Mid engine cars are few and far between. The MR2 is one, but from what I hear very underpowered. And very small. (I need a LOT more leg room than Paul Newman or Dudley Moore...if Clint Eastwood drove a Mini, he must have sat in the back seat and had the front seat removed...I met him...he is VERY tall). What are other affordable mid-engine cars? I had a 914 a (very) long time ago. It was a true mid engine car. I went into a spin when I hit a patch of sand. It caused me to go off the road and down an embankment and onto a frozen river. Things could have been much worse. The river could have been NOT frozen, or I could have done the same thing a mile or two farther up the mountain and gone off and over a big cliff to a sure death. I know it was my fault.....I was not an experienced enough driver to handle that car at that speed under those conditions....it put a scare into me. I would definitely prefer all wheel drive. That accident would probably not have happened with AWD. (one reason I am leaning toward the TT Quatro). I also had one of the original RX-7 Mazdas. It was billed as a "mid engine" car also. Even though the motor was in the front, they called it "mid engine" because the engine was mounted behind the front axle. I could never tell anything about the balance of the car. Seemed quite normal to me. Maybe if I had gone into a spin in that car too, I would have noticed the difference. (BTW, I LOVED that car!). The Porsche C4 (or whatever it is now called) is the ideal sports car. Too bad I can't afford one. While it's true that buying a used one helps in price...and puts the major depreciation on someone else, some cars you just want while they are under warrantee. I figure if I can't afford it new, I probably can't afford it used. I had to buy a wheel for a car a few years ago. It was around $350. I happened to be talking to a friend about it at the time. He was thinking about buying a used Mercedes SL. Out of curiosity, we called a Mercedes dealership to find out what a wheel cost on that car. Don't remember exactly, but it was over $2k. The Cayanne is very nice, but I can't see the value in it (even if I could afford it). Peace, RS
I want an Enzo. http://www.ferrari.it/cgi-bin/fworl...ction/cars_oggi_intro.jsp?title=ENZO&carIdx=0 nitro
fancy cars say money, but they thats all they really say about you. Don't believe the advertising hype. Anybody that pays more than about $30,000 for a freaking CAR ( and that is all it is, no matter how much you pay ) is trying to prop up their self esteem.
Nice... would your wife let you drive it?? Totally disagree with this....A nice car is just that. Maybe someone that buys an expensive car to get noticed is trying to "prop up their self esteem", but someone who just wants a car because it is fun to drive, and/or a quality vehicle just wants to get something they enjoy. And something that will be relatively trouble free. 30K is just not a lot of money (unfortunately) in today's car market. Surprised to hear this from you dotslash....doesn't seem to go with your politics Peace, RS
Why not take all that initial depreciation out of the car, by going in and haggling for one of the zillion used cars those dealers have on the lot...Clearly, they have less incentive to put much effort into haggling over the little details, since there are not as MANY hidden mark-ups as they can put into a new car lease or sale...Some of the cars you have mentioned have so much depreciation it is sickening...Let the other sucker get squeezed first, then go in and take it off their hands...The dealers are swimming in inventory, you are probably doing them a major favor and yourself a major favor by steering clear of all the new models with their hype and high price tags... Regarding the Infiniti G35...Of all the cars around, for some reason Infiniti depreciates like a Jaguar...It might be due to the fact that its a highly leased vehicle and the numbers get distorted by the leasing costs, etc... Cars are really like a drug...People get so obsessed with a certain car, that all reason seems to fly out the door...Lets face it, its a terrible investment, but a necessary one anyway...So, if you have to do it, its probably smart to just get the car you want with 2-3 years of low mileage on it and then drive it for 100,000 miles...
Vulture... This is a more complicated issue than you seem to present it to be. First of all, dealerships almost always make more money on a used car than on a new car. With a used car, you have no real assurance of what is or is not wrong with the car. An extended warrantee is a very costly option. Unless you are an expert on buying used cars, it becomes, to a huge degree, a matter of luck. Depreciation can work for or against you on a lease. Understanding a lease is a major benefit. People can and do get ripped on leases more often than on purchases. But a truly informed customer MAY be better off with a lease. Remeber, the general premise of a lease is that you are only paying for whatever the depreciation of the car is during the term of the contract. As you implied, often the residual of a car is artificially elevated to bring down the monthly payment. If the "buyer" has no intention of keeping the car, this works to their benefit. Driving a new car that is under warrantee has advantages. Also, working out a deal on a new car makes it easy to negotiate to have all required service, including loaner cars for the duration of the lease pretty easy. Obviously there are advantages to both new and used cars. And advantages to buying and to leasing depending on the specific deal, the specific car, and the needs (and convenience) of the customer. Disclosure on leases is now pretty comprehensive. Which is a relatively recent situation. The mileage a driver puts on a car also is a major factor for determining if a lease makes sense or not. Leasing a 2 year old car is also an option, but not one I am familiar with. But it is something I may look into. I am kind of fortunate that I have a brother who does the financing (leases and purchases) for a huge Honda dealership, so I can find out what is what most of the time. (Converting "money factor, " which is what they use to figure lease payments, to "interest rates" is not something most of us can do off the top of our heads...it's really almost a secret to those who write the leases....very few people understand exactly how it works). There are cases (rare) where leasing a car actually can work out so that the car costs nothing for the duration of the contract. Nitro's Enzo is a car that has the potential to appreciate in value. So after he is done paying $10k a month (or whatever it is) for 2 years, if the car appreciates only $240 K, he will have had the car for free!! (This kind of thing was very common when the dollar plunged against the German Mark in the early 80's...2 and 3 year old German cars were often worth significanty more (in dollars) when they were a few years old than they cost when they were purchased new). There is no doubt in my mind that UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, there is not a single good reason in the world that Nitro should NOT get that car!!! Nitro...I hope you will listen to reason!! Peace, RS
RS, This is pretty amazing but not only do I find myself in almost exactly the same situation as you, but I agree with virtually everything you've posted on this subject. Personally, I find the new car market very blah. My wife has an Audi A4. Boring car, with extremely uncomfortable seats, athough build quality seems excellent and interior looks good. The FX/Murano SUV looked great the first time I saw it, but they already have a weird AMC type look to them. The Nissan's are red hot right now, but they have a tendancy not to age very gracefully. For convert's, the Solara is nice if a bit feminine. Ditto the Sebring convert, kind of the classic Fla country club car. Too soft for me and probably you, in view of what you've owned. Best value is definitely Mustang GT convert or Z28/Trans Am. I am seriously considering the latter, and I think depreciation will be low on the convert's if you get a good price. I wouldn't worry too much about the reliability. Unlike a german car, they cost next to nothing to fix and major problems are rare. I actually need an SUV and my old Blazer is getting tired, although it's been great. A real brute that likes to bully the car platform suv's in town and on the road. I agree with you about the lexus RX, totally amazing vehicle, incredibly comfortable seats, ultra sophisticated and smooth. Not my thing at all, I want something that needs driving, not stroking. The Ford Escape makes a lot 0f sense, but I'm not keen on fulltime 4wd. I do disagree on one thing. I had a 'vette and it was just great. Never a minute's problem, total gas to drive. The current ones don't do a whole lot for me, too expensive and complicated. WTF do I want active suspension,etc for in a sports car. The idea is I do the driving, not thecar. The new caddy CLX(?) sports car with the auto hardtop looks totally awesome. I'm guessing you're their target market.