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Post by Holy Schist on Aug 26, 2012 8:49:54 GMT -5
I might be eating some of my cars are not important posts. My wife encouraged me to replace my old car to the extent of buying 1/2 of the replacement. When I was a kid cars were exciting to me and most around me. Yesterday I noticed my brother and one of my 3 kids were more excited about it (shopping, test drives) than anybody else in the family. It was a bit of a bummer because I was disappointed with a lot of the choices. I can roll the rear hatch window down on my old 4Runner and don't care for the new one which seems to be the only one I found with that feature. Some choices that fit my requirements are too much of a gas hog or lack the theoretical high reliability I want. At 5-6500 miles a year of driving the fuel economy rating won't make as much difference to me but I'm still leaning toward more economical.  |
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Post by thedude on Aug 26, 2012 11:42:05 GMT -5
I still like getting a new car, but I buy new cars much less frequently than I did when I was younger. I think part of it is finally learning what I really want and need and sticking with it.
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Post by Holy Schist on Aug 26, 2012 13:40:01 GMT -5
I still like getting a new car, but I buy new cars much less frequently than I did when I was younger. I think part of it is finally learning what I really want and need and sticking with it. The "what I really want and need and sticking with it" is why I've gone from a new car every 2 or so years to one of ours being 14 years old. For all the amazing choices out there I see compromise with many choices and I didn't feel that way with my gen 3 4Runner. I don't like the gen 5 for a few reasons but will miss a retractable rear window and don't want to go back to pickup truck. I'm considering a basket type roof carrier for carrying tools where I do trail work at at our ski club. |
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Post by donalgdon on Aug 26, 2012 14:03:34 GMT -5
Hope you find what you are looking for.
I've never bought a "new" car. I see it as a waste of money, given how quickly they depreciate in value. I prefer to shop around til I find something used but in good shape. Just a couple of years can knock a HUGE amount off the price, and I feel bad wasting money for something that's going to have the same issues in the same amount of time as the one I've already got.
My 2 cents.
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Post by Holy Schist on Aug 26, 2012 14:16:24 GMT -5
Hope you find what you are looking for. I've never bought a "new" car. I see it as a waste of money, given how quickly they depreciate in value. I prefer to shop around til I find something used but in good shape. Just a couple of years can knock a HUGE amount off the price, and I feel bad wasting money for something that's going to have the same issues in the same amount of time as the one I've already got. My 2 cents. I've gone that route a few times times personally and often in business. If I get a Subaru I get a special price. Used late model inventory of same are are not worth it with that discount. The used prices are higher than I expected and especially so for what I'll call popular or desirable vehicles. |
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Post by thedude on Aug 26, 2012 15:23:09 GMT -5
I have bought used cars in the past and have no problem with getting used over new. The reason I have tended to buy new is that I'm picky about colors and options. Also, the technology in cars has gotten better and better over the last decade, so that's an issue for me. My Audi Q5 was leased and about to expire so I bought it. It has all the bells and whistles that I like and feel that I need. Getting a newer version of the same car would have been silly at this point, but getting an older car when I bought this one new would mean not having some of the technology stuff that I like having. My wife's Audi station wagon is a few years older than mine and doesn't have iPod integration and bluetooth for the phone. We looked into getting it added and it's just not feasible, so she's out of luck in that area until she gets a new car.
So, while know I can get a better deal, sometimes its worth it to me just to pay up for what I want. Think of it as the difference between dining/drinking out and staying in - the latter is much cheaper but it's not always what I want to do.
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Post by Holy Schist on Aug 26, 2012 16:23:47 GMT -5
I have bought used cars in the past and have no problem with getting used over new. The reason I have tended to buy new is that I'm picky about colors and options. Also, the technology in cars has gotten better and better over the last decade, so that's an issue for me. My Audi Q5 was leased and about to expire so I bought it. It has all the bells and whistles that I like and feel that I need. Getting a newer version of the same car would have been silly at this point, but getting an older car when I bought this one new would mean not having some of the technology stuff that I like having. My wife's Audi station wagon is a few years older than mine and doesn't have iPod integration and bluetooth for the phone. We looked into getting it added and it's just not feasible, so she's out of luck in that area until she gets a new car. So, while know I can get a better deal, sometimes its worth it to me just to pay up for what I want. Think of it as the difference between dining/drinking out and staying in - the latter is much cheaper but it's not always what I want to do. Getting exactly what I want was part of my being happy with same vehicle for so long, and part of my wait was for some technology integration and other improvements. I see pretty much all the cars in consideration have better phone integration now. For the moment I'm debating with self over power thinking I will choose less and maybe pay the extra for the PZEV rating model. The kids are debating color - all of them ones I don't care for or wouldn't want to live with for 10 years or more. |
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Post by naill on Aug 26, 2012 17:03:56 GMT -5
We went from a 1984 Plymouth Voyager to a 1994 Suburban and later a '99 Tahoe. I prefer the big trucks so much that I replaced the 350 V8 last year and kept the Tahoe in service.
For business and personal use, I opted for a 2010 Subaru Forester. It fits my business and outdoor interests well.
We are looking at a Honda Oddessey to haul the six grand children. I plan to keep the Tahoe forever.
Did I mention the '78 Chevy farm truck that get 8 miles a gallon...LOL!
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Post by Holy Schist on Aug 26, 2012 19:40:47 GMT -5
We went from a 1984 Plymouth Voyager to a 1994 Suburban and later a '99 Tahoe. I prefer the big trucks so much that I replaced the 350 V8 last year and kept the Tahoe in service. For business and personal use, I opted for a 2010 Subaru Forester. It fits my business and outdoor interests well. We are looking at a Honda Oddessey to haul the six grand children. I plan to keep the Tahoe forever. Did I mention the '78 Chevy farm truck that get 8 miles a gallon...LOL! My evolotion or de-evolution has been from truck-based (C20, F250, Jeeps, others). Work calls in the worst snow storms are the norm, and I can't give up all or 4 wheel drive but I think I can give up the towing capacity. We already have the minivan covered and can't imagine not having one thus my interest in the Subaru Outback as replacement for a truck type. I'll be bummed to give up the trusty 4Runner but look forward to an automatic transmission for the most frequent trips I make in a car. |
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Post by naill on Aug 27, 2012 6:31:30 GMT -5
My evolotion or de-evolution has been from truck-based (C20, F250, Jeeps, others). Work calls in the worst snow storms are the norm, and I can't give up all or 4 wheel drive but I think I can give up the towing capacity. We already have the minivan covered and can't imagine not having one thus my interest in the Subaru Outback as replacement for a truck type. I'll be bummed to give up the trusty 4Runner but look forward to an automatic transmission for the most frequent trips I make in a car. A Subaru and a trailer might replace the need for a truck all together. |
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Post by thedude on Aug 27, 2012 6:33:38 GMT -5
I have a 12 ft utility trailer that I use quite a bit for hauling with my Q5. A truck would be more convenient, but I don't need that capability very often so the trailer does the trick.
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Post by Holy Schist on Aug 27, 2012 8:06:10 GMT -5
A Subaru and a trailer might replace the need for a truck all together. I have a 12 ft utility trailer that I use quite a bit for hauling with my Q5. A truck would be more convenient, but I don't need that capability very often so the trailer does the trick. Unfortunately some in IMBA chapter with 4 cyl Subarus are not comfy pulling our trailer. At same time I'm not sure about the 6cyl even though it's a VERY nice and powerful car. It still has the smaller receiver size. I've been doing occasional rentals of vehicle or trailer since giving up owning a pickup truck. It's very interesting to catch the reactions of some I know on the whole power issue. People seem to want capacity whether or not they use it. I figured out that might need more power 1 - 2 times a month so being responsible with money and with environment makes a good argument for the 4 cyl. The camera-based safety system is tied to navigation system and I don't know if I want to spend money on them but adaptive cruise control sure seems like a nice feature. All the incoming 2013 4 cyl Limited in silver or white seem to have those features. I could take a 6 cyl with or without home today. I will hope to do the most important shopping part today - my wife try them. |
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Post by thedude on Aug 27, 2012 8:43:59 GMT -5
Yes, if you're going to pull a trailer, you should have adequate power to do so. My car has plenty of power so that's not a problem. I would able to pull a ski boat without any problem, but that's not something I would want to do on a regular basis. I don't have a boat, so it's not an issue, and if and when I ever do get a boat, I'll likely just launch it and keep it in a slip and just use the trailer if I need to winterize the boat, get it serviced, etc.
Also, the Q5 has a full sized receiver for the hitch. I also like having that receiver for my Yakima bike rack that goes back there. If I used a bike rack often, I would prefer a roof rack (and I used to have one), but the rear rack is great for occasional use. Also, the rack I have is about 10 or 15 years old and seems much sturdier than what's currently offered by either Yakima or Thule. I had roof racks on my Q5 for awhile (and on other cars), but they were really noisy and especially so with the sun roof open. Like everything else, it's all about tradeoffs.
About 12 years ago, I had a Ford Expedition and one thing I loved about it was that I could take the front wheel off my road bike and mount the forks on to one of those axle holder things and the bike fit just fine without having to lower the seat. That was a great feature when I used to do different events each weekend because I liked having the bike inside the vehicle if I stopped to eat, etc. If I had been able to do that in the new 4Runner, that's what I would have done but I measured it and it wouldn't work. That's when I decided to go with a small SUV and I have really enjoyed being able to park in average sized spaces with the Q5. My previous vehicle was an Acura MDX and it was really wide and harder to park.
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Post by herbhunter on Aug 27, 2012 13:51:42 GMT -5
Audi 3.0 L Q5
Supercharged engine, 8-speed automatic transmission
Horse Power: 272 hp @ 4780 rpm
Torque: 295 lb-ft. @ 2150 rpm
Towing capacity: 4400 lbs.
Audi 2.0 L Q5
Turbocharged engine, 8-speed automatic transmission
Horse Power: 211 hp @ 4300 rpm
Torque: 258 lb-ft. @ 1500 rpm
Towing capacity: 4400 lbs.
Subaru 3.6L Outback
Atmospheric pressure engine, 5-speed automatic transmission
Horse Power: 256 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 247 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
Towing capacity: 3,000 lbs.
Subaru 2.5L Outback
Atmospheric pressure engine, continuously variable automatic transmission
Horse Power: 173 hp @ 5600 rpm
Torque: 174 lb-ft @ 4100 rpm
Towing capacity: 2,700 lbs.
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Post by thedude on Aug 27, 2012 17:55:34 GMT -5
Thanks, Herb. Not much difference in towing capacity between the 2 Subarus. Not sure if that is an engine issue or a chassis issue.
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