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Good luck.
I'm willing to get one with an auto if I can find the right price. I haven't found the first manual WITH the PEP, which I'd actually prefer and be willing to spend more for.
Yet I hear so many people bemoan anything used as if it's rubbish with 50 lbs of C4 under the hood ready to blow at any time. Even if it's a year or two old. Trust me on this. A couple of year old car won't suddenly explode or have the doors fall off. This isn't 1930, after all.
Saving $10K over a new car is huge.Even saving $5K pays for a lifetime of repairs on anything from Japan. And since we're talking about Hyundai here, a couple of year old Hyundai sells for a large amount less than it did new.
Lately, I've also found myself increasingly dissatisfied with the way sedan trunks are designed. Either the openings are too small or too oddly shaped or the rear seat pass-through isn't shaped right for the long items I find myself buying from time to time. That, plus doing more DIY around the house influenced me towards an SUV.
Anyway, I like reading about your decision making process. You include your needs and manage to find choices that satisfy your passions at the same time.
Don't know how reliable the prices are, but I plugged in a zip code for Birmingham, AL at http://cars.overstock.com and came up with some excellent prices for your area. They showed a 2010 GLS manual, no options for $14836 and a GLS auto with PEP for $16574. It is worth a look.
But back to the Regal:
First let me say that the car looks excellent in person. I went to Detroit's autoshow earlier this year in January (I went on the day the Audi Display caught on fire and we had to be evacuated.) but I never posted anything about it. Base 2.4 models come standard with 18 inch alloy wheels which have a nice design, the car is basically the same as an Insignia exterior-wise no real changes. It's round, contoured and nicely sculpted and easily the best looking car in this class. The new Sonata is the only car that comes close IMO.
Inside, the interior has a great design, you open the doors and the gauges light up immediately, which I think is pretty common in a lot of new cars. The interior materials are very VW-like, and they should be considering the Regal is an Insignia. The upper dashboard has some spongy/rubbery materials with nicely grained texture and a soft touch feel. The lower portion of the dash has more hard plastic materials but they have a substantial feel to them. Every car in this class is pretty much that way these days. Buttons have a tactile feel to them, though I felt the "Ebony" interior was a bit stark and too dark IMO and the trim pieces are two different types of silver. Door handles have a Chrome look as does the automatic shift surround, while the door handle pulls, steering wheel and shift knob have a silver plastic trim that looks nice but I question the durability over time. I'm sure I'd like the "Cashmere" interior with its wood trim better.
The leather seats seemed of really good quality to me, though I'll be the first to admit, I'm no leather expert. The seats seemed really firm and supportive, very Germanic in feel. I also noticed that the power seat had an unusually long track. I'm only about 5 feet 9 but I was able to push the seat back so far that my feet couldn't reach the pedals. I hopped in the backseat and sure enough the leg room was so cramped that I could barely pull my feet from behind the seat to get out! I got back into the driver's seat and adjusted the seat to a comfortable driving position then hopped back into the back seat again and I noticed the regal had just average rear seat legroom. Adequate for an average height person sitting behind an average height driver. I think if I ever bought a Regal and my younger, much taller brother decided to drive it I'd make sure I didn't ride in the seat behind him...only my niece or nephew could LOL. I also noticed that the Regal doesn't offer memory seats, which sort of surprises me, considering the Regal is aimed at a slightly higher market than the CamcordTimaNata. I'll post pics of the Regal up later if I get a chance. Hope folks in the Atlanta area get to check out the show and check out all the new cars.
I know some people were concerned with the road noise on the new Sonata so I decided to upload a quick video from my digital camera. IMO it's a pretty quiet and smooth ride, even in my SE, but let me know if other people have had a few complaints. At least this is pretty close to realistic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPYthDsKgHo
Well put, man. I have a love for the Suzuki Kizashi but also love our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS, too. I honestly don't know if I'll be dealing for anything new right now. I may just stay put.
I appreciate your input on SUV's. There is one from Mitsubishi coming up that is a hybrid called the PX-MiEV. Looks really interesting and one I would consider, too.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Thank you for the tip!
I found a GLS PEP auto in Columbus, GA for $15,874. I'm using that to negotiate with a different dealer along the gulf coast. Their manager has called me and is going to see what they can do as far as matching that price.
Whether or not this particular deal goes through, I appreciate it nonetheless. Now I just have to get my Accord(s) sold!
Know anybody who wants my '06 EX with 58k for $13,500?
Didn't we just go through all this only about uh, 4 years ago?
Man, I just want to warn you about stick shift. If you do a lot of city driving, you will soon regret it. I once bought a Jetta stick, and loved it for a while, but tired of the constant shifting. I traded it in on an automatic after a year or so, lost a lot of $$$.
You would like a decked out '10 Sonata LTD, and they're dirt cheap.
You would like a '11 SE with the 6 speed paddle shifter. A little more money, but still a lot of car for the money. 35mpg doesn't hurt either. If gas goes up to $6 a gallon (as it will in time), you would feel lucky for buying it.
I've never dealt in such a broad area; Pensacola, FL; Columbus, GA; and B'ham area dealers are all working for my business. We'll find out who, if anyone, gets it very soon.
I guess I don't understand why its better than what you have now. So you have a 3-4 year old car, already taken the depreciation hit, it appears to be reliable, requires less maintenance, is likely less expensive to register and or insure, and is actually slightly less bland than what you are looking at for a replacement.
Dump the '96 and get a few grand for it, pay down some debt, go on a vacation, buy a full suspension mtn bike, etc, but that seems like a lot of churn/$$ for a lateral upgrade.
Having a manual never bothered me in the California bay area or LA. I don't doubt that it drives some people nuts, I just always enjoy shifting.
You would like a '11 SE with the 6 speed paddle shifter.
Eh, paddle shifters are a total joke so middle aged or older men can show off to other middle aged men while they pretend to shift. I think its worth about $0.35 extra to me, right after those paper mats they put on the floor.
van
Well damn, had I known about this last month before I decided on a Flex, I would have gone for an AWD Veracruz to replace the FWD Veracruz. Really that is the only reason I got a Flex. (of course having Ecoboost just friggin ROCKS!)
Accords are soft right now, in my neck of the woods anyway. I have a 2006 Accord EX Coupe 37,000 miles and I cannot get anyone to buy it for $12,995. Not even ONE looker!! The car is mint!! Ugh!
Paddle shifters perform exactly the same function as a stick shift, and both are worthless to me. However, they may be a good alternative to someone who likes a stick shift but drinks coffee on the way to work.
Not exactly. Paddle shifters only allow you to shift sequentially through the gears (you can't shift from 2-4 or 3-5 e.g.). You don't use them like a stick shift either - you only use them when you want to hold a gear (prevent auto-shifts) or force a shift (downshifting to pass) or you can just use them for fun, but you don't normally use them to shift for normal driving - that's what the auto mode is for.
I think most middle age or older drivers are more mature minded than you think and are way past that showoff stage. Driving a stick is nothing special. I think there are large numbers of people out there that can drive a manual just fine but actually prefer an automatic for assorted reasons.
About the only middle age people that I see routinely showing off are those that drive 4 wheel drive p/u trucks all jacked up, fog lights that are used 365 days a year and a decal of a little cartoon character p**ing on the competitor brand in the back window. Those are the real special ones.
Occasionally I find myself on a curvy isolated road, and use my Shiftronic just for giggles and grins. It's not a lot of fun, but fun nonetheless.
Who said you have to use them to "shift through the gears"? I used mine just to hold a lower gear while going through twisty roads so you could blast out of the corner. Or to force it to stay in 5th gear to avoid a downshift. I hardly ever started out in manual mode and shifted all the way through the gears. That's why I said it wasn't a substitute for a manual at all. It's just an automatic with more precise control. Like the old PRND321 but with more selections and no automatic upshifts.
As to paddle shifters, they came on my car. I wouldn't pay extra for them as an option. I have used them a few times. First was just to get familiar. After that, I've used them to move to a lower gear in advance of passing. Beyond that, I let the AT do it's thing. I figure the engineers are smarter than I when it comes to the ideal gear at any given speed.
As to the pickup thing, well, I better not go there. One simply wonders if they're compensating.
And get a load a this. Now I'm driving with my wife up to Elko, NV, for a job interview on Monday. That is an isolated mining town in NE Nevada that has a need for a Certified Respiratory Therapist. And things in little 'ole Willcox, AZ, at the hospital there are staying the same. Too much so for the both of us. My wife worked in Willcox at the same hospital I do. She already quit so she needs a new job, too. I still have my job but will turn in my resignation next workweek. I'm waiting to get my new job first.
My wife may be interviewing or at least talking to someone about a job in a nursing home's kitchen there in Elko. So our lives are gonna be a' changin' real quickly here.
The point I am heading to here is that Elko is a snowy, cold place that has long winters. I will take the '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS up there with us but I don't know for how long. It will give me a chance to see how the car does in the snow and ice, that is for sure.
We'll be going over Hoover Dam and of course, I'm gonna take the wife to Lost Wages on the way up to Elko. Duh!
And, ta keep it 2.0 Midsize here, I still can't get one of these Japanese midsize sedans in 2.4L 185hp 6-speed GTS form out of my mind. Humm.
2010 Suzuki Kizashi
One of the reviewers on Edmunds of the new Suzuki Kizashi says the midsize sedan handles the snow well. So there's my excuse to get a new 2010 Suzuki Kizashi, right? Right.
That is the one I want, right there. Same color, Platinum Silver Metallic. And the one pictured here is the GTS, I can tell because it has the painted alloys the GTS gets. Cool. Icy cool.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
This new plug-in hybrid from Mitsubishi called the PX-MiEV might fit the bill better in snowy Elko, NV. This SUV has AWD.
The PX-MiEV has come equipped with with its S-AWC all-wheel-drive system (a similar setup is in the Lancer Evolution), but uses two electric motors -- one at each axle -- for power. The PX-MiEV has an approximately 30-mile range in EV mode, but a 1.6-liter I-4 can serve as a generator for longer trips. If those journeys also require higher speeds or passing maneuvers, the four-banger can directly power the front wheels -- something that can't be said for the Chevrolet Volt.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Average of 28 inches of snow per year and average high of 37 in Jan...that's neither snowy, nor cold. :P
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elko,_Nevada#Geography_and_climate
Today the forecast is 50 degrees for a high and it is currently 16 degrees. That is cold, bro.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
1. That's because the Volt is an EV, not a hybrid. EREV, actually: Electric Range-Extended Vehicle. It only carries a gas engine to keep the battery going after it's 40 mile all-electric range.
2. The Volt survived the Pikes Peak challenge so I doubt there are any situations that would have a need to supplement the electric motor with the ICE.
Are you as interested in this Mitsubishi PX-MiEV as I am? This one would do us right in Elko, NV. I am shortly going to find out how our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS does over there in the Great Nevada Basin area.
But the PX-MiEV is a big, modern looking SUV that looks really well-designed. I am really interested in the "green" attributes of this larger-than-Outlander new SUV from Mitsubishi.
Enough on the PX-MiEV, this is a Midsize Sedans 2.0 thread.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick