I want to buy a new car

[LunarMist]

Lexus cars are generally well isolated - too isolated for my taste, but YMMV. Also check out the Toyota Avalon, which shares the basic platform.

It looks like the Avaton has messed up the suspension and it is too hard, but supposedly is new for 2016. Perhaps there is a good compromise?
I may have rejectejected that model once but it is on the reconsider list.
Are the Toyotas reliable cars any more? I recall a few years ago they were going berserk and killing people or something. FWD is good and so is mileage for a V6.

 

[Chewy509]

Are the Toyotas reliable cars any more?

No complaints for the ones in Australia... (obviously depends on origin of the car itself, unknown where the US ones are actually made).

I recall a few years ago they were going berserk and killing people or something.

Issues with the drive-by-system in some Prius models... have since been fixed (from what I've read).

 

[jtr1962]

This looks like a potential car for you.

Interesting. I didn't know Smart Cars came in an electric version. Looks like those would be great for Car2Go now that they're expanding in NYC.

If I had to own a car, my tastes probably run more towards something like these. It would kind of natural for me leaning into turns given my decades of cycling experience. Second one down is kind of what I had in mind when I mentioned electric velomobiles. Probably would be super efficient in terms of miles per kW-hr.

I wouldn't mind any one of the Teslas, either. Great video of one blasting down the autobahn.

 

[LunarMist]

No complaints for the ones in Australia... (obviously depends on origin of the car itself, unknown where the US ones are actually made).

Issues with the drive-by-system in some Prius models... have since been fixed (from what I've read).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Motor_Manufacturing_Kentucky

 

[LunarMist]

It means Lexus is telling you they tuned the handling on the track... Cause it's a sport sedan!

"Track-honed performance meets aggressive styling meets the very latest in available technology with the 2016 Lexus ES luxury sport sedan."

Apparently there is no 2016.

 

[LunarMist]

I like this idea for the extended test drive. http://www.buick.com/testdrive.html
I don't know of any nearby quarry to test the car in though.

 

[jtr1962]

I don't know of any nearby quarry to test the car in though.

NYC streets will do just fine as a quarry substitute although I don't think you're anywhere near NYC.

 

[Howell]

NYC streets are no where near analogous to a quarry.

 

[jtr1962]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/nyregion/07pothole.html?_r=0

http://nypost.com/2013/10/03/new-york-has-6th-worst-pothole-problem-in-usa/

http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2011/02/how-to-reduce-the-number-of-potholes/

Maybe not a quarry, but some of those come close.

 

[LunarMist]

It doesn't help that so many cars have stupid oversized wheels and 45 or even 40 profile tires.

 

[Howell]

NYC probably has larger potholes than any quarry except those with the largest earthmovers. Quarries are interesting because of the loose gravel.

 

[ddrueding]

NYC probably has larger potholes than any quarry except those with the largest earthmovers. Quarries are interesting because of the loose gravel.

Quite true. Because of all the grading and water (dust control), the surface is remarkably flat. Go when no-one else is there and you have a dry thin layer of dust and small gravel on top of a hard-packed surprisingly smooth surface. Quite low-traction, but not exceptionally rough.

 

[Will Rickards]

My current lease is up soon.
I want to buy a Chevy Volt but am considering whether to extend my current lease so I can wait for the 2016 volt or buy one of the 2015 or maybe even a used one.

I bought a 2015 volt in red. I got $4265 off msrp and then another $4000 in rebates. $35665 down to $27500. Then there is a $7500 and $2000 tax rebate coming early next year which will take it down to $18000. That's when I'll refinance the loan. It feels like a spaceship.

 

[Mercutio]

That's an amazing deal.
I read something not that long ago that suggested EVs like the Nissan Leaf are massively over-represented in Georgia because of extremely generous tax incentives. If ever there were a case of playing against stereotypes, that would be it.

 

[Clocker]

Will - I got a pretty nice black leather Volt Development Team leather jacket I got for launching the first generation vehicle. I rarely wear it. You're welcome to have it if it interests you. I can also send you a copy of the IABC paper that we wrote on the body structure too of you'd like.

 

[LunarMist]

I bought a 2015 volt in red. I got $4265 off msrp and then another $4000 in rebates. $35665 down to $27500. Then there is a $7500 and $2000 tax rebate coming early next year which will take it down to $18000. That's when I'll refinance the loan. It feels like a spaceship.

Damn, that's about 50% off. Getting 5% off on a regular car from the dealer is like a torture.

 

[Clocker]

Gen two is in Production now. 2015's are on clearance!

 

[LunarMist]

Gen two is in Production now. 2015's are on clearance!

I wish there were a larger electric. Unfortunately even if still living by the 20200s, I just don't drive enough nor can I be certain of having electricity. -

 

[sdbardwick]

And Lunar possibly illustrates Chevy's big failure to educate the buying public. The Volt switches to gasoline engine when its batteries run low; no range anxiety. It could be the perfect interim EV, as many people could go weeks without using the ICE, given the 30 mile electric range.

 

[LunarMist]

Oh, I forget all those different kinds of the electric hybridized. According to documentation, that is the same basic car as the Cruser.
I had one of those in the NJ, but it had a horrible engine/tranny, sounding like the bees, cats and werewolves all fighting under the hood.
I guess electric must be better, but do those cars have sufficient power for accelerating smoothly on the highways?

 

[sdbardwick]

Performance is ... adequate I guess. Car and Driver review for 2011 model.
MotorTrend has a preview of the 2016 model - it appears much improved.
More current MT 2014 mini-review.

 

[LunarMist]

Performance is ... adequate I guess. Car and Driver review for 2011 model.
MotorTrend has a preview of the 2016 model - it appears much improved.
More current MT 2014 mini-review.

I hope they can make the hybridization package inexpensive enough to have in better, larger cars without making them too expensive.

I wonder about that 2016 model article. Are the writers professional engineers or meth heads?

 

[ddrueding]

If you want a bigger electric, I think the Model S is your only choice. It did just score 103 out of 100 from Consumer Reports...

 

[LunarMist]

If you want a bigger electric, I think the Model S is your only choice. It did just score 103 out of 100 from Consumer Reports...

The S scores 99 and the P85D is 100. The latter is nosier and has a worse ride though, but has the AWD.
I'm not sure how they get 100 or more with the Controls and display being worse than average due to the giant iPAD needed to do anything.
Anyway there is no economic value to being battery powered in such cars. Maybe if she wins the lottery...
If I'm still alive in 2020 or have decent health, I'll look at hybrids for the 2020s.

 

[LunarMist]

According to the calculator I could break even on the cost after 68-79 years. :lol:

 

[ddrueding]

According to the calculator I could break even on the cost after 68-79 years. :lol:

Neat link. According to them I would save $200/mo and break even after 471 months. Of course, that assumes that the intent was to completely pay for my new car with fuel savings, which is pretty absurd.

 

[mubs]

Of course, that assumes that the intent was to completely pay for my new car with fuel savings, which is pretty absurd.

Sometimes people's thinking is screwed up.

At times it makes more sense to rent. The number of people (including the wife) that tell me I'm throwing away money every month is crazy. I tell them I'm living in a nice home they appreciate, and not on the street or a shelter. Isn't that worth something? Isn't that what I'm getting in return for the rent? Apparently not.

 

[LunarMist]

Sometimes people's thinking is screwed up.

At times it makes more sense to rent. The number of people (including the wife) that tell me I'm throwing away money every month is crazy. I tell them I'm living in a nice home they appreciate, and not on the street or a shelter. Isn't that worth something? Isn't that what I'm getting in return for the rent? Apparently not.

I looked at leasing, but it seems like the costs are about equal to a six year period more or less. It doesn't work for me driving 6000 miles per year, but I know some people with money like to get a new car every 3 years without any hassles of sales. I' rather drive the car 10 years and then get a new one.

 

[jtr1962]

At times it makes more sense to rent. The number of people (including the wife) that tell me I'm throwing away money every month is crazy. I tell them I'm living in a nice home they appreciate, and not on the street or a shelter. Isn't that worth something? Isn't that what I'm getting in return for the rent? Apparently not.

It all depends upon how much you pay to rent versus what it would cost to buy. In NYC renting seems to be a losing proposition. Most decent apartments rent for upwards of $2,000 a month. For the same money once you include the mortgage interest deduction you can carry enough mortgage to buy a home in a decent neighborhood. After the mortgage is paid, you're just paying utilities and real estate taxes but those amount to a lot less than even a modest rent.

On the other hand, if there were apartments readily available in NYC for $500 a month or less you might make a good case for renting. That used to be the case when my parents were young. You could find a so-so apartment for under $50 a month in the 1960s, which in today's money would be well under $500 a month. Those days are long gone.

 

[ddrueding]

There is a price to be paid for density. All the benefits do put pressure on the supply/demand curve.

 

[jtr1962]

There is a price to be paid for density. All the benefits do put pressure on the supply/demand curve.

It's hard to say what the cause of these insane housing prices are. NYC only has about half a million more people than it did when my parents were young. In terms of percentage, that's maybe 6% more. Real estate speculators are responsible for a lot of the price inflation. They buy a few houses in an area, fix up one or two into McMansions, then watch as that drives the prices of all the other houses up. People also buy houses just to rent. That constricts the supply for those wanting to buy houses to live in, further increasing the price. The city could fix all this with some regulations prohibiting ownership of more than one home by the same person, or prohibiting renting single family homes. But it won't because the city gains in more real estate taxes when prices keep going up. The big losers are those who want to buy homes, or those living in homes with no intention to sell in the near future.

A similar set of mechanisms are at work in the rental market. There are some luxury buildings where a significant number of apartments aren't even being lived in. They were bought by investors just to make money. This reduces the supply of apartments, driving up the price.

 

[LunarMist]

Isn't this the new car thread? Can we at least keep it automotive?

 

[Will Rickards]

Since when did we keep threads on topic...

 

[ddrueding]

Little detours now and again

If I needed a new car now I'm torn between the Golf R and GLA45.

 

[Handruin]

What about the Golf R400 if it ever makes it to the states?

 

[ddrueding]

What about the Golf R400 if it ever makes it to the states?

Absolutely, though I doubt it will make it here. Also, a more common model is more likely to have a strong performance aftermarket. I'm really hooked on having crazy amounts of power at this point.

 

[LunarMist]

Absolutely, though I doubt it will make it here. Also, a more common model is more likely to have a strong performance aftermarket. I'm really hooked on having crazy amounts of power at this point.

Isn't the Golf rather small, with not so much room for the kids and all their stuff?

 

[ddrueding]

Isn't the Golf rather small, with not so much room for the kids and all their stuff?

It is small compared to some, but it is packaged very efficiently. The ratio of internal space/external dimensions is so much better than a crown vic or other full-size car. The Audi A3 I've been driving is basically a fancy Golf and I'm rarely wanting for space. For the vacation the car fit 3 adults, a baby in a car seat, two checked bags, two carry-on, a full laptop bag, a diaper bag, and the kids backpack. This was without compromising anyone's leg room or losing the view from the rear view mirror. I don't think my daily car needs more than that.

 

[mubs]

I once rode in the back of a large taxi (Crown Vic?) some 55 miles to Newark Airport. Was the most uncomfortable ride of my life. The seat offered little thigh support, the back support sucked, and I was sliding all over the place despite being belted and the older driver driving sedately. It also felt cramped inside. The whole experience was unbelievable, considering how large and comfy the car looked from the outside.

 

[Handruin]

I've been in those also and found the experience awful. They have a huge amounts of trunk space but the ride quality is crap and it also doesn't help the ones I've been in are tortured from poor NYC road quality.