As mentioned before I have looked online at various local dealerships and the difference between an old one ('18) vs a brand new ('19) was around ~2-3k. At that point you might as well as get a brand new one.
All of this Accord love...just wanted to drop by and mention I have a 09 Accord and the only real issue Ive had is the break lights going out which was an easy fix once discovered. Going to miss it once I move on
You get the peace of mind of a new car and not worrying about it things that might go faulty? In my mind if i could save 5K or more i'd go the used route. I don't know if that's realistic or not. I'm new to all this.
The extra price is worth the extra year of life and peace of mind that the car is in pristine condition. Plus you can also search for the exact car and features you want.
Don’t forget, dealers rarely haggle on used cars, cause some desperate fool will come by and pay the asking price.
I'm thinking of getting the Volvo XC60 around March/April. Anyone driven one before? Or have other similar suggestions? Haha, pretty much the opposite from my previous BMW i3.
+1 Accords (Hondas in general) are not good used buys, especially in the 1-3 year range. The savings are so minimal you would be far better off going new and squeezing the dealer for some incentives, warranty, etc. Just purchased an '18 Accord and '18 CR-V this year. Love the Accord, pleased with the CR-V.
get a mazda, reliable just like toyota/honda but way more fun to drive. Plus you will have a more unique brand compared to every other toyota/honda that's out there.
Actually went into benz dealership just to look at this. the tech in their is absolutely insane. not sure how the drive is tho, wasn't able to test drive. also 31k is base model, you're looking at least at 35k for a decent package i think. i'm looking into it as well
My in-laws bought one. Really wasted on them, since they are really too old for all that technology. But my wife and I think its an awesome car, fantastic performance, handles like a sports car, really intelligent use of technology. Its kinda on the small side (forget about seating three in back seat) and I'd guess its going to be expensive on the maintenance side. Its really comfortable for four people though... the seats are really comfortable. They looked at two Infinitis (the larger QX60, the newer/smaller QX50) which didn't really compare. I'd probably compare MB GLC 300, BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Acura RDX crossovers. Of these I'd probably look seriously at the RDX (new models don't look as bad as they have in the past). If you want to save money I'd look at the Mazda CX9 or the Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander. I've always like the Mazda's looks.
So on the A class Mercedes .. I am almost certain this variation is still just a 7g tronic transmission. I think it depends how long you're keeping the car (miles/years). If it's what I was talking about earlier, there's no transmission dipstick and service is silly. If you're good at cars or warranty it's fine but I don't like their designs they've done on purpose (ie you need a mechanic or a lot of experience to do anything). Let me put it this way, Mercedes overprices stuff on purpose because it's a luxury (just like many luxury makes) and they know their average buyer either doesn't know or doesn't care and will pay whatever. Here's another reason I don't like Mercedes, there was a lawsuit against them regarding the 7g transmission practices because they locked down portions of it on purpose (ie you needed unmarried parts to service the transmission/special tools to even check the transmission level, and Mercedes even refused to sell parts initially citing the transmission valve body computer was a part id'd for theft which was a lie .. (so the smaller guys got screwed initially, and even if you owned the car they wouldn't sell you parts). Just have a look at this bullshit Mercedes was doing until they got caught: https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2018/mercedes-7229-7g-tronic-transmission-problems-lawsuit.shtml I have other things I can add to my personal experiences, and while some car manufacturers have made it harder for mechanic shops/DIYers Mercedes practices were the worst I've seen. Anyway, during the warranty period it's fine but on their standard transmission warranty I think it's only 60k/5 years and iirc the first transmission service is at 70k on the new variations/40k on the older. Initially they also lied about that: "oh the transmission doesn't have a service interval and doesn't have the ability to have a dipstick because it's sealed for life", of course they changed that with the lawsuit but failed to let their existing customers know in some cases that "yes, these transmissions require service and the fluid is not for life". So if you go to the dealership to check their cars out and the transmission doesn't have the ability to have a transmission dipstick added then you're going to need special tools to both check the fluid and even add fluid or use Mercedes/special tools. Note I Don't Expect the fluid to suddenly change/lower, I'm more talking about people that tackle their own service intervals. It's a car that runs great/nice when it's working but little things can cause big problems. Again, this depends on how long you want to own it, I mean if you're only going to keep it 5 years (or pay for the extra warranty) then you can probably disregard my messaging. But for me I put my money elsewhere (house/investing) and drive my cars a long time. I also don't buy warranty and don't buy new/new, but if it's a 1-3k difference or whatever and you're certain you want new then that's obviously something that can be argued either way. The higher priced cars are when it's always better to look a bit older because it could be more than 3-5k+ in savings and be super low miles. So on your other question, for Chevy/Ford it'd be their bigger trucks/suvs, for example I don't recommend like an Equinox, but their Tahoe/1500+ is great (and the same thing with Ford, F150+/Expedition) but their smaller cars I personally wouldn't buy unless you've researched them, and it doesn't sound like you're in the market for some of their sports car models etc. So my suggestions would probably not be the models you're looking for so you would be back to the Honda/Toyota. And again, I'm not a Mercedes hater, they ride awesome, my wife's Mercedes is great, but I fix everything myself so I don't have to worry about the ridiculousness Mercedes is trying to charge after the warranty. But I will tell you the transmission service was a pita vs other cars. And again, on CVT transmissions (so in most cases not Mercedes) but possibly on variants of Honda/Toyota (and many smaller cars/smaller sedans now) research the recent years. For example Nissan did something similar to Mercedes on their earlier 07-2011 models that used cvts where they claimed it was sealed and didn't need service... This was wrong and addition to that (in hotter climates especially), you needed to add an external transmission cooler to prolong the life of the transmission. I know I mentioned some of this previously but just wanted to let people know what I've seen on these. I've been able to fix transmissions on Nissan/Mercedes for nothing vs what a dealer would charge. Haha, most dealers/mechanics will just replace the transmission instead of fixing it... I mean on some of these it's a $30 part, but let's tell the customer to replace the whole transmission for $5k (obviously circumstances vary, especially if the warranty is covering the replacement) Anyway, depending on length of ownership/miles should ultimately determine what car to go with.
I am at 217,000 miles on my 05 Camry. I need to start looking at replacements but I am all over the place with what I want. I do not want another Toyota. Requirements: I get 22 MPG on the Camry and I really don't want to get something that's lower than that. The car/suv needs to be somewhat fun to drive and not be underpowered. I do not want to hate driving it since it will be my main car. I don't want a truck. Too big and I have no use for it. I did consider the Ford Ranger for a minute. Budget under 35K, willing to buy 2-3 year used or Lease if the offer is good. I realize every car is not lease friendly. Decent trunk/cargo space. Be able to take two full size carry-ons to the airport. I prefer not to get a luxury brand to avoid the upkeep but I am not opposed to say..a BMW X3 or Audi Q5. Random cars that I have looked up: Mazda CX-5, Jeep Wrangler 4 Door, Accord (lease)
