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Advice on buying cars in New York

139 replies

MovingtoUSmum · 21/09/2017 21:47

Hi there,
So it's a 3 week countdown until our move from the UK to New York (westchester county). DH and DC getting very excited!
Could do with a little advice re buying a car. Luckily our new house is v close to the station into GCT so we only need one car for our family.
Current plan is to hire a car for a couple of weeks and then buy. We've read in our 'moving to America' book that car sales in the US are very different to the UK in that there are not so many checks like there are in the uK in terms of the cars being serviced/ MOT etc. What's the best plan, buying privately or going to a showroom and buying a 'certified' car? Little worried about naively buying a dud!
Any ideas or previous experience welcome.
Many thanks!

OP posts:
Want2bSupermum · 24/09/2017 15:13

That's just rude reppin.

MovingtoUSmum · 24/09/2017 15:28

Ok so think we're going to buy- DH not keen on leasing with fixed terms if for any reason we don't stay in US the full term.
From all the info I understand that European cars particularly MB and BMW are expensive to service, so will probably look for American or Japanese. Definitely an automatic as that's what we've got now and I like it so will start looking at some main dealers around Westchester. Little bit nervous going down the private sale route in case we buy a dud.
So I also understand from the feedback that you never ever pay full asking price so we'll need to haggle a lot!
Thank you all. I'll let you know what we end up with!

OP posts:
BeALert · 24/09/2017 16:46

Read up on haggling techniques then drop any British politeness and have some fun getting a great deal.

When we recently negotiated a car lease they started at 12,000 miles a year for $370 a month and we ended up with 15,000 miles a year for $302 a month. My DH lives for good deals.

BeALert · 24/09/2017 16:48

ExH has always driven a manual. I hate them because of the start/stop driving in a very built up area full of 4-way stops. Nice for the open road, but in an area with traffic lights or a lot of stop signs a stick is a waste and very inconvenient, and I suspect hard on the clutch too.

Absolutely agree. I've driven for 30 years and I love automatics now. Went back to the UK recently and had to drive a manual through endless traffic jams and it was a PITA.

Want2bSupermum · 24/09/2017 17:43

Do not buy off a private seller. Also don't buy anything older than hurricane sandy. Lots of cars were flooded and should have been sent for scrap. People fixed them up and carried on driving them. Most cars like this are being sold privately.

misssmilla1 · 24/09/2017 18:10

moving also worth noting that if you don't think you're getting a good deal from the dealership, move (or threaten to) move dealers.

We got hugely different terms and financing from 2 mazda dealers that were 8 miles apart, for the same car.

BeALert · 24/09/2017 18:14

One of DH's tricks is to have me call him while he's with a dealer, and we have a conversation about another dealer who wants him to call back about a similar car he just viewed...

mathanxiety · 24/09/2017 18:18

I barely have time between stop signs to accelerate up a gear here. And then there are squirrels dashing across the streets by day and bunnies all night, and hordes of children weaving around on bikes and skateboards all summer. It really isn't ideal for the clutch. City driving is even worse.

Reppin · 24/09/2017 18:52

How is that rude want2b I have never had a problem with my clutch control even in some of the busiest cities in the world. How is it rude to suggest that confident skilled drivers would not have a problem driving a manual in the conditions described by math?

JWrecks · 24/09/2017 20:28

Dealerships just over the state line will most probably know how to do both states. DH got his last car up in Orangeberg NY and they registered it for him in NJ. Have the dealership deal with the DMV.

O M G !! The dealerships can take care of that shit for you now??? Ohhh wow how WONDERFUL! That's bloody HOURS in a horrid plastic chair in the DMV starting the whole thing over twice because of one document...

Is it just the registration/inspection? Licence plates? Surely they can't do your driving licence or insurance?

mathanxiety · 24/09/2017 20:46

It's not clutch control that is the problem. The problem is wear and tear on the mechanism that happens when you simply have to change gears too much because of the constant stop/accelerate/slow down again and the sudden stop /go again conditions of driving in built up areas; this would happen no matter how skilled or confident the driver.

With an automatic it all happens automatically, and so even though there is wear and tear, individual driver quirks in gear changing motions won't affect the gearbox the way they do in a manual.

PineappleScrunchie · 24/09/2017 20:59

This website is really helpful for figuring out which US car seats will fit three across in any car.

JWrecks · 25/09/2017 00:24

Re manual v automatic, I noticed that it's actually quite difficult to even find a manual in America. A proper stick shift is rarer and rarer, and even those that are "manual" tend to have this silly pseudo-manual shift whereby you can switch back and forth, and the car takes over if it doesn't like what you're doing. The only proper manuals I encountered were sports cars and were actually more expensive.

Is that not the case any longer?

mathanxiety · 25/09/2017 01:03

You can get real ones fairly cheaply afaik - the Chevy Sonic and Jeep Wrangler for instance. VW GTI too and some Honda Accords, and there are others.

I drove a manual Subaru Legacy a few years ago - it was definitely the real thing.

JWrecks · 25/09/2017 02:15

Oh yeah, Subaru definitely do make a proper manual! Great AWD and long-lasting, reliable cars, too. A little on the dear side, in my (cheapo) opinion, but worth it if you've got children you need to protect!

Hm, maybe things have changed. It's been quite a while since I actually lived in America and had to do things for myself, but I remember being shocked at how difficult it was to find a manual. It was a novelty over there, it seemed.

Want2bSupermum · 25/09/2017 02:36

jwrecks yes the dealership takes care of the registration of the car for you. You are still responsible for the car insurance and sorting your DL out. Registration isn't that straight forward and the DMV in the Westchester area is a nightmare.

We lease a car as the car is something covered by DHs contract. DH narrows down to the car he wants than contacts 5 dealerships. After the first response he narrows it down to 2-3. Further neigotations result in $0 down at signing and at least $75 a month off the advertised lease offer. His current car was $55k new (fully loaded Audi with all maintenance paid for during first 3 years) and 3 years old they want about $40k. With his current lease the total cost over the 3 years is about $17,250. It's cost him less than $3k extra to lease. Also if we want to cut the lease short you can neigotiate that there is a buy back or that the agreement can be transferred to a third party in the agreement. Buying a car sounds great until you sit down and do the sums. You can also do a shorter lease, such as two years, if you are worried about having to return. You could get an AWD Honda Pilot for $400 a month no money at signing. For two years your total liability is about $10k. This is less than buying a car when you get here. Also if you don't like what you picked you can try something else after 2 years.

Reppin · 25/09/2017 02:52

Does this stop/start not happen in Europe then math?

JWrecks · 25/09/2017 02:53

yes the dealership takes care of the registration of the car for you. You are still responsible for the car insurance and sorting your DL out. Registration isn't that straight forward and the DMV in the Westchester area is a nightmare.

WOW that's fantastic!! I've never heard of the dealerships doing that! Is that a regional thing?

It's surprising that they're even able to to do it on somebody's behalf, as from what I remember you're required to present loads of identification and proof that you are you, you live where you claim to live, have the car you're claiming to register, and loads of other red tape. I remember new cars from a dealership coming complete with an inspection that was good for 2 years, or maybe 5, but not the registration! That's really wonderful!

Registration was indeed an utter nightmare, and even my lifelong citizen mates still have a wretched time with it. The DMV is awful everywhere in America, I think, and it's constantly used as the butt of bureaucracy jokes and as the main example of government waste and apathy and general awful-ness. I remember being required to visit no fewer than 3 entirely separate offices - all across town from one another, all of which required a different set of paperwork and identification, none of which ever communicated with the others - in order to get everything sorted for owning a car. That was in Texas and in DC/Virginia, but never New York, though everyone I ever spoke to said it was equally horrible everywhere.

I wonder if Texas has caught on to that really lovely service yet? I'll have to ask my cousins if it's available to them. I'd be genuinely surprised, but who knows?

Haha, sorry, I know this post is silly rambling, but I am so impressed with that service and a bit jealous that it wasn't available to me! What a wonderful convenience!

mathanxiety · 25/09/2017 03:05

I suppose it depends where you are, whether in Europe or in the US, Reppin.

I live in a very built up urban/suburban area - 4.7 square miles/54,000 people - where the blocks are 660' x 330'. There is a stop sign every 660'. 8 blocks to the mile means a lot of stopping and getting going again. On main streets there are traffic lights and lots and lots of other traffic, and pedestrians.

mathanxiety · 25/09/2017 03:30

I know the dealers I have dealt with in IL have done that, JWrecks, and also one in Kenosha, WI (and that was a car that was heading home to Illinois.)

OlennasWimple · 25/09/2017 03:34

I thought I would hate an automatic, but for city gridlocks it makes driving so so so much easier

Our automatic had a function that allowed us to switch it into manual, which was really handy for snow driving - that seems to be the best of both worlds

The DMV will drain you of your very life soul if you aren't careful.... Shop around for branches with shorter published waiting times, particularly for taking your test, but always take a good book (and no children) with you

Reppin · 25/09/2017 05:02

Well until recently I lived in NYC. Before that Madrid. I grew up (and learned to drive) in central London. Yes, I am sure you are right that your neighbourhood requires only an automatic.

mathanxiety · 25/09/2017 05:14

It is also flat as a pancake here and for hundreds of miles all around.

BeALert · 25/09/2017 14:00

Reppin, you seem to be determined to argue with something people have not said.

No one has said it’s impossible to drive a manual in a built up area.

No one is struggling with clutch control.

They are not ‘bad drivers’.

It’s simply more convenient and less work to drive an automatic than a manual if you’re in an area with a lot of stop-start traffic, whether that area is in Europe or the US.

Reppin · 27/09/2017 15:38

No, just disagreeing with the point up thread that no one drives an automatic, because actually many do!

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