Buying, Owning, Driving and Maintaining a car in North America

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

Yes credit rating is a factor, but I guess with 0 credit, you may have to pay more every month.
Based on your good credit score, some dealers may give out lease at lower down payment. Again with 0 credit this may only go up.

somehow, i always felt its better to buy it rather than lease it. in my list, lease would be the last option. better to buy it while you can. what are your thoughts on it?

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by chevelle

somehow, i always felt its better to buy it rather than lease it. in my list, lease would be the last option. better to buy it while you can. what are your thoughts on it?

Totally agree Lease is the last option i would choose. Limited miles, down payment, returning the car back in mint condition after the period, are way too much to handle. Would probably consider it if I had a SUV or car at home and need a classy German car to go to work

Rather buy a used or even a new car.

[avneeshj]

I came across this and thought it would be a useful read for people considering Leasing vs Buying.

When Is Leasing a Car Better Than Buying?

[naj]

Hi!

Thanks @ kraft.wagen and @chevelle for your valuable inputs.
I finally have an initial offer letter for employment .
After going thro' a lot of web pages ,I am kind off more inclined towards going for a car lease.
Lets us see what experience I will have to go thro'.

Cheers!!

[vivekiny2k]

In general lease is preferred by businesses who don't want to deal with resale etc for their executives, or people who like to change their cars every 3 years. Value minded folks rarely take leases.

At the end of the lease, you can opt to buy the car. usually you would have already paid more than the depreciation on the car, so buying it is a good option. It's similar to buying a new car and taking a huge first depreciation 3 yeas later. I was checking and the cost of buying a civic was coming to same as leasing and then buying at end. that way you still have an option at the end of your lease.

[prashant.dinkar]

I bought a 2000 Model Honda Civic EX Coupe (Top Model ) for $4800 in 2009 . At that time it had 58000 Miles on it

Drove it for around 2 years and added another 22,000 Miles on it. I just sold it today . I guess nobody will beleive me but I sold it for $6800

I am in Maryland and we get to see a lot of snow here , still a FWD "puny" civic fetched me such a good resale . Uhh forget about resale I made $2000 on it

[majorpayne]

A friend of mine is looking to buy a crossover in the US. Any suggestions?

[mohit]

Originally Posted by majorpayne

A friend of mine is looking to buy a crossover in the US. Any suggestions?

Without a budget and some specific things he is looking for in the vehicle, its a pretty wide field... you have to narrow it down.

[majorpayne]

Originally Posted by mohit

Without a budget and some specific things he is looking for in the vehicle, its a pretty wide field... you have to narrow it down.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention the budget (I knew I was forgetting something ). My friend is willing to spend up to 30K. Fuel economy is not a big concern, as this car is not going to be driven long distances. All wheel drive is an added asset... but not entirely necessary.

One of the cars that we like is the Subaru Forester - with the Turbo charged boxer engine. I was just wondering if there are any other cars that we may not have thought of.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by majorpayne

Oh yes, I forgot to mention the budget (I knew I was forgetting something ). My friend is willing to spend up to 30K. Fuel economy is not a big concern, as this car is not going to be driven long distances. All wheel drive is an added asset... but not entirely necessary.

One of the cars that we like is the Subaru Forester - with the Turbo charged boxer engine. I was just wondering if there are any other cars that we may not have thought of.

is he game for pre-owned? Or is it only new ones?

Pre-owned will open loads of options in case he is interested. Also is he ok with American brands or only japanese?

What about concerns like space, performance, handling, ride, interior and features, how long he wants to keep it? Any pointers in this regards will be helpful.

But for now, some new crossovers that come to my mind are Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Edge, Mazda cx-7, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer, Kia Sorento. Then you have tried and tested - CR-V, RAV4, Veracruz and Venza.

Ask him to test drive some and short list.

[majorpayne]

Originally Posted by chevelle

is he game for pre-owned? Or is it only new ones?

Pre-owned will open loads of options in case he is interested. Also is he ok with American brands or only japanese?

What about concerns like space, performance, handling, ride, interior and features, how long he wants to keep it? Any pointers in this regards will be helpful.

But for now, some new crossovers that come to my mind are Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Edge, Mazda cx-7, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer, Kia Sorento. Then you have tried and tested - CR-V, RAV4, Veracruz and Venza.

Ask him to test drive some and short list.

Thanks for the reply Chevelle.

She isn't opposed to a relatively new used car (2010-2011 model), but a new car would be ideal. She doesn't seem to like any of the American crossovers for some reason - So it will probably be between the Japanese and European crossovers.

The plan is to keep the car for atleast 4-5 years. Space is not a major concern, but performance is. Also, it needs to be compact. As far as features are concerned, all wheel drive is one feature that she is quite keen about.

Anyhow, I've asked her to test drive the Subaru forester, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and the VW Tiguan. The BMW X1 and the Mazda CX5 would have been perfect for her I feel, but I've just found out that the BMW X1 has not been launched in the US as yet. I've seen quite a few up here in Toronto. The Mazda CX5 is scheduled to be launched mid next year - which is too late as she plans on buying the car before the end of the year.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by majorpayne

Thanks for the reply Chevelle.

but a new car would be ideal. So it will probably be between the Japanese and European crossovers.

keep the car for atleast 4-5 years. Space is not a major concern, but performance is. Also, it needs to be compact. As far as features are concerned, all wheel drive is one feature that she is quite keen about.

test drive the Subaru forester, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and the VW Tiguan. The Mazda CX5 is scheduled to be launched mid next year - which is too late as she plans on buying the car before the end of the year.

Thanks for clearing some doubts. since American xovers are out of question, here are some she should look at.
- Toyota Highlander
- Nissan Murano
- RAV4 V6

Highlander is not a compact crossover but very good on power and has AWD. Murano is a very good vehicle with power, interior and space, but it may exceed her budget. RAV4 has a base model which has v6. It is very good to drive, has 4WD, powerful yet fuel efficient. The only concern is, if any person in her family is tall(6+), it will be very tight.

I would have suggested Mitsubishi outlander, but she may not like the interior and performance. But its handling is excellent and so is ride quality. I didn't fit in the 3rd row fit so its best a kid-size seats.

Tiguan has average performance and will easily breach $30,000 budget of hers if she is to add options. Also cargo space and back seat is not comfortable. Also it is expensive from my POV and horribly expensive to maintain after 3 years.

Forester is a good bet. But she won't like its performance. For that she will have to fork out upwards of $30k to get XT ones which is more powerful. Also it has 4-speed auto which in current times is outdated imho.

Just to let you know, my friend was looking for a crossover and he ended up buying a Sienna v6 due to lack of choice.

[majorpayne]

Originally Posted by chevelle

Thanks for clearing some doubts. since American xovers are out of question, here are some she should look at.
- Toyota Highlander
- Nissan Murano
- RAV4 V6

Highlander is not a compact crossover but very good on power and has AWD. Murano is a very good vehicle with power, interior and space, but it may exceed her budget. RAV4 has a base model which has v6. It is very good to drive, has 4WD, powerful yet fuel efficient. The only concern is, if any person in her family is tall(6+), it will be very tight.

I would have suggested Mitsubishi outlander, but she may not like the interior and performance. But its handling is excellent and so is ride quality. I didn't fit in the 3rd row fit so its best a kid-size seats.

Tiguan has average performance and will easily breach $30,000 budget of hers if she is to add options. Also cargo space and back seat is not comfortable. Also it is expensive from my POV and horribly expensive to maintain after 3 years.

Forester is a good bet. But she won't like its performance. For that she will have to fork out upwards of $30k to get XT ones which is more powerful. Also it has 4-speed auto which in current times is outdated imho.

Just to let you know, my friend was looking for a crossover and he ended up buying a Sienna v6 due to lack of choice.

lol! My cousin sold her Prius and bought the Sienna once she became a mom, and she absolutely loves the Sienna. So, I'm not surprised that your friend likes it too! It is a really good car (well van really).

The highlander and murano are definitely out, as she thinks they are both too big for her. The rav4, although an excellent vehicle, is just too common! And it's such a "chick" car. I guess she doesn't want to fit the stereotype of "the brown girl in a Rav4".

The interiors on the Outlander sport seemed sort of decent when I looked at the pics on the website, but we will have to see what she thinks of it once she sees it in the flesh.

The maintenance on the Tiguan is that bad huh? Well, it seemed like a good option. Are you sure its underpowered though? Apparently its got a 2.0 litre 200 hp turbocharged engine. I was under the impression that that would be fairly powerful. But I'll let her know about the maintenance costs.

The forester does seem like a good bet thus far. I think she might be willing to spend the extra money to get the XT. But I didn't realize that it had a 4 speed autobox, which is quite primitive compared to the competition. I wonder why subaru hasn't upgraded this?

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by majorpayne

The highlander and murano are definitely out, as she thinks they are both too big for her. The rav4, although an excellent vehicle, is just too common! And it's such a "chick" car. I guess she doesn't want to fit the stereotype of "the brown girl in a Rav4".

The interiors on the Outlander sport seemed sort of decent when I looked at the pics on the website, but we will have to see what she thinks of it once she sees it in the flesh.

The maintenance on the Tiguan is that bad huh? Well, it seemed like a good option. Are you sure its underpowered though? Apparently its got a 2.0 litre 200 hp turbocharged engine. I was under the impression that that would be fairly powerful. But I'll let her know about the maintenance costs.

The forester does seem like a good bet thus far. I think she might be willing to spend the extra money to get the XT. But I didn't realize that it had a 4 speed autobox, which is quite primitive compared to the competition. I wonder why subaru hasn't upgraded this?

for outlander, she also needs to see which nearest dealership it carries as there are not many. availability of service is big issue with Mitsubishi.

Tiguan is not underpowered, but not performance king too. its a little faster but it is very expensive to own and maintain. it will easily breach $30k budget of hers. But she will love its ride and handling characteristics, interior quality and build quality for sure. its just that for a compact xover, i don't see a point paying $30k plus. Because if she is willing to go to $30k-$32k, then Acura RDX makes lots of sense. Combination of power and luxury.

Forester would have been the pick of pack if it had better transmission. it has even more power than Tiguan (224) in XT trim but it falls behind due to 4-speed auto. If she wants to row gears she can get 5-speed manual.

If she is ok with a 2010-2011 vehicle, i would strongly recommend her to try out Infiniti EX-35. It will come for less than $30k and is very powerful with superb ride/handling qualities and luxurious interior. Tell her to try this one. The only thing it gives up is the utility part since it has less cargo and rear space.

do let us know what she thinks when she test drives all.

[majorpayne]

Thanks Chevelle. The infinity is a good idea. I didn't think of that. I shall let you guys know what choice was made in the end.