Need a New Car

[ryannel2003]

My friend has a Hyundai and I must say its a very well built car. I would prefer and SUV just because we get lots of snow and ice here and my town isn't very good at plowing, and my road is private so we have to pay the town to plow it and they always seem to plow my road last. Add in some hilly roads an it makes for quite an interesting driving experience.

I cannot find a car though that I like. I'm not being too picky about color but so far I've looked at the following
- 1999 Discovery: Leaking oil
- 2000 Discovery: Leaking oil + non functioning driver's window
- 2000 Range Rover: Sketchy Dealer
- 2001 Discovery: ABS/Trac Control/HDC lights on

I might check out a 1999 Range Rover in Somerville, MA (Boston) tomorrow, same place I got my first car.

I don't know what other cars I like. My parents hate BMW's, mercedes, and Audi's. They think they are too snooty, apparently a LR is not. I've been searching around for a Qx4 but haven't seen anything in my price range that I like, there aren't many of them around.

I'm not really concerned about the resale of a car, I mean, I am buying it used so I would prefer a car that has low resale assuming that I will be keeping this car for a while.

Dude I'm telling you again, you need to reconsider and look at a 4Runner or Pathfinder. I think it was a stroke of luck getting your D1. You haven't had any luck with finding another one. Yeah they aren't exactly what you want, but once you get a high paying job you can get whatever car you want. I think you dad would have been smart to trade in the Touraeg and keep the DII for you. That way you wouldn't have this pain in the ass job of looking for another Rover.

 

[ErikCLDR]

One thing I like about Land Rovers is that they have probably the highest depreciation of any car in the world. A new Range Rover is $80,000, 2 years old w/~30k = 50-55k, and so on. They have poor reliability and high repair costs which drives the price down, so if you can find a well maintained one its not that bad. I am trying to try a privately sold one so I know where it has been.

I know seriously, my dad had should have traded in the Touareg, its nothing but trouble and the dealer is good but inconsiderate (ie, changing brakes and leaving brake dust fingerprints all over the wheels, or inside the car ). He's planning on extending the warranty on it to 80,000 miles. I don't really understand his thinking on trading in the Discovery. I honestly think he's senile.

I've decided that 4Runner isn't really for me. They're too expensive and I just don't like the way they ride and feel. I like the ride of the pathfinder but I don't like its very fake SUVish feel. It has very little capability. If you're are going to buy an SUV, it might as well be an SUV. Anything else is just wasting gas and you're better off getting a wagon.

As for the need for 4wd, my dad's commuter car is a 1998 cutlass (which only adds to my hatred of american cars). Last winter it had a tough job getting up our driveway even with snow tires. There is no chance of getting that thing though a 2 ft mound of snow at the end of the driveway left by the plow. If you park it on the road the plow will just burry it the next time it comes around. 4wd/awd does not mean you can drive fast in the snow, it just gives your more traction and it can help you pull out of slides. My town has been known to have school on days where cars are getting stuck in the driveway of the school.

 

[xodonniedarko]

How will you find an m3 for 10,000$?

 

[ryannel2003]

How will you find an m3 for 10,000$?

Unless it's really, really old it probably won't happen. Even the last generation M3 still holds value well compared to other cars on the market. BMW's are masterpieces of work in my opinion. Nothing comes close to the sound of a inline 6. Except for the rumble of a Northstar V8.

 

[madoka]

One thing I like about Land Rovers is that they have probably the highest depreciation of any car in the world. They have poor reliability and high repair costs which drives the price down, so if you can find a well maintained one its not that bad.

1. You're a teenager with a limited budget of $10K
2. You insist on looking at a LR which you realize has poor reliability and high repair costs.

Unless you have a family member who is a LR mechanic, these 2 statements seem to contradict each other.

 

[ErikCLDR]

1. You're a teenager with a limited budget of $10K
2. You insist on looking at a LR which you realize has poor reliability and high repair costs.

Unless you have a family member who is a LR mechanic, these 2 statements seem to contradict each other.

The purchasing budget for my car has nothing to do with the repair budget.

I had a Land Rover before, I bought it for less than $10,000 and I had excellent luck with it until a deer jumped out in front of it and created a bit of damage. If you do not believe that you cannot buy a Land Rover for under $10,000 check for yourself. You can probably find quite a few 1999-2001 Discovery's with 70,000-80,000 miles, if maintained they can last 200,000 miles plus.

My family has owned a 1963 Series IIa, a 1990 Range Rover, a 2003 Discovery II, and currently has a 2007 Range Rover Sport.

 

[FJ218700]

ErikCLD, my Toyotas are still for sale btw.

 

[ErikCLDR]

ErikCLD, my Toyotas are still for sale btw.

Man I absolutely love you FJ. That thing is beautiful. I don't think its that practical for me though. Seriously if I was looking for a fun 2nd car to own I would take that baby in a heart beat. I like those even more than a Series III LR.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

The purchasing budget for my car has nothing to do with the repair budget.

Considering the amount of money you have available for repairs, I wouldn't wring my hands over any particular purchase. Land Rovers are both expensive and unreliable - and used ones even more so, so you might as well pick up whichever one strikes your fancy and deal with the maintenance issues as they come up.

 

[pseudobrit]

The US seriously needs to allow more diesel cars.

It's more of a problem that car manufacturers aren't interested. Which is because market research tells them Americans aren't interested.

 

[iCube]

Other cars I am interested in
- Toyota 4Runner
- Nissan Pathfinder/Infinti QX4
- BMW 3-series
- Audi A4
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Nissan Maxima
- Old Land Cruiser (not really worth it though cause a 1995 costs like $10k with 200,000 miles)

Any Advice? Recommendations? Reviews?

Go for the Toyota!

 

[Lord Blackadder]

It's more of a problem that car manufacturers aren't interested. Which is because market research tells them Americans aren't interested.

Which is BS IMHO. I think that if manufacturers offered more vehicles with a diesel (especially since the US has FINALLY switched to an ultra low sulphur diesel), Americans would buy them. This is especially true for light trucks/SUVs and economy cars, where the diesel's combination of good torque for a given displacement and good fuel economy is an advantage.

If I was shopping for a light truck I'd be interested in a Tacoma diesel, which appears to be sold in every corner of the world except the US for some ridiculous reason.

Hopefully the next few years will see manufacturers other than Mercedes and Volkswagen offering diesel vehicles in the USA.

 

[iGav]

It's more of a problem that car manufacturers aren't interested.

Do you really believe that?

I'd suggest that previous U.S. legislation was more of a problem.

Then U.S. public perception.

If the market's there, and it's viable... you can be assured that a manufacturer will try and take advantage of it. Though admittedly there are exceptions... Honda for example, but that was more to do with some misplaced sense of engineering pride than anything else.

 

[pseudobrit]

Do you really believe that?

Yes. It's too much hassle and risk for manufacturers to go through to introduce compliant dervs which may be rejected by the market.

As much as I hear people say they desire the option to buy diesel, apparently market research is telling the automakers that such an option wouldn't be exercised nearly enough to justify the expense.

I'm as sick about it as anyone, as my TDI isn't getting any younger. Sure I could pick up a 30 or 38mpg Civic, smart, Fit or Yaris, but I'll tell you two things you cannot go back to: 1) dialup; 2) getting less than 50mpg highway.

 

[Sun Baked]

As much as I hear people say they desire the option to buy diesel, apparently market research is telling the automakers that such an option wouldn't be exercised nearly enough to justify the expense.

Everybody is awaiting VW to release the next TDI Jetta.

The Jetta should make 50 state certification without urea injection using the newer common rail TDI motor, while the larger v-6 tdi vehicles will be injecting it like the adblue MB bluetec does.

With this 50 state certification, they were supposed to lift all limitations on TDI sales.

So VW is looking to be the marketing test donkey. And they have been having trouble getting the California certificate (or was it durability on the exhaust) -- now pushed back to summer 08.

If it fails, I wonder if they default back to the limited numbers like they had before.

 

[pseudobrit]

So VW is looking to be the marketing test donkey.

This is why Ford as we know them will be gone in five years and GM will be lucky to survive a decade intact. Their development strategies are rooted in fear and their sales are based on intertia.

Fortune favors the bold, not the crossover SUV.

 

[iGav]

Yes. It's too much hassle and risk for manufacturers to go through to introduce compliant dervs which may be rejected by the market.

Wouldn't you agree that is more a legislation issue than a manufacturer one though?

It's completely unrealistic to expect manufacturers to re-engineer there cars to meet the then archaic U.S. standards (poor quality diesel but stringent emissions standards), when a simple legislation change (as is now occurring in the U.S.) would've achieved the double benefit of not only allowing less polluting vehicles but also allowing a much more diverse range of diesel cars on sale than the previous U.S. legislation allowed.

But that doesn't even begin to address the generally negative U.S. public perception of diesel powered cars. Nor (as far as I understand) the lack of a widespread availability of low sulphur diesel at the present and certainly the imminent future.

 

[pseudobrit]

Wouldn't you agree that is more a legislation issue than a manufacturer one though?

It's completely unrealistic to expect manufacturers to re-engineer there cars to meet the then archaic U.S. standards (poor quality diesel but stringent emissions standards), when a simple legislation change (as is now occurring in the U.S.) would've achieved the double benefit of not only allowing less polluting vehicles but also allowing a much more diverse range of diesel cars on sale than the previous U.S. legislation allowed.

Automakers have very effective lobbyists but they tend to choose the path of least resistance.

But that doesn't even begin to address the generally negative U.S. public perception of diesel powered cars. Nor (as far as I understand) the lack of a widespread availability of low sulphur diesel at the present and certainly the imminent future.

ULSD (15ppm) rolled out nationwide last year. Yet other than Volkswagen Group, we have only Nissan, Saturn and Cadillac each planning a single model with diesel option, with Mercedes continuing to offer only its diesel E class (I'm not counting SUVs here). The rest talk a lot.

I was of the opinion that Audi should have offered the R8 exclusively with their 4.2 TDI if they seriously wanted the US market to rethink diesel.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I was of the opinion that Audi should have offered the R8 exclusively with their 4.2 TDI if they seriously wanted the US market to rethink diesel.

Of all automakers, Audi should be selling a diesel in the US - they already have some brand recognition from their ALMS diesel race cars for starters.

 

[Counterfit]

I want to swap Subaru's EJ Diesel into my Impreza