Buying a car?

Get raped son... ? I dunno either. I remember having my parents give me shit when I said I was spending $30K on a sedan. Then I told them to go look at the prices of Accords and Camrys. That shut them right up.

Zodiac_sl said:

Same thing that happened to prices of everything else - inflation.

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I don't really agree, or at least not entirely. I remember in 1997 when I was 16 and looking at getting my first car, a low end Pontiac Sunfire or Chevy Cavalier was around 13-15k. Today you can still buy an equivalent car for about the same price, despite inflation of something like 30-50% since then. What's actually happened is that cars and trucks are loaded with so much more options today, more safety features, and more power. You can still get a good pickup truck for 20-30k, but no it won't have leather air conditioned seats, built in navigation, 400hp and all wheel drive.

People simply expect more now. Shit, what percentage of cars DON'T have power windows these days?

An older model German sports sedan may be worth it if you are a car person. They really do drive amazingly, no comparison to most mainstream sedans. However, if you could care less about nailing the apex on that back road you take to the highway just get the new Hyundai. They really are nice, and drive very well for what they are. I think they look great too.

Buuuut... 90k is a lot man, even at a good reasonable shop it is going to be expensive if you have to have a valve job or something done. I would look for something closer to 50k miles.

If you just want it for the MB or BMW emblem on the hood, it is likely to be an expensive lesson.

Pretty simple really. The cost of ownership for a MBN will be much, much higher than buying a new/used Hyundai. That goes for everything related on a service/parts level. Simple maintenance on a MBN will cost quite a bit more. If you want the status (although a used MBN does not really scream that) go for the Euro car. If you want something eco-reliable etc go with the Hyundai. Not rocket science here.

90k is nothing if the car has been maintained properly. MB E-class is the most common choice for taxis in Europe and I see them with 3-400k on them all the time. Between my friends and colleagues, I know at least 5 BMWs with over 160k on them.

Of course if someone bought the car new and just ran it in to the ground, a 90k car is a black hole for money so you really need to see service records, and get a pre-purchase inspection done by a good independent specialist shop. Some time spent on a model/brand specific forum will be very helpful too (sometimes certain engines and options are especially good to have, or avoid).

If you're prudent and budget in a few grand for a trans rebuild at some point, you will still easily beat the depreciation of a new car. Driving experience is not even on the same page (personally I'd go BMW or MB since those are rear drive, VW/Audi's are mostly fwd which is a no-no for a real sports sedan)

Of course if you just want to go from A to B and have a no-hassle warranty to fall back on, by all means buy something new (preferably japanese or korean). Consider the above only if you really enjoy driving.

Yes, they use e series as taxis in europe... with much smaller engines and with parts that are built right in town. Now factor in the bigger engines, automatic transmissions, and ship parts from across the world (and then charge more for the "luxury" experience) and you have a recipe for higher costs. Yes, they ride better (when perfect) but you are going to pay for it when they aren't.

Man I work with bought one 2 months ago. He loves it and drives a 120 mile round trip everyday.

Even better, find yourself a used Elantra with 24k miles on it. Save you more money.

Bumping this thread.

I moved out to California and took the wife's car, and she's getting ready to come out here and sold my old piece of shit. So now I'm in the market for a new car. The biggest thing I think is mileage, but something comfortable and fun to drive would be nice too (I drove a rental car through the Angeles National Forest earlier this year and it was the most fun I've ever had driving).

I think I've narrowed it down to a 2013 Mazda3 sedan. It gets 28/40 mpg, and it's within my price range (I actually wanted to spend about $15,000, but we've got $10,000 in our car fund). I test drove one this morning and it was pretty awesome, but my old car was a 2000 Maxima so my bar is pretty low on what to expect. Does anyone have any opinions on it? The comparable cars to it seem ok, but not special.

I just purchased a 2012 Cruze, loving it so far.

I work in auto repair. The people who buy older used Lexus, Mercedes, or BMWs are a nightmare to deal with. It varies by model but if you can't drop a grand out of no where you don't need to own those cars. The faces some people make when you tell them tires are going to run anywhere from $1,400 to $2,800 is priceless. What did you expect? Your car requires UHP tires is two incredibly uncommon sizes. Regular maintenance isn't that bad as long as you stay away from the dealership but parts will fuck you.

Corporate cars are not always a good idea btw. A lot of fleet companies refuse the correct grade/viscosity of oil for the vehicle which leads to more wear and tear on the engine. The main problem this causes is shortening the life of the engine. Of the nine or so companies I deal with on a regular basis only one will approve blend in vehicles that call for it. Four refuse full synthetic in vehicles that require it. They are usually pretty good about scheduled maintenance but if a vehicle is getting near the end of their lease(or whatever that fleet does) they will start refusing necessary repairs.

I personally would never buy anything used with more than 40k miles after working in the repair industry. Always get maintenance records and check the tread depth on the tires and look for uneven wear. Low tread and you end up adding $400-$1000 to the price for a new set, uneven wear do not buy it without having the steering and suspension system eval'd. I hate telling folks that their new car they just bought needs $1500 worth of front end work.

Ill provide my anecdotal experience.

I bought a Toyota Camry XLE brand new, a few years back. Its completely paid off now, feelgoodman.jpg. A lot of people will say its foolish to buy a brand new car,but after logging 70k miles on it so far, I can only say Im extremely satisfied. Its nice knowing where my car has been and hows its been treated. I drive like a granny and plan on running it into the ground. Ive had exactly zero problems with anything through the years. Jut routine oil changes and what not.

Eomer_sl said:

I don't really agree, or at least not entirely. I remember in 1997 when I was 16 and looking at getting my first car, a low end Pontiac Sunfire or Chevy Cavalier was around 13-15k. Today you can still buy an equivalent car for about the same price, despite inflation of something like 30-50% since then. What's actually happened is that cars and trucks are loaded with so much more options today, more safety features, and more power. You can still get a good pickup truck for 20-30k, but no it won't have leather air conditioned seats, built in navigation, 400hp and all wheel drive.

People simply expect more now. Shit, what percentage of cars DON'T have power windows these days?

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You live further North than me, what's your opinion on Leather seats? I don't get the point of 'em Colder than cloth in the winter, Hotter than cloth in the summer.

Voyce_sl said:

You live further North than me, what's your opinion on Leather seats? I don't get the point of 'em Colder than cloth in the winter, Hotter than cloth in the summer.

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I'm on Ohio, a stones throw from Canada. I drive a car with heated lumbar leather seats. I won't ever go back. Give them a try, and you might feel the same.