anyone buy a new car this year?

[moonpie23]

just curious what you bought and why? Mrs. moonpie is looking to drop her big ol suv and get something with "room" that drives like a car...

[Reisen]

Audi Q5. Super popular for a reason. It has the manners of a sports sedan, best-in-class interior, and a great looking exterior. All the standard gadgets, including a pano-moon roof.

The 2.0T is the motor to get. A little cheaper, excellent mileage mated to an 8 speed transmission, and tons of usable low-end torque. After 8 months, we're very happy with our purchase.

[cspan37421]

just curious what you bought and why? Mrs. moonpie is looking to drop her big ol suv and get something with "room" that drives like a car...

there's quite a wide range, size-wise, below "big ol SUV" and something that drives like a car. Is there a class of vehicle she's targeting? Mid-size sedans? Crossovers?

I have a 2008 Honda Fit and I love it, but it's quite small. But with the rear seat down flat, there's 42 cu ft of cargo room in there, all in one contiguous area, not split up like a car with a trunk separated from the backseat. The 2012 has 57 (!) cu ft of cargo space, and I'm going to buy a new one soon. It's very fun to drive, economical, etc.

[moonpie23]

she's looking at some hatchbacks...she wants it to drive more like a fun car, but it has to be able to carry the 4 of us, the wheelchair (flat in the back) and maybe a suitcase or two...and some stuffed animals...

right now she's looking at the honda CRV, Insight (bad ratings?) Subaru Outback, Nissan Altima, Acura TSX wagon, Prius V

[blazindw]

If she wants to keep an SUV but wants one that drives like a car, I highly recommend the GMC Terrain. My parents have one, and it's fun to drive, lots of room, but still on the small end on the SUV scale. Also, a fully loaded Terrain costs less than 30K, so it means affordable pricing.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

she's looking at some hatchbacks...she wants it to drive more like a fun car, but it has to be able to carry the 4 of us, the wheelchair (flat in the back) and maybe a suitcase or two...and some stuffed animals...

right now she's looking at the honda CRV, Insight (bad ratings?) Subaru Outback, Nissan Altima, Acura TSX wagon, Prius V

I'm considering most of the models on that list plus the Toyota Highlander.

[Indoor66]

I like the Honda Crosstour. It is an Accord with a slightly bigger body and is a hatchback. Lots of room. Nice ride and nice drive.

[Lid]

Might want to consider a Mazda5. Definitely drives like a car, but it has flexible rear space or can seat 6.

[-bdbd]

If she's looking for a "smallish SUV" type... My wife has a Subaru Forrester. It has a exterior look of a small SUV, but certainly rides like a regular car. They are supposed to retain value very well too. Ours has required very little maintenance.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I'm a big Hyundai fan. I better be - the last three vehicles I've acquired have been Hyundai's. I loved my 2007 Sonata V6 and had no problems with it. Last May, we dumped my wife's 2006 Chrysler Town & Country for a 2011 Hyundai Elantra. We didn't need the carrying space anymore (my daughter now owns the minivan for carrying her daughter and stuff around) and wanted (much) better gas mileage. It's been a great choice. She gets 32 to 34 driving back and forth to Raleigh 5 days a week and we've gotten the 40 mpg rating on trips to the mountains and back. And it is a fun car to drive! Handles and rides very nicely. there is also a "Touring Edition" which is a hatchback, but it's only rated 33 mpg. In August I traded my 2007 Sonata (just over 100K miles and newly out of warranty) for a 2112 Sonata Turbo. Lots of fun to drive, a stiffer suspension that the older model, and I have gotten OVER the 34 mgp rating on trips. Less around town, of course. Seats 5, nice trunk. It's a keeper! I love it!

Look at the Santa Fe if you want the midsized SUV. Talk to Joe Smith at Southern States Hyundai and tell him I sent you.

[cspan37421]

As a related tangent, has anyone here used new car buying services, perhaps for pre-arranged discount pricing? I know that Costco has one; I think AAA had one in the past, and there may be others (Consumer Reports? or maybe that's just informational).

Thanks

[moonpie23]

went to look at the honda CRV...it looked nice, had the proper room and seemed like what you'd expect from honda....looked at the acura TSX sprt wagon, but the dealership was closed so we couldn't put the kids in it...

we'll check the subaru and the elantra touring tomorrow...

what was really nice was the austin martin DB9 sitting in the porsche dealership

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

went to look at the honda CRV...it looked nice, had the proper room and seemed like what you'd expect from honda....looked at the acura TSX sprt wagon, but the dealership was closed so we couldn't put the kids in it...

we'll check the subaru and the elantra touring tomorrow...

what was really nice was the austin martin DB9 sitting in the porsche dealership

Don't forget the Toyota Highlander. A mechanic friend of mine has raved about this one for low maintenance costs and long life. He recommended the 4 cylinder with FWD for best economy.

If you want to look at Hyundai, the Santa Fe has gotten some good evaluations from Consumer Reports.

I've learned that the estimated volume of cargo space doesn't tell all I need to know. The shape of that space determines whether I can transport all the tailgate gear as much or more than the actual volume.

[bcsu]

As a related tangent, has anyone here used new car buying services, perhaps for pre-arranged discount pricing? I know that Costco has one; I think AAA had one in the past, and there may be others (Consumer Reports? or maybe that's just informational).

Thanks

i've used the AAA service (thru the NC state employees credit union). you have to know specifics on color/options/etc,
before getting a quote. i ended up using the quote to shop around with the local dealers. if you can't find
a better price, you can make a deposit ($500 from what i remember) and then pay the rest once the car is delivered. for me,
we met at a local credit union to complete the paperwork (a AAA driver drove it from the dealership to the credit union)
and i was in my car in less than an hour...

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

We have a CRV that is primarily my wife's car. When the newer design came out a few years ago, I remember reading an article that it was being designed for women with 0-1 children. I think they hit that target spot on with feature like back doors that open 90 degrees out, one hand cargo space access, and the "conversation" mirror. Great car. The engine isn't peppy at all, but it drives fine around town. It's incredibly practical.

I also like the RDX or A3 if you want speed. Maybe a Tiguan. But I would also check out the new Explorer. It's more of a car feel than the old model and has a lot of technology inside.

[DevilAlumna]

Just over a year ago, I got a 2011 Chevy Equinox. I got it as an upgrade to my 2000 Nissan Altima, as I was expecting our first child, and I wanted the non-minivan "mom-mobile" - something to hold 4 adults + car seat, plus room for the bulldog & groceries in the cargo area.

It has been great. I went with the V6, because it's a somewhat heavy vehicle (weighs more than my husband's 2007 fullsize silverado truck) and I want something that will pass on the mountains here, and AWD to deal with the occasional snow.

I was also looking at the CRV, RAV-4, and Subaru Forrester & Outback. I wanted to consider a Nissan, but the Rogue was too small/dark, and the Murano out of my price range. I ultimately went with the Chevy due to price-for-features, fit & finish, and reliability. My husband's truck has been rock solid, so despite having only driven japanese cars until now, I felt okay "taking a chance" with a GM car. I haven't been disappointed there, and I have a 5-year/50k warranty. I also liked that it looks & feels like an "expensive" car on the interior - quality materials & good attention to detail. Honda & Toyota really have fallen here in comparison - the RAV-4s I looked at just felt cheap & plastic; Subarus just felt too "utilitarian." Lastly, IIRC, although Honda/Toyota had lower base prices, for something somewhat loaded, the extras added up quickly, and faster than for the Chevy.

I used USAA's price-agreement arrangement, plus GM's X-program. It made haggling unnecessary beyond finding the right vehicle with the right combination of features I wanted. (Leather, no nav, etc.)

[mkirsh]

As a related tangent, has anyone here used new car buying services, perhaps for pre-arranged discount pricing? I know that Costco has one; I think AAA had one in the past, and there may be others (Consumer Reports? or maybe that's just informational).

Thanks

Last time I bought a new car, I used a website called "the fighting chance". It's a little dramatic, but for $45 they gave a ton of detail on the specific car I wanted - invoice and MSRP pricing of all options, all factory and dealer incentive program, sales volume for the model and manufacturer, what other people were paying for them, etc. They also advocate a methodology for comparison pricing/playing dealers off one another - basically calling/emailing 5-6 dealers with the exact car you want, and tell them the best price gets your business. They all said they won't do business this way, yet they all came back with pretty good pricing (right around invoice price for an in demand car, albeit in a bad overall economy). One dealer came back with a much better price, about $2k less than the others, for the same new car. (Basically the way this is possible is that many dealers have threshold incentives with the manufacturers - ie if they sell 20 cars in a month they get a $10k bonus. So if you are there on the last day of the month and will buy the 20th car, they are willing to discount a lot as they still end up ahead. Spread this around to many dealers and you are likely to find one close to a threshold). I was worried it would be a bait and switch, but went there and got the car in less than an hour, though did have to listen to the usual upsell pitch on protective coating, etc. Overall great experience and have recommended to others who got great deals.

[Acymetric]

I'm a big Hyundai fan. I better be - the last three vehicles I've acquired have been Hyundai's. I loved my 2007 Sonata V6 and had no problems with it. Last May, we dumped my wife's 2006 Chrysler Town & Country for a 2011 Hyundai Elantra. We didn't need the carrying space anymore (my daughter now owns the minivan for carrying her daughter and stuff around) and wanted (much) better gas mileage. It's been a great choice. She gets 32 to 34 driving back and forth to Raleigh 5 days a week and we've gotten the 40 mpg rating on trips to the mountains and back. And it is a fun car to drive! Handles and rides very nicely. there is also a "Touring Edition" which is a hatchback, but it's only rated 33 mpg. In August I traded my 2007 Sonata (just over 100K miles and newly out of warranty) for a 2112 Sonata Turbo. Lots of fun to drive, a stiffer suspension that the older model, and I have gotten OVER the 34 mgp rating on trips. Less around town, of course. Seats 5, nice trunk. It's a keeper! I love it!

Look at the Santa Fe if you want the midsized SUV. Talk to Joe Smith at Southern States Hyundai and tell him I sent you.

I just got a used Hyundai 4 months ago and love it as well. Mine is an Accent hatchback (so not the size you were looking for as a 2-door) but I can vouch for Hyundai having some pretty quality vehicles and a great warranty; although I hope my current car lasts many years as it only has 40k on it I expect that I will end up with another Hyundai when it comes time to make another purchase.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

In August I traded my 2007 Sonata (just over 100K miles and newly out of warranty) for a 2112 Sonata Turbo.

You wouldn't believe all the advanced features on a 2112 model. It came with the Mr. Fusion powerplant as standard! And talk about auto-navigation! It took me to the Moon and back without getting lost!

[hurleyfor3]

You wouldn't believe all the advanced features on a 2112 model. It came with the Mr. Fusion powerplant as standard! And talk about auto-navigation! It took me to the Moon and back without getting lost!

Although the sound system plays only Rush songs.