I need a new car...NOW

[MDS]

I've had my '94 Probe GT since 1994 and it was reliable for about the first 9-10 years. The last few years it has cost me roughly $1500 per year to fix and keep running. Still cheaper than dropping $25-$35K for a new car.I had intended to wait until around September when my insurance expires to buy a new car but I think today's episode is the final straw that breaks the camel's back.

I went tile shopping and just as I got to within 1.5 miles from home, the car overheated and shut down completely. This is not the first time that has happened but the last time it was the distributor that died. At least the car is polite enough to wait until I am within walking distance of home before it dies.

Assuming it cools down and I can walk back to it and get it started, I think I'm going car shopping TOMORROW.

Any owners of Acura TLs? I like the looks of the car but have never driven one. That is at the top of my list.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Nice cars. While I have yet to drive one it's on my short list for my next auto purchase.

Good luck, MDS.

-Doug

 

[Sheep]

Are you talking NEW new cars, or new to you new cars?

The older TL's had transmission problems, so I would stay away from those (up to around 2002ish?). The NEW TL, hasn't had any recalls that I know of, but it's new.

How large of a car do you need? The IS250 is larger then your probe, but has a sportier feel, and decent power for a non track enthusiast. Good mileage too (29city, 42 hwy with the automatic). These are DI (Direct Injection) cars, so keep the revs up, otherwise carbon build up will become a big problem. The IS350 is more (starts at $42,000 Canadian) but has direct, and port injection, so carbon build up isn't nearly as bad. 306Hp with 27city, 37hwy mileage to boot. Insurance will be more expensive on all of these cars, as they're luxury (at least in Canada it is).

If you want to spend less then those ($31,00 IS250-RWD 6 Speed Man base, $42,000 IS350 6 speed Auto base, $39,000 Base TL) The Civic Si has 197Hp, comes in 4 door, 6 speed manual only, and has comparable fuel mileage for around $26,000 Canadian.

What exactly are you looking for?

SheepStar

 

[MDS]

At this point in life I want a 4 door 'luxury' (or semi-luxury) type of car and this time around I'm also going to go with an automatic. Something in the class of BMW 3-series, Acura TL, maybe Lexus, I'm still not sure. Is the IS250 a Lexus?

I like the look of the 2008 Acura TL but I think they ruined the 2009 models by making them pointy instead of squared off and aggressive looking. Still, I haven't even driven one so I may not even like it. They don't exactly get good mileage either - something like 19/24 if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Alex2507]

I just dragged up a pic of the Acura.

My experience with cars of this millennium has been limited to an Y2K Focus and on '08 Chevy Malibu. The '08 Malibu is seriously sexy. I do look good in it.

Anyways they have both been great cars so far but you clearly seem to be after something else. Regarding looks our Malibu has this chrome package with a strip of bumper molding to protect the doors that this car lacks. It adds a little more detail that looks nice and it never fails to attract compliments. Those little details came with adjustable pedal height and better seats maybe for a couple of grand more.

 

[strube]

At this point in life I want a 4 door 'luxury' (or semi-luxury) type of car and this time around I'm also going to go with an automatic. Something in the class of BMW 3-series, Acura TL, maybe Lexus, I'm still not sure. Is the IS250 a Lexus?

I like the look of the 2008 Acura TL but I think they ruined the 2009 models by making them pointy instead of squared off and aggressive looking. Still, I haven't even driven one so I may not even like it. They don't exactly get good mileage either - something like 19/24 if I'm not mistaken.

I totally agree with you on the '09 TLs. I think they are hideous. They put a beak on them to make them look like some sort of prehistoric bird.

Don't forget about Infiniti in your considerations. IMO, they are the best bang for the buck in the luxury segment, and are very highly regarded from a quality and feature standpoint. I think, while they are nice, the BMW, Lexus, and Acura brands are overpriced.

My next car (quite a few years down the road) will likely be an Infiniti G sedan, or an M45 if I can come up with the funds .

I must say though, I have been feeling a bit patriotic of late, and may also suggest a Lincoln MKZ or MKS, because Ford hasn't F'ed up like the rest of the American car brands, and have been running the business much better lately.

 

[MDS]

Alex,
I've seen the new Malibu a few times and every time I do, I think, ooh what is that? There are only a few around here so I haven't quite learned to recognize it on sight. It does look like an upscale sedan which is what I think I want now. I'll have to check out the Malibu too.

Strube,
Thanks for reminding me of the Infiniti. A friend at work has the G35 and that is one helluva nice looking car, but pricey like all the others in this class.

I've been putting off buying a new car for quite some time and really for no other reason than the fact that they cost $30K unless you really go economy. I don't really really want to finance anything so that is a big chunk of money all at one time. I have to keep telling myself if inflation is roughly 3% per year and I paid $17,500 for the Probe in 1994, that is the equivalent of $27,264 in todays dollars so it's really not much more expensive than what I paid for the Probe.

Update on the POC I drive every day: I waited four hours for it to cool down and then walked the mile and half back to it. It started after two tries. I drove to the convenience store to buy beer - wasn't going to drink tonight, but circumstances have changed. Now will it behave tomorrow if I want to go out to the dealerships? With my luck...no way.

 

[adwilk]

I would seriously consider test driving the G8. I know they're going away, but its a lot of car for the money and tons of fun to drive. The GT that is...

 

[strube]

...but pricey like all the others in this class...

The G37 Sedan is is still priced like a luxury car, but it competes with the Lexus IS350 and BMW 335i in features, and I think that if you compare similarly equipped models you will find that it is going to be a bit less than the Lexus and a substantially less than the BMW. The thing is that the G37 has 330 hp and a very high performance drive-train for its cost. The BMW and Lexus aren't slouches, mind you, but they offer 300 hp and don't have quite as fancy drive-train treatments.

While I may differ from many, I look at performance just as much as quality and features in these cars, and Acura, Lexus, and even BMW don't offer anything that performs with the G37 in the $34k starting price range.

That said, any of these cars would be awesome, and I think that just like purchasing speakers, you should get the one (within your budget) that you like driving the best after a few test drives. Enjoy!

 

[Davemcc]

I've got a friend that recently tested out the entry luxury cars and after driving the BMW 3 series and Mercedes C class, he choose to buy the Saab 9 3 for best overall package and price.

Personally, I favor the Cadillac CTS.

 

[Alex2507]

Our Malibu was under $22K. My g/f surprised me the night before so on the way to the dealership we're picking up a used car buyers guide and we agree that a 2 year old car with 25k-30k miles for $15k is our target. We drive out with whatever the salesman felt like selling her and I'm opting for chrome this and electric seats.

Hey what do you want? He was better at selling than I was at buying. It's a four banger and it will get out of it's own way. Gas mileage is suppose to be 30mpg hwy I think and the girl sees an average of 24 or 26, I forget. That's mostly city and that is pretty good. I think somebody gave it car of the year.

Honestly my g/f loves it and I'm glad that she doesn't have more expensive tastes.

 

[Adam]

...I'm glad that she doesn't have more expensive tastes.

There's a little Alex-bashing humor in there, but I'll just let it go...

Well, not so much as to not mention it at all.

MDS, I totally understand where you're coming from. I still enjoy my car, although I think about new cars from time to time. The $30k+ price tags keep me at bay, just like you. I figure a new car will cost me over six months of labor (which is about ten hours a day including commute), so I'm not ready to jump until I have to. My car overheated a couple of months ago, but luckily it was just a ruptured radiator hose.

 

[annunaki]

Are you talking NEW new cars, or new to you new cars?

The older TL's had transmission problems, so I would stay away from those (up to around 2002ish?). The NEW TL, hasn't had any recalls that I know of, but it's new.

How large of a car do you need? The IS250 is larger then your probe, but has a sportier feel, and decent power for a non track enthusiast. Good mileage too (29city, 42 hwy with the automatic). These are DI (Direct Injection) cars, so keep the revs up, otherwise carbon build up will become a big problem. The IS350 is more (starts at $42,000 Canadian) but has direct, and port injection, so carbon build up isn't nearly as bad. 306Hp with 27city, 37hwy mileage to boot. Insurance will be more expensive on all of these cars, as they're luxury (at least in Canada it is).

If you want to spend less then those ($31,00 IS250-RWD 6 Speed Man base, $42,000 IS350 6 speed Auto base, $39,000 Base TL) The Civic Si has 197Hp, comes in 4 door, 6 speed manual only, and has comparable fuel mileage for around $26,000 Canadian.

What exactly are you looking for?

SheepStar

Sheep,

Do you know of any "issues" with '02-'03 Subaru WRX's?

I am thinking about picking one of these up in the next 10-12 months or so.

 

[res6jya6]

How about the 2010 Lincoln MKZ?

It's loaded for liftoff, man

 

[Sheep]

At this point in life I want a 4 door 'luxury' (or semi-luxury) type of car and this time around I'm also going to go with an automatic. Something in the class of BMW 3-series, Acura TL, maybe Lexus, I'm still not sure. Is the IS250 a Lexus?

I like the look of the 2008 Acura TL but I think they ruined the 2009 models by making them pointy instead of squared off and aggressive looking. Still, I haven't even driven one so I may not even like it. They don't exactly get good mileage either - something like 19/24 if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah, the IS's are Lexus cars, 4 door sport sedans.

IS250/350 AWD/RWD

SheepStar

 

[Sheep]

I've got a friend that recently tested out the entry luxury cars and after driving the BMW 3 series and Mercedes C class, he choose to buy the Saab 9 3 for best overall package and price.

Personally, I favor the Cadillac CTS.

Not the best pick for longevity though.

SheepStar

 

[Sheep]

Sheep,

Do you know of any "issues" with '02-'03 Subaru WRX's?

I am thinking about picking one of these up in the next 10-12 months or so.

I have a friend that is a subby fan. I'll ask.

SheepStar

 

[jamie2112]

Sheep,

Do you know of any "issues" with '02-'03 Subaru WRX's?

I am thinking about picking one of these up in the next 10-12 months or so.

I have a friend who has a 02 and an 04 and they are both bad***..Fast cars and fun to drive. I took his yellow 02 out a few times and it was loads of fun to drive and handled very nicely.....

 

[Matt34]

I was at the Nissan dealership yesterday getting my wife's Xterra checked out and the new remodeled Maximas look very cool.

On the WRX, they are pretty damn reliable, just stay away from the one's that are heavily modified. The transmissions are strong but a lot of hard AWD launches are really going to shorten the life on them.

 

[Sheep]

I have a friend who has a 02 and an 04 and they are both bad***..Fast cars and fun to drive. I took his yellow 02 out a few times and it was loads of fun to drive and handled very nicely.....

I drove a Black one, and it pulled like a mother****er. They sound awesome too. Get charge pipes and a BOV and have fun with bus stops.

EDIT: One thing I know, is that changing spark plugs and spark plug seals is a ***** due to the boxer engine. All head work in general is hard on them because of the design, but I don't think you'll be in there very often.

SheepStar