I love my 2005 civic, but now that I'm a little bit older, I would love to buy a newer more classier, more powerful car. I'm pretty interested in the bmw 335i to give you an idea on my proffered style and price range. (although i hate the entertainment console in those cars). Also really liking the mercedes C300

any ideas on what other cars i should be looking at? The civic still has about 9000 owed to the bank so whats the best way to go about selling the civic and getting a new one? the civic is in great condition and only has 50,000 miles on it.

 

Well, you're in a tough spot owing that much. Clean Trade In value is only $8,150, and Private Party Sale is probably around $7,000.

Are you SURE that you can afford the BMW/Mercedes caliber automobiles? Keep in mind the difference in insurance rates, but more importantly, the cost of maintenance.

 

Maintenance costs will be through the roof on either car. Factory parts are more expensive and the labor times for repairs are higher than most other cars.

Have you looked at Asian luxury lines (Acura/Infiniti/Lexus)?

 

this is actually the first time i have wanted to get rid of a car that still had money owed on it. what is usually the process if i wanted to trade it in or sell it to a private seller (even if less than 9000, and i had to pay the rest)

also if you look on ebay, my car seems to list around 8-10 in my area.

also most regular maintenance I can do by myself, unless there is something I am not thinking of

 

Ebay is not a reputable source, view NADA for accurate quotes, like the ones I listed above.

Maintenance on a Civic is not the same as maintenance on a BMW/Mercedes/Audi/etc..


Also, the whole "if less than 9000 and I have to pay the rest" mentality is a terrible way to approach the situation. Get your finances in order before you go digging yourself even deeper in a hole.

You'll thank me later

 

Coming from someone who's worked on Civics, BMWs, Mercedes, Audis, Cadillacs, etc, I completely agree. I'd rather rebuild a Honda transmission (and I hate drivetrain work) than replace another oil filter housing seal on a BMW 3-series. And it's not even just maintenance costs. BMWs and Mercedes require full synthetic oil, and I've seen Mercedes' that took 8.5qt of oil. Did you know not using BMW's washer fluid will corrode the washer pump to the point of failure?