[mecheng77]

New Vw GTI

[tigermack]

Originally Posted by BlacknBlue

Mazda CX-50

I’ve driven one, 2.5 turbo with premium pack, bit underwhelming and kinda expensive for what it is. Engine felt kinda weak, steering was numb, road noise was terrible. It looked great and interior felt decent but at 41.5k, seemed expensive.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by Onesie

You’re telling me you can’t squeeze another 4 inches in?

[nicholasn]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I suggested the CX-5 because if you want to buy new, the lowest trim is in your price range, the preferred package is a bit more expensive at $28K. I think 2023 will be the last year of the CX-5 so you may be able to negotiate some on price. The CX-5 is 180.1 inches long, which you said is your max length.

Dropping the CX-5 would be a bit of a head scratcher considering 2021 was its best sales year ever in the US, despite its relative age. Looks to be on pace for a slight drop from a little over 160k last year to around 150k this year, and even at only 150k sold that's not exactly a drop in the bucket considering Mazda only sells about 300k cars a year in America. Definitely understand trying to move more CX-50s but I think there's room for both models to coexist. Plus not sure how they do it but those refreshed CX-5s look incredibly crisp and premium, arguably moreso than X3/Q5/GLCs etc.

[Alfisti]

Left field answer. Find a clean Saab 9-3 wagon, 2008-2011. FWD. Good set of winter rubber, less than 10K. Who wants to spend $30K on a 3K mile a yr beater?

[ASAP]

New civic looks real nice...

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by Onesie

To answer your question, those who know they are not spending the money, only what’s depreciated is spent. And those who don’t want to spend the 30k over the life of the car maintaining it to then donate the car at the end.

At 7% on a HELOC these days, you're paying from day 1 man. He's doing 3k miles a yr, should be fuck all maintenance, he needs a beater not a car half as fun as the toy he just bought.

[wtwo3]

Agreed it doesn't need to be a fun car. But it is fun to talk about what it could possibly be.

Ultimately I'll probably end up in the smallest CUV segment if I'm buying new. If I can keep this car for 10 years and only put 30-40k miles on it, reliability shouldn't be too much of a concern. And it'll serve me well when I ultimately graduate from my m3 and into my next bucket list car... a 911

Corolla cross
CX-30
Hyundai kona
Etc

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by nicholasn

Dropping the CX-5 would be a bit of a head scratcher considering 2021 was its best sales year ever in the US, despite its relative age. Looks to be on pace for a slight drop from a little over 160k last year to around 150k this year, and even at only 150k sold that's not exactly a drop in the bucket considering Mazda only sells about 300k cars a year in America. Definitely understand trying to move more CX-50s but I think there's room for both models to coexist. Plus, not sure how they do it but those refreshed CX-5s look incredibly crisp and premium, arguably more so than X3/Q5/GLCs etc.

I thought I had read about a year ago where the current gen CX-5 was the last and would be dropped in favor of the CX-50 in a year or two. I hope not though, I think it is the best of the CUV segment even with its considerable age of the base chassis (in car years).

[Alfisti]

Given that criteria i'd likey go the lowest mileage X1 I could find, the proper X1 not the sloppy ones.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Given that criteria i'd likey go the lowest mileage X1 I could find, the proper X1 not the sloppy ones.

Depending on where the used car market is by this summer that could be a good option. Right now it doesn't seem to be worth buying a lightly used car at nearly the price of a new one.

[Alfisti]

Sorry I don't get the need for "lightly". We're talking 5K Km a year right? So even 10 years that's 50K KM.... it's sweet fuck all. You can buy something with 80K Km (50K miles). You Americans are such nervous nellies when buying a car, it's all about insurance. I feel like you're going to waste a ton on depreciation going too new if this is a 10 year proposition.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Sorry I don't get the need for "lightly". We're talking 5K Km a year right? So even 10 years that's 50K KM.... it's sweet fuck all. You can buy something with 80K Km (50K miles). You Americans are such nervous nellies when buying a car, it's all about insurance. I feel like you're going to waste a ton on depreciation going too new if this is a 10 year proposition.

Depending on the brand, even cars in the 30k-50k mile range are so close to the MSRP of a new one it feels foolish to purchase used at the moment. We're seeing a downward trend however, so I'm hoping by this summer used pricing will get more in line to reflect normal depreciation. My definition of "lightly" used is anything under 50k miles and under 5 years old.

My standards for reliability are also pretty warped by absurdly reliable Japanese cars I've owned in the past. My IS350 at 150k miles - when people would sit in it they thought they were sitting in a new car. I ended up getting rid of it because I was bored it it... the damn thing didn't need anything besides an oil change once a year despite a lifetime of spirted driving.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Depending on where the used car market is by this summer that could be a good option. Right now it doesn't seem to be worth buying a lightly used car at nearly the price of a new one.

Man, having three BMWs in one household is a bit risky from a reliability perspective. Just sayin'.

You need to go outside the BMW family to assure you have at least one drivable car available to you at any one time. When people ask me if BMWs are expensive to own, I always reply, "Yes! Because you need to own a second car to drive while the Bimmer is in the shop."

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Onesie

FWIW, the X1 you’re likely mentioning is NOT the X1 folks are recommending.
They’re recommending the E84 when they were RWD. Not the current Mini-based FWD version. Those will Be much cheaper than the new one, but much older.

I'll definitely look into it. I'm sure my wife would be happy about another Bimmer after the Chevy suggestion I had. Spoiled I tell you...

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Depending on the brand, even cars in the 30k-50k mile range are so close to the MSRP of a new one it feels foolish to purchase used at the moment.

Really? That's absurd. Does not appear to be the case here. A decent new car is well over $40K and the same one with say 50K miles is less than half that.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by Onesie

FWIW, the X1 you’re likely mentioning is NOT the X1 folks are recommending.
They’re recommending the E84 when they were RWD. Not the current Mini-based FWD version. Those will Be much cheaper than the new one, but much older.

I honestly contemplated NOT getting my 997 and DDing a tuned e84 X1. That's how good they are.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Onesie

“this is an awesome thread where everybody is right!!!”

Someone needs to say something stupid to get us back on track.... what kind of an internet forum is this where everyone's right and respectful?

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I honestly contemplated NOT getting my 997 and DDing a tuned e84 X1. That's how good they are.

that's a hot take

I nearly opted for the small SUV over a 911... now I feel compelled to look into this e84 you all speak so highly of

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Really? That's absurd. Does not appear to be the case here. A decent new car is well over $40K and the same one with say 50K miles is less than half that.

Absurd would be the accurate description here... Market is correcting however.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

that's a hot take

I nearly opted for the small SUV over a 911... now I feel compelled to look into this e84 you all speak so highly of

To be clear, the 997 is obviously on another planet so the X1 alternative was to DD it and live with two cars rather than run the 997 and my 9-3 as a beater.

The E84 is great for what it is, it is a crossover so centre of gravity is quite high but the architecture is old school, it's based on the previous 3 series not the f30 or whatever the hell it was that felt bloated and middle aged. It also feels quite analog and the optional 3 lite turbo is a REAL sleeper, TBH the 2T has plenty of grunt but the 3T is just silly, in a good way.

So it's no sports car but that bit of ride height will help in winter and the steering feedback is excellent. The 3T will inevitably need a water pump and the 2T i believe has some sort of chronic issue that has to be dealt with preventatively, engine related.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

To be clear, the 997 is obviously on another planet so the X1 alternative was to DD it and live with two cars rather than run the 997 and my 9-3 as a beater.

The E84 is great for what it is, it is a crossover so centre of gravity is quite high but the architecture is old school, it's based on the previous 3 series not the f30 or whatever the hell it was that felt bloated and middle aged. It also feels quite analog and the optional 3 lite turbo is a REAL sleeper, TBH the 2T has plenty of grunt but the 3T is just silly, in a good way.

So it's no sports car but that bit of ride height will help in winter and the steering feedback is excellent. The 3T will inevitably need a water pump and the 2T i believe has some sort of chronic issue that has to be dealt with preventatively, engine related.

This is essentially what I got from what you just said