G/F needs a new car, thoughts?

[gwilks98]

Ford is the only one offering rebates right now (that I could find) on the entry level sedan; their Focus.

Through a dealer here, I was able to get a great trade in price, $3K in rebates, $1K in dealer cash which brought a Focus down from $18-19K to about $11K. This was about 3K lower than Mazda, Kia, and others.

Then I took a look online and found that Ford is overhauling their Focus model. (Like what they did to the Fusion in 2010.)

The question is, should I press her to wait: on a better rebate or the 2012 model? (Money is a factor since they make teachers put away 14% of their meager paychecks.)

anyone out there know car sales?

[Jeffbx]

Rebates are tricky this time of year - there's plenty of time until the 2012s get rolled out, so rebates will only get better if Ford wants to push more vehicles onto the road. Since they're doing pretty good right now (comparitively speaking), I'd be surprised to see that rebate amount go up before mid-late summer (when the 2012s start production).

The only reason to wait for the 2012 is resale value - they ARE doing a body overhaul on the 2012, so that'll certianly be worth more than the 2011 on the secondary market. However, the difference probably won't be more than the value of the rebate you're getting now.

Unless she's OK to wait another year for Ford to start offering incentives on the 2012 model (it'll take a full year from now for that, esp. if initial sales are strong) then I say go for the 2011.

[renovation]

rebates are like a toss of the dice. its a crap shoot if they will offer them. they cost the dealers and automakers money!
the automakers would really like not to offer them to get you into the dealership.

[attgig]

it's definitely early for the rebates. ford is probably the only one doing it because exactly what you found out... focus is getting revamped, so they gotta clear them out, and earlier the better.

So, one question is will she be ok with an older model of a car that looks obviously not as good as the new ones coming out, etc?
if so, there may still be some 2010's on random lots that you'd be able to get even better deals on (ie 2010 elantra ->2011 was a revamp, chevy cobalt is dying, chrysler/dodge is revamping everything right now so old stuff are on the cheap).


If you really want to maximize the cash back, it could be worth looking at some of those other options.

[gwilks98]

I don't think she'll want to upgrade to the 2012's but I could be wrong.
I'll have her look at some of the 2010s that are out there, but the rebates for the focus supposedly end this week.

Thanks for the feedback.

[cruelpupet]

Before I even opened the thread, I was going to suggest a Ford.

The Fiesta is doing very well and is already revamped (google fiesta beach assault vechicle). Not sure what rebates are available for it.

Keep in mind that we are now expecting gas to hit $5 per gallon due to issues in the middle east.

I also wouldnt expect that to go down much as gas companies are more publicly stating that we are getting close to peak oil (they phrase it as its getting harder to recover and costing more to recover)

That's not to say that a hybrid or plug in is the answer either, just somethign else to think about.

[Kevster]

While I didn't like the Ford, it was more of a personal thing for me as I didn't like the look. If you're able to get that kind of price for a Focus, I'd say go for it, don't wait for the 2012 model to come out unless there's rumors on an engine change with better mpg.

[Showtime]

scion? made by toyota.

[gwilks98]

While I didn't like the Ford, it was more of a personal thing for me as I didn't like the look. If you're able to get that kind of price for a Focus, I'd say go for it, don't wait for the 2012 model to come out unless there's rumors on an engine change with better mpg.

Indeed those rumors are there. The new focus is supposed to get 40mpg hwy. It's also getting an upgrade in style and features as the fiesta is becoming ford's cheap car.

But, I was thinking about telling her to wait until it's here. Then the price should drop further on the 2011.

We had a rough talk yesterday when I put my finance degree to some use.
I made an income statement that broke down by day/week/month/year what her income and expenses were, and the bottom line wasn't what she wanted to see. Her next raise is in August, which would mean some, but not all of a new payment. She'd have to sacrifice some of her living standard to buy a new car. When I showed her what kind of car she could afford right now, it wasn't even a bottom level 4 door.

But at least now, I've given her a plan for how to get what she wants. She just has to work a little for it and scrimp where she can.

Sidenote: I really think if you are going to get an education to become a teacher, the universities should adjust the price of your education to match your income level. There's little "social" reason to put a middle school teacher in crippling debt for 15-30 years so that they can say they came from your institution.
But that's my $.02.

[Jeffbx]

Sidenote: I really think if you are going to get an education to become a teacher, the universities should adjust the price of your education to match your income level. There's little "social" reason to put a middle school teacher in crippling debt for 15-30 years so that they can say they came from your institution.
But that's my $.02.

That's a whole different topic that is near to my heart - just finishing my MBA & I'm going to be on the hook for about $55k for the 19 month program (and that was the cheaper of the 2 I was looking at). Fortunately they give me 6 months after I graduate before I have to start making payments, but it ain't gonna be pretty.