Need a new car - which one? (1 Viewer)

[fruity pebbles]

Can’t comment on BMW but Volkswagens I’ve owned have been the biggest pieces of junk of any car brand I’ve bought. My wife insisted on a Tiguan a couple years ago. Brand new and was in the shop for a half dozen issues before it hit 30,000 miles. Couldn’t wait to sell that thing.

 

[dkp993]

I have been driving Nissan Maxima's since 1990.

Best 4 door sports car ever made.

I currently own my 2018 SR Midnight Edition with 66K paid for. I bought it off my lease in 2021 for 17K and slapped a 5 year 100K warranty on it for $1500. Got a 2% car loan at the time and paid her off this past December. What's insane is all in I paid 37K for this beast. Today a new Maxima like this runs you close to 50K.

God I love this car. We will be driving her for at least another 5 years easy.

I've had a Volvo S60 that i wouldn't call a sports car but it does have a lot of pick up in it and when you get them off lease with the comfy seats, hard to beat
I've always wanted a Maxima, pretty sure that car would make mine look like it was in neutral off the line.

Other brand we buy a lot is Subaru, incredibly reliable

those 2 brands are what my wife and I have drove for ages but her Volvo XC 60 has been nothing but trouble.Now she wants a Tesla Y. The Subaru’s have been bulletproof, only problem was a battery issue. Really like the current XT turbos

That’s the problem with Volvos. Over the last 10 years or so their SUVs and sedans are some of the best looking interior and exterior cars on the road in in my opinion. But their reliability is atrocious and as a reason why I didn’t buy one when I was shopping. The Swedes have not figured out reliability yet.

Eek. Just bought a new XC60 last week. My wife and I both liked the interior and exterior, as you said — better than the other cars in that class. I guess will see how lucky I get on the reliability front.

Congrats on the purchase! As it’s new you should be good for a while. Drive it and enjoy.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Wife & I have bought 1 new car in our lives - in Dec 2015 we bought a 2016 Honda Pilot. Just took it in for servicing this AM; 62K miles and never had an issue. I don't regret the purchase since it's been rock solid, road trips are worry free, etc. But in retrospect I wonder if such an investment was truly wise considering the limited amount of driving over 8 years. Probably would have been better off buying something 4-6 years old. When we were car shopping in 2016, the "buy 2 years old" theory was already overpriced.

What do you mean overpriced in 2016? I bought my current car (RX 350) in 2017 and it was 2 years old with 19k miles. I paid 37k for it and brand new was 55k for my model/options. I’ve driven it for 6 years now and added 90k miles. I basically paid the same price (my cost minus its current worth) as the person who bought it new and I’ve driven it twice as long. It’s barely over 100k so I plan to drive it 2-3 more years and then give it to my oldest as his car will be close to end of life.

Anyway, I don’t think the buy it two years old scenario was overpriced until post-pandemic. It certainly wasn’t in 2017.

It probably depends/depended on the type of car. When I was shopping for a Pilot right before the pandemic, the discount on slightly used cars of that and similar models wasn't worth it.

I’d think Honda and Lexus (Toyota too) would be very similar. I don’t know about right before the pandemic, but back in 2016/2017, two year old SUVs that I was looking at definitely weren’t at a point where buying two year old cars wasn’t a decent deal. I looked at a lot of models. The pandemic changed that completely around.

Also, were you looking at certified used Hondas? I absolutely didn’t think the Lexus certified used RXs were worth the price. Carmax, others and private parties were much better deals especially for two year old cars with healthy chunks of their manufacturer warranties. I’m talking thousands of dollars difference. When the pandemic hit, that’s when inventories of all used cars dried up completely.

i bought a Honda civic touring with 9K miles and a Toyota CHR 4K miles, both CPO, in 2016 and 2018. Got great deals on both.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Just drove a 2023 nissan pathfinder platinum on an 800 mile road trip. Pretty nice car. Man did it have a TON of tech in it.

 

[Orange&Blue]

looking for a used car for my kid.

looking for something safe, reliable, and something he won't be ashamed to drive. budget is 10k. any suggestions?

 

[fruity pebbles]

looking for a used car for my kid.

looking for something safe, reliable, and something he won't be ashamed to drive. budget is 10k. any suggestions?

Toyota Matrix

 

[pollardsvision]

looking for a used car for my kid.

looking for something safe, reliable, and something he won't be ashamed to drive. budget is 10k. any suggestions?

Hard to beat a Subaru.

Also, if he seems overly concerned about "something he won't be ashamed to drive", I would suggest dropping the budget to about $1500.

 

[Da Guru]

I have been driving Nissan Maxima's since 1990.

Best 4 door sports car ever made.

I currently own my 2018 SR Midnight Edition with 66K paid for. I bought it off my lease in 2021 for 17K and slapped a 5 year 100K warranty on it for $1500. Got a 2% car loan at the time and paid her off this past December. What's insane is all in I paid 37K for this beast. Today a new Maxima like this runs you close to 50K.

God I love this car. We will be driving her for at least another 5 years easy.

I've had a Volvo S60 that i wouldn't call a sports car but it does have a lot of pick up in it and when you get them off lease with the comfy seats, hard to beat
I've always wanted a Maxima, pretty sure that car would make mine look like it was in neutral off the line.

Other brand we buy a lot is Subaru, incredibly reliable

those 2 brands are what my wife and I have drove for ages but her Volvo XC 60 has been nothing but trouble.Now she wants a Tesla Y. The Subaru’s have been bulletproof, only problem was a battery issue. Really like the current XT turbos

Had a Volvo S80, loved the interior and it was built like a tank. That being said it was a piece a junk. The whole electrical system kept malfunctioning. i would start the car and every warning light would be on. Took 5 times for service to find out what was wrong and get it fixed. Dumped that car as fast as I could.

 

[Hawks64]

I hate taking cars to mechanics which is why I will never own a German made vehicle. Impressive machines, unfortunately they require way too much maintenance and tuning. it’s not even the cash, it’s dealing with mechanics/dealerships.


The only car I’m looking at is the new Nissan Z. I keep driving past the dealer hoping to see it in the showroom.

BMW service is without a doubt, the finest dealer service department I've ever taken my car to.

I’m sure they are, german everything requires constant maintenance.

I’m not knocking their performance - they just tend to over think things.

Interesting as I have had two Mercedes in the last 5 years. Zero issues. With is on her 2nd Rover with her only issue being an infotainment software problem.

 

[Phil Elliott]

I have been driving Nissan Maxima's since 1990.

Best 4 door sports car ever made.

I currently own my 2018 SR Midnight Edition with 66K paid for. I bought it off my lease in 2021 for 17K and slapped a 5 year 100K warranty on it for $1500. Got a 2% car loan at the time and paid her off this past December. What's insane is all in I paid 37K for this beast. Today a new Maxima like this runs you close to 50K.

God I love this car. We will be driving her for at least another 5 years easy.

I've had a Maxima. Liked it, didn't love it. A6 >>>> Maxima.
And not sure you can get a new Maxima like this for $50K. Nissan has discontinued the Maxima.

I had a 2014 A6 3.0. Great car but in classic Audi fashion I dumped it at a 120k. Audi’s get expensive over 100k.

I have a 2017 but only 50k on it. Great car. I had a prepaid maintenance plan up to 40k. You can buy additional maintenance plans, like 60k/70k and save several hundred $. The alternative of buying a replacement is more expensive.

 

[Snotbubbles]

Wife & I have bought 1 new car in our lives - in Dec 2015 we bought a 2016 Honda Pilot. Just took it in for servicing this AM; 62K miles and never had an issue. I don't regret the purchase since it's been rock solid, road trips are worry free, etc. But in retrospect I wonder if such an investment was truly wise considering the limited amount of driving over 8 years. Probably would have been better off buying something 4-6 years old. When we were car shopping in 2016, the "buy 2 years old" theory was already overpriced.

What do you mean overpriced in 2016? I bought my current car (RX 350) in 2017 and it was 2 years old with 19k miles. I paid 37k for it and brand new was 55k for my model/options. I’ve driven it for 6 years now and added 90k miles. I basically paid the same price (my cost minus its current worth) as the person who bought it new and I’ve driven it twice as long. It’s barely over 100k so I plan to drive it 2-3 more years and then give it to my oldest as his car will be close to end of life.

Anyway, I don’t think the buy it two years old scenario was overpriced until post-pandemic. It certainly wasn’t in 2017.

It probably depends/depended on the type of car. When I was shopping for a Pilot right before the pandemic, the discount on slightly used cars of that and similar models wasn't worth it.

Got lucky on the last car I bought, a Honda CR-V Touring. It had 2k miles on it. Apparently, someone bought it in January and traded it into the Lexus dealer in March. Got it for $5K cheaper than new when it was basically new.

I hate taking cars to mechanics which is why I will never own a German made vehicle. Impressive machines, unfortunately they require way too much maintenance and tuning. it’s not even the cash, it’s dealing with mechanics/dealerships.


The only car I’m looking at is the new Nissan Z. I keep driving past the dealer hoping to see it in the showroom.

BMW service is without a doubt, the finest dealer service department I've ever taken my car to.

I’m sure they are, german everything requires constant maintenance.

I’m not knocking their performance - they just tend to over think things.

I only leased my BMW's, but the first 3 years the car only needed normal wear & tear maintenance. I got out of leasing and now own a 2016 Ford Escape and 2021 Honda CR-V Touring. No major issues on either car, lucked out that I went from leasing to owning right before things hit the fan with the cars.

 

[Snotbubbles]

I hate taking cars to mechanics which is why I will never own a German made vehicle. Impressive machines, unfortunately they require way too much maintenance and tuning. it’s not even the cash, it’s dealing with mechanics/dealerships.


The only car I’m looking at is the new Nissan Z. I keep driving past the dealer hoping to see it in the showroom.

BMW service is without a doubt, the finest dealer service department I've ever taken my car to.

I’m sure they are, german everything requires constant maintenance.

I’m not knocking their performance - they just tend to over think things.

Interesting as I have had two Mercedes in the last 5 years. Zero issues. With is on her 2nd Rover with her only issue being an infotainment software problem.

I had a C240, that thing was in the shop every other month. Hated it, it's why I never bought another Mercedes.

 

[Orange&Blue]

looking for a used car for my kid.

looking for something safe, reliable, and something he won't be ashamed to drive. budget is 10k. any suggestions?

Hard to beat a Subaru.

Also, if he seems overly concerned about "something he won't be ashamed to drive", I would suggest dropping the budget to about $1500.

you can get a running car for $1500?

 

[fruity pebbles]

looking for a used car for my kid.

looking for something safe, reliable, and something he won't be ashamed to drive. budget is 10k. any suggestions?

Hard to beat a Subaru.

Also, if he seems overly concerned about "something he won't be ashamed to drive", I would suggest dropping the budget to about $1500.

you can get a running car for $1500?

Sure. It’s gonna be old and look like hell.

 

[Judge Smails]

So I’m not a huge car guy. Tried to be smart and have always bought cars that are about 2 years old with very low miles. Pay cash. I am still driving a 2005 Cadillac CTS that I bought in 2007 with 7K miles on it for 19K out the door. Has maybe 130K on it now. Wife has a 2005 GMC Suburban. Same thing. About 140K miles. We don’t drive much. I try to take Ubers or a car service to airports so it’s mostly local driving.

We want to both get new cars but start with me. Starting a new job next month where I’ll have to drive a good distance to HQ once a week, and I’ll be meeting/entertaining our physician customers. Can’t be taking them to lunch in that CTS. And it’s starting to have some issues need reliability.

So - which one? I want a sedan that’s comfortable and elegant. First thought was a Tesla or at least a high end hybrid. I want sporty but comfortable. Was thinking Tesla, BMW, Audi, Mercedes or something like that. With gas prices really thinking some electric option but I know some of my friends are holding out on electric as they will evolve. But everything evolves and you can’t wait forever. Note - I did own a BMW 540 before this car and the maintenance costs as they age was a turn off. Thought I’d never own a BMW again because I’d that. Another consideration. Want something that holds some semblance of value as well.

Any FBG’s go through similar decisions recently? I know it’s a terrible time to buy a car with dealer sticker above MSRP but I may not have a choice.

@Judge Smails what did you end up getting?

Audi A6. Absolutely love it. Did a lot of research and lots of comments about how Audi nailed the amenities which make a great experience and they are were spot on. Attention to every detail. Now I’m in the market for an SUV/larger crossover for Mrs Smails. She still has a 2005 Denali. What a workhorse that has been. Great for transporting a bunch of kids, sports equipment, our labs etc. We’ll probably keep it as no issues and it’s great for when you need something bigger. But it drives like a truck that it is. She likes to be higher up. Want to find something smaller than the Denali but has amenities

 

[Judge Smails]

I hate taking cars to mechanics which is why I will never own a German made vehicle. Impressive machines, unfortunately they require way too much maintenance and tuning. it’s not even the cash, it’s dealing with mechanics/dealerships.


The only car I’m looking at is the new Nissan Z. I keep driving past the dealer hoping to see it in the showroom.

BMW service is without a doubt, the finest dealer service department I've ever taken my car to.

I’m sure they are, german everything requires constant maintenance.

I’m not knocking their performance - they just tend to over think things.

How many have you owned?

That has not been our experience. I have had BMWs since 99.

We did have persistent issues with our A6 wagon

Everyone’s different. My 540i blew an engine at 100K miles and was a money pit. I’ll never own a BMW again. I have friends with new BMW’s and I like the ride and creature comforts of the Audi much better. But that’s just me

 

[Ridgeback]

I hate taking cars to mechanics which is why I will never own a German made vehicle. Impressive machines, unfortunately they require way too much maintenance and tuning. it’s not even the cash, it’s dealing with mechanics/dealerships.


The only car I’m looking at is the new Nissan Z. I keep driving past the dealer hoping to see it in the showroom.

BMW service is without a doubt, the finest dealer service department I've ever taken my car to.

I’m sure they are, german everything requires constant maintenance.

I’m not knocking their performance - they just tend to over think things.

How many have you owned?

That has not been our experience. I have had BMWs since 99.

We did have persistent issues with our A6 wagon

Everyone’s different. My 540i blew an engine at 100K miles and was a money pit. I’ll never own a BMW again. I have friends with new BMW’s and I like the ride and creature comforts of the Audi much better. But that’s just me

Audi>>BMW. Especially for style and design. We were shopping in 2019 for a replacement for my gf's 2003 BMW sedan and found the newer BMW's felt like suped up Toyotas. The Audi A3 was much nicer and the gun metal gray is gorgeous.

 

[stbugs]

Wife & I have bought 1 new car in our lives - in Dec 2015 we bought a 2016 Honda Pilot. Just took it in for servicing this AM; 62K miles and never had an issue. I don't regret the purchase since it's been rock solid, road trips are worry free, etc. But in retrospect I wonder if such an investment was truly wise considering the limited amount of driving over 8 years. Probably would have been better off buying something 4-6 years old. When we were car shopping in 2016, the "buy 2 years old" theory was already overpriced.

What do you mean overpriced in 2016? I bought my current car (RX 350) in 2017 and it was 2 years old with 19k miles. I paid 37k for it and brand new was 55k for my model/options. I’ve driven it for 6 years now and added 90k miles. I basically paid the same price (my cost minus its current worth) as the person who bought it new and I’ve driven it twice as long. It’s barely over 100k so I plan to drive it 2-3 more years and then give it to my oldest as his car will be close to end of life.

Anyway, I don’t think the buy it two years old scenario was overpriced until post-pandemic. It certainly wasn’t in 2017.

It probably depends/depended on the type of car. When I was shopping for a Pilot right before the pandemic, the discount on slightly used cars of that and similar models wasn't worth it.

I’d think Honda and Lexus (Toyota too) would be very similar. I don’t know about right before the pandemic, but back in 2016/2017, two year old SUVs that I was looking at definitely weren’t at a point where buying two year old cars wasn’t a decent deal. I looked at a lot of models. The pandemic changed that completely around.

Also, were you looking at certified used Hondas? I absolutely didn’t think the Lexus certified used RXs were worth the price. Carmax, others and private parties were much better deals especially for two year old cars with healthy chunks of their manufacturer warranties. I’m talking thousands of dollars difference. When the pandemic hit, that’s when inventories of all used cars dried up completely.

i bought a Honda civic touring with 9K miles and a Toyota CHR 4K miles, both CPO, in 2016 and 2018. Got great deals on both.

You may have, I just know that I compared the RX I got at Carmax with a bunch of CPOs and they were $5k+ more. One of the big benefits of CPO is the extended 3 year warranty, which isn’t useful for 1-2 year old used cars that likely have multiple years left on the manufacturer’s warranty. I’m sure those CPOs were decent deals over a new car but I saved a bunch not getting a CPO.

 

[Van Dyman]

looking for a used car for my kid.

looking for something safe, reliable, and something he won't be ashamed to drive. budget is 10k. any suggestions?

Hard to beat a Subaru.

Also, if he seems overly concerned about "something he won't be ashamed to drive", I would suggest dropping the budget to about $1500.

you can get a running car for $1500?

Sure. It’s gonna be old and look like hell.

I just bought a 2018 2015 Altima for my kid. $800. Looks mostly good but...has 250k miles and needed brakes, headlights, and a few other things. After fixes & maintenance stuff I'm at about $2k. Still not a bad deal. I drove it from Cincinatti to Nashville and the thing drives great and goes about 550 miles per fill up.

 

[dkp993]

looking for a used car for my kid.

looking for something safe, reliable, and something he won't be ashamed to drive. budget is 10k. any suggestions?

Hard to beat a Subaru.

Also, if he seems overly concerned about "something he won't be ashamed to drive", I would suggest dropping the budget to about $1500.

you can get a running car for $1500?

Sure. It’s gonna be old and look like hell.

I just bought a 2018 Altima for my kid. $800. Looks mostly good but...has 250k miles and needed brakes, headlights, and a few other things. After fixes & maintenance stuff I'm at about $2k. Still not a bad deal. I drove it from Cincinatti to Nashville and the thing drives great and goes about 550 miles per fill up.

Great first car

 

[stbugs]

looking for a used car for my kid.

looking for something safe, reliable, and something he won't be ashamed to drive. budget is 10k. any suggestions?

Hard to beat a Subaru.

Also, if he seems overly concerned about "something he won't be ashamed to drive", I would suggest dropping the budget to about $1500.

you can get a running car for $1500?

Sure. It’s gonna be old and look like hell.

I just bought a 2018 Altima for my kid. $800. Looks mostly good but...has 250k miles and needed brakes, headlights, and a few other things. After fixes & maintenance stuff I'm at about $2k. Still not a bad deal. I drove it from Cincinatti to Nashville and the thing drives great and goes about 550 miles per fill up.

2018 with 250k miles? That’s 50k per year. $2k is not bad at all but man, that’s a ton of miles. As long as you get a year from it, it’s still a good buy. More than that is gravy.

 

[Van Dyman]

looking for a used car for my kid.

looking for something safe, reliable, and something he won't be ashamed to drive. budget is 10k. any suggestions?

Hard to beat a Subaru.

Also, if he seems overly concerned about "something he won't be ashamed to drive", I would suggest dropping the budget to about $1500.

you can get a running car for $1500?

Sure. It’s gonna be old and look like hell.

I just bought a 2018 Altima for my kid. $800. Looks mostly good but...has 250k miles and needed brakes, headlights, and a few other things. After fixes & maintenance stuff I'm at about $2k. Still not a bad deal. I drove it from Cincinatti to Nashville and the thing drives great and goes about 550 miles per fill up.

2018 with 250k miles? That’s 50k per year. $2k is not bad at all but man, that’s a ton of miles. As long as you get a year from it, it’s still a good buy. More than that is gravy.

Oops! It's 2015 not 2018. I'll fix my post above. But, to your point, yes it's a lot of miles per year. Over 30k.

 

[dkp993]

looking for a used car for my kid.

looking for something safe, reliable, and something he won't be ashamed to drive. budget is 10k. any suggestions?

Hard to beat a Subaru.

Also, if he seems overly concerned about "something he won't be ashamed to drive", I would suggest dropping the budget to about $1500.

you can get a running car for $1500?

Sure. It’s gonna be old and look like hell.

I just bought a 2018 Altima for my kid. $800. Looks mostly good but...has 250k miles and needed brakes, headlights, and a few other things. After fixes & maintenance stuff I'm at about $2k. Still not a bad deal. I drove it from Cincinatti to Nashville and the thing drives great and goes about 550 miles per fill up.

2018 with 250k miles? That’s 50k per year. $2k is not bad at all but man, that’s a ton of miles. As long as you get a year from it, it’s still a good buy. More than that is gravy.

Likely means heavy freeway commute. Not a bad thing imo.

 

[SWC]

i paid 50 samoleans for the first car i ever bought and it was so rusty that one day when i was driving it the rear passengers door just fell off that was a great swcer moment right there take that to the junkyard bank brohans

 

[dkp993]

i paid 50 samoleans for the first car i ever bought and it was so rusty that one day when i was driving it the rear passengers door just fell off that was a great swcer moment right there take that to the junkyard bank brohans

Nice! My second car was a 73 firebird that the floor was so rusted out you could see the road underneath, and not small holes, we’re talking 2/3 inch in diameter holes. I drove that car across country in the middle of winter. Had to buy battery powered heater socks (yes they were a thing) to keep my feet from falling off. lol.

 

[Van Dyman]

i paid 50 samoleans for the first car i ever bought and it was so rusty that one day when i was driving it the rear passengers door just fell off that was a great swcer moment right there take that to the junkyard bank brohans

Nice! My second car was a 73 firebird that the floor was so rusted out you could see the road underneath, and not small holes, we’re talking 2/3 inch in diameter holes. I drove that car across country in the middle of winter. Had to buy battery powered heater socks (yes they were a thing) to keep my feet from falling off. lol.

Firebird? Lucky you. My first was a '73 Dodge Dart, which was similarly equipped with a see-through floor.

 

[dkp993]

i paid 50 samoleans for the first car i ever bought and it was so rusty that one day when i was driving it the rear passengers door just fell off that was a great swcer moment right there take that to the junkyard bank brohans

Nice! My second car was a 73 firebird that the floor was so rusted out you could see the road underneath, and not small holes, we’re talking 2/3 inch in diameter holes. I drove that car across country in the middle of winter. Had to buy battery powered heater socks (yes they were a thing) to keep my feet from falling off. lol.

Firebird? Lucky you. My first was a '73 Dodge Dart, which was similarly equipped with a see-through floor.

Lucky is all perspective. lol. My first car was an orange, yes, orange 72 VW Bug with 300k on it. Bought the Firebird for 1500.

 

[Judge Smails]

Great memories. Black '69 Firebird I bought when I was a senior in HS was my favorite car ever.