New Car Purchase Decision

Lifestyle Bazaar Talk
21

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Umar Talib: *
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?
[/QUOTE]
Sportronic is same as Tiptronic or AutoStick (as some call 'em). First thing is to clarify the expectation gap... its NOT manual. Some purists trash it saying.. its not manual. Yeah, ofcourse its not. IMO its much better than manual. :)

I have used a Tiptronic for more than 2 years now... and I absolutely love it. It gives me the flexibility of shifting manually when I want (e.g. passing on the freeway) and I can use automatic, when I am drinking coffee on my way to work or am using a cellphone, or when just feel like not shifting.

By my estimate, I use manual shifting about 90% of the time I am driving.

No mechanical problems whatsoever, so far. However, the technology is not universal. So different brands have different technology. I personally like Audi/VW's technology. Its developed by Porsche and its very smooth and you can swing back and forth between auto and manual with seamless ease while driving.

22

Hey AvgAmericanGirl,

My last two cars have been an outright purchase from the pocket and yes, it does give you the peace of mind from monthly payments etc. Its just that I can't justify buying a used car to myself if I'm spending over $20K - just a personal idiosyncrasy I suppose.

faizy yaar dil chota na karr... I do like Sebrings but its not what I'm looking for right now.

Faisal, thanks for the experiential response... although I'm an avid stick-shift lover, but I cannot deny the convenience afforded by an automatic. I multi-task a lot while driving since about four days a week, I might be behind the wheel for four hours or more. Iss liye, I wanted the best of both worlds - manual and automatic.

23

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Umar Talib: *
Hey AvgAmericanGirl,

My last two cars have been an outright purchase from the pocket and yes, it does give you the peace of mind from monthly payments etc. Its just that I can't justify buying a used car to myself if I'm spending over $20K - just a personal idiosyncrasy I suppose.

faizy yaar dil chota na karr... I do like Sebrings but its not what I'm looking for right now.

Faisal, thanks for the experiential response... although I'm an avid stick-shift lover, but I cannot deny the convenience afforded by an automatic. I multi-task a lot while driving since about four days a week, I might be behind the wheel for four hours or more. Iss liye, I wanted the best of both worlds - manual and automatic.
[/QUOTE]

I mean't don't spend that much!!! Buy a used car you can buy outright.
Auto insurance cheaper also :)

But..I'm a tightwad:)

But I can understand if you drive for work all the time a comfortable car is priority and I suppose the ability to write-off some car expenses due to business is a plus when concidering the cost and type of car you desire.

24

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Faisal: *
Sportronic is same as Tiptronic or AutoStick (as some call 'em). First thing is to clarify the expectation gap... its NOT manual. Some purists trash it saying.. its not manual. Yeah, ofcourse its not. IMO its much better than manual. :)

I have used a Tiptronic for more than 2 years now... and I absolutely love it. It gives me the flexibility of shifting manually when I want (e.g. passing on the freeway) and I can use automatic, when I am drinking coffee on my way to work or am using a cellphone, or when just feel like not shifting.

By my estimate, I use manual shifting about 90% of the time I am driving.

No mechanical problems whatsoever, so far. However, the technology is not universal. So different brands have different technology. I personally like Audi/VW's technology. Its developed by Porsche and its very smooth and you can swing back and forth between auto and manual with seamless ease while driving.
[/QUOTE]

Faisal bhai, Gari kounsi haye apkaye pass ? and Yes Triptronic is CLOSE to Manual but it is NOT manual. You put it rite.... but for a hardcore racer... triptronic is no where near to regular Manual... they are 2 different things... :)
-Salman

25

Umar: You know, manual is for single guys, race car drivers and car fanatics. Manual is a league of its own with the tricks. With automatic, you have the convenience. Both are really different worlds.

This is how I see it:

A family man should stick to an automatic car.

A bachelor can learn how to drive manual or automatic. Although, my preference goes to manual as a pre-requisite to drive a car than get a license from steering a shopping cart around in a parking lot.

As for triptronic, its just a toy, a luxury for those who miss the stick and love the auto shift.

Triptronic, after much deliberation and driving these 2in1 cars, in my opinion is a waste of money. Clicking the gear each time up and down doesn't give you the same feel as a real manual would, its just an automatic toy with the feel of shifting the shaft. There is no clutch, let alone any spunk. Its just a light switch even an old lady can move up or down to shift whilst manual requires some precision and tactic to switch through gears and a little brain power to figure out what your RPM's are at rather than the computerized system that will fix your shift for you if you go a few gears too low on high RPMs.

From what I know, you are better off with an automatic.

G'luck car shoppin', better swing that ride by me :p

p.s. Stick to Japanese and follow the consumers car guide for ratings on different brands of vehicles.

26

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by CocoNut: *
Triptronic, after much deliberation and driving these 2in1 cars, in my opinion is a waste of money.

[/QUOTE]
Wow wow wow.... so exactly how long have you driven a tiptronic to have drawn such sharp conclusions? From what I see, its just an expectation gap, that I mentioned the first thing in my post. Tiptronic IS NOT manual. Simple :-)

Young drivers who get their kicks by revving the engine on a stop light, love to use the clutch and wanna keep their hands busy.. yeah, tiptronic is not for them. Definitely. But once someone has driven tiptronic, its unlikely they will be willing to go back to Automatic. So, its addictive. Beware :p

27

this is what you need Umar:

http://hostingprod.com/@boulevardautosales.net/ww6.JPG

Its a Mercedes E320. :slight_smile:

28

Coco dude, I agree with you somewhat on the driving test reqs... ppl who've passed their tests on manual cars have higher driving competence with a different level of mental dexterity and steering agility... but then again, if you intend you drive automatic for the rest of your life, I don't see anything wrong with passing driving tests in the same type of vehicles. Ideally, if someone wishes to drive a manual, they should have a separate test for stick-shifts, and you should only be able to drive a manual if you pass that, but passing that test should also qualify you to drive autos and tiptronics. hehe... yes, yet another addition to the stepwise qualifying licensing scheme.

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by CocoNut: *

This is how I see it:

A family man should stick to an automatic car.
...
...

From what I know, you are better off with an automatic.

[/QUOTE]

abey! I'm not a family man... yet!

Faisal, I'm totally with you on this one! Tiptronic/Sportronic is NOT manual... that needs to be understood forefront. For someone like me who wants the convenience of automatic and a few of the features and functions of a stick-shift (for those times that I get bored on the highway), it suits me well.

Tofi yaar... hehe... you sure love your car... if I had the dough, I'd definitely go for a Benz. Right now, I want something semi-luxury to last me another 3 - 5 years until I finish my Ph.D. and know where I'm gonna settle down with tenure at a Univ. - uss ke baad phir inshaAllah dekheyN ge.

29

Faisal: I've driven triptronic long enough to stay away from it if I were to buy a car. I mean, down the road I would rather pick an automatic than a triptronic. I really see no point to clicking up and down. The triptronic to me alludes to a manual with a few clicks up and down but not just quite err manual :p

As I mentioned before, its just a toy, a luxury for those who miss the stick and love the convenience of auto shift. Some love it, others don't and Umar wants that luxury from what I gather in the quotation below.

[quote]
For someone like me who wants the convenience of automatic and a few of the features and functions of a stick-shift (for those times that I get bored on the highway), it suits me well.

[/quote]

As for the young bucks, reving a cars engine is bad for all those who aren't aware and causes harm to your engine. Its not a rally race and far from F1 and we don't have our own mechanics with sponsorships :p

Umar:

Hmm... If you are going for triptronic, may I suggest a few choices for you to pick from.

This is from the Sedan line and in Cdn $$:

Acura EL
Horsepower: 127 hp @ 6300 rpm
Engine: VTEC 4-Cyl
Transmission: 4-Speed Automatic
5-Speed Manual
Seating: 5 Passenger
Base MSRP: $22,200*

Acura TSX
Horsepower: 200 hp @ 6800 rpm
Engine: i-VTEC 4-Cyl
Transmission: 5-Speed Automatic
6-Speed Manual
Seating: 5 Passenger
Base MSRP: $34,800*

Acura TL
Horsepower: 270
Engine: 3.2 Litre SOHC 24-Valve VTEC V6
Transmission: 5-Speed Sequential SportShift Automatic
6-Speed Manual
Seating: 5 Passenger
Base MSRP: $40,800*

Acura RL
Horsepower: 225 hp @ 5200 rpm
Engine: 6-Cyl
Transmission: 4-Speed Automatic
Seating: 5 Passenger
Base MSRP: $55,000*

In the league of triptronic, I would go for the TL series, it looks good, feels good and its very good with gas.

But since your range is $25-$28K, go for the EL

If you are serious and in the market, lemme know I could possibly arrange something with Honda/Acura :)

30

Buy something that will retain some resale value. My experience with amreeke cars is not so good. You should buy eith Acura or Lexus.
My personal choice is Lexus. Unlike any other car :love:
Why don’t you consider preowned certified Lexus? You will love ES 300 ride.

31

UT

Lexus is another one of my fav’s …love the elegance of the ES 300.

You should look into preowned…although I see that you dont want to settle for an older model but look into it anyways…

32

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by smooth_guy: *
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.

[/QUOTE]

We've had Chryslers all along. Wonderful cars, great reliability, especially minivan's and other big cars. I agree that Sebring is not a good pick.

33

Cars mentioned ^ are too expensive for my pocketbook..

and even if I could afford...

wouldn't buy....

Anyhow.

Would rather the portion of cash earmarked to be spent on luxary stay in the bank for my kids.

34

My Favourite pas-time... Buying A Car!!!!!
Desimunda and others: your dislike of Sebrings...anything to do with the fact that I had one? hehe. It WAS a bad choice, but I still miss it.

Triptronic...I hafta agree with Coconut on that one....just dont see the point of it all.
Umar Talib: re seperate driving tests for Aotu and manual cars....we have that system here in the UK. If you pass on Manual... u are licenced to drive both but NOT vice versa.

Wish I was there to go car hunting with you. Need a good haggle.

Did I tell you what car I just bought formyself here in London?
I'll keep you guessing for a bit!

I think you wil LIKE!!

35

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by AnokhaUK: *
My Favourite pas-time... Buying A Car!!!!!
Desimunda and others: your dislike of Sebrings...anything to do with the fact that I had one? hehe. It WAS a bad choice, but I still miss it.

[/QUOTE]

nah...just personal experience...driven it, not 2 impressed, and not to mention that both major accidents i've had involved a sebring...

first accident happened racin down the QEW to toronto from hamilton in a mustang (friend driving), other car was a sebring...and right at the exit for the 427 off the QEW, bumpers clipped and both cars spun out of control and into the wall at 190km/hr shudders

the 2nd accident, same yr, a few months later, i was a passenger and a friend was driving (this time a we were IN a sebring)...car got T-boned on an intersection where my friend was takin a left turn...thank God the other car was only a neon, if it had been bigger, it would've been a bad bad accident...i still got a couple of cracked ribs and a dislocated shoulder in that one cuz i was on the passenger side and thats where the car hit straight...

so yea...given all of that, i tend to stay away from sebrings...as far as possible :D