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CoronitaParticipant[quote=gzz]I purchased at Westcott Mazda in National City for msrp. The cx30s were mostly selling the day they arrived.
Mine was 32k+tax because I got the leather and all the interior upgrades. Both my loaded version and the base version for ~25k I think are great values.
My son is 99th percentile size (10 months old and wearing 3T clothing) and #2 is probably coming soon, and my parents now live with me. So we are starting to look now at big SUVs.
The big Mazda, the CX-9, is on our list. The CX-30 with car seat + stroller really just has room for 3 adults and minimal cargo.
But more likely than the CX-9 will be a large two-row SUV, one with an optional third row we won’t get. CX-9 a small third row is standard.
The Mazda heads-up display includes: directions, speed, and current speed limit, and if a stop sign is coming. It is really handy, no need to keep glancing down to check your speed. The nav heads up display even shows you what lane you should be in.[/quote]
Ok, imho you’re wasting your time on an SUV… You should get a Toyota Sienna. Those things are totally awesome. They’re big, they are roomy, and now that they are hybrid, have pretty good gas mileage.
36mpg in a minivan…. That’s pretty darn good.
https://www.toyota.com/sienna/
Once you have to move around people like kids and inlaws or relatives, you’ll regret just getting an SUV.
A CX9 at most gets 28mpg and the third row is just there for decorative purposes.
Or if you really want to take gamble, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. It’s a plugin hybrid.
CoronitaParticipant[quote=svelte][quote=Coronita]I think the other thing about leases versus buying is that if you buy a $90k car, you’re going to owe sales tax on $90k.
I believe if you lease the car, you’re going to be paying sales tax on your down payment and each monthly payment you make on the lease… I think…[/quote]
I believe that is correct.
It is a plus in the leasing column.[/quote]
For EV, if you lease, I believe you still get the federal and state EV tax credit. I remember someone at the Audi dealer was trying to get me to lease the etron and was telling me that if I lease, I would receive the entire $7000+ EV rebate and could use that to offset the down payment. Of course the EV rebate is going to change now…doesn’t apply to luxury vehicles anymore and not available to people above an agi limit
CoronitaParticipantI think the other thing about leases versus buying is that if you buy a $90k car, you’re going to owe sales tax on $90k.
I believe if you lease the car, you’re going to be paying sales tax on your down payment and each monthly payment you make on the lease… I think…
CoronitaParticipant[quote=The-Shoveler][quote=Coronita]
I was hoping we’d get back to point where we have a “back to basics” cult where you just have much simplier cars for basic transportation and not continueously trying to turn cars in to computers.[/quote]+1
I think people want this but car manufactures don’t see it as profitable as selling rolling luxury boxes.[/quote]These rolling luxury boxes is what is is discouraging me for getting anything new. I’m looking into building a kit car for 4 years now. But think of figuring out how to do an electric kit car.
CoronitaParticipant[quote=svelte][quote=scaredyclassic]It’s all so complex, maybe I should just drive my old car.
I’ve never negotiated a lease. Are advertised lease deals negotiable in reality[/quote]
People get deep down in the formulas and all that.
I don’t bother. I go dealer to dealer and let them quote me their best deal on the car I want. Then I go home. Within a week they are calling to see if I’ve decided and I stay noncommittal and ask for a better price.
Sooner or later it becomes clear which car I want and which price I can live with so I go with it.
We’ve only started leasing in the past 6 years. One lease we turned back in and we are getting ready to buy the car on the current lease. After 3 years with the car we’ve decided we want to keep it.
Our next car will be electric and we’ll no doubt lease that one. I’m not going to buy right now as prices are dropping and we are in no hurry. We’ll wait until unemployment rises and car lots are brimming with unsold cars. Then we will be in the best negotiating position. I figure that is about a year off.[/quote]
To be fair, some car companies, like Tesla is a no-haggle policy, which is good.
CoronitaParticipantSlightly unrelated, there’s also a good amount of effort for car manufacturers to make it much more complicated and expensive to keep your old car running, so either you pay a fortune keeping it running, or it’s planned obsoletion to get you to buy something new…
With that, I have a funny story to share regarding BMW’s. My E70 X5 is 11 years old and has 76k miles on it, and was kept in immaculate condition. The N55 engine is pretty rock solid, unlike the N54…But it’s everything around it with electronics usually ends up being problematic.
My car, like every other modern BMW, has an electric water pump that usually goes out around 75kmiles. Mechanically it’s fine, but it’s all the electronic encoders that the car’s ECU computer talks to to precisely control the water pump fails first.
Replacing the water pump, t stat, belts, and belt rollers wasnt terribly difficult. It was about 1 day’s job total for a garage mechanic. But when I fired the car back up, I had a check engine light up, and my OBD scanner lit up like a christmas tree with a bunch of errors about an electrical short.
[img_assist|nid=27760|title=bmw|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=500|height=400]
BMW stealership knee jerk reaction was that “with such an old car”, the engine wiring harness needed to be replaced and rewired.. $1500-2000…. Oh hell no…
So I spent a few days (weeks) troubleshooting and found this very interesting thing. I blew a black box called the “integrated supply module” found in the engine bay…
[img_assist|nid=27761|title=ism|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=408|height=306]
This black box BMW says is a very intelligent one time use fuse that protects critical electronics in the engine from electrical shorts. If it detects there’s an electrical short in the engine electronics, it will blow and prevent catastrophic damage to the electronics in the engine…..
Well, for $200 MSRP, this one time use black box clearly must be really really sophisticated in the way it protects vital engine electronics and the ECU. I mean, my BMW already has 2 fuse panels that take standard fuses, and BMW chose to include this separate intelligent single use “integrated supply module” to protect engine electronics… So this $200 one time use black box clearly must be doing something special that regular fuses in a fuse panel cant do, right?
Well, I decided to cut mine open…
[img_assist|nid=27762|title=ism2|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=400|height=300]Here’s what’s inside
[img_assist|nid=27763|title=ism3|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=400|height=300]Yes, that’s 7 standard fuses that you can find at Oreilly or Autozone….
[img_assist|nid=27764|title=ism4|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=400|height=300]
I replaced this one from a box of 20 fuses I bought from Autozone for $4.99, and even that was expensive compared to Amazon…
[img_assist|nid=27765|title=ism5|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=400|height=300]Really, BMW? Instead of putting these 7 fuses into the fuse panel that already exists in this car, you decided to put these in a sealed 1 time use black box that costs $200 to replace….Fvck you.
Oh, and back to the $1500-2000 engine harness rewiring that the stealership insisted I needed to for a car “this old”…(lol)….After a week’s of diagnosis, I found the short was most likely caused by a rodent or squirrel chewing these 2 wires…
[img_assist|nid=27766|title=rodent|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=400|height=300]
A little soldering and splicing…everything was fine…
[img_assist|nid=27767|title=soldering|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=400|height=300]
[img_assist|nid=27768|title=noerrors.|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=329|height=329]$1500-2000 rewiring…my ass…
….Which brings me to one of my previous points. If a modern car has an electrical problem, most of the authorized service centers don’t actually take the time to diagnose what the real problem is. They just recommend a complete replacement (part swapping)…which costs considerably more, and may/may not actually solve the original problem…
And part of the reason for this is the techs at these service centers probably aren’t trained that well to really diagnose electronic problems or be able to really do anything with them…And, at least for BMWs, the electrical wiring in the engine bay isn’t really that well protected from the elements/weather/etc for this to last troublefree for many years. What you see in the pictures above are actual can bus wires that the engine’s ECU uses to communicate with critical engine components, and all these wires are in are plastic wire looms that aren’t really sealed from the environment and that also begin to crack and break over time…..So these aren’t built to last for 20-30 years…
Fortunately for me, troubleshooting and fixing shit like this is a hobby for me. Otherwise, after a week’s worth of troubleshooting, I was ready to kick my car off a cliff and get something else.
CoronitaParticipant[quote=svelte][quote=scaredyclassic]Then, environmentally, it sounds like we are making giant pieces of junk for the landfills pretty soon. Big giant obsolete computers with wheels.
There’s so much energy embedded already in my 2012 Accord, it’d take a lot of e vehicle driving to offset it. Driving an electric vehicle is probably no environmental good, at least in my case.
Maybe the best thing all around is just a cheap sedan. Hyundai Elantra. Lease it.[/quote]
No matter what car you get, I think leasing is the way to go now. Technology is changing so fast that I agree with flu – we’ve probably reached a point where new cars will be obsolete and heading for the crusher in 10 years.
It is one of the dirty little secrets about “green” EVs.
I also harbor a small suspicion that older ICE cars may become more valuable in 10-15 years…because they don’t rely on an overabundance of chips and other electronics that are no longer manufactured. They can march on as long as a gas station can be found.[/quote]
I think the issue will be especially in a state like CA, it will be harder to keeping passing smog for ICE cars.
The other thing to consider is if a manufacturer stops making parts for a car. Need to stick with a car that does a large platform share with other cars. Lot’s of people who have first and second generation supras have a tougher time finding parts because the platform share on those cars is less.
Surprisingly, it’s still pretty easy to find parts for my B5 Audi A4 because so many parts on that car is shared with the rest of VW’s line up. And the first and second generation Audi’s weren’t that bad to work on. Parts are still easy to find for first generation NA Miata’s because there’s a cult following for those cars.
And the NA’s are no longer “cheap”
https://www.hagerty.com/valuation-tools/mazda/mx~5_miata/1990/1990-mazda-mx~5_miata
CoronitaParticipant[quote=scaredyclassic]Then, environmentally, it sounds like we are making giant pieces of junk for the landfills pretty soon. Big giant obsolete computers with wheels.
There’s so much energy embedded already in my 2012 Accord, it’d take a lot of e vehicle driving to offset it. Driving an electric vehicle is probably no environmental good, at least in my case.
Maybe the best thing all around is just a cheap sedan. Hyundai Elantra. Lease it.[/quote]
That was always my concern about electric cars. With traditional older combustion engines, they have been developed to a point where if something breaks, you can replace parts on it. And even when someone doesn’t want to deal with the repairs anymore on a car, there’s usually someone that will take a used car and either fix it up or chop it up into parts to keep something else running.
EV cars are much more difficult to do this. Yes, there are companies that can take a Tesla battery back and diagnose and replace specific cells that aren’t working. But this would be an out-of-warranty and strongly discouraged repair by Tesla. And it’s not just Tesla that will have this issue. Every EV car.
I’m not sure EV really are the end all solution to polution.
But even modern ICE cars have so much electronics, that it’s hard to keep them running if electronics fail.
I was hoping we’d get back to point where we have a “back to basics” cult where you just have much simplier cars for basic transportation and not continueously trying to turn cars in to computers.
CoronitaParticipant.
CoronitaParticipant[quote=scaredyclassic]I mean , jeez, if I kept a new car as long as my old civic, I’d be 84. Odds are my circumstances will be different. 3-5 years seems more reasonable. On the other hand I do hope to be working for at least another 15 years.[/quote]
I’m not sure you can keep most new cars these days as long as the cars of yesterday. They just aren’t built to be driven into the ground anymore. New cars have so much electronics and computers that when they go bad, it’s not something you can simply go to a parts store and buy. All these new cars with LCD displays, it’s cool and all , but will they still work 15, 20 years? And if they fail , can you easily find a replacement or repairman.
EV cars are way too complicated to be serviced at home. The argument goes with fewer moving parts, things should be more reliable , but at the same time, more electronics, more computers, more software, more points of things to go wrong. Time will tell.
CoronitaParticipantOh, forgot to mention. Another EV to consider is the Polestar 2. My neighbor has one. The styling is a little too Volvo-ish for my taste, but he swears it’s a great car.
https://www.polestar.com/us/polestar-2/
Geely has a long history of making electric cars in China.
CoronitaParticipant[quote=scaredyclassic] But now that I’m turning 60 I’m thinking maybe I want to become a guy who trades cars in every 3 to 5 years. Why am I driving shitty old cars? It’s some kind of weird mental condition political statement obstinacy cheapness. If money and environmental consciousness weren’t an issue, I’d prefer to have new, safe, reliable car.
[/quote]
There’s nothing wrong with leasing and trading in a car every 3 years. Especially when you’re already 60 and financially established. And then you really dont need to worry about reliability and maintenance. In many ways it makes more sense to do that than paying for maintenance and repairs post warranty.
And besides, lots are car companies are moving towards the subscription, pay per monthly usage anyway.
Take BMW for instance. In Europe, you can now buy heated seats on a subscription bases for an additional $18/month
https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/12/23204950/bmw-subscriptions-microtransactions-heated-seats-feature
Oh, god don’t even get me started with this…lol…
But seriously, you’re old enough to just try different cars out and not deal with the headache of keeping things long term. You can afford to do this.
Leasing is a lot like dating a high maintenance trophy GF/BF… If you just want to perpetually date the latest and greatest trophy GF/BF without any sort of long term commitments like marriage, then it probably makes sense just to lease and only be committed to 3 years each time versus buying and being commited to one vehicle for 20-30+years. During that 3 year lease, everyone is on their best behavior, and the amount of demand from your wallet is only limited to routine maintenance (no different then occasional exotic meals and trips)…The problems with these high maintenance exotics is the longer they are with you, the more demanding and pain in the ass they get…and when you’re out of warranty, nobody is no longer obligated to be on their best behavior… whoa you better have some pretty deep pockets…. But if you’re leasing. you then you simple trade in the previous model for a brand new one and let someone else who wants to buy preowned previous model….deal with all the maintenance issues when they are past their prime and start to break down and complain over issues….
Of course, if you do insist on a 20-30 year commitment, you probably want to just find someone a reliable Toyota, Honda, or Mazda. They do make sporty versions of Toyota, Honda, and Mazdas too that gets you to probably 80-90% of the fun, without being a royal pain in the ass too.
CoronitaParticipant[quote=scaredyclassic]
Will a Lexus make me seem like an old white guy?[/quote]
Yes. But just “old white guy”…
…not “Grandpa old white guy”…unless you buy the Lexus LS….
CoronitaParticipant[quote=utcsox][quote=Coronita]If I had to get something it would probably be a Hyundai Ioniq 5
If you don’t want to get gouged with a Toyota Highlander or Lexus RX or NX SUV….
You can consider getting yourself a Mazda CX5. They are pretty nice inside, and have pretty good gas mileage. Slightly underpowered, but good fit and finish and decent reliability. Size-wise, the CX5 is roughly the size of a RAV4
Galpin Mazda has over 61 CX5’s in stock. So they aren’t going to be marked up.[/quote]
How about Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-50?[/quote]
CX-50 is basically an upscale version of the Cx-5 that sits slightly lower to the ground and has a more off-road look, kinda like suburu. One of these probably eventually be discontinued, I don’t see why they would want to make both models..I guess they’ll figure out which one sells better. I just mentioned the CX5 to scaredy since if he was going to go “cheaper”, he probably won’t care between the two and the price in the cx5 is slightly less.
Its a personal preference between the two imho. I would prefer the CX-50 over the CX-5 or Honda CRV or RAV4. The CRV and RAV4 are good cars. Slightly more room in the back in the CRV and RAV4m It’s just there is a premium price on them because they are so much in demand and you can’t wheel and deal on them as much. Mazda is a smaller car company and their reliability is pretty good on the SUVs. Only problem is you can’t get one that is a hybrid unlike the RAV4.
The prices people are paying for the RAV4, it’s not that faroff from the sister car, Lexus NX.
One use to be able to get a cx5 for mid $25k out the door. But they’ve gone up a bit because they pack more things into the car now as standard.. I think they all come standard with AWD now, which isn’t useful for San Diego, but could come in handy for Big Bear.
I think RAV and CRV still come with front wheel drive as stand and a extra if you want AWD.
Suburus are very capable cars, but I was told their boxer engines aren’t the most reliable and aren’t as easy to work on. I don’t know first hand though always wanted a wrx sti.
Porsches supposedly are pretty reliable. But they are just a lot to upkeep.
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