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You'd have HP that was tops in 06 and is still competitive today and you'd have the "Lexus" reliability...if you subscribe to that sort of thing...
With that in mind, I think I would probably stay away from the lux brands. Even though Acuras, Lexus, etc are known for their reliability, they do break. And, they do cost more than their more plebeian Honda and Toyota counter parts.
Don't discount Ford or GM either. You would be able to pick up a new Focus or Cruze for that amount with warranty, and probably better performance than older lux cars.
You could probably pick up a nice, 2-3 year old Camry or Accord for that money, and be relatively assured you'd get a lot of trouble free miles out of them.
Audi, BMW, etc, while good cars, are not economical to maintain, even if nothing major does go wrong with them. Unless you can do it yourself, even routine maintenance items will be expensive.
In short, set your sights lower, until you get more established into a higher tax bracket.
Good luck!
2018 430i Gran Coupe
I also endorse the G35. Or you could get a Maxima.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
No, they don't. They allow you to think you are getting a better car for less money, just because you are paying less per month. Long term lease can be very, very expensive, if you don't know how to lease. "Low payment" lease is great to park the car and look at it - just not drive it. Yeah - then it is "cheaper". But when you actually need to get anywhere with your car, the "cheap" lease bites.
I'm with the nurse of this - leases are NOT for "beginners". You need to educate yourself before you go there, otherwise they'll skin you alive. You need to know exactly how many miles you need, what depreciation, residual, money factor are, how to calculate lease, what are traps, why big downpayment is a bad idea, etc. And boy, at less than 50 grand a year you have no business even coming to a new car lot at lux brand dealership. I know it's harsh, but that's the reality. Our country is in its current trouble exactly because people think they could get a half milion house on 50 grand. Same applies to cars. You get it when you can afford it, not sooner.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
The point is this may be an option - you need to educate for sure before doing it - just like when you buy a car you should - or sailing a boat.
Pretty sure you and nurse - are one and the same when it comes to hateing leasing , which is fine but it is an option for some. No money or little down, smaller payment, works for some. Look at all those 3 series rolling around - you think most are paying cash, financing or leasing those puppies. I'm sure a good % of those people don't make this big bux like you and nurse.
I don't hate leases, not at all. I think their fine for people who know what they're doing. In fact, for some brands and models, lease is better than buying as long as you get the right mileage. Manufacturers sometimes subsidize leases more than they do purchases (by e.g. inflating residuals and/or use money factors below market rates), which makes them more attractive, even with larger fees (e.g. $800 acquisition fee translates to over half percentage point in a loan). In a sense, when you get inflated residual on a lease, you buy then a smaller portion of a vehicle than you should (the rest is picked up the manufacturer). If market residual value is 42%, but the lease says it is 52%, then you get discount eual to 10% of MSRP, even before you negotiate the price (usually it is not as drastic). The fees (acquisition and disposal) will take some of that back, but if money factor is also low then it could be a winner.
My issue is that a lot of people don't understand all aspects of leasing, don't understand true costs of leasing that goes beyond monthly payment, but do it anyway and then get burned. Just because something is less per month, doens't mean it's cheaper.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
Then drive to your friend's house, show it to them, then go to the park, snap a few pictures in a nice scenery, then you park it in your garage and take a bus to work.
I rest my case.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
A lease is not good for someone young because 1) the mileage restriction on leases (however you can negotiate increase mileage into lease payments.) 2) leasing its for everybody.
Again your sisters story, while long, is a great example of a lease that worked for the user- and I was pointing out to the new poster this might be a way to go. It's a situational thing, some people cant afford to buy a new car every 3 years but can afford to lease those same cars.
Leasing is more expensive in the long run absolutely. Some lease for business purposes. I can tell you 1st hand that my accountant said it is easier to "write off" a monthly lease payment than it is to depreciate the value of a vehicle on a yearly basis.
Pretty much all of the ELLPS leases I see advertised in the paper are for 10K per year. There's even a Mercedes Dealer that if you read the fine print gives a whopping 7500 miles per year. A lot of people do take these 10K per year leases & go over, but there are people who like to lease a nice new car every 3 years to drive back & forth to the train station.
Kyfdx once perfectly said "leasing should be looked at as an alternate way of financing.". So true. If you can afford to pay cash or the 60 month car payment on whatever ELLPS you like, but an inflated residual or super cheap money factor that makes your payment a lot less expensive and you can live within the mileage limitations, than go for it.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
BTW, Audi has a great lease on a A8, $8500 down and payment of $1199/m I didn't catch the mileage restriction, figured you like to know that.
I have a 25K budget and wants a used SLK55. For that budget, what I can find are high mileage non-CPOs (70K+ miles) but fuly loaded, of course, as most SLK55s are. I am about to pull the trigger on an '05 model. Clean, drives perfect, but from a private seller, so need an MB mech check out before I sign.
What should I worry about this car? Always wanted one and now very excited to have found one at my price and hoping it is "the one"....
The cost of maintenance.
I hope you have deep pockets and a good mechanic...
Let us kniw if it works out, along with the deal details.
Good luck!
1) The steering is lighter but also feels oddly disconnected on the new car -- it has lost that firm directness I like on the E90.
2) The N20 four banger is powerful but has some lag. Not as sweet as the less powerful unboosted six.
3) The sports seats in my car can seem like instruments of torture at times. The new ones are no better -- two pointy things jutting into my kidneys. Why can't BMW get this right? VW does in the GTI.
4) Although the base pricing is not much more higher than the E90, getting the options I want means buying a lot of superfluous stuff that I don't (for instance a $3,600 package to get HID headlights), so the car ends up being a lot more expensive.
I drove a Camaro SS manual with Hurst shifter and FE4 suspension and a Subaru WRX on the same day as the F30. Both, in their respective ways, were much more fun to drive -- the WRX was a thrill to toss around and had real character. I'm afraid that BMW might be losing the plot for the sake of the see-and-be-seen audience in the US and anticipated sales volume in China.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Whatever its faults, I've owned the 325i far longer than any other car I've had. It's a beautifully built car, and really still looks close to new. It feels as though it were made to be driven fast safely, which it was. I like the original E90 better than its mid-cycle refresh, which seemed to complicate and compromise the lines a bit. Its predecessors were an Acura TL and a GTI. I started to dislike the TL almost as soon as I had it -- good engine, but clearly not engineered by people who really understood handling and feel. Horrible clutch and steering. I liked the Brazilian built GTI to drive, but it just fell apart piece by piece (transmission, trim, you name it) -- perceived rather than real quality.
Most people are surprised how sporty it looks. Deep see blue, just like the one on the photo (or is that one Le Mans blue, which is available only on M-packs?). I smile every time open the door and sit inside...
2018 430i Gran Coupe
2018 430i Gran Coupe
If you drive the F30 328i M Sport & love it, you'd consider trading in your way cool M Sport Equipped '11 328i (6 Speed Stick) already?
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
To each his own. I find BMW clutches to be pretty mediocre and Acura clutches to be among the best.
Regarding the handling, there too, I have found the Acura comparble to the 2009 Audi I had right before I got the 2012 TL SH-AWD Advance.
I just wish the thing had Audi seats in it.
Nope, no trade in for me, we stopped by to talk to the sales guy about the535i or 550i, for 2012 the 550i now gets the 4.4l twin turbo that is in the M5. We drove both cars back to back and my partner really liked the 550i over the 535 you can't get a manual in the 535 but you can get one in 550i he likes that. So just hashing out details.
Add in lower profile tires than it should be fitted with, plus unidirectional tires that fight each other (each side's tread wants to move the tire outwards) and it's a pretty miserable highway cruiser as well (note GM and Toyota have had this issue - the "fix" is to switch to non-directional tires)
It's a fancy Avalon. No surprise that it sucked as a makeshift sport sedan.
I'd bet that a lot of thought has gone into the pricing structure in order to maximize the numbers and simplify the production process. Still, in a world where HIDs are now standard on a 2013 Mustang V6.....
Speaking of E90s, I think the best auto model to drive, by far, was the 335d. I once drove the 335i and 335d back to back. The diesel packed the wallop of a torquey American V8. The 335i lacked low end grunt and felt fussy be comparison -- I never drove the manual version but I'm sure that it would be much better.
You need a definite zone of travel where it is engaged and a zone of travel where it is not engaged, but between those you want a zone of clean linear progression for smooth uptake.
Regarding the tires, I think it had Turanzas which distorted when parked overnight in the cold and then rumbled away in the morning. The TL seemed cobbled together by some design studio in California based on what focus groups told them constituted a driver's car. And it came close in many areas. I wish the BMW was half as comfortable. Great Honda V6 too.
The 550 was a flat out monster. Easily one of the fastest cars I've ever driven. "Engage the hyper drive chewy." On the same stretch of highway (Garden State Pakway in NJ right near the NY border), I hit 120 before I backed off. It was awesome.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD