Car advice?

[cloudy]

Eddie - Advise me, hmm?



Cloudy, love - I wish you luck on your choices!

[whine] Why does it have to be so hard to choose? [/whine]

 

[Guest]

[whine] Why does it have to be so hard to choose? [/whine]

Want some cheese with that whine, baby?

 

[cloudy]

Want some cheese with that whine, baby?

*whimpers*

yes.

 

[Edward Teach]

Eddie - Advise me, hmm?



Cloudy, love - I wish you luck on your choices!

Hmmm, probably be wise to never let me get you tied up like in your AV.

 

[Guest]

Hmmm, probably be wise to never let me get you tied up like in your AV.

*melts*

 

[cloudy]

Only here would a thread about cars turn into flirting in less than one page.

 

[Guest]

Only here would a thread about cars turn into flirting in less than one page.

It's Teach's fault!

 

[cloudy]

It's Teach's fault!

It's all good. I think I've pretty much made my decision. Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind at any moment.

 

[Lee Chambers]

It's all good. I think I've pretty much made my decision. Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind at any moment.

God, you're as bad as a woman shopping for cars.

 

[Guest]

OK, but when does the sex start again?

 

[SuperFreddy]

My mother has the Acura TL. I think hers is a '03 and she absolutly loves it. She bought it 3 years ago used, it was a program car. It now has probablly about 60k on it and has been flawless. It's also a great driving car, solid, quick and comfortable with top notch resale.

The BMW is a drivers car. Perfectly balanced and very refined. Interiors not a plush as other is the smae range, Germanic austerity and all. But repairs tend to be more frequent than others and cost alot more. Buyer beware. Also, while most shops will service them, there are less shops that can service them well. Same thing goes with Mercedes VW and Audi.

The Altima is a solid car. Not as flashy but well rounded and more generally servicable to most people. With the 2.5 inline 4 it's a generic middle class car. With the 3.5 V6 it's becomes something more playful. With the V6 it's probablly the most sporting of all the 'midsized family sedans'.

+1



I would honestly consider the Nissan or the Acura; you can't go wrong with either one. Both cars aren't cars that you can really compare class to class...

My family bought the 03 altima when it first came out, and we already have driven over 80K-85K miles and we NEVER had to replace anything in the car, except spark plugs and tires (regular maintenance)! The car runs great, easy to fix, work on it, maintain, cheaper labor, resale value for nissans is becoming stronger/better, REALLY roomy in the inside--you can't go wrong. The V6 engine adds excitment to your daily driving, really fun to have and drive, and easy to parallel park since it's not a huge/long car; I live in Chicago where we have to quickly parallel park all the time.

A good friend of mine had the Acura and she sold it because she felt like a "grandma" driving it. It was really comfortable, smooth, solid, nice car all around.. it's much like the nissan but a step higher in class - more luxurious. Honda/Acura has a stronger resale value, longer reputable/quality history, etc.


The BEST way to really figure out what car you want to buy is by knowing what kind of car you need that will meet your requirements/necessaties/priorities. Test drive each of them back to back a 2nd time and I'm sure you'll have a different opinion

Hope I made sense and was able to help you, but I'm tired as heck! Good luck with the purchase!

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Okay, we're down to three choices. The prices are all about or exactly the same, and I'm not sure what I want. Anyone have experience to share?

1) 1999 BMW 323i - it has a lot of miles, but who cares, right? I'm not crazy about the color, though (navy blue)

2) 2003 Altima - has all the options, low miles

3) 2003 Acura 32TL - ditto the Altima

Help?

(edited to change the acura model...I was wrong at first)

The Acura! Enough said.

Just my humble opinion but I would choose the Acura, even though I would love a BMW, only because it's four years newer and just as well built as the '99 Beemer.

ETA: I did at one time own an Acura...it lasted forever but eventually all good things come to an end and we junked it when the motor blew up. It had 300,000 miles on it. A lot of those miles driven by my son, who is a terror on cars. He is no longer allowed to drive my wifes or my cars at any time.

The Honda engines appear to be the best. You do have to watch out for the coils going bad but they are cheap to replace compared to other things that go wrong with Toyota's, Nissans, etc.

 

[TE999]

IMHO I would choose the Acura first, Altima second and the Beemer a distant third.

Beemers are a mechanics meal ticket when they get the age of the one you are looking at, plus the parts are very expensive. It is a drivers car meant to be out on the open road, not schlepping groceries and kids around town. And most models use premium fuel. It's no bargain.

I drive a Ford Explorer Sport Trac myself. It suits my needs perfectly.

 

[scheherazade_79]

Beemers age well... but they're so boxy that they even make a volvo look curvaceous. And besides, chavs drive Beemers - at least in the UK.

How's about this:

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l16/scheherazade_79/nissan350z.jpg​

She's the Nissan 350Z convertible, and she's totally droolworthy... I'd be your best friend if you got one of these, Cloudy

 

[FatDino]

Only here would a thread about cars turn into flirting in less than one page.

I did tell you you're hot when you talk cars.

btw, I stand corrected, get the Altima. It's spacious inside, lots of room for us to...well, you know.

 

[Chantilyvamp]

hmmm..i replied but there is no reply..ah well will have another go...acura, altima, them bmw. BMW repairs can really bite sometimes. My brothers started breaking down and it hasnt stopped needing to be repaired since.

Then again me myself and I wouldnt really choose any of them but thats cos I'm so damn picky over car shapes that its unreal. It's not that they arent all good cars it that most cars lately have a lot of the same shape and I just crave things that arent normal I guess. Or according to the hubby I'm just a picky bitch sometimes.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

I just passed an Altima, its really nice.

I have a fear the Beemer might end up costing $$$ if repairs are needed.

 

[cloudy]

Okay, the beemer's out.

I'm going today to do another drive, one after the other, with the Altima and the Acura, and just see which one feels better.

 

[Lord DragonsWing]

Great choice on leaving the beamer out. The cost of maintenance is way to high! Especially locally. Been there, done that locally.
You'll get better results with the Altima or Acura.
Just make sure the car you buy handles the way you like and has plenty of room safely for the kids.

Okay, the beemer's out.

I'm going today to do another drive, one after the other, with the Altima and the Acura, and just see which one feels better.

 

[Ada Stuart]

1) 1999 BMW 323i - it has a lot of miles, but who cares, right? I'm not crazy about the color, though (navy blue)

2) 2003 Altima - has all the options, low miles

3) 2003 Acura 32TL - ditto the Altima

I would choose one the 2003-models. New cars are loaded with safety equipment that was unheard of before 2000. The Euro NCAP is a great site to check as they have tested a vast number of cars.

Ideally, I would choose one that has 4 or 5 stars. Mark that the cars have different names is US compared to Europe. Still it might give you some idea of the safety level:

http://www.euroncap.com/home.aspx

That said, I managed to rule down the quest for the new "perfect" car by setting a few requirements:
1. It's good-looking (In short: I like the colour...LOL)
2. It has frontal airbags as well as side airbags
3. I like driving it

Good luck with your choice and hope this was any help!

Ada

 

[ishtat]

I recently bought a Morgan 2 seater4/4. Pure indulgence, with no concession to economy, common sense,carbon footprint or anything else like that. It's my fourth .I'm addicted.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Good luck on choosing which vehicle you want, Cloudy. At least you had the luxury of shopping around and being able to choose. I wasn't so lucky. On our vacation, the engine on our van blew up (we were in another state at this point) and we were forced to buy a new car on the spot. The dealership had virtually nothing to choose from in our price range that would fit 6 people and a pile of luggage, so I ended up with a behemoth gas hog. We couldn't rent one and then come home and shop around because the rental places were closed and had nothing big enough anyway.

 

[cloudy]

Good luck on choosing which vehicle you want, Cloudy. At least you had the luxury of shopping around and being able to choose. I wasn't so lucky. On our vacation, the engine on our van blew up (we were in another state at this point) and we were forced to buy a new car on the spot. The dealership had virtually nothing to choose from in our price range that would fit 6 people and a pile of luggage, so I ended up with a behemoth gas hog. We couldn't rent one and then come home and shop around because the rental places were closed and had nothing big enough anyway.

Oh, that sucks.

We already have one behemoth gas hog (the Suburban), so I feel your pain, truly.

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm getting tired of car shopping. Just want to buy it, and get it over with.

 

[slyc_willie]

I'd suggest the Altima. As has been stated, Nissan makes quality cars these days, and repairs would be cheaper than both the BMW and Acura. Gas mileage is better, too, as you listed.

And the body style . . . eh. That would cease to be a novelty after a month or so.

So one more vote for Nissan.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Oh, that sucks.

We already have one behemoth gas hog (the Suburban), so I feel your pain, truly.

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm getting tired of car shopping. Just want to buy it, and get it over with.

With six people in the family, it's virtually impossible to get anything that gets very good gas mileage anyway. Now, I'm stuck with this one for another five years. This makes twice I've had to buy a new car and really didn't get a choice in what I got. (The first time, our car got totaled in a wreck and I was in the hospital so hubby picked out the van.)

I'd say drive the two again and then stick with your gut instinct on which one you like better.