If you were buying a car today...

Toyota Prius unless I was in Norway, the UK or I believe France in which case I would buy an all electric Th!nk City.
 
Last weekend, Toyota had a manufacturer directed sale at 3 or 4 dealerships in So. Ca. We purchased a 09 Matrix at the Toyota directed price with 0% for 36 months. No other dealership in Ca. would match the price. So whatever you get, get it at the manufacturer directed price, during the short time they are offered.
 
i'd get the minicooper convertible. i considered it back when but got the stang, thinking i wanted more metal around me for roadtrips. but no sale on house plus bad economy & high gas means no extended roadtrips.

with my luck, just as soon as i bought the minicooper the house would sell and the gas bubble would pop so i'll just be happy to keep driving what i got.
 
In terms of energy efficiency, the cars will probably be much better in five years or so. So you might consider getting something just to bridge that gap. I'd get a used Toyota Echo (mileage better than Yaris), and then get an electric car as soon as they become practical.
 
I just bought a 2008 porsche cayman. I've wanted a porsche for 33 years and i finally got one. My wife have no kids, all the funds are automatically funded to the max, so i figured the next raise i got will go to the car.

I was a little frugal, i didn't get the S version.

J
 
chinaco said:
If you were buying a car today, what would you buy? And Why?
Click to expand...

Every first of the month since January '80 I've bought a transit pass instead of researching what's available in cars; why? because I want to retire in this lifetime.
 
ikonomore said:
I just bought a 2008 porsche cayman. I've wanted a porsche for 33 years and i finally got one. My wife have no kids, all the funds are automatically funded to the max, so i figured the next raise i got will go to the car.

I was a little frugal, i didn't get the S version.

J
Click to expand...

I think the Cayman is one of the most gorgeous cars on the road. Pictures don't do them justice, they have to be ogled in person to truly appreciate how beautiful they are. Congratulations! When my kids are grown, I'll probably spring for a Boxster (or whatever the equivalent is by then).

What color did you get?
 
At 6'6 1/2" it gets uncomfortable, even painful, to be in a compact car for more than a half hour at a time so a corolla or civic isn't an option for me. I'd go the small suv route. Although I plan to keep my '04 forester for at least another decade if I were to buy a "new" car I would like to say i'd choose between a toyota rav4 and a honda crv but in reality i'd probably choose between an acura rdx and a lexus rx330 maybe even an infiniti fx35. Whichever one I bought, i'd get it 1-3 years old and keep it for a decade or more.
 
As someone who's always been in the Chevy camp of Ford vs. Chevrolet, I'd still have to pick a Ford Ranger. I didn't feel cramped in the interior of the single cab, I never felt awkward driving it, and I could still park in compact parking. I would need the outside bed to haul a motorcycle in, but it would also be perfect to toss the toys in and go play.

With my comfort of motorcycles and scooters, having an everyday vehicle that can get 60-100+ MPG I won't be considering a vehicle based on its gas mileage.
 
I would get another ZO6 Corvette. Mine is fast, comfortable and reliable and also gets 28 mpg on the highway. If I needed something slower I would buy a Honda. We have had Hondas for decades and are considering trading DW's Pilot in on a CRV but waiting to see if they come out with a hybrid version of it. If I had to have a four door sedan today I would look at Honda Accord and Toyota Camry Hybrid.
 
To be honest - I don't know but reviewing the posts to this thread - I would use perhaps the following reasoning - 15th yr of ER so my choice would be lifestyle driven constrained by my ER Budget - mpg would count only where it fit in the big picture.

heh heh heh - :cool:
 
I'd get a jeep. Gotta have a little fun in life.
 
DW has a Camry Hybrid, with every imaginable option/luxury, and it averages almost 40 mpg - unbelievable.

If I was buying a car today it would probably be a Prius, although I also like having a sunroof (not avail with Prius). But it appears the next gen high mileage hybrids from Honda and Toyota are less than 2 years away, so I would wait and suffer with my 25 mpg car for now...

For the person who said there was no track record for hybrids; the Honda Insight was introduced in late 1999 and the first gen Prius (my dentist still drives one) in 1997 (2001 in the US). There's plenty of track record IMHO...
 
Like Want to retire I also love my 1999 Solara and plan on driving it until it becomes unreliable or I fall in love with a new Toyota or Honda !
 
ProspectiveBum said:
I think the Cayman is one of the most gorgeous cars on the road. Pictures don't do them justice, they have to be ogled in person to truly appreciate how beautiful they are. Congratulations! When my kids are grown, I'll probably spring for a Boxster (or whatever the equivalent is by then).

What color did you get?
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I got carrara white with black leather with the 18" S wheels with colored crests. I'll post some pics soon.

J
 
I'm on the mailing list for the Smart Car. IMO just a neat sweet errand machine.
 
ProspectiveBum said:
We already have a minivan for family hauling duties, so I'd be looking for something smaller and sportier. If only it came with a sunroof, I'd probably buy a Honda Fit. Besides getting great gas mileage and being shockingly roomy inside for its size, I test drove a manual transmission sport model, and it was very fun to drive. There's a newly designed version coming in September (or thereabouts), so I'd wait for that one.

I really do love having a sunroof, though, so I'd probably opt for a Volkswagen GTI with the dual-clutch transmission. Thanks to a short commute, I only drive ~8K miles a year. The GTI gets decent gas mileage (~25mpg combined), but is a blast to drive, and can be had in a useful 5-door hatch configuration. Not as dead-reliable or roomy as some other options, but I put a premium on "fun-to-drive".
Click to expand...

If you love the GTI, have you considered a used Audi A3? A used one with 25k miles on it is only going for $20k private or $21.5k dealer.
 
For us there is no "if". We just bought our first retirement car. We wanted room (I'm 6'2 and I don't get in and out of cars as easily as I once did), the ability to haul some stuff, and economy both in cost and MPG. We bought a Jeep Patriot. Cost me about 16k out the door and on my third tank of gas I got 27 mpg. With a lifetime powertrain warranty whats not to love?
 
Bought a 2007 Hyundai Sonata 4-cyl, 5-speed manual last August. After driving about 19,000 miles, no problems and averaging about 30mpg. Cost was less than $16K, including sales tax. Hard to beat the warranty.
 
Right now I have a 2001 VW Jetta 1.8T and if I had to buy a new car right now I would investigate the following cars:

Toyota Camry
Mazda 3 sport
Audi A4

Ideally I would like to get the A4. But my current VW car has the same engine as the old Audi A4 and it is very expensive to repair and maintain so I am a bit hesitant to buy another German car. That's why, this time, I am willing to take a serious look at Japanese cars.
 
BunsGettingFirm said:
If you love the GTI, have you considered a used Audi A3? A used one with 25k miles on it is only going for $20k private or $21.5k dealer.
Click to expand...

The A3 is definitely a nice car. I did look at them, but felt that they skewed a bit more to the "luxury" side of the equation, while the GTI is more "sporty". I also felt the A3 was\a little tighter, space-wise, in the driver seat. I'm 6'3" with a long torso, and head-room is an issue in most cars (and, as I mentioned before, I love sunroofs, which steal some headroom). The GTI is one of the few smaller cars that fit me very well.

I probably would enjoy the dealership experience more with an Audi than with a VW though (more likely to get loaner cars, etc.).
 
The new 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI (diesel) is hitting the show rooms this month for test drives and display. Apparently they will take orders for delivery in the fall.

It is rated at 40 mpg city/ 50 mpg highway. I heard the price may be a couple thousand for than the equivalent gas version. It apparently it meets emission standards and the engine does not exhibit most of the typical negatives of a diesel engine.

2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Preview | J.D. Power


Apparently there is a hybrid version that is too costly for the market to bear right now. But it was rated at close to 70 mpg highway.
 
Another twist

If you were acquiring a vehicle today (needed a replacement) would you:


  1. Purchase it and drive it for 10 years?
  2. Lease for short-term, assuming more fuel efficient/reliable options will be available in the next 3 years.
  3. Purchase a lightly used vehicle, assuming more fuel efficient/reliable options will be available in the next 3 years.
 
chinaco said:
If you were acquiring a vehicle today (needed a replacement) would you:


  1. Purchase it and drive it for 10 years?
  2. Lease for short-term, assuming more fuel efficient/reliable options will be available in the next 3 years.
  3. Purchase a lightly used vehicle, assuming more fuel efficient/reliable options will be available in the next 3 years.
Click to expand...


I would buy it and drive it for 10 years. As for which car, I would lean towards the Fit. Has plenty of room for my needs and decent mileage. Although I might wait for the hybrid version.

A diesel would be good if it wasn't so expensive. Does anyone know why diesel cost so much more than gas?
 
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