OT: Talking Cars Tuesday - What's Next?
As we all wait for tomorrow's UFR, here's our 2nd (and probably final) in-season TCT.
So - what's next with cars? What are you shopping for? (Good chance someone on the board has one). What are you excited to see at the auto shows in the next couple of months? What are you driving? Hate it? Love it? Real open this time, let's talk cars!
November 7th, 2017 at 4:01 PM ^
See my response to Mgotri above
November 7th, 2017 at 1:43 PM ^
My lease is up in february and I want to buy a used car next. Holy shit you get fucked if you want to stop leasing. Stressful as hell.
I kind of enjoyed leasing but I expect to be promoted within a year and will need to commute. Leasing is not an option.
anyone with experience getting out of a lease? there is no equity for me to trade it without being upside down on the next car. I feel like I am better off biting the bullet and paying all of the lease return fees.
November 7th, 2017 at 2:02 PM ^
Use it with wherever you buy the car. If you would look at the dealer where you turn in your lease, ask if they'll waive it if you buy from them.
If you want to buy a car from somewhere else, tell them "but if I don't buy from my current company I'll pay a restocking fee of X. So for me to buy from you is an extra X dollars." Hopefully they'll give you a discount to get your business.
November 7th, 2017 at 2:07 PM ^
A friend of mine recently told me that it's a good idea to try to get a used car coming off lease. Haven't thought of that before. Anyone done that? And how do you coordinate that? Talk to the dealership and ask them for cars coming in off lease? Does it really save you money?
November 7th, 2017 at 2:16 PM ^
It can be a great deal. Actually, as the market moves even more to SUVs, lots of entry luxury cars coming off leases are going for pretty cheap! Leases work in that the car company sells them twice. I'm going to make up numbers so it's easy, but let's say a car is $30,000 new. The dealer/corporate modeling THINKS that when it's 2 years old with 24,000 miles it's going to be worth $20,000. So the dealer is going to want to lease it for $5,000 per year, 2 years, 12k miles per year. Then they can make all their money. If they can sell it for $21,000 after lease, or lease it for $5500 per year, that's gravy.
The problem is if the modeling THINKS wrong. So in 2014, BMW thought 3 year old BMW sedans would be worth X. Turns out everyone's buying SUVs in 2017, so the sedans are worth less than X. But they have a lot of sedans coming in off lease, demand < supply. Deals available!
In terms of looking for off-lease cars, look for cars that are 2-3 years old, 20-30K miles, and single owner, available at dealerships.
November 7th, 2017 at 1:50 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 2:04 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^
So, we currently own a Honda Pilot and a Toyota Prius. Love both. Actually, love the Prius a lot more than I thought. I'm a big guy, but 50 mpg is hard to argue with, especially for my wife's commute. I'm very interested to see what will happen down the road with all electric cars, with the option to not drive, with hybrids. As comfortable as the Pilot is, it is hard to argue with the regular fuel cost savings.
Another part of this is that I have not been thrilled with a lot of the car offerings out of Detroit. I would love to see Detroit continue to improve . . . I would love to buy American again.
November 7th, 2017 at 2:14 PM ^
my car has over 240,000 miles on it so my wife and I are looking at Nissan Rogues. It makes sense right now, but we still want a few more kids so we might end up with something bigger. For some reason she doesn't want a minivan.
November 7th, 2017 at 2:19 PM ^
https://thegarage.jalopnik.com/parents-just-buy-the-damn-minivan-1597502940
https://jalopnik.com/if-youre-a-real-grown-up-minivans-are-cooler-than-cros-1764226230
Also, if you do get a Rogue, make sure you get a great deal.
November 7th, 2017 at 4:30 PM ^
Wish they still made more AWD minivans. Not a fan of the Sienna.
November 7th, 2017 at 6:10 PM ^
I have an AWD 2004 Sienna with 193,000 miles and will probably have to run it off a cliff to get it to die. Most reliable, trouble free vehicle I have ever owned. Both kids drove it through high school and now my wife prefers driving it to our 330 BMW xi. It's solid and safe and has great traction in the snow.
We just had a tragic crash fatality by Hudson Mills, northwest of Ann Arbor, last week where a Mercury Mountaineer veered into the wrong lane and killed someone is a Ford Escort.
November 8th, 2017 at 11:53 AM ^
The Sienna is a great vehicle. I have a ton of respect for Toyota. I just don't like the interior layout. This isn't a reasoned decision made by pouring over statistics; its a completely a subjective one. :-)
November 7th, 2017 at 2:28 PM ^
We have 3 cars (2009 Murano 158K, 2010 Rav4 70K, 2012 Suburban 150K) and 4 drivers (me, wife, almost 20, and almost 17).
All 3 cars are running great. I love my Murano, and the Suburban is obviously the family workhorse. Daughters drive the Rav4. My son is almost 13, so not driving yet. Regardless, it makes sense to keep the Murano for one of the other drivers and to get myself something new.
My current likes are:
- Nissan Murano
- Nissan Maxima
- Cadillac CT6
- Audi Q5
Thoughts/recommendations? I live in Midland, MI, have a 30 minute one-way commute (highway miles mostly) and drive up North and to Ann Arbor as often as I can. Obviously needs to be able to handle the weather.
November 7th, 2017 at 5:32 PM ^
I liked it a lot. Drove and handled well. Does snow quite well too with the Quattro system. Has a surprising amount of cargo capacity behind the back seats. The Nav system was a bit wonky, but that's been upgraded in the new Q5 that hit the market this past year.
You have quite an eclectic mix there. Cadillac CT6 is a whole different thing compared to the others on the list. CT6 looks pretty nice, but it is on the large size for a sedan.
November 7th, 2017 at 2:35 PM ^
Recently got on the waiting list for the new Tesla Model 3
November 7th, 2017 at 3:25 PM ^
a bit of coin. Congrats !
Go Blue!
November 7th, 2017 at 4:29 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^
In some ways, they make some super cool cars. Who doesn't like ludicrous mode?
In others, they have reliability issues that would make Chrysler '75 go 'Oh yeah! You're my boy Elon!' and seem to treat their employees like shit. At least the guys on the line.
The Model 3 sounds like a good car, but if I was in the market the rational decision seems to be to get a Bolt. Likely higher quality, and the thing exists and you can buy it.
November 7th, 2017 at 2:56 PM ^
No new vehicle for awhile, I've only got 90k on my 2011 Silverado and I don't plan on replacing it until it's well over 200k but I WILL be getting new tires for it tomorrow. I managed to get those 90,000 miles out of the original set even with quite a bit of riding logging roads in Montana. So of course rather than get the same ones I'm going to splurge on a nice set of Michelins.
November 7th, 2017 at 2:59 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 3:13 PM ^
I don't know if I'll go for the T8, because the plug-in option, while an attractive one from a "environmental responsibility" point of view, is a LOT more money than a T5 or T6. I don't know that I can afford it, which means I also can't justify it to my wife (who will have more than a little to say about where the extra money goes once we have two kids in college).
I'm also looking at the Cadillac XT5 (I've been driving one as a loaner while my car is being repaired at the dealership); the Subaru Outback; and probably a Ford Edge or Lincoln MKX (my father is a retiree, so I get employee pricing).
November 7th, 2017 at 9:00 PM ^
Don't forget about the $5,000 tax credit on the T8
November 7th, 2017 at 3:12 PM ^
My wife is driving a leased Ford Fusion that she got an absolute steal on and is only paying ~$100 a month. Unfortunately, the lease ends in a couple of months, and we are going through rough financial times, so it looks like we’ll be sharing a car.
It will work out in the end, but it will definitely be a nuisance.
November 7th, 2017 at 3:17 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 3:26 PM ^
only in Moscow !!!
Go Blue!
November 7th, 2017 at 3:29 PM ^
Folks won't be as screwed as they were a decade ago. New SUVs get high 20s MPG, not low teens.
November 7th, 2017 at 4:36 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 4:27 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 4:25 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 4:27 PM ^
I was just jonesing for a good car conversation this morning.
What's next for me? Probably replace my '06 Ford Five Hundred. It's a car that was pretty maligned as 'meh' when it came out, but I love it. It's AWD, a mountain goat in the snow, gets good milage, has good crashworthiness for its era, and a 20 cu ft trunk.
What will I replace it with? Maybe a Fusion AWD. I'd like a Taurus, if only for the Trunk. The interior room isn't what I want given the size of the car, and like all cars it seems to have decided that outward visibility is for wimps, but I like the crash worthiness and trip car ability. If not that then a Fusion with a 2.0 Turbo. I'd love the 2.7 twin turbo but can't afford one.
What am I looking forward too? Seeing the next Wrangler. Maybe driving a Bolt. Seeing if Chrysler has any sort of future or if they are treading water until Sergio can sell off Jeep and Ram and make Dodge go away. :-(
November 7th, 2017 at 4:34 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 5:02 PM ^
Not the import thing, buy what you want, but the labor costs. My cars have been pretty reliable. The 500 has 170K on it and it is a good car, but it has car cancer.
I'm (very very very) fortunate that my friend is a mechanic. He is very good, and honest to a fault.
November 7th, 2017 at 7:49 PM ^
just moved back here and i'd like to get them a used AWD for their 3 or 4 yr old front wheel drive camry. how many miles on your '06?
November 8th, 2017 at 11:49 AM ^
But I'm not in a position where I can get a new one yet. I'm about a year out. Have to get the son out of the private school. Otherwise, I'd 100% be on board. I'd like it to go to a good home.
November 10th, 2017 at 9:02 AM ^
thanks.
November 7th, 2017 at 4:55 PM ^
leaving the ford escape lease for a bigger car w/ 3rd row. Maybe the Traverse (cargo room!!), the Ford Flex (boxy but that interior space is crazy), or a BUick Enclave (almost luxury but the prices seem reasonable and get's high marks from USNews for 3rd row used vehicles). Looking for used 2-4 years, low miles.
Maybe a Highlander or a pilot, but I try to stay away from 1st-2nd model years of production.
November 7th, 2017 at 5:32 PM ^
I don't even consider them until they have 100k+ miles on them. Right now we have a 2006 B9 Tribeca and a 2011 Outback. Adding snows makes driving them in the winter a ton of fun!
November 8th, 2017 at 12:17 PM ^
November 8th, 2017 at 1:05 PM ^
Just got a new F-150 and don't think I'll go to anything else, unless I like the 2020 Bronco. Previous to the truck I had two Fusions (2014 and 2016) and loved them.