mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
I just love the looks of the 2017 Fiat 124 Spider - the front and profile.
I want to buy a new car
- Thread starter CougTek
- Start date
Stereodude
Not really a
I'm not so sure about it. It seems to look a lot like a Miata.
mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
It is based on the upcoming Miata. But IIRC, the front of the Fiat has been redesigned by Fiat.
It all looks similar to me, but what do I know? It seems that most cars are uglier than ever on the outside and hard to see out of from the inside.
What should matter more in appearance is the interior, which is where the vast majority of one's time is spent.
ddrueding
Fixture
The best visibility from the inside I've ever seen was a McLaren 650S. You sit pretty far forward and having the engine behind you means the hood can fall away very quickly.
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
Yeah, Lunarmist inside a McLaren (any model). It would probably end-up being the only McLaren ever with an average trip speed under 30Mph.
I don't even see them listed in car buying guide. My average trip speed for the morning commute is about 18MPH and then it is about 26 in the evening.
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
See, I knew.
Knew what, that I live near a city?
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
That you drove below 30MPH on average.
I can't help it due to traffic. The speed limit is 80 on some UT roads so I do better there.
ddrueding
Fixture
My car when it was stock seemed to be just more than strictly necessary (for short on-ramps, merging, etc). 3300Lbs/211HP = 15.6:1
Of course, gearing and transmission type matter as well.
Of course, gearing and transmission type matter as well.
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
Damn! Don't know what stuff you take, but it's strong.
No transmission or gearing? That's some special car you're considering. Definition of a transmission. A CVT is a transmission (continually variable transmission) and it's probably what your futur car will have.
No transmission or gearing? That's some special car you're considering. Definition of a transmission. A CVT is a transmission (continually variable transmission) and it's probably what your futur car will have.
Of course I meant...
There seems to be no transmission or gearing options on either of the cars.
I drove a few Nissans recently as rentals, not my preference. I really don't like the CVTs. The one in the 4-banger Altima was especially awful. It sounded like a low gear revved up all the time even under 2K.
The one in the V6 SUV was not too noisy at low RPMs, but was noisier than a normal car at high RPM where it spent a lot of time. Then the vehicle would go into a weird hysteresis mode on the highway with the cruise control engaged. The RPM would go up and down by 1000 RPM every ten seconds, making a weird sound and slightly changing the speed. In addition to the unpleasant driving experience, I can't imagine the tranny would last very long when going all over the place.
ddrueding
Fixture
I'm pretty sure there is, though they may not discuss it in the brochure. Even the Model S has a reduction gear.
mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
As do torque and power curves ...
This is probably the best thing you can do; drive rentals till you find a model you like and then buy it.
jtr1962
Storage? I am Storage!
I've heard of hub motors for EVs. I know they already exist for electric bicycles. Technically speaking, such cars wouldn't have either a transmission or gearing.
Unfortunately it does not really work like that. A lot of models just aren't available as rentals for some reason although other cars from the same class may be commonly rented.
Even if a rental exists, it is usually a stripped down version with a crappy engine (if engine options exist) and minus other features like the ventilated seats.
Some car dealers offer an extended test drive (basically a dealer demo/loaner), but only on certain models and not the 2016s that I'm interested in.
mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
Yes, you're run of the mill Avis, Hertz, etc. will have only a few mass-market models. How about outfits that are not this big, but rent more models? I know they exist, and may not carry everything you'd want to test, but I would suspect you'd have a better choice than the run of the mill rental agencies.
blakerwry
Storage? I am Storage!
Unfortunately it does not really work like that. A lot of models just aren't available as rentals for some reason although other cars from the same class may be commonly rented.
Even if a rental exists, it is usually a stripped down version with a crappy engine (if engine options exist) and minus other features like the ventilated seats.
Some car dealers offer an extended test drive (basically a dealer demo/loaner), but only on certain models and not the 2016s that I'm interested in.
If there's a Carmax in the area, they can be a great way to test drive a lot of different cars. As long as you're not looking for a first model year vehicle, last year's model is probably similar enough to form an opinion in most cases. We bought a new car in 2011. Going in, my wife thought she wanted an SUV while I thought I wanted a V6. We both wanted a used car. After we test drove a dozen cars we ended up really liking the 4 cyl Hyundai Sonata and ended up getting a new Kia Optima (the Sonata's sister car). Overall happy with the car, not so happy with the dealer/service.
Thanks. I have to make a decision this weekend. It's getting tired and no car will be anywhere near perfect, especially for 40K. If only I did not spend more than that vacations recently, I could buy an sclass. :lol:
One last thing - is the extendable warranty worthwhile?
One last thing - is the extendable warranty worthwhile?
ddrueding
Fixture
I'd assume that that is your credit score. Even if you don't plan on financing the vehicle, many dealerships get payments for getting you to finance through the automaker. I was able to get another $1500 off my wife's car by financing it and then immediately cutting a check for the total amount.
Yes and it was stupid, but I screwed uj.
Pradeep
Storage? I am Storage!
That's a pretty high credit score. There's a few companies that provide scores/scales and it's hard to compare without knowing the source. I believe FICO scores generally max out at 850 so 868 is prob a TransUnion score, which would be the equivalent of 790 with Equifax, and 776 from Experian. Does your scoresheet mention "VantageScore"? That's another option that goes up to 990. Basically you would be eligible for Tier 1 auto financing (which is for 720+ FICO scores).
jtr1962
Storage? I am Storage!
My bank gives out the Experian score each month. Mine was 824 last month. Highest I've had since they've been doing this has been 828.
My bank, Chase, gives out Experian scores as well. Don't know if it's the "real" FICO score or just some number the bank pulls out of its ass. Three credit accounts with only about 14k total credit limit, 120+ months average length and 1% utilization. I pay CC bills on-line way before the 20-day "grace period" expires. Haven't paid any CC interest since early 2012.
Page says national average is 693. My score jumped from 806 to 834 for some unknown reason? And 834 is the highest its ever been too. Perhaps my utilization was up to 10% (when I bought camera lens) when they polled my accounts as a bit of utilization is better than zero utilization.
The max is 900 on whatever scale they use. It doesn't really matter now though.
Stereodude
Not really a
Have you been to China yet to see your baby being built?
Luckily, although I've been working on the Uppers since inception, I was not the Lead Upper Structures guy until after we launched the model for the China market. The changes to the body for the USA not a lot so there was no need for me to go there. Lots of calls/webex's at odd hours though. Prefer that to going there!
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
Congrats!
Stereodude
Not really a
I've seen a few of them rolling around the area with Manufacturers plates. It looks pretty sharp.
A bit off topic for this thread but I didn't know where else to put it....Anyways...my FICO scores, according to Chase, the last six months.
Oct'15 = 806
Nov'15 = 834
Dec'15 = 806
Jan'16 = 834
Feb'16 = 806
Mar'16 = 830
Can't figure out the oscillating behavior of the FICO scores. I was pondering getting an AMEX card for use at Costco as they don't take VISA/MC CCs but since I only have 3 CC accounts it will kill my average length of open accounts and score takes a hit. But by how much, and how long to recover score is a mystery.
Wife and I both have great credit scores, about 810 each. My Capital One credit card allows me to monitor my credit 'score' with the 'New Transion' Method. So it is not really a FICO score but I'd expect it closely matches it and will reflect the appropriate trends. The CO website has a simulator that allows you to model all different kinds of events from missing payments, to adding loans, adding credit cards etc. The effect of adding a credit card is negligible.
Our oldest credit line is 22 years. I modeled adding 1-5 $10,000 limit new credit cards in my name and you can see the result is very small:
1 Card - 4 point reduction
2 Cards - 7 point reduction
3 Cards - 9 point reduction
4 Cards - 11 point reduction
5 Cards - 13 point reduction
Either way, with a starting score of 800+, it doesn't matter at all. I don't think anything over 700 gets you any special treatment anywhere but if you're that anal about your number maybe a site like Credit Karma will have more information for you.
Our oldest credit line is 22 years. I modeled adding 1-5 $10,000 limit new credit cards in my name and you can see the result is very small:
1 Card - 4 point reduction
2 Cards - 7 point reduction
3 Cards - 9 point reduction
4 Cards - 11 point reduction
5 Cards - 13 point reduction
Either way, with a starting score of 800+, it doesn't matter at all. I don't think anything over 700 gets you any special treatment anywhere but if you're that anal about your number maybe a site like Credit Karma will have more information for you.