New Car Thread

[ifcar]

Should I? The warranty is a factor. 7 years/100k on something with less than 20k is 80k of wonderful warranty. I am going to test drive the cars next weekend and see what I like. Then I'll find the right deal.

Sure. I haven't driven the S40 or C30 myself, but every review seems to say the Mazda is noisier but more fun.

You can also get those elusive rain-sensing wipers.

[J86]

My girlfriend drives a 2006 S40 2.4i w/ auto (sedan), so I've gotten a lot of seat time in it.

I love the car.  I was actually pretty surprised by that, 'cause I alway thought they were super overpriced.  Handles quite well for what it is.  Comfy, etc.  I like the somewhat-spartan interior design.  Only prob is the thing is DOG slow (2.4 + automatic).  Would be interested to drive a T5 to compare.

Concerning reliability, I can't quite speak to that, as she drove the thing into a puddle two years ago, had to have the engine replaced, so...

[CJ]

My girlfriend drives a 2006 S40 2.4i w/ auto (sedan), so I've gotten a lot of seat time in it.

I love the car.  I was actually pretty surprised by that, 'cause I alway thought they were super overpriced.  Handles quite well for what it is.  Comfy, etc.  I like the somewhat-spartan interior design.  Only prob is the thing is DOG slow (2.4 + automatic).  Would be interested to drive a T5 to compare.

Concerning reliability, I can't quite speak to that, as she drove the thing into a puddle two years ago, had to have the engine replaced, so...

You think it's slow?  My friend Jordan has a 2006 V50 and I think it's actually pretty quick for what it is.  That engine loves to rev and it sounds great.

[J86]

The 2.4?  Yeah dude, that thing is slow as shit!  As mentioned above, I quite like the car, but rapid forward progress is not its forte.

[CJ]

The 2.4?  Yeah dude, that thing is slow as shit!  As mentioned above, I quite like the car, but rapid forward progress is not its forte.

I thought it was perfectly fine, but I do drive a 114 HP 940.

[J86]

There ya go

We had a '94 940 wagon some years back.  One of the 2 cars I learned to drive on.

[68_427]

While walking to the dorms at RIT tonight, some kid with a modded C30 was driving around.  T5 does sound great.

[Vinsanity]

Only prob is the thing is DOG slow (2.4 + automatic).  Would be interested to drive a T5 to compare.

I drove both, and while I don't think the 2.4 is THAT slow (it feels more torquey than the 4-banger Camry I was renting at the time), the T5 didn't feel that much more powerful with respect to what I was expecting. It's even more torquey in the low-midrange, but runs out of steam in the higher rpms.

[565]

Considering that your last car pretty much imploded, I agree with the TSX suggestions.  Similar size, power, good handling.  Reliable as hell. 

[CALL_911]

Actually, yeah. The TSX suggestions aren't bad at all. Are you looking to get a car with a manual transmission?

[Laconian]

Me likey my TSX.

[Raza]

While walking to the dorms at RIT tonight, some kid with a modded C30 was driving around.  T5 does sound great.

The C30 is a good choice if you don't care about it not being as good as a GTI in any way.  But I bet they're good used buys.

[Atomic]

You mean multi-way adjustable seats, which are usually powered. There are lots of power seats that only go back and forth with a seat-back angle adjustment.

power seats are great, but i hate power lumbar support mechanisms. they ALWAYS stop working at some point within the first year of ownership. never fails. honda's without power seats (passenger seats) are by far the easiest. the old slogan, "honda makes it simple..." truly applies 

[Cookie Monster]

I actually dislike seats with a bajillion adjustments. I can never find a proper position in the 7 when I do drive it, but in my car with only the reclining adjustment, I always have a comfortable position.

[565]

power seats are great, but i hate power lumbar support mechanisms. they ALWAYS stop working at some point within the first year of ownership. never fails. honda's without power seats (passenger seats) are by far the easiest. the old slogan, "honda makes it simple..." truly applies 

My 1987 supra seats with power lumbar and lateral support still works perfectly.  I wish the z06 had such nice seats.  Maybe i can swap them.... hmmmmm

[68_427]

My 1987 supra seats with power lumbar and lateral support still works perfectly.  I wish the z06 had such nice seats.  Maybe i can swap them.... hmmmmm

Swap the passenger seat from the Spra with the Driver's seat from the Corvette.

[WookieOnRitalin]

Considering that your last car pretty much imploded, I agree with the TSX suggestions.  Similar size, power, good handling.  Reliable as hell. 

The difference I see with the TSX is that I'd ultimately be paying for twice the mileage on older models for the same price. Is the TSX that much better than the competition?

I'm having a problem locating any GTI's at the price point with compareable mileage. Found a Kizashi, C30, and an S40 T5. I'm taking Saturday morning off to test them and I'll make a decision by Sunday and hopefully be driving the new car by the 18th.

[J86]

The C30 is a good choice if you don't care about it not being as good as a GTI in any way.  But I bet they're good used buys.

you can buy one w a swedish flag on the roof!

[TurboDan]

The difference I see with the TSX is that I'd ultimately be paying for twice the mileage on older models for the same price. Is the TSX that much better than the competition?

I like the TSX a lot, but like most Honda products, I don't they're a very good deal on the used market for the reason you mentioned. I toyed with the idea of getting a TSX when I was looking at cars in December, but the more I looked, the more I was seeing relatively high-mileage, older cars that didn't cost a whole lot less than they did brand new.

I think the TSX is a decent deal if you want to buy one new, but I wasn't seeing the value in it used. They're most certainly reliable, but I don't think they're reliable enough to justify them keeping their value as much as they do. I'd rather go for something like the Passat that was posted - an '09 with only 11K miles for $16K. I kept my Passat until 154K miles and the only issue it ever had was from an engine defect on the old 1.8T, which they haven't used in years. Aside from that, it was just regular maintenance and an oxygen sensor or two over 9 years and 154,000, which pretty good, as I see it.

[WookieOnRitalin]

Update:

C30 was sold. Damn shame.

However, just found an '07 Passat Wagon w/48k miles listed at 15,900 and an Acura TSX (heated seats, moonroof) for 16,750 w/48k miles as well.

Cars to be driven.

Volvo S40 T5
Suzuki Kizashi
VW Passat Wagon
Acura TSX

[WookieOnRitalin]

Quick Review:

'07 S40: Comfortable. Comfortable. Comfortable. Softer Ride. Quiet. Luxurious. Amazing seats. Annoying dash. Useless door side pockets. Competent handler. Short windows hurt visibility. Overall: A Volvo I could live in for a long time.

'06 TSX: Sporty. Sporty. Sporty. TSX made me grin while driving it. Excellent power despite the lack of power numbers. Simple controls. Great handles. Fantastic weighted steering. A LOT of hard plastic. Pretty stiff ride. Annoying glare from instrument cluster in sunlight. Overall: Just a great drive minus some of the luxury. 

The Passat was unavailable to be test driven.

I'm going to test the Kizashi on my way back home. More to come.

[68_427]

Did you get to sit in the Passat at least?

[CJ]

The dash in the S40 is a tad annoying.  It's not too bad when you get used to it, but it definitely could be more intuitive. 

[Laconian]

Dude, get the Kizashi!

[WookieOnRitalin]

Passant was not at dealership. Suzuki dealership has an '08 Jetta Wolfsburg turbo. I'll try that out too.

[Vinsanity]

'07 S40: Comfortable. Comfortable. Comfortable. Softer Ride. Quiet. Luxurious. Amazing seats. Annoying dash. Useless door side pockets. Competent handler. Short windows hurt visibility. Overall: A Volvo I could live in for a long time.

'06 TSX: Sporty. Sporty. Sporty. TSX made me grin while driving it. Excellent power despite the lack of power numbers. Simple controls. Great handles. Fantastic weighted steering. A LOT of hard plastic. Pretty stiff ride. Annoying glare from instrument cluster in sunlight. Overall: Just a great drive minus some of the luxury.  

I also looked at an S40 when I ended up with the Caddy, and a TSX when I ended up with the TL. The TSX felt considerably softer than what I was expecting; the Volvo felt like it had a more suitable ride/handling balance for this type of car. And if anything, it's the Volvo's NA 5-banger that feels surprisingly pleasant in the car despite the lower hp rating. The TSX feels just "adequate" around town, but the top-end power is a nice added bonus. I liked the TSX's interior better, but never found the Volvo's dash to be "annoying". Excessively plain, like a blank sheet of paper, but I don't think annoying would be my choice of word for it.

Passant was not at dealership. Suzuki dealership has an '08 Jetta Wolfsburg turbo. I'll try that out too.

Wow, you and Raza can be wonder twins

[WookieOnRitalin]

The Wolfsburg was sold. Drat. Oh well.

Kizashi: Well, pretty awesome. Plenty of power from a 4 banger and the interior quality was on par with the S40. Considerably quiet. Solid handling. Great features. Intuitive dash. Easy to read gauges. My biggest complaint about the Kizashi is the short windows (which is a similar problem on the S40).

As of right now...

For Driving:
1: Kizashi
2: TSX
3: S40

Price:
1: TSX
2: Kizashi
3: S40

Ride:
1: S40
2: Kizashi
3: TSX

Luxury:
1: S40
2: Kizashi
3: TSX

I actually like the S40 a bit better, but the price is atrocious 17,495 for a T5 with 48k miles. The guy at the dealership bottomed at 15,700 for the TSX. That's a wide gap.The Kizashi was listed at 18,900 (but I can find a better deal out of state). If anyone can find a T5 S40 with pretty good pricing, I might look at it even out of state.

Goal is 16k for less than 50k mileage.

[Raza]

Of those three, there's no way I'm walking away in anything but a six speed TSX, provided it's the first gen and not the ugly one.

[CJ]

Whereabouts are we looking?  Also, what year is the S40?

[CJ]

And for a 2007 S40 T5, that price is a bit lower than KBB value.