I need a new car...NOW

[Sheep]

MDS is one of my favorite members because when I first got here he was right
about everything and pretty patient ... unlike me: mostly wrong and cranky.

He's not patient anymore.

SheepStar

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

Think about MANMADE Global warming......U should do your part to save our mother earth.


Buying any car larger than one of these is irresponsible on your part....just sayin...........

Do your part to minimize your carbon footprint

 

[agarwalro]

For just $2000-3000 more than the cost of a 2010 TL you can get the 2010 BMW 335i sedan and it will be a huge improvement (from what I read). I drove in a 2008 335i and it was really good from a luxury/ comfort perspective. BMW also has the 4 year/ 50,000 mile all inclusive warranty which makes it really appealing from the 5 year cost of ownership perspective.

That said, I would never buy a brand spanking new car. A 2-3 year old car with low miles represents the best value for money to me.

 

[ju10503]

I wouldn't bother with a non-electric vehicle except for immediate purchases. In that case, get the most fuel efficient used gasoline car you can and sell it when electric cars become available. Gas will go up to between $5-$10 sooner than you know it, and gas cars will become very expensive white elephants. I have a 5 year old Honda Accord and will sell it when a decent electric car comes out (we drive very little so range is irrelevant except for long trips when we would rent a car).

 

[Adam]

I bet that it's going to be several years before an electric car that is cost-competitive (from a lifetime cost perspective) and that can handle my daily commute enters the market. The Volt isn't going to cut it.

 

[strube]

I wouldn't bother with a non-electric vehicle except for immediate purchases. In that case, get the most fuel efficient used gasoline car you can and sell it when electric cars become available. Gas will go up to between $5-$10 sooner than you know it, and gas cars will become very expensive white elephants. I have a 5 year old Honda Accord and will sell it when a decent electric car comes out (we drive very little so range is irrelevant except for long trips when we would rent a car).

For some reason, I am really feeling like ranting tonight. Don't take any offense to the fact that I picked on you - I refuse to read the political threads, or I would be in there ranting.

I am getting my masters with an energy/power production focus, and so I am qualified to say that is a pretty naive suggestion.

Gasoline isn't going anywhere for a while. At some point, all of these people pushing "plug-in hybrids" and electric vehicles will realize that those things are going to increase the demand of the energy infrastructure to an astronomical extent - where do you think that electricity comes from?

The number of billion+ dollar coal plants that will need to be added so everyone can charge up their street-legal golf cart would be insane, but not only that, those pollute, so we can't do that. Then what? Well, since everyone is worried about that one guy that got a little radiation sickness (from which he quickly recovered) from the 3-Mile Island incident and because we refuse to recycle the waste, there is way too much red tape to go through to build the champion of efficient power production, the nuclear power plant (and the newest designs can, by the way, also produce fuel-grade hydrogen as a completely free by-product). I guess every acre of land in the world will have to have a high-maintenance, inefficient, huge wind turbine. Perfect.

 

[Adam]

At some point, all of these people pushing "plug-in hybrids" and electric vehicles will realize that those things are going to increase the demand of the energy infrastructure to an astronomical extent - where do you think that electricity comes from?

Well said. That's how my response started off, but I decided to go another route.

When demand goes up, price is normally quick to follow (especially when supply can't keep up).

 

[njedpx3]

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.

Very nice car mileage sucks in-town (18) highway okay (28-29). Scored a good deal four months ago for my son 2005 TL with only 34K miles, clean Car Fax, $17,000

Very nice quality and features , good performance, low maintenace, decent audio .

Good Luck!

Forrest Man

P.S. also own ( LOL had a typo that said "won" instead of "own", almost didn't catch it ) two other Hondas; very good cars 6-speed Accord Coupe and 6-speed convertible.

 

[njedpx3]

....I am getting my masters with an energy/power production focus...

Congratulations .. Now I know why I can relate too and understand a lot of your responses

Later,

Forest Man


P.S. - Remeber the first diesels and the turbos of the mid 70s

 

[Alex2507]

Well if we used solar power and made it illegal to drive at night then only criminals would need light there by giving the police all day to catch them.

Now read that again but with Bill Murray's Caddy shack voice.

 

[njedpx3]

Well if we used solar power and made it illegal to drive at night then only criminals would need light there by giving the police all day to catch them.

Now read that again but with Bill Murray's Caddy shack voice.

You are forgetting that the solar cells charge a storage battery, which can supply power at night

 

[goodman]

I-5? I thought they were I-4s.

SHeepStar

The 5 cylinder is the standard engine. The turbocharged 4 cylinder is optional.

 

[Alex2507]

You are forgetting that the solar cells charge a storage battery, which can supply power at night

Without laws we are Republ... Ahem ... without laws we are nothing.

 

[ragged]

Infiniti g37. That's the best choice.

 

[Davemcc]

Without laws we are Republ... Ahem ... without laws we are nothing.

With too many laws, we are Democr...Ahem...to easy.

 

[njedpx3]

Infiniti g37. That's the best choice.

Good Choice ... in that range look at C300

 

[yettitheman]

I-5? I thought they were I-4s.

SHeepStar

Yep. See for yourself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Golf#Golf_Mk5_.28A5.2FTyp_1K.2C_2003-2009.29


This picture is missing the top beauty cover... and I'm not too sure if the red intake boots are stock. But there is the I-5.
Very smooth and strong engine.

 

[Nemo128]

I love car talk

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.

All Honda automatics mated to V6 engines from 99 to 2002 suffer from tranny issues. Stay away completely.

The IS series MPG ratings are total BS, which is unusual for Toyota since they usually underrate their cars. Expect 25/32 out of the 250 tops, 22/30 out of the 350 tops.

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.

Nissan quality has decreased significantly in the past decade. Reports of even their famed VQ series engine having significant failures before the 100k mile mark turns are much more frequent now. Their trannys, both auto and stick, leave much to be desired. Just a general note. I still think they're good cars, just not on the same level quality-wise as what Honda and Toyota are putting out.

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.

G8 GT is quite a car for the money. Long term, who's to say, but great car from the brand-new standpoint.

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.

HP means bunk, the BMW 335i spanks everything Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti offer. Period. Straight line performance, handling, ride quality, it's got them all beat. Yes, it's more, but just illustrating the problem with quoting HP figures as rationale for purchasing. Glad you put that qualifier in there, which I bolded.

Sheep,

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

The transmissions on the first gen USDM WRX were not bulletproof by far. In stock form they should last you for quite a long time, if you get one that hasn't been riced and run down by some 16 yr old. Believe it or not, the Lancer Evo trannies are better. Stay away from the Evo MR that's been modded, the 6 spd in those is weak and can break down even in stock form.

Shocked that no one has mentioned the Hyundai Genesis.

Genesis Coupe in 4cyl turbo trim has some weird ECU programming that cuts engine power in the middle of the powerband. It's making a lot of owners very miserable. The V6 is a sweet performance deal, and the design to me is something no one is competing with right now. If Hyundai really gets the issues worked out with the 4cyl, I'd pick up the Track model. Don't believe the hype either, the Gen Coupe 4cyl engine is NOT the Lancer Evo motor. It's a modified version of the Lancer Ralliart motor and has the fuel cutoff issue mentioned. It doesn't have Evo-level tuning capability, at least not from the factory.

That said, I would never buy a brand spanking new car. A 2-3 year old car with low miles represents the best value for money to me.

CPO represents the best value in car purchasing. New is for people that can't wait and must have the latest and greatest right now. I'll never be one of those people, I'd rather let someone else swallow the depreciation and get myself a better-than-new warranty.

 

[MDS]

CPO represents the best value in car purchasing. New is for people that can't wait and must have the latest and greatest right now. I'll never be one of those people, I'd rather let someone else swallow the depreciation and get myself a better-than-new warranty.

You pay a premium for Certified Pre-Owned and sometimes the savings over new isn't all that much. I had a long discussion with the Acura manager and he told me that they have to pay Acura for the privilege of doing hundreds of tests to 'certify' a vehicle. CPO cars are in high demand though and they compete at auction with other Acura dealers and often end up paying more for the vehicle to acquire it even BEFORE they sink hundreds or thousands into it to get it certified.They pass that cost on to the consumer and at least with the dealer I went to, they wouldn't budge on their price.

Anyway, I agree that a ~2 year old car usually represents the best 'value' because someone else has swallowed the initial depreciation. I originally agreed to buy a 2008 Acura TL with 13K miles but it needed some cosmetic work (fix scratches in the interior plastic, replace the cracked windshield) and while they were performing that work, they gave me a 2009 car as a loaner. After living with the 2099 for an entire week, I decided I liked it better than the 2008 and decided to ditch my 'rules' and buy a new one.

 

[chris357]

Hey Nemo,

I'm just curious about where you get your information from? I have never heard of Infiniti's having engine trouble, I sell Infiniti and BMW and Mercedes and Porsche but mostly Infiniti(thats the showroom in the mall I sit in)

i dont think you can lump Infiniti and Nissan into the same pile since none of Infiniti's sedans or crossovers are built in the US they are 100% made in japan. I have consistantly seen people come in to buy new ones after putting 100k plus on their old ones.

i agree though infiniti is not as refined as BMW but both perform pretty close. I also agree horsepower is BS my 2002 acura CL type S with 260 hp was just as slow or fast as my 2005 bmw 325i with 184 hp maybe that was because my 2002 acura had a bad trans LOL