sedan for $28,000?

[Hanyoung]

Hey guys. Looking for a car for around 28 g's. As I posted before, looked at the is300, but don't think it will be in my affordability region. Here are my thinkings so far:

Volvo S40 - Definitely on the cheaper side of things, but damn.. those options are expensive. Nicely decked will cost around 28 g's.

Passat GLS V6: Nice car, nice materials and workmanship. But, I don't know about the reliability of VW.

Acura TL: Nice car, good reliability, super value. But a little bit big and long for a 22-year old.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, checked out the audi a4 and the bmw 323. But they look like they'll have crazy maintenance costs and i just don't know about their value. ANy comments?

[pennypinch]

Have you considered an SUV? And are you stuck on a new car? Just wondering...I sell new and used cars on the side, e-mail me and I'll see what I can get you for that money.

[Hanyoung]

must be a new car and a sedan. have had a grand cherokee for six years now. great car, but hate how your everyone's best friend during moving time and the sucky gas mileage. thanks though.

[spigidygak]

Hmm, for $28,000 eh? check these cars out
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Nissan Maxima se (sure styling is kinda whack but I'm startin to like it, plus our family has had three of these '87, '92, '96 VERY reliable, great engine).
<LI>Passat (as you mentioned, VW are getting a goo wrap lately in build quality actually, they are being highly regarded lately).
<LI>Subaru legacy (I don't know too much but should be under $28,000)
<LI>Infiniti G20t (looks decent but its a 4 potter)
<LI>Mitsubishi Diamante (might be on the pricy side.)
<LI>Oldsmobile Alero
</UL>

Hope that helps a little. I would personally go for a Maxima if I had $28 g's and had to get a new sedan. You could easily get a very nice se for under $28. But if I had my way I would get a used 328ci http://www.gotapex.com/ubb/biggrin.gif.

[This message has been edited by spigidygak (edited 08-04-2000).]

[blxmjx]

If you don't mind having a two door coupe. You might want to check out the Acura CL type-S. With 260 horsepower it pretty much blows the doors off most in its class. It goes for high 20's I think.

[pennypinch]

Yup, if you have to get a sedan, I'd look at the Maxima (like spidey says, great engine) or the Passat. I've looked at the Passat, and VW basically pulled an I30 on it for the A6 (i.e., the I30 is mechanically identical to the maxima). Even the shift gate is the same. Very good value, but iffy resale. The Maxima has better, but still not great, resale, and is reputedly more reliable.

[AJ]

i agree...go Maxima. My fam never owned a Maxima- But they owned a Villager (Maxima engine) and and Altima (sterling reliable baby Maxima)....

Maxima is a great automobile. As questionable as the exterior design may be to some, the waterfall dash and interior in general is awesome looking...

you might have read this before...but if you didn't, it might be helpful:
http://www.edmunds.com/roadtests/comparison/2000/familysedan/index.html

or a little less in your league:
http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/brauer/99EntryLevelSedans.Comparo.rt.html

[This message has been edited by AJ (edited 08-04-2000).]

[Pdizog]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Hanyoung:

Acura TL: Nice car, good reliability, super value. But a little bit big and long for a 22-year old.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Why not the cl (the coupe version of the tl?). Also, I heard lexus was going to be able to cut the cost of the IS300, instead of selling at exactly sticker price. Cost to maintain would be lower than a euro car since its made of japanese parts.

[Grizybaer]

I never owned one but i'd have to agree, MAXIMA, i dont know of any UN satisfied maxima owners.

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~Grizy
Great, so how much is shipping?

[spigidygak]

A honda accord for $28,000?!?! No offense att, but no way in hell would I pay that much for a freakin' honda. . . guess it's just me. Not like accords are anymore momish looking though.

[spigidygak]

yup, the people have spoken, If BMW didn't exist. A nice litte se manual would be very nice. Especially since Nissan claims that the new chassis is as stiff as the last 300zx that was made.

[blxmjx]

The new maxima's look kinda weird. The previous generation maxima's look a lot better. Either way they look pretty much like mom-mobiles to me. For high 30's why don't you go for a used gs300.

[cheapo]

I personally would recommend the maxima out of all of those too. I was in the market for the type of vehicle, except I was looking mostly at used cars and under $20k. I ended up buying a 5sp maxima se. It's a great car. Great stereo, awesome acceleration, luxurious interior, smooth and quiet ride. The exterior is questionable to some, but I love it. The only thing you should probably worry about on the maxima is the 1st gear on a manual. Some people are complaining that their first gear vibrates at low speeds (under 10mph). But other than that the maxima is an awesome car. If the maxima isn't the one for you, I would personally recommend the TL over all of the other ones. Only bad thing is, it lacks the maxima's performance. But it seems to make up for that with everything else.

[att]

dont get a car that sucks like the maxima. you dont want to look like someones mom driving around. for $28000 you can get a honda accord type r in japan and have it shipped over. that's a lot of money, spend a considerable amount of time looking around.

[colossus]

I would go for the Volvo first and maybe then maybe the Maxima, depending on how you want to option it. The Volvo's go bonkers on option costs as you mentioned. The Maxima will also be easier to service. I've worked on my friend's '96 Volvo sedan and it has a lot of funky things going on.

My preference for the Volvo is simply because it's a little more sporty and safe. The Maxima actually has a smoother ride, and the wheelbase setup works well with a tire upgrade for a smooth ride.

A type R Accord? You've gotta be kidding. The Volvo would spank it on the track. My $20k Contour SVT could spank an Accord on any track event (but probably eat the 0-60).

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Ço£o§§ü§ - yeah you can read into it...

[blxmjx]

The accord type r is actually not too bad with 209bhp and 165 torque w/ 0-60 @ 7 seconds. Pretty similar numbers with the contour svt which was about 195hp. The motor on the accord seems more impressive though because of the fact that the accord is only a 4 banger. The contour is still a better sleeper along the lines of a taurus sho. Smoking people in a granny (looking) car must be fun. I got beat by a SHO once when I still had my BMW, that was not too fun http://www.gotapex.com/ubb/smile.gif. Those ford svt people can sure crank out some power.

[ken]

I'd go with the maxima too, unless you're really concerned about the age thing - but hey, if you keep the car for awhile, you'll grow into it (sorta like when your mom bought you pants a size too large when you were a kid).

The Volvo is slow, plus if you read the reviews, its based on a mitsubishi chassis(or some second rate japanese mfg., I forget exactly). Plus, the Volvo s40 is for exactly your demographic, except replace Male with Female.

Stick with the Maxima, and wait for the year end event. Nissan is really hurting financially, they'll incentivize the car to below cost if you wait.

[Grizybaer]

I was looking at the accords recently. TL and accord are the same car arent they, whats the difference between the two.

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~Grizy
Great, so how much is shipping?

[brain]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Grizybaer:
I was looking at the accords recently. TL and accord are the same car arent they, whats the difference between the two.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The TL engine is based on the 3.0 V6 engine of the Honda Accord, but adds on another 25 HP and still keeps the engine in the Ultra-LEV standards. The leather is definitely much better in the TL. The Bose sound system is a nice addition as well. I personally thought the TL was smoother and quieter than the Accord. You can also add the nice option of DVD based navigation on the TL which is a very nifty feature to have especially if you drive a lot.

[psycho-]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
The Volvo is slow, plus if you read the reviews, its based on a mitsubishi chassis(or some second rate japanese mfg., I forget exactly). Plus, the Volvo s40 is for exactly your demographic, except replace Male with Female.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The Volvo is codeveloped with the award winning european mitsubishi charisma chassis. the two cars roll off the same line in Ghent Belgium and are completely different vehicles. The 2004 platform will be based on the same platform as the Ford Focus. The scheme is extremely similar to VW's platform sharing plans. The same platform, the "A" platform is used from everything from the golf to the Audi TT.

The target is actually the both equally Male and Female demographic for the Volvo S40 according to market research, and so far sales have only be 55/45 female/male.

The Volvo is actually slow compared to the Maxima (mid 8s vs. mid 7s), but the cars handle differently. The maxima is definitely a refined car, but isn't designed for higher speeds. The volvo, on the other hand, has been reviewed to be relatively stable at 135 mph (to account for northern european driving tastes). If you want a fast volvo, then you can get a S70 T5 w/ Stick. The Auto S70 T5 has been rated about 0-60 in 6.1-6.5 sec by most car mags, and mid 5s for the stick by european car mags. The S70 T5 is a candidate replacement vehicle by the CHP.

On the safety front, the maxima loses hands down, in both platform (nee frame) design and safety research and development. The toyota CEO said it perfectly back in 1996, that "Japanese car manufacturers should start paying attention to safety". Volvos ( as well as many other european cars) have to pass certain tests that most american and japanese cars would fail at. if you want to know about those, feel free to ask me about it.

In regards to the Mitsubishi comment, apperantly you haven't driven their vehicles, neither their foreign market ones nor their american market ones.

Victor (wishing poeple would know what they're talking about when it comes to cars)


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Victor
http://psychokid.com
http://rurouni.org

[psycho-]

...man, 8 car magazines /month is an expensive habit....

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Victor
http://psychokid.com
http://rurouni.org

[colossus]

I gotta give props to the Volvo. I wasn't impressed by them until I saw the T5R pulling near 1G turns over in Germany doing Auto-X and rally races. Volvo makes some vicious cars hehe http://www.gotapex.com/ubb/smile.gif Plus, unlike a Maxima, you can hit a bicycle and not have the bicyclist worry about hurting the Maxima driver http://www.gotapex.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Have you ever seen the Maxima crash tests!?! http://www.gotapex.com/ubb/eek.gif

I think the only vehicles Nissan makes that are "safe" are the Xterra and Quest.

What's the displacement on the Type R Accord 4? 2.3?

The Accord engine is awesome on Auto X events at high speed. The Contour has a little more low end grunt, but I did mods that sacrificed some low end pull for more high speed passing. My SVT now pulls so hard from 70-120 it's almost scarry. I can't believe I got this car for $19 in CA after everything!

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Ço£o§§ü§ - yeah you can read into it...

[psycho-]

Nissan Quest and Safety, enuf said
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/vans/quest.htm

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Victor
http://psychokid.com
http://rurouni.org

[att]

considering all the stuff people have to say about cars, i would say go for a used car so that you bring a whole bunch of other cars down to your price range. it seems like a waste to me to pay full price for a new car, there's no reason not to buy one that's a year old with 10,000 miles if you dont have a specific car in mind

[blxmjx]

The accord type r's displacement is about a 2.1. Which is not bad for that bhp. Too bad they don't sell it here in Cali, but we have the CL type-s here and they don't over there.

Man, 19g's is a pretty damn good deal by today's standards especially for a svt prepped vehicle. Now if I could just get a ford lightning for that much. Oh I forgot I've got a GMC. ford is bad, ford is bad, ford is very bad (I've got to remind myself or else I forget) :-0

[This message has been edited by blxmjx (edited 08-08-2000).]

[blxmjx]

Thats a pretty good suggestion. Since most of the depreciation occurs right when you drive the car off of the lot. You could definitely get more car for your money if your willing to purchase a one or two year old vehicle.

[colossus]

Don't forget to use your head when looking at thos safety institute numbers though. The only area where the Quest's did bad was with the kinematics, and that's because of the buckling at the B pillar with the addition of the 4rth door.

The left foot/front wheelwell intrusion isn't that much of a concern for me. I put my seat all the way back in any vehicle I drive and keep myself as comfortably far away from the car's dash. My feet have a lot of space to travel if I were to hit anything. Not like thos punk ass kids who sit slouched low in their Civic/Camaro/Eclipse or what have you. Hmm, sad thing is they'll be sitting like that when they're 70 years old driving in Florida hehe. Now the GMC Safari/Astro van, that thing is just asking for leg/foot amputation!

Yeah, 19K for my SVT was a sweet deal. I used Ford rebates and a $400 grad rebate. Damn UCLA tuition gave me a lot of cash back on my CC hehe. Don't know any other car I could have gotten with a 5 speed MTX, Leather, Moonroof, 60/40 split, 4 wheel disc, micron air, and a sub 6.5 0-60 for under $19 after CA tax, license and dest.

Speaking of the Lightning, I saw one melting tires here in Pomona on Sunday night. It was a cop truck. The cops in Pomona have all kinds of funky cars. They have a trick Impala slammed and chromed, and a wicked NSX. Where do they get the money!?!

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Ço£o§§ü§ - yeah you can read into it...

[blxmjx]

Yeah I smoked one of those suckers the other day. He was smoking his tires all day. While I just preloaded my boost to 12psi off the line while all 4 of my wheels grabbed like flypaper. Those lightnings are a syclone/typhoon's sworn enemy. Sorta like the mustang vs. camaro. The West Covina P.D. has a tricked out camaro s.s. that looks and sounds pretty mean. Wish I could really see how much power the thing really had though.

[blxmjx]

You seriously don't know where they get the money? Geez, I thought everyone knew. They go and sell all the confiscated drugs that they have, back to the drug dealers that they busted at a discounted price.

[Bloodymess]

I own a 96' Maxima SE and a 99' Quest SE so you can tell where I put my money http://www.gotapex.com/ubb/smile.gif
Also I swear those are two vehicles that are well worth their price http://www.gotapex.com/ubb/cool.gif

[Bloodymess]

Ouch http://www.gotapex.com/ubb/frown.gif
I just checked psycho-'s link and I'm sure glad I'm not in the habit of crashing my vehicles http://www.gotapex.com/ubb/eek.gif

[webba]

my friend has driven both the s40 and the v40, and he says the v40 beats the s40 hands down. I've driven the v40 myself and it definitly handles extremely well at high speeds. It was loads of fun to drive.
this is coming from a dissatisfied Mitsu 97 eclispse GSX driver.

Webba

[Pdizog]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by psycho-:
Nissan Quest and Safety, enuf said
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/vans/quest.htm
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Whoa...check out the bimmer ratings. Nice. http://www.gotapex.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Grizybaer]

Yea, those ratings are the reason that we didnt get the chevy venture. With ratings like that i feel safer driving my eclipse or my bike.

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~Grizy
Great, so how much is shipping?

[Hanyoung]

wow, the volvo wagon handles better than the sedan? I guess that's maybe due to the longer wheelbase. The oem tires seem to skinny for the car anyway, if we purchase the s40, might have to change the wheel/tire package.

one thing that gets me every time about the volvo. The only color choice is black. Why? Because of that nasty-ass black plastic molding on the sides of all their cars. I mean c'mon, even their flagship, the s80 has that black trim! Makes all their cars look like entry level-dx equivalents. Much thanks for the feedback. I've heard the positive comments on the maxima, but let's face it, that is one UGLY car. I didn't think that it could get much uglier than the prev-gen. where the back looked like someone smacked a shovel on the rear end, but the new-one really looks crazy. Reminds me of the ovoid styling of the new tauruses.

I keep on leaning towards the volvo and the passat. With the volvo, it's just an issue of keeping the option prices down, and wondering about the reliability. Thanks a lot!!

[psycho-]

Check out the new Volvo S60
http://www.volvospy.com

i can't imagine a shifter or a steering wheel like the one in the volvo, but it's all good.

Victor


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Victor
http://psychokid.com
http://rurouni.org

[Doofy]

I hate my '00 SE. So don't buy it. I can't explain it. But I just don't enjoy driving it. Maybe cause it's an auto.

[dcllee]

GO WITH THE BMW 323i...THE BASE PRICE IS 25,500 AND YOU CAN PROB GET ONE FOR ABOUT 27,000...ADD THE TAX AND YOU WILL BE CRUISING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WITH A SWEET RIDE.