I just bought a new (or newish) car a few weeks ago and want to chime in on a few things. Not everyone may agree with what I have to say.

No question that edmunds.com, kellybluebook.com and autotrader.com are excellent places to do your research and determine the best possible prices for the car you want and offers that any dealer would take seriously. You definitely should not step into any dealership without looking. Also, read the ratings and reviews for different models of cars on www.jdpower.com/cars as well.

Because of these and other websites, people generally don't get hustled out on the sales floor anymore. The dealers know people have done their research and no longer make any high pressure sales anymore. The real "hustle" and high pressure sale now happens in the finance office. Not for actually financing the car (you are free to use the dealer's own finance company or go to your bank, AAA or elsewhere), but when the finance person is actually completing the formal state registration and signing the title over to you (which they will have to do even if you don't finance the car through them or pay in cash). They will try to sell you an extended warranty & service plan, first at a grossly inflated price, then at a "discounted" price that's supposedly only available today, then at the "employee" price. Our car came with a 3-year warranty but the finance person wanted to sell us a 10-year extended warranty and service plan, first at $ 3200, then $ 2300, then $ 1660. I've read about these extended plans on the internet and time and time again, the consensus seems to be they are not worth it for new or newish cars. Consumer Reports says it as well. You are just better off paying out of pocket.

On another note, while we didn't get a car that was brand new as in only having 0.3 miles on the odometer, we bought a demo car, as in a car that the salesman gets to use to commute from home to the dealership until it is sold. It had around 5500 miles on it and was just as good as new, all freshly detailed as well. The floor model is also worth considering for a good deal as well. Both cars are considered "new" in the sense that they have never been titled to anyone before, and will qualify for the lower financing rates. The dealer we went to offered 0.9% financing for new cars and 4.5% financing for used cars (granted you could easily beat that rate through your bank or AAA).

Others may have different opinions.

Also check out autotrader.com for single owner clean carfax vehicles.

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I tend to start with MSN Autos (formerly known as Carpoint) which ties in reviews from Car & Driver, reliability scores from Edmunds, and many other sources.

Link: http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos

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Edmunds.com is also a good resource when car shopping.

I have used this as a good site to start my research on a new car.

http://www.caranddriver.com/

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For the same price you can get a very well reviewed and high "customer satisfaction" Kia Soul, which can actually seat adults comfortably in the back. Its very short for easy parking too, we love ours. Basic trim automatic comes with keyless entry, power windows, cruise, bluetooth & audio on the steering, and automatic headlights off. I was shocked the basic trim Honda Odyssey I got last year, a car that costs far more, lacked the last 2. It won't even give you your mileage. Kia makes a point of giving you the cheap electronics to add value, Honda pulls them off to make you spend more.

you can also look into swapping leases. Sometimes these people will give you a credit to take it off their hands.

leasetrader, swapalease

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Oh, I'm a bit of an outlier - I've lived in JC without a car for 8 years (and stubbornly prided my self on it!).

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I wish. Our building has 22 parking spots for 54 units - just enough to get the variance! Gotta love Jersey City zoning...

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I do, but I live in the Heights. The Heights, for all it's charms, is a transit dessert, not a transit hub. And as I learned this summer trying to get to Pacific Flea by light rail, what little mass transit we have is atrocious for covering any distance in Jersey City on weekends. Zipcar cost a fortune this last weekend, going to New Hope.

Thanks, everyone, for the the great suggestions and advice! Plenty to keep me occupied this weekend.

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Haha, I buy some things online, but would acquire a child the old fashioned way!

Honda Fit. See a lot of them around here. Less than $17,000 out the door and they are very well reviewed. This is what we will get when our current car goes.

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I needed to replace my 13 year old compact car in the middle of the cash for clunkers debacle. I found the same thing you did.. it was a much better deal to buy new than look for a used car.

Bought a hatchback that including all taxes and fees was $18k even, financed at a pretty low rate. Paid it off three years ago.

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This only happens when people complain about not having more public parking.

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Good point. If you have an excellent credit score, lots of dealerships will extend you a zero percent loan, or other really low rates with a very good credit score.

You don't say what you want, but we found 4 years ago that it made more sense to buy a new subcompact than a used to replace our beloved Escort. With the ridiculously low interest rates and long warrantees around, it can be compelling.

All good suggestions, but I'm shocked not to see the usual JC replies

You're a petroNazi! How dare you live in JC and want a car!

You better park that inside your building, and not take up any space on the street!

Idiot, you can't use Uber? Zipcar?? Citibike??? We're a transport hub!

We have Peapod, Fresh Direct, and Amazon-why would you need some gas guzzling SUV that is spewing particulates towards my children!

I recently decided to do the same, having moved to an area of JSQ with no zipcars or grocery stores within walking distance.

I found the app iSeeCars super helpful, and with that app, and sites like cars.com, you can often access the carfax for a car as well.
I'd say use the internet to research and decide the make(s)/model(s) you want, then once you narrow that down, monitor the new listings on sites and apps (kinda like when buying real estate!), which will also familiarized you with pricing.

I believe the posts about the dealers on 440 - they never seemed to have good vehicles/always seemed higher in price. In the end, I found my car at a dealer an hour south (missed out on a few by not acting fast enough, that were at dealers north and west)...

If it's a new car, this is what I did after knowing what type of vehicle I wanted - Toyota Tundra

1. Color
2. Extra's (tow hitch, air-cond, etc)
3. Interior finish
4. Automatic
5. Engine size

I then sent an email to every Toyota Dealership within a 200 miles radius of JC telling them I was a buyer now and what was their best price with the above points and delivered to my address. (warranty is valid at ANY Toyota dealership, so I didn't care which dealership provided the car)

The price difference was interesting and varied by $1000's

eBay lets you decide how far you want to travel around a zipcode and how much your max is to spend -- also they have cheap carfax and other settings. Here is within 75 miles & $3000 max - click link:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Cars-Trucks/6 ... nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684

I like this truck below -- haha

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-Chevrole ... cNYEfAv&item=282234867126

Also, if you get an old car outright -- then you can pay perhaps as little as $600 a year and get just liability insurance.

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/liability-auto-insurance

Take the time to educate yourself, do your research and go to a dealer and inspect the car in person. The internet sites are great for finding a car, but seriously, buying a car over the internet is just lazy and dumb. Would you buy a house over the internet? Or a child? Do yourself a favor, put up with the small amount of frustration of visiting different dealerships and talking to real people, you'll be more likely to get better information first hand and might be able to get better pricing/discounts/incentives.

I will echo Robin's sentiment: avoid AT ALL COSTS the dealerships along 440. The absolute worst. Take a train or hitch a ride with a friend to a dealership west or north of JC. The service department at my dealership of choice (35 minutes away) gets a good amount of business from JC residents that refuse to step foot inside the local dealership. That should tell you something.

Go to Consumer Reports and look at their ratings for used cars. They also have a list of cars you should avoid because of safety and reliability issues.

carmax.com

If you end up buying a used luxury vehicle, definitely buy the CarMax warranty. It will pay for itself in no time.

Stay clear of any dealer on 440 or Communipaw, they are con-men without exception.

Robin.

I haven't owned a car since moving to the NYC metro area in the 1980's, but living in the Heights - as well as the expense of renting one for weekends away - has convinced me it might be a nice amenity to have (my anti-car stance notwithstanding...)

Back in the day, I went to the dealer my parents used. Now there are so many options - multiple used car dealers in JC, on-line sites, Craigslist, etc. it's hard to know where to start.

For someone looking to purchase a reliable used car, and I would ideally keep my business local, any recommendations?