Buying my first car after deployment

[Yuhuan Green]

Hi I am new to the forums. I am 26 and deployed in the middle east right now. I am engaged to be married in 2014 and have a 1yr old son. I am shopping for my first car and right now just doing alot of research as to what I want to get when I return. At first I wanted the GMC terrain which i test drove before I left and loved it, but since I been here I looked at the edge and honda crv. I love the edge and am really thinking of buying it as I need a SUV (I live in central PA) for my family. I have a couple questions as I have never owned a car (got my license at 25),

1. What is a good price for the Edge Limited(11-12)

2. What mileage should I look for?

3. How is the warranty on the edge?

4. Should I go to a ford dealer or private?

5. Does it have on star?

6. What should i watch out for?

 

I would like to stay at about 25k, I am saving all my money to put a nice down payment on this to keep my monthly payments low. I am open to all advice as again I have never bought a car and am very nervous as this is a huge purchase. thanks

[JOEHIO]

Hi Yuhuan,

First of all, Thank you for serving our country, serving in the middle east. With regards to the Edge, prices will probably vary from dealer to dealer, and month to month, so I guess you have to wait til time gets closer to making a deal. If you can find an Edge with around 12k a year for mileage, that would be nice, but more important, is to check on service records, make sure service has beeen kept up on it. I would consider getting an extended warranty, as new Edge's gets 3/36. True, extended warranty's are not cheap, but with all the elextronics and computerized crap, and modules, repairs can get costly.

Wish you the best, and welcome back home.

[Yuhuan Green]

Thank you for the info, How much does a typical extended warranty cost? I'm assuming the 3/36 is 3 lemons out of 36 edges? Can anyone explain the nav system like how its updated and what the cost are for updates? When I was looking at the terrain I was going to get on star

[Jackman5000]

3/36 means a 3 year or 36000 mile warranty..whichever one occurs first. I paid 2200 for a 100000 mile 7 year warrany (either 6 or 7 years...can't remember). Money well spent in my opinion. I would stay away from gm products but that's just my opinion. Ford all over the world. Gm American only. I like that fact..

[Jackman5000]

Well I guess gm could be sold elsewhere I the world...I just havnt seen many in my travels

[Yuhuan Green]

Thanks for that info, would having subs (jl audio w6) and different speakers and amps mess with my warranty?

[wannabang]

That shouldn't mess with your warranty... I upgraded my audio as soon as I got it. On-star's strictly gm, right, guys? Personally, it scares me to have navigation on all the time, like with on-star. At least it takes a little more time to pinpoint my location by pinging my cell phone signal.. Love JL's stuff, although I strayed from them in my edge (Got some Sound Solution Audio, now, just as good and cheaper). I picked my edge because, at the pricepoint, it offered the best mileage. Obviously you're looking to spend a little more, but I averaged 22 mpg highway on a long trip through the mountain recently. The second gens are more efficient, I believe. I bought mine from Germain Ford, and they offer warranties on all their used cars. Also felt more comfortable doing that since I could request additional ford parts to be added to the car before I signed.

 

Good luck with your search! It'll be great to be home! Hope you remain safe, and arrive back without issues!

Edited March 20, 2013 by wannabang

[JOEHIO]

Doesn't Best Buys Electronics sell On-Star ??? Can be put in any car. Just a consideration.

[Yuhuan Green]

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. What do you all think about www.katzkin.com custom seating? The real reason I wanted the limited was for that and the panoramic roof, but if I can get it on a lower model and pay less I'd do that. I like there custom seats because it gives you more control over it. Also with what you all said about being able to completly swap the audio, lets say I get a lower model edge, would I be able to install something like a pioneer touch screen? Honestly I'd much rather do that since I heard nightmare stories about MFT lol. Can anyone tell me the major differences between the SE, SEL, and limited? Because with the Terrain everything was linked to the center console so you couldnt do anything, but with the edge if you can do that I'd rather have my own custom set up, also are the side mirrors heated?

[wannabang]

I think your question is better left to those with the second gen edges. I specifically chose the first gen to make it easier to install a touch screen head unit, but I'm sure it can be done with the second gen, at least with the nav unit in. I love my pano-roof, too. If the car has the stock sub, there should be a sub-out connection in back of the stereo, or you could just replace the current, stock amp, although, you'd lose use of that back sub unless you ran it off the head unit. That being said, I'm not sure how complicated it is to get the back of the radio in the newer models. Others should be able to help with that.

[Dingo]

Katzkin makes great leather, and you cannot change your head unit.

[Yuhuan Green]

OOOO that kinda sucks, what do you with the 2nd gen edges think of the touchscreen. How is the gas onthe 1st gen?

[wannabang]

First gen, here. I live in a small city where most roads are 25 mph, but my school is on a really steep hill. I get about 18 here. Back home, where the roads are long, flat and 45-55 mph, I got about 19.5, and on a recent roadtrip I took to florida I averaged 22, and hit 24 @ 75 mph. It's pretty good gas mileage for a heavy SUV. Best I could find in its class of its year. The ecoboost does wonders, though.