Might have done that a few months ago, but now I actually have a summer job, so will just finish getting another degree (May 2007) and sit for that really easy test they make lawyers take...
just what we need is another BMW driving lawyer. :P
I guess I am just a bit upset because my '91 325 convertible deal fell thru. He sold it before I even had a chance to see it. It always seems I am a day late for the really good deals.
At least it saves me some explaining about what followed me home.
I am more or less an ex-CCBA'er if you will.. having bought 4 cars in 3 years. Sure folks on this forum might have bought twice the number in half the time.. but it was a big deal for me since they were brand new.. However, I've been going steady with my last car now going on for 4.5 years and 98k miles.
I am inclined to buy a new car but my spouse thinks otherwise. She wants me to drive this to the ground which may take another 5 years potentially (I am stickler for PM) and doesnt wanna hear about a new car... I reluctantly agreed since I am more fiscally responsible now and am kind of atoning for my past sins..
Now if only my wife was a bit more cooperative and my practical side of the brain along with responsibilites takes a back seat, I'd be salivating right now for a new car...
Its been too long and feels tortuous going thru dealership lots (even in freezing cold) knowing I wont be getting my fix for quite some time..
I uploaded a few albums to carspace...it is surprisingly quick and intuitive. I'll add more sometime soon.
On the CCB topic, my boss is looking at getting a car (he currently uses the bus, but is now working different hours) and wants a small roadster for around 20K give or take a few grand. He's all over the map, from older Boxster to Miata to even DelSol. I am going to suggest S2000 and MR2 to him as well. His biggest concern is a hardtop.
that is the kind of taging along I would love,shopping for a two seat convertible. Tell your boss if he brings you along the salesman will not be able to go on the test drive with him.
Out of those choices the Miata will be the cheapest and have the most available. Hard tops are also easy to find. You may also want to add the Z3 to the mix.
is worth about $2000 more according to KBB. Not bad considering that the Volvo is "more" car on paper. However, for our commute and our uses we wanted a reliable car with great gas mileage. The Volvo may be reliable or it may not. It's hit or miss with older higher mileage Volvos. OTOH, we have bought Civics with tons of miles on them and we do the timing belt, change the oil, and drive it until something better comes along. I trust the Honda for my long commute. I drive 38 miles each way and sometimes I do not leave work until 11 PM. I wouldn't feel as comfortable in a Volvo.
for some strange reason, as much as i love cars and all... i just don't have pics of all the ones i've ever had. I do have one pic in my model-car showcase of my first car (CJ7), but that's it. I could take pics of my current stable, but its not quite as interesting (other than my Alfa) as some of the vehicles I've had in the past.
oh, i could always take closeups of the aforementioned model cars and claim them as daily drivers. After all, from what I'm told, isn't storytelling and fantasies what Myspace is all about?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
This is making me wish that I had taken pictures of my past cars. I'm sure I could find some and say that they were mine, but a few of them were fairly unique cars which probably don't have too many functional examples out there today. What do you think the odds are of finding a pic of a "pristine" 87 Chevy Sprint hatchback are?
$22k for a new Civic? Either the prices of cars have gone up significantly since I bought my '03 Maxima 3 years ago, or I got the steal of the year for $23.5k OTD.
I realize NAV adds quite a bit, but for the amount of time that most people use NAV, you're better off with a $300 Garmin.
I checked out the new Civic at the auto show last week, and the interior has improved from years past, but it is still clearly an econobox. The Ford Fusion seemed like a much nicer car, and was similarly priced. I test drove one a month or two ago, and the interior and ride were very European. It reminded me strongly of the '96 Jetta I used to own. The Fusion's downfall in my eyes is that even with the V6, it doesn't have quite enough power.
That said, I'm beginning to lurk on Edmunds, which usually is the start of my new car buying process. My Max needs new tires and brakes, which on that car is a cool $1k expense.
I have a problem, though, in that unless my car has neck-snapping power, four doors, and near-lux interior, I'll tire of it quickly. At the time (02/2003), the Maxima was really the sweet spot in the $20-$30k price range; maybe it still is, I'm not sure. And, apologies to Anony/Gee, but I hate Accords. I favor Nissan over Honda because while they both make cars with fantastic engines and lots of power, Nissan's cars have an "X" factor that make them more interesting to me.
Plus, like you guys I want factory satellite radio, and Honda only offers XM, whereas Nissan lets you choose. I tried XM for 8 months in the Max, and went back to Sirius recently (primarily due to Sirius' better and more abundant rock channels).
I test drove Pontiac's Grand Prix GXP with the 5.3L V8, and that was a fun car to drive. The problem is that the interior still isn't quite there yet; when they rename the car the "G8" in a year or two and give it a new platform, it might be worth considering. GM is also XM-only, which is a black mark against them, although apparantly there is a box you can install that will allow you to hook up a Sirius tuner to a GM factory system.
If I didn't have a second child due this fall, I'd buy an Infiniti G35x, no question.
Oh man, a lawyer? Aren't there any other jobs available, like Forest Ranger or something?
I have a friend I went to grad. music school with, then a few years later he became a lawyer. He used to have a great sense of humor, then he started making $15,000 a minute, married an MBA, bought a mansion in a fancy suburb, & has 2 of the most spoiled Yuppie Brats you've ever seen. He's turned into this humorless Stepford Yuppie, & is about as much fun as hanging out with John Ashcroft.
At least you have a bmw. If this guy had a 911, or a 60's Jag or something, I could understand it. But he just buys a new Accord every 10 years. What's the use of making or having tons of $$ if you don't own at least one incredible car?
Uh, just my own wacky take on things, as usual.....& of course my eyeballs turned into 2 bmw roundels many years ago.....
I guess your friend (former friend?) is trying to retire at age 45 and that cars are just transportation to him, rather than the objects of affection us CCBA'ers see them as.
I talked with my sister earlier this week. She's got her Yukon Denali ('03 with 20K) for sale at $35.5. She'll never see that price .. I think it's worth $27K at most.
She told me the Acura dealer would give her $30K in trade for in on a lease of an MDX. I told her she should just hang onto it.
She is trying to become a stay at home mommy .. right now, she does in-home child care and brings home $2K/month. She'd rather raise her 3 kids (ages 8, 5 and 2) rather than, as she says, "finance her husband's fancy lifestyle".
The BIL drives a leased 530i and wouldn't be caught dead in something so proletarian as an Accord. She's trying to get him to ditch the BMW for something less costly .. she's thinking Accord, Camry, etc. He's thinking 3-series or G35 (which he had before trading it in on the 530).
Guess they are going to agree to disagree. She's told him that as of 6/21, her income stops and they will have to adjust the lifestyle accordingly.
Anony wouldn't mind have a new Maxima. They're OK. But we wouldn't own one of the last generation because they didn't have IRS. It's a mental thing, but we won't own a car without independent rear.
The Altima, 300ZX and the new Maxima interiors look too "hard" and/or relatively cheap. Same with the G35. So we wouldn't go there.
Mazda, Benz, Chrysler and Bimmer are Sirius only. My next new car will have to have XM radio. GM, Lexus and Toyota haven't figured out how to paint the XM antenna. So they are out.
I like XM because I feel it has a better dance station format. We have Sirius on our Dish Network system. Don't like it. I'd rather listen to XM on the PC.
The new Accord's rear end is ugly. And the TSX doesn't have enough over our current EX-L to warrant trading for one. Same with the TL. I'm sure it would be fun to have all that power under foot though but again, it doesn't seem to have enough over the Accord to go there. We had an RL for a couple days and again, it just felt like a fancy Accord.
Soooo...I bought my 1996 Civic to drive for a while. I don't have a car note. I just dropped my insurance bill. And it has a CD changer that goes just fine with my room full of CD's. I'll be alright until I can either get the new Civic on MY terms, or who knows, the new Accord might be something special.
If we have a second child, make my next Ody a Silver Touring with RES and NAV please.
I checked out my local Honda dealer last night, and they have not one, not two, but THREE stick shift Accord V-6s!! What cataclysmic event has occurred that my dealer has started ordering stick shifts?!
Not to mention, they have a couple of 4-cylinder EX sticks too - one with leather and one without - the one without is that nice sort of dark bronze color. I wish Honda saw fit to build a V-6 manual shift Accord without leather. $27,5 is a bit steep when you know they would sticker one without leather at around $26K.
And is it just my imagination, or are they using the old Acura CL/TL rims from the last generation for that V-6 manual? The V-6 auto has different rims that I don't particularly care for.
Of course, I was trolling around for a look at a Civic EX manual, of which they only had one in black. I think there is some kind of universal conspiracy against me on the part of all the automakers, that when they build sedans with manual transmissions, they will make them black every time. Too bad. But the sticker was $18,8, which I think is reasonable once I can get $1000 or so off it. I still have to drive it and decide how much I hate the digital dash.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Of course, spending $1K on a 3 y.o. Maxima is not exactly huge $$.....
I kind of agree tho (& this may not be a popular opinion here), that I don't understand the "Honda-only obsession". I mean, I like Hondas, I respect Hondas, & I can see buying 1 or 2 for practical reasons. But they're so generic, IMO, that I can't see spending my life owning only Hondas.....they're all alike--it's not like owning diff. vintages of bmw's, or Porsches, or Vettes or whatever.....
*My Max needs new tires and brakes, which on that car is a cool $1k expense.*
My dad had, in order: (whatever the first year was) Honda CRX (1st generation) 1990 Honda CRX Si 1991 Honda Civic Si
He was very fond of all of them, but the 1990 CRX was his favorite.
As for me, yes, a lawyer... Probably not what most people think of as the lawyer career path, though. If everything goes according to plan (a big assumption), I may take over a solo practitioner's small-town practice when he retires. I can do without the McMansion and other accouterments, just want something with a garage!
Then I joined the Marine Corps. While in 29 Palms I started a Toyota fixation. Celica(2), Tercel(3), MR2 Turbo, and FX16(2). After about model year 1993 Toyota quit building cars that appealed to me so I switched to Integras and Civics. During that time my wife and I got jobs at Carmax and I took a position moving cars between stores. I drove some of everything. And I found I was most comfortable in Hondas. Bimmers always seem to have some warning light on, Benz doesn't build models with manual transmissions, VW's had an real twist axle and I simply don't like Porche interiors.
As far as Civic prices: Yeah, I happen to "know of" a 91 Civic Si with 210k that sold for $1,740. A pretty easy flip; the kid that bought it was just drooling over it.
If I ever have another Honda, I'm reasonably sure I'll buy it new. The '97 Accord with 107k for just under $5 will probably sell, but I still think that's too much money...
I ran my '04 Vibe 5sp silver 25k through NADA; came back with a "trade-in value" of $11,600 and a "retail value" of $14 and change. Whoa, maybe I should try it on the street for $12,500 and see what gives; I paid $14 OTD for the silly thing in late '04 and if I could get $12 for it, I'd probably drive a Taurus for awhile.
Is it just me or have fuel-efficient cars really become that expensive???
Before it's all over, I think I'll have to do the right thing and buy another new GM... I honestly believe they'll go bankrupt before '07 is up... which is bad for MI, to say nothing of the rest of the US. I'd'a done my part already this year if only a fs pickup would fit in my garage... it's too painful to be a daily driver for me.
...post titles today. Anyway, about that '03 GMC I found...it does have an 8-foot bed. But then, I spec'd out a new Sierra/Silverado on Edmund's, and TMV on a new one, fairly basic, is still only around $15K for the bare essentials (automatic, CD player). Still under $16K when you ad the sliding rear window, handling/trailering package, and limited slip rear.
So basically I guess I'd be looking at $3-4K more for brand-new, versus an '03 with 41K miles. I guess the '03 caught my eye because of the pretty color and alloys. And that it's a Sierra, which I think looks WAY better than the Silverado. And also, it doesn't seem like the 8-foot bed, regular cab pickups show up often on used car lots around here.
I was cruising the lot next door to the Toyota dealer last night - P-B-GMC. I walked up to a nice-looking Sierra short cab with good-looking alloys, figuring it would be a similar price to the one you spec'd out.
Imagine how much my jaw dropped when I saw the $24K price tag! This, for a short cab, short bed pick-up. It didn't even have a bedliner, nor was it 4WD. It was apparently an SLE1, so it had a few niceties, and the alloys looked good, but boy. I wouldn't pay that much for it.
They had an '07 Yukon there on display, and while it looks decent, I don't really see what all the fuss is about the new looks of the GMT900 trucks.
They also had a monstrously huge banner draped across the front of the showroom telling the world there are $5500 rebates on the '06, or 0% financing for 72 months.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
My ex & I had a (1st generation) 1985 Honda CRX, that we bought right when it came out, paid $1K over list to get it instantly (dumb), & drove to Chicago to get it. Great car (altho no crash protection), we drove it all over the Mid-west & E. Coast for years--in 60K miles, all we had to do was a few oil changes.
I've actually known some great lawyers, who seemed like great people. Have you seen "anatomy of a murder"? Jimmy Stewart plays the ultimate small-town solo practitioner lawyer, who plays jazz piano in his spare time.
Having a garage is a worthy goal. I'm thinking of moving from MA to S. Maine, partly so I can afford a nice house with a 2, or even 3 (!) car garage. Of course, then it would start to look bare with only one car in it.......I suppose then I'd have to buy that used bmw 3-series convertible.....
Is like talking about seatbelts in the 60's. The media hadn't gotten that far yet. It's come in waves. Padded dashes, collapsible steering columns, seatbelts, head restraints, blah blah...
Once you get the "expensive, Euro-car bug", it's almost impossible to get rid of. Getting hooked on bmw's, or Porsches, or god-forbid land rovers......accords don't even register in your brain anymore, except as appliances. (Not saying that's right, or makes any sense.)
I still think selling the Denali for $27K or whatever makes sense--it's never gonna be worth more. Reading between the lines, it sounds like they both need to "downsize" with vehicles. What about--he gets an accord, she gets a pilot? 3 kids, 2 hugely expensive cars......it sounds like "something's gotta give".....
just my 2 cents
*The BIL drives a leased 530i and wouldn't be caught dead in something so proletarian as an Accord.*
I've driven em...And while I will admit they are nice cars, BMW, Benz, and even Porche don't impress me at the prices that they usually command. Especially at the rate they depreciate. After working in the car biz for most of the past decade, you learn that that "expensive Euro-car bug" ain't all it's cracked up to be. And even more validation can be had by hanging out in the forums. The C-class thread is the only thread I have ever seen where the regulars regulars warned newbies to avoid that model if they were used to Japanese reliability. Yikes!!!
If you'd read back a few months, there was a 2000 or so 540i Sport 6 speed that caught my eye. But not because it was a Bimmer. I wanted it because it was a 6 speed V8 for $16k. Heck, my LS400 wouldn't be in garage if it cost more than the $10k I paid for it 4 or 5 years ago. And I still would rather drive my new (to me) 1996 Civic EX.
Just because the SubZero is stainless and cost a few grand doesn't mean it's not still an appliance.
My theory on the depreciation rates is that the fully-optioned models are not as good a value as the stripped models, unless there's some sort of lease incentive. I think a BMW 330xi sedan that lists for over $50,000 with automatic, nav, sport and premium packages, laser guided cruise control, etc., will retain a smaller percentage of its value than a base 330xi.
The resale on either would still be quite impressive compared to a new Cadillac or Lincoln.
say what you want about our Civic or how boring it is but it averaged 37 MPG on the first 5.9 gallons of gas. For 10 years old and 127,000 miles it drives great. No squeaks or rattles, all electricals still work, and the engine is smooth.
As for the Maxima being sold OTD for $23,500. That is a good deal. Helped along by the Maxima's slow sales and the upcoming 2004 redesign. We had a dealer offer us a new 2001 SE 6-speed for $19,500 without haggling. We went there looking for a 2002 Altima 5-speed manual (of which they had none) so we pondered the Maxima for a minute. As Gee said before, we hated the idea of a rear axle. Bought a 2000 Civic Si instead. We do shop other brands but it seems like our money always ends up on the Honda. So far that has served us well.
I think I am getting to an age where I realize that BMW, MB, etc are more about image than return for the money. IMO, the Accord is an amazingly competent car for the price as is the 96 Civic we just picked up. The Accord is more substance than flash which suits me just fine.
I tend to agree with you actually. After having seen and sat in the current generation Accord and Civic, I'd have to say that I will be buying Honda the next time. Having never owned one and reading all the different forums thses last 5 years or so, Honda seems to be just what I am looking for in an automobile...reliability, great mileage, and fun. I must admit our Mazda 3s is a blast to drive though my Sentra is a nice appliance with just so so gas mileage. I want more for my daily driver, and I think the new Civic will fill that desire wonderfully. I just wish I had some justification to trade in the Sentra, but with only 27k miles in 3 years now and the dismal trade in value, I will probaly have to wait until '08 or '09 for my chance. My practical side is speaking now and with 3 kids in college almost, I need all the $ I've got...and then some...lol!
Finally got to the car show yesterday in Phila. Actually pulled a nice CCB move: I went twice! Didn't think I could make it today with the snow, so I went earlier yesterday by myself. Well, my sone wanted to go too, and his band practice finished early, so I ended up taking the train back home, getting him, and heading back into town for a return engagement.
ANyway, I was surprised by how little most of the cars excited me. Even some of the nice ones had some flaw that bothered me. That, and not many of th einteriors seemed as nice as my Accord when I got back into it!
Funny think is the cars that attracted me the most (although I couldn't get in any of them): The Dodge Caliber (that the right name for the Neo replacement), Ford Edge and Nissan Versa! Too bad there weren't all these wagonee choices when I was shopping.
The FIt was neat too, but it needs an armrest. Amazing room for something that size.
Woody: You're right about spending $1k on my Max to not be a gigantic expense, however... as someone who is certified CCB (prior to the Max, the longest I'd owned a new car was 2 yrs), it is a GREAT excuse to buy new.
However, I just love my Maxima. The odd thing is that unlike every other car I've owned, it still FEELS like a new car! No rattles, it cleans up very well, no problems with it at all. I'm not gentle with it, either - every corner is a thrill, and the way the car effortlessly gets up to, ah, VERY high speeds never gets old.
The lack of IRS on that car was mentioned in auto reviews, but let me tell you it's not something you notice when you're throwing the car around curves or being lifted off your seat by sheer acceleration. In fact, on the crappy Michigan roads I drive on, I don't feel the car is unduly harsh at all (and I have the SE/"sport" suspension!).
The problem I have with Hondas isn't something that I can really quantify. Something about the cars just feels "wrong" to me, stupid as that may sound. I just remember, 3 years ago, driving the V6 Accord and feeling "eh" about it. It had guts and was fun to drive, but didn't set me on fire. First stretch of road I took in the Maxima, though, I knew I was screwed. Got out of the car, and for the first time EVER I dropped my pants and said to the salesguy, "I want that car. Let's do a deal.". Lucky for me, as Anony pointed out, the '04s were like 2 weeks out and they REALLY wanted to sell me the '03. :P
As far as Civics go, I remember riding in a friend's 2 YO '98, and it was a punishing experience. The seats were park-bench hard, and every bump came crashing through to the interior. At the time, I had a '96 Jetta that felt like a Bentley by comparison (I wish that VW had the Honda's reliability though, lol).
An excellent point you two have is that the Nissan interiors do seem cheap to me now. I still feel my '03s interior is worlds better than the "new" style Maximas. I think they could also put a few more bucks into the G35's interior for what they're asking.
At the Detroit Auto Show they did announce that the '07 Max's interior is going to be completely overhauled, so we'll see. Despite that, and my luck/love with my car, I will probably go with an entirely new make and model. Variety is the elixir of life and all that.
I never posted my impressions from the Louisville auto show:
The Lexus IS250/IS350 that I saw had the front air dam misaligned. There's some sort of seam in the middle of it? It didn't look like it had been hit or anything. Other than that, those cars looked nice.
The new RAV4's trim around the spare tire looks weird. Other than that, a nice looking car. The third row would be useless, and none of the three on the floor had the optional third row.
The Ford Ranger needed an overhaul a long time ago. I'm not sure what the craze is over the Canyon being a "mid-size" truck, the only difference between it and the Sonoma seems to be a little more space in the interior, but the exterior length on the regular cab is about the same as the Sonoma was.
The Buick Lucerne has a really ugly steering wheel. All the GM products appear to use the same six-position tilt steering column, and few offer a telescoping wheel. The Impala had some exposed screwheads in the interior.
The Dodge Ram megacab is waaay too big. People are talking about the SUV being dead, but it was impossible to sit in the new Tahoe (there was only one there, but plenty of the old model) because there were too many people looking at it.
We do the same thing.....We have only missed one car show int he 11 years we've been together. We are admitted car junkies. That's why Anony created this room. To put it in perspective Anony went while she was 8.5 months pregnant. She had our son 2 weeks later. She's hard core. LOL. Kinda cool having her for a wife. Anyway....
We always come back loving our Accord. I like the idea of the Subaru Legacy's AWD but the engine sounds too coarse to me. I don't get where that opposed 4 smoothness comes into play. And I don't fit in an Impreza.
The Camry has a nice exterior and drivetrain but I don't like the interior a bit. I recognize the niceness of it, but I just don't like it. The Corolla is nice on the inside and outside, but has an axle, and I don't fit. At all.
Mitsubishi...Well it's a Mitsubishi. And they don't make higher end models with manual transmissions and sunroofs. In fact, that manual transmission/sunroof requirement knocks a lot of cars out of the running. Then you have to add a reliability factor and we alway end up with a Honda or Acura. Because even if you bring up the transmission issue, which doesn't really effect my stick-loving family, Honda took care of the situation like a company that values its customers should.
That being said though, if we needed another car right now, and they weren't willing to deal on the Civic, we'd probably just buy another used 04-05 Accord EX-L. Can't buy the 03 cause it didn't have XM and we agree the new tail lights are horrid. In fact we'd probably try to find one of the 4 they made with NAV and a 5 speed. There's really nothing else out there that hits every one of our hot-buttons.
It can get expensive to own bmw's. The only way I've been able to own 2 bmw's, 1 saab 9000 (a "real", pre-GM saab), & 1 Range Rover was to buy used ones. And almost literally "shop 'til I dropped" to find nices ones at a great price. So far, I don't feel liked I've been killed on depreciation. My current E39 5-series, has probably dropped 40-50% in value in 4 years (I paid $34K used). Not great, not horrendous. If I didn't like the car so much I'd be ticked about the depreciation on it probably.
If they still made an Accord wagon I might get real interested. And of course, you can buy 2 loaded Accords for the price of one new loaded 3-series, I think--that's a pretty sobering concept. If I needed to buy a brand new car in the next week or 2--for around $25K-- I'd probably be looking at Honda, or Subaru--altho Subarus seem to have gotten really pricey(?)
I may get to find that out firsthand. My car turned over 11,111 miles today (in seven months of ownership).
Dad is finally going to try to sell his Beetle TDI after he quits his job at the beginning of March. Not sure what to ask for it--can't find much by way of example searching eBay's completed auctions. It's a 2003 with 140,000 miles (figure it will have have 145,000 by the time he sells it). Looks like people pay crazy money for these things (TDIs), even with a zillion miles on them.
Car yesterday. Thought about calling the guy about it, but don't really have the extra $$$ to spend. Anyway, it was a 1993 Honda Accord LX wagon (rare), white/grey, auto, pwr stuff. Paint was in ok shape for its age, slightly oxidized, interior looked good. Car had 105k on it. Guy is asing $1600 for it. Darn thing would certainly get better mpg than my Titan (averaging about 14 mpg).
It sucks being a member of CCBA and being broke!!!
night I made it to the Philly auto show and finally got to sit in a Solstice. Same old story as the Miata, I didn't fit. Really cool though and I like it better than the Sky.
Of course the biggest crowd as around the Civic , gotta love the ne style.
Walking thru the Buick booth it seems obvious they are next on the GM chopping block. No one was there and who would pay $30k for a Buick. Maybe used in three years for $10k , but never new.
I thought i would like the Dodge Caliber , but it looked kind of the Aztek to me.
I agree with Stick, The Ford Edge will be a winner for Ford.
I hate to say it but I like the Hyundai Tucson, it was the bargain of the show. It starts at $18k and had a lot of room inside.
In the next few months (after the Titan is paid off) I'm going to have to buy an SUV that seats at least 7. I'm looking at the Suburban, Armada, and then throwing a curve in there with the Honda Pilot. I've driven the Suburban (it was ok), the Armada (loved it), but not the Pilot.
I want something that's going to hold its value so I don't lose anymore of my rearend like I did with the Titan. One thing I like about the Pilot is the gas mileage, right now my Titan is averaging 13 mpg, I need something better than that.
I've found that the third-row seat on most SUVs sucks for adults, no matter how big the SUV is. So even though the Pilot is considerably smaller than the Suburban and Armada, it might still be surprisingly roomy inside.
One thing you might want to do though, is test out the Pilot with a full load and see how it performs. A lot of vehicles with small-ish engines can be great performers with a light load, but then when you start loading them to the gills, performance can often suffer worse than a bigger, torquier engine with mediocre horsepower.
load up the Pilot and it will be fine powerwise. But the third row isn't much to talk about. Certainly if fuel economy and holding its value are two important attributes of what you buy, the Pilot is the best bet among that group. Not to mention, it would be the cheapest to buy wouldn't it?
But it is smaller than them on the inside. You have to decide how much you need the space, and how much space you need.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Comments
I guess I am just a bit upset because my '91 325 convertible deal fell thru. He sold it before I even had a chance to see it. It always seems I am a day late for the really good deals.
At least it saves me some explaining about what followed me home.
I am inclined to buy a new car but my spouse thinks otherwise. She wants me to drive this to the ground which may take another 5 years potentially (I am stickler for PM) and doesnt wanna hear about a new car... I reluctantly agreed since I am more fiscally responsible now and am kind of atoning for my past sins..
Now if only my wife was a bit more cooperative and my practical side of the brain along with responsibilites takes a back seat, I'd be salivating right now for a new car...
Its been too long and feels tortuous going thru dealership lots (even in freezing cold) knowing I wont be getting my fix for quite some time..
On the CCB topic, my boss is looking at getting a car (he currently uses the bus, but is now working different hours) and wants a small roadster for around 20K give or take a few grand. He's all over the map, from older Boxster to Miata to even DelSol. I am going to suggest S2000 and MR2 to him as well. His biggest concern is a hardtop.
Out of those choices the Miata will be the cheapest and have the most available. Hard tops are also easy to find. You may also want to add the Z3 to the mix.
I just threw the volvo out there because its what I have as my beater car. There are plenty of others out there.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
oh, i could always take closeups of the aforementioned model cars and claim them as daily drivers. After all, from what I'm told, isn't storytelling and fantasies what Myspace is all about?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I wonder if I actually have any pics of that '73 Vega??
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=195059576&dealer_id=810734&car_year- =1988&search_type=used&make=CHEV&distance=0&model=CHSPRINT&address=97403&certifi- ed=&advanced=&max_price=&bkms=1139592300786&min_price=&end_year=2001&start_year=- 1983&isp=y&lang=&cardist=1043
james
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=192194717&dealer_id=1071494&car_yea- r=1988&model=CHSPRINT&bkms=1139592300786&lang=&isp=y&start_year=1983&certified=&- search_type=used&distance=0&make=CHEV&min_price=&address=97403&advanced=&end_yea- r=2001&max_price=&cardist=1620
:P james
I realize NAV adds quite a bit, but for the amount of time that most people use NAV, you're better off with a $300 Garmin.
I checked out the new Civic at the auto show last week, and the interior has improved from years past, but it is still clearly an econobox. The Ford Fusion seemed like a much nicer car, and was similarly priced. I test drove one a month or two ago, and the interior and ride were very European. It reminded me strongly of the '96 Jetta I used to own. The Fusion's downfall in my eyes is that even with the V6, it doesn't have quite enough power.
That said, I'm beginning to lurk on Edmunds, which usually is the start of my new car buying process. My Max needs new tires and brakes, which on that car is a cool $1k expense.
I have a problem, though, in that unless my car has neck-snapping power, four doors, and near-lux interior, I'll tire of it quickly. At the time (02/2003), the Maxima was really the sweet spot in the $20-$30k price range; maybe it still is, I'm not sure. And, apologies to Anony/Gee, but I hate Accords. I favor Nissan over Honda because while they both make cars with fantastic engines and lots of power, Nissan's cars have an "X" factor that make them more interesting to me.
Plus, like you guys I want factory satellite radio, and Honda only offers XM, whereas Nissan lets you choose. I tried XM for 8 months in the Max, and went back to Sirius recently (primarily due to Sirius' better and more abundant rock channels).
I test drove Pontiac's Grand Prix GXP with the 5.3L V8, and that was a fun car to drive. The problem is that the interior still isn't quite there yet; when they rename the car the "G8" in a year or two and give it a new platform, it might be worth considering. GM is also XM-only, which is a black mark against them, although apparantly there is a box you can install that will allow you to hook up a Sirius tuner to a GM factory system.
If I didn't have a second child due this fall, I'd buy an Infiniti G35x, no question.
I have a friend I went to grad. music school with, then a few years later he became a lawyer. He used to have a great sense of humor, then he started making $15,000 a minute, married an MBA, bought a mansion in a fancy suburb, & has 2 of the most spoiled Yuppie Brats you've ever seen. He's turned into this humorless Stepford Yuppie, & is about as much fun as hanging out with John Ashcroft.
At least you have a bmw. If this guy had a 911, or a 60's Jag or something, I could understand it. But he just buys a new Accord every 10 years. What's the use of making or having tons of $$ if you don't own at least one incredible car?
Uh, just my own wacky take on things, as usual.....& of course my eyeballs turned into 2 bmw roundels many years ago.....
cheers, woody
I talked with my sister earlier this week. She's got her Yukon Denali ('03 with 20K) for sale at $35.5. She'll never see that price .. I think it's worth $27K at most.
She told me the Acura dealer would give her $30K in trade for in on a lease of an MDX. I told her she should just hang onto it.
She is trying to become a stay at home mommy .. right now, she does in-home child care and brings home $2K/month. She'd rather raise her 3 kids (ages 8, 5 and 2) rather than, as she says, "finance her husband's fancy lifestyle".
The BIL drives a leased 530i and wouldn't be caught dead in something so proletarian as an Accord. She's trying to get him to ditch the BMW for something less costly .. she's thinking Accord, Camry, etc. He's thinking 3-series or G35 (which he had before trading it in on the 530).
Guess they are going to agree to disagree. She's told him that as of 6/21, her income stops and they will have to adjust the lifestyle accordingly.
The Altima, 300ZX and the new Maxima interiors look too "hard" and/or relatively cheap. Same with the G35. So we wouldn't go there.
Mazda, Benz, Chrysler and Bimmer are Sirius only. My next new car will have to have XM radio. GM, Lexus and Toyota haven't figured out how to paint the XM antenna. So they are out.
I like XM because I feel it has a better dance station format. We have Sirius on our Dish Network system. Don't like it. I'd rather listen to XM on the PC.
The new Accord's rear end is ugly. And the TSX doesn't have enough over our current EX-L to warrant trading for one. Same with the TL. I'm sure it would be fun to have all that power under foot though but again, it doesn't seem to have enough over the Accord to go there. We had an RL for a couple days and again, it just felt like a fancy Accord.
Soooo...I bought my 1996 Civic to drive for a while. I don't have a car note. I just dropped my insurance bill. And it has a CD changer that goes just fine with my room full of CD's. I'll be alright until I can either get the new Civic on MY terms, or who knows, the new Accord might be something special.
If we have a second child, make my next Ody a Silver Touring with RES and NAV please.
Not to mention, they have a couple of 4-cylinder EX sticks too - one with leather and one without - the one without is that nice sort of dark bronze color. I wish Honda saw fit to build a V-6 manual shift Accord without leather. $27,5 is a bit steep when you know they would sticker one without leather at around $26K.
And is it just my imagination, or are they using the old Acura CL/TL rims from the last generation for that V-6 manual? The V-6 auto has different rims that I don't particularly care for.
Of course, I was trolling around for a look at a Civic EX manual, of which they only had one in black. I think there is some kind of universal conspiracy against me on the part of all the automakers, that when they build sedans with manual transmissions, they will make them black every time. Too bad. But the sticker was $18,8, which I think is reasonable once I can get $1000 or so off it. I still have to drive it and decide how much I hate the digital dash.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I kind of agree tho (& this may not be a popular opinion here), that I don't understand the "Honda-only obsession". I mean, I like Hondas, I respect Hondas, & I can see buying 1 or 2 for practical reasons. But they're so generic, IMO, that I can't see spending my life owning only Hondas.....they're all alike--it's not like owning diff. vintages of bmw's, or Porsches, or Vettes or whatever.....
*My Max needs new tires and brakes, which on that car is a cool $1k expense.*
(whatever the first year was) Honda CRX (1st generation)
1990 Honda CRX Si
1991 Honda Civic Si
He was very fond of all of them, but the 1990 CRX was his favorite.
As for me, yes, a lawyer... Probably not what most people think of as the lawyer career path, though. If everything goes according to plan (a big assumption), I may take over a solo practitioner's small-town practice when he retires. I can do without the McMansion and other accouterments, just want something with a garage!
More later...
As far as Civic prices: Yeah, I happen to "know of" a 91 Civic Si with 210k that sold for $1,740. A pretty easy flip; the kid that bought it was just drooling over it.
If I ever have another Honda, I'm reasonably sure I'll buy it new. The '97 Accord with 107k for just under $5 will probably sell, but I still think that's too much money...
I ran my '04 Vibe 5sp silver 25k through NADA; came back with a "trade-in value" of $11,600 and a "retail value" of $14 and change. Whoa, maybe I should try it on the street for $12,500 and see what gives; I paid $14 OTD for the silly thing in late '04 and if I could get $12 for it, I'd probably drive a Taurus for awhile.
Is it just me or have fuel-efficient cars really become that expensive???
Before it's all over, I think I'll have to do the right thing and buy another new GM... I honestly believe they'll go bankrupt before '07 is up... which is bad for MI, to say nothing of the rest of the US. I'd'a done my part already this year if only a fs pickup would fit in my garage... it's too painful to be a daily driver for me.
-Mathias
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
So basically I guess I'd be looking at $3-4K more for brand-new, versus an '03 with 41K miles. I guess the '03 caught my eye because of the pretty color and alloys. And that it's a Sierra, which I think looks WAY better than the Silverado. And also, it doesn't seem like the 8-foot bed, regular cab pickups show up often on used car lots around here.
Imagine how much my jaw dropped when I saw the $24K price tag! This, for a short cab, short bed pick-up. It didn't even have a bedliner, nor was it 4WD. It was apparently an SLE1, so it had a few niceties, and the alloys looked good, but boy. I wouldn't pay that much for it.
They had an '07 Yukon there on display, and while it looks decent, I don't really see what all the fuss is about the new looks of the GMT900 trucks.
They also had a monstrously huge banner draped across the front of the showroom telling the world there are $5500 rebates on the '06, or 0% financing for 72 months.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I've actually known some great lawyers, who seemed like great people. Have you seen "anatomy of a murder"? Jimmy Stewart plays the ultimate small-town solo practitioner lawyer, who plays jazz piano in his spare time.
Having a garage is a worthy goal. I'm thinking of moving from MA to S. Maine, partly so I can afford a nice house with a 2, or even 3 (!) car garage. Of course, then it would start to look bare with only one car in it.......I suppose then I'd have to buy that used bmw 3-series convertible.....
I still think selling the Denali for $27K or whatever makes sense--it's never gonna be worth more. Reading between the lines, it sounds like they both need to "downsize" with vehicles. What about--he gets an accord, she gets a pilot? 3 kids, 2 hugely expensive cars......it sounds like "something's gotta give".....
just my 2 cents
*The BIL drives a leased 530i and wouldn't be caught dead in something so proletarian as an Accord.*
If you'd read back a few months, there was a 2000 or so 540i Sport 6 speed that caught my eye. But not because it was a Bimmer. I wanted it because it was a 6 speed V8 for $16k. Heck, my LS400 wouldn't be in garage if it cost more than the $10k I paid for it 4 or 5 years ago. And I still would rather drive my new (to me) 1996 Civic EX.
Just because the SubZero is stainless and cost a few grand doesn't mean it's not still an appliance.
The resale on either would still be quite impressive compared to a new Cadillac or Lincoln.
As for the Maxima being sold OTD for $23,500. That is a good deal. Helped along by the Maxima's slow sales and the upcoming 2004 redesign. We had a dealer offer us a new 2001 SE 6-speed for $19,500 without haggling. We went there looking for a 2002 Altima 5-speed manual (of which they had none) so we pondered the Maxima for a minute. As Gee said before, we hated the idea of a rear axle. Bought a 2000 Civic Si instead. We do shop other brands but it seems like our money always ends up on the Honda. So far that has served us well.
I think I am getting to an age where I realize that BMW, MB, etc are more about image than return for the money. IMO, the Accord is an amazingly competent car for the price as is the 96 Civic we just picked up. The Accord is more substance than flash which suits me just fine.
I just wish I had some justification to trade in the Sentra, but with only 27k miles in 3 years now and the dismal trade in value, I will probaly have to wait until '08 or '09 for my chance. My practical side is speaking now and with 3 kids in college almost, I need all the $ I've got...and then some...lol!
The Sandman
ANyway, I was surprised by how little most of the cars excited me. Even some of the nice ones had some flaw that bothered me. That, and not many of th einteriors seemed as nice as my Accord when I got back into it!
Funny think is the cars that attracted me the most (although I couldn't get in any of them): The Dodge Caliber (that the right name for the Neo replacement), Ford Edge and Nissan Versa! Too bad there weren't all these wagonee choices when I was shopping.
The FIt was neat too, but it needs an armrest. Amazing room for something that size.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
However, I just love my Maxima. The odd thing is that unlike every other car I've owned, it still FEELS like a new car! No rattles, it cleans up very well, no problems with it at all. I'm not gentle with it, either - every corner is a thrill, and the way the car effortlessly gets up to, ah, VERY high speeds never gets old.
The lack of IRS on that car was mentioned in auto reviews, but let me tell you it's not something you notice when you're throwing the car around curves or being lifted off your seat by sheer acceleration. In fact, on the crappy Michigan roads I drive on, I don't feel the car is unduly harsh at all (and I have the SE/"sport" suspension!).
The problem I have with Hondas isn't something that I can really quantify. Something about the cars just feels "wrong" to me, stupid as that may sound. I just remember, 3 years ago, driving the V6 Accord and feeling "eh" about it. It had guts and was fun to drive, but didn't set me on fire. First stretch of road I took in the Maxima, though, I knew I was screwed. Got out of the car, and for the first time EVER I dropped my pants and said to the salesguy, "I want that car. Let's do a deal.". Lucky for me, as Anony pointed out, the '04s were like 2 weeks out and they REALLY wanted to sell me the '03. :P
As far as Civics go, I remember riding in a friend's 2 YO '98, and it was a punishing experience. The seats were park-bench hard, and every bump came crashing through to the interior. At the time, I had a '96 Jetta that felt like a Bentley by comparison (I wish that VW had the Honda's reliability though, lol).
An excellent point you two have is that the Nissan interiors do seem cheap to me now. I still feel my '03s interior is worlds better than the "new" style Maximas. I think they could also put a few more bucks into the G35's interior for what they're asking.
At the Detroit Auto Show they did announce that the '07 Max's interior is going to be completely overhauled, so we'll see. Despite that, and my luck/love with my car, I will probably go with an entirely new make and model. Variety is the elixir of life and all that.
The Lexus IS250/IS350 that I saw had the front air dam misaligned. There's some sort of seam in the middle of it? It didn't look like it had been hit or anything. Other than that, those cars looked nice.
The new RAV4's trim around the spare tire looks weird. Other than that, a nice looking car. The third row would be useless, and none of the three on the floor had the optional third row.
The Ford Ranger needed an overhaul a long time ago. I'm not sure what the craze is over the Canyon being a "mid-size" truck, the only difference between it and the Sonoma seems to be a little more space in the interior, but the exterior length on the regular cab is about the same as the Sonoma was.
The Buick Lucerne has a really ugly steering wheel. All the GM products appear to use the same six-position tilt steering column, and few offer a telescoping wheel. The Impala had some exposed screwheads in the interior.
The Dodge Ram megacab is waaay too big. People are talking about the SUV being dead, but it was impossible to sit in the new Tahoe (there was only one there, but plenty of the old model) because there were too many people looking at it.
We always come back loving our Accord. I like the idea of the Subaru Legacy's AWD but the engine sounds too coarse to me. I don't get where that opposed 4 smoothness comes into play. And I don't fit in an Impreza.
The Camry has a nice exterior and drivetrain but I don't like the interior a bit. I recognize the niceness of it, but I just don't like it. The Corolla is nice on the inside and outside, but has an axle, and I don't fit. At all.
Mitsubishi...Well it's a Mitsubishi. And they don't make higher end models with manual transmissions and sunroofs. In fact, that manual transmission/sunroof requirement knocks a lot of cars out of the running. Then you have to add a reliability factor and we alway end up with a Honda or Acura. Because even if you bring up the transmission issue, which doesn't really effect my stick-loving family, Honda took care of the situation like a company that values its customers should.
That being said though, if we needed another car right now, and they weren't willing to deal on the Civic, we'd probably just buy another used 04-05 Accord EX-L. Can't buy the 03 cause it didn't have XM and we agree the new tail lights are horrid. In fact we'd probably try to find one of the 4 they made with NAV and a 5 speed. There's really nothing else out there that hits every one of our hot-buttons.
If they still made an Accord wagon I might get real interested. And of course, you can buy 2 loaded Accords for the price of one new loaded 3-series, I think--that's a pretty sobering concept. If I needed to buy a brand new car in the next week or 2--for around $25K-- I'd probably be looking at Honda, or Subaru--altho Subarus seem to have gotten really pricey(?)
I may get to find that out firsthand. My car turned over 11,111 miles today (in seven months of ownership).
Dad is finally going to try to sell his Beetle TDI after he quits his job at the beginning of March. Not sure what to ask for it--can't find much by way of example searching eBay's completed auctions. It's a 2003 with 140,000 miles (figure it will have have 145,000 by the time he sells it). Looks like people pay crazy money for these things (TDIs), even with a zillion miles on them.
It sucks being a member of CCBA and being broke!!!
Of course the biggest crowd as around the Civic , gotta love the ne style.
Walking thru the Buick booth it seems obvious they are next on the GM chopping block. No one was there and who would pay $30k for a Buick. Maybe used in three years for $10k , but never new.
I thought i would like the Dodge Caliber , but it looked kind of the Aztek to me.
I agree with Stick, The Ford Edge will be a winner for Ford.
I hate to say it but I like the Hyundai Tucson, it was the bargain of the show. It starts at $18k and had a lot of room inside.
I want something that's going to hold its value so I don't lose anymore of my rearend like I did with the Titan. One thing I like about the Pilot is the gas mileage, right now my Titan is averaging 13 mpg, I need something better than that.
So, opinions??
One thing you might want to do though, is test out the Pilot with a full load and see how it performs. A lot of vehicles with small-ish engines can be great performers with a light load, but then when you start loading them to the gills, performance can often suffer worse than a bigger, torquier engine with mediocre horsepower.
But it is smaller than them on the inside. You have to decide how much you need the space, and how much space you need.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)