So folks… I’m thinking of buying a new car – something in the range of CDN. $25-$28K with about $8K down and the rest financed over 4 – 6 years time.
The only requirements for me at this point are that I’m looking for a semi-luxury sedan type vehicle that will gimme an enjoyable ride and won’t bore me too quickly. I commute between work (residence) and school almost three times a week and hence put a lot of miles on the dash… so its gotta be something very dependable!
My last two cars (which happen to be the first two as well) have been a Camry through my undergrad years and a Grand Am throughout my grad studies and work life. I can’t say I’ve had major trouble with either one, but experience with the Camry was better than the Grand Am. Furthermore, I think I’ve contented the ephermal fleeting boyish attitude of mine with the Grand Am, and hitting 26 this summer, I’m ready for something more prim and proper.
since u're over that 25mark, take my choice.. mazda 3, fully loaded will suite into your budget, down is also suitable in your budget, financing/leasing wouldnt be a problem either, it IS dependable, for the mileage and stuff, and compared to in its class, is a lil economical too..
your thought of not getting bored soon is what made me rememberd this one.. (i said the exact words to a friend when he recommended this too) .. my concern wasnt the price, but the insurance that's gonna follow it.. (age 22) .. :-)
Mazda 3 is good except he wants to get rid of the boyish image?
How about an Acura legend, or a 3.2 TL? You can get a decent 1999-2002 with 40-60 clicks for around 22-23K.
A similar american car could be a 2000-2002 chrysler sebring. you can get one with 50-60 clicks for about 25k. But then its an american make so i would never really recommend it.
You can always stick to a newer camry too.. or maybe an Avalon.. you can get one of those for approx the same price/mileage range as a 3.2 TL. Same goes for a maxima.
Or if you cant decide with these ones you can always come back to an accord :)
There was a similar thread a few weeks ago (maybe months) by BabaG. I personally prefer a European car. I was in the same predicament a month ago but I guess I was a little biased as I’ve been wanting a Mercedes for a looooong time, so I went with it. Loving the decision by the way. Its prim and proper, enough power and with the proper snob-appeal to get me by for a few decades. I got an E320 with AWD so I’d never have weather issues either. (I know Mal1k is gonna jump in on this bandwagon ) And once you start thinking Benz no other car would even enter your brain.
Other than that the VW Jetta is an excellent car too, love the way it handles and really good milage.
SaadiaB dunno whatmitsu u had, with a montero, we have had no problems at all alhumdulillah. the quality of mitsu cars in mid 90's was dodgy, kinda like mazda's but recent cars have proven to be very dependable.
anyways Umar, I dont know canadian prices and whethe ru want rband new or used, but infinity g35, acura tL, audi a4, bmw 3 series could all work, c-class merc, vw passat are others ones.
kewlsolara, my reaction to your suggestion - … if only I’d been 18 or so bud!
khwaahish - I’m quite interested in a Mitsubishi Galant too…
Faizy yaar… I’m not a big fan of mazdas… remember dad having an RX-6… yeah! even though it was soooo kewl… it just gave us problems day after day. Besides yeah - a Mazda 3 doesn’t fit the prim n proper criteria.
Cheegum - an Acura is definitely in!! I’m actually thinking of upping my budget a lil bit cuz I really want a 2003/2004 model of whatever car I buy.
Tofi yaar… abb kya kahooN… I’d love a Benz… its been on my mind forever! who knows, maybe I’ll work something out and go for it.
fraudz… yeah, I’m hoping to buy a brand new… and $28K CDN. is around $20K U.S. My dad likes Infinities too, and he wants me to go for that. I just hafta do a lil more research on it.
NEwayz, I’ll keep ya’all updated with what happens.
I would say you should get a sporty coupe it will fit you well say a bmw 3 or 5 series. And since you are gonna put on a lot of miles on it, dont buy a brand new car but instead get a second hand car with a few miles and full extended warrenty. It will last you just as long, look just as great and cost you thousands less (meaning you could get it souped up).
Fraudia dude... "souped" is as much a word as "suped" although I've always used the latter since I think its derived from making something "super" or "superior"! but I've seen magazine/news articles which spell it the other way.
NEWayz, back to the topic, I wanted some insights/opinions about a Sportronic clutchless manual shift gear box... are there any issues with this that I should be aware of?
Umar if you wanna pass Mississauga alive don't buy sebring. Chrysler makes crap only. An interpid and sebring is like an ass(donkey). The worst decision a man can make in his life (beside getting married :p) is buying Chrysler.
On a more serious note, 3.2 TL is good 10yr investment with all the goodies and perks. Acura with all the luxuries + VTEC is an unbelievable package. I drove Integra for some time few years ago and it was so malaai in city and on hwy. The VTEC boost at 100kmph feels like ur flying the car with a thumb only. The control in accura is another perk that is unmatched. Camry doesn't come near to 3.2 TL package at all, besides, its boring like hell. 3.2TL is thrill, has elegance, a 26-40 guy will love it.
If you are buying only new ( I assume yes) and you can't cross $35K+, Accura will not fit in your budget then. Then you can go for Accord EXL V6 with all the goodies. Its almost equalent to 3.2TL.
) And once you start thinking Benz no other car would even enter your brain.