Buying a new car in the spring. Need advice/opinions etc

Shibby50

TCG Elite Member
Mar 30, 2008
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Braidwood, IL
Well my little sister is turning 15 so my dad is buying my DD buick off of me. That being said I will have the TA paid off finally and be looking for a new DD.

I'm still quite a ways out on it, but I figure this gives me quite a bit of time to figure stuff out. As of right now the only criteria I have are that it be sporty, get at least 30hwy mpg and be under 35k. Manual or auto doesnt matter. But I would like to buy NEW

The most this car would see are cosmetic upgrades and maybe intake exhaust since the TA will still be dedicated racecar. So this pretty much leaves me with 4cyl turbos or a v6

It doesn't need to be a rocket ship or ride ridiculously smooth. I'm used to an f-body so just about anything is better.

My first thought was to go for a Genesis. Just because I like the way they look and get the mpg I want.
Then I started to see the threads for the ft-86 and subaru.. next thing that hit me were the 370z and sti-evo. But I'm not sure how pricey they can get or how the MPG's are on them.

Just looking to see what some people who have any of these cars think of them. I haven't really gotten around to test driving any yet but that will come soon enough.

so..
30hwy mpg
under 35k NEW
Sporty looking/ peppy at least

AND GO
 

willizm

Very Nice, Very Evil
May 13, 2009
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The Woodlands, TX
Turbo Cobalt SS FTW!!!!. Evo's and STI's get terrible gas mileage.


I will say this. Get a turbo car if you plan on doing some simple mods. Not only that, but spice up life and do something different. You got the big NA v8 so why get a boring v6 when you can have a peppy turbo 4 cylinder. You could get a cpo 335i straight six with twins for about 25K and have a decent warrenty.
 

Shibby50

TCG Elite Member
Mar 30, 2008
5,005
74
Braidwood, IL
Turbo Cobalt SS FTW!!!!. Evo's and STI's get terrible gas mileage.


I will say this. Get a turbo car if you plan on doing some simple mods. Not only that, but spice up life and do something different. You got the big NA v8 so why get a boring v6 when you can have a peppy turbo 4 cylinder. You could get a cpo 335i straight six with twins for about 25K and have a decent warrenty.

As much as I used to like them, cobalts are out of the question. Too many of my friends/locals have them lol. But a beamer does sound nice.
 

Shibby50

TCG Elite Member
Mar 30, 2008
5,005
74
Braidwood, IL
ford will be coming out with the Focus ST sometime in '12. release date has not been announced yet, but its a good looking hatch with 250HP, turbo

I forgot that those were supposed to come out soon.

I should also add. My gf has a midsize suv and my dad a truck that I can use whenever so coupe/sedan seating really doesn't matter all that much.
 

The Broken Regal

BITE BITE, SIP SIP
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Jun 26, 2007
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Wheaton
Why buy a new car with a warranty that will run out in 1 and 1/2 years because you reach the mileage?

I work at an MB dealer and I still can't fathom why people buy NEW if they aren't leasing... certified used is WHERE ITS AT especially because you get a heck of a lot more car for the money AND most of the upper level certified programs are 5 years/100k with options to be extended

I'd highly recommend something like a certified used late model BMW, MB, etc
 

Shibby50

TCG Elite Member
Mar 30, 2008
5,005
74
Braidwood, IL
Why buy a new car with a warranty that will run out in 1 and 1/2 years because you reach the mileage?

I work at an MB dealer and I still can't fathom why people buy NEW if they aren't leasing... certified used is WHERE ITS AT especially because you get a heck of a lot more car for the money AND most of the upper level certified programs are 5 years/100k with options to be extended

I'd highly recommend something like a certified used late model BMW, MB, etc

And this is why I made this thread. Any advice is helpful especially stuff like this. I have no experience with CPO cars much less new. If I can still get a good warranty and good incentives then pre-owned might not be out of the question.

And the car will get about 12-13k miles on it a year.
 

willizm

Very Nice, Very Evil
May 13, 2009
12,829
10,150
The Woodlands, TX
Why buy a new car with a warranty that will run out in 1 and 1/2 years because you reach the mileage?

I work at an MB dealer and I still can't fathom why people buy NEW if they aren't leasing... certified used is WHERE ITS AT especially because you get a heck of a lot more car for the money AND most of the upper level certified programs are 5 years/100k with options to be extended

I'd highly recommend something like a certified used late model BMW, MB, etc

Honest Abe, is being Honest. Certified is the best route for used german cars. If you want something smaller than the 335i, you could go for a 135i. A tune and meth for less than $1200 on either will land you at 400whp/420wtq and is easily removable/reinstallable for those fun dealer visits.
 

Shibby50

TCG Elite Member
Mar 30, 2008
5,005
74
Braidwood, IL
Honest Abe, is being Honest. Certified is the best route for used german cars. If you want something smaller than the 335i, you could go for a 135i. A tune and meth for less than $1200 on either will land you at 400whp/420wtq and is easily removable/reinstallable for those fun dealer visits.

What is insurance like on these? Full coverage and me being 23 makes me scurred.
 

Shibby50

TCG Elite Member
Mar 30, 2008
5,005
74
Braidwood, IL
CPO FTW.

Infiniti G37 S (sedan or coupe)
BMW 135 & 335
3.7 Mustang with sport package and manual is sweet

While I'm impressed with the mustang. I just couldn't bare in mind the fact that I have the v6 even if it is nice. I'll always be THAT guy lol.

Styling has a big factor in this mainly more than power. I can live with "just enough power to be fun" as long as it gets good hwy mileage and looks good.
 

Dan00Hawk

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Apr 10, 2011
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You can still get extended warranties on all types of cars up to 125,000 or even 150,000 miles without doing CPO, so don't feel like you need to go with a CPO car. And even though a used car means you'll be paying a bit more in interest, you can still get decent rates if you have good credit.

Start doing some research by reading reviews and test driving a few cars to narrow it down. Keep in mind that it's tough to test drive a bunch of different cars at different times and be able to remember the details about what you liked or disliked. So try to narrow it down to 3-5 cars to drive in a single day, and not 12 different cars over the course of a month.

Are there features that are "must haves" for you? Is RWD, FWD, or AWD preferable? Is economy or performance more important, meaning which one would you sacrifice for the other?

I work at a Naperville dealership, so feel free to let me know if I can be of any assistance.
 

Shibby50

TCG Elite Member
Mar 30, 2008
5,005
74
Braidwood, IL
You can still get extended warranties on all types of cars up to 125,000 or even 150,000 miles without doing CPO, so don't feel like you need to go with a CPO car. And even though a used car means you'll be paying a bit more in interest, you can still get decent rates if you have good credit.

Start doing some research by reading reviews and test driving a few cars to narrow it down. Keep in mind that it's tough to test drive a bunch of different cars at different times and be able to remember the details about what you liked or disliked. So try to narrow it down to 3-5 cars to drive in a single day, and not 12 different cars over the course of a month.

Are there features that are "must haves" for you? Is RWD, FWD, or AWD preferable? Is economy or performance more important, meaning which one would you sacrifice for the other?

I work at a Naperville dealership, so feel free to let me know if I can be of any assistance.


RWD or AWD is preferred. But I find it hard to get close to 30mpg with a AWD car.
As for features. Cruise control air leather and a decent stereo are all I care about.
Performance is not HUGE but i would like it to be considered sporty at least. It's not going to be a track car. Just something fun to cruise and drive on the weekends will suffice.
 

Dan00Hawk

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Apr 10, 2011
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7,715
Plainfield
Check out the 2011 Audi TT coupe or convertible, unless you want a bigger sedan, and then you can look at the A4. AWD, 31 mpg hwy, 0-60 in around 6 seconds with the turbo 2.0 (faster with the lighter TT). MSRP when new is $34-38k. Come springtime, I expect you should be able to find a used one in the lower 30's.
 
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