Quest for a new car

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GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
It's not a high miles sales job. I am selling AmericasDoctor's services to Pharamceutical Companies and CROs (contract research organizations). >60% of my work will be done in my underwear at home :D Otherwise I am estimating 1000 miles a month for relatively local travel. Bottom line: it IS my personal car too. I am turning in a lease early and have vowed to buy a used car. This is what guides my choice.
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,265
126
Mileage IS a consideration.
Based on THESE cars.
Audi
Saab
Contour
BMW


BMW last? Because it has 62k miles. Audi is by far my first choice.
 

PowerMac4Ever

Banned
Dec 9, 2000
5,246
0
0
I see you're considering the Saab 9-3. How about the 9-5? It's not that much more expensive than the 9-3 and you can always get a 1999.
 

T2T III

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
12,899
1
0
Saabs need to be fixed all the time
Actually, I work with a person who has a 1986 Saab with 379,000 miles on it - he's still running with the original clutch. Actually, the only work that the car has required over the past year was a new power steering pump. His dealer/mechanic has promised him a "promotional" trip to Sweden once his car hits 400,000 on the odometer.
 

SCSIfreek

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2000
3,216
0
0
if you have to buy one out of those 4, get the Audi. If possible get something else. As you know the maintainance cost for the Audi, BMW and Saab will jack up that price tag a bit.


--Scsi
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,381
8,131
126
My vote is for the Audi. Just to let you know though - it says leather on the page, but it's actually a fake leather. Only the 2.8L V6's were offered with leather. The 1.8's came with "leatherette" which is a vinyl sort of cloth.
 

Punisher007

Senior member
Jan 21, 2001
264
0
0
Go for the Audi!

I have a 1998 A4 2.8L and love it. Audi gives you excellent handling, performance, and style for a reasonable price. While BMW makes great cars, none of the good ones are in the same price range as the Audi.

Don't know much about Saab...except that I hate how it looks :)

Then Ford...don't even think about comparing this to any Audi or BMW.

If you have any questions about the A4 give me a PM.

Good luck

PS: You can choose any car you want...just as long as its an Audi :)
 

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
Originally posted by: vi_edit
My vote is for the Audi. Just to let you know though - it says leather on the page, but it's actually a fake leather. Only the 2.8L V6's were offered with leather. The 1.8's came with "leatherette" which is a vinyl sort of cloth.
Is the leatherette easy to clean and maintain?
 
Apr 5, 2000
13,256
1
0
Originally posted by: Maverick2002
Ford = underdeveloped braking system.

You ever driven a SVT Contour or are you just bashing domestics like a jack@$$?

This question has to be going through your mind: why other than miles would those luxury cars that sold for probably at least $27k brand new be ~$15-17k? It would be nice to drive those cars but there has to be something seriously fubared with those cars at that price. I don't care how reliable people claim these Audi's are or whatever. Not to mention repairs on those cars will be 2x the repairs of the Ford. Any car that depreciates that much that fast is not that great of a car.

I'm biased of course towards the Contour so I should tell you instead of asking us, go test drive each one and buy the one you want. I'd hardly trust the opinions of a bunch of computer geeks (myself included) when buying my car.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,381
8,131
126
From what I've read, leatherette is actually somewhat nicer than leather in some regards. It wears better, is more "grippy" for spirited driving, and it breathes better due to the perferation in it.

The 'tour SVT is the most performance oriented out of the bunch, but do be ware that it's not a cheap car to work on and I've heard some horror stories about the way that SVT handles repairs. The 2.5L is shoehorned under that hood and is a bear to work on, making for very expensive labor bills. They also are notorious for weak/poor trannies and having the stick shift lock out 2nd gear and reverse. The interior is also shoddy, squeeky, and poorly laid out. They have the worse stock radio I think I've ever heard in a car made in the last 10 years.

Don't get me wrong. I've drove them, and nearly bought them, but they ARE NOT in the same class both fit and finish wise and reliability wise as the Audi.

It was intended to be a budget alternative to a BMW 3 series. That it is. It outruns and outhandles a 3 series, but falls on it's face in just about every other area.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,381
8,131
126
Any car that depreciates that much that fast is not that great of a car.

Depreciates fast? Ever look at a non-SVT contour? You want crap resale...egads. I owned a '95 mystique. Bought it 4 years old with 42k on the clock. It was originally a $21k car. I bought it for $7,000(from a dealer no less). Down to a 1/3 of it's original price in 4 years. Not good.

That Audi was originally probably around $28,000 and is selling from a private individual for just shy of 17,000. Still has over 60% it's original value in 3 years time.

The only thing helping the SVT's resale is the fact that they put out less than 2500 a year.
 

crawford

Golden Member
Jan 23, 2002
1,425
0
0
Originally posted by: vi_edit
From what I've read, leatherette is actually somewhat nicer than leather in some regards. It wears better, is more "grippy" for spirited driving, and it breathes better due to the perferation in it.

The 'tour SVT is the most performance oriented out of the bunch, but do be ware that it's not a cheap car to work on and I've heard some horror stories about the way that SVT handles repairs. The 2.5L is shoehorned under that hood and is a bear to work on, making for very expensive labor bills. They also are notorious for weak/poor trannies and having the stick shift lock out 2nd gear and reverse. The interior is also shoddy, squeeky, and poorly laid out. They have the worse stock radio I think I've ever heard in a car made in the last 10 years.

Don't get me wrong. I've drove them, and nearly bought them, but they ARE NOT in the same class both fit and finish wise and reliability wise as the Audi.

It was intended to be a budget alternative to a BMW 3 series. That it is. It outruns and outhandles a 3 series, but falls on it's face in just about every other area.

Have you ever been in an SVT contour ? Its so nice. white face guages, really nice leather. I dont know what youre talking about. The stock radio isnt that great but im replacing it in a few days and that is a low cost thing.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,381
8,131
126
Have you ever been in an SVT contour ? Its so nice. white face guages, really nice leather. I dont know what youre talking about. The stock radio isnt that great but im replacing it in a few days and that is a low cost thing.

What part of "Don't get me wrong. I've drove them, and nearly bought them, but they ARE NOT in the same class both fit and finish wise and reliability wise as the Audi", didn't you understand?

And oooooh, white face gauges! Hold me back. They are a pain in the ass to read.
 

Freejack2

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2000
7,751
8
81
Sounds a bit like you are getting this car because you want to make an impression on your clients. Here is one scrap of thought for you. Years ago I was working for a sales outfit selling a rather high priced product. The lead salesman told us a story. Maybe he was pulling our leg but even so it doesn't hurt to think about it.
Apparently this guy was doing his selling bit and after he's done the person he's trying to sell it to asks him if a certain car in the lot was his. The salesguy said it was. (It was some type of Pontiac I think) The person he was selling it to said he would buy it. Why? Well yes he liked the product but also he would only buy from people who supported American made products by American companies. Had the salesguy been driving a foreign car he would have lost the sale.

Thinking about this you have to ask yourself is this car mainly for me or is it mainly to impress clients. If it's mainly for you, forget everything, buy the car you like and enjoy it. If your main goal is to impress clients, think carefully about what will impress them. Will you getting out of a Saab or BMW say salesnob to them or will it actually impress them? Might want to find out what the purchasing decision people at pharmaceutical and biotech companies drive.
 

Nemesis77

Diamond Member
Jun 21, 2001
7,329
0
0
Originally posted by: Freejack2
Apparently this guy was doing his selling bit and after he's done the person he's trying to sell it to asks him if a certain car in the lot was his. The salesguy said it was. (It was some type of Pontiac I think) The person he was selling it to said he would buy it. Why? Well yes he liked the product but also he would only buy from people who supported American made products by American companies. Had the salesguy been driving a foreign car he would have lost the sale.

On the other hand, the customer could have thought that "He drives a POS Pontiac instead of nice German sedan. If he's this stupid when it comes to cars, how can I be sure that he's any smarter when it comes to his product?" ;).
 

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
Originally posted by: Nemesis77On the other hand, the customer could have thought that "He drives a POS Pontiac instead of nice German sedan. If he's this stupid when it comes to cars, how can I be sure that he's any smarter when it comes to his product?" ;).
There's a saying for that: Always hire a rich lawyer. Never buy from a rich salesman... ;)

And Sir Dante, who said anything about NEW?

And Nemesis, The Ford listed is a limited edition SVT Contour. It's built by the same people that make Cobra Mustangs and it is a heavily modified version of the base car.
 

SirDante

Golden Member
Jul 29, 2000
1,561
0
0
Originally posted by: Mwilding
I need a new car has 4 doors is ~$15K and has some "prestige" about it. I have taken a sales position and need to be driving a fairly nice car but want to keep it as economical as possible.

Here's some candidates:

Audi
Bimmer
Saab
Ford

Thoughts?

 

SirDante

Golden Member
Jul 29, 2000
1,561
0
0
Ah i get it...

New as is new for you, but not "new."

Gotcha.

Get a used BMW 3 series but be prepared to pay a lot for servicing.

or a new Hyundai.
 

lRageATMl

Senior member
Jun 19, 2002
327
0
0
Originally posted by: Millenium
Even though I am a Ford fan I gotta say BMW or Audi for the prestige portion. Can't believe I just said that.

what's wrong with you....although I wuold say go with the Audi also :eek::disgust:
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,381
8,131
126
Mwilding, how close is the nearest Ford SVT dealer to you? There are only about 300 of them in the nation(out of about 4000 normal Ford dealers). I've heard complaints from some SVT owners that "normal" shops won't work on SVT vehicles. Ford only lets SVT certified techs work on the cars. If you don't have an SVT dealer near you, or an SVT certified tech at the least, then you may have problems getting warranty/service done on the car.
 

Rent

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2000
7,127
1
81
Originally posted by: vi_edit
From what I've read, leatherette is actually somewhat nicer than leather in some regards. It wears better, is more "grippy" for spirited driving, and it breathes better due to the perferation in it.

The 'tour SVT is the most performance oriented out of the bunch, but do be ware that it's not a cheap car to work on and I've heard some horror stories about the way that SVT handles repairs. The 2.5L is shoehorned under that hood and is a bear to work on, making for very expensive labor bills. They also are notorious for weak/poor trannies and having the stick shift lock out 2nd gear and reverse. The interior is also shoddy, squeeky, and poorly laid out. They have the worse stock radio I think I've ever heard in a car made in the last 10 years.

Don't get me wrong. I've drove them, and nearly bought them, but they ARE NOT in the same class both fit and finish wise and reliability wise as the Audi.

It was intended to be a budget alternative to a BMW 3 series. That it is. It outruns and outhandles a 3 series, but falls on it's face in just about every other area.

Maintenece on the SVTs was only made costly if you didn't look after it. They're notorious for having weak oil pumps. The MTX75 tranny was also recalled I believe because of hard shifting when the car hadn't warmed up yet.

I rather liked the interior as long as you didn't get the "midnight blue" leather. The radio is mounted too far down, but it can easily be replaced.

Maintenece is an issue, but you'd easily pay as much with any of the other cars just for parts.
 

Nemesis77

Diamond Member
Jun 21, 2001
7,329
0
0
Originally posted by: Mwilding
And Nemesis, The Ford listed is a limited edition SVT Contour. It's built by the same people that make Cobra Mustangs and it is a heavily modified version of the base car.

But it's still a Ford. Don't get me wrong, Fords are nice cars for everyday driving, but they don't really compare to BMW or Audi. You can shine a turd for hours, but it would still be sh!t.
 

Rent

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2000
7,127
1
81
Originally posted by: Nemesis77
Originally posted by: Mwilding
And Nemesis, The Ford listed is a limited edition SVT Contour. It's built by the same people that make Cobra Mustangs and it is a heavily modified version of the base car.

But it's still a Ford. Don't get me wrong, Fords are nice cars for everyday driving, but they don't really compare to BMW or Audi. You can shine a turd for hours, but it would still be sh!t.

:|

Please leave sterotypes AT the door.