Started by trying to buy an RDX for the wife and ended up with a stupid vehicle.

[565]

Super long read/rant. Skip to end for results.  Warning car buying for a woman hilarity.

My wife and I are expecting our first kid and one of the things on the list was to upgrade the cars. She was driving a 2007 (I think?) CRV that I think the first user must have abused the shit out of.   

The plan was to get her the face-lifted RDX, however in todays market I guess buying a car isn't straight forward.

She absolutely wanted a compact SUV of similar size to her CRV. That was her absolute requirement.  I was planning to spend about 40 to 50k.

I first called around to dealers to see if they were willing to sell their PMC RDXs.  I figured that the RDX would never be really special but at least the PMC editions would be interesting and rare for barely more money than the equivalent regular RDX.   Well called around and everyone wanted 7K over sticker or so for their PMC RDXs.  So that was a no go.

We planned a day to drive the RDX and the competition.  The Hyundai dealer had an apt prior to the Acura dealer and likely this is where the whole plan went wrong.

The GV70 has gotten rave reviews with many people saying it's best in segment and I guess I was curious.  We drove the GV70 2.5 advance first and my wife fell in love with it.  She loved everything about it.  One hang up?  She wanted heated rear seats.  I have no idea why that was the feature that she absolutely wanted but it was.  The only trim of the GV70 that had heated rear seats was the top of the line 64k model with the 3.5T and the sport diff.  Another problem, the Hyundai dealer wanted 2.5k over sticker for the cars available and 1.5k over sticker for any new orders.  Another problem the Hyundai dealer looked like they were just run by thugs,  everyone acted like talking to us was a huge waste of their time.  One upside of the pandemic is that all test drives are without the sales person and we really got to test out the tech and the car.  The GV70 itself was great, drove great everything was high quality, the tech was great.  However if you want certain feature like the HUD and the digital cluster or heated rear seats you had to step up to the highest model.  Later I would realize this is how Genesis was dealing with the chip shortage, that only the most expensive trim would get all the tech you want.

Okay then we were off to the Acura dealership.  It was a mistake to drive the GV70 first because the RDX just didn't measure up in comparison.  It felt an entire generation older.  The dealership was excellent.  However the RDX did have a HUD, which suddenly became a feature that my wife wanted.

Finally we swung by the Tesla show room to look at the Model Y.   This is the car I was hoping to have her choose.  My buddy loves his model 3. Tesla had none to drive but we sat in a couple on the show room.  I didn't mind the interior but she hated it.

One on the list I wanted to check out was the new NX but no dealer had them yet.  I figured we were going to get the GV70.  And that's when we found out that pretty much the entire production for 22 was sold out and new orders would be for the 2023.  In addition the top trim with the heated seats and HUD came with the sport diff that was basically exploding left and right on owners.  The GV70 forum was basically filled with owners with undrivable cars waiting months for parts.  So unfortunately that was off the list.

The following cars got eliminated for the following ridiculous reasons.

GLC: Her friend got one and didn't like it as much so she didn't want to "copy him"

Q5: Her other friend got a hybrid model and didn't like it a lot so same reason as above

CX5: same as above

So we checked out an X3.  I've never considered a German car because they break down all the time and are expensive to fix, but figured why not.  Well surprisingly she liked the X3 alot, almost as much as the GV70.  It was a 2.0t.  Everything went great until we backed into the space again and realized there was no 360 camera.  The issue was the chip shortage.  Just like for Genesis, BMW reserved the tech features for the expensive models.

At this point we are months into the process and the new NXs have become available at dealers.  We checked them out but due to high demand they weren't doing test drives.  They also wanted 5k over sticker.  None of them at 360 parking cameras either.  They were also not doing any new orders.

So it came down to the GV70 and the X3.  Since only the loaded models have the features she wanted the budget as ballooned to 65k or so.  The BMW dealers were willing to do sticker and incentives, the Genesis dealers would finally do sticker but the car would come in the summer.  After much back and worth we decided on the X3 M40i so we would get the features we want.

Well that's when we learned a new word.  Allocations.  This would become even more of an issue when it came to my new car( another thread).  At the time of dealing with the BMW dealership they has an allocation, however while we were flip flopping, another customer took the allocation.  No other dealers in the area had an allocation.   Allocations come up maybe every month or so.  However while I was calling another dealer I asked of they happened to have an allocation for an X3M. Parallel to her car buying journey I was looking for a car of my own to replace the g37x and the M3 comp X drive was on the short list, to the point I was calling around for allocations.  I ultimate decided against that car but the area of getting the same drivetrain in the wife's car for about 18k more was really tempting.  I really wanted the M3 for the S58 power train because the steering and handling supposedly wasn't anything special anyway.

So that's how I ended up putting an order in for an X3M.  I sold it to my wife as "it's like the car you wanted with the engine of the car I wanted."  I always thought these high performance SUVs were the dumbest things ever and why would anyone not just get the sedan.  Now I understand,  it's basically to trick your wife. 

The car arrived in 6 weeks.  I got 2 grand off in incentives.  I'm sure it will depreciate like a stone and will probably break down a ton.  But I figure life is short and why not tool around in a 500hp compact SUV.

We are still in break in miles but so far we love it.  The tech is amazing, everything is solid, and the power train is great.  I was worried about the ride being super super stiff but the face lifted LCI models have improved that.  We also won the tire lottery and the car was delivered with PS4s tires instead of the more common conti tires.  I'll update once we get more miles on it.








 

[veeman]

That's a looker!  Congratulations to your wife and yourself!  I also love the non black, white, silver, or grey color.  The brake calipers pop nicely.

[Soup DeVille]

Nice looking car.

I'm somewhat glad I'm not the only one having car buying problems.

[Eye of the Tiger]

MMMMMMMMMMMM

[Speed_Racer]

A+ story, and those wheels look amazing

[r0tor]

Love it.  The power train should be rock solid

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Love those wheels!!!!

[CaminoRacer]

Love those wheels!!!!

Same. Although BMW brake pads are usually dusty so I don't want to be the one who has to clean those wheels...

[GoCougs]

Looks good. Love blue.

I was in this market early last year. At that time, the X3M ride was absolutely abysmal - like embarrassingly bad. Looks like that's been fixed, at least to some extent. I chose the SQ5 - it's the most comfortable ride/handling balance I've ever experienced (got the air suspension option). It's not quite quick enough given its price point, but here we are.

[AutobahnSHO]

:) fun times!

I ordered a Ford Maverick in October and I'm still waiting....

[Lebowski]

Looks nice.

Why are heated rear seats a priority?  Kids are in car seats until they are 37 years old anyway, nowadays.

[veeman]

Looks nice.

Why are heated rear seats a priority?  Kids are in car seats until they are 37 years old anyway, nowadays.

Our 2013 Infiniti QX56 (now called QX80) has heated rear car seats.  It's also a criteria of mine when looking at replacement SUVS (usually only come on the top trim packages).  My 11 year old son loves them and complains in the winter when he's in my car which doesn't have them.  Both my kids got out of their car seats and then after that got out of their booster seats fairly early. 

[Rich]

Lol

[Lebowski]

Our 2013 Infiniti QX56 (now called QX80) has heated rear car seats.  It's also a criteria of mine when looking at replacement SUVS (usually only come on the top trim packages).  My 11 year old son loves them and complains in the winter when he's in my car which doesn't have them.  Both my kids got out of their car seats and then after that got out of their booster seats fairly early. 

They are just expecting their first, though. There will be car seats for a long time, longer than most people keep their cars.  I can see wanting them, but to drive the purchase decision seems insane.  But, wamen. 

[veeman]

They are just expecting their first, though. There will be car seats for a long time, longer than most people keep their cars.  I can see wanting them, but to drive the purchase decision seems insane.  But, wamen.

Haha.  That's true.  It's the little things.  My wife wants a 2018 or newer QX80 which was the year Infiniti started putting separate USB ports in the car and not just have cigarette lighters and an electrical outlet.  It made no difference to her when I said "What difference does it make?  We have half a dozen chargers at home which plug into cigarette lighters which have a USB port on the other end. It's a 2 dollar accessory." 

Her: "I want the new car to have USB outlets or I'm not getting it"

Me:  "OK"

 

[Soup DeVille]

Haha.  That's true.  It's the little things.  My wife wants a 2018 or newer QX80 which was the year Infiniti started putting separate USB ports in the car and not just have cigarette lighters and an electrical outlet.  It made no difference to her when I said "What difference does it make?  We have half a dozen chargers at home which plug into cigarette lighters which have a USB port on the other end. It's a 2 dollar accessory." 

Her: "I want the new car to have USB outlets or I'm not getting it"

Me:  "OK"

 

Nine times out of ten its because somebody they know has it.

[giant_mtb]

Same. Although BMW brake pads are usually dusty so I don't want to be the one who has to clean those wheels...

Good opportunity to get what I refer to as a Christmas Tree Brush.

[Lebowski]

Haha.  That's true.  It's the little things.  My wife wants a 2018 or newer QX80 which was the year Infiniti started putting separate USB ports in the car and not just have cigarette lighters and an electrical outlet.  It made no difference to her when I said "What difference does it make?  We have half a dozen chargers at home which plug into cigarette lighters which have a USB port on the other end. It's a 2 dollar accessory." 

Her: "I want the new car to have USB outlets or I'm not getting it"

Me:  "OK"
 

It's very important to have the old style USB ports just in time for everything to go USB-c.

[veeman]

It's very important to have the old style USB ports just in time for everything to go USB-c.

Which will require the need to upgrade to the newer version of the same car 

Once whatever the newest version of IPhone is only compatible with USB-c, that's probably when the newest model cars will start making the switch. 

[giant_mtb]

Which will require the need to upgrade to the newer version of the same car 

Once whatever the newest version of IPhone is only compatible with USB-c, that's probably when the newest model cars will start making the switch.

I hope not. Not that I have plans to buy a new-new car any time soon. But a lot of gear that I have still uses micro-USB...rechargeable flashlight, bluetooth speakers, the BT dongle I use to jam in my truck, etc. USB-USBc cables are plenty available and cheap.

Though on a lot of the newer vehicles I've detailed lately, they often have both "normal" USB and USB-c charging ports, so the inevitable transition is certainly happening.

The real question is when they'll get rid of the 12V cigarette lighter plug...despite cars now coming standard with USB ports galore, those 12V outlets remain (thankfully). At the least, it allows you to add 2-3 more USB ports to your vehicle.

[FoMoJo]

Cars still have cigarette lighters?

[Soup DeVille]

It's very important to have the old style USB ports just in time for everything to go USB-c.

I actually prefer using the cigarette lighter plug-in USB rather than the one built in: because if I plug into the built-in USB, the phone connects to the radio from there. So, if I unplug it, it disconnects.

If I plug into the cigarette lighter, it does the exact same connections via bluetooth; which it does automatically when I start the car. If I then plug into the USB, it disconnects the bluetooth and connects via the USB, which does nothing but annoy me.

[giant_mtb]

Cars still have cigarette lighters?

Yep. I've yet to see one that doesn't.

Edit: They no longer come with the actual cigarette lighter part. But the 12V power port remains ubiquitous.

[CaminoRacer]

Yep. I've yet to see one that doesn't.

Couldn't find the one in my Miata for 6 months. They put it down by the passenger's left foot

[GoCougs]

Cars still have cigarette lighters?

Sorta, they look exactly like cigarette lighter but have a USB-x port under the plug.

[giant_mtb]

Couldn't find the one in my Miata for 6 months. They put it down by the passenger's left foot

Yeah, that's always seemed an odd place to stick a 12V port. Can't say specifically what vehicles I've seen that placement in, but it's not unheard of in smaller cars.

[GoCougs]

Also ITT: in which the fairer gender does not like USB adapters.

[giant_mtb]

Also ITT: in which the fairer gender does not like USB adapters.

USB adapters are fine and exist, but it just creates another potential point of failure.

[GoCougs]

USB adapters are fine and exist, but it just creates another potential point of failure.

All true, but do you really think that is what is going on in the decision making process?

[giant_mtb]

All true, but do you really think that is what is going on in the decision making process?

Of course not. We all use adapters somewhere in some way all the time. Shit, even my phone (Pixel 3a, circa 2019) came with a USB-C to USB adapter because it knew my old phone used a normal USB cable so that I could transfer stuff over.