Help picking next car?

tjbarnes74

I have a decided to buy a new(ish) vehicle in about 6 months. I am looking into buying a 4-6 year old luxury car. I found out on the Almighty Google machine that luxury cars become very affordable when a new body style comes out. My top 3 I am looking at are Hyundai Genesis Infiniti G37 Lincoln MKZ I will most likely be getting a 2011/12 model. My question is which car will be the most affordable after the point of purchase. In terms of basic maintenance (like oil changes, tires, breaks etc.), which will last the longer without serious issues, and which has the most affordable repair costs?

abacomike

tjbarnes74 said:

I have a decided to buy a new(ish) vehicle in about 6 months. I am looking into buying a 4-6 year old luxury car. I found out on the Almighty Google machine that luxury cars become very affordable when a new body style comes out. My top 3 I am looking at are Hyundai Genesis Infiniti G37 Lincoln MKZ I will most likely be getting a 2011/12 model. My question is which car will be the most affordable after the point of purchase. In terms of basic maintenance (like oil changes, tires, breaks etc.), which will last the longer without serious issues, and which has the most affordable repair costs?

Congrats on the move into the luxury market for pre-owned cars.  First, the cost of maintenance is usually dependent on the type of driving you do and the number of miles driven per year.  The 3 models you selected are as different in terms of mechanical, engine, performance, handling and engineering, not to mention manufacturer, as you could possibly have chosen.

You selected a Korean make, a Japanese make and an American make.  The Hyundai Genesis comes with a 10-year engine and drivetrain warranty (I believe there is a small deductible after the bumper-to-bumper warranty ends).  In the long-run, that could have some big savings when it comes to engine and transmission repairs.  The Genesis has improved significantly over the years and a pre-owned sedan in a 6-cylinder model can be quite reasonable, price-wise.  

Next you you selected an Infiniti G37 made by Nissan.  They come with a 4-year 50,000 mile manufacturer's warranty.  Their engines are known for power and performance, however not for great fuel economy.  They are well-built and are usually longer-lasting than the average sedan.  Body fit and interior technology are outstanding.  infiniti's tend to be a bit more expensive to maintain than the other two models you selected.

Finally, you chose a Lincoln MKZ, manufactured by Ford.  In the past 3-4 years, they've received some excellent JD Power awards for quality.  The warranty is 4-years 50,000 miles and are not expensive to maintain - no more than a Ford Fusion (MKZ is built on the Fusion platform).

The Infiniti will probably cost several thousand dollars more to purchase than the other two models.

I would recommend purchasing a CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) car.  They are usually warranted by the manufacturer for 6 years and up to 100,000 total miles.  Definitely worth the extra $1000-$2000 initial cost.  I also recommend negotiating for a 3-year maintenance plan with your purchase so that your maintenance costs will be fixed.

Now, for my recommendation:  

The Infiniti G37 CPO would be my first choice for all the reasons you mentioned in your post.  Check out certified Infiniti dealerships for a deal on a lower mileage G37.

Whatever you decide, good luck with you luxury vehicle.

tjbarnes74

Thanks for the reply, and I did pick 3 very different models. My main goal when doing independent research was to find luxury cars with all the bells and whistles, that had good reputations, and could be snagged for a lower price. (That's why I didn't include a CTS or C-class).  As much of a rookie mistake as it is, I never considered the warranties still being in affect. I have only ever owned one vehicle and thats old red (my 03 f150, 210,000 miles and still rolling) so warranties were the last thing I had on my mind so thank you for doing some extra research for me.

corvette

abacomike, good advice, but I'm not sure the Hyundai powetrain warranty transfers beyond the original owner.

The Infiniti will probably be the least expensive to maintain. The Lincoln is basically a Ford underneath, which could work in your favor. I'm not sure about the Hyundai. Any of those choices should be straightforward enough to work on that most mechanics can handle maintenance/repairs.

I don't know what part of the country you're in, but we get some snow here, and I'm very partial to all wheel drive.

Mr_Shiftright

Corvette is correct on that part---the Hyundai powertrain warranty does not transfer.

andres3

I think the Infiniti is a great all-around solid choice. They really haven't changed much in 10 years.

stever

Per Hyundai, "Second and/or subsequent owners have powertrain components coverage under the 5-Year/60,000-Mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty."

stickguy

I vote infiniti too.

not sure what your price range is, but you can get a pretty good one (age/miles) in the 20K range.

and as Corvette noted, Hyundai you get the 5/50 transferred, but the last 5 years are original owner only.

tjbarnes74

I'm trying to snag something up at around 17. I have a little wiggle room with it but I don't want to go over 20.

My biggest concern for the infiniti is the year models I'm looking at don't have wood grain, and I'm a sicker for wood grain lol

Mr_Shiftright

I bet you could find an aftermarket wood grain kit somewhere.

carnaught

As pointed out, Infiniti is good on reliability, fair-poor on gas mileage, and poor on intrusive and tiring interior engine noise. The latter is nice at first, then is irritating the longer you drive it.

qbrozen

Out of the 3, I would personally rule out the MKZ due to its FWD and nose-heavy configuration. Not a fun car to drive like the other 2 can be.

I'm not terribly clear on why you ruled out the CTS. Looking at 2012 models with ~50k miles, a CTS would run about $17.5k-$18k retail vs about $20k for a similar G37 sedan.