Actual Prices People Paid

Edmunds.com has a nice forum where people post what they actually paid for their cars.
They have it nicely separated by car models. So shoppers can research and find out if their quotes are good or if they should find a better deal.

High standards of Toyota's Lexus

Found this article about the high standards at Toyota's Lexus plant titled "Master Craftsmen Ensure Lexus Quality"

Penfed or Lockheed Credit Union

Pentagon federal Credit union (penfed), and Lockheed fed credit union has the most competitive auto loan rates I found, starting at 5.75% as of June 2007. Penfed and Lockheed are among the largest credit unions in the US.

They both are open to all to join. Penfed requires that you pay $20 to join a group to be eligible. Lockheed credit union lets you join them for $5 fee to Achiever's Club.

So I decided to apply to Lockheed CU with their online form here. The Lockheed membership application form let's you specify you also want to join Achiever's club. Their secure site asks for your personal info, including driver's license. You then have to print a PDF, then sign and mail it to them. This form acts as your signature card.

Credit union search

As I hate the games car dealers play. I had a very bad experience at Honda of Oakland's finance department, trying to twist my arm, so avoid dealers' games and be prepared with your own financing. I'll first get my own financing ready. Last time I looked into auto loans with Patelco credit union, but I found their rates the same as banks at 6.3% (as of June 2007).

So I looked around for other credit unions that offer good auto loan rates. I found this blog entry which lists the credit unions that are open for all to join. Penfed and Lockheed looks promising.

Buy Corolla?

So after many years of service, my Honda Accord died. So I want to replace it with either a Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or a Mazda3.

Stay tuned on how this goes.