Car Shopping

Well on the edge of that most dreaded of life processes car shopping. I am unusual in that I start the process about 2-3 years before I actually buy a vehicle. I like to catch off lease-used cars. I think this is a good bargain. I will not buy a new car, because the thought of something dropping 2-3000 dollars in value five minutes after I drive away from the lot is just repugnant to me.

I currently own a 2000 Acura TL, its been a great car so far and I plan to get at least 150K miles out of it before I sell it. It has a bit over a 100K on it now, with no real issues. For its size and performance the gas mileage is pretty reasonable and it rides handles rather well(albeit with too much body roll).

I would like a sedan of similar size and even better perfomance, with some nice style to boot. I eliminated the usual German suspects( BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Volkswagon) Long term ownership on this cars is expensive, and I have heard too many horror stories about replacing things on these vehicles once they hit the 100K mark. Sorry, but my two Hondas, I have owned in the past and the Acura have all been far too reliable for me to want to go down in that aspect.

The wife and I are DINKS( double income, no kids) so I have no need of an SUV, Minvan, or crossover. A roomy sedan will do. I have narrowed the possibilites.

Infiniti G35: This is CR's highest scoring near luxury car, the chasis is superb, and the 3.5 VQ engine is a powerhouse (306Hp). The driving experiance is the closest thing to 3 series Bimmer outside of Germany. The 2007 refresh looks good in both 2 and 4 door models.

2009 TL: The current TL is probably the best front wheel drive car on the planet, but that configuration limits its ultimate power and how effectively it's put to the ground. (FWD cars start torque steering once you hit over 270Hp) I am hoping Acura will endow the coming redesign with it's SH-All Wheel Drive set up and at least 295 Hp/ Otherwise the TL comes very well equipped, and has a great track record on reliability.

Cadillac CTS DI: There has been a lot of great press on this car and I like the looks. It runs away from Cadilac's former reputation as an old man's land barge. The car has been praised for great luxury and performance. The interior looks great( Finally GM, a decent looking dash) and it appears to be a real quality product.

Pontiac G8: The press on this one is also very good, and it's a pretty car with a lot of room and a great chasis. I have not heard any reviews of the V-6 model. The automotive press is fixated on the V8. I am not sure I want to deal with the cost of gas and insurance on a V-8. My only other reservation is that Pontiacs in the past have had very cheap interiors with third rate feeling switch gear.

What do you guys think?

I also added the Lexus IS350 to my list as well.

I understand buying slightly used cars, if you buy one that's a year or two old, the problems associated with the vehicle are known, but I have no idea how you can start the process of looking so far out, there are so many changes that can take place. A top rated vehicle this year might be junk in a few years.

Personally, I'm looking forward to being able to downgrade when the kids are gone, I want to find the smallest most fuel efficient vehicle possible. I'm trying to talk hubby into a hybrid.

My wife drives a 2003 Civic Hybrid and loves it. She came from a larger older Camry, she enjoys the ease of handling and the simple to use and plentiful standard features, and of course 45-50mpg is very nice too.

As for me, I am avid enthusiast and soak up car info like a sponge, I will test drive each of these new to bench mark them and then certified versions in two or three years to see how they have worn. Also this gives me time to save for a good down payment( I ususally like to put 50 or more percent up front) By going about this when I am ready I will already know what I want and how much I can expect to pay.

Hmm...if it were me, and I didn't have to fit a child or a dog in my car, I'd be getting a Mini Cooper.

But...I know nada about cars.

I did have a really bad experience with a repo'd Pontiac Grand Am that I bought for $1,000 and ended up costing twice that just to fix it. So I have a bad feeling about Pontiacs....but that one was probably just a bad example.

I would go with the Cadi

Thanks for the advice, the Cadi has a lot of good press and its a really nice car. It looks to be a bit overwieght but my main concern is reliability. I will not buy anything that CR has as below average, since the CTS is a new redesign they do not have ratings in that aspect yet. Both the TL and G35 outscore it in CR's tests, but I know a lot of that is subjective and I would want to feel the cars myself. If Acura indeed incorporates its SH-AWD into the upcoming 2009 TL it will be nearly invincible against its competition, I think the front wheel drive configuration is really the only thing thats holding it back from being the top of the class, we will see, I will keep everyone posted as this goes on.

I have ordered some brochures and began spreadsheeting the cars to compare performance and pricing

I hope to be car shopping soon!! I just sold one of my three cars, and if I can sell both my non-running car and the one im driving now, I will be ready to do the used-car shop. I have always been about my third gen camaros, but i think its time for a change. I want a 4th gen camaro, or a crown vic decomissioned police interceptor. I have a strange taste in cars.

Definatly old school, Balish, a bunch of the CV intercepters will go on the market soon, police forces are expressing more interest in the Chargers( more modern suspension, better engines) so they should be easy to pick up at state auctions, so are you going to start a band and go off on some highspeed chases like Jake and Elwood LOL very cool. Same with the camaros I think I lot will go on the market once the 2010 hits next year Good Luck!

Mercury Grand Marquis/Ford Crown Vic's have price and reliability going for them, they last forever; I'm on my third Grand Marquis. My husband only fits in a few vehicles (Cadillac is one but they're overpriced).

We subscribe to Consumer Reports and they send us their car buyer's book each year and we save them up, have 10+ years so we can check on the exact year of whatever model.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/

thanks for the input Perna, I always buy the CR auto anual, good source of info at a glance. You may want to hold on to Grand Marguis number 3. Ford is phasing out the "panther" cars. The Crown Vic and the Lincoln town car were relegated to fleet only sales this year. The Grand Marguis may go as well. As I understand it the "New" Tauras nee' Five Hundred and "New" Sable nee' Montego both have bigger interiors and larger trunks that the Panthers and they will ultimately replace them in their respective brands.

Thanks again, luckly for you the old school tech in your car will be very inexpensive to repair and maintain for a long time.

TJ

Wow. I wished I had the luxury of having a few YEARS to decide on a car. Mine old car was totaled in an accident. I took a trip to my local credit union and found out what type of payment I could afford and where that would place me in terms of car price. I ended up with a year old Chevy Impala. It's been good to me so far. Anyhow, I had too many friends with pontiac issues. I think you should go for the cadilac! Again this comes from someone with NO car experience. Good luck and have fun

Go with the Pontiac!

I've been through 3 Pontiac's. First, I have an old school Pontiac with over 200,000 miles and the dang thing runs like a luxury car...actually back in it's day it was a luxury car.

My second one I sold off to some needy folk...three car insurances with two drivers was outrageous. I loved that car though...it was a very good and dependable vehicle.

The third one I just bought...I love it, love it, love it....but I still have feelings for my old Bonnie.

Basically what I am saying is....Pontiac's are the best

Thank you, I am glad you like your Impala. Those are rather decent cars for the money and have improved much over previous generations. I wish GM had decided though not to keep the car front wheel drive on its next redesign. Good Luck

Thank you, I am glad you like your Impala. Those are rather decent cars for the money and have improved much over previous generations. I wish GM had decided though not to keep the car front wheel drive on its next redesign. Good Luck

Thank you, I am glad you like your Impala. Those are rather decent cars for the money and have improved much over previous generations. I wish GM had decided though not to keep the car front wheel drive on its next redesign. Good Luck

Thanks, back when I was car shopping last time I tested a 2000 Bonneville. Not a bad car but GM's old 3800 V6 was a gruff and ugly sounding workhorse, its 4 speed auto handicapped it off the line and I thought the interior was awash in very cheap, low grade plastics and audible switches and buttons( a no no) The car felt good on the highway but was rather ponderous on the backroads and there was a lot of road noise.

The TL I bought with its multi-link suspension, VTEC engine with 5 speed auto( 25 more hp than the Bonnie with better gas milege to boot) and high quality interior was in the end worth a couple of grand more at the time. It was a car of similar size but it had much more cat-like reflexes on the back roads( though still no BMW) and an even more steady and quieter Hwy ride than the Bonnie.

I am glad your Pontiac has held together and been a reliable car. The G8 takes place of the Bonneville and the Gran Prix. It is an import from GM's Holden Division in Australia. This may easliy be the nicest car Pontiac has ever had to offer and one of the first domestic branded vehicles in a very long time that has been worth a look.

It will definatly get a thorough test drive and I will let you know what I think

take care and again thank you

TJ

I love my 10 year old Saturn. I bought it used last year and even though we have already had to sink some dough into it I love it. I have always wanted a Saturn and I finally got mine. When I'm more financially stable I will trade it in on Saturn ION. My best friend Rex drives and Ion and I love it.

Jbug

You may want to read some press reviews on that one, they have not been paticulary good. I believe the Ion goes out of the Saturn line-up this year and is being replaced by the Astra, check the Saturn website. The Astra is a bit more expensive than the Ion, but the write up so far has been considerably better. My recomendation to anyone is to always test drive and compare cars similar to what you like to make sure your choice is the best.. If you test drive a Saturn make sure that you also drive Civic, Mazda3, Elantra, and Corolla for comparison. It takes more work to do this sort of thing but in the end you will be more satisfied with what you buy. Glad you like your Saturn and best of luck replacing it.

Thanks Tim. I know it will be several years before I get to replace Chloe (my car) due to the fact I'm just still in my internship and haven't graduated yet to the workforce. My internship isn't a paid one. I do look forward to the day that I can put the money down for the car and not my dad. He has bought all the cars I've ever had.

Jbug