Looking for a new(er) car

KCee · 2019-03-21T13:51:36+00:00

Think I'm finally going to retire my current ride. 13 year old Acura TL with 170K miles. Car is still going strong and I'm sure I could easily go another f...

PA-PLAYA

funkyjudge

I own a Subaru Forester (2017) and received a recall notice from Subaru that they've been having issues with the transmissions in some particular models (including mine).

But since I bought mine through a R-title purchase (got a great deal on it, only had 3k miles on the engine when it was reconditioned and saved several thousand dollars versus a non R-title purchase) the recall notice didn't apply toward mine (since it had been totaled and then reconditioned sale).

Thankfully I've not had any issues with it, have about 23k miles on it now. The only thing I don't like about it is the lack of legroom in the back seating area, but since I don't typically cart people around in it - it's not an issue. The storage area in back is huge, which is another plus for me, but also part of the reason why there's a noticeable difference in legroom in the back seat compared to the Toyota Rav4 I had prior. AWD, and I average 27 mpg (road and highway). It's got plenty of power for my tastes, especially given what is decent gas mileage. I was only getting 23 mpg with the Rav4. I liked the Rav4 also...

The Rav4 was a bit more sporty, however. I gave it to my daughter after she graduated college and was getting ready to move to Washington state... it had about 80k miles on it. I wanted her to have an AWD and something reliable, not something she was going to have to put in the garage every six months.

Both of those SUV's are great in snow, thanks to AWD.

PA-PLAYA

johnnydoom

I almost went with the Honda CRV over the Forester I purchased. I've owned several Hondas over my lifetime, all have been Accords, and all have been great purchases. Although I must say that for a period of about 10-12 years I really didn't care for the newer body style, which is why I meandered toward the Camry back in 2008. Bought it new, kept it for 7 years, then traded it for the 2013 Maxima my wife currently owns. The more current Accords are much sportier and appealing than they have been in years.

The CRV was definitely on my radar. But it also meant forking over $10k more over the Forester, so I settled. I tend to drive my vehicles until they're worthless, so trade-in value doesn't mean a lot to me.

johnnydoom

PA-PLAYA The CR-V would have been my 4th choice, but it was my wife's call. It's a nice car, and I'm looking forward to the gas mileage, but I kind of worry about that tiny 1.5 liter turbo engine and the CVT. That said, Honda has an excellent reputation for trouble free engines and their transmissions appear to be as good or better than most. I'm not too worried about this being our first Honda and I feel like I got a decent deal. I've told my wife and son to go easy on it and not stick their foot into the gas unless needed (for merging or whatever), but I know enough about them to understand that when I'm not around they won't heed that advice. While car shopping I had good used options and in particular a 2016 Highlander, 2017 Explorer, and 2017 Outback all with less than 30,000 miles and would have preferred any of those to the CR-V. My wife found reasons to reject them all, but I'm pretty sure there was an unstated reason - not wanting a "used" car, behind the actual decision.

shokosugi

Hey KCee -ever consider an Acura ZDX? They stopped making them in 2013 so they would be fairly cheap. I think they look pretty cool in person and you'll have a sporty, AWD that has 300HP I believe. If you don't mind something a bit different, definitely a unique vehicle. Poor rear seat space and trunk space but that may not be an issue for you... LOL having fun yet with all these recommendations???

KCee

shokosugi Hey KCee -ever consider an Acura ZDX

Funny my coworker just mentioned that car the other day! It does tick off most things on my checklist, but as you say they stopped making it in 2013 and I'd like something a little newer; probably 2015-2016. I remember when it came out and thought it was cool, but too pricey.

KCee

I did check out a couple of used CRVs as I still am a Honda fan. I liked a 2017 I saw much more than the 2016. The bad part is a 2017 model is still worth as much as 2016 BMW or Audi. The Hondas hold their value. I even saw a 2018 base Kia Stinger for less.

johnnydoom

KCee I'm like PA-PLAYA in that when I buy a vehicle I pretty much expect to own it through the duration of its useful life. They are junkers when I trade them in or sell them, so I wasn't considering resale value in the equation. Your comment about the used BMW cars is correct. There were many slightly used BMW's available at very good prices, but like other things, I couldn't talk my wife into a sedan. She was focused on an SUV and I couldn't get her to be flexible.

Sarnella

I have not bought a new car in 20 years. I drive for a half dozen used car dealers
so I can get first dibs on a lot of used cars. Just bought a Acura MDX for $12,500,
2010 with 50,000 miles in very nice condition.

Tinker

My mother in law has a CRV. She’s 84 and has the sharpest CRV at the senior center

KCee

Yeah I keep my cars too long to worry about trade-in value. If I sell the TL myself the amount will probably cover taxes and reg lol. I've bought both new and used cars over the last 35 years or so. I like buying new and getting exactly what you want, but a 3 year old car with miles left on the warranty is like half the price of a new one.

KCee

Finally may have found a car. Got a 2016 BMW 328i GT Xdrive being transferred to CarMax Hartford. Not that far away, but I'm told it may take a couple of weeks. Drove a similar one at a dealership and liked it. It's larger than a regular 3 series and also has a hatchback. Has AWD, but gets better mileage than my current ride. The original owner loaded it with option packages.

toraider

KCee Hope it works out!

DC300

KCee Wow, my wife found the same thing last night and was asking me about it. My only thought was BMW = Broke My Wallet. They can be amazing cars, I hope you update us on this one.

I had a beautiful 5 series, loved it, but the repair bill was OBNOXIOUS and then the damn thing kept falling into “limp mode” where it wouldn’t go over 30 mph, had to restart it and it would usually fix itself. Got quoted 12k for a new transmission, for a car worth about $18k at the time (only 50k on it), took a hard pass and traded it for the biggest pile of shit I could have bought, the VW Passat TDI, great mileage, HORRIBLY uncomfortable. I thought it was just a bit stiff because it was new, thank God for the buy back on them, I was on that as soon as I could.

BMWs are super nice, but to be honest, after my experience, I don’t know if I’d go used without the certification and extended warranty from BMW. On that same note, Mercedes has an AWESOME certified program, unlimited mileage warranty, really a great deal if you drive a lot. It almost bought one based solely on that.

Spuzz

DC300 OBNOXIOUS

Nothing is more rare than turn signals on a BMW, so I'm told.
😉

KCee

DC300 Yeah I've never owned a BMW, Mercedes or Audi, but lusted after them. I've had 2 Acuras, but didn't really care for the recent ones and Consumer Reports says they are much less reliable than they were. The 328 is being transferred and I may be able to check it out Tuesday night. I drove a similar one and really liked it. This one has all the bells and whistles and the price was reasonable.

I was pretty close to buying a 2016 Mercedes E350. Beautiful car and man it drove nice. Never really liked Mercedes before, but it was nice. Unfortunately I thought the asking price was a bit high and then the BMW popped up. I've heard all German cars are big $$ to repair, but we'll see. My brother is a mechanic and so I don't get burned on repairs and he gets parts at a discount.

DC300

Spuzz I’m told the only difference between a BMW and a porcupine is the pricks are on the outside with the porcupine...

DonM

meagain My wife works at a dealership. Go make a final deal on last day of the month. That determines their bonuses for that month.

We did that on my wife's Accord, and it definitely helped.

DonM

meagain It's a Chevy Dealership, she's the warranty administrator. I bought a Mazda. Does that tell you anything?

It tells me her boss probably doesn't think very well of you, haha.
🤓

meagain

DonM It tells me her boss probably doesn't think very well of you, haha.

They don't know about it. She would be fired.

DonM

sdandrea1 Ford is the only domestic brand I'd buy today, but the Japanese make such a tight, reliable vehicle now. I do miss my Ford Flex. The ultimate golf wagon

I have liked Fords. But I've seen them treat owners very badly in the past 10-15 years when it comes to making good on major engineering flubs. Like their diesel pickups. And their dual clutch auto-manual trans in the Fiesta and Focus. I have personal experience with that fiasco.

As a result, it would take a lot for me to consider another Ford.

Par4QC

DonM If a person reads the stickers on the windows of the Fords, they will soon realize they are NOT a domestic car. Parts come from 3-4 different countries,(typically U.K, U.S, & Mexico) and final assembly is in 2 different countries(usually 2-3 different cities in U.S, or Mexico).....for same models!

Good to see them axing heads this a.m..

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