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

[poci1957]

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.

An opinion on this subject from the car showroom.

For many years the "program car" was a great way to get a "nearly" new car for a big savings, and on some models is still is. For example, in 2003 my mother needed a car and bought a 2002 Mercury Sable with 13,000 miles for about $12,000--almost half off the original list price and at least 35% off what would have been the transaction price with rebates, discounts, etc, a great deal. This was and still is possible with cars that are popular rental and fleet cars, BUT the numbers are not as good as they used to be. Now instead of 13,000 miles you will more often find 20,000+ and instead of 9-12 months old they will be 15-18 or more. And then as now not every vehicle will be available, such as pickups and big SUVs, especially 3/4 ton and heavier. This also applies mostly to domestic cars--imports are available in much more limited numbers.

I would encourage anyone to consider a "program car" if they do not need the fanciest high end models or equipment, but act fast because prices are already going up and supplies are decreasing and expected to be limited during the next few years. Todd C

[Guest Skyking]

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.

and to think what the government scraped during "CASH FOR CLUNKERS"

That's sad............!

[Bhigdog]

I don't know if the program still exists but my Dodge dealer sold me a 2003 Durango in 2004 that was used by a Dodge official. It was fully loaded, still had the window sticker, $39, 500, and 17,000 miles on the clock. The car was still owned by Chrysler and came with the certificate of origination. Officially I was the first owner. I paid $21,00.

It's been a good car but YOWEEE what a guzzler..............Bob

Edited February 4, 2011 by Bhigdog (see edit history)

[Steve Moskowitz]

The trouble with "Brass hats" as they are called in the business is that they are harder than ever to find. Fewer factory execs, field sales & service people, etc. I loved getting them as a dealer as I could give my customer a deal and still make some money although the discounts were closer to the 6-8K range. At the time they turned them over every 3,000-6,000 miles.

Even the rental and off lease cars are hard to get now and since the used car market is so strong it is tough to find the fabulous deal.

Sorry this is somewhat redundant, as I missed the post from POCI1957.

Side story, my first factory demo given to me when I was a service rep for Olds was a plain jane, 4 door Cutlasss, moon hubcaps and no equipment. Awful color. After I had it for a month the car distributor asked me how I liked the car and I said it was just fine. Now I was in my early 20's and this was hardly a "cool car". I did not realize at the time that I was being tested. If I had complained I would have driven one of those for the rest of my career with that particular car distributor. Instead when I drove up to the warehouse to exchange cars after "mileing out" I picked up my beautiful new white 1973 Toronado! I was in hog heaven! Thankfully the rest of my career with Olds I got to drive great cars. One of the toughest challenges for me since closing my store is losing out on having a new car anytime I wanted. Oh well, had that privilege for 30 plus years!

Edited February 4, 2011 by Steve Moskowitz (see edit history)

[Bhigdog]

Speaking of new cars............Just saw a new Chrysler commercial. Great nostalgia shots of vintage Chryslers from the 30's to 60's. Chrysler wasn't even mentioned untill near the end. About a third of the way through I told my wife, hey they're all Chryslers. The commercial is VERY well done.

I googled Chrysler commercial and it's there. "Chrysler Style"

[Guest windjamer]

Hey Dave, lets see now, You lost a days pay,had to drive 120 miles one way? burnt maby 20 gal of gas at 3+ bucks a gal. just to rescue the wife and her six year old car because it had a small hole in the muffler?? :eek: What in the world is she driving? My wifes 2000 park ave with well over a hundred thousand still had the original exhaust when I traded it for her 2002 Buick ultra. The 02 just turned a hundred thousand + miles and it has all the original body parts and exhaust. Talk about waste, I spent almost $300. for an extended warentee and havent needed it,my loss I guess:D BTW, if it was just a small hole why didnt you tell her to drive to the nearest shop and have them put a band-aid on it? Now dont get your knickers in a knot,Im just funning:D

[Guest Skyking]

Bob, I think that's the one that ShopRat posted above. If I were to "ever" buy a new car again, it would be a New Dodge Ram.

[Guest Skyking]

Hey Dave, lets see now, You lost a days pay,had to drive 120 miles one way? burnt maby 20 gal of gas at 3+ bucks a gal. just to rescue the wife and her six year old car because it had a small hole in the muffler?? :eek: What in the world is she driving? My wifes 2000 park ave with well over a hundred thousand still had the original exhaust when I traded it for her 2002 Buick ultra. The 02 just turned a hundred thousand + miles and it has all the original body parts and exhaust. Talk about waste, I spent almost $300. for an extended warentee and havent needed it,my loss I guess:D BTW, if it was just a small hole why didnt you tell her to drive to the nearest shop and have them put a band-aid on it? Now dont get your knickers in a knot,Im just funning:D

Dick, you forgot Dave owns a Prius, therefore he only used 1 gal of gas........

[Bhigdog]

Bob, I think that's the one that ShopRat posted above. If I were to "ever" buy a new car again, it would be a New Dodge Ram.

Oops! Egg on my face. I missed her post. Still a great ad. I'm pretty happy with my 04 Ram Cummins diesel. It's a real brute and gets 22 MPG in mixed driving..................Bob

Edited February 4, 2011 by Bhigdog (see edit history)

[Shop Rat]

Bob, I think that's the one that ShopRat posted above. If I were to "ever" buy a new car again, it would be a New Dodge Ram.

Yes that is the one that I posted. And we now have our third Dodge Ram, each one bigger than the last. Started with a V8 standard cab, then Bill wanted a new V10 extend cab. Traded the V8 in on a Jeep Limited. Traded the V10 in on the current Ram diesel quad-cab. Love 'em.

[Guest bofusmosby]

With me, I have never owned a new car. However, I did buy the wife a newer car for safety purposes. My daily driver is a '93 Olds Cutlass sierra, with a little over 70K miles on it. I bought my wife (this past summer) a 2008 Pontiac G-6 with about 35K miles. That dern G-6 is the best car I have ever driven (OK, I haven't driven that many ). It handles great, and has plenty of power.

I just hate the idea of buying a new car, and having it loose a lot of its value when driven off the lot.

Also, I have never owned a foreign car. All were either Ford or GM.

[Dave@Moon]

Glad I'm not the only one wondering why a muffler hole is cause for a 240 mile trip. :confused:

It was only for the second 120 miles that I knew it was a muffler. Before that it was "a horrible, scary noise--Come get me!:eek:".

I learned to ask more questions after that.

BTW, it was a Datsun 210. She and I both had one at the time.

[Guest]

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I know how you feel Steve. I had a different car to take home almost every day. Most of those were tweaked press pool vehicles.

Retirement is better though!

Don

[jdome]

My wife and I are in the market for a new car. We have been shoping for a couple weeks. We were out tonight looking again. She has been driving a 2001 Ford Windstar minivan we bought new. It has about 80,000 miles and the rear axle cracked last April. I had it repaired with weld plate. A couple months later they were recalled for the potential rear axle failure. My wife took the car to the dealer a week before Thanksgiving to have it inspected and they said the car was unsafe to drive and arranged to have Enterprise Rental furnish us a rental at Ford's expense until they could replace the axle, which wouldn't be available until February. Enterprise furnished us with a new Dodge Calabar at Ford's expense that we have been driving since mid Nov. Not a good PR move IMO for Ford to furnish us a non-Ford rental. They are going to pay us for the weld repair and buy the car back above market value. I haven't gotten the official notice yet but I saw a news report that the windstar has another recall on the front sub frame braking loose from the body. Other than the fact that both axles can fall off, It has been a good car.

I don't know yet what we will buy. My wife has her choices. She only drives 6,000 or 7,000 miles per year so whatever she buys she will probably keep another 10 years. (or until the wheels fall off) I've reminded her that the last new car I let her pick out was a Toyota and it was a disaster. We both agree it was the worst car we ever owned and we have owned a lot of cars old and new.

I wanted her to look at the Ford Fussion Hybrid but none of the dealers around here have any. One salesman said they sell every one they get and another told us they are not in full production yet.

[LINC400]

One thing that really annoys me is how people say there are so many choices with new cars. How is that? Years ago most models came in 2 door, 4 door, station wagon and convertible, plus hardtop and post sedan versions. Now all you can get are 4 door aeroegg sedans, 4 door SUV's, and pick ups. How is that more choices? My Mark IV was available in 26 colors with 20 interior colors. You are lucky if you can find a new car in more than six colors with 2 interior colors, and most of them are shades of gray. How is that more choices? Also my Mark IV and V brochures really hype the fact that you can design your own car exactly the way you want it from colors to options. Now you get option group A,B, or C. Don't want a 6 disc CD changer? Well if you want a moonroof or the optional whatever, you pay for the CD changer or you don't get the option you want. How is that more choices?

However with the '94 Buick at 163,000 miles and 17 years old, I was giving thoughts to buying a new car. Having looked at used cars several years ago, I also could not believe the prices for such pieces of junk. Five year old cars were in worse shape than my 16 year old 120,000 mile car I had at that time. So I would not want to spend $10,000 or $15,000 on something that might not last even a couple of years.

I would buy a new Camaro since I refuse to buy a 4 door or anything foreign. But the car has a cheap interior, lousy visability, and limited color choices. If I did buy one, I would want to splurge and get one that is fully loaded and keep it for 10+ years. However, fully loaded it is $40,000. I just watched a special on muscle cars (which is not my interest) and saw interviews with John DeLorean saying how the original muscle cars were AFFORDABLE. Sorry but $40,000 is not affordable. That should be luxury car territory, not a Chevy. I hope the Buick holds up a few more years because I cannot see spending that kind of money for something that isn't all that thrilling. I'd rather spend the money I would spend for payments paying off my mortgage early.

As for the Cadillac station wagon, for years Cadillac refused to build a station wagon because they stated it was beneath their luxury car image. Many very cool station wagon conversions were built from Cadillacs over the years. What a shame that none of those were offered by Cadillac, but this least interesting one is. I applaud the horsepower, but that is the only cool thing the car has going for it. Certainly not the looks of it.

Edited February 4, 2011 by LINC400 (see edit history)

[Dave@Moon]

I wanted her to look at the Ford Fussion Hybrid but none of the dealers around here have any. One salesman said they sell every one they get and another told us they are not in full production yet.

The Fusion Hybrid is an excellent car, a lot more comfortable and luxurious than a Prius (although about 10 mpg less for roughly the same size car). Here in Cincinnati almost every large dealership has at least 1 in stock at any given time (and has for the last 18 months), and I'll bet if you check around different dealers in your area you'll find one soon.

Ford also has the the Escape SUV Hybrid (the Fusion has kind of a small trunk), which is an excellent choice. You might also look for a Mercury Milan Hybrid (the same thing as a Fusion), which should be available cheap right now as Mercury gets phased out (online search would be best here). Finally there is a Lincoln version, the MKZ Hybrid, which is only $2-3,000 more than a loaded Ford Fusion Hybrid. This may be the 2011 bargain of year in hybrids!:cool:

Anyone buying a new car today should keep in mind that they're going to be feeding it $8.00 gasoline before it's all said and done. Gas was expected to be around $5.00 a gallon next year, topping $4.00 this year, before the current upwelling of unrest in the Middle East. Looking at a hybrid of any type is a wise move in my mind!

[Steve_Mack_CT]

I would buy a new Camaro since I refuse to buy a 4 door or anything foreign.

Linc, you automatically limit your choices dramatically then. The market has changed from what was popular in the 70s, a valid reason for collecting; but you may be waiting a long time for a large two door car coming from Detroit again...

Maybe you cannot get any possible car, but for no headache daily driving I would not want to go back even 20 years let alone 30 or 40.

I was thinking aobut this thread on the way in this AM when a new Audi A-5 coupe passed me. Style is subjective but I think this is one of those cars that combine killer looks and speed when you order the big motor. I would love one, or a CTS V coupe, or a Vette, or a loaded Yukon, etc....

I would argue that this decade will be remembered more like the 30s or 50s than the 20s or 90s for an overall wealth of collectible cars someday. That is not to say there were not great cars in the "off decades" but there are periods where style and technological advances really had an impact across the boards. While I am not sure if I would ever collect any of these I guarantee someone, someday will.

[LINC400]

Linc, you automatically limit your choices dramatically then. The market has changed from what was popular in the 70s, a valid reason for collecting; but you may be waiting a long time for a large two door car coming from Detroit again...

Maybe you cannot get any possible car, but for no headache daily driving I would not want to go back even 20 years let alone 30 or 40.

I don't think I am limiting my choices. The automakers are limiting my choices. In the 1990's there were still good size 2 doors available from most manufacturers. Today there are not. I see no point in spending $25,000 - $40,000 for a car I do not like. I can put that money to much better uses than buying a car that will be worth half what I paid for it 2 years later, and that I don't even enjoy.

If I need a new washing machine, I would buy one that was energy efficient, and probably not be too concerned with looks. Some people feel that way about cars, but I am not one of those people. I do not spend much money on dining out, going to bars, buying the latest designer clothes, latest techno-gadgets, etc. I like cars and choose to spend my money on cars or the gas they require. If I have to spend $8 a gallon on gas for my Mark IV, I am not happy about that. But I will not get rid of it to buy a Prius. My Mark IV makes me happy and gives me enjoyment. A Prius would not.

However, I cannot see spending a huge amount of money for a new car that I do not love, does not come in any colors I want, can't get the options I want, has a cheap interior, lousy visability or any other amount of negatives that will not make me happy.

If that is my choice for a new car, then if the Buick dies, I would much rather have something 15-35 years old to drive as a daily driver. That is what I have always driven, and I have always had (except for 2 lemons) far better luck with them than all my coworkers with much newer cars.

[Guest Dr. Strangelove]

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

The new Ford Taurus. Hands down the best screwed together, meaty looking, best driving piece of engineering out of Detroit and a dare say, perhaps a good run for the money for ALL of motordom today. Impressive car....!!

Have you driven a Ford lately?

[Guest bkazmer]

I was thinking aobut this thread on the way in this AM when a new Audi A-5 coupe passed me. Style is subjective but I think this is one of those cars that combine killer looks and speed when you order the big motor.

The A5 doesn't have the 6 cyl option like the A4 2dr did, only comes as turbo 4. You'd have to go to the S5.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

[

The A5 doesn't have the 6 cyl option like the A4 2dr did, only comes as turbo 4. You'd have to go to the S5.

Yes of course, the alphabet soup does trip me up from time to time, I would choose the S5. Absolutely love it, and it might fit me better than the snug but oh so agile A-4; my only issue with the car, nothing 20 lbs won't fix.

[John_Maine]

I am very intrigued by the Fusion/MKZ hybrid. I have driven an example of each and love the MKZ. It's just that much different than the Fusion but I don't know that it is worth the extra $$. My local dealer doesn't have any, but the large Ford dealer in the big city near here has 3 MKZ hybrids and 3-4 Fusion hybrids. I'd trade now but I really don't want to give up my Mustang convertible. I don't put many miles a year on my car, just 5-6K a year unless I take it on a trip. I drive 4 miles a day at 30 mph or less, I'd almost never have to buy gas if I had Fusion hybrid. The old Cutlass I'm using as a winter beater gave me 13.5 mpg on it's last tank.

I've also driven a regular Fusion Sport and a new Taurus. I really liked the Sport, but the seat just does not fit me. The SE seat is okay as are the seats in the MKZ. Contrary to what's been said, I did not like the Taurus. It felt very ponderous on the road and with the massive console, large dash and high belt line, very cramped in front. I want to look at the Buick LaCrosse, Buick Regal and Chevy Cruze as well.

Edited February 5, 2011 by John_Maine (see edit history)

[jdome]

I agree that the MKZ-Hybrid is an impressive car. I went to 3 local Ford dealers and none had the Fusion H in stock. The Ford dealer holding my Windstar, has 4 locations and only has 1 Fusion (as of last week) at their store 50 miles away and would bring it down if I was interested in buying it. Another Dealer is also a Lincoln dealer and they had 1 MKZ H that I drove and I was very impressed with the car. It drives & performs like a real car and doesn't constantly remind you that it is a hybrid. I also drove a Prius and The MKZ is a much more refined performer. Inside the MKZ H when parked, you can not hear or feel the gas engine cycle on and off like you can in a Prius. The MKZ I drove listed for $38,000. A base Prius lists for under $24,000 which has enough equipment to satisify me but you really need to go to the $28,000 model to get comfortable seats. I think (not certain) that the Fusion H can be had for $28,000 but I haven't seen or driven one yet. I have looked at a regular gas Fusion and the quality, fit & finish and workmanship of the Fusion is as good as or better than anything else we looked at in the $20/30,000 price range.