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Leperflesh posted:Buy a car for commuting in; keep the van for the occasional larger capacity vehicle purposes (hauling stuff, road trip). It shouldn't be much more to keep it on your insurance with a multi-vehicle policy, given its age, and with 95k on the clock it's still got plenty of years left to go. I'm in an apartment complex with a totally outrageous price for parking: $200/month/car. Keeping them both would mean paying an additional $200/month. I have faith in the Leaf's battery pack, insofar as their robust warranty and replacement program, but it's a matter of what's more economical now - which would be to keep driving the Sienna, as much as I'd like the cool electric stuff. I could see it being a lot more liberating (as in, driving around a lot more since I don't have to worry about gas), but so far, it's cheaper to pay for the gas and repairs than a new car.
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Mar 5, 2013 18:18
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My 1995 Avalon is starting to have more and more little problems crop up, so I'd like to start getting an idea of what I might get to replace it. For reference, the biggest problem is a leak in my power steering rack. It wasn't much of a problem when I noticed it early last year and it only needed a refill every month or two, but now it's getting to the point that I have to add more every week. It seems silly to drop $800 to fix it for a 17 year old car with 150k miles, even if it has been really great and reliable. Other small issues are that the brakes are exposed (or something) and get rusty, which causes a really loud noise when I back up. The brakes themselves are fine and I get them checked regularly, it's just an annoyance. The glue in the door frames has been melting for as long as I've had the car, which covers the side panels in a sticky layer. There's also some issue with the shifting computer that reduces my MPG by like 0.5 or something. The headlights are pretty faded but the bulbs are sealed within the enclosure, so I'd have to replace the entire thing to fix it. Um, anyway, here's my spiel: Proposed Budget: ~10k. I make 30k a year and could cover 10k in a month or two without much issue. I have no idea what, if any, value I could get out of selling the Avalon. New or Used: Used Body Style: 4-door sedan has served me well for this long so I'm sticking with it. Usage: The drive to work is ~25 miles, with maybe 10 of those on the highway. I like to think that I'll have a better job in town in a few months, but I've been telling myself that for a year now. Not much else, other than generally having the go-to car when going out on weekends. I like having a good bit of trunk space, but it isn't vital. Important stuff: Good MPG is a priority, as is general reliability and safety (having been spoiled by a mid-90s Toyota). A 3.5mm audio-in would be nice; I replaced the stereo on the Avalon for that reason and it was a big pain in the rear end. I don't really care about the car looking pretty or being beefy. I live in Atlanta, so things like snow tires are right out the window. But I will definitely need good a/c.
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Mar 5, 2013 21:27
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Avalons are pretty bulletproof and I don't think you're going to get better value out of a 10K car than you would out of dropping 800 bucks in to your Avalon, but not everything is a dollars and sense decision, and that glue issue would piss me off no end. In your price range you should be able to get a universal Japanese midsize sedan in good condition with relatively low miles. I personally like the Accord, but the Camry and the Altima are strong choices. The Ford Fusion is quite good, as is its sibling the Mazda6. I think that's about all your choices in the reliable midsize sedan for 10K territory, but if I forgot anything, I'm sure someone else will mention it. The Fusion and Mazda are the best to drive, the Camry is most like your Avalon and the Accord is a nice balance between the Mazda and the Camry in my opinion. The Altima sure was a car. Gas mileage wise, off the top of my head you'll be best off with the Accord or Altima. I recall the Fusion and Mazda6 being pretty weak in that aspect.
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Mar 6, 2013 03:15
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So it sounds like I will, in fact, be in grad school for another 5-6 years. The annual stipend I'm looking at is around US$21k, and while from my earlier posts it sounds as though a Honda Fit is indeed the best car for my needs (i.e. not that big but with good internal volume, decent gas mileage, available in manual) it seems essentially impossible to find them in the sub-$10k range used, which is probably all I can afford if I want to be sane. Let me post this again and see what y'all think: Proposed Budget: ~10k, ideally more like $7500. I want to be paying something like $250 a month in payments, if I can't pay it all off right away. For a down payment I doubt I'll be able to put up more than $2500 given the other expenses I will incur from moving. New or Used: Used Body Style: Ideally 5-door hatchback, though a wagon or a sedan would also be acceptable. Usage: Most likely short-distance commuting to campus (not more than 5 miles round trip I hope) with weekend trips in the 100mi+ range including a lot of hauling furniture from IKEA and poo poo when I move. This may also be the car I drive down from my family's place, where all my stuff is stored, to the school, a 16 hour drive which will need to carry a good deal of my things. Important stuff: Good MPG, cheap to insure, and not a total wimp when it comes to driving in the winter or taking corners. I also would prefer not to have an ugly-as-sin car from the 90s with no features. Oh, and it has to be manual transmission, I cannot stand the automatic on this loaner I've been driving. Is a $10k car doable on $21k/year with $250/mo payments on a 3-year loan? Or should I be setting my sights much, much lower?
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Mar 6, 2013 14:55
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Zenzirouj posted:My 1995 Avalon is starting to have more and more little problems crop up, so I'd like to start getting an idea of what I might get to replace it. For reference, the biggest problem is a leak in my power steering rack. It wasn't much of a problem when I noticed it early last year and it only needed a refill every month or two, but now it's getting to the point that I have to add more every week. It seems silly to drop $800 to fix it for a 17 year old car with 150k miles, even if it has been really great and reliable. Other small issues are that the brakes are exposed (or something) and get rusty, which causes a really loud noise when I back up. The brakes themselves are fine and I get them checked regularly, it's just an annoyance. The glue in the door frames has been melting for as long as I've had the car, which covers the side panels in a sticky layer. There's also some issue with the shifting computer that reduces my MPG by like 0.5 or something. The headlights are pretty faded but the bulbs are sealed within the enclosure, so I'd have to replace the entire thing to fix it. 08+ Ford Focus sedan. Apollodorus posted:So it sounds like I will, in fact, be in grad school for another 5-6 years. The annual stipend I'm looking at is around US$21k, and while from my earlier posts it sounds as though a Honda Fit is indeed the best car for my needs (i.e. not that big but with good internal volume, decent gas mileage, available in manual) it seems essentially impossible to find them in the sub-$10k range used, which is probably all I can afford if I want to be sane. Let me post this again and see what y'all think: 05-07 Ford Focus hatch or wagon if you can find it. Alternatively, Dodge Caliber with the manual transmission if you're comfortable dealing with some possible issues on the factory suspension. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Mar 6, 2013 |
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Mar 6, 2013 16:19
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My friend, who I guess is trying to be the devil on my shoulder, told me about my situation: "You'll be paying pretty much $0 in maintenance and gas on the Leaf, so just think of it like the money you're putting into your van now for those is money that could be going towards your low-maintenance car in the long run." Does this line of thinking make sense to anyone?
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Mar 7, 2013 03:24
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Squirrel Burger posted:My friend, who I guess is trying to be the devil on my shoulder, told me about my situation: I'm pretty sure electricity still costs money, unfortunately. It should be cheaper than gas, but its definitely not $0. Especially since you live in a place that charges $200 a month for parking, I imagine electricity is not very cheap. Then you have to worry about the range of the car, where you're going to charge it, if there are even places to charge it. It may be cheaper, but I think your friends logic is very flawed and I don't think having a 100% electric car is going to be quite as liberating as you're thinking it will be.
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Mar 7, 2013 03:47
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100% Dundee posted:I'm pretty sure electricity still costs money, unfortunately. It should be cheaper than gas, but its definitely not $0. Especially since you live in a place that charges $200 a month for parking, I imagine electricity is not very cheap. It turns out that the Seattle charging geography is actually VERY robust (a few hundred stations downtown alone), and I can charge for free at work (and have needed a range of more than 50 miles approximately 0% of the time since I've been here), so for my needs, it makes sense. I think my biggest gripe is parting with a car I have a history with; It's corny, but I want to ensure it gets a proper home. Or dies on me. Whichever comes first. When she told me that, the math I did in my head is that it would cost me $10K to keep this van for another five years, so I can see where she's coming from; Still, part of me thinks it's better to drive this one until it stops and then see the capabilities of the most recent models when that happens.
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Mar 7, 2013 03:57
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What makes her think that there'll be $0 maintenance? There are still going to be wear items, unless I'm missing something. Also, you should sit down and actually calculate how much money you'd save. The amount of money you're putting to your van would pay off your leaf in something like a decade. You could also consider a used Prius if you want to feel smug. Edit: there's also your last point. They'll still be making electric cars in five/ten years and they'll almost certainly be better. powderific fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Mar 7, 2013 |
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Mar 7, 2013 04:08
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Squirrel Burger posted:It turns out that the Seattle charging geography is actually VERY robust (a few hundred stations downtown alone), and I can charge for free at work (and have needed a range of more than 50 miles approximately 0% of the time since I've been here), so for my needs, it makes sense. I think my biggest gripe is parting with a car I have a history with; It's corny, but I want to ensure it gets a proper home. Or dies on me. Whichever comes first. Sounds like you have it all pretty figured out, I would say go for it. Being able to charge the car for free is a pretty fantastic bonus. $2k/year for a old beat up minivan doesn't seem like a very good way to spend your money to me, regardless of your history with said vehicle. I guess if you ever needed to go on a longer trip or haul a bunch of poo poo, you could easily just rent a vehicle as well. Another thing is don't you get all kinds of tax incentives and stuff for buying a fully electric car, that might even skew it further in favor of getting the Leaf.
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Mar 7, 2013 04:09
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Hi thread, I'm in the market for a new car! Proposed Budget: $15K-$20K, can go higher for a new car. Will likely pay cash. New or Used: Used but still late model. Willing to consider new. Body Style: Hatchback, sedan, or small SUV (crossover?) How will you be using the car?: Daily 25-50 mile work commute + lots of driving for weekend activities. Also I take my dog to the dog park a lot. 15-20K miles per year. What aspects are most important to you? Reliability and total cost of ownership rank highest. Auxilery port or bluetooth is a must and a good factory stereo is a plus. I want it to be dog friendly (I don't even know what this means -- no leather and easy load/unload access I guess). I'm leaning towards a 2012-2013 Hyundai Veloster or a 2010-2013 Mazda 3 hatch. I owned a 2010 Mazda3 for roughly a year and really liked it but it's with my ex now. I like the MPG of both cars but prefer the styling of the Veloster. My only concern is that the back window is very tiny and I don't like having blind spots with the amount of interstate driving I do. Just browsing Edmunds there are some 2012 Velosters (the first model year) with roughly 20K miles for $19K give or take. I live in Dallas. Basically, are there any gotchas with these two cars or is there another car I should consider? My current vehicle is a 2000 Nissan Altima that I've pretty well ridden to dust at 160K miles. The minor problems are stacking up and I will probably give it to a family member, so no trade-in.
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Mar 8, 2013 22:42
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Anyone really knowledgeable on the X-Plan stuff from Ford? A local dealer is willing to sell me a 2013 Focus Titanium with no options except the White Metallic paint for $22.6k including TTL. I know they are running $2500 on incentives on the Focus right now which is included in that price. The X-Plan was almost $1k higher, or that's at least what he told me. Does it make sense for the dealer to do a sale without the X-Plan or am I missing something?
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Mar 9, 2013 23:01
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It sounds like he may not be giving you one of the incentives or rebates with the X-Plan pricing but he is with the other. In theory, X-Plan should be cheaper. The dealer should be starting there, and then add in the incentives, rebates, loyalty cash, and dealer specific rebates. If he does that, I don't quite see how his "regular offer" could be beating the X-Plan. I suspect he's giving you a dealer specific rebate on the cheaper offer, but not including it on the X-Plan offer for some reason. What is the actual pricing on just the vehicle, not including the TT&L? Caveat - I am more familiar with the Chrysler Affiliate program than the Ford X-Plan, but the fundamentals should be the same. Invoice +/- whatever, then subtract all eligible factory rebates, dealer rebates, incentives, bonus and loyalty cash, any holdback you get out of them, and boom, final sales price.
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Mar 9, 2013 23:27
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Madbullogna posted:It sounds like he may not be giving you one of the incentives or rebates with the X-Plan pricing but he is with the other. In theory, X-Plan should be cheaper. The dealer should be starting there, and then add in the incentives, rebates, loyalty cash, and dealer specific rebates. If he does that, I don't quite see how his "regular offer" could be beating the X-Plan. I suspect he's giving you a dealer specific rebate on the cheaper offer, but not including it on the X-Plan offer for some reason. What is the actual pricing on just the vehicle, not including the TT&L? Not 100% sure since the dealer is closed, but I'd say right around 21k to 21.2k before TTL.
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Mar 10, 2013 02:55
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powderific posted:What makes her think that there'll be $0 maintenance? There are still going to be wear items, unless I'm missing something. Also, you should sit down and actually calculate how much money you'd save. The amount of money you're putting to your van would pay off your leaf in something like a decade. You could also consider a used Prius if you want to feel smug. I ran these numbers for my situation, and in at least the first three years your maintenance on a Leaf consists of: *Rotate tires every six months *Replace tires as needed (likely once in that timeframe, the Ecopias aren't known for long life) I'm sure eventually it will need suspension work as those bits wear out, but the drivetrain is intended to be (and actually can/should be) maintenance-free. There's no oil to change, the transmission is just a single fixed gear so it's easy on its fluid, and there's no other mechanical system (like fuel) to manage. The only reason I don't have a three-year lease on a Leaf right now is that I don't have charging at work sorted out, and my round-trip range is likely a full charge of a new battery after accounting for my preferred cruising speed (between 70 and 80) and heavy HVAC much of the year. Derating the battery by another 30% to account for its likely condition by the end of the lease means either I'm not making it home, or having to stop at a charge station, or killing HVAC / slowing down by 15-20MPH on US60 and defeating the purpose of the HOV tags. If I could even get a 120V charge at work for eight hours, it'd completely recharge my battery before I went home and range wouldn't remotely be a concern for me. Shame, because I'd love to be paying about $25/mo in electricity than $180/mo in gas.
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Mar 10, 2013 07:01
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Bovril Delight posted:Not 100% sure since the dealer is closed, but I'd say right around 21k to 21.2k before TTL. Following up on this. $20,749 before TTL for a Titanium Hatch with the Titanium Handling Package. Feels like a pretty good deal.
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Mar 11, 2013 23:50
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I suppose this is an awfully generic question, but can anyone tell me what I should be thinking about when deciding whether or not I want a hybrid-electric car over an equivalent fully-gasoline one? Specifically, I'm looking at the Ford Fusion for my next car, though I'm still curious in a general sense even if the Fusion is particularly bad or good as a hybrid. Not sure what I need to know to, well, know if the $5000 extra for the hybrid is worth it in the long run or not, besides guesstimating on my annual mileage and the MPG ratings on the site (which are never accurate anyway in my experience). What little guidance I can gleam (read: google and hearsay) says 'not until gas is $6/gal or so and probably not even then' so I'm kind of leery in any event. Ciaphas fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Mar 13, 2013 |
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Mar 13, 2013 04:00
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Ciaphas posted:I suppose this is an awfully generic question, but can anyone tell me what I should be thinking about when deciding whether or not I want a hybrid-electric car over an equivalent fully-gasoline one? Specifically, I'm looking at the Ford Fusion for my next car, though I'm still curious in a general sense even if the Fusion is particularly bad or good as a hybrid. Not sure what I need to know to, well, know if the $5000 extra for the hybrid is worth it in the long run or not, besides guesstimating on my annual mileage and the MPG ratings on the site (which are never accurate anyway in my experience). How many miles do you drive a year? What percentage freeway v. city? How long do you plan to own the car?
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Mar 13, 2013 04:13
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Sorry, I knew I was forgetting some details. I drive about 9.5k annually, about fifty/fifty city and highway (most of the city being from the four-times-weekly work to-and-fro). Only answer I can give you for how long I want to keep it is 'at least five years'; beyond that I'd need a crystal ball 
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Mar 13, 2013 04:52
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Ciaphas posted:Sorry, I knew I was forgetting some details. I drive about 9.5k annually, about fifty/fifty city and highway (most of the city being from the four-times-weekly work to-and-fro). Only answer I can give you for how long I want to keep it is 'at least five years'; beyond that I'd need a crystal ball At 9.5k mi/yr and 50/50 is assuming current fuel prices that vs 2.5 - $750/yr 2.0 - $750/yr 1.6 - $700/yr If the price premium is $5k, it probably isn't worth it. You just don't drive enough. If you drove 20,000 it probably would. Similarly with less miles and more city (hybrids do better in the city). I suspect this bears out to about $5/gal gas. Also note that ford hybrids seem to be suffering in the real world MPGs more than other cars, including normal fords, so the savings might be less. Note however, that a hybrid might have better resale value at the end though, particularly if prices go up.
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Mar 13, 2013 06:49
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Ciaphas posted:I suppose this is an awfully generic question, but can anyone tell me what I should be thinking about when deciding whether or not I want a hybrid-electric car over an equivalent fully-gasoline one? I'm in the same boat! Proposed Budget: $14k New or Used: Used, around 2010 Body Style: Hatchback, sedan How will you be using the car?: 100 miles round trip for work daily!!! That's 25,000 miles per year, just for work. What aspects are most important to you? Mpg mpg mpg. Safety. Cruise control. My car of choice right now is a 2010 Honda Insight EX. According to my rough calculations, my current car, a 2001 Protege, will cost me $3509 in gas for that work commute per year (assuming 27 mpg highway). The Insight? $1974 (assuming 48 mpg highway). That comes out to about $128 in gas savings per month with the Insight, which would go a long way to offset the cost of the loan and insurance. Assuming I found that exact car with a clean Carfax for $13-14k, should I bite? Toothy fucked around with this message at 07:12 on Mar 13, 2013 |
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Mar 13, 2013 07:06
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nm posted:At 9.5k mi/yr and 50/50 is assuming current fuel prices that vs Well if anything it's going to be even LESS city driving in the months to come, now that I think about it, since a major reconstruction project wrapping up this fall on the local highway is going to make that a lot less horrible to try to use. Good to know it won't add up without more driving or less premium. Are hybrids necessarily more expensive/costly/annoying to maintain, or perhaps (somehow) less so?
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Mar 13, 2013 07:26
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When dealers call you to offer to sell your car on consignment, what's the deal? I got posed a pretty good price -- how do the contracts actually work out? I'm being cynical and assuming the price they mentioned wouldn't be what I get. Where's the hidden catch?
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Mar 13, 2013 19:06
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Hybrids are a fairly mature technology, but it is an increase in complexity. Just off of the top of my head what the big dollar items are: electric motor, the battery, any circuits for regenerative braking. All of those aren't present on a normal ICE car, but it is a mature technology and warranties cover the electric drivetrain specifically for 100k miles.
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Mar 13, 2013 20:24
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Proposed Budget: ~$30,000 New or Used: either Body Style: coupe How will you be using the car?: short commute & road trips What aspects are most important to you? Compromise between reliability and performance. I want a Dodge Challenger because I think it looks cool, but I don't know much about cars, and there are many different options and whatnot. I know I want a manual transmission since it's more fun to drive, so that restricts me to R/T and above models. I would be mostly using it for short commutes and long road trips - that's why I want a new car anyway, my '96 Camry is barely able to accelerate to highway speeds and stay at reasonable RPM.
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Mar 14, 2013 00:47
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Andy Dufresne posted:Hi thread, I'm in the market for a new car! Get a 2012+ Subaru Impreza (or at least consider it). Hatchback, 33MPG highway (manual)/36MPG highway (auto[cvt]), depending on options and new/used mileage you can hit 15-20K easy, has a good total cost of ownership. I should get pictures but I take my 2 x ~70 pound dogs in mine no problem, I like to put the back seats down so they are staying on my rubberized/plastic covered surfaces instead of the cloth seats. The sight lines are great, umm I have had no second thoughts or negatives with my car as I just rolled over 17K miles with almost a year of ownership.  edit: Not my car, just a GIS.
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Mar 14, 2013 02:50
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kimbo305 posted:When dealers call you to offer to sell your car on consignment, what's the deal? Find out what their cut is. Probably a percentage. I would venture a guess that the percentage is pretty close to whatever the difference is between auction value and retail value on your car. On a $10k car, they'd get $2k and you'd get $8k. The $8k is probably pretty close to auction value, and you could get that anywhere - notably CarFax - without waiting, and without risk.
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Mar 14, 2013 05:45
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photomikey posted:Generally speaking, anytime somebody is calling *you*, it is a good deal for them, and a bad deal for you. I searched for his name and found it out -- he just doesn't intend on honoring the contract at all. Clever.
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Mar 14, 2013 06:16
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Ciaphas posted:Are hybrids necessarily more expensive/costly/annoying to maintain, or perhaps (somehow) less so? Depends on the car. The prius is arguably the most reliable car Toyota makes. They Honda hybrids have had many more issues. Ford is probably in the middle. They are more like Toyota than honda (though the system is not a copy of Toyota, both companies just co-license each others hybrid patents to avoid suits), but I'm not sure the new Ford systems have enough track record. That said, unless you want to save the environment (which is fine), get a non-hybrid for your commute. pokie posted:Proposed Budget: ~$30,000 the Mustang will beat the poo poo out of it on the track, but if it is a Challenger you want, go forth and buy. Black or Orange (ideally with stripes or something) only. I have only driven the auto though, so i can't tell you if the manual shifts like a box of hammers.
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Mar 14, 2013 06:25
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nm posted:Depends on the car. The prius is arguably the most reliable car Toyota makes. They Honda hybrids have had many more issues. Great info, thanks a lot. Looks like I'll be sticking with a more ordinary engine when I get out there and buy. (On that last statement though, I thought I'd seen arguments that they're overall not much better for the environment than your average family sedan, when you take in to account the manufacturing processes for the electronics and batteries. Maybe just in terms of gasses emitted, but not overall in so far as that can actually be measured... I should look into that, satify my curiosity  )
Ciaphas fucked around with this message at 06:34 on Mar 14, 2013 |
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Mar 14, 2013 06:29
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Ciaphas posted:(On that last statement though, I thought I'd seen arguments that they're overall not much better for the environment than your average family sedan, when you take in to account the manufacturing processes for the electronics and batteries. Maybe just in terms of gasses emitted, but not overall in so far as that can actually be measured... I should look into that, satify my curiosity That study was based on the assumption that a prius wouldn't do more than 120k mi (the warranty lasts that long) and a hummer would do 350k mi. It was a sham.
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Mar 14, 2013 06:35
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Funny, I thought to myself 'wait a minute... now that I write that down, that sounds really stupid' almost as soon as I posted up there in the first place. I should write things down more often
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Mar 14, 2013 06:46
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nm posted:The challenger is loving awesome as long as you get it in a V8. This assumes you want a good looking rolling couch with a big engine. I don't think I am ready to race anything anywhere so Mustang's better engine stats are irrelevant. Why should I get the V8 version? Sure it has 50% more horsepower but why would I need it outside of racing? Are there any options to look out for or are they just bells and whistles?
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Mar 14, 2013 08:20
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Because 300 ft-lbs at 2000rpm is rad?
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Mar 14, 2013 13:00
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This is "AI meets BFC". From an AI perspective, more horsies = more better than. From a BFC perspective, an engine upgrade costs you money and possibly MPG with no increase in utility at all (unless maybe if you're going to haul a big trailer). Unless there's actually some known problem with the 6, where you'd want the V8 to avoid it, I'd say pick the engine based on what you want and need and feel is worth the money. nm, is there a problem with the 6?
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Mar 14, 2013 19:10
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I am a fan of the six in the mustang but if you're going for a challenger, spring for the V8, its really the soul of the vehicle. If you're looking at a musclecar you are not just operating from a BFC perspective of getting a reliable appliance and you will regret not going for the full experience. If you aren't interested in the R/T, I think something like the accord coupe would be a better choice. Challengers have been on the market for a while and there haven't been any substantial changes, you could probably find a good condition older V8 for the same price as a newer V6.
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Mar 14, 2013 19:24
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I think the fear with the V6 in the Challenger is that the Challenger is a considerably larger and heavier car than the Mustang - by about 400 pounds. Plus, the Challenger runs about $4k more than a V6 Mustang, which basically splits the difference between a base V6 Mustang and a base V8 Mustang. It really depends on what you want to use the car for. The reality is that the current crop of 300hp V6s is not the same as the wheezy and rough V6s that were in either of these cars in 2009. Ten years ago, 300hp is why you bought the V8 over the ~200hp V6s available in the Camaro and Mustang at the time. The V6 will still get spanked by the V8 models, but at least you won't get embarassed by a minivan, and you'll still get high school girls all the same But at the same time, Xguard86 is dead-on right. If you're buying a Challenger or a Mustang of any trim, you're already making a big decision to spend more on a car than you would normally need to in order to have equivalent interior room, features, and comfort during regular driving. You're paying that for the look, and to a varying extent depending on the trim, better performance when driving it hard.
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Mar 14, 2013 19:36
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Yup, I am certainly aware that getting a muscle car isn't the most rational decision, and my reasons come down to cool looks. Like I said I intend to take some long trips around the states in it and just regular commutes. I guess I will test drive both v6 and v8, but I am not an experienced driver nor do I intend to race so I am not really sure where I would feel the difference between v6 and v8. So as long as there are no problems with v6 I will probably go with that. So '09 models are not as good? What year range should I be looking at? I have spent a few hours looking at dealers' ads and the prices were kinda weird. '12 R/T goes for around 29k but looking at the new '13 R/T I found deals for 26k or so, which makes little sense. How do you figure out what's a good price? Also, I might consider looking at a Mustang as well - how do they compare reliability wise? I have heard a lot of complaints about Mustangs...
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Mar 14, 2013 19:52
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^^^^^^^^^^ The Mustang GT has had some issues with the manual transmission (I don't know about the V6, same box, but less power). The sync with the touch screen sucks. There's nothing wrong with the autos that avoid the sync (or a Gt500 which has a different MT, but that's a touch out of your price range). pokie posted:I don't think I am ready to race anything anywhere so Mustang's better engine stats are irrelevant. Why should I get the V8 version? Sure it has 50% more horsepower but why would I need it outside of racing? Are there any options to look out for or are they just bells and whistles? Because my station wagon is faster than a V6 challenger. Perhaps more importantly (my station wagon is pretty quick), it just isn't the same without toruq on demand and the growl. The challenger is a heavy rear end car, and it plain sucks with the V6. Also, quite frankly, the V6 challenger is for lame people. Leperflesh posted:
In that it makes the car boring as hell? Yes. Seriously, this is a car about being a big, loud car with lots of power. If you're not willing to get the V8, you should get something more reasonable. Honestly, the fuel economy I got on the V8, which has MDS was fine. It isn't a prius, but it will cruise just fine at 25mpg. Mine was an auto, the stick does not come with MDS. Please note that as you're coming from a camry, the V6 may feel like t has enough power. I promise you in a year you'll wish you had the V8. Oh and make sure the saleman lets you floor the V8 up an on-ramp. Woooo. nm fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Mar 15, 2013 |
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Mar 15, 2013 06:36
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Oh, I am a dumbass. V6 doesn't even come with manual. For some reason I thought that R/T was V6 too. It's not. I actually meant to ask about the difference between R/T and SRT8. It's a difference of 100 hp and $10k. I could afford it, I guess, but am not sure it would be worth it.
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Mar 15, 2013 08:20
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