car shopping by bike

[redrhodie]

Rode to the Toyota dealership and test rode a Yaris today. It fit! "It" being the bike, of course. In the hatch, with the seats down, and the front wheel off, it went in easily.

Really liked the car (maybe I even loved it) + that the dealership is bikeable. The car was fun to drive, and felt very comfortable. It felt right. The price is my hang up. I've seen similar models advertised with similar miles for $4,000 less, private owner sales. This one was Toyota certified "pre-owned". I'm not sure the Toyota warranty, which lasts until 2015, is worth $4000 to me. What say you? They did also offer me $1000 for my Maxima, sight unseen, which is on death's door, so that's a consideration.

Also thinking about the Honda Fit, but it may be hard to find in my price range, and the Nissan Versa. My friend has a Versa so I bet I can test ride his. The Fits seem more rare used, so I may have to try a new one. The dealer is in a bike unfriendly location, so I may not ride to it. We'll see.

[OakLeaf]

What kind of mileage does the Yaris have? And what does the warranty cover? The higher the mileage, the more I'd hesitate to buy private. An inspection by an independent mechanic is worth the money in either case, IMO.

If you intend to get your car serviced at the dealership, then bikeability is a more than just a convenience issue. That's something to take into account, too.

[azfiddle]

We love our Honda Fit... (Encouraged by another TE member!). It's the first car we ever bought new. Not sure what your budget is though...

[redrhodie]

It has 51,000 miles. It's a bumper to bumper warranty for one year, then the rest of the time until 2015 it's just the powertrain that's covered. I wish I could remember everything he said.

The private owner one that's $4000 less has 66,000 miles on it, same year.

That's a good point about bikeability. It would be really annoying not to be able to ride my bike home when my car's being serviced.

[redrhodie]

We love our Honda Fit... (Encouraged by another TE member!). It's the first car we ever bought new. Not sure what your budget is though...

I'm a used car kind of girl. I want to stay under $10,000 so I won't need a loan. I think it would be really hard to find a Fit in that range, but I should test ride it just to see its awesome factor.

[ny biker]

So the $4000 is for 15,000 fewer miles, warranty and the fact that it's been checked out before you buy it, not just the warranty.

You could buy it anywhere and still bring it to that dealer for service.

[redrhodie]

So the $4000 is for 15,000 less mileage, warranty and the fact that it's been checked out before you buy it, not just the warranty.

You could buy it anywhere and still bring it to that dealer for service.

Yes. Is that worth it? I bet I can find an even better deal. I have some time (unless my Maxima dies tomorrow).

[Biciclista]

I bought my (used) FIT from a private person. I assessed him as much as the car. I got a good price and I KNEW he was the kind of guy who took care of his stuff. He had a replacement for every single lamp in the car! and stuff for the oil change.. and extra windshield wipers. And he recorded every fill up.. and he had perfect penmanship. It was nice not to have to deal with a dealer or all the BS they attach to the price.

[redrhodie]

I bought my (used) FIT from a private person. I assessed him as much as the car. I got a good price and I KNEW he was the kind of guy who took care of his stuff. He had a replacement for every single lamp in the car! and stuff for the oil change.. and extra windshield wipers. And he recorded every fill up.. and he had perfect penmanship. It was nice not to have to deal with a dealer or all the BS they attach to the price.

He sounds dreamy. I've always bought used cars privately, and I've done pretty well, but never met anyone that good!

These cars don't seem to depreciate much. I suspect that's a sign of the time.

ETA, the dealer was actually very nice.

[maillotpois]

The Fit really holds its value. I traded mine in in June (have wanted to be back in a convertible for years and had an opportunity to get the last of the VW beetle convertibles). Part of the reason I traded my Fit in was that the dealer gave me 14k for it in trade - even though it had over 50,000 miles on it!!!

The Fit was a great car - I loved that the bike fit right inside it so easily and I do miss that, but I also love the wind in my hair.

I love the idea of taking your bike to shop for a car.

[Biciclista]

actually... i forgot to say, we've gone by bike car shopping many times, for the same reason. If the bike doesn't fit we don't look at the car.. of course it did fit into the FIT.

[Crankin]

I can't speak to buying a car from a private dealer (I wouldn't do it), but I can speak to the Toyota "certified" used car/warranty. In my mind, it is worth it. Buying a used car is a gamble and this gives peace of mind. There's too much that can go wrong with a car, let alone a used one. Worrying about my car is the last thing I would want to do, so I would go for this type of warranty. While I wouldn't buy one of those extended warranties, the last 2 cars I have had came with 4 year/50K mile warranties and I was very glad they did. I found Toyota service/warranty, etc. to be great when I had one and I am actually thinking of going back to one for my next car.

[Koronin]

We ended up buying a used Nissan Versa hatchback. Haven't tried to put the bikes in it, but just looking at it they should fit without much trouble. Bought the car more for my work than anything else. It's an ok car, but I doubt I'd find anything in the Versa/Yaris range that I'd consider to be fun to drive, since my other car is a sports coupe and my dream car is a sports car.

[marni]

we were dithering with the same choices back in may with similar issues about price. We ended up buying a used pre certified Ponitac Vibe, 4 door hatchback with 35,000 miles on it. Price included a 2 year engine and drive train warranty. Gotta love car max and my husband who is a suburb negotiator.

The best part is that with the back seats down (and they lie totally flat) it can take our two bikes (minus front wheels) head to tail, or resident FILs wheel chair with a bit of room to spare.

Good luck- if you have a carmax in your area, it might be worth a look.

[redrhodie]

Carmax isn't great here, but Auto Trader is. I just found the same Yaris, same year, color, and options, more miles but still what I consider low, Toyota certified, for $4000 less list price. It's and hour and a half away, but I'll drive for that. I will tell my local dealer before I make the haul out to see it, to see if they want to play ball.