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New Car Time
Mai-Kero
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, I've been new car shopping for a while now. My old car (2003 Impala) had some serious bodywork to be done, and the hood latch just separated from it while I was driving on the highway, which signaled to me that it was time to finally pull the trigger.
I've looked at quite a few possibilities, and was kind of torn between a 2009 Fusion SEL and a base model 2012 Kia Soul. After driving both, I'm siding with the Soul based on the facts that it feels much more peppy (accelerates way faster than the Fusion, and feels more maneuverable) and that in white it looks like a storm trooper helmet. The warranty is also nice. The base model fits well into the price I wanted to go up to ($250 a month) but I'm wondering if there are any other nice, cheap options for a new car.
I'm also curious about financing options. My credit score used to be awesome, but then it took an arrow to the knee (I purchased a $3000 TV on a financing card). I've never missed a payment on any card, but I guess my credit utilization ratio is out of whack now because of the TV. 667 is what a somewhat shady dealership downtown rated me at, which gave me a 10.9% APR. Another place near my work gave me a 7.9%, and I'm going with them for the purchase, but I'm not sure if I could get any better of a rate going through my bank. I tried out Lending Tree, and got a creditor that would give me 6.19% from some place called up2drive, but I'm wondering how long their approval process is going to take. I need a car pretty much now, but if I'm going to save a few hundred to a thousand, I can wait a few days.
Any advice from people who have purchased new cars recently or used Lending Tree?
I've looked at quite a few possibilities, and was kind of torn between a 2009 Fusion SEL and a base model 2012 Kia Soul. After driving both, I'm siding with the Soul based on the facts that it feels much more peppy (accelerates way faster than the Fusion, and feels more maneuverable) and that in white it looks like a storm trooper helmet. The warranty is also nice. The base model fits well into the price I wanted to go up to ($250 a month) but I'm wondering if there are any other nice, cheap options for a new car.
I'm also curious about financing options. My credit score used to be awesome, but then it took an arrow to the knee (I purchased a $3000 TV on a financing card). I've never missed a payment on any card, but I guess my credit utilization ratio is out of whack now because of the TV. 667 is what a somewhat shady dealership downtown rated me at, which gave me a 10.9% APR. Another place near my work gave me a 7.9%, and I'm going with them for the purchase, but I'm not sure if I could get any better of a rate going through my bank. I tried out Lending Tree, and got a creditor that would give me 6.19% from some place called up2drive, but I'm wondering how long their approval process is going to take. I need a car pretty much now, but if I'm going to save a few hundred to a thousand, I can wait a few days.
Any advice from people who have purchased new cars recently or used Lending Tree?
Mai-Kero on
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