Like Thor, I am looking at buying a car. I have been leasing mine and I've never bought one before. So, I would like a little advice... Here is what I am looking for: - Sports/luxury - A car that is fast and handles well. I like my daily commute to be fun. - A car that is very quiet and has a nice sound system. Initially, I was looking at the 30- 35k range. However, I did some calculations and it looked like I would be spending almost $1000/month for a car at this range! That seems too high, am I doing something wrong? I am only spending $330 now for my leased 25k car. Some cars I am looking at (any comments or experience with these is welcome): -bmw 330i -lexus e300 or is300 -infinity g35 -mercedes c320 -acura 3.2tl -jag xtype -audi a4 -vw passat Obviously, I am mainly looking at foreign cars ( i am from the US). German engineering or high end japanese cars are what I am looking at as you can see by my list.... Any general suggestions with buying a new car or info on the ones I am looking at is highly appreciated!
I don't know what kind of person you are, so I don't know if you like to throw your money away and how much money do you have to throw away. I would never purchase a new car. You immediately lose up to as high as 50% of the value upon purchase. As soon as you buy a new car, you immediately throw away a lot of money. I would never buy a new car. I believe now most foreign car companies are American.
Re: Re: Buying a new car Ya but you get a lengthy warranty and peace of mind all intact when you buy new... and you get a new car. It's a trade off, I get really nervous at the thought of buying a used car, you never know what you will get. A lot of cars are also mexican, all VWs are now made in mexico. I think acura is still made in japan, and bmw still made in bavaria or whatever. I've never been in the market for luxury cars, but I have driven acuras and talked to owners and they are usually considered to be a better deal and a better car (and they are made by honda so you are getting good reliability). That would be my luxury car of choice unless test driving and magazine reviews convinced me otherwise. lexus and bmw are overpriced, and bmws are considered unreliable and expensive to fix (although I still like bmw, but I don't really think they are a wise buy, perhaps you have the money). I don't have much to comment on with the other cars. Personally, if I had 25k to spend on a car I would be driving a loaded cooper S or impreza WRX. Maybe something bigger like a chrysler 500m. just my 2 cents Just a few sites with some great info in case you haven't seen them before. www.caranddriver.com www.roadandtrack.com www.edmunds.com
Acura, acura...ah, you mean Honda. I see. First we've gotta know what your taste in 'automobiles' are. Tell us for we are listening 'Hi, I'm Fraser Craine, and I'm listening'
lotuseatsvipers ... "Ya but you get a lengthy warranty and peace of mind all intact when you buy new... and you get a new car. It's a trade off, I get really nervous at the thought of buying a used car, you never know what you will get." Warranties that require you in some cases to spend months of hasseling; Peace of mind knowing that if your SUV has a blow-out you could roll over; A new car ... and the smell that goes with it, regardless of the call-backs. Ever hear of having a mechanic thoroughly go over the car before buying it? Can still remember the Pontiac Catalina I bought with 98,000 miles on it. My oldest kid wiped it out at 203,000 miles. Never did get to see how long it could run with the original engine and drive train still intact. Take care. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! So you got a used car and it ran for a long time, so what? I wasn't saying buying used cars is stupid, I was saying its not a move I feel comfortable making. And a mechanic can't look INSIDE the engine. The style cars I am currently interested in are often driven hard by their previous owners, that is a bad thing for the small engines that come in small cars. Don't be so in your face about a personal choice. I was just saying theres more to 'wasting money on a new car' than just a loss of value.
Joeman ... "I would never purchase a new car. You immediately lose up to as high as 50% of the value upon purchase. As soon as you buy a new car, you immediately throw away a lot of money. I would never buy a new car." I did, twice. First was a '57 Fiat 600 because no American company was making a $1,200 car that gave me 40+ miles to the gallon and was a rear engine, rear wheel drive vehicle. The second was a VW Micro-bus, a great baby mover. With the middle seat removed you could have fullsized playpen for the youngest and a matress over the engine compartment for the older ones to grab a nap ... and bought for cash. The Fiat taught me that car payments are a pain. The VW taught me how much I lost driving it out of the showroom (I was feeling guilty after buying a '57 Porsche Speedster (in '61) and figured I'd placate the little woman. The money, again $1,200, was for our dinning room set.). And that's it over fifty years of driving some interesting used equipment that I could afford. Take care Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Hmmm thanks for the replies all... First off, I haven't completely ruled out buying used. However, it would be a 1-2 year old car because I want a car that is new. Oh, and I do not care where the car is actually assembled. I was just referring to what is generally termed german engineering and such. For example: a chevrolet does not handle like an audi or bmw. Thanks for those sites and comments lotus.. I want a car that is 'sporty' in the sense that it handles well and has good acceleration/speed. It want it to also have 'luxury' type amenities such as nice leather interior, good sound system, and very quiet cabin. I want a sedan that sits at least 4 comfortably so that rules out most total sports cars. I'm also gonna be putting a baby seat in it so safety is also important. Hmm pretty ambitious list, huh? Oh yeah, another car I am looking at is the Volvo s60. Right now I am driving a Honda Accord coupe 3.0l v6. I like it but want to take a step up with this purchase. Since I like the Accord, an Acura is definately a possiblity for me... Anyway, back to the used car thing. I was also looking at used bmw's thinking they would be cheaper but anything after a '99 seems to be almost 30k anyway...the value doesn't seem to drop much which is good if you are buying new I guess... Nobody owns one these cars I am talking about?
lotuseatsvipers ... Granted that you feel more comfortable going that route, but all that means to me is that you have more money than sense. Granted too that the Lamborgini Countach or the Maserati Super Legato weren't driven hard by their original owners, but they sure turned a nice profit when I sold them after a couple of years of fun. But I held onto the Speedster until last year. Too much fun to pass up. The other two were just 'bigger dicks'. Take care Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! PS And yes, the Impreza WRX is a fun car. Even considered trading in my SVX for one. Then decided, 'Hell, you don't need another 'crotch rocket', the RZ-350 Yammi is enough.' *Edited for 'PS'*
Granted you feel comfortable buying used, by that tells me you have more time on your hands than cells in your brain. shall we continue with the personal attacks over a stupid opinion?
*fadingCaptain throws his shoulder into the cockpit door, knocking the door straight to the ground as he falls on top. He looks up to see Chagur and Lotuseatsvipers grinning sheepishly as they pilot the doomed thread. Our hero grabs the two hijackers and smashes their heads together while proceeding to take back control of the thread that is rightfully his. He then picks up the radio and speaks to the scared forum members still seated in back. "Don't worry folks. Everything has been taken care of, there is no more threat. The hijackers have been subdued. Please return to your seats and fasten your safety belts." (I have too much time on my hands today Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!)
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Get an acura. a NEW one (tee hee)Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
fadingCaptain ... LOL Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Take care.
If you want more bang for your buck I would definately go with Acura. Plus you already know they are good reliable cars. I have a 2000 Acura 3.2 TL. Check out my webpage..... http://www.cardomain.com/id/lightbeing
Yeah, I usually use it in and out of turns or racing. It's fun as hell!!!! It takes off in 2nd gear!!!!
For sound in your new vehicle... Don't get factory. They soak you for what you get. What you get isn't worth having for the price you pay. Get it with the cheapest radio that it comes with. Take it to a stereo shop and get a GOOD ONE for it. Nothing like 600-800 watts bumping down the road. Don't like it loud? They make volume knobs for 'em
Agreed with wet1, however new luxury cars come standard with a pretty good sounding factory system. The TL's come with a Bose system, steering wheel controls, 9 inch sub in rear deck.
Yeah, good point wet1. They charge like an extra 800 bux for the premium sound system. I'm sure I could get a kick ass system for less than that... Has any1 done soundproofing? I am kinda anal about road noise. I want it absolutely dead silent. Actually the sound system guys can probably do that also.
Sure, I'm all like 'Get the acura dammit!' then lightbeing comes in here And everyones worshipping him, hurumph! haha, anyways. As for the sports shifter mode, I recently test drove a rsx with it. The salesman had me stop the car on a side street and put into sports shift mode, then had me floor it, shifting by bumping it up. It still had the lag I associate with automatics (or at least automatics on 4 cylinders), but it brought a big smile to my face as it was really fun to do...and I only drive manuals, but maybe the novelty would wear off. Thats their base model car and it was loaded and a very good value. Superb ride, and very very nice looking interior. All their cars seem to carry on that tradition... Also one last thing. Everyone in here was bitching about buying new being a waste of money, but Acuras retain their value like nothing else (the civic type R is worth 90% of its value a year later in england). But buying a used luxury model is probably a very safe bet, as those are the kinds of cars people take care of and don't drive hard. So either way you go would be good.
