Personal experience: how I bought the first car in the USA

Buying a car in the USA is always a choice between leasing and credit, buying a new car or a used one, renting or even buying for cash. Looking ahead, I will say that I drove a rented car, but in the end I settled on leasing. And this is what determined this choice.

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How I understood the nuances

I received a new car, official service and a guarantee for all 3 of the year. Lysine, as a rule, will be cheaper than rent. For example, Lexus nx200 F-Sport, leased costs about 400 dollars (and the base model is generally 300), plus 150 dollars will be worth the insurance. The cheapest rent will cost no less than 600 dollars per month. For the money you will be offered Nissan Verso or Toyota Prius in the most basic configuration and not in the best condition. I could see for myself personally, for three months, traveling by car, rented.

Rent that you pay on time and on time will not help your credit score. And leasing is the fastest way to “upgrade” your credit history and get one step closer to being able to get a mortgage, especially if you’ve recently moved.

Leasing is more profitable than credit. Firstly, the interest rate on the loan is very high - about 17% for a new car and up to 28% for a used car with a new credit history, which all non-residents have. Secondly, when buying a new car, you immediately lose its value as soon as the car leaves the showroom.

If you buy a used car, the car level Lexus nx 2-3 years will cost at least 25000 dollars. Through 2-3, it will lose in price.

In addition, buying a supported car, you need to either immediately pay the entire amount, or take a loan, which is not profitable at all: the cost of the car falls, and you continue to pay its full cost and pay interest, losing money each month.

You also pay all breakages.

If you bought a used car, you will have to sell it yourself in the future. And this is difficult because of the absence in the United States of the secondary market as such. It is impossible to sell a car at a normal price, since practically no one buys a car for cash, everyone takes a car on credit or on lease. We have to give the car for a pittance to the dealer company.

How it works

If the leasing is done correctly, everything you pay is deducted from the cost of the car, and at the end of the lease you can buy the car if you want. Or you can get a loan for the residual value, but at a completely different interest rate, since you will already have a fairly strong credit history built on the same leasing. Plus, your home mortgage interest rate will be lower in the future with a good credit score, and leasing is a quick and effective way to improve it.

I spent searching for a car for at least 2's months: since there was no credit history, the chances of buying a good car on lease were reduced to zero.

But there is a way out in this situation - a US resident with an excellent credit history vouched for me, and they gave me the green light.

As a result, credit history has improved for both me and him.

In the salon or through a broker?

Another question that may unexpectedly arise is what is the best way to buy, at a car dealership or through a broker? I came to a conclusion for myself: it is simply impossible to visit all the salons yourself and communicate with dozens of managers, so it is better to buy through a broker. My husband and I visited a couple of salons. It depends on you, but I didn’t like the process when you come to a salon, where 3-4 managers swoop in on you and don’t let you go until they sell you a car, then they get you an SMS over the phone. During one of the test drives, the manager actually deceived us, saying that the car had seat ventilation, but it turned out it was heated.

When comparing prices, it turned out surprising: prices in car dealerships are more expensive than those of brokers. Perhaps because a good broker has information about all dealer discounts at the moment.

In this case, the broker does not need to pay, he gets money from the salon, in which you eventually buy a car.

His knowledge and interest are not tied to one model, and he knows which brand makes it easier to get leasing according to your credit history and income. So, assuming that the money is enough only for Toyotayou can actually buy Lexus or Mersedes for the same amount. For example, Honda CRV The manager of the salon tried to sell us for 450 dollars per month (the price of the 28 000 auto), and Lexus NX through a broker I paid 390 dollars per month (price of 43 000 cars).

Published with permission Author

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