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f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  General Discussion  |  Topic: Buying a new car, need some advice 0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.
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Author Topic: Buying a new car, need some advice  (Read 341492 times)
Salamok
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Reply #315 on: January 11, 2014, 10:53:34 AM

For the first time ever I traded in a car before it was on it's last legs and swapped the Camry Hybrid for an Avalon Limited Hybrid, it has a bit more power, a bit better fuel economy and a shitload of more luxury.  The trim seems pretty equivalent to my dads $80k 2010 Lexus.  I realize it isn't the "driving" experience of a real road car but 90% of my driving is in rush hour where you are very lucky if you can even go near the speed limit.
jakonovski
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Reply #316 on: January 12, 2014, 12:33:37 PM

Fuck, I'm getting drawn back into hot hatches after watching a bunch of Top Gear and Fifth Gear. The Ford Focus ST Wagon looks criminally good...can't wait for spring.


Nebu
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Reply #317 on: January 12, 2014, 12:56:29 PM

Fuck, I'm getting drawn back into hot hatches after watching a bunch of Top Gear and Fifth Gear. The Ford Focus ST Wagon looks criminally good...can't wait for spring.

I urge you to test drive the Ford Focus SVT hatch and the Mazda 3 speed.  They are both quite fun to drive, decent on gas, and have excellent carrying capacity for their class.

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Chimpy
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Reply #318 on: January 12, 2014, 03:23:44 PM

Speed3 is sooooo ugly though.

Get a WRX if you want performance and poor weather handling.

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jakonovski
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Reply #319 on: January 12, 2014, 05:33:14 PM

We only get the sti here and it costs €70k ($95k).
01101010
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Reply #320 on: January 12, 2014, 06:41:32 PM

THe Focus ST is a fairly nice car. I was running next to one on 294 near Chicago over the break and it looks really sharp.

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jakonovski
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Reply #321 on: January 13, 2014, 11:16:24 AM

I found two new contenders, with pics because you Murricans might not have seen 'em. Not doing any test drives until the cars are back on summer tires.

The new Peugeot 308, released last week I think. This is definitely not a GT car, but the top spec model is crazy luxurious, and I looove the design. Should drive ok, in the French way of being super comfy. Bonus points for a rad 10" touchscreen.

KIA Cee'd GT. Doesn't quite have the panache, but 25% cheaper than the competition and 7 year warranty goes a long way.

« Last Edit: January 13, 2014, 11:18:26 AM by jakonovski »
murdoc
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Reply #322 on: January 13, 2014, 02:13:31 PM

We have a 2005 KIA Sorento and it has been absolutely bulletproof for us. Just routine care and maintenance, and cheap at that. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend one to anybody.

Have you tried the internet? It's made out of millions of people missing the point of everything and then getting angry about it
Stewie
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Reply #323 on: January 13, 2014, 02:26:37 PM

Have you checked out the Hyundai Veloster Turbo?
I know it doesnt have quite the power, but all in all a decent, sporty and yet affordable car.

I know you said you wanted to stay away from the sport tuning, but you should test drive a FR-S (toyota gt-86 in Europe)
Here is mine:   *note the back seat is not pratical at all.
 
 

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jakonovski
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Reply #324 on: January 13, 2014, 03:14:34 PM

Hyundai cut the Veloster from their Finnish lineup, so that's a no go. Too bad, cos I liked it when it was around. I guess it's really true that the car dealerships are in a crisis in this country.

Which brings me to the GT86. I could have that, but it costs 50k euros, or 68k you ess dee. And they wonder why they don't get any sales.




Ingmar
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Reply #325 on: January 13, 2014, 03:18:11 PM

How much does fuel cost in Finland?

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Stewie
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Reply #326 on: January 13, 2014, 03:19:50 PM

holy shit, mine was roughly 31k cdn taxes and extended warranty. swamp poop ACK!

thats highway robbery!

of course, id be happy to sell you mine for a measly 35k euro  Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?

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jakonovski
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Reply #327 on: January 13, 2014, 03:24:05 PM

How much does fuel cost in Finland?

$9/gallon.

 why so serious?
jakonovski
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Reply #328 on: January 13, 2014, 03:26:25 PM

of course, id be happy to sell you mine for a measly 35k euro  Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?

I'd have to remove all the windows and the windshield, and replace them with identical ones with appropriate EU markings. Otherwise it won't be road legal.

 why so serious?
Stewie
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Reply #329 on: January 13, 2014, 03:55:11 PM

ok then, 30k euros

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MisterNoisy
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Reply #330 on: January 14, 2014, 01:22:09 PM

Hyundai cut the Veloster from their Finnish lineup, so that's a no go. Too bad, cos I liked it when it was around. I guess it's really true that the car dealerships are in a crisis in this country.

Which brings me to the GT86. I could have that, but it costs 50k euros, or 68k you ess dee. And they wonder why they don't get any sales.

Good lord.  It never ceases to amaze me just how good we have it re: cars and gas here in the States.  I could have bought two copies of my current car for that (even at MSRP) and still had change left over.

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jakonovski
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Reply #331 on: January 14, 2014, 01:30:12 PM


Good lord.  It never ceases to amaze me just how good we have it re: cars and gas here in the States.  I could have bought two copies of my current car for that (even at MSRP) and still had change left over.

We are a bit of an outlier in Europe too, the GT86 costs 30k euros in Germany. Also, the US model is priced lower by Toyota so I think there might be some trim missing. Anyway, in Finland the average car is about 11 years old because of the taxation. It's traditionally a big revenue source for the govt, so they fight tooth and nail to keep it, even breaking EU law for like a decade (and now trying to weasel out of having to pay back the money).
MisterNoisy
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Reply #332 on: January 14, 2014, 02:09:28 PM


Good lord.  It never ceases to amaze me just how good we have it re: cars and gas here in the States.  I could have bought two copies of my current car for that (even at MSRP) and still had change left over.

We are a bit of an outlier in Europe too, the GT86 costs 30k euros in Germany. Also, the US model is priced lower by Toyota so I think there might be some trim missing. Anyway, in Finland the average car is about 11 years old because of the taxation. It's traditionally a big revenue source for the govt, so they fight tooth and nail to keep it, even breaking EU law for like a decade (and now trying to weasel out of having to pay back the money).

Out of curiosity, what's in place to stop you from going to Germany, buying it there and just driving it back home (aside from weather concerns)?

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jakonovski
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Reply #333 on: January 14, 2014, 02:43:38 PM

The price difference is for the most part taxes, that you have to pay regardless of where the car was bought. So it's a complete no go on new cars. With used cars it's feasible but still full of really annoying paperwork and a bit risky. The process of paying the tax is deliberately opaque, with customs flat out refusing to tell the sum before importing, or the formula used to calculate it. A few years ago the customs got caught taxing the tax, and after that deliberately stalled in order to get beyond the statute of limitations (the thing I referred to in my last post).

Short version, it's a terrible ordeal so most people just don't bother with it.

 



Viin
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Reply #334 on: January 14, 2014, 03:28:42 PM

{chant}M3 M3 M3 M3 M3{/chant}


- Viin
rattran
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Reply #335 on: January 14, 2014, 03:40:01 PM

Is there anyone who owns an M3 that isn't a complete douchenozzle? I thought that was one of the requirements?
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Reply #336 on: January 14, 2014, 03:41:14 PM

They don't charge you the taxes when you get the title/plates? That is how most states in the U.S. do it to avoid the whole sales tax avoidance thing.

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Rasix
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Reply #337 on: January 14, 2014, 04:00:46 PM

Is there anyone who owns an M3 that isn't a complete douchenozzle? I thought that was one of the requirements?

My dad's friend isn't a douche. He's too old for that.

He's rich, however, and the M3 is mostly raced. It's rarely ever driven on city streets.


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Ingmar
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Reply #338 on: January 14, 2014, 04:05:18 PM

How much does fuel cost in Finland?

$9/gallon.

 why so serious?

So shouldn't mileage be at the very top of your list of needs? The difference between, say, 20 mpg and 30 mpg is $45 every 300 miles, if you assume you drive this thing for 100k miles and gas stays constant (it will actually go up almost certainly making this number bigger) you save yourself $15,000 in gas over the lifetime of the car. That is an insane amount of money.

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01101010
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Reply #339 on: January 14, 2014, 05:17:19 PM

They don't charge you the taxes when you get the title/plates? That is how most states in the U.S. do it to avoid the whole sales tax avoidance thing.

Depends on the state. I looked into purchasing from out-of-state when I was searching for a vehicle. Buying from a dealer, they normally will take the tax and give you a receipt - to which you take that to the DMV (AAA here in PA) and they do some state tax money swapping and you only get charged the difference if any (sadly, you don't get a refund if you paid more than the tax the state requires). However, down in SC, they consider your vehicle a piece of property and take a yearly tax on its value that has to be paid prior to you getting your plate/tags. Get that receipt and take it to the DMV and get your plates. YMMV in other states.

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Viin
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Reply #340 on: January 14, 2014, 09:35:15 PM

Is there anyone who owns an M3 that isn't a complete douchenozzle? I thought that was one of the requirements?

I'm sure you say that about anyone who drives a nicer car than you.  Cthulu

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jakonovski
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Reply #341 on: January 14, 2014, 11:40:42 PM


So shouldn't mileage be at the very top of your list of needs? The difference between, say, 20 mpg and 30 mpg is $45 every 300 miles, if you assume you drive this thing for 100k miles and gas stays constant (it will actually go up almost certainly making this number bigger) you save yourself $15,000 in gas over the lifetime of the car. That is an insane amount of money.

This is very true, but this is not really a reason based thing right now. My Fiat is still good for 2 or 3 years, so it makes zero economic sense to change.

But not to worry, the small turbos all come with stop starts and whatnots these days, so the difference in fuel use is not going to be all that big. And the way I drive, I currently only get 35mpg in the city anyway.
 

 
 

jakonovski
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Reply #342 on: January 18, 2014, 04:05:41 AM

Well fudge, I may have to go with VW Group after all. The new Seat Leon is getting rave reviews and is basically the same car as the Golf but with Kia level prices. Seat is probably unknown in the US, so here's a picture.


 
MisterNoisy
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Reply #343 on: January 18, 2014, 06:25:58 AM

Well fudge, I may have to go with VW Group after all. The new Seat Leon is getting rave reviews and is basically the same car as the Golf but with Kia level prices. Seat is probably unknown in the US, so here's a picture.



Nifty!  Looks like you have a lot more options with VAG car powertrains over there - which one you looking at?

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jakonovski
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Reply #344 on: January 18, 2014, 07:34:43 AM

1.4 or 1.8 TSI with manual would be ideal. There's some good deals floating around on cars with DSG, but I'm still feeling antsy about that.

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Reply #345 on: January 18, 2014, 07:56:20 AM

DSG is great to drive. Mind you I just hit 14.5k miles on my GTI ( in almost two years ownership) so I can't really comment on the long term reliability but I like it a lot.

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Nebu
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Reply #346 on: January 18, 2014, 01:10:25 PM

DSG is great to drive. Mind you I just hit 14.5k miles on my GTI ( in almost two years ownership) so I can't really comment on the long term reliability but I like it a lot.

I traded my GTI in with 120k miles.  Never had a single issue with it and never had to replace the break pads!

"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."

-  Mark Twain
jakonovski
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Reply #347 on: January 24, 2014, 03:44:59 AM

Car fever doesn't let up, so I'm taking my Fiat in to fix a scrape on the bumper. It'll cost about 300 to fix, but I'm pretty sure doing it will benefit me more than that when selling the car.

I also visited Ford and SEAT dealerships. I gotta say, the Leon FR model with leather/alcantara seats feels soooo nice. Focus is a bit more everyday, but it's available with a tuned engine for 200hp and the warranty stays intact.

I'm reserving test drives right after I'm done with my miniatures painting binge.

Also, does anyone have experience buying a car that has been used for test drives? The savings would be nice, and those are usually decked out with every gizmo available.


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Reply #348 on: January 24, 2014, 03:57:35 AM

What do you mean "test drives"? Most cars you purchase that are not big volume models will always have a few test drive miles on them.

My GTI had 380 miles on when I bought it and it had no issues.

'Reality' is the only word in the language that should always be used in quotes.
jakonovski
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Reply #349 on: January 24, 2014, 04:05:16 AM

What do you mean "test drives"? Most cars you purchase that are not big volume models will always have a few test drive miles on them.

My GTI had 380 miles on when I bought it and it had no issues.

How odd, must be a cultural difference. Here, a new car will be as close to zero mileage as possible, and the dealers have a bunch of specific cars that are used for test drives and/or as company cars. They're sold after a few months, usually at around 2k miles. 
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