I was just wondering. If you had x amount of money to spend, would you go for a 'luxury' car (eg BMW, Audi etc) or a 'mainstreamer' (eg Ford, GM etc)?
Example. I was thinking about what car I would buy for about ?7000-8000 (approx US$15,000) in three or so years time when I finish my studies and have a good job (hopefully). Daydreaming, basically.
I like small cars. For that money right now I could get something like an Audi A3 or BMW Compact with some leather, electrics, about 5-6 years old with a full dealer history.
Or, I could buy something considerably newer and pretty well equipped, like a Focus or Astra that is under 3 years old. So a newer car, arguably not likely to go wrong as soon (had less use) and cheaper to maintain.
A similar could apply to a new car. Do you get a better value, better specc'd, maybe larger car for a certain price or do you pay more for the perceived superior quality product?
By the way, the thing that prompted this question was a ride in a colleague's BMW. It's about 13-14 years old but's still a really nice car. Feels smooth and refined, unlike my SEAT which is a bit newer.
If the question was limited to A3/Compact vs. Focus/Astra, I'd be very tempted towards a 5 year-old Compact - especially a 318ti and above.
I voted with my wallet. My 10 year old BMW was an excellent value, and it's a lot of car for the money, as far as features, performance, handling, and comfort.
Depends what "x" is.
If "x" is $15k, I'd say mainstream. I don't like dealing with older cars, and german cars aren't reknowned for their reliability. There's nothing "luxurious" about sitting at a dealership waiting for your car to be repaired.
If my pick was between a 2 or 3 year old Ford Fusion SEL and a 10 year old BMW 325i, I would take the Fusion simply because it still has warranty and when the warranty does run out, repairs cost a lot less.
Quote from: Lebowski on May 01, 2008, 10:03:55 AM
Depends what "x" is.
If "x" is $15k, I'd say mainstream. I don't like dealing with older cars, and german cars aren't reknowned for their reliability. There's nothing "luxurious" about sitting at a dealership waiting for your car to be repaired.
Mine cost me $7500 and I've yet to have it sit at a dealership.
Well, are you going to do the maintainence yourself or having someone do it. If you're doing it yourself then I would get used. But if you're going to the dealership or whatever independent, then I'd probably go new to save yourself the hassles
You could get an EP3 Civic Type R for that cash, easy in three years. Or an RS2. Or a Griffith!
Quote from: ChrisV on May 01, 2008, 10:00:34 AM
I voted with my wallet. My 10 year old BMW was an excellent value, and it's a lot of car for the money, as far as features, performance, handling, and comfort.
So did I :praise: I feel silly for having considered a new Altima which was actually more expensive than my car.
I even made a thread about it too:
http://www.carspin.net/forums/index.php?topic=11821.0 (http://www.carspin.net/forums/index.php?topic=11821.0)
the red x was a pic of a shiny black 5-series at a ghetto used car dealer
I say older lux car, but everytime I end up getting a car, I take the practical route (cheap Subie instead of a bmw or something 'cool', and taking the Honda instead of picking up a used Saab). So, in all reality, I go practicality :lol:
Brand means little to me, and there's not much of a difference in features between an entry-lux and a well-optioned mainstreamer.
What matters to me is personality - which I'm more likely to find in an older BMW than a late-model Honda.
If I'm shopping for a used car, I'm going to look for the best deal/condition of a model I like, and I won't limit myself to one option.
Although with online searches, there's some room to be picky.