Recently had Honda CRV and then 2 Mazda CX-5's. Thought they are considered to be in the same class. There was no comparison in every category the Mazda is way better. Interiors are amazing. They are more of a sporty handling car and do have a slightly harsher ride. Have driven a new Mazda 6, and really liked it, plus beautiful car.
Looking for a new(er) car
KCee my brother is a mechanic so maybe I will take a look for a used one.
That's the ticket!
I had a string of 5 BMWs over the years and I had a trusted mechanic that was very reasonable and sensible. When he left for So Carolina, the two other indy foreign car shops I tried to use were as arrogant as the local BMW dealer. Our local dealer was a cheapskate so they didn't stock many parts. They were buying them from the KC dealer until they shut him off because they didn't like floor planning his parts department. It always took two visits to get anything fixed while we always waited for parts. Absolutely loved the cars though and got involved in the region's BMW car club; the track time and socials were a blast.
Worked at a dealership that sold Honda and BMW and didn’t see the big fuss about either brand. BMW uncomfortable bland interiors and Honda’s doggy. I have an older Mazda6 wagon and it’s great second car. Quick, fun to drive and “goes to Lowe’s”. They stopped selling wagons in US or I’d probably have a new one.
mikeintopeka Yeah except when I told my brother what cars I was looking at his response was "oh god I hate working on European cars" LOL.
Toulon Texas is a bit out of my way. I really like the cars.com site and app. Pretty easy to search for what you want. We got my wife's car from Carmax, but for whatever reason they don't seem to have anything interesting right now. There is a large BMW/Mercedes dealership about an hour from my house that had a lot of used cars on the lot though.
Ha ha. Not sure where you are? KC? That's only 8.5 hours. Breeze.
The good news about buying a used car is there is so much more room to negotiate at most traditional used dealers.
Dealerships make a lot more off used cars than new. Go in late on a Saturday night. NO salesmen wants to be held up on Saturday night not to make a deal. One hour before closing time and you're good.
Can't wait to see how that itch gets scratched.
Tesla!
My wife works at a dealership. Go make a final deal on last day of the month. That determines their bonuses for that month.
Get Mrs. Meagain to hook you up with an employee duscount.
It's a Chevy Dealership, she's the warranty administrator. I bought a Mazda. Does that tell you anything?
I've been in sales a long time and yeah the end of the month thing can work. Of course if you've killed the month then you don't need to drop your drawers at the end. Also many places don't end the month on the last day of that month. They try to even out the days so in my company's case we end May on the 24th. The sales I do generally aren't done in a day though so it doesn't matter much.
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KCee I've been in sales a long time and yeah the end of the month thing can work.
It has been a few years but my wife was looking for a ride and decided on a new Toyota Highlander 2012. We didn't pay attention to the date but it was June 30. I couldn't believe all of the discounts and packages they kept throwing at us. The kept mentioning something like "our numbers" or something like that. We bought the vehicle and it later dawned on me that we must have hit them on an end of month or fiscal year or something. It could have also been close out of current year models also.
I've looked at a few cars this week and the salespeople have my contact info. Could be interesting to see if they start calling next week.
I find it a bit tougher looking for a used car. I'm not a fan of white cars and I've seen a few really nice cars but they're white. A few others don't have some features that I'd like. I've called on a couple that looked perfect, but they sold quickly.
See if you can find a car broker when you figure out what you want. Tell them what it is you are looking for (model, mileage, year, color, options, price range) and be patient. They will check all the auctions and such and see what they can get for you.
My buddy flies a lot for work and sat next to a broker on a plane one day about 10 years ago. They still see each other on flights sometimes and my buddy used him to get their Avalon (that was about 9 years ago) and they have him looking for an Expedition right now. They are very picky on their options, so it's not an overnight thing but if he finds what they want, they will actually save quite a bit as he charges a fixed fee over the auction price and a fee to move the car from the dealership he works out of and your home and that's it.
The TL is a nice car . I/we owned 7 Japanese , 3 cars , 4 SUV's which served us very well and that We drove for many years. Since now owning a Mercedes and BMW, I don't think that I could go back or drive anything else now. There is just something special about the solidity, feel and ride of the Higher end German vehicles. Have also owned a VW , and while we got over 200,000 miles from it, VW isn't the same.
I would definitely look at Audi, BMW and Mercedes they are great handling, sporty and luxurious...as mentioned offer the most solid ride. My good bud has the new 2 door A5 , and it's a really fun ride that looks great. It does have lots of Technological features and stuff .... which is not really for me ...I don't need or want that stuff and typically buy vehicles that are 5 +years old.
Repairs can be expensive on German vehicles, but in my experience no more than they were with my Japanese made vehicles but having a good mechanic to service them is important.
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