I'm a car salesmen, Go ahead and ask me anything

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Apparently not for the guy trying to drive the canary yellow RX8 on summer tires that I was following this morning.

Don't worry evolution will take care of him

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Apparently not for the guy trying to drive the canary yellow RX8 on summer tires that I was following this morning.

See, THAT is my pet peeve. People who should have bought a cheaper car so they could throw the $1000 towards winter wheels and tires. I don't care if you have bright pink steel rims that say barbie on them, good on you for at least spending the money on necessary safety equipment.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

I don't care if you have bright pink steel rims that say barbie on them, good on you for at least spending the money on necessary safety equipment.

This I totally agree with. Steelies or alloys, at least you're not an accident looking for a place to happen.

[OilersBaby]

Dumb question..do you guys change tires when it becomes winter, or do you use the same tires year around? i forget..haven't lived in Alberta for almost a decade. Didn't own a car when I lived there.

Here, they put chains on their cars when they go to places like Tahoe, where there is snow. They won't even LET you in Tahoe unless you show them the chains.....chains are mandatory. I havent done that yet, since I've gone with other people in their car, but I thought it was odd cuz I definately dont remember chains in Canada.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Chains are horrible, we used to use them to get in and out of our cabin, sure wouldn't want them on my car for anything longer then the 1.6 Km's it takes to drive out of there.

Yes, I change my tires each season. Winter ones for the winter (duh) but all season in the summer as my car does not justify anything more then that. Next new vehicle I get I will buy some winter rims for sure so I can do the change myself.

Not that everyone does that, you CAN drive on all season tires year round but personaly I would much rather have dedicated winter tires, all season just don't cut it in the snow.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Originally Posted by OilersBaby

Dumb question..do you guys change tires when it becomes winter, or do you use the same tires year around? i forget..haven't lived in Alberta for almost a decade. Didn't own a car when I lived there.

Here, they put chains on their cars when they go to places like Tahoe, where there is snow. They won't even LET you in Tahoe unless you show them the chains.....chains are mandatory. I havent done that yet, since I've gone with other people in their car, but I thought it was odd cuz I definately dont remember chains in Canada.

I haven't seen anybody using chains and the only place I have seen reference to it is a sign on the road up to Fortress Mountain (chain up here).

In answer to your question, a lot of people use all season tires year round, but I am not one of them. Your car handles sooo much better with winter tires (all seasons were never meant for ice and snow...it is almost false advertising to say all season), that I can't imagine not using them if you care at all about safety/performance.

[CRXguy]

I have dedicated sets of tires as well. I used to think all-seasons would be fine, until I got my first set of winters and it was a night and day difference.

Since you live in the U.S., you have lots of places to get tires for a very good price. I would suggest www.tirerack.com . Those guys know what they're talking about. Very knowledgeable staff.

[calculoso]

I use all-season tires and have found that winter performance really depends on the manufacturer.

I had Goodyear tires on my car when I got it years ago and thought that winter driving was okay (nothing spectacular). I got some Yokohama all-seasons on my car for a couple of winters after that and absolutely hated them. Almost no traction at all during the winter or when it was wet, but great when dry during the summer. I've since gone back to the Goodyear tires and found that the winter driving performance is back to being decent (but much improved over the Yokohamas).

[FLAMESBURNOIL]

if i lease a new car...do you have the option to change finance?

Lets say my buyout after a 4 year lease is 12,000 - can i roll in any time during that 4 years and drop down 12 grand? - and call it my own...

thx

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by FLAMESBURNOIL

if i lease a new car...do you have the option to change finance?

Lets say my buyout after a 4 year lease is 12,000 - can i roll in any time during that 4 years and drop down 12 grand? - and call it my own...

thx

No, because then you would be able to buy brand new cars for half price. For a $12,000 residual, that means your car was probably worth ~$20,000 new. You can take out a lease on your car, make one month's payment, then give them $12,000 and own a $20,000 car.

The $12,000 is what is left after 4 years of payments. So your lease payout starts at $20,000 and works its way down to $12,000 as you make payments. At any time you can phone and see what your current payout is and pay that ammount and own the car immediately. I did this to sell off a lease part way through it.

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

Awesome, be sure to drive an XT Forester (vs the non-turbo) and be sure to check out the size of the sunroof, it is massive. Which, being in SJ would be a huge plus...

test drove the XT Forester as well as the Mazda CX7. They were both much better in terms of smoothness and power compared to the RAV 4 and CRV. The thing is, I didnt like the way the XT Forester looked like on the outside, I know it's an SUV, but looked too much like a station wagon. The CX7 was nicer looking and a good ride. The only thing is that I am not sure if Mazda's are good cars, and I believe that the CX7 does not come in a V6 Engine....we like goin to Tahoe on roadtrips.

I have no idea what to do:S The Rav-4 does come in a V6 engine but my husband thinks it's what women drive. Eek.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by OilersBaby

test drove the XT Forester as well as the Mazda CX7. They were both much better in terms of smoothness and power compared to the RAV 4 and CRV. The thing is, I didnt like the way the XT Forester looked like on the outside, I know it's an SUV, but looked too much like a station wagon. The CX7 was nicer looking and a good ride. The only thing is that I am not sure if Mazda's are good cars, and I believe that the CX7 does not come in a V6 Engine....we like goin to Tahoe on roadtrips.

I have no idea what to do:S The Rav-4 does come in a V6 engine but my husband thinks it's what women drive. Eek.

The CX7 and the Forester (depending on the model) are both turbo charged 4 cylinders. This throws the whole "V6" thing out the window. Lots of turbo 4's out there kick the crap out of V6's and its a bit old school to think that more cylinders is better. Subaru's turbo's especially are VERY proven and great engines. They're AWD system is far above the competition as well. I agree about the exterior appearance though...

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

The CX7 and the Forester (depending on the model) are both turbo charged 4 cylinders. This throws the whole "V6" thing out the window. Lots of turbo 4's out there kick the crap out of V6's and its a bit old school to think that more cylinders is better. Subaru's turbo's especially are VERY proven and great engines. They're AWD system is far above the competition as well. I agree about the exterior appearance though...

So turbo charged 4 cylinders are better than the V6's? Are Mazda's generally good cars? We're leaning towards the CX7 right now..

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by OilersBaby

So turbo charged 4 cylinders are better than the V6's? Are Mazda's generally good cars? We're leaning towards the CX7 right now..

They both have pros and cons.. it depends on what you want. There are great naturally aspirated (no turbo) V6's out there too. If I was you, I'd pick which one drove better, and then look at fuel consumption and make a decision. Mazda's are generally not too bad. The engine in the CX7 has had many kinks worked out since its introduction in the mazdaspeed 6.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Well if the main objection that you have is whether or not Mazda's are good cars you can rest assured that they are excellent, well-made cars. The only (minor) point of improvement for the CX-7 that I am aware of is its 'turbo-lag' (according to some). Turbos are little gadgets that boost an engines power, but they take a moment to get working ('spool up'), so when you step on the gas the car feels like it has 100 horsepower...100 horsepower...100 horsepower...244 horsepower (wheee).

Both are excellent cars, they both require premium gas, are really well made and are going to be a blast to drive, subaru's hold their value well when it comes to resale, but have uninspired styling (it grew on me). If I was looking at an automatic SUV I would have a tough time choosing between the two.

[CRXguy]

If you're looking to buy now, I'd say get the Forester XT. They just came out with the "Sport" model a few months ago. Check out www.cars101.com for prices.

I think the CX-7 is still in it's "first batch," so I'd be wary right now for first year cars. I've owned a Mazda before, a Protege5, and was very happy with it until I traded it in for my WRX wagon. The only reason really was for the power.

You won't be disappointed with the Forester or CX-7. I would seriously consider the Rav4 V-6. IMO, that is not a girly car. Great car, price, power and you have nothing to worry about Toyota's reliability and resale.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by CRXguy

What's wrong with black steelies? It's for winter, you're not looking to get show points. It's cheap and gets the job done. If you happen to curb and bend the wheel(s), it'll only cost you $40-70 per wheel depending on size. Try to find some "decent" looking alloys that don't cost much more.

Like Ironhorse said, black steelies are the domain of taxicabs and cop cars that don't give a damn about cars.

Steelies are fine for the wear and tear but for the love of internal combustion, spring for the extra $10 a wheelcover to give it some semblance of appearance. Hell, go to the pick your part, get 2 types of covers but just make sure they're the same on both sides if you're that cheap. Crappy tire should have some for $14 each.

I sprung for Honda wheelcovers to at least give it the look of the base model myself.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

They both have pros and cons.. it depends on what you want. There are great naturally aspirated (no turbo) V6's out there too. If I was you, I'd pick which one drove better, and then look at fuel consumption and make a decision. Mazda's are generally not too bad. The engine in the CX7 has had many kinks worked out since its introduction in the mazdaspeed 6.

Just be warned... turbo engines drink gas much more than at EPA posted rates. Both the CX-7 and RDX are dissapointing SOME owners that expected more. Check the Edmunds forums for more details.

Which sucks, as that's the exact vehicle type I'm targetting.... CRV is way too wimpy with the 4 and a 10 sec 0-60 time for me... Looks like a RAV4 V6 for me in my future, I find the XT to be ugly in my eyes. Unless I can swing a new Volvo XC60 in my future...

[OilersBaby]

Yeah, the Rav 4 "Sport" model in the V6 is what I like.....but it's my husband's car (the one we're getting). I'll let you know what we decide. I know that the Honda CRV is out cuz its too wimpy and the Forester is out cuz it's too "station wagon" looking..thats not what we want. So its going to be between the Rav 4 "Sport" model in the V6 or the Mazda CX7. Dont want a gas guzzler.....but can't expect to get what my Civic gets either...

The only thing i dont like about the sport model is that because of the type of suspension it has, the ride feels really bumpy in the back seat.

HAHA that sounded dirty..didnt mean it like that.

Anyway, will let you all know what we do..we'll buy it in the next couple of weeks.

[MickMcGeough]

Does CarCostCanada actually have accurate invoice prices?