Ok, you guys are the experts on this:

-06 VDP, One owner. 42,000 miles. Nav. Alpine. Silver on Black. $19,995.

vs

-07 w/ Luxury Package, One owner. 42,000 miles. No nav. No Alpine. Black on Cream. $19,995.


Which is the better deal (in general) and How bad off would I be NOT to get an extended warranty?

 

It comes down to what you want.. Do need the navi and alpine system? They are the same price.. So I would think it would come down to who gives the best deal.

Are they at 2 different dealers?

 

This car is right by my house.. I have seen it and its clean.

2004 X-Type, Silver/black,3.0,32k miles.. $13,995

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e&rdpage=thumb

Another 2004 X-Type,Green/Ivory,3.0,19k miles, $15,998

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e&rdpage=thumb

A very nice 2005 X-Type, Black/Grey,3.0 Sport, 30k miles, $16995.. I like this one alot..

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

 

They are at two different dealers, each about 20 minutes from my house (one northwest, the other northeast).

I would think that a portable navigation system would work a lot better than what's in the X-Type now, so, it really comes down to the Alpine audio I suppose, but even that's something that could be worked around without it.

 

Well, I'm not having trouble finding a good X-Type in general--I was just hoping to do very little leg work and find something nearby (<150 miles).

My minimum preference in an X-Type is to find one with the Luxury or VDP package. Nav is not much a necessity as the Alpine audio option.

 

If it were me I'd get the 06. reason being that there were no changes in the model years. They have the same miles and for me the alpine system with 10 speakers is a must.
Personally the navi is a nice to have for me.

I also like the tan interior better, but I'd still take the VDP.

 

But is it worth it to get the warranty?

 

Nothing too major happened to my X.. I used the warranty for,

1)New Battery
2)New coolant tank
3)Intake Gaskets
4)Bushings

And a couple of other minor items. Otherwise I have never been stuck in my X..

If it was me I would prefer a warranty..

 

Those 4 things seem like they'd be pretty expensive

 

No, not really. In the grand scheme of things they are some of the lesser items that you could end up paying for.

With mileage and price being equal, I'd go for the one with one less Michigan winter on the books, unless the 06 has obviously been looked after better by the prior owner. See if you can get a repair history for both of them.

Black vs. Silver exterior colors...well the black is more of a PITA to keep looking good, but when it does look good it looks better IMHO than silver. I also prefer the light interior/dark exterior scheme.

Warranty, well that's a tough call. How much do they want for an extended? I bought one for my 2002 and it paid for itself many times over, but this was a very early model and had a good bit of teething problems yet.

How about some pics....

 

I've never bought a car without warranty. In my case, I've not used the warranty on my X Type for anything! But I'd still get it if I had to do it all over again.

 

You probably bought your X-Type when it was new, though...

 

Yeah, when clean, Black is just the best color you can get. I already posted pics of the 07:






There are some more here (copy and paste the link. Don't click on it):
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?paId=347575002

Like I said, I looove the car's color combination, but the lack of Alpine audio is killing me. With or without the Alpine, I will probably have to get a subwoofer anyway...My current car (07 Fusion) has stock 6 speakers and a powerful subwoofer and I'm pretty satisfied with the quality. I would assume that the stock speakers in a Ford Fusion wouldn't be as good as the stock speakers in an X-Type.

 

Dealing with buying a car is simple.

Know what it is worth wholesale and retail. Know how quick a car is selling. Know what rates are available to you for that specific car from your local bank or credit union. Make an offer you feel comfortable with in writing with your phone number on it. Dealers can and deserve to make an honest living. A 2-3k mark up over the wholesale price is definately in order. Tell them that is your final offer and is limited for the next 7 days at which point you will shop elsewhere.

Stick to your offer (of course I would always listen to their counter offer and if it is reasonable or they are offering additional useful expenses like oil changes I'd consider it.

 

Whatever car you decide on, it should come with a warranty. Work it into the price of the car or see if they will split the cost with you.

 

I'm thinking about a final offer of $18,500 (sales price & minimum extended warranty included) + tax, license, and title. I should give the same offer to both dealers and see what happens.

 

Go for it and see what they say.. That is a more then fair price if they include a warranty with it.

 

Also, another big factor in my decision will also lies in my trade in offer.

I won't be paying the total in cash, but I will have a trade in with a little bit still owed on it. If the trade offer looks lousy, I might have to walk away again.

What are some tips that I can use to get the most out of my trade-in?

 

What kind of car are you trading in? How is the condition?

Is it something they could sell on their lot?

 

I'm not big on trading in a car but that is something you should know what the wholesale value is. Be honest on the condition to yourself KBB trade in value is a good start but is usually about 5 percent too high compared to what they would get for it at auction after the typical prep and transport is added in. To me your offer should spell out how much you expect for the trade in.