Lease vs buy car Lakewood; price of 30-40k minivan?

amother

Tue, Aug 20 2019, 9:39 pm

I need a new minivan, don’t want to throw out money for another lease.

I was thinking it’s financially better to buy a car; after 3 years it will go down in value but not to zero.

What’s a normal price for 20-40k minivan around Lakewood?

Amarante

Tue, Aug 20 2019, 10:08 pm

It's definitely better to buy a well rated car - maintain it well and only get rid of it when it ceases to be reliable transportation. Well reviewed cars like those from Toyota or Honda can last a decade or more if you maintain properly and maintenance is always going to be cheaper than purchasing a new (or new used) car because beyond the cost of the car you also will pay higher collision insurance.

Edmunds.com and Kelly Blue Book.com are excellent sites because you can get a true idea of what cars are selling for in your specific location. Also they have forums and you can learn a lot about what other people are paying and what they recommend to buy the best car and get the best deals. When I bought my first car years back I spent a long time on that site and it enabled me to locate this astounding deal complete with a promotion the manufacturer had were they threw in a Bose Wave player :-).

If you are financing your car, my advice would be to continue to make payments after you have paid off the car TO YOURSELF. That way, when the time comes that you need a new car you will be able to pay cash for it and be released from the bondage of interest financing charges.