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Although I'm not ready yet, I might be looking to buy a car in the somewhat near future. Out of curiosity, is there a general rule of thumb as to what the maximum car loan you should take out based on your income? I know this is going to vary greatly based on the interest rate, but say I have a starting salary of $50k. How much room does that give me? Would a 10k car be too much in that situation? edit: Sorry, after doing more research it seems like this is a bit of a silly question. Looking at some calculators, it looks like a $15k loan @ 3.99% for 36 months is only $450/month or so. Gives me a bit of a ballpark number, at least. Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 00:09 on Jun 12, 2010 |
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Jun 11, 2010 23:46
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Throatwarbler: Just want to say thanks for opening my eyes on this a bit. Ever since I read your post in AI (I think), it's changed my eyes on leasing versus buying. Some of you need to realize that he's NOT arguing against leasing a new car versus buying a 2-3 year old used car. Everyone knows that the 2-3 year old car is the better deal in the end. This isn't the earth-shattering news that some of you make it out to be. Quick question for you, just to complete my understanding of this. If you're interested in leasing a car, you would want to negotiate for both the lowest buy price as well as the lowest buyout price, correct? So you could lose ground on one to make some up on the other?
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Jun 14, 2010 17:41
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I'm looking at buying a VW GTI. A new one can be purchased for 24-25k, the used ones I'm looking at are 2009s for 16k. I'd like the car to get me through at least the next 5 years with regular maintenance. Any thoughts on whether that's a good value?
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Mar 20, 2012 23:40
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Cross postin' this from AI since it might be a better fit here? What's a good starting point for negotiating used car prices with a dealer? The car I'm looking at (08-10 VW GTI) show a trade in price of 14.5k, PP of 16k, and dealer retail of 17.5k. I see them listed for 18-19k. Where should I go in on this price wise? Is it stupid to expect to get it for 16k? Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 12:46 on Mar 27, 2012 |
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Mar 27, 2012 12:44
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dreesemonkey posted:If you're in no hurry and find a car that you would be happy with let them know you're a serious buyer at $XX,XXX and walk if they can't meet the price. Don't pay more than you want to. Leave the sales person/manager your information and tell them to call you if they can meet your price. I guess my question is whether expecting to pay the PP price from a dealer is unreasonable for some reason. Would doing something like the Rizzo method work for a used car?
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Mar 27, 2012 16:04
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What kind of insurance policy minimums should I be looking at? I've been told 100k/300k/100k, but that seems low. Nevertheless I don't see every company offering more. I've also heard that physicians should purchase more car insurance. Is there any truth to this?
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Apr 16, 2012 21:09
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Bovril Delight posted:You ideally want enough limits to protect your assets. If you are a physician earning a sizable amount, I would say you should go for 250/500/250 or a 500 combined single limit (CSL). Depending on how much you are earning and your assets you may seriously want to consider an umbrella policy. If you're sporting a 1 million nest egg and you go and seriously hurt someone, you want to have that policy to avoid getting the piss sued out of you. Do future earnings apply to this? My current income isn't very high but my future earning potential is pretty substantial. Would I need an umbrella policy in this case?
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Apr 17, 2012 04:33
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My 2010 GTI hasn't given me any trouble yet.  Why did I post this?
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Dec 31, 2012 20:44
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I've been tasked with helping my sister (24, living in LA, and just starting her first job earning $50kish/year) find a replacement for her 1996 Toyota Celica. The details: Budget: 14-16k New or Used: Used Body Style: Preferably 2 door/coupe/sporty How will you be using the car?: Mainly sitting in LA traffic Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?): She'd definitely prefer it What aspects are most important to you? Style (her) followed by reliability/cost-of-ownership (her family) My sister's surprisingly reasonable about it and does not want to buy a used 3-series/A4/C-class. She's currently got her eye on an Altima Coupe. My parents currently have a 2007 Nissan Altima which has been reliable if not a bit dull to drive. Anyone have any objections to the Altima Coupe or alternatives?
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Jun 17, 2013 16:29
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Throatwarbler posted:2009-ish base model MINI can be had for that much, the reliability's not so great but there's lots of style there to overcome that. A Mazda RX8 from the same period will also do if she can handle a manual transmission. A base model V6 Mustang from the last generation is around that much as well, and are pretty reliable by all accounts, if that kind of "style" fits her image. Duuuuude, she's okay with a Nissan Altima Coupe: don't put those thoughts in her head. There's no way I'm going to find her a newish and "reliable" Mini for that much. She can drive a manual but I don't think I'd get her an RX-8. I'll give you the Mustang. Any objections to the Altima Coupe for my sister? Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Jun 18, 2013 |
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Jun 18, 2013 04:27
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My dad's looking to buy a car to replace his 1999 Passat and is looking into 2013 Infiniti G37s. I would imagine it should be pretty solid overall as the engine's been around forever, has that Japanese reliability, and I imagine it shares a lot of parts with Nissans. Any thoughts?
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Mar 30, 2014 15:15
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I currently have a 2010 VW GTI with 45k miles on it. It's comfortable, practical, sporty, reliable (knock on wood) and I have about 6k left off to pay at 2%. Someone please tell the tiny stupid voice inside me that selling it in order to get a used mid-2000s Porsche would be a hilarious mistake and I should just wait 3 more years until I can easily afford it.
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Jul 28, 2014 17:11
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skipdogg posted:I don't know what your financial situation is, but that is a dumbass idea. I think you've just starting making the big bucks in your career, you should drive that GTI, pay it off, and keep it until you can pay cash for a used Porsche. Yeah you're right. Thanks man.
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Jul 28, 2014 19:01
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skipdogg posted:Or I can play Devil's advocate, if you plan on starting down the usually marriage/family path soon the Window for a Porsche is closing, and you might be better off doing it now so you can enjoy it before you buy your new minivan. I had a ridiculous car in my 20's before kids and it was worth it. The BFC answer is to wait and save, the AI answer is to do it now while you can. Got some time with this. Besides, that's what why they make the 911 right? 
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Jul 28, 2014 21:15
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nm posted:And then you should buy a 993, not a mid 2000s one. Definitely, but at this time I'm looking for a daily driver (5k miles/year and I can also take public transportation). Rationality wins out yet again.
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Jul 28, 2014 22:52
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Ford Flex/Explorer should be on your list, the newer unibody ones. What's the reputation of the new Grand Cherokees reliability wise? My friend bought a new one last year and it's constantly been in and out for repair for electronic gremlins/transmission issues. Is his just a bad egg?
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Aug 3, 2014 16:49
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This is for my dad. Proposed Budget: 20k or so New or Used: Used or New Body Style: 4 Door sedan How will you be using the car?: My dad is an exec who has been driving a 1999 Passat since he bought it used at the end of 2000. It now has >200k miles on it, has peeling paint, and he wants to replace it. He's mainly going to be using this to commute to work about 24 miles/day, with the occasional, 2-3x/year road trip of 600 miles or so. What aspects are most important to you? (e.g. reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, import/domestic, MPG, size, style): Mainly reliability, comfort, and mpg. He can do a lot of his own maintenance if needed. Manual transmission preferred but not required. He's lately been looking at slightly used/new Mazda 6s and Infiniti G37s, but he's up for pretty much anything as long as it's not more than a few years old. Budget is around 20k, give or take.
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Aug 23, 2014 21:15
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Don't do an extended warranty. They always have holes that you can drive a truck through. It makes me wonder if the circlejerk jalopnik/demuro give to Carmax is warranted in any way.
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Aug 24, 2014 18:08
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I see cash for clunkers getting thrown around a lot still, but does anyone really have any data that it's still having a significant effect over 5 years after it ended? The most popular cars traded in during the program were late 90s SUVs. I don't doubt that it's still having some effect, but I'm not sure it's the primary reason you can't find a cheap early-mid 2000s Civic/Corolla. My guess is that it's simply because cars have gotten more expensive in general and the economy has rebounded a bit. Paid off my (used) 2010 GTI this week.  quote:New car sales and especially leases (that are the majority of the low mileage, barely used car market) tanked after 2007. This had knock on effects throughout the entire used care market. Yeah, exactly. Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 17:22 on Dec 13, 2014 |
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Dec 13, 2014 16:26
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Proposed Budget: 40-60k New or Used: New or CPO Body Style: SUV/Wagon of some sort How will you be using the car?: Mainly commuting, with an occasional longer road trip Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? Yes What aspects are most important to you? Visibility, ease of driving, comfort My girlfriend and I are looking for a new daily driver/commuter for her. We're looking to decide on something in the next several months (early fall), and she'd prefer a small-medium sized SUV. So far, we've loved the XC90, but we're not planning on having kids soon and it's honestly a bit large for us right now. She loves the idea of the V90, but that's probably not going to be significantly smaller and realistically won't be out until the Spring. We test drove the Q5, but the interior/technology is incredibly dated compared to something like the XC90. We've liked the X5s we've been in, so that's also an option, but we haven't tried the X3 yet. She really likes the look of the outgoing GLK and isn't a huge fan of the look of the GLC that replaced it. The reviews of the GLK that I've read have been largely positive, so is there any reason not to go with one if she likes it? I'm outside of my comfort zone with small SUVs.
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Jun 6, 2016 20:20
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Throatwarbler posted:There's a new Q5 and a new X3 coming out next year I think, so presumably there should be big discounts on this year's models. The Q5/X3 are on the list, but when we drove the Q5 right after the XC90, the interior felt pretty old. I doubt the new X3/Q5 are going to come out this fall, unfortunately. We'll take a look at the LR4/Discovery as well, but the reliability is kind of scary. KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:What about the V60/XC60? Not as good as the XC90 but still a decent ride. Do you care about AWD? Afaik, they haven't been updated yet either. Any thoughts on 2015 GLKs? The girlfriend seems to really like them, and it seems to be the best reviewed out of the recent X3/Q5.
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Jun 6, 2016 21:44
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Throatwarbler posted:Visibility on the XC60 is decent. I think the interior quality is pretty good for its price range and hasn't aged much, because it was pretty minimalist to begin with. We've taken a look at the XC60 and she's not a huge fan. The technology in it is also light-years behind the XC90 which she didn't like. Bummer about the GLK since it's one that she really likes. Lexus is out because for whatever reason she associates that one with soccer moms more than anything else. No, I don't get it either. fyodor posted:No Porsche Macan/Cayenne? If you don't care about interior size then you get everything else you want. She really likes the Macan but isn't sure she wants to be driving a Porsche. Maybe we'll take another look though. KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Nothing about that dude's post indicated that he cares about the nature of the AWD system or even having AWD. AWD is a non-issue. Shopping for these things is so much more of a pain than I thought it'd be, especially when I'm not the one that's going to be the primary one driving it. 
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Jun 7, 2016 15:09
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:this whole thing reinforces my Family Harmony buying concept which is that: you jointly set a budget number and then let the other person do whatever the gently caress they want That's pretty much what's happening. If it were up to me she'd wait for the V90 wagon 
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Jun 7, 2016 19:12
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Proposed Budget: 40-50kish New or Used: New or gently used/certified Body Style: Small-Midsize SUV How will you be using the car?: Commuting. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? Yes What aspects are most important to you? Style, comfort, ease of driving, current availability The girlfriend and I are finally going car shopping for her in the next week or two. We're looking primarily at either the BMW X3 or a gently used Macan, but are open to pretty much any comparable small SUV that's currently available. I get the feeling this isn't the ideal time to buy a small SUV since the X3/Q5 are about to be replaced, but we're looking at getting something within the next month or two.
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Aug 16, 2016 12:18
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Twerk from Home posted:I've actually heard the Macan is pretty great, is that not true? I have a Cayman, the GF has a Macan. The Macan's not bad.
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Oct 20, 2016 01:52
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Deteriorata posted:CR's reliability ratings are nowhere near as accurate as they would like you to think. The statistical value of many of their distinctions is pretty dubious. There simply aren't enough cars of most make/model/year combinations to make valid comparisons to others with the kind of accuracy they claim. What would you suggest using for reliability then?
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Apr 5, 2017 04:16
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Proposed Budget: 20-40k New or Used: Either Body Style: (e.g. 2 door? 4 door? Compact/Midsize/Fullsize Sedan? Truck? SUV?) 4 door hatch/wagon How will you be using the car?: (Do you tow things? Haul more than 5 people on a regular basis? Have a super long commute? How are you going to use this vehicle? Daily driver to occasionally commute in, take our dog in, and potentially a baby in the next few years. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? Something nice-ish What aspects are most important to you? Ideally a manual transmission and fun to drive. My last car was a Cayman, which is a bit impractical for a baby/dog. I'm going to get another fun car in the next year or two, but I need something to use as a daily driver, and the less I spend on this the better I'll feel about getting something fun. I'm not sure whether just to bite the bullet and get another GTI (I used to have a 2010 GTI which was great) or if there's anything else I should consider. Golf R? Used M3? Used C63? Some sort of other BMW/Audi? I think about something like an E90 but then wonder whether it makes sense to rely on an 8 year old car with a high strung engine as a daily driver. How much of a PITA would it be to put a rear-facing car seat in an M2/911?
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Jan 9, 2019 02:40
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Proposed Budget: 5-10kish? New or Used: Used Body Style: 4-door, maybe even a wagon? How will you be using the car?: Beater for getting groceries, taking dog to the park, maybe driving to work on occasion. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? Not at this price, but a way to connect my iPhone for Waze would be nice. I'm looking for something to use as a beater to drive around our neighborhood. I usually take the train to work, so this really just be to use to grab groceries on the occasions that I can't use my wife's car, she's on call/needs the car, etc. Is there anything that'd be better than, say, a used GTI of some sort? Am I missing something obvious? Is a Volvo/Mercedes wagon just asking for trouble at this price point? The budget is somewhat flexible, but there's a part of me that doesn't want to spend a lot of money on something we'll only be using on occasion. Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Feb 24, 2019 |
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Feb 24, 2019 23:36
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zapplez posted:At that price point you 100% should be avoiding Volvo/Benz/BMW/Audi. I'm in the Philadelphia area.
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Feb 25, 2019 00:32
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Motronic posted:Miata Oh no, Cayman is happening too (again, or maybe a Boxster Spyder), but I need something I won't feel bad putting a muddy dog in to.
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Feb 25, 2019 00:59
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Motronic posted:Then it's the Suby. They were actually designed for that. Thoughts on something like this? https://www.fredbeanssubaru.com/used/Subaru/2006-Subaru-Impreza-for-sale-doylestown-172d31520a0e0ae87afe8cc730e434f0.htm edit: lol https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...ickType=listing
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Feb 25, 2019 02:41
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Am I remembering right that Subarus had a reputation for rusting away?
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Feb 25, 2019 03:44
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Does this look like a bad idea for a beater? https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/d/philadelphia-2007-subaru-impreza-25i/6841062961.html
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Mar 17, 2019 20:36
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Yeah dealer didn't seem to know much about the car. Really wish there were more options for beater wagons. /Me wonders just how terrible a 2000 land Rover Discovery could be. Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 11:26 on Mar 19, 2019 |
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Mar 19, 2019 11:08
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Motronic posted:Bad enough that it will leave you stranded when the cooling system asplodes. But enough about BMWs.
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Mar 19, 2019 16:28
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 but they look so cool driving around.I need a car for occasional commuting/groceries and keep on waffling between a shitbox from copart, something reasonable like a new/gently used GTI, and just saying "gently caress it" and buying something like a cool wagon. Plus a new weekend sports car.
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Mar 21, 2019 22:48
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Question for which car I should buy as an extra car/beater. Proposed Budget: Somewhat flexible, but ideally under $20k New or Used: Used Body Style: Wagon/Hatchback How will you be using the car?: Essentially an extra car. We have a Macan for my wife to commute in (25k miles/year) and take trips in, but we need a car for me to occasionally take to work/commute in when the train is delayed/not running, running errands when my wife is on call/can't be without a car, etc. Right now it's just the two of us and a dog, but at some point in the next 2 years we'll probably start having kids. I'm trying to decide between two cars: 2014 BMW 328xi wagon: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=510715309. Essentially will be 18k OTD. 2013 Volkswagen GTI Driver's Edition: PP around here for $8k + tax = $8500. 100k miles, clean carfax, 6 speed. I used to have a 2010 GTI that was great. Will be paying cash for either. Am I wrong in thinking the GTI is the better deal for our use case?
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Mar 23, 2019 23:57
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I've had Geico for years because they've always been hilariously cheaper than State Farm, and also have up to $1M in liability. I don't know what it is about their actuarial tables that make us much cheaper for them than everyone else. 
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May 26, 2019 15:44
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Number_6 posted:Does GEICO still hate sports cars? Many years ago I was a young man (but over 25) with a Camaro and they kept hiking my rates for no reason (clean record) until I was forced to leave. I switched to State Farm for literally like 40% of what GEICO was charging me (same car, same coverage). I've insured a Cayman and Boxster with them and they've always been the cheapest.
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Jun 4, 2019 16:05
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Motronic posted:The Toyota dealership I bought the land cruiser from is just so downmarket and poo poo compared to the lexus dealership, right next door and owned by the same group, that I would have bought the lexus version if I was the kind of person who did dealer service. We had one warranty claim and one service (part of the sale was agreeing to update the nav) on the LC and it was pretty awful. I can't imagine anyone spending $70+k on a non-pickup are going to want to deal with that kind of poo poo. Which Toyota dealership was this, out of curiosity? And moving foward, only Lexus Land Cruisers are being brought to the US right?
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Dec 1, 2019 23:08
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