***New Car Advice Thread*** (1 Viewer)

[gianmarco]

Basically, I want to ask two questions...

What is the cap cost & residual value? Then I want to drive the cap cost down and residual value up...

The cap cost is the price of the car. That's what you can and should negotiate. Go to a place like truecar.com and figure out what you should be paying. Work up from invoice, not down from MSRP. If you put money down, that will lower the cap cost.

The residual will be a %. Luxury cars typically hold higher residuals. Rarely you can negotiate this but I wouldn't count on it.

You should really go read the link I provided earlier. It will take about half hour to read and save you money.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Street parking is hell on a car, especially in Brooklyn. Get those rubber attachments for the back and put a diaper on the front. It doesn't matter how you drive/park, the average alternate side parker around the Heights doesn't give a #### and they'll slam into both the car in front and behind while wedging into a parking spot. You know this already, I'm sure you see it all the time.

Accord is the most practical IMO, love the Infiniti you're looking at, all three are great choices. But if you're not ponying up for the garage just make sure you do what you can to protect the bumpers.

I told my wife I might put a hitch on the back this will mess anyone up who hits me from the back... If not, probably just get a bumper protector... I'm trying to find one with some sort of spike that will damage the car who hits me.

For the front we are going to get one of these http://www.amazon.com/BumpShox-XL-Protection-Ultimate-License/dp/B0041LN1L4#productDetails

Brooklyn Heights & Cobble Hill are 2x a week alternate side; I was east of Smith St, where it's 3x per week. If you didn't move before 8 p.m. you were hosed.

Early one morning I was cruising around every surrounding neighborhood for 90 minutes looking for a spot. Around 7:30 I spotted one in Gowanus, and pulled ahead of the spot to back into it. Guy from behind stuck the nose of his car into the spot. Mexican standoff. I got my hands in the air - I'm not giving it up. S.O.B. drove up onto the curb and parallel parked from the other side.

I said #### it and went to a garage.

 

[fantasycurse42]

http://www.acura.com/TLXLanding.aspx?ef_id&gclid=CKCZrM2z_78CFYsbfgod8X4AYw&gclsrc=ds

New Acura TLX is priced aggressively and getting great reviews... Prob picking this up within the next few weeks. Any Acura drivers on here?

 

[TheIronSheik]

http://www.acura.com/TLXLanding.aspx?ef_id&gclid=CKCZrM2z_78CFYsbfgod8X4AYw&gclsrc=ds

New Acura TLX is priced aggressively and getting great reviews... Prob picking this up within the next few weeks. Any Acura drivers on here?

I had a CL and two TL's. And loved them. Not sure what the TLX is but Acura is a great car.

 

[Drifter]

About time they did a re-engineer. Acura's sedans have been stale and boring for years.

Still prefer my Q50S AWD

 

[fantasycurse42]

http://www.acura.com/TLXLanding.aspx?ef_id&gclid=CKCZrM2z_78CFYsbfgod8X4AYw&gclsrc=ds

New Acura TLX is priced aggressively and getting great reviews... Prob picking this up within the next few weeks. Any Acura drivers on here?

I had a CL and two TL's. And loved them. Not sure what the TLX is but Acura is a great car.

They got rid of the TSX and TL and made one model, which is now the TLX. It is being well reviewed by the auto magazines. Comes out this week. The base model leases in the low 3's and the tech package (which is loaded with features) comes in the mid to high 3's.

 

[fantasycurse42]

Getting the Infiniti Q50... Been in the dealership since 1:00pm est

Getting a good deal, I've walked out twice and made them chase me down

 

[Drifter]

Getting the Infiniti Q50... Been in the dealership since 1:00pm est

Getting a good deal, I've walked out twice and made them chase me down

What trim? Hybrid or regular?

 

[fantasycurse42]

Getting the Infiniti Q50... Been in the dealership since 1:00pm est

Getting a good deal, I've walked out twice and made them chase me down

What trim? Hybrid or regular?

3.7 AWD Premium with Navigation and Deluxe Touring Package...

Graphite Shadow color with black leather and maple wood trim.

Prob going to take a while to get caught up on all the technology in this car with the gigantic touch screen and all, but I really like the car.

 

[pmedina]

I would check build date. Early Q50's had lots of problems. Read infinitiq50 forums for list.

 

[pmedina]

I'm looking at new Acura TLX or waiting for new model year to see if Q50 improved.

 

[fantasycurse42]

I'm looking at new Acura TLX or waiting for new model year to see if Q50 improved.

End of 2013 build... Hopefully no issues, Drifter above loves his.Getting the 14 right now I think I scored an amazing deal.

Car has a $48k sticker, my lease is $3500 total out of pocket and $395 a month. I'll give you a review in a month or two. So to have a a $50k car in its prime is only $18k for 3 years.

ETA: Still at the dealer 7 hours later though ( ), but they're prepping my new ride

 

[McGarnicle]

Shopping for luxury SUVs for the wife's main vehicle and for our marathon trips up north 2x per year. Audi Q7 is at the top of the list, also considering Acura and Lexus. Just at the beginning stages of research right now.

 

[fantasycurse42]

Shopping for luxury SUVs for the wife's main vehicle and for our marathon trips up north 2x per year. Audi Q7 is at the top of the list, also considering Acura and Lexus. Just at the beginning stages of research right now.

Mom had a Q7, she loved it... I took it here and there, phenomenal car! I think they're remodeling it soon, so the price might be high when they do that.

I've been at the dealer for almost 8 hours now, this process is turrrrrible!

 

[Drifter]

I'm looking at new Acura TLX or waiting for new model year to see if Q50 improved.

The only complaint I have about the Q50 is that the feature to integrate apps with your phone's wifi keeps getting pushed out. Otherwise, it's a fantastic car. Of course, I still leased so any longer term headaches that might emerge belong to the warranty or the dealer, not me.

 

[McGarnicle]

Shopping for luxury SUVs for the wife's main vehicle and for our marathon trips up north 2x per year. Audi Q7 is at the top of the list, also considering Acura and Lexus. Just at the beginning stages of research right now.

Mom had a Q7, she loved it... I took it here and there, phenomenal car! I think they're remodeling it soon, so the price might be high when they do that.

I've been at the dealer for almost 8 hours now, this process is turrrrrible!

WTF? After 1 hour they're knocking money off my monthly payment or I'm walking out. What the hell takes that long?

 

[fantasycurse42]

Shopping for luxury SUVs for the wife's main vehicle and for our marathon trips up north 2x per year. Audi Q7 is at the top of the list, also considering Acura and Lexus. Just at the beginning stages of research right now.

Mom had a Q7, she loved it... I took it here and there, phenomenal car! I think they're remodeling it soon, so the price might be high when they do that.I've been at the dealer for almost 8 hours now, this process is turrrrrible!

WTF? After 1 hour they're knocking money off my monthly payment or I'm walking out. What the hell takes that long?

Dealership is small, the majority of the cars still covered in glue and #### are located 15 minutes away (without traffic)...

Rough timeline:

I got their around 1, looked at the cars and test drove by like 1:45ish. By 2:30 we started negotiating. That took about an hour with a lot of shenanigans and me "walking". By 3:30 I'm starving so I left for a quick bite. 4 o'clock we renegotiated as I decided I wanted more features. 4:30 I started shopping insurance. 5:30ish I purchase geico. Once I had insurance we finalized paperwork, almost 6ish. They send the guy to get the car 15 minutes away, 45 minutes later he calls and it has damage on it. We find another car with a slightly different interior and he brings it back. Prob close to 8 and they have to prep it. I didn't leave the dealership until almost 10. Almost 9 hours.

 

[fantasycurse42]

I'm looking at new Acura TLX or waiting for new model year to see if Q50 improved.

The only complaint I have about the Q50 is that the feature to integrate apps with your phone's wifi keeps getting pushed out. Otherwise, it's a fantastic car. Of course, I still leased so any longer term headaches that might emerge belong to the warranty or the dealer, not me.

They actually mentioned this app thing to me... I'm prob not going to use apps so much anyways so not a huge issue for me.

With the two touch screens and all the technology in the car, how long did it take you to figure everything out? I think I'm gonna need at least a few hours sitting in park and reading the manual to put it all together. I'm good with technology so hopefully won't be that difficult, wife will be frustrated and confused

Ride home was excellent, as of now very happy with the car. Love the look of the headlights too, real sharp

 

[Spike]

Bought a 2014 Honda Ridgeline (Sport) last night. Picking it up tomorrow night. Lots of helpful info from here (including links to other sites) was a big help.

Kudos to the proletariat!

 

[fred_1_15301]

Shopping for luxury SUVs for the wife's main vehicle and for our marathon trips up north 2x per year. Audi Q7 is at the top of the list, also considering Acura and Lexus. Just at the beginning stages of research right now.

Just bought the Infiniti QX60 in February. It's a pretty awesome car. We selected it over the MDX.

 

[TheIronSheik]

I'm looking at new Acura TLX or waiting for new model year to see if Q50 improved.

The only complaint I have about the Q50 is that the feature to integrate apps with your phone's wifi keeps getting pushed out. Otherwise, it's a fantastic car. Of course, I still leased so any longer term headaches that might emerge belong to the warranty or the dealer, not me.

They actually mentioned this app thing to me... I'm prob not going to use apps so much anyways so not a huge issue for me.

With the two touch screens and all the technology in the car, how long did it take you to figure everything out? I think I'm gonna need at least a few hours sitting in park and reading the manual to put it all together. I'm good with technology so hopefully won't be that difficult, wife will be frustrated and confused

Ride home was excellent, as of now very happy with the car. Love the look of the headlights too, real sharp

Congrats! And good luck with the technology. I think it's that way with all cars now. When I got my car, they had a guy come out and go over the system for about a half hour. I felt like a grandmother in a Microsoft Excel class. Dude was going over everything and I was thinking in my head, "I have no idea what he's talking about."

Funny thing is, I asked a couple questions and he either didn't know the answer, or later I found out he answered wrong. So that leads me to believe that I'll never know it all if the guy teaching the class hasn't mastered it yet.

 

[fantasycurse42]

I'm looking at new Acura TLX or waiting for new model year to see if Q50 improved.

The only complaint I have about the Q50 is that the feature to integrate apps with your phone's wifi keeps getting pushed out. Otherwise, it's a fantastic car. Of course, I still leased so any longer term headaches that might emerge belong to the warranty or the dealer, not me.

They actually mentioned this app thing to me... I'm prob not going to use apps so much anyways so not a huge issue for me.

With the two touch screens and all the technology in the car, how long did it take you to figure everything out? I think I'm gonna need at least a few hours sitting in park and reading the manual to put it all together. I'm good with technology so hopefully won't be that difficult, wife will be frustrated and confused

Ride home was excellent, as of now very happy with the car. Love the look of the headlights too, real sharp

Congrats! And good luck with the technology. I think it's that way with all cars now. When I got my car, they had a guy come out and go over the system for about a half hour. I felt like a grandmother in a Microsoft Excel class. Dude was going over everything and I was thinking in my head, "I have no idea what he's talking about."

Funny thing is, I asked a couple questions and he either didn't know the answer, or later I found out he answered wrong. So that leads me to believe that I'll never know it all if the guy teaching the class hasn't mastered it yet.

I had a sales rep who was 22 and on his 3rd week. He was basically a pawn between his boss and me. He had no clue about the car when he was explaining... I think vehicles are just going to get more and more confusing. Crazy thing is I am advanced with technology, but I'm still kinda confused. For a novice or beginner I can see this as a huge turnoff. The Acura we looked at was equally confusing.

 

[TheIronSheik]

I'm looking at new Acura TLX or waiting for new model year to see if Q50 improved.

The only complaint I have about the Q50 is that the feature to integrate apps with your phone's wifi keeps getting pushed out. Otherwise, it's a fantastic car. Of course, I still leased so any longer term headaches that might emerge belong to the warranty or the dealer, not me.

They actually mentioned this app thing to me... I'm prob not going to use apps so much anyways so not a huge issue for me.

With the two touch screens and all the technology in the car, how long did it take you to figure everything out? I think I'm gonna need at least a few hours sitting in park and reading the manual to put it all together. I'm good with technology so hopefully won't be that difficult, wife will be frustrated and confused

Ride home was excellent, as of now very happy with the car. Love the look of the headlights too, real sharp

Congrats! And good luck with the technology. I think it's that way with all cars now. When I got my car, they had a guy come out and go over the system for about a half hour. I felt like a grandmother in a Microsoft Excel class. Dude was going over everything and I was thinking in my head, "I have no idea what he's talking about."

Funny thing is, I asked a couple questions and he either didn't know the answer, or later I found out he answered wrong. So that leads me to believe that I'll never know it all if the guy teaching the class hasn't mastered it yet.

I had a sales rep who was 22 and on his 3rd week. He was basically a pawn between his boss and me. He had no clue about the car when he was explaining... I think vehicles are just going to get more and more confusing. Crazy thing is I am advanced with technology, but I'm still kinda confused. For a novice or beginner I can see this as a huge turnoff. The Acura we looked at was equally confusing.

Same boat. My GF, who is not advanced, mentioned after the class that the car kind of scared her. And I can understand that. I'm already starting to hit that point in my life where I have to ask kids for computer advice. And I know it's only going to get worse. I can't imagine what it's going to be like in 15 years when I go to buy a car.

 

[McGarnicle]

Shopping for luxury SUVs for the wife's main vehicle and for our marathon trips up north 2x per year. Audi Q7 is at the top of the list, also considering Acura and Lexus. Just at the beginning stages of research right now.

Just bought the Infiniti QX60 in February. It's a pretty awesome car. We selected it over the MDX.

Really nice as well. Is that considered a mid size or full? She's got an Equinox now which was the largest of the "small" SUVs when we got it, so more or less a midsized I guess. We want something bigger, more luxurious with leather, better sound, navigation, etc.

 

[fantasycurse42]

Shopping for luxury SUVs for the wife's main vehicle and for our marathon trips up north 2x per year. Audi Q7 is at the top of the list, also considering Acura and Lexus. Just at the beginning stages of research right now.

Just bought the Infiniti QX60 in February. It's a pretty awesome car. We selected it over the MDX.

Really nice as well. Is that considered a mid size or full? She's got an Equinox now which was the largest of the "small" SUVs when we got it, so more or less a midsized I guess. We want something bigger, more luxurious with leather, better sound, navigation, etc.

I think the QX60 is classified as a "crossover". The MDX is also real nice, my wife loved it when we were looking at the Acura sedans. Real nice and it has a 3rd row so it is def on the larger size. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these or the Audi, although I think the Audi is going to cost a lot more.

 

[McGarnicle]

Shopping for luxury SUVs for the wife's main vehicle and for our marathon trips up north 2x per year. Audi Q7 is at the top of the list, also considering Acura and Lexus. Just at the beginning stages of research right now.

Just bought the Infiniti QX60 in February. It's a pretty awesome car. We selected it over the MDX.

Really nice as well. Is that considered a mid size or full? She's got an Equinox now which was the largest of the "small" SUVs when we got it, so more or less a midsized I guess. We want something bigger, more luxurious with leather, better sound, navigation, etc.

I think the QX60 is classified as a "crossover". The MDX is also real nice, my wife loved it when we were looking at the Acura sedans. Real nice and it has a 3rd row so it is def on the larger size. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these or the Audi, although I think the Audi is going to cost a lot more.

Yeah I'm starting to think the Audi might be too much. She hates the Enclave just because it's a Buick so it's automatically for old people in her view. But it's a great value and has a lot going for it too. So that leaves Infiniti, Acura and Lexus. We need to start going to dealerships just to look and test drive, which is the part I absolutely hate. You can't just drive a vehicle without it becoming a long ordeal and hard sell.

 

[fantasycurse42]

Shopping for luxury SUVs for the wife's main vehicle and for our marathon trips up north 2x per year. Audi Q7 is at the top of the list, also considering Acura and Lexus. Just at the beginning stages of research right now.

Just bought the Infiniti QX60 in February. It's a pretty awesome car. We selected it over the MDX.

Really nice as well. Is that considered a mid size or full? She's got an Equinox now which was the largest of the "small" SUVs when we got it, so more or less a midsized I guess. We want something bigger, more luxurious with leather, better sound, navigation, etc.

I think the QX60 is classified as a "crossover". The MDX is also real nice, my wife loved it when we were looking at the Acura sedans. Real nice and it has a 3rd row so it is def on the larger size. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these or the Audi, although I think the Audi is going to cost a lot more.

Yeah I'm starting to think the Audi might be too much. She hates the Enclave just because it's a Buick so it's automatically for old people in her view. But it's a great value and has a lot going for it too. So that leaves Infiniti, Acura and Lexus.We need to start going to dealerships just to look and test drive, which is the part I absolutely hate. You can't just drive a vehicle without it becoming a long ordeal and hard sell.

It really is an awful experience... After going through it for weeks, I told my wife I'm taking a half day, driving to Long Island by myself and coming home with a car no matter what. I just couldn't do it anymore, absolutely awful.

 

[fantasycurse42]

The best part for me was dealing with a rookie sales guy at every dealership... When our last lease ended, I took back my car from college which has just been parked at my mom's house on and off for about a decade. It is a 2001 Nissan Maxima, exhaust is busted so it is so loud, hasn't been washed in prob 12 months, breaks squeak etc... It looks and sounds like a gigantic clunker. So every dealership I go into, most of the salesmen turn the other way, apparently judging the book by the cover and I'm with the rookie. The kid yesterday came up to me 10 minutes after I walked in - 3 others basically walked away when they saw me pull up

 

[fred_1_15301]

Shopping for luxury SUVs for the wife's main vehicle and for our marathon trips up north 2x per year. Audi Q7 is at the top of the list, also considering Acura and Lexus. Just at the beginning stages of research right now.

Just bought the Infiniti QX60 in February. It's a pretty awesome car. We selected it over the MDX.

Really nice as well. Is that considered a mid size or full? She's got an Equinox now which was the largest of the "small" SUVs when we got it, so more or less a midsized I guess. We want something bigger, more luxurious with leather, better sound, navigation, etc.

I think the QX60 is classified as a "crossover". The MDX is also real nice, my wife loved it when we were looking at the Acura sedans. Real nice and it has a 3rd row so it is def on the larger size. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these or the Audi, although I think the Audi is going to cost a lot more.

Yeah I think it's a crossover but the 3rd row is money if you have a kid. We were really close bet/ the MDX and QX60. I wasn't in love with the look of the MDX and the interior control panel was just a little too overwhelming. Also, the Infiniti seems to have a "classier" interior look but that could just be my preference. Also, I think the 2nd row in the Infiniti reclines back a little more. Other than that, they're very similar.

 

[fred_1_15301]

Shopping for luxury SUVs for the wife's main vehicle and for our marathon trips up north 2x per year. Audi Q7 is at the top of the list, also considering Acura and Lexus. Just at the beginning stages of research right now.

Just bought the Infiniti QX60 in February. It's a pretty awesome car. We selected it over the MDX.

Really nice as well. Is that considered a mid size or full? She's got an Equinox now which was the largest of the "small" SUVs when we got it, so more or less a midsized I guess. We want something bigger, more luxurious with leather, better sound, navigation, etc.

I think the QX60 is classified as a "crossover". The MDX is also real nice, my wife loved it when we were looking at the Acura sedans. Real nice and it has a 3rd row so it is def on the larger size. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these or the Audi, although I think the Audi is going to cost a lot more.

Yeah I'm starting to think the Audi might be too much. She hates the Enclave just because it's a Buick so it's automatically for old people in her view. But it's a great value and has a lot going for it too. So that leaves Infiniti, Acura and Lexus.We need to start going to dealerships just to look and test drive, which is the part I absolutely hate. You can't just drive a vehicle without it becoming a long ordeal and hard sell.

We also looked at Lexus and IMO it doesn't even compare to MDX or QX60. You're paying for the Lexus name but getting so much less bang for your buck that it's not even funny. We test drove it and couldn't believe we were driving a lexus.

 

[McGarnicle]

Definitely going to check out the Infiniti thanks!

 

[Drifter]

I'm looking at new Acura TLX or waiting for new model year to see if Q50 improved.

The only complaint I have about the Q50 is that the feature to integrate apps with your phone's wifi keeps getting pushed out. Otherwise, it's a fantastic car. Of course, I still leased so any longer term headaches that might emerge belong to the warranty or the dealer, not me.

They actually mentioned this app thing to me... I'm prob not going to use apps so much anyways so not a huge issue for me.

With the two touch screens and all the technology in the car, how long did it take you to figure everything out? I think I'm gonna need at least a few hours sitting in park and reading the manual to put it all together. I'm good with technology so hopefully won't be that difficult, wife will be frustrated and confused

Ride home was excellent, as of now very happy with the car. Love the look of the headlights too, real sharp

It's not so bad. You definitely want to spend time tweaking your stereo to your preferences as well as any other driving/performance preferences. Otherwise, I don't use a ton of the technology because without the wireless connection, it's really just limited to driving metrics. The top screen, which is the nav, is pretty easy to use although I've been less than impressed with the voice recognition.

You'll also want to keep a shammy handy as the screen picks up and shows fingerprints prominently.

 

[fantasycurse42]

Loving the new car so far... Highly recommend anyone grabbing a car check this one out. Especially with model year end stuff going on, you can get a good deal here.