Posted: Aug 31 2007 at 10:59pm | IP Logged

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subc;

Welcome to the group!...

I never was single... Married at 17. We always figured the total transportation cost should not exceed 25% of the brought home income but a single guy it could be more. And never borrow on anything other than a house or car.

Interest is the high price you pay for being impatient.

The main thing is job security!!!!!

Enjoy the ride! And

It would be nice if our members would add their vehicle information to their signature (similar to mine) plus add their City and State . A member in the same town might be willing to drop by and help you with a problem.

Posted: Sep 01 2007 at 10:47am | IP Logged

It will depend on what you have for a down payment, length of the loan, interest rates, etc. That's such an open question it's impossible to answer. Figure out your monthly budget, decide on what you can spend for vehicle, insurance, maintenance and operating expenses, and see what you can work out with your dealer. Don't forget taxes and tags, either.

 When I bought my last truck, I was adamant about not going over $300 per month on the truck itself, and we WERE able to work out a deal with them. One payment left on it, and I didn't have to sweat the payments, either, since I stuck to my budget like a cocklebur on a hounddog. I suggest something similar, get a figure and stick with it.

Posted: Oct 05 2007 at 7:41am | IP Logged

if you're imagining pulling a heavy load, the 4-banger probably isn't appropriate, regardless of its econonmy.  Personally I've never understood the thought process behind putting a 4-cylinder engine in any sort of truck.

Perhaps you should look at the V6 option for the XE?  I can't imagine the cost difference would be too outrageous, but there are "hidden" costs:

fuel money

insurance money

(in some states) registration costs more with a bigger engine.

My advice, figure out what you could comfortable pay every month, estimate the number of miles you drive every month, and get a generic quote for insurance from a few different places... you can do quite a few right online.  Then:

Add 30% to your estimated miles and divide that by your city MPG.

Multiply THAT number by $3.00 (assuming gas will stay at $3.00 a gallon for a while).  This will be your base monthly fuel cost.

Assuming that you will bring your car in to the dealer or a jiffy-lube clone every three months, figure about $15 a month in general maintenance fees.

add your cheapest insurance quote

subtract that sum from the amount you can comfortably spend every month.

go online, and find a loan calculator, and plug the numbers for the vehicle you're looking for into it.  I don't know what your credit rating is, but I thing the average is around 7.0% at this point.  If you don't know the state of your credit, you should find out (i think freecreditreport.com will hook you up) but leave yourself some wiggle room with 9%.  factor in your down payment, and this will give you a rough cost of the vehicle loan.

using MSRP for the calculation is a good idea, but don't pay MSRP.  you have to figure your taxes, title processing, and registration fees will also be financed.

Also keep in mind that that "underbody" stuff is basically selling air, according to several people I know that worked in the industry.  The truck comes from the factory with a 5 year corrosion warrantee.

One more thing... I recommend holding off on buying the extended warrantee until you're sure you're going to keep your vehicle for a while.  You can add it on any time within the next 3 years, and you might get a better rate for fininacing at that point.

Avoid the dealer's specials with the low interest rate.  You lose a lot of incentive power, and the only way you save money on those things is if you actually keep the vehicle for the duration of the loan, which a lot of people never do.  I know when my vehicle gets to be about 4-5 years old, I'm looking for an upgrade.

Anyway, that's my advice for buying a fronty.  :)