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DuckConference posted:That would just be fans though, right? I'm not that familiar with the Prius, but going by the pictures on GIS and physics, it would be pretty tough to run an AC off a solar panel that size. kimbo305 posted:The AC can't run very long before the motor kicks in. The new Prius can run the fans with just the solar panel, I believe. yeah I was just wondering if you could option the battery power to run entirely. I guess we'll wait for a Prius owner to chime in, thanks though CatchrNdRy fucked around with this message at 08:36 on Jun 5, 2012 |
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Jun 5, 2012 07:10
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DuckConference posted:That would just be fans though, right? In the 3rd gen Prius, you can apparently run it for 3 minutes at a stretch when the fob is outside the car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISiQSqpbRG0 I wonder if you can do that from within the car and the fob is considered onboard.
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Jun 5, 2012 08:28
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Throatwarbler posted:I'll preface this with the standard statement that even "unreliable" cars today aren't really that unreliable, and unless it's a VAG/Jaguar/Land Rover you're more likely to have a car that doesn't have any problems than otherwise. Are Land Rovers really that bad? I saw a 2004 Discovery linked on another forum for $8500, which kinda blew my mind. http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=648863
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Jun 5, 2012 18:55
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Mandalay posted:Are Land Rovers really that bad? I saw a 2004 Discovery linked on another forum for $8500, which kinda blew my mind. http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=648863 They have a bad reputation. Plus, keep in mind that you're buying an eight year old luxury vehicle. Luxury cars tend to depreciate quickly, because you can't lord anything more than a few years old over the other guys at the country club. If you really want to blow your mind, look at price for an 8 year old BMW 7-series or Mercedes S-class compared to original MSRP. But, when you have to maintain it or when it breaks, you're still buying parts for an expensive luxury car, and the parts don't depreciate like the car did. The mechanic will charge you the same whether it's a 1992, 2002, or 2012. And, since it's a luxury car, it's full of little luxury gadgets that like to break, and an engine designed more for performance and smooth running than reliability and low maintenance. Cars that were expensive new tend to be cheap to buy used, but they stay expensive to keep running.
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Jun 5, 2012 19:25
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Thanks for this, it was really informative. I'm glad to know that the '07 model turned out OK. I've been really disappointed in what Ford has done to the Escape, the last two re-models have looked horrible. Any thoughts on the quality or reliability of the Chevy Volt? They've only been out for two years, but I'd like to know if there are already common problems. (Colorado offers a sweet $6,000 (refundable!) tax credit on top of the 7.5k federal credit for the Volt, bringing the effective base price down to $25,700, which seems very reasonable.)
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Jun 5, 2012 20:39
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Thewittyname posted:Thanks for this, it was really informative. I'm glad to know that the '07 model turned out OK. I've been really disappointed in what Ford has done to the Escape, the last two re-models have looked horrible. From what I've read and seen, Volt quality has been pretty good for a first generation, brand-new model. Here's Edmunds.com's long term Volt blog and Here's their wrap-up article Both of those should be very helpful with figuring out if the Volt is a good fit. It's still too early to tell about the reliability for its powertrain, what with it being a brand new piece of engineering.
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Jun 5, 2012 21:12
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Mandalay posted:Are Land Rovers really that bad? I saw a 2004 Discovery linked on another forum for $8500, which kinda blew my mind. http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=648863 Space Gopher posted:They have a bad reputation. MSRP for a 2004 Discovery SE when new was $38k. $8500 for a 9 year old model isn't particularly special? Discoverys aren't particularly luxurious either, although the higher trims IIRC could be had with active roll bars and self levelling suspension which was kind of neat for the time. Are they that bad? Why believe some random rear end in a top hat on the internet? I recommend you buy it and find out. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 23:30 on Jun 5, 2012 |
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Jun 5, 2012 23:26
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Throatwarbler posted:MSRP for a 2004 Discovery SE when new was $38k. $8500 for a 9 year old model isn't particularly special? Discoverys aren't particularly luxurious either, although the higher trims IIRC could be had with active roll bars and self levelling suspension which was kind of neat for the time. I want a Disco I series for my weekend camping rig so badly, but I know the engine is going to poo poo the bed when I'm somewhere remote. 
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Jun 6, 2012 00:59
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I have a similar request as another poster so I just modified it a little.broken pixel posted:Proposed Budget: I know that Civic / Corolla is the standard answer. I would be interested to hear others experiences with domestic competitors. My sister had a Focus and I thought it was awful... I want something reliable and gas friendly but it needs to be at least a little fun. I currently drive a 5 speed but the stop and go of downtown traffic probably makes an auto more practical. I would be willing to forgo some gas mileage for 15" rims, sportier suspension, disk brakes, etc. Any thoughts on Saturn Ion, Pontiac G6 or similar? I know we are talking apples and oranges here. I would consider myself fairly handy and can wrench on cars when I have a manual. I'm certainly no mechanic but I change my own brakes, replaced alternators, and given enough time and beer could do a clutch job.
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Jun 6, 2012 03:36
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ifuckedjesus posted:I have a similar request as another poster so I just modified it a little. I would say either a Dodge Avenger, or (with caveats, see below)a Dodge Caliber. You can actually get something like a 2008 model of either with less than 100k miles for less than $8k. They're not "good" cars in the sense that they drive well or have nice interiors but you're getting a relatively modern car with modern crash safety for very little money. They both get pretty decent fuel economy and are mostly reliable - go with the smallest engine and a manual transmission for the best reliability and fuel economy. The Caliber however does have a really, really lovely suspension from the factory that eats ball joints and tie rod ends like candy. The ball joints are not officially replaceable individually so you have to buy new control arms every single time which will add up to a lot of money quickly. There *is* an after-market solution (MOOG ball joints) that replaces the bad factory parts with better, greasable units that will fix the problem. You sound like you're at least somewhat mechanically inclined, so worst case you could take it to a shop and get something like that installed without getting hosed, so I'm putting it out there as an option which I wouldn't recommend to someone who literally didn't know anything about cars. The Avenger IIRC doesn't have any kind of problems like that so you might want to just pay a little more and get one of those instead.
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Jun 6, 2012 04:06
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Thanks very much to nm, Leperflesh, Throatwarbler, and skipdogg for your advice. I have been checking around on local dealer sites, and CL, and there do appear to be quite a few options in my 10k price range. There are some gorgeous BMWs in the 2005-2006 range with under 110k miles on them in my area, but they are pretty much all right at the very top end of my price range, and I am worried about spending my entire budget, only to have something break and need another 2k for repairs within a few months. They are definitely my favorite of all of the options, I am just hesitant for that reason. I know that you guys can't predict the future and say "Nah man, that car will be fine.", but is there a realistic idea of how likely a well-maintained, 100k miles 2006 325i is to have expensive problems come up? I have seen some Acuras that I like, and a few Maximas. None of you mentioned it, but there are two clean Volvos up that looks pretty awesome. A 2005 S40, and a 2007 S60, both with under 120k miles. Any common issues with those models, or might those also be a viable option? Thanks again all. You have been a real help, and are making this whole process much easier.
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Jun 6, 2012 19:40
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If you have a lot of time, there is a 318 page BMW megathread which will probably have the answer to your question http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2809820
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Jun 6, 2012 20:34
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I have a 2006 Ford Focus ZX5, fully loaded. It has 77K miles on it and has a few dings on it, but nothing major. My wife and I are looking towards getting a slightly larger vehicle since we want a family eventually. We really like the Venza and the Edge, but want to keep our auto costs down. I recently had to put new front tires on it (again) and am worried about additional costs coming in for it. I don't want to dump more money into the Focus as I want to save up for another vehicle. Should I keep the focus and ride it out until it dies, or should I try to sell it now and put the money towards a new vehicle?
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Jun 6, 2012 21:36
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Jastiger posted:I have a 2006 Ford Focus ZX5, fully loaded. It has 77K miles on it and has a few dings on it, but nothing major. My wife and I are looking towards getting a slightly larger vehicle since we want a family eventually. We really like the Venza and the Edge, but want to keep our auto costs down. I recently had to put new front tires on it (again) and am worried about additional costs coming in for it. I don't want to dump more money into the Focus as I want to save up for another vehicle. Do this: -Figure out a basic ballpark for car payments on whatever you and the mrs fancies. Figure a small downpayment and average loan rates. -Start setting this aside every month in a separate car fund. -Use this fund to cover basic maintenance on the Focus or smallish items that could be taken care of (a/c recharge, minor belts, plugs & wires, etc). -Once a more major maintenance item starts appearing on the horizon (suspension, engine, trans, etc), start seriously considering trading it in/selling it. There, now you are simultaneously preparing yourself financially for a new car payment, saving to decrease the cost of the new car, and establishing a fund to prolong the life of the Focus until you're ready to trade it in.
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Jun 6, 2012 21:43
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Dont justify a new car with maintenance costs on an old car (except of course major repairs that are more than the car is worth). It will almost always be cheaper to maintain your old car, plus a new car still needs oil changes, and filters, and tires, and brakes, and everything else.
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Jun 6, 2012 22:57
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Doom Rooster posted:Thanks very much to nm, Leperflesh, Throatwarbler, and skipdogg for your advice. It will probably have expensive problems. The whole cooling system starting with the thermostat and water pump pretty much needs to be replaced at this mileage. The engine will need work (Google "E90 VANOS solenoid replacement"). If it's an automatic it will need to be flushed at least(don't know if BMW is still claiming that the fluid is lifetime) and is probably leaking. If $2k in extra repairs bothers you then you're not going to have a good time with any German car. On the bright side, maybe the most common problems and maintenance have already been sorted on this one you are looking at (doubt it) and while it will still be horrendously unreliable by American or Japanese standards a naturally aspirated I6 BMW 3 series is probably the most reliable German car you can get. quote:I have seen some Acuras that I like, and a few Maximas. None of you mentioned it, but there are two clean Volvos up that looks pretty awesome. A 2005 S40, and a 2007 S60, both with under 120k miles. Any common issues with those models, or might those also be a viable option? Maybe. They're going to have the same kind of electrical foibles as other Euro cars, and I think the S60 only came with a turbocharged engine? Those always require a little more maintenance. Because they never sold that many of them (unlike a BMW 3 series) it's hard to tell from reading whether problems are systemic or one off and it's harder to get parts and service. TL;DR If you love the BMW buy the BMW. You only live once man. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 00:18 on Jun 7, 2012 |
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Jun 7, 2012 00:03
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Throatwarbler posted:I would say either a Dodge Avenger, or (with caveats, see below)a Dodge Caliber. You can actually get something like a 2008 model of either with less than 100k miles for less than $8k. 2008 is the first model year of the Avenger. Anything to be wary of? I appreciate the input, I had not looked at anything Mopar. Is their 4 cylinder solid? I trust Chevy's Ecotec and Ford's Duratec but I really know squat about Dodge. My grandparents bought a Dodge minivan (probably right when the minivan came into fruition) that ate transmissions & my family swore off them. Best part was my dad borrowed their van to drive us to S. Carolina for vacation one year and transmission #2 died on us about 1/2 way there. I know every brand screws up now and then... hell I've been told to stay away from 2006 and later Civic's because they are blowing head gaskets.
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Jun 7, 2012 03:54
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ifuckedjesus posted:2008 is the first model year of the Avenger. Anything to be wary of? I appreciate the input, I had not looked at anything Mopar. The 4 cyl is fine for reliability, but most people find it buzzy and unrefined and not very powerful. Chrysler has had some pretty lovely problems with their 4 speed transmissions when it first came out in the early 90s, which was probably when your family got the Caravan, see here for more details, but all the problems had been fixed by around the early 2000s. I've never heard of anyone having any problems with them after that time, my own 2004 has been great. If it's any consolation, the GM FWD trannies of the period weren't great either and the Fords were even worse - probably a whole generation of car buyers from that period swore never to buy another American car again.  I would go with a Chrysler because I like them and I live in a Chrylser heavy town - we have like 6 Chrysler dealers for a city of 1 million people，but the last generation Ford Fusion is a pretty good choice too - they came with a Toyota transmission that was pretty much bullet proof(EDIT Nope, just checked and only the V6 had the Toyota trans, the I4 was a Mazda unitt hat actually isn't as reliable). You'll probably have to pay more/have to settle for an older/higher mileage unit though. The 2008-2011 Ford Focus is also worth checking out, it's a smaller, less well equipped car than the midsizers but it does get slightly better fuel economy. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Jun 7, 2012 |
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Jun 7, 2012 04:23
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Have you thought about a Mazda3? They're not domestic and the ones you can get for $8000 won't have great gas mileage, but reliability is very good and they definitely have driving personality.
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Jun 7, 2012 16:09
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Don Lapre posted:Dont justify a new car with maintenance costs on an old car (except of course major repairs that are more than the car is worth). What happens when the value of the car drops to ~$800-$1000 or lower as in the case of my 98 Mazda 626 with 147k miles. I finally dug up the maintenance records on my car and found that I need to get a new timing belt (it was replaced at 75k), a new intake decarb(not sure what this is, but a mechanic suggested it get replaced every 15k and it was last done at 123k), a new fuel filter (was last replaced at 105k), and possibly some other stuff (I got 4 new tires at 132k and haven't had them rotated yet I think). I didn't really keep track of maintenance (other than oil changes) for a while! My mechanic quoted me ~300 for the timing belt, and told me he thought my car could make it to at least 250k if I kept up on the maintenance. What type of a repair is "not worth it" for a car this old?
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Jun 8, 2012 04:06
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Sleipnir posted:What happens when the value of the car drops to ~$800-$1000 or lower as in the case of my 98 Mazda 626 with 147k miles. I finally dug up the maintenance records on my car and found that I need to get a new timing belt (it was replaced at 75k), a new intake decarb(not sure what this is, but a mechanic suggested it get replaced every 15k and it was last done at 123k), a new fuel filter (was last replaced at 105k), and possibly some other stuff (I got 4 new tires at 132k and haven't had them rotated yet I think). I didn't really keep track of maintenance (other than oil changes) for a while! This is one of those YMMV situations. I'm actually in the same boat. I drive a '95 Ford Probe with 175k on the clock and a salvage title. Last year I put new tires all around ($500) and this year I've replaced the brake pads, spark plugs & wires, and am debating putting new rotors all around and new rear calipers (I have the e-brake unhooked because it has a design flaw; the calipers are working fine otherwise). I hate throwing money at it too but $300 or whatever would only be a couple car payments if I took out a loan. I have a decent job and could afford a new car but what's the point? I wouldn't even recoup my tire costs if I sold this thing. I'm just going to drive it until it dies or becomes unsafe. Are you sure the timing belt should be replaced at 75k and not 100k? Edit: I guess the manual says 60k. Gotta tell you, I've always heard 100k. I know for certain my dad has bought used cars all his life and has never replaced a timing belt before 100k without issue. I've never thought of him as lucky but maybe he has been. I would pay the guy $300 to replace the timing belt and make sure he replaces the water pump too. I suggest that for you because of the relatively new tires. I'm not sure what they mean by intake decarb either but it could probably use a new air filter if yours hasn't been replaced. Rotating your tires every other oil change or better is a good idea. Your 626 is essentially the same car as my Probe so I agree with your mechanic. If your car grenades and blows a head gasket or transmission I would junk it. ifuckedjesus fucked around with this message at 12:25 on Jun 8, 2012 |
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Jun 8, 2012 04:41
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Replacement values on low-value used cars are kind of deceptive. Here's the thing. Any running car is worth around $1k at a minimum. That's because there are always people who only have a thousand bucks and need to get to work on Monday and longer-term issues are just not as important to them. However, what such a car is worth to you is different. If you threw away this car and had to buy another one "worth" exactly the same (in terms of Craigslist price), you'd now have a car with an unknown history. Has it been thrashed to within an inch of destruction for 100k miles? Or was it babied? You can get some clues from condition and a mechanic's inspection but ultimately, it's a crapshoot. So, ignore the street value. If it's only $1000, well, you have some money, that's not that big a deal. Instead, just compare: A: What it costs per year for you to maintain. Do this by figuring out all the costs for fixing critical stuff you mentioned, plus how long it'd be before the next critical thing comes along, for maybe three or four years out, and then average them. E.g., timing belt now costs $300 (which by the way is quite reasonable) but it will last you another four or five years, so you can spread that cost out since it won't recur next year or the year after. B: What a new car would cost, including its maintenance and its purchase price, spread out over the same time frame. Go ahead and subtract the ~$1000 you'd get from selling the old car, too. Odds are, the A is going to be a whole lot lower than B, especially if you're contemplating a new car but even if you're just considering used cars at like $8k+. So that tells you the answer from a financial perspective. Maintaining a heap that you own outright is still usually substantially cheaper than buying/maintaining a new or newer car. Not always, especially if it's rusting so badly that it's falling apart and will need frame work, or if its engine is in such bad shape that it's going to be irreparably broken soon and would have to be replaced. But often. That doesn't mean you absolutely shouldn't sell it and get a better car, though, because there are other perspectives than sheer finances. Driving a nicer car is a quality of life thing. IF you can afford it and IF there aren't higher priorities for that money (opportunity cost is a thing), then maybe a newer car will make you feel better? If so, yeah, go for it, just do it with full understanding that you're paying extra dollars for that; it's not justified strictly from a financial perspective. New cars are also typically safer than old cars, and that might be an overriding concern for you as well. Or it might be a matter of not being seen showing up at work in a shitbox, or perhaps you're trying to date. I dunno, there's all kinds of lifestyle concerns that could apply here. Far too many people fail to do this actual math and justify new cars on the (usually) faulty premise that the maintenance costs on their old car mean a new car would actually be cheaper in the long run. They're usually mistaken. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 20:27 on Jun 8, 2012 |
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Jun 8, 2012 20:24
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Proposed Budget: ~$38k including tax and title, but I'd like to try and keep the price lower. New or Used: New Body Style: 4-door sedan or 5-door hatchback. How will you be using the car?: Short commute during the day, but lots of freeway driving during nights and weekends. I'd also like to start taking more small trips, so a car that is fun to drive would be nice. What aspects are most important to you? 1. Good performance. I want a car that is quick, handles well, and is fun to drive. 2. Trunk/hatch space. I need a pretty large trunk or hatch to accomodate sports equipment. I was initally looking at small SUV and crossovers, but much to my amazement all of my equipment fit in the trunk of an A4. 3. Good design. I want a car that looks good or at the very least doesn't look like a giant bubble, like the older BMWs did. 4. Decent gas mileage. I'd be open to diesel cars as well. 5. Some technology. I don't think that in car navigation system is worth the extra cost, but something that syncs up well with phones and mp3 players would be nice. 6. Maintenance cost. I know that maintenance is going to be more expensive with German cars. Audi and VW had disappointing warrantes and BMW had a better warranty which included both oil changes and brake maintenance. The BMW also has better fuel economy, so it may be a cheaper car to own at least in the short term. Over the past few weeks, I've been doing research and trying to test drive as many cars as possible and the cars that I've liked the most have been the BMW 328i, Audi A4, and VW Golf TDI. I have some interest in the Passat TDI, but as cool as a 700-mile range is, an A4 or a 328i isn't that much more expensive-- Well at least in terms of acquisition cost. Based off of my credit score and history, I will be able to qualify for the lowest interest rates. I know that BoA is currently offering a 2.69% rate, though I know there are some online banks that apparently offer great interest rates, but I don't know a lot about them. I also have a 2007 Mazda3 i Touring with about 68k miles on it. It does have some hail damage, but otherwise the only other problem with that is that the trunk release doesn't work, but that's a cheap fix. I'm open to trading it in or selling it privately. I still owe $4,400 on my Mazda. I'd like to keep the financing between 48-60 months and I'd ideally like to keep the payments in the $500-600 range, but I can afford to spend more if I need to. My understanding is that there isn't a lot of price flexibility with Audis, but even though BMW have higher sticker prices, they are more willing to drop their prices. I'm considering submitting online offers to several dealerships and seeing if I can start some sort of bidding war. I've heard that the online, email only negotiating is effective, but does anyone here have experience buying a car that way and are the results any better than buying a car through Costco or negotiating at the dealership? I'd also be willing to look into a lease if it makes sense. I drive under 15k miles per year and conceivibly I could get out of the car before maintenance costs become a huge issue. Is that a better route to go with German cars or is it not worth leasing cars anymore? Edit: I actually looked into leasing a BMW 328i series today. It doesn't sound like a bad deal, unless I'm missing something. The car comes with a 4-year 50k mile waranty, they claim that all service and maintenance would be free, which would eliminate my cost of ownership concerns. I can also go with a lower mileage lease like 10-12k and adjust it halfway through if it seems like I am going to go to over. It seems like it would be a good program and it would be a lot cheaper than buying a 3-series. Is there anything I should be concerned about with a lease or is going over the mileage and keeping up with the maintenance the only things that I need to worry about? Edit 2: Depending on the features and trim, the payments would end up between $400-$500 per month, which is more than acceptable for me. Aniki fucked around with this message at 02:22 on Jun 11, 2012 |
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Jun 10, 2012 23:44
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If you're OK with the Audi you should check out the Buick Regal GS, it's much better looking with a great interior, more power, standard HID headlights, backup sensors, Brembo brakes,etc. It also has better crash safety ratings. Comparison More comparison Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 03:19 on Jun 11, 2012 |
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Jun 11, 2012 03:13
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Throatwarbler posted:If you're OK with the Audi you should check out the Buick Regal GS, it's much better looking with a great interior, more power, standard HID headlights, backup sensors, Brembo brakes,etc. It also has better crash safety ratings. I'll certainly look into that car. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Jun 11, 2012 04:28
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Why don't you like your Mazda? A Mazda3 3i GT hatch MSRPs for 23.9k and might fit what you're looking for. These cars might fit what you're looking for (cribbed from my hatchback research spreadsheet earlier this year) pre:Car TrueCar MSRP 0-60 MPG Cargo Mazda3 Hatch 3i GT 22.6k 23.9k 9 32 43 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI DSG 26.5k 27.4k 9 33 67 Audi A3 Premium 2.0T 28.8k 29.6k 7 24 39 Lexus CT200h 30.0k 30.0k 10 42 32 Audi A3 TDI 30.5k 31.1k 9 34 39 BMW 328i Wagon 36.7k 38.4k 7 22 61
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Jun 11, 2012 21:43
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Mandalay posted:Why don't you like your Mazda? A Mazda3 3i GT hatch MSRPs for 23.9k and might fit what you're looking for. I've had my Mazda3 (sedan) for 5-years, it has been a great car, but I'm at a different point in my life and I want something nicer. I have looked at all of those cars that you mentioned with the exception of the 328i wagon, which I didn't see at the dealer. I actually started off my search looking for an Audi Avant, but they're only selling the All-Road right now and since I'm not a wrencher, I was weary of buying a used German car. As for the VWs, I was actually looking more at the Audi A3, Golf TDI and the Passat TDI. I felt that the Golf was smaller than what I wanted and the Passat's price was getting too close the A4 or 328i to justify the cost for me. The Jetta is a more affordable option, but I don't feel like it is different enough from my Mazda to justify a purchase. I still need to look into the A3 more, but I feel like BMW has such an advantage with their included maintenance and repairs for the first 4-years/50k miles that it makes it hard for me to choose an Audi over them. As for technology, I was impressed by Prius in that regard and I really wish more companies would use a solar power venting/cooling system like the Prius uses. The Prius was a decent enough car and it would fit well with the city driving I do, but it wasn't an exciting car to drive, but it's not meant to be. The gas mileage of the 328i is actually comparable if not slightly better than my Mazda assuming that I drive reasonably most of the time. BMW seems to have a pretty solid technology package, though I'm leaning towards skipping the in car navigation. I think the driving experience still beats tech for me, but I still want something that feels like it is a modern car. At this point, I feel like my thought process has shifted towards figuring out how to get the best price on my lease and trade in. I could still decide to wait, but it doesn't seem like there is much of a reason to wait for a 2013 328i over a 2012.5 328i. I could wait for the 2013 wagon, which I believe is coming to the US, but I checked on Sunday and all of my gear does fit in the turnk of a 328i, so it has enough space for my purposes.
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Jun 12, 2012 00:26
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VWs have free maintainance for the length of the bumper to bumper warranty period (3 years/36k). Audi offer pre-paid maintenance for about $1,000, which (for all the other marques) is basically what you would pay for it anyway. Why base your buying decision on that? Just factor it into the price when shopping.
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Jun 12, 2012 01:37
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Throatwarbler posted:VWs have free maintainance for the length of the bumper to bumper warranty period (3 years/36k). Audi offer pre-paid maintenance for about $1,000, which (for all the other marques) is basically what you would pay for it anyway. Why base your buying decision on that? Just factor it into the price when shopping. Surprisingly they never brought up the pre-paid maintenance at Audi. If I can get that from them, ideally at "no cost," then it would level the playing field. I've wanted an A4 for a long time, but I've been very impressed by the 328i to the point that I currently favor it over the A4. I'm going to keep Audi in the process for leverage if nothing else. I'm going to start contacting all of the Audi and BMW dealerships in Phoenix and Tucson tomorrow and see who can get me the best deal. I will say that the maintenance costs be taken care of does help with predicting the total cost of ownership. You'd hope that a new BMW or Audi wouldn't have issues over the terms of a 3-year lease, but it would be nice to not need to worry about expensive repairs and maintenance. I can afford to pay for the repairs, but I'd rather pay a little extra each month than get hit with an unexpected $2k repair. It may be a weird issue to fixate on, but it's something that comes into play more since I am trying to decide between two pretty equal cars. I also had a history with really expensive repairs with the cars that I had before the Mazda.
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Jun 12, 2012 03:30
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I'm not sure I understand you correctly? Pre-paid maintenance has nothing to do with repairs. The new car warranty on an BMW or Audi or any other luxury marque lasts for 4 years and will cover any repairs, what "expensive repairs" are you talking about? The "free maintenance" covers regular stuff like oil changes and air filters, some people speculate that BMW is intentionally extending the maintainance intervals on newer cars (like 15k mile oil changes) to reduce their costs on this, but you are only leasing for 3 years so who cares.
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Jun 12, 2012 04:22
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Throatwarbler posted:I'm not sure I understand you correctly? Pre-paid maintenance has nothing to do with repairs. The new car warranty on an BMW or Audi or any other luxury marque lasts for 4 years and will cover any repairs, what "expensive repairs" are you talking about? My understanding of the BMW program was that any repairs that needed to be made outside of replace tires or possibly a broken windshield would be covered completely by BMW. So if something like engine mounts, the trunk, or whatever breaks, then I take it into the dealership and they repair it for no additional cost. It would also include things like scheduled maintenance, oil changes, and brake repairs. I'm probably not likely to have many issues while leasing a car for 3-years, but I think it is the paranoid side of me that worries about controlling unexpected costs and I also like the idea of keeping the total cost of ownership low, so that I can use the money that would go towards repairs or maintenance elsewhere. I think at this point, my mind is pretty numb from researching cars for the past few weeks, so it's entirely possible that I'm not making sense anymore.
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Jun 12, 2012 04:51
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Aniki posted:My understanding of the BMW program was that any repairs that needed to be made outside of replace tires or possibly a broken windshield would be covered completely by BMW. So if something like engine mounts, the trunk, or whatever breaks, then I take it into the dealership and they repair it for no additional cost. It would also include things like scheduled maintenance, oil changes, and brake repairs. I'm probably not likely to have many issues while leasing a car for 3-years, but I think it is the paranoid side of me that worries about controlling unexpected costs and I also like the idea of keeping the total cost of ownership low, so that I can use the money that would go towards repairs or maintenance elsewhere. The bumper to bumper warranty on a new car will cover anything that breaks. Generally it is 4 years 50k miles for luxury marques (Audi, MB, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Infiniti, Lexus, Acura, Lincoln, Porsche) and 3 years 36k miles for regular marques (VW, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chrysler, etc). There is a powertrain warranty as well that goes for longer but covers only the powertrain. There are exceptions - Hyundai/Kia and Mitsubishi warranties are longer (5 years bumper to bumper, 10 years powertrain) but not transferable to the second owner - if you sell the car it goes back to 4 years b2b, 5 years powertrain or something like that. Chevy is a regular marque except the powertrain warranty has a slightly higher mileage. The VW Touareg has a 10 year 100k mile powertrain warranty. You don't have to worry about anything breaking within the new car B2B warranty period. You do pay for wear items and stuff that you break yourself, like brakes, oil, tires, windshield etc. BMW free maintenance/Audi prepaid maintenance will pay for oil and filters, maybe brakes, probably not tires(check fine print).
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Jun 12, 2012 05:05
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Throatwarbler posted:There are exceptions - Hyundai/Kia and Mitsubishi warranties are longer (5 years bumper to bumper, 10 years powertrain) but not transferable to the second owner - if you sell the car it goes back to 4 years b2b, 5 years powertrain or something like that. Just an FYI - Hyundai 5 year / 60k miles is transferable to second owners. I bought a used one and verified this. The 10 year / 100k power train is not transferable, unless you purchase it certified pre-owned from a Hyundai dealer in which case it is.
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Jun 12, 2012 05:37
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Interesting factoid as we're talking about warranties. Subaru's B2B (3/36k) covers brake pads, clutches, and windshield wipers even if they wear our for reason other than defect.4 So get your launches done in the first 36,000!
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Jun 12, 2012 06:32
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Daeus posted:Just an FYI - Hyundai 5 year / 60k miles is transferable to second owners. I bought a used one and verified this. The 10 year / 100k power train is not transferable, unless you purchase it certified pre-owned from a Hyundai dealer in which case it is. Soy Division fucked around with this message at 15:07 on Jun 12, 2012 |
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Jun 12, 2012 15:04
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Gail Wynand posted:I was a bit surprised not to see Hyundai on the previous poster's list. I am still a little skeptical of Korean automakers but there's no doubt that Hyundai is making some great cars these days, at discount prices and with great warranties. If I were in the market, I would at least go to the dealer and have a look. Maybe I just really didn't start looking at or hearing about Hyundais/Kias until recently but all of their current stuff is really great and I didn't really get where all the hate on them came from. I've since learned about their early entries into the US, borrowing Chrysler engines (yikes!), etc. But even their last generation stuff, while not flashy, seemed to have the old 90s Honda feel to them. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Hyundai becomes the new Honda. Reliable transportation, good fuel economy, and a good value overall. It's hard to say how the styling will play out 5-10 years down the line, but if reliability holds up, used models could definitely see a Hyundai bump to their resell value.
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Jun 12, 2012 18:26
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Throatwarbler posted:A 2004-7 Escape, FWD, 4 cylinder with a manual trans would be a pretty decent pick if you are looking for a $6k family hauler. For shits and grins I looked on Craigslist because it sounds like that wouldn't be a terrible option for me to eventually replace my Ranger with (since a single cab Ranger is a terrible idea for a car seat) and I can't find a single goddamn 4cyl and/or manual transmission at all. Hell, most of them seem to be AWD, even. Sleipnir posted:I need to get a new timing belt (it was replaced at 75k), You actually have a non-interference engine; meaning that if you ignore the timing belt forever until it does break, in almost all cases the engine would just shut down and no additional damage would be done. You'd be out for a tow and then the work that you'd be paying for now. I'm not suggesting you defer it forever, but on my '99 Miata (also a non-interference engine) they also recommended a 60k interval; I didn't change it until just past 100k. Note that depending upon the layout, there are sometimes other things (namely, water pumps) that can only be done with the timing belt removed, and the incremental cost to do that repair at the same time is much less than having it replaced when it wears out on its own. In your shoes, I'd hold off until 175k to replace it, but I would also plan on replacing the water pump, idlers, and all of the front engine seals at the same time (all cheap parts and very low amounts of increased labor). Sleipnir posted:a new intake decarb(not sure what this is, but a mechanic suggested it get replaced every 15k and it was last done at 123k), I don't think this is actually a part - they probably are calling an intake manifold cleaning service an "intake decarboning" or something like that. I've never seen the point; an intake manifold will only benefit from a cleaning if it is fixing a specific problem (clogged EGR valves / ports are common on many cars and can be fixed by a thorough cleaning), or if it's getting absolutely caked in oil because you have a much, much bigger problem. Sleipnir posted:a new fuel filter (was last replaced at 105k), Doesn't hurt to do but I'll be perfectly honest...I've never replaced a fuel filter other than the one sitting in the original carb on my GMC's original V8. Modern fuel is pretty goddamn clean, as are modern fuel station tanks. A lot of new cars don't even come with external / regular-maintenance fuel filters anymore. Sleipnir posted:and possibly some other stuff (I got 4 new tires at 132k and haven't had them rotated yet I think). I didn't really keep track of maintenance (other than oil changes) for a while! If you have Discount Tire near you, they'll rotate tires for free, even if you didn't buy them there! "Worth it" versus "not worth it" depends on a few things, though a large one is how much labor you're doing yourself. For example, if you ran the engine dry of oil and ruined it, a shop would charge a fortune to drop a junkyard engine in the car - and that would probably not be worth it in many cases. In the same situation, if you did the work yourself and were able to get a good deal on a used engine, you could have the car back on the road for a relatively low amount of money. It also depends on what you are and aren't willing to tolerate. For example, if your heater core explodes - that's a spendy repair in pretty much every car because it's usually one of the components buried deepest in the dash, so labor is big. Or you could bypass it for $5 in hose and clamps and go without heat. There are a lot of things on a modern car that can go wrong that won't directly impact the ability to drive the car, so it'd be up to you to decide what it's worth to have that feature or not.
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Jun 12, 2012 18:43
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Aniki posted:At this point, I feel like my thought process has shifted towards figuring out how to get the best price on my lease and trade in. I could still decide to wait, but it doesn't seem like there is much of a reason to wait for a 2013 328i over a 2012.5 328i. I could wait for the 2013 wagon, which I believe is coming to the US, but I checked on Sunday and all of my gear does fit in the turnk of a 328i, so it has enough space for my purposes. Sounds like you found your car. How familiar are you with leasing? BMW's lease rates right now are .00155 MF and the 328i Sedan has a residual of 61% for a 36 month lease. Audi's A4 Premium FWD sedan is .00016 with a 53% residual.
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Jun 12, 2012 20:46
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skipdogg posted:Sounds like you found your car. How familiar are you with leasing? I've been doing a lot of research and I feel like I am starting to get a grasp of it, but it is still a new process for me. I do know that you can multiply the lease rates by 2400 to get the APR, so the BWM works out to 3.72% and the Audi, assuming that it is meant to be 0.0016, would be 3.84%. Based on a $35k car with a $3,100 trade in (net), and a $1,500 down payment, then the BMW would cost me $353 + tax per month and the Audi would cost me $455 + tax per month. BMW $21,350 Residual 0.00155 Money Factor ------------ $373 per month + tax (15k miles per year) $361 per month + tax (12k miles per year) Audi $18550 Residual 0.0016 Money Factor ------------- $455 per month + tax (15k miles per year) $444 per month + tax (12k miles per year) So assuming that I am looking at an Audi or BMW for the same price, then the BMW ends up being cheaper and it looks like the Audi would need to be $5-6k cheaper to get the same lease payment as a BMW. So if that is the case, then the $400 per month (including tax) lease payments that BMW is offering me for a $37,000 car ($500 over invoice) isn't a bad deal, at least compared to leasing an equivalent Audi. The BMW is also $12-15 per month cheaper to insure through my insurance, so not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it does skew things more towards BMW. I'm going back to Audi today, for leverage if nothing else, but at this point it seems like trying to squeeze a little better deal out of BMW is my best bet. Edit: I am still waiting to get offers back from CarWoo, but I haven't had any responses yet.
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Jun 13, 2012 00:58
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nm posted:Interesting factoid as we're talking about warranties.
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Jun 13, 2012 02:14
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