| First of all, avoid any car the first year | | | | convince anyone that this is a great way to |
| it's released. I noticed in the paper this | | | | go if you don't have a lot of money to put |
| morning that you could lease a new Ford | | | | down for your car (who does?) or if you want |
| whatever their new SUV/sedan cross is for the | | | | to buy a nicer car that you couldn't afford |
| same price you lease a Ford Explorer. What | | | | otherwise. You can't afford to lease a car; |
| fool would buy a new car, before the | | | | even Bill Gates can't afford to lease a car. |
| manufacturer has had a year or two to iron | | | | Please cross leasing off your list of car |
| out the bugs? They're in constant contact | | | | options. We can't find anything truly |
| with dealers and service departments to find | | | | worthwhile about leasing. |
| out how their new cars are performing and | | | | |
| what customers like and don't like about | | | | And now our list of worst cars to buy for |
| them. Give them some time to fine tune the | | | | 2007 (by make and model): |
| car before buying it for yourself. | | | | |
| | | | BMW 7 Series and X5 Chevy Astro, Blazer, |
| Never buy whatever car is super popular. | | | | Express, S-10 with 4WD, Venture, Chrysler |
| You'll pay top dollar, and you'll never get | | | | Town & Country (with all wheel drive) Dodge |
| that money back out of it. No car dealer will | | | | Grand Caravan (all wheel drive) GMC Jimmy, |
| dealer on a hot car. Why should they, if | | | | Sonoma 4WD, Safari, Savana |
| someone else who's willing to pay full price | | | | |
| will buy it later that day? It's often hard | | | | Infiniti QX56Jaguar S and X-types Jeep Grand |
| to find a dealer who even has a hot car on | | | | Cherokee Kia Sedona (the 2006 is acceptable, |
| his lot. There's no way in the world they're | | | | if you must buy a Kia) Land Rover Discovery |
| going to give you a price break if they're | | | | |
| the only dealer within 200 miles who has the | | | | Lincoln Aviator and Navigator Mercedes-Benz |
| car everyone wants. And two or three years | | | | CLK, M- and S-Classes, SL Nissan Armada, |
| later, when you're ready to sell the car, | | | | Titan Oldsmobile Bravada, Cutlass and |
| there are enough of them available, and they | | | | Silhouette |
| may no longer be the hottest car, that you | | | | |
| won't be able to sell it for the same top | | | | Pontiac Aztek, Trans Sport, Volkswagen |
| dollar you bought it for. | | | | Cabrio, Jetta Turbo, Jetta V6, Beetle, |
| | | | Touareg |
| A car that you only keep for a year or two | | | | |
| definitely qualifies as a 'worst car to buy.' | | | | That's our politically correct list. But the |
| One study I read found that if a person kept | | | | fact is, in a million years we'll never buy: |
| every car they bought for ten years or more, | | | | any British car (Land Rover, Jaguar, |
| instead of buying or leasing a new one every | | | | Mini-Cooper, Lotus, etc.); any German car |
| three years, that they would save $400,000 by | | | | (Volkswagon, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, etc.) or |
| the time they turned 65. It didn't matter | | | | any French car. Have you ever sat in the back |
| whether they bought the car new or used, or | | | | seat of a BMW? If you're more than five feet |
| what kind of car they bought. It was | | | | tall, there's no headroom. A lot of these |
| cheaper-significantly cheaper-to buy it and | | | | cars have become associated with the |
| pay for whatever repairs came up. Cars are | | | | rich-you've made if you drive a Mercedes. But |
| lasting longer every year, so it's possible | | | | I've never met anyone who any of these who |
| you could keep your car even longer than ten | | | | was really happy with it. We know all about |
| years, and save even more money. Please don't | | | | the numbers of repairs per vehicle, but we've |
| be one of those people who buys a new car | | | | own a lot of these cars, or had family member |
| every four or five years. | | | | or close friends who owned them. Please don't |
| | | | make the same mistake these people did. Buy |
| Please don't make the terrible mistake of | | | | yourself a nice Honda or Toyota. |
| leasing your next car. Car salesmen can | | | | |