Car talk / need inspiration to buy a new car

[nylonlover]

I lease new cars every 3 years. I am pretty much always driving a car within warranty and never pay anything on repairs. I see all these people who think the best deal is to buy, yet once their cars are out of warranty, they spend a small fortune on repairs. When people do a cost/benefit analysis on leasing versus buying, nobody ever factors in the "repair cost rape" that goes along with buying once the car comes out of warranty. People pretend it does not exist, yet this is what keeps repair shops in business across Canada and the USA.

Well said. I have never leased. Everyone in my family has always financed, hence the reason I do too. I guess the idea of knowing that i'm always paying turns me off somehow. But you're right about "repair cost rape". It's unbelievable. At one point, with my present car, every time I would go in with a problem, I would walk out of there having paid a bill of a minimum of $700 to $1000!!!!!!!

 

[nylonlover]

Nylonlover, if you like the looks of a coupe like the A5 (I agree, a beautiful car), then consider getting a Honda Accord Coupe or a Nissan Altima Coupe. Both come with base 4 cylinder engines that get good mileage but still have enough power. The prices are about the same as the 4-door versions of the same car. Neither car is as good looking as the Audi, but at least the looks are distinctive and if you get one in a nice color, they look pretty good. Plus both have good reliability records and both are much more practical than a real sports car.

The Nissan Altima Coupe does look good. I'm just not crazy about there CVT transmission. There is zero kick to it. It's simply linear acceleration!

 

[Max15411]

Even though the Passat I mentioned only has 140hp, diesel engines have a lot of torque, which will give you that kick you are looking for. On top of the crazy fuel efficiency.

 

[rafterman02]

Yeah the 2012 Camry Hybrid engine model gets top pick for family sedan in Consumer Reports 2012 auto issue. I have a 2005 four cyclinder that has been 100% reliable.

 

[MtlNewbie]

The Nissan Altima Coupe does look good. I'm just not crazy about there CVT transmission. There is zero kick to it. It's simply linear acceleration!

I rented a Versa and a Sentra and also noticed the CVT made the car no fun to drive at all. I rented an Altima once though and it was great fun even with the 4 cylinder. The new Altima is full of hi-tech features usually found on higher end vehicles like lane departure warning.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Well said. I have never leased. Everyone in my family has always financed, hence the reason I do too. I guess the idea of knowing that i'm always paying turns me off somehow. But you're right about "repair cost rape". It's unbelievable. At one point, with my present car, every time I would go in with a problem, I would walk out of there having paid a bill of a minimum of $700 to $1000!!!!!!!

The last car I financed was a 2002 Subaru Outback. After it came out of warranty, the engine head cracked. Cost me thousands of dollars to fix. When I traded it in I only got $8,500 against the lease cost of my BMW 328xi. After that I realized how car dealerships scam people into buying rather than leasing. When they do the lease vs. buy cost comparison, they never discuss repair costs on the buy side. As soon as you add that in, with many vehicles, the leasing of those vehicles becomes a no brainer. All my cars since then have been leased new 3 years or earlier because I am not going to willingly submit to car dealership repair cost rape.

Hondas are very reliable, and they have no need to offer a $50,000 bumper to bumper warranty as part of the sales pitch, because their cars do not break down and spend a ton of time in the shop. Thus you can get away with leasing a Honda and going slightly over the warranty without purchasing the extended warranty package, as long as you are properly servicing the vehicle.

I became leery of Hyundai because their aggressive dent into Honda's market share derives from that bumper to bumper warranty covering everything except gas and tires for 50,000 miles. But do you want to buy a car that will need to be constantly in the shop, which has its own costs?

It should be noted, however, that Honda is putting some cheap-ass tires on their cars, which I think must be made at a rubber company staffed by monkeys.

I have never owned or leased a car that handled quite like the BMWs. The Beamer hugs the road, especially when you take turns at speed, like an incredible rocket that is glued to its trajectory.

 

[Joe.t]

The Elantra won the "Car of the year" at the Detroit auto show in 2012, it is also a recommended pick in the Consumer report publication and the top rated non hybrid car for fuel economy.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/autos/story/2012-01-09/hyundai-elantra-wins/52463788/1

 

[wasisname]

Based on what I've seen, depreciation rape is much worse than repair rape. Repair rape uses lube and buys you dinner after. Still bad but at least it tries. Depreciation rape is just brutal, no lube, no condom, punches you in the kidneys and back of the skull, etc. I've kept cars until they were so rotted from rust that the body shop told us not to bring it back and they could do nothing else.

This my observations seem to reflect the conventional wisdom.

Granted YMMV.

 

[Gentle]

Wanna be inspired ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO4cw565V98&feature=related

or if you're into bikes ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDWqJe1dCgY&feature=related


Then again... I prefer flying after all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_bO1vxn-NE&feature=related

 

[Smooth_Operator]

I agree with Eager Beaver as I just leased a new 2013 Model Year BMW 328XI. It handles great and the body is very sturdy. I would like to keep the BMW beyond the 4 year lease period but I am uncertain how well the 8-speed automatic and the 4-cylinder turbo will hold up since both are based on new BMW technology. The only issue with the BMW is that for a $50,000 car you do not get GPS as this would come with a $4,000 option package which makes the car even pricier.

Regarding Honda, you can buy a $38,000 Accord V-6 Coupe that is fully equipped and handles almost as well as the BMW 328Xi.

Needless to say, I do like the BMW and I enjoy driving from Laval to downtown everyday. As for Hondas they may be great cars but many regard the styling as being a bit bland too family oriented.

 

[EagerBeaver]

SO

One problem I had with the BMW 328XI is that the sensor for the radiator malfunctioned (while the car was still under warranty). Although there was nothing wrong with the radiator, the sensor was giving a warning that there was. This necessitated not only a new sensor but a new radiator as well - even though there was nothing wrong with the old one. Car was in the shop 8 days and BMW gave me another BMW as a loaner.

Apart from that no issues. And by the ways now that you have that car your handle perfectly fits, because you are the operator of one SMOOTH ride. Never had a car that had the ability to take turns like that at full speed. If someone ever chases you in that car you can lose them, possibly get them off the road as well, taking hard turns.