Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Buying a car.

Goodness, dealer, do I disagree. The key is to keep an eye on the bottom line. I have seen cases where it is cheaper to lease, and then buy the car at the end than to finance it outright from the start. Whether to buy new or used is a matter of personal choice. A car is a purchase, not an investment, so buy whatever you think is worth the money to you. I would expect to pay more than wholesale/trade-in for a car from a private seller, as they are selling it themselves to get more than a dealer would pay them. However, it should be considerably less than retail. On financing, shop the dealers, shop banks, shop around for the best deal. Credit Unions tend to be the cheapest, but there are no absolutes.

My advice is to shop around, drive around, and get the best bottom line on the car you like the best. I do agree that you should keep your stock portfolio intact. Keep it for a rainy day or as a down payment on a house when that time comes.

I'd stick with the Protege MP3 or Protege5 over a Spec-V. I drove one, and besides the cheap dash and garish upholstery, the ride is bone jarring hard. Very difficult car to live with as a daily driver.