New car recommendations

[Astylla]

I'm 6'3, wife is about 5'4. I'm planning on doing a shit ton of test drives, especially this weekend to try to narrow the field down. I kind of want an Acura ILX but that's about civic size, so the wife and I may be a little cramped when it comes to center space in the front.

I'm 5'2 FFS we've been married 5 years how do you not know this after you always have to get shit for me lol.

Anyway on topic I absolutely loved sitting in the 2015 Honda CRV but have read recent concerns on vibration at idle speed so we'll have to see on that.
Even though we don't necessarily go during snow seasons, his dad has a cabin outside Yosemite and we do regular drives to Reno but avoid some seasons due to weather.

So I'm definitely favoring a crossover suv personally since we don't have any serious commutes since I walk or take public transit. I enjoy the extra space since when we do drive I find it more comfortable.

It's going to be his choice because I can't currently drive but on the same token it needs to be something I feel good about too so when I can start again later this year.

[Anakron]

I'm 6'3, wife is about 5'4. I'm planning on doing a shit ton of test drives, especially this weekend to try to narrow the field down. I kind of want an Acura ILX but that's about civic size, so the wife and I may be a little cramped when it comes to center space in the front.

Do yourself a favor and skip the ILX. The quality and fit and finish are absolutely terrible compared to what they're asking for. Hard plastic all over the interior. If you showed me the interior and told me it was a Civic, I still wouldn't be impressed. It's true that they upgraded a lot of stuff on the recent model year, but it remains a cheap car.

If you're considering the ILX, and can afford to go a little higher, the TLX is much better car.

[Melena]

What's people's opinion of Volvo's? I know they used to be built like a tank, which may be useful for when Astylla learns how to drive again.

Do yourself a favor and skip the ILX. The quality and fit and finish are absolutely terrible compared to what they're asking for. Hard plastic all over the interior. If you showed me the interior and told me it was a Civic, I still wouldn't be impressed. It's true that they upgraded a lot of stuff on the recent model year, but it remains a cheap car.

If you're considering the ILX, and can afford to go a little higher, the TLX is much better car.

That's good to know, thank's for the info.

I'm 5'2 FFS we've been married 5 years how do you not know this after you always have to get shit for me lol.

Anyway on topic I absolutely loved sitting in the 2015 Honda CRV but have read recent concerns on vibration at idle speed so we'll have to see on that.
Even though we don't necessarily go during snow seasons, his dad has a cabin outside Yosemite and we do regular drives to Reno but avoid some seasons due to weather.

So I'm definitely favoring a crossover suv personally since we don't have any serious commutes since I walk or take public transit. I enjoy the extra space since when we do drive I find it more comfortable.

It's going to be his choice because I can't currently drive but on the same token it needs to be something I feel good about too so when I can start again later this year.

If you wore heels, my guess would have been more accurate......

[Weederr33]

A Scion iM, Subaru Crosstrek, or maybe even a Kia Optima would be good options!

[Tekki]

So I like buying cars, and I can get long winded on this. Feel free to hit me up on BG vent if you have questions. I spend a lot of time looking into cars, buying what I want and swaping for new cars every other year. I have like 9 total flipped since I started buying in 2005.

Right now I am leasing a 2015 Jetta, fully equiped. I'm talking everything. Even the optional rims, mini spoiler, two tone and engine package.

Long story short, leasing options have become a lot better over the years, and in IL a lot cheaper. I like being able to swap out the car later too and not have to worry as much about being upside down.

This year I shopped around more then ever, tested more, researched more. I came off a 2014 Jeep compass. I wanted reliability, to save money, fuel efficiency, the ability to get out the loan easier, and hassle free maintenance for the life of the car. The Jetta fit all of those molds. (Holy shit, one oil change a year and the dealership wants me to bring it in often to check it out for free, keep it maintained for free and will even wash it to keep me coming)

I've had it for 5 months now, and still love it. All leather, sunroof during the hot chicago weather, satellite radio, 39 mpg, blah blah blah love it.

[Melena]

I really wanted to try a volkswagon. We looked at the Passat as it's bigger than the Jetta, and not only did it feel more cramped than my 08 civic, but the interface was just horrible. We may look at Volkswagon again due to the crossovers, we kind of rushed out as I just didn't get a good vibe from the salesman who came up to us when we pulled into the lot.

[Tokitoki]

I really wanted to try a volkswagon. We looked at the Passat as it's bigger than the Jetta, and not only did it feel more cramped than my 08 civic, but the interface was just horrible. We may look at Volkswagon again due to the crossovers, we kind of rushed out as I just didn't get a good vibe from the salesman who came up to us when we pulled into the lot.

I said it in the Win thread, but maybe check out the Touareg? Not sure what your budget is, but they also offer diesel (you mentioned in other thread).

EDIT: When I was car shopping in 2011 I had a salesman come up to me immediately upon driving onto the Nissan lot and start pushing a much higher trim than I wanted. Left there fairly quickly.

Had the same thing happen at my local Subaru dealer when I was looking at WRX new and used. After a couple questions about what I was looking for he asked if I "had the money to pay for one of these." That's when I said I did, but not going to spend it here and walked off.

[Tekki]

The Touareg was actually what I went into the dealership for, but didn't want to spend the money on. If I had a lot more money, I would have gotten it.

[Melena]

Yeah, every time I've bought a car, I've gotten a bit better. I still made some dumb mistakes on the fusion. Right now the Mazda 6 is in the lead. Going to try an Accord and CR-V from Honda, and take a look at the Kia's today after my doctor appointment. And this weekend will try Subaru, Toyota, and Nissan, and from there I think the wife and I can go over it, and make a decision. Then the next step is to try to figure out what we want to pay. Is there a way without money to try to figure out what the dealer cost is so you have some negotiating tools?

[Ragnus]

2007 Mini Cooper

Looking at this car since it has good milage and my '99 Saturn is dying on me at the moment. Minis have had shitty reliability in the past, but I heard that they got better after the 2006 model year. Opinions? I'm pretty much looking for at least mid 30s MPG and a manual transmission, but it's proving really hard to find in the used market since almost everyone drives automatics.

[Melena]

I just can't get over the look of the mini cooper. It is a BMW sub brand, so keep that in mind. If you have a negative opinion about BMW quality, it will probably carry over on Mini.

[Tokitoki]

I had one as a rental in Seattle last year I think... Anyway, I found that the road noise was terrible, but I believe someone on the board said that Seattle in general has noisy roads. I did notice that they seemed to be concrete roadways as opposed to asphalt which would certainly back this up.

Other than that it drove nicely, had good power, was easy to maneuver, but obviously there is 0 space for passengers. My cousin had to sit in the back for a 20-30min ride and complained after we got out. She's not a large person by any means either.

[Obiron]

Yeah, every time I've bought a car, I've gotten a bit better. I still made some dumb mistakes on the fusion. Right now the Mazda 6 is in the lead. Going to try an Accord and CR-V from Honda, and take a look at the Kia's today after my doctor appointment. And this weekend will try Subaru, Toyota, and Nissan, and from there I think the wife and I can go over it, and make a decision. Then the next step is to try to figure out what we want to pay. Is there a way without money to try to figure out what the dealer cost is so you have some negotiating tools?

I don't have any specific sites to recommend, but from my experience Invoice tends to be $2-3k less than sticker (some Googling on specific models will usually get you in the right ballpark). And barring special models that sell out quickly, any reputable salesman should be willing to show you the invoice price, and go at least that low. I'm sure you can haggle further, but I'm not a big fan of haggling so I haven't ever gotten better than $500 below invoice (plus rebates/incentives on top of that if any are being offered). I've also had better luck with the Internet Sales departments at dealerships rather than finding a random salesman on the lot. The last two Toyotas I bought, I went through their Internet Sales and they offered $500 below invoice right out of the gate. They tend to have the attitude that if you've been looking at cars online then you've done some research and know sticker is too high.

[Anakron]

Then the next step is to try to figure out what we want to pay. Is there a way without money to try to figure out what the dealer cost is so you have some negotiating tools?

Edmunds has some good tools, but the general idea is that you should negotiate for OTD (out-the-door) price, which includes tax, registration, etc. If you negotiate for the sales price of the car, that leaves them room to add on "advertising fees" and crap like that.

The invoice price for most cars is about 10% off of MSRP, so if you can get an OTD price around the same as MSRP, then you got a pretty decent deal. That's excluding any manufacturer incentives, so if there's a $1k incentive, then you'd want an OTD to be $1k below MSRP.

You can check out what's available here: http://www.edmunds.com/car-incentives/

EDIT: Would also second doing most of the work via emails. After you settle on a car, just have an open bid between dealers (via email), and when you get to the lowest price, then go in and just do the paperwork.

[tyven]

corolla

[zoobernut]

Have you looked into the Volvos? XC-90? I have heard good things about them.

Or just go for the gold and put down your preorder for the Tesla Model X!

[tyven]

honda accord

[Melena]

Volvo's are pretty much a luxury brand now like Lexus/Acura and a bit out of my price range.

We are going to try both the accord and civic. I'm still leaning towards lease cause I already know the interest rates i'm getting offered from banks are garbage and it's due to the fact i have an existing loan, that while will be paid off by Ford, it can take up to 60 days for it to be cleared on my credit score.

[TsingTao]

Honda is refreshing the Accord this fall-ish. If you can wait a few months they look a lot better than the boring as hell styling on the current models. Car&Driver article, with a few pics...
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/exc...py-photos-news
Probably spend a bit more for a comparable 4cyl compared to the Mazda 6 but it will run forever. My wife's Oddesy has 110,000 miles and it's been a rock.

Volvos are great, but I wouldn't bother unless you need 4wd and are willing to pay the price to option one out. They aren't cheap to purchase, and I'd expect maintenance to be comparable, but both the S60 and V60 are nice vehicles. It's a whole different price range than a Mazda/Honda/Hyundai though. If you're in that range there's a lot of other choices available.

Edit: Didn't see your post sneak in there. No to Volvo then.

Tell your dealer to work with you on financing or you'll go to another dealership. If they won't give you terms as if the Ford didn't exist I'll be utterly shocked.

[Melena]

Yeah, that's what i'm hoping. Unfortunately we are a one car house, so with Ford buying back the car, i'm actually going to have to rent a car for a few days as is while I wait for the check to clear. Last time I got a check at that size, it took about 5 days to clear but I'm hoping that since policies on check cashing have changed, it won't be as bad. But yeah, I won't be able to wait for the 16 accord, but it could lead to an awesome deal on the 15 if we like it enough.