Any Questions for a Car Dealer?

stickguy · January 2005

if long distance highway comfort is a concern, consider a Volvo. You can do pretty good on a used one, and they can't be beat (to me) for comfort if you spend all day in the saddle.

Not sure what a '02 or '03 S60 would go for, but should be well under you budget, plus get good mileage (on a 21 gal tank no less, yo umight never have to stop).

mseenviro · January 2005

Yeah that is what I was afraid of. Click and Clack said the same thing on their website. Dang I like the way they drive, but I don't need a future of high priced repairs. My Explorer has done enough of that for me!

Any others I should be considering? Acura maybe?

mirth · January 2005

A used Acura TL-S would also be a nice choice, but you could probably get a Maxima for a few thousand less...

kyfdx · January 2005

Ditto the TL-S... You could probably get a nice '03 for around $22K. 260 hp with decent highway mileage and Honda reliability... Sportier than an Avalon, as well...

dbauer · January 2005

heck...you can get a nicely loaded maxima for a bit under $30k brand new!

the 500 is a pretty sweet car for the money, though.

mseenviro · January 2005

Yeah the 500 looks interesting. But after my experience with my 2002 Explorer (12 visits to the Ford dealer on various issues beyond scheduled maintanence) I just can't pull the Ford trigger again. I need the reliability of Toyota, Nissan, Volvo, Acura, etc.

mseenviro · January 2005

Yep, I'm putting the Acura and Volvo into the mix. Both of them look pretty good.

dbauer · January 2005

i understand the 1st year jitters, beleive me. the Ltd model comes with a CVT and optional AWD. CVTs are notorious for bulletproof reliability...same model that audi uses.

driftracer · January 2005

How on EARTH would you ever consider putting "bulletproof reliability" and "audi" in the same sentence?

dbauer · January 2005

for that specific component, they have been. CVTs have a FAR lower ratio of failures than any conventional automatic...even audi.

the cvt that ford uses is an upgraded version of the one audi uses.

mseenviro · January 2005

I'm going to have to plead ingorance here. What is a CVT? You guys lost me on the last few replys.

robr2 · January 2005

CVT - continuous variable transmission.

It uses a belt or a chain and has an infinite number of gear ratios as the pulleys vary in diameter to meet driver demands.

dbauer · January 2005

its used in several audi models, honda insight, civic, and accord hybrids, toyota prius, nissan murano, and ford 500 and freestyle.

driftracer · January 2005

and "bulletproof", it was "Audi" and "bulletproof" that was laughing at...

rroyce10 · February 2005

......... **My budget will be up to $30K, before my trade** ..

    Vehicles to ponder:

04 Infiniti I30

03 Acura TL's, maybe 04's

03/04 Avalons XLS

03 Deville DTS

04 325/330i

04 Lincoln LS V8's

04 Lexus ES330

03 Acura RL's

04, maybe 05 Caddy CTS



                     This should at least get you started ...

                               Terry.

mseenviro · February 2005

Thanks Terry. I knew you would have some good ideas.

Kirstie_H · February 2005

04 Infiniti I30

Highly recommended. Last I looked, these things take a big plunge in price after the first year or so, but what a great car!

wlbrown9 · February 2005

I live in Tennessee and I think we are taxed after rebates and trade-in are deducted.

My mother lives in Arkansas. She bought a Buick in December. When she paid tax, they did NOT deduct the rebate. She went back up to the courthouse and talked to them about it. They said that Arkansas does collect sales tax without deducting the rebate. The value of the trade and discounts are deducted.

I guess some states are trying to maximize tax revenue :-)

Bill

fredvh · February 2005

Also consider the Toyota Camry or even the reliable Buick LeSabre.

dbauer · February 2005

in MI, IN, and OH, they collect taxes after the rebates and trades. my brother bought a car in KY a few years ago, and they said he was better off living in IN. KY doesnt deduct the trade, i guess.

fredvh · February 2005

I live in Michigan and I am quite sure that you pay taxes on the full price, before the trade-in and/or rebate is deducted.

dbauer · February 2005

sorry...didnt mean to include us in that.

mseenviro · February 2005

The Infiniti was not even on my radar scope. I appreciate the idea on that one. Is it the Infiniti version of the Maxima?

After the advice, I'm interested in the I30 and the Acura TL, they seem to have the most bang for the buck.

I appreciate the replies.

mseenviro · February 2005

I've thought about both of those. Camry's are the benchmark for reliability. I'm just looking for something a little more upscale.

I like the LeSabre, but my mom drives one of those.....I'd hate to have to admit I liked it, it would prove I'm closer to AARP age than I want to admit......

dbauer · February 2005

i would look more to the I35. (2002+)

also, i think the lincoln LS is alot of bang for the buck. 2003 should be around $24k.

stickguy · February 2005

And yes, the I30/35 is the Infiniti version of the Maxima.

ex v6 · February 2005

Hi,

Do you have to pay sales taxe on manufatcturer rebates?

Thanks

kyfdx · February 2005

Yes.. I-35

Also.. since you have hours of interstate driving and comfort should be considered.. if you go with the Acura...

The '03 TL has 16" wheels and will ride considerably better than the TL-S or the '04 TL with 17" wheels.. the '03 TL still has 220 HP and should have plenty of power...

The I35 "Maxima" should be a good cruiser, as well..

jif · February 2005

the accord hybrid has a 5 speed auto not cvt

dbauer · February 2005

really??? i had assumed that they would use the CVT like every other hybrid on earth.

BTW...the ford escape hybrid also uses a CVT.

mseenviro · February 2005

Right now it is pretty even between the Acura TL and the I-35.

Is it worth the premium to by an Acura or Infiniti Certified Used car?

agt_cooper · February 2005

I'm not sure that the certified tag is worthwhile on a low-mileage Infiniti. You might check into this, but when I bought my 2001 I30 w/ 17k miles, I was able to transfer the warranty (no charge) that is good up to 65k miles. I've had absolutely zero problems with the car and I've driven it about 36k miles so far.

Looking at our old friend Consumer Reports, there is hardly a car out there with better reliability ratings than an I30, so I don't think you'll have much cause for concern if you go that route.

My opinion of this car is it's a very comfortable cruiser, maybe not the best in the "sports sedan" category, but I don't get many chances for that type of driving anymore. Gas mileage is a pretty constant 24 for me, but premium gas is recommended.

Just remember Terry's advice though..."buy and drive what you like!!"

Good luck.

kyfdx · February 2005

Basically.. if you are buying a certified car, you are buying an extended warranty...

If you are getting a late model car with 2 years of warranty left, it usually isn't worth paying much of a premium for certified..

For example, On an '03 TL with 25K miles, you have 25K miles of warranty left... Anytime before that warranty runs out, you could buy the same extended warranty, backed by Acura, from any Acura dealer... That would extend to 100K miles.. Would probably run $1000-$1200..

So, certified is fine... Just make sure you aren't paying much more than $1000 extra for it..

I'm not sure how Infiniti's CPO program works... I know Lexus has some advantages to their program, that others don't have...

regards,

kyfdx

dbauer · February 2005

the certified programs are the most valuable when you are looking at a car with 30k-50k miles. it ensures that tires and brakes are new, and all maintenance is NOW.

driftracer · February 2005

jaserb · February 2005

but if I were in your shoes (and I have a 4 mile commute, so I'm not) I would get something much cheaper to mile up, and a fun car for weekends. Put a ton of miles on anything and it'll drop in value like a stone.

I know it's been mentioned, and I know it's a fogey car, but I think it'd be hard to go wrong with a Lesabre. Super reliable, stupid good gas mileage for a car that big, cushy as all get out, a 4 body trunk, and you can probably get a 2 year old one for half of MSRP. My dad has an '02 and I was absolutely floored by the cruising range - like, 500++ miles. If you're looking for a car to eat up a ton of miles it's really a good way to go.

-Jason

butchbr73 · February 2005

...I'll echo some of the previous comments w/ experience in both the i35 and the TL. I currently drive an i35. my opinion, very nice car, drives very comfortably.. very quick (little quicker than the tl non-s)... would recommend. On the certified side, infiniti extends their warranty by an additional 12 mos/15k miles beyond the original 4 yr/60k. powertrain is pushed to 100k. peace of mind maybe, but probably not needed as long as you get a nice one/low mileage and take care of it. They are pretty bulletproof (I've had a few Maxima's in the past).

On the TL, mother-in-law has an '01. very nice car, little sportier drive and ride than the i35, imho, not quite as comfortable, but still a very nice car. very reliable, she's had no issues with hers. i personally like the way the i35 drives a little better, but its what I like and I drive what I like.

just my 2 cents.

mseenviro · February 2005

I agree, with the great warranties available from Acura and Infiniti, I certainly don't want to pay a premium for one.

I went out last night and sniffed around our Acura dealer. Man the 04 TL's are sharp! I was leaning towards an 02 or 03, but man the 04s are stunning.

A factor that is leaning me towards the TL is the fact we have an Acura Dealership 2 miles from my home. Nearest Infiniti dealer is 100 miles.

Would a Nissan Dealer do warranty work for an Infiniti? If they do, then that brings it back to even, because there is a Nissan dealer 3 miles from me.

Thanks.

mseenviro · February 2005

Yeah, I've considered it from your point of view. I plan on keeping this car for a long time, so I'm not overly concerned with the value dropping. I'll only be financing half of the purchase price, so should something happen and I have to get rid of it, I shouldn't be in too bad a situation.

Next, because I am going to have some serious windshild time, I want to have as comfortable and fun a car as I can afford. The Acura and Infiniti both seem to be the peak value in both of those areas.

I appreciate your reply.

kyfdx · February 2005

They can't do warranty work.. they could do regular maintenance.. As nice as the '04 TL is, it might not be the best car for racking up a lot of interstate miles... Pretty stiff ride, compared to other suggestions here.. (I'd pick it, though).

dbauer · February 2005

yes, nissan dealers are authorized to do all work on infiniti products, however, call your local nissan guy and ask if they are fully equipped for it.

driftracer · February 2005

I also see you posted the exact same post in five different forums/topics -

With this knock 'em down and blast 'em attitude, and if you walked in or called and ask for a manager instead of dealing with someone who is trying to support his family by learning his craft and selling vehicles, I'd ask you to leave, or find another place to deal with. That's simply not how the business works. Call it "profit control" or whatever negative spin you want to put on it, but dealer owners don't spend thousands of dollars to staff their facilities, only to have someone skip around their people, set them up for a horrible CSI survey, or just grab a number so they can shop it all over town

That's akin to walking in and saying "who wants to sell a car today!" - watch the veteran guys run when that happens.

It appears to me that you're not ready to buy a car, you just want a price, that's why you want to skip the salesman. I think you're spinning your wheels, outsmarting yourself, and will be doing 10 times the work with 10 times the frustration.

Managers are there for a reason - they run the dealership - they don't sell cars, and I guarantee they have much less product knowledge than someone who touches the vehicles on a daily basis.

Walking around asking for the bossman will likely get you a lowball price with which to continue your shopping, which does absolutely nothing for you, except waste your time.

isellhondas · February 2005

I couldn't have said it better!

black_tulip · February 2005

If I was a dealer, I would simply send another salesperson as the "manager".

However,I don't buy the "shop number all over town" argument. If that was true, carmax would have gone out of business years ago. I think, given a fair number, a sizeable percentage would do business there or negotiate further leading to a sale. Those who would go out to shop that number probably represents a minority. But, then again, I have never been in the business. My reasoning could be flawed.

cadillacmike · February 2005

everything is a lot smoother, I finally got to know the sales mgrs at a local dealership and found things going much easier and less time consuming, but I had to be willing to buy a second car from them (which I was).

There's still a point below which they will not tread on price, because they have to make a living - It's just easier and fater getting to that point when you know them.

akangl · February 2005

****That's akin to walking in and saying "who wants to sell a car today!" - watch the veteran guys run when that happens.****

I've actually done this, lol. Didn't get the "scatter effect" but did end up with a nice veteran sales guy who sold me a car a couple hours later. A car that I wasn't really looking for, lol, I wanted an SUV. It all worked out though and I unloaded my 94 Blazer.

bobst · February 2005

I can see you are a man who doesn't like to waste time. I like that.

From my experience, the easiest way to buy a car is 1) find the car you want, 2) ask how much it costs, 3) pay for it, and 4) drive it home.

That's right - just as simple as buying a burger and fries. You don't need to talk to the manager at McDonalds do you?

imidazol97 · February 2005

>That's right - just as simple as buying a burger and fries. You don't need to talk to the manager at McDonalds do you?

And I'm not marrying that hamburger for better or worse for the next 10 years, either. I do my test drives, thank you.

audia8q · February 2005

I love it when a customer comes in and demands to deal with the manager. I politely tell the customer I will be glad to help them with all their questions and pricing needs...I also tell them that dealing with me will be more expensive than dealing with one of my salespeople. Oddly enough they seem to think a salesperson is ok after I mention the higher price. lol

bobst · February 2005

We car buyers should respect the way a car dealer chooses to handle their business. If they want us to talk with a salesman, that is fine with me. If they want a salesman to accompany us on a test drive, that is fine too, as long as the salesman doesn't say a word while we are driving.

If we and the car dealership can't find a way of doing business that is mutually agreeable, then we should not be doing business together.

If Howdy doesn't like the way car dealers operate, then then maybe he shoud mosey on down to the ranch and get a new bronco.

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