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If I was to buy a New Car Today????


R W Burgess

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Has someone figured out just who does buy "New" cars?

Some we buy new, like our Dodge pick-up trucks. Don't want a used one from around here where red-necks tend to abuse them. We have had a couple of used ones as "barn trucks" for me and lucked out. But for regular use and hauling we want new with warranty.

We bought my PT Cruiser new. The Jeep Liberty had been a rental car with Alamo but it was only on the road for four months so it was barely used.

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I see no reason to ever buy a "New" car personally..............................

Come on Bob, you're stuffy man. Where's that adventureous young man that your good looking wife married years ago????:)

Has someone figured out just who does buy "New" cars?

Let's see.....kids that have a lifetime to pay for them, or keep it till the snatch man comes. Heck, who they going to sue?..............old coots who don't want to leave it to the kids. They'll just blow it anyway!?..............car buyers who are tired of the refrigerator cars that are being built everyday. (Betga, Moskowitz would buy one:D)..................or, how about this, the song, "Live like you are dying!" (Tim McGraw), cause you never know. :)

I'll admit it though, guys. I'm just too tight to pay that much for a car. I tried to buy the last new G-8 Pontiac around here, but the guy asked me if I thought it was a fire sale, if I only wanted to pay $25,000 for a new car......."Wait, wasn't there a "fire sale" with Pontiac Motors?" :eek::(

Wayne

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Someone has to buy the new cars otherwise we won't re-stock the used car inventory. I don't think I would buy an all electric plug-in. The power company is reporting 157,000 customers with out power around town after last nights ice storm. Most of those are due to a blown sub station that they won't have back on line before Sunday evening.

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Boy, is this a tough crowd! I love new cars as much as the old ones. My daily driver is a 2007 Chevy Trailblazer SS with a 395 hp LS2 motor and I love every mile I drive with it. If I had unlimited funds I would at least look at this wagon, I have never driven a CTS-V because I'm afraid I would have to buy it.

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Guest Skyking

I haven't bought a new car or had a car payment since 1989. Buying a 3 year old car is fine for me. Let someone else pay the depreciation.

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My "NEW" car is my 2002 3/4 Ton Suburban with the 8.1 Litre engine and towing package, bought new in November, 2001

Dale has a 2005 Chrysler Sebring Touring convertible for special events.

My daily driver is the '95 Grand Marquis which was new when my folks were in the Florida retirement Condo. - still runs better than most rice-burners (Dad fought in the South Pacific), makes 28 mpg on the Expy. and can seat 6 in comfort.

No car payments --OK, OK, I'm not helping the economy to recover --I'm maximizing my investment - thanks to the AMERICAN WORKERS - and would love to see more industry return to the USA.

With Egypt about to fall to a FRONT for militant Islamists, with this nation not having the ability to manufacture its own military needs - watch out!

Guess I got a little off track, but think about it!

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Has someone figured out just who does buy "New" cars?

When you get called out of work in the middle of the day and drive 120 miles to rescue your spouse from a small hole that developed in the muffler in her 6 year old car, it'll soon be you!:D

Not only that, but in recent years cars have technologically advanced at a rate greater than perhaps any time in history, possibly even more than during their first decade! The car I'm driving now I couldn't have conceived of 10 years ago. The ways in which it is better than what came before benefit me materially & financially, not just in a decadent sense.

It's not just style and features any more!:)

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I'm 61 and have 'officially' never bought a new car (long story... some other time and post). I do, however, like for my wife to buy new. She sometimes likes to travel on her own, so I feel better knowing that what she's driving hasn't been abused. I do almost all the service on our cars myself (as I would guess many others on this forum do), so I know exactly what's been done to her cars.

She likes small, economical cars and usually keeps them for over 10 years. After two consecutive Honda Civics, we bought a new 2010 Ford Focus. To be fair, there WAS an income tax break involved and we got a great deal on the car itself, so we felt pretty good about the purchase. Both of us really like the Focus. Yes, it's an appliance, but it gets great fuel mileage and is actually quite comfortable on long trips.

I've been in and out of the automotive business for years. I'm retired now, but I still work part-time for one of my friends who owns a dealership (yes, where we bought the Focus...). My basic read on new car buyers is that most of them aren't car people. A large percentage of new car buyers don't want to be bothered by maintenance. Dealerships with good service departments send out reminders to customers to bring in their cars for everything from oil changes to windshield wipers and tires. Most new car buyers apparently love this kind of attention. As a group, they seem to be less worried about the cost of the maintenance than the inconvenience of it. Again, savvy dealerships have shuttles to the mall or home, loaner cars and waiting rooms stocked with everything from refreshments to coloring books. It's really quite entertaining to work in a dealership and just take a little time to watch the people!

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This time last year I was driving an all-wheel drive 2002 T&C van with over 140,000 miles on it with no plans to get rid of it until a deer destroyed it one night on the interstate. Had the cruise set on 68 and that booger came out of the shadows and right smack dab in front of me and yeah, I smacked him. Insurance totalled the van. I tried to find another one with all wheel drive but they quit making them years ago. I need a van to travel in and to haul my music equipment to churches, nursing homes, etc. I tried to find a used T&C with the stow'n'go seating but couldn't find what I wanted. Heavy as those vans are an engine smaller than the 3.8 doesn't have the power I want here in the mountains. Eventually to get the 4.0 engine and the stow'n'go seating I had bought a new one. It was the most expensive item I have ever purchased in my life. I also depend on the dealer for service as the electronics are not something I can handle and new cars just don't provide a lot of room to do the mechanical stuff. You need small hands, long fingers and all kinds of special tools and I have none of those. The gas mileage is close to reasonable, there's plenty of room to haul my gear, I can quickly raise the back row when I need to seat six or I can fold two rows flat when I need to haul more gear or if I want to sleep in it and I have did that. Inflate a 8" air mattress and I'm ready to go camping. However, if someone built a station wagon that would serve my needs, that is the way I would have gone. By the way, I got the van in July, have 14,000 miles on it and hope for at least 186,000 more before it dies.

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The kids love 'em though, and that's what counts. It's great to see young kids lusting after a Cadillac, after so many years of misguided lust for Japanese cars.

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Sorry, not misguided my friend and certainly not Japanese.....really.

What's your beef with old Japanese cars when they were Japanese cars?

Didn't you like the competition for fit and finish and durability plus the price, which by the way made the old Big three eventually build better cars? or was it the fact they set up shop here in the U.S.A. ? Course they learned how to do that by watching GM and Ford do that in the 20's and 30's in England, European countries and Australia.

These companies are global and the smart ones set up shop as close to their customers as possible. U.S. auto companies are the ones that got the ball rolling, they just got beat at their own game.

Don

BTW that Cadillac wagon should have been a Olds Vista Cruiser or Pontiac Safari. Wagons & SUV's are bad for the Cadillac image. Oh I forgot since the middle class is now being decimated, you don't need cars like Pontiac, Oldsmobile or Mercury because we will just have the haves and the have nots. Thats why Cadillac has got a wagon. Now I see.

Edited by helfen (see edit history)
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I do not believe the PR-based smears, alledging that japanese-built cars were really of better quality.

Nothing that nation ever built could hold up as well as the 1,423,000 miles my '77 Suburban accumulated before she went under in Hurricane Katrina, and even after that, we were able to get her running again.

My 7.3 Turbo-Diesel Excursion has 260,000 miles, and is one of our primary tow-vehicles - try that in your Corolla.

My '92 Grand Marquis had over 255,000 miles before a big truck front-ended it, and I should have insisted on having it repaired - try that with your Audi, Suzuki, Subaru, or Nissan - that is if you could have syrvived the impact - not likely - size matters, as does mass.

My '95 Grand Marquis has room for 6 full-sized Americans to ride in supreme comfort, making 28 mpg , and maintenance is affordable.

Some people are just willing to be pushed into believing anything, so long as it says that somebody else is better at something.

I, for one, will stand up for American ingenuity, the American worker, the American ability to set and surpass goals in engineering and technology -- not to pay-off to win through industrial espionage , or by dumping cheap product to flood the market as our "Friends" from the Empire of Japan did on several occasions.

Japan's high import tarrifs make it impossible for us to compete economically there - we give away our ability to fight fairly.

When our manufacturing base is decimated, how will we defend against the type of insurrection now taking place in Egypt - and don't be fooled into thinking that it is just poor people yearning to breath free -

it is orchestrated by the same types of groups which funded dozens of terrorist activities.

Will we have to ask Saudi Arabia to put up the collateral for us to borrow more from China so that we can have China manufacture armament, ammunition, aircraft, and vehicles to protect ourselves from the nations which grow wealthy from our dependence upon their petroleum, and support the terrorism which wishes to destroyour way of life from within?

Give me American cars any day -- for many, many good reasons --global economy?? --my Aunt Fannie!! Dad defended our country in the South Pacific -- Mom did her share for industry on the home front, my generation protected our country when it was unpopular to be patriotic -- some of the younger generation just doesn't get it -- I hope you do !!

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............ Dad defended our country in the South Pacific -- Mom did her share for industry on the home front, my generation protected our country when it was unpopular to be patriotic -- some of the younger generation just doesn't get it -- I hope you do !!

And a big THANK YOU to the Vets in your family, Marty. you're right too. So many young people ignor, or are unaware of the history of our country and their freedoms.

Michael just noticed "yesterday" that something big was going on in Egypt!????

Wayne

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We are actually in an era of some excellent vehicles - a wide array of choices, and various advancing technologies, virtually no maintanence relative to a few years ago. If Govt. does not overstep it's boundaries the competition will continue to up the ante just fine on it's own and the choices will continue. Just as was the case in the 80s - early 90s. We do have the Asian cars to thank for waking Detriot up; now, there are great choices all around if you care to look. BTW this is good news for those who shun new cars as well as they all become used cars the day they are delivered to the first owner!!

As to choice, a new CTS AWD would appeal to me, but having driven the wife's 08 AWD A-4 a lot recently I have really gained an appreciation for that car. It does everything well, and they are so evolutionary the car still looks new, although the subtle design changes on the 2010 and up is really outstanding. I could see myself springing for one of those if I needed a new car.

Anyway, our next vehicle will replace our Explorer, that does what it was designed to do well also. Weighing new vs. used right now, and you can save a ton by going back a year or two. I do think SUVs will continue to shrink like it or not, but we aren't quite ready for a "mini SUV just yet. The Caddy wagon would work fine just not in the price range!! I like the 6 cyl. GMC "Terrain" also.

Edited by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)
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Lots of ignorance around these days. My brother's step son just moved here to PA after being raised in New Mexico. His parents called the high school to register him. Now, we have a state of the art HS, best in the county by all academic measures but apparently the registrar does not recognize New Mexico as one of the 50 states. Her first question to the parents? "Does your son speak any English at all?" Okay, so forgive geographical ignorance on the part of the office person but what about his homeroom teacher who complimented him? "You speak English like a native." Frightening.

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At the risk fo getting more people upset can I suggest we stay on topic here and let the op-ed pages debate the other issues. This thread is starting to get too negative.

My take, the Cadillac is everything the writer said it was. Not necessary but probably a whole lot of fun to drive. I am amazed in the few short years I have left the car business that the technology continues to advance dtramatically. You do have choices now of some great cars and quality overall from all the manufacturers is very good.

Me, I'd take a brand spanking new 3/4 ton Yukon XL along with a Corvette and I would be smiling a lot!

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At the risk my getting deleted, the post IS mostly ON topic, I.E. cars. If it drifts off course a few degrees so what? It will drift back and personally I'm hard pressed to see much, if any "negativism". Whatever that is.

It's been a long hard winter and the forum provides a bit of entertainment as evidenced by the number of posts following this thread.

Let us have some fun...............Bob

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Steve, I'm with you. Six months ago I bought the wife a 2011 Taurus Limited; by far the best new car I have ever owned. The fit, finish and technology are all first class. Could not be more pleased! By the way, I'm 71, retired and want the wife to be safe and snug in a car that I don't have to work on constantly. I'll save that for the vintage stuff in the back garage. My DD is a 2007 Suburban.

See you next week in Philly, hope it does not snow this year.

Mickey

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Great answers. Since the mid 90's, I have driven mid-sized SUV's exclusively. I don't consider my 2010 Z71 Tahoe as a car however. Great truck, and everything I expected. I just rented a fully loaded, high performance, Camaro in Arizona and I have to admit it was like the 70's all over again. Powerful engine, very tight responsive steering, and a sleek body design. The window area took a little getting used to however (like a chopped rod), and the trunk space could have used a little more room. For a high horse-power "car", the mileage was around 21 mpg, not great but what a fun car to drive. I would buy one in a flash. This auto could definitely become a classic in the near future. Retired and enjoying every minute of it. Skip

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New car eh? I would find the choices pretty difficult. My most recent choice was a 2005 Ford F-350 crew cab diesel to tow the trailer. Getting to the topic of this post, the question really was about what sort of CAR would I buy today? If a truck is out of the question, likely I would start with something practical, like a Mustang, Cuda or Camaro Convertible! I would also test drive the new Mazda MX-5 Miata and the BMW 3 series Convertible as well as the Z-4 Roadster, just to be well rounded. Maybe a Boxter too. Anything I drove would have to be available with manual gearbox and rear wheel drive. The Caddy CTS-V would be interesting and so would the Taurus SHO (I know, no manual tranny in the SHO, but since I am making up my own rules, I can bend them). No idea what would actually come home but ultimately it would have to be fun to drive.

Eric

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Suburban / Yukon-XL 3/4 Ton 2500 Series for hauling

and

Corvette for fun weekends

and the

Cadillac crossover (please get away from the alphabet-soup names, DeVille, Fleetwood, or even Series 62 still sounds better to me)

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The kids love 'em though, and that's what counts. It's great to see young kids lusting after a Cadillac, after so many years of misguided lust for Japanese cars.

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So how do statements like that make people who collect Japanese cars feel?How does it feel to a Japanese American who collects Japanese cars feel?

How does feel to a person who collects Japanese cars and belongs to this club feel?

How does it feel to a person of Japanese decent who collects Japanese cars and is a member of this club feel?

Welcome to the club?

Don

BTW, If the statement or statements were true, that would be one thing. It would still be wrong to ridicule those cars that some people love . I've worked in the industry 40+ years to know they are not what you say. The millions of people who have bought them for the most part say so too.

Don

Edited by helfen
I said people instead of cars (see edit history)
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So how do statements like that make people who collect Japanese cars feel?How does it feel to a Japanese American who collects Japanese cars feel?

How does feel to a person who collects Japanese cars and belongs to this club feel?

How does it feel to a person of Japanese decent who collects Japanese cars and is a member of this club feel?

Welcome to the club?

Don

BTW, If the statement or statements were true, that would be one thing. It would still be wrong to ridicule those people who love those cars. I've worked in the industry 40+ years to know they are not what you say. The millions of people who have bought them for the most part say so too.

Don

Sorry Don, I don't see how anyone's liking any sort of car from any country, or not, should make residents or descendants of residents of/from that country feel bad.

It is my *opinion* that Japanese cars have been over-glorified in the press for the past 30 years, but that's just my opinion. I think there are a lot of great cars that come from Japan, just as I think there are a lot of great cars that some from USA. And Germany, and Korea, too, and the list goes on...

Edited by stock_steve (see edit history)
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Whoa, Don.

You're reading too much between the lines. There's no ridicule here. And there's nothing said about quality of Japanese cars, or the people who make them, or the people who collect them. All it was meant to say is that the young kids of that era were jumping on the band wagon of lust for Japanese cars, without any real knowledge of them or the cars they were ignoring.

It's a jab at the ignorance of general 14-year-old kids. Why do they like it? It's cool looking, and for no other reason. That was my point about the Cadillac: Kids like it because it's cool looking. No other reason. In time, that will drive up the sales of Cadillacs.

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My son's 1993 Dodge hit the end of the road recently, and for the last month for the first time in 15 years I've been shopping for a cheap used car. He simply isn't in a position yet to afford anything new. I'm flabbergasted at what a halfway decent car costs these days.

I was lucky enough to find him a 15 year old Ford Escort with 131,000 miles (considered very low) for under $2000. That was near miraculous, and it took more than a month to find it. (I bought it 3 hours after it hit Craigslist, with 3 other people waiting if I didn't have the cash.) The only reason I got it that cheap is because it needed a few repairs that I could do, and the transmission shifts a little rougher than it should under light acceleration (it's fine when you floor it.). I chanced the transmission only because EVERYTHING else I saw in that price class was FAR worse. This car at least had no significant rust, has never been hit, and was all one color. It was the only car I looked at that didn't actually have holes in it!

It amazes me that I had to pay nearly 20% of the price of a new car equivalent to get such a marginal vehicle. $10K would come very close to duplicating this car new. When cheap new cars cost $2000.00 in the late 1960s you could buy a decent used car like this for $100, about 5% of a new car price. I knew many $50 cars on the road at that time, and $25 cars were not unusual (my dad bought 2, a 1959 Chevy in 1970 and a 1962 Rambler in 1972). There's nothing like that on the market today, not even if you adjust for inflation and increased car prices.

And then you tie in the service costs for things none of us can do ourselves, let alone the things most people can't do, and I don't see how to justify a used car. It's almost more expensive, and can end at any moment. Cars today are being junked because they need a new starter. A set of tires is rarely less than $400.00 for even the most plebeian cars, and a new set for some cars is often more than the car's worth.

Just ask my brother how many cars he has towed away from his Cincinnati Pep Boys service garage when people can't pay the bill.:eek::(

If you can afford new, and you're going to keep the car long enough to eat the first year's depreciation, it is better. Believe me.

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Sorry Don, I don't see how anyone's liking any sort of car from any country, or not, should make residents or descendants of residents of/from that country feel bad.

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First, I brought it back to the point made by West because that is where it all started. Second, someone started started WW2 all over again and also said Japanese cars were a bunch of crap (cheap products dumped on us), with bits of patriotism rubbed in.

I've done my bit in the Navy, but I see little to do with adding that to this thread. Third, If you want to present world history in regards to the automotive world please present the whole picture. You might rethink what the word patriotism means in regards to the automotive industry.

See what I mean Steve?

Don

Edited by helfen
additional info (see edit history)
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...Third, If you want to present world history in regards to the automotive world please present the whole picture. You might rethink what the word patriotism means in regards to the automotive industry.

See what I mean Steve?,,,

I'm sorry bro, I am not sure what you're driving at, but I'm sorry for getting you upset.

I respect your viewpoint, and especially also your service to our country.

Sorry once again for my misunderstanding.

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