Test drive day

[pauldun170]

That's the thing...the price has been extremely negotiable, especially when coming in with Truecar at your side. In fact, the Truecar pricing for the auto V6 vs. the auto V4 base models in my area are really close to each other (~$1250 price difference), which is a lot smaller than the MSRP calculators on Ford's website makes them out to be. That works out to an extra twenty bucks a month on the payment (or zero, if I want to throw down a grand up front). That'd be more handy if I actually wanted any features on it (so far every dealer has quickly dropped the price by $3k to $3.5k right off the bat), but even with that 'discount', it's still $6k more than I want to pay haha.

Having the Internet available as a pricing resource has been incredibly helpful. For example, when I stopped at Toyota the other day, I took out a base 2015 Prius II with a sticker of nearly $26k. I asked him what his best price is, he said $25k flat. I pulled out my Truecar certificate, he looked at, looked at me, and said $21.5k. $3.5k off magically, zero negotiation required. Makes the process a LOT nicer!

I think I've narrowed it down to the Mustang as the next car. Next actions are to find a V6 to test, decide if I want the Ecoboost or the 6, and then have them find the model I want. Seeing how scarce autos are in the V4, and since I want the green color, I may have to order from the factory, which takes about 10 weeks. Seems kind of silly to order a base model auto from the factory, but that would give me the price, color, motor, and transmission I'm looking for. Plus, I'm in no rush...the Civic is a nice car & there's plenty of time left on the lease, so I have lots of time to shop around.

I will say, it is exhausting doing car shopping when you're really digging into different models. I've learned that the best trick for visiting a dealership is to do a walk-in, go for a test drive in the model you want, and then take off before they run numbers & bring out the sales manager for extra pressure. It's the same story at every dealership I've been to, so I learned pretty quickly to skirt the office visit in order to save time, especially since they'll meet the Truecar number right off the bat :biggrin:

One tiny little nitpick
I4, not V4.

 

[Kaido]

One tiny little nitpick
I4, not V4.

Yeah, I always forgot to do that :biggrin:

Just heard back from dealer number eleventy billion. No V6's anywhere. Look like it's Ecoboost or bust! He said the 6 is very rare - ton's of 8's and sometimes a 4.

 

[Ferzerp]

The v6 is more of the rental fleet model. It's kind of like the focus and fiesta s. Unless you order one, you won't find one.

 

[LTC8K6]

That's the nice thing about the Ecoboost...you have the option of using either. Right now, premium is cheap, so it's an easy decision for having fun. If it hops up to five bucks a gallon again, it's nice to be able to some money by going with regular. I'd like to see how the V4 drives on regular gas, but I think I'd have to pick one up & try it out myself to see what it really feels like. A bit more info & discussion here:

http://www.carscoops.com/2015/01/2015-mustang-ecoboost-will-lose-35hp.html





I don't think it's mis-advertising at all...it's a turbo...premium is what turbos like. I think it's a nice feature that you can put in regular gas without hurting the engine.

If you run premium all the time, and then premium is too expensive, you are going to feel bad about the car on regular with a 35hp loss.

You probably won't like it anymore.

Then again, that loss is likely in the upper rev band, so maybe a lot of people don't even go there?

 

[Kaido]

If you run premium all the time, and then premium is too expensive, you are going to feel bad about the car on regular with a 35hp loss.

You probably won't like it anymore.

Then again, that loss is likely in the upper rev band, so maybe a lot of people don't even go there?

Moving up from a 6-speed 130HP Kia (manual shifting with zero power FTW!). 275HP is literally more than double what I was driving before :biggrin:

 

[LTC8K6]

Moving up from a 6-speed 130HP Kia (manual shifting with zero power FTW!). 275HP is literally more than double what I was driving before :biggrin:

Then here's what you do.

You run 87 octane in it until you are tired of it.

Then start running premium.

 

[JulesMaximus]

One tiny little nitpick
I4, not V4.

:thumbsup: You generally only find V4s in motorcycles these days.

 

[pauldun170]

Yeah, I always forgot to do that :biggrin:

Just heard back from dealer number eleventy billion. No V6's anywhere. Look like it's Ecoboost or bust! He said the 6 is very rare - ton's of 8's and sometimes a 4.

In other words, they leverage the base msrp of the V6 in their ads, but only stock premium models on the lot.

I'm tempted to show up and order a stripper V6 just to be a prick, however "wife" rule prevents me from such shenanigans.

 

[Kaido]

In other words, they leverage the base msrp of the V6 in their ads, but only stock premium models on the lot.

I'm tempted to show up and order a stripper V6 just to be a prick, however "wife" rule prevents me from such shenanigans.

Yeah, and for the small IRL price difference between the 6 & Eco, if I could find stripped-down Eco, I'd bite. The only feature I'd really like from the higher-end model is adaptive cruise control, but it's not a dealbreaker.

 

[Kaido]

Checked out a couple more today:

1. Subaru Legacy: Sedan version of the Outback. The tuning is funny, nowhere near as fun to drive as the Forester, which has the same CVT & 2.5i motor. I was hoping it would offer a more peppy experience over the Outback due to not being a wagon, but I didn't even take the Outback out because of the way the Legacy accelerated. Meh.

2. Subaru Impreza: (hatchback) This one was actually a lot more fun. Smaller, Civic-sized, but felt 2x as heavy - very solid-feeling on the road. Nice torque. Not as much power (2.0 148 HP) but great MPG (37-ish advertised highway). Price was a lot better too, and the back seats fold flat, which is a feature I really love. This one is in the running: cheapest price out of everything I drove, great MPG, Subaru reliability & resale value, and AWD for winter.

I think in terms of options, it goes something like this:

1. Civic: Cheapest option (if I were to buy out the lease)
2. Impreza: Smartest option (AWD, lowest price I test-drove, excellent MPG)
3. Prius: Best fuel economy option
4. Mustang: Most fun option, but a hassle in the snow. Surprisingly economical price & fuel-wise too.
5. Volt II: Wait until November, drive for free all week (looks like I can charge at work & round-trip is 40-45 miles)

My heart is leaning towards the Mustang (whee!), but my head is leaning towards the Impreza (AWD on a budget with good MPG). Still mulling over options. I'm going to hit my max lease milage in 2 months (and will then have 7 months left on the lease still), so I have to make a decision eventually, and I need to buy since I drive a bit too much these days to realistically lease. I considered going used, but I don't have free time in large chunks these days, so if anything goes wrong with the car, I don't really have a lot of time to take it to the shop & pick it up & all that jazz. Reliable transportation is very important in my job. As is actually getting to work...AWD in the wintertime would be a no-brainer.

 

[pauldun170]

Winter tires plus spare wheels. Just sayin

 

[tortillasoup]

I'd avoid any vehicle that has a CVT transmission unless it is like a Prius or a Volt transmission design type (planetary gearset). Belt CVTs are just asking for future headaches/failures.

 

[fleshconsumed]

I'd avoid any vehicle that has a CVT transmission unless it is like a Prius or a Volt transmission design type (planetary gearset). Belt CVTs are just asking for future headaches/failures.

The subaru is supposedly using chain which should be more reliable. Of course it's also more noisy which is one of the common subaru noise complaints.

 

[NutBucket]

What noise? The complaints about noise are due to sustained high-rpm when accelerating quickly. The trans itself is just as quiet as a conventional one IMHO.

 

[tortillasoup]

The subaru is supposedly using chain which should be more reliable. Of course it's also more noisy which is one of the common subaru noise complaints.

It's a metal belt. I wouldn't call it a chain or maybe you can call it a chain. Either way, the design is still pretty similar to CVTs of the past and all I see are headaches and future wear issues. A timing chain in a car is under the same constant tension so the wear profile is pretty linear with engine hours and speed. But with a CVT, the more acceleration you do, the more stress there is on the band as that band is forcing the higher and higher gears as it's accelerating. I mean I guess all transmissions are like this but newer automatics have varying degrees of torque converter lockup so they're not making all that heat and the strain isn't continuous on a single part when ever there is acceleration.

 

[Kaido]

The subaru is supposedly using chain which should be more reliable. Of course it's also more noisy which is one of the common subaru noise complaints.

It actually has both a chain & pulleys:

http://drive2.subaru.com/Sum09/Sum09_whatmakes.htm

The Subaru Lineartronic CVT utilizes an electronically controlled, hydraulically operated pair of adjustable pulleys and a link chain that runs between them. Using a metal chain allows the Subaru design to be more compact. The pulleys are V-shaped, and the chain rides within each pulley at the point that fits the chain’s width.

It's really only noisy when accelerating hard. Not any moreso than our 4-cylinder Civic with a 5-speed auto tranny. Maybe a bit more whiney, but again, only under strong acceleration. Just cruising around, it's totally fine.

Have been quite happy with the CVT in the Subaru. The newer Nissan models have a nice CVT, but I like the Subaru better, and I don't like Honda's at all. We were thinking about going back to a Fit, but after a test drive, it was a nope because the CVT was pretty mediocre. That & the redesign kind of ruined a lot of things, like the crazy amount of cupholders the old one had.

I checked out the Fiesta & Focus. I don't fit in a Fiesta, and the Focus was pretty tight. Both were surprisingly nice inside, however. Anyway, I think I've pretty much checked out everything I wanted to look at. Just need to make a decision now. The Mustang will be a hassle in the winter, but a lot more fun the rest of the time, and that's really the only trade-off I can see (32mpg, affordable within my budget, fun to drive, good visibility, good safety rating, etc.).

It may be worth waiting until the Volt II comes out as well - driving for free is appealing, if I can really charge up at work. I'm in no rush because, at the very least, I can just buy out the Civic before the end of the lease since I'll be over mileage in 2 months anyway. Maybe hold out for the Tesla Model 3 :awe: