This is why my family tells me to bring my sis-in-law along: she gets great deals, is in a different line of sales but is pretty damn good at it. Other than that, I can't bargain on my own, because I don't understand the baseline things you ask for to even know where to start.

Do I say "I'll give you a buck fifty for this car." No. That's unreasonable. Yet, it might as well be where to start for as much as I know about cars pricing and bartering.

Still, if I could do it on my own I'd rather. Tell me where to start.

Shawnee - if you pay the $30 fee for online access to consumer reports you can dig around and find the dealer cost for any model of car. Dealers also get kickbacks from the manufacturer so their price is actually below the official dealer cost.

Just last winter we donated our 1987 Accord and bought a new one. We got it for $800 below dealer cost. We might have done somewhat better than that, but we wanted a stick-shift which they didn't have on the lot.

Thanks dar, I'll look into it. :)

I agree. I have been a Ford person for many a year. But none of them have lasted as long as the Honda and Toyota's we own. I stll think they are a good cheaper alternative if you can't afford one of the others.

BTW - I've owned three Nissans - they all went about 250k before I sold/traded them in on the next one. They were all bought used - about 50k and were driven hard. I was an on the road salesman and put some serious local miles on them - not highway cruising. Tons of stopping and starting, braking... and so on. Just keep the oil changed regularly and you should be good to go.
BTW, I'm on my 4th one now.

Am I not asking the right questions?

The draw of the Astra is the no bargaining.

I understand the draw of the JapCar, you don't have to sell me on a Honda. Have I mentioned my old CRX? About 9000 times.

Reading back you can see why I changed my tack.

:(

DO NOT BUY A SATURN. GET A USED JAPCAR.

Yabbut, did you see that Motorweek vid?

And let's not forget wall street.

On another note, I watched this show on Planet Green the other day called Futurecar. It was about the fuels that will be replacing gasoline. GM had a car featured, although I can't recall which fuel it ran on. If GM can create more cars like that one they should be fine.

The show was awsome. You should check it out if you get a chance. It should come on again. The future will hold many different kinds of fuel so people will have a choice. And one of the Norwegian countries is already building a hydrogen highway!

My sister has a Saturn and she loves it. And the people at the dealership are great. For the first 3 years she got free car washes and oil changes. :)

Thank you sugar. :)

I'm still thinking (at this pace it will be four more years) but I do like that Astra. Then again, I fall in love with cute sporty cars easily.

Corollas get great gas milage as well, one of the best on the road. And if you coast a lot you can milage comparable to a hybrid. (I coast all the time when I drive my Geo.) They also have a very high resale value.

btw, Congress recently passed a Cash for Clunkers stimulus. You can get up to $4500 (I think) back for your clunker to get a new car. I believe they give you a voucher and you use it toward your purchase. It has to be a new car though. Bummer, because Dianne Feinstein was apparently working on a BETTER plan with a fellow republican, but this one passed instead. It's not nearly as good, but still, you should take advantage of it if you can.

Hmmm, I found this:

Q: If the House bill becomes law, how would it work?

A: The government would send up to $4,500 to the selling dealer on your behalf, if you:

1. Trade in a car that — this is a key point — has been registered and in use for at least a year, and has a federal combined city/highway fuel-economy rating of 18 or fewer miles per gallon.

2. Buy a new car, priced at $45,000 or less and rated at least 4 mpg better than the old one (gets a $3,500 voucher). If the new one gets at least 10 mpg better, you get the full $4,500.

Example: Trade that well-worn 1985 Chevrolet Impala V-8 police special, rated 14 mpg, for a 2009 Impala V-8 rated 19 mpg and the government will kick in $3,500. Downsize to Chevy Cobalt (27 mpg) or even a larger Honda Accord (24 mpg) and get $4,500.

Mileage ratings back to 1985 are at www.fueleconomy.gov.

(USA Today article)

I looked up my car at fueleconomy and it doesn't qualify.

Damn. I'm sorry Shawnee. From what they were saying when it passed in committee, I don't remember those restrictions. Oh well.