A lesson in car shopping: Meet my new, used car
Few of us are lucky enough to have our own personal car guru.
As editor of this automotive section for many years, I’ve been blessed with the wisdom of Bill Griffith, who writes our Auto Notes column and knows more about cars than anybody.
When my mechanic announced that my 2005 Subaru Outback wagon, with 170,000 on it, needed to be replaced, I mourned its passing and wondered what I’d buy next.
Let me be frank; I am a Subaru girl. This had been my third Outback and I’ve loved every one. Since I live in the Berkshires, I have two essential requirements in a car: all-wheel-drive and heated seats. I also wanted a wagon since I lug my trash to the dump and plants to my garden.
But the new Subaru Outback, redesigned in 2010, was a disappointment. It had exploded from a station wagon into an SUV. It was too large for this chapter of my life and rather costly: $31,000 for the Limited edition I required (heated, leather seats). I’d tested the less expensive Forester but I found it unattractive, too boxy, and also not cheap—costing somewhere in the $25,000 range.
When did the automotive world decide that everybody wants to drive an SUV? Why has the trusty station wagon been so eclipsed? Do not point to the elegance of the Volvo XC70 or the beauty of the Audi All Road. Even used, these wagons were priced out of my league.
I liked the look of VW’s Golf Sportwagen, also priced at $30,000, but with a diesel engine that would recoup some of the expense. I asked Bill for his opinion and he complied by comparing the Sportwagen to the Outback in last week’s auto section.
Bill liked the VW; so I went to test-drive it at Flynn Volkswagen in Pittsfield, whose really nice salesmen let me drive the Sportwagen and the new Audi Q3, a small crossover that I coveted. But the Audi was new to the market and priced at $36,000. Too much.
The Sportwagen was OK. Not a Subaru, no AWD, and just not for me. But as I was leaving, I spied an attractive, small wagon on the BMW side of the Flynn lot. It was a BMW X1, tagged a “Sports Activity Wagon’’ by BMW. It was a little bit hatchback, a little bit wagon, and—more to the point—it didn’t look like it had eaten the wrong side of Alice’s mushroom. The car had not been supersized.
I took a drive; I fell in love. This was a spunky little car, with a 2.0-liter turbo 4-cylinder engine. It was fun to drive, got 33 mpg on the highway, was AWD, and had heated leather seats.
NO BELLS AND WHISTLES: Rejecting navigation and technology packages, the author liked the clean lines and easy use of a manageable dashboard.
The X1 cost $36,000 in the model I drove, but unlike the Audi Q3, the X1 was not new to the market. It had been introduced in 2013, which meant there would be used vehicles available.
One more thing I have learned as automotive editor: you’ll get the best deals on a used, premium car. The cost of these high-priced autos plunges in the first two years, losing as much as half their value. I logged onto cargurus.com, one of several excellent sites for researching used cars, entered my zip code, and started shopping.
I found three used 2013 BMW X1s, ranging in price from $24,900 to $28,000. Much more in my ballpark. I next checked the value of my ancient Subaru Outback, which needed new tires, new brakes, and new struts. As mentored by Bill Griffith, I turned to Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) and discovered my car was worth approximately $2,000.
I hit the road, stopping first at Balise Mazda in West Springfield. They had a 2013 X1 with 24,000 miles for $26,000 in a lovely Deep Sea Blue.
Now, my auto writers advise that shoppers look for Certified Used vehicles, which are often lease returns, sold and guaranteed by brand dealers. I’m not so sure. Certified Used means the car will cost $2,000 to $3,000 more, and given all the information you can find on the internet, a little research can tell you all you need to know about a car. The good people at Mazda had fully inspected this car, did whatever work was necessary, and provided me with a Carfax that showed the car had been religiously serviced at the local BMW dealer. It had been turned in for a larger Mazda because the owner wanted more room for her grandchildren.
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Total cost of ownership: Gas vs. diesel
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I almost bought the car (somebody should) but I had two more X1s to check, and this one had altogether too much technology. Here’s another thing I’ve learned as auto editor: New car owners most often complain about navigation and technology systems. They are over-complicated, hard to master, quickly obsolete, and often in need of repair. I was going to have trouble enough mastering Bluetooth; I didn’t need any more distractions.
On to Lexus of Watertown to test-drive an X1 with 30,000 miles, selling for $24,900. Unlike the homey, friendly Mazda dealership, Lexus was a behemoth. Billed as the “#1 Volume Lexus Dealership in New England,’’ this place had a separate building for used, mostly pre-owned Lexi, and moved upwards of 200 cars a week. When you visit a place like this, it’s wise to have done your research, know what you want, and know what you’re willing to pay before entering.
My salesman took me for a drive in a silver X1, and it felt good. I asked him to do the numbers and he offered me $2,000 for my Subaru, just as Kelly Blue Book had advised. That brought the price of the car down to $22,900. I told him I would think about it and intended to test drive car number three, which, unlike this model, had a power seat.
That brought out the big guns, in the person of Anthony Carlino, senior sales consultant and, I swear, in looks and manner, a double for Vince Vaughn.
“Julie, what can I offer you for your Subaru to make you drive this car off the lot today?’’ I was getting the standard car salesman treatment, but I was unfazed. I pushed back. The car had no power seat, I explained. I couldn’t believe he didn’t laugh at me.
He didn’t. Instead, after a brief consultation with the big boss, Carlino offered me $5,000 for my antique Subaru. I took it and walked away with a two-year-old BMW for $19,000 dollars. I used the $3,000 I’d saved to purchase an extended warranty that will cover the X1 up to 100,000 miles. This is a necessity I also learned from my auto writers: Premium cars are expensive to repair.
Why did Carlino let me have the car at that price? This is a Lexus dealership and, as such, they had very little use for a BMW. Plus, this car wasn’t loaded; it had a manual front seat! The X1 was a basic model, and it had probably been sitting in the lot too long. I’d been lucky, but I’d also been smart, thanks to the tutelage of Mr. G.
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