pay and maintain aka above your budget. PS do not trust any seller from the dealer to the guy on Craigslist or your family member/priest. The higher you go on that chain the nastier it get and might try to screw you.

ok but what if i buy a gar with bad motor or transmission? i'm fucke?