I ended up going with a 2014 Porsche Boxster S, only 17,xxx miles (my 2018 F-150 has more miles than that!), Agate Grey Metallic exterior, luxor beige interior. Should be here in a couple of weeks. Very excited! Original MSRP was around $71,000, I'm paying around $44,000. This is an expensive toy but I'm thankful someone else took the bulk of the depreciation.
So I ordered this car from CarMax, it arrived, and I went to get it today. Beautiful inside and out, looked brand new. Test drive, it's fucking fast, handles well, uncomfortable interior. I buy it, drive it the hour home, fucking horrible feeling, it's completely uncomfortable, my back doesn't even fit in the seats, there's no position to get remotely comfortable. Hated the drive home. Hated how it felt driving around town, because nothing was comfortable. I was feeling claustrophobic in the car, and just hated it. I jumped right back in the car, drove it the hour back to CarMax, and got a refund. I owned the car for like 4 hours. I never anticipated how much I would hate the feeling of being in a tiny cramped sports car. Thank god CarMax has a 7 day no question asked return policy. (I literally showed up, signed 4 pieces of paper, they returned my deposit check, and I walked out the door.)
So I ordered this car from CarMax, it arrived, and I went to get it today. Beautiful inside and out, looked brand new. Test drive, it's fucking fast, handles well, uncomfortable interior. I buy it, drive it the hour home, fucking horrible feeling, it's completely uncomfortable, my back doesn't even fit in the seats, there's no position to get remotely comfortable. Hated the drive home. Hated how it felt driving around town, because nothing was comfortable. I was feeling claustrophobic in the car, and just hated it. I jumped right back in the car, drove it the hour back to CarMax, and got a refund. I owned the car for like 4 hours. I never anticipated how much I would hate the feeling of being in a tiny cramped sports car. Thank god CarMax has a 7 day no question asked return policy. (I literally showed up, signed 4 pieces of paper, they returned my deposit check, and I walked out the door.)
I paid like $560 to have it shipped from north eastern US to the south. That was non-refundable. So I lost that money, and the Lyft I took to CarMax, which was like 80 miles away. And I had bought some stupid $20 bluetooth aux-in receiver for it. It sucks to be out that money, but at least I'm not stuck with an expensive car that I don't want!! The shipping fee is dependent on how far away the car is. For cars within X miles (250?) it's free to transport to your local CarMax, then shipping goes up the further away it is. This was like 1200 miles, and they did it (from time I paid for shipping, to when it arrived) in like 7-8 days, which was fine by me.
Honestly, it's smart to buy used because you aren't taking that immediate depreciation hit, and CarMax, with their 7-day return and 90-day/4,000 mile "fix anything" guarantee, it's a pretty nice place to buy a car. Plus you can find any car in the USA that they have and have it shipped locally. CarMax kicked ass in this whole thing, it's just the car I didn't love.
Last year I drove a brand new Chrysler Pacifica, and almost purchased it. Really nice van. The one I drove was the Limited trim level (the best) which had all kinds of good shit going for it. I ultimately decided against it because I didn't like that the interior had white walls and a white steering wheel, even though the seats were black.
Since then, I've been looking at www.cargurus.com rather religiously for a used 2018 Pacifica. I wanted a 2018 because that is the first year they offered Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. It looks identical to the 2017 model, but that one didn't have that feature, and you can't swap a new radio into the older vehicle for whatever reason.
Anyway, I purchased a used 2018 model with 22k miles on it from Michigan. I'm flying out in 2 weeks to pick it up. I paid $100 for a local mechanic that isn't associated with the dealer to do a total "pre-purchase inspection". They're pretty much kicking the tires and making sure everything works before someone buys it. They liked the vehicle, but noticed a small air leak with one of the tires. Turns out it had a slight defect and wasn't sitting properly on the rim. That's already been replaced.
Anyway, this vehicle has the 20 speaker Harman/Kardon sound system (same type my Mercedes had), 20" factory rims, the dual video entertainment system, and the advanced safety package which has this pretty sweet 360 degree vehicle camera to assist with backing up (in addition to the normal backup camera), adaptive cruise control, and accident detection that will break hard and give off all kinds of beeps and shit if the car in front of you is stopping quickly. This one has dark tan seats with black plastic interior walls, and it's an extremely dark red finish. It'll look black 90% of the time, but has a reddish tint in direct sunlight.
Brand new (last year... possibly late 2017), this had a window sticker of around $53k. I purchased it for $34.5k. I'm pretty pleased with this purchase. I'll take all kinds of pictures and let you know how everything is.
Note: There are a LOT of 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Limited's on CarGurus. I've combed through countless ones. I wanted one with that advanced safety package (adaptive cruise control & 360 degree camera), dark plastic interior walls. I wanted one that had video & better speakers, but it wasn't manditory. I really like them though. I figure the screens would keep the kids busy, and the sound system would be a nice perk in case I ever wanted to really immerse myself in something. I came really close to buying a different one in New Mexico. Paid $100 to have some guy on www.yourmechanic.com do the pre-purchase inspection. He said the car was flawless. Anyway, after I got his result, I contacted the dealer to make everything official. The fuckers sold in in the 4 hours it took the mechanic to finish inspecting the vehicle and get the report back to me. They were "supposed" to have it held for $500, but they never officially took my credit card. I didn't make the same mistake this time around.
Anyway, here's a random google picture of the exterior color. That one has the black 18" rims. This one has 20" alloy rims.
And here's a random google picture of the interior color.
And here's the most common Chrysler Pacifica interior. I really dislike the black/white theme.
If they don't have black seats, they have extremely light colored seats, like this. The dark tan is the only real variant. Black looks good also, but I prefer the dark tan.
Notice how the steering wheel in that picture is white? For some reason, even the ones with black seats have a white steering wheel like the walls. Yet the dark tan seat one has a dark tan steering wheel instead. I'm not really sure why the steering wheel is colored the way it is. The only way to get a full black steering wheel is with the "S Appearance Package", which is a fully blacked out car like the one in the exterior picture I linked up top. Those van are harder to come by, especially with the options I wanted. The first one I was about to purchase was an S, but they sold it for reasons.
Last but not least, here's an example of the 360 degree camera in action. You see the standard backup camera + the 360 at the same time. I really like this feature, especially if you're in a tight spot.
Anyway, if you see a car that you like, check which models are the same. Typically cars have 5+ years as the same body style. As such, every car within that body style will feel roughly the same. So find out if any dealers near by have random car x from years y-z in stock. Sit in one and get a feel for it.
EDIT: There was one truck that I really liked. Looked gorgeous. Turns out it was 'water damage". The engine seized after the front went under. They replaced the engine with a brand new one, but it still has the water damage title. I didn't want to fuck with it.
Anyway, if you see a car that you like, check which models are the same. Typically cars have 5+ years as the same body style. As such, every car within that body style will feel roughly the same. So find out if any dealers near by have random car x from years y-z in stock. Sit in one and get a feel for it.
EDIT: There was one truck that I really liked. Looked gorgeous. Turns out it was 'water damage". The engine seized after the front went under. They replaced the engine with a brand new one, but it still has the water damage title. I didn't want to fuck with it.
If you're buying a first year for a new bodystyle/engine model or whatever, do your research. Those ones usually have a good amount if warranty issues. The sweet spot is usually like 3 years into a run the kinks are ironed out.
Ughh, Chrysler.. Find me a 5+ year old Chrysler on the road that doesn't look like a beater. Up in Canadia we called Chryslers and Oldsmobiles/Pontiacs disposable vehicles because the winters would destroy them, and the only people who would buy them were the Police and old people. Hyundai/Kia/Toyota for MiniVans imho..
Hey all, I want a fun, 2 seater convertible. Something for the weekends, sunny rides, etc. It will not be a daily driver (I have a truck.) I'd like to keep it under 40,000. I'm totally fine with used and think it's better value
Thoughts
1. A used Porsche boxster
2. Used Jag F type
3. BMW has that new Z4 but prob not much on the used market
4. Miata?? Honest question, is that gay?
Given your review on the boxster;
- you will not like the F type, it is sports oriented (fast, light, small)
- new Z4 is out of budget
- Miata doesn't offer performance, it just has the hard suspension and little room as cars in this segment do
You need to decide where you want to be on the performance vs luxury scale.
Choices are limited when it comes to 2 seater convertibles that are actually sporty, fit your interior room expectation and are within your budget. An M4 convertible offers great performance at an acceptable price, but its not a two seater, nor is it a car that feels light.
An A45 AMG is even more performance / $, while also a premium brand, but its not a two seater or convertible despite being a smaller car.
Low mileage probably puts something like a mercedes SL out of range. I don't know why you'd want to keep it under 40.000.
I think the combination of traits you are looking for is going to make it very hard to find something good, you might have more fun if you go for a compromise on some of them.
Probably would go 4 series convertible if the 4 seats are acceptable. Corvette if it has to be a 2 seater, definitely roomier than a Boxster and should be easy to find one that's not too old in your price range. Older Corvettes can be had for cheap but if you're not the DIY type I'd probably avoid anything old.
Given your review on the boxster;
- you will not like the F type, it is sports oriented (fast, light, small)
- new Z4 is out of budget
- Miata doesn't offer performance, it just has the hard suspension and little room as cars in this segment do
You need to decide where you want to be on the performance vs luxury scale.
Choices are limited when it comes to 2 seater convertibles that are actually sporty, fit your interior room expectation and are within your budget. An M4 convertible offers great performance at an acceptable price, but its not a two seater, nor is it a car that feels light.
An A45 AMG is even more performance / $, while also a premium brand, but its not a two seater or convertible despite being a smaller car.
Low mileage probably puts something like a mercedes SL out of range. I don't know why you'd want to keep it under 40.000.
I think the combination of traits you are looking for is going to make it very hard to find something good, you might have more fun if you go for a compromise on some of them.
Sorry, 2-seater. Then look at an Audi TT Roadster. They're not as quick as the RS5, but still very fun. And the Roadster is a convertible. That's why it's a 2-seater. The standard TT is a 4-seater.
The thing you have with 4 seaters, is that you can move the driver seat all the way back, which in practice makes the seat behind it unusable, smaller cars don't have this option due to lack of room.
Any car with the length to actually do it, promotes itself as a 4-seater, because that increases the potential audience.
Last year I drove a brand new Chrysler Pacifica, and almost purchased it. Really nice van. The one I drove was the Limited trim level (the best) which had all kinds of good shit going for it. I ultimately decided against it because I didn't like that the interior had white walls and a white steering wheel, even though the seats were black.
Since then, I've been looking at www.cargurus.com rather religiously for a used 2018 Pacifica. I wanted a 2018 because that is the first year they offered Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. It looks identical to the 2017 model, but that one didn't have that feature, and you can't swap a new radio into the older vehicle for whatever reason.
Anyway, I purchased a used 2018 model with 22k miles on it from Michigan. I'm flying out in 2 weeks to pick it up. I paid $100 for a local mechanic that isn't associated with the dealer to do a total "pre-purchase inspection". They're pretty much kicking the tires and making sure everything works before someone buys it. They liked the vehicle, but noticed a small air leak with one of the tires. Turns out it had a slight defect and wasn't sitting properly on the rim. That's already been replaced.
Anyway, this vehicle has the 20 speaker Harman/Kardon sound system (same type my Mercedes had), 20" factory rims, the dual video entertainment system, and the advanced safety package which has this pretty sweet 360 degree vehicle camera to assist with backing up (in addition to the normal backup camera), adaptive cruise control, and accident detection that will break hard and give off all kinds of beeps and shit if the car in front of you is stopping quickly. This one has dark tan seats with black plastic interior walls, and it's an extremely dark red finish. It'll look black 90% of the time, but has a reddish tint in direct sunlight.
Brand new (last year... possibly late 2017), this had a window sticker of around $53k. I purchased it for $34.5k. I'm pretty pleased with this purchase. I'll take all kinds of pictures and let you know how everything is.
Note: There are a LOT of 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Limited's on CarGurus. I've combed through countless ones. I wanted one with that advanced safety package (adaptive cruise control & 360 degree camera), dark plastic interior walls. I wanted one that had video & better speakers, but it wasn't manditory. I really like them though. I figure the screens would keep the kids busy, and the sound system would be a nice perk in case I ever wanted to really immerse myself in something. I came really close to buying a different one in New Mexico. Paid $100 to have some guy on www.yourmechanic.com do the pre-purchase inspection. He said the car was flawless. Anyway, after I got his result, I contacted the dealer to make everything official. The fuckers sold in in the 4 hours it took the mechanic to finish inspecting the vehicle and get the report back to me. They were "supposed" to have it held for $500, but they never officially took my credit card. I didn't make the same mistake this time around.
Anyway, here's a random google picture of the exterior color. That one has the black 18" rims. This one has 20" alloy rims.
And here's a random google picture of the interior color.
And here's the most common Chrysler Pacifica interior. I really dislike the black/white theme.
If they don't have black seats, they have extremely light colored seats, like this. The dark tan is the only real variant. Black looks good also, but I prefer the dark tan.
Notice how the steering wheel in that picture is white? For some reason, even the ones with black seats have a white steering wheel like the walls. Yet the dark tan seat one has a dark tan steering wheel instead. I'm not really sure why the steering wheel is colored the way it is. The only way to get a full black steering wheel is with the "S Appearance Package", which is a fully blacked out car like the one in the exterior picture I linked up top. Those van are harder to come by, especially with the options I wanted. The first one I was about to purchase was an S, but they sold it for reasons.
Last but not least, here's an example of the 360 degree camera in action. You see the standard backup camera + the 360 at the same time. I really like this feature, especially if you're in a tight spot.
man, i know you're an american, but you're practically closer to the honda factory now, no one is gonna fault you for buying a car made by your wifes pplz
