Well being "well-off" is subjective. I think being able to drive a luxury car and not fret over the payments of it is well-off. I guess you were concentrating on the driving portion while my logic is more along the lines of "I can afford it". What does everything think about a used 2014 IS250? Only problem is I can't find one that is under 25k. If I can haggle down to 25k for a 2014 IS250 with reasonable mileage is it worthwhile?
Wait, so being well off means driving a vehicle that >$24,999.99 and not fretting over the payments? Hell, in that case I been ballin since my early 20s. I ain't new to this, I'm true to this.
Personally, I would go used. The Mercedes and Lexus recommendations seem solid to me. If it's Mercedes just try to aim for something under 30,000 miles. The ride quality on those new CLA's is weak compared to a the C or E class, or a BMW/Audi.
OP may be confusing luxury brand with luxury cars. Pretty sure entry level luxury cars are 50-60k+ new. Even used should run you 35k+ used if you want one within the last 5 years.
Have you ever driven a CLA45 or CLA250 on a test drive for that matter, or are you just quoting in verbiage from a Car and Driver magazine and such. Either way OP finances unless he gets a base 250 won't be able to afford that car. I speak from experience. I was test driving a CLA 45 vs a C450 and C63. The CLA is the new entry level Mercedes. The C Class once held that spot, but now the C Class is actually pretty phenomenal especially the interior. The CLA a real benz? yea right, only if you get the CLA45, and most people aren't paying $48 without options for it. For a real CLA as you say, you are shelling out about $58 or $60 for a CLA45. For $3k more than you can get a base M3 sedan which will outperform that vehicle.
Your original question was based on lease vs. buy. I think it would depend on your driving habits. If you would only drive 10,000 to 12,000 miles per year then you could lease a nice car for under $800 a month for 4 years. Most good financing deals you would have to do 5 years, which is one year more than the warranty. Given my experience with BMW and MB with the new turbo engines, I would probably be reluctant to go over the original warranty. Now if you have up to $25,000 to put down and can afford $800 a month, then that is a different story. If you go this route, then I would look for a 1 to 2 year old car with a "certified warranty" that way it would be 5 years from the original date of service, and it has depreciated quite a bit. Lexus IS250, I don't believe has any servicing issues. You should do some research on it. However, with a 2014 service year the warranty expires in 2018 or so. I think $25,00 is pretty hard to find a good luxury car that has a good chunk of warranty left. You could always buy an extended warranty, but unless it's factory based, then it doesn't do a lot. Also, how long are you looking to drive this vehicle?
CLA is a horrible car. Don't buy it OP. Borrowed a CLA45 from a friend a couple weeks back since my car was in the shop and I could not wait to return it after driving it for 3 days. Cramped cabin and horrible interface system. Never felt like a MB. Go get a BMW 2 series if you want a new car. I'd probably go the Infiniti or Audi route and look for a CPO. Better bang for your buck.
I was about to buy a 2014 Q50 but ended up getting a 2013 G37s for a steal. Love the car, but still sometimes wish I had gone with the Q.
What are your financial goals in the next 3, 5,10 years? My recommmendation regardless of the above answer is to buy the new 2016 Honda Accord and call it a day. I would actually go all out and get the touring model. You get a lot of car for little money. youll save a ton of money down the road with low maintenance costs and zero to little repairs and will have great resale value for when it's time for you to decide to get a "luxury" car. You'll also be able to afford a home quicker, if that's what you want. On top of that, you're coming from an older Corolla...you'll be blown away with all the technology in that car. Drive wise, it's not like you're going from a Porsche to a Honda...so you'll be okay.
If the fancy car is what you want, take a three year lease with payments you can afford. Make sure you understand and are OK with all the costs. Sounds like you may be looking to upgrade soon Do realize this is not financial move. It's consumption. The smart money move would be to keep your current car, or buy something decent that's 3-4 yrs old. But that may not be any fun. And sometimes fun costs. This isn't a money call and it sounds like you can afford it if it's what you really want to do.
Just get the cla. You don't want a good car, you just want to signal you have some money. 90% of people don't know the cla sucks
Ha ha ha. Yea the cla attracts the noobs that want to drive a MB. Then the people that drive a cla45 get a big head because they are part of the amg lounge.
Regardless wait till December. That's when the good incentives come. My rep at BMW told me incentives are good this year. If you're interested in that m235 mentioned above then I can refer you to him.
the 2016 civic looks great and it has all of the technology I'm looking for (LED lights, navigation, driver assistance technology) It's probably the most sensible decision right now, pay it off and then in 5 years who knows how my goals will change. At the least I'll have a car that will still be good to go for another 5 years. If I feel like upgrading, sell it and go from there.
