Buying a new car

[Yasa]

I did a quick search, couldn't find any thread that was really similar. But if there is, and I missed it then I'm sorry.

Anyway, I'm tired of buying used cars that end up having problems so I'm considering buying a new vehicle (that will end up having problems...) and my choices now are;

Ford Fusion
Kia Optima EX or EX Turbo
Acura ILX

I test drove the Fusion and it was pretty good. The A and B pillars I found to be in my way, but I'm also short...so that's probably why.

I can't find much info on the 2014 Optima, but I'm assuming it won't be all that much different from the 2013. It goes for about the same price as the Fusion with more options, which is nice. I've heard that lately Kia has become pretty reliable, but does anyone here have first had experience with them?

The Acura ILX looks nice, but I'm pretty sure it's just a glorified civic, and if that's the case then I don't need to spend more money for it. The resale on it would probably be higher than the other two, but I don't think it would really justify it.

Right now the Optima is my front-runner but I won't make a final decision until mid-summer when I have more info.

Oh, and is there a "best time" to buy a new car? I think Ford has their employee pricing in the summer, but I'm not sure about the others.

[Nuje]

The Acura ILX is indeed a glorified Civic. It's also smaller than the other two cars I believe. Even if you're short as you said, you might miss the extra room for cargo/passengers. The other two are both good choices and I can't really help you there. I do know a few people who have gotten into Hyundais and Kias the past few years, and I haven't heard complaints. Ford is making some good stuff right now too. My recommendation would be to try getting a 24 hour test drive on the two and see which you enjoy better

[blankall]

If you can find any of last year's Mazda 3s around those are going for peanuts right now.

[Table 5]

If those are the type of cars you're going for, give the new Accord a try. From all accounts and reviews, this is the first Honda in years that that has some of the magic of old.

Also give the brand new Mazda 6 a try. It will probably be the best handling car out of them all, plus I think it looks fantastic.

Kias look great, but somehow to me they still feel like cars that will start to show their age faster than others. I feel like their construction is meant to look good, not necessarily be good long term.

[-TC-]

you are comparing a Kia and a Ford to an Acura....wow.

Let's see, resale, build quality, powertrain, fit and finish, engineering....is there any area where a Kia or a Ford is better...bigger maybe but that's it.

Buy a Civic or an Acura and you will be happy. Buy a Korean or an American car and you probably won't.


BTW, I drive a Lexus and rent cars probably 35-40 times a year. I would never, ever buy a Korean or an American car. Ever. They aren't even close, for all the reasons I already mentioned.

Buy Japanese, or if you can afford it, German. They are just better cars all around.

[Yasa]

8,500.0blankall;4245121]If you can find any of last year's Mazda 3s around those are going for peanuts right now.[/QUOTE]

I'm not a fan of the Mazda 3, and I'm looking for something a bit bigger, but its worth a look.

Originally Posted by Table 5

If those are the type of cars you're going for, give the new Accord a try. From all accounts and reviews, this is the first Honda in years that that has some of the magic of old.

Also give the brand new Mazda 6 a try. It will probably be the best handling car out of them all, plus I think it looks fantastic.

Kias look great, but somehow to me they still feel like cars that will start to show their age faster than others. I feel like their construction is meant to look good, not necessarily be good long term.

The accord is pretty nice, I'll look into that. I drive a Mazda 6 right now and while it has been pretty good, there's a lot of things I don't like about it which is probably because I didn't give it a better look over before I bought it. That's my fault though, not the cars.

Originally Posted by -TC-

you are comparing a Kia and a Ford to an Acura....wow.

Let's see, resale, build quality, powertrain, fit and finish, engineering....is there any area where a Kia or a Ford is better...bigger maybe but that's it.

Buy a Civic or an Acura and you will be happy. Buy a Korean or an American car and you probably won't.


BTW, I drive a Lexus and rent cars probably 35-40 times a year. I would never, ever buy a Korean or an American car. Ever. They aren't even close, for all the reasons I already
mentioned.

Buy Japanese, or if you can afford it, German. They are just better cars all around.

I picked those three because they're in a similar price range and I like the looks of them. Admittedly, I couldn't find much info on the 2014 models of each, but everything I read about last year's models were good. Ford and KIA have apparently really improved as of late, but the new generations haven't been around long enough to really gauge their long term reliability.

Nissan has also been in the back of my mind, but I don't really like the look of this years models. I figure if I don't absolutely love the car in all aspects then I'm not going to buy it. I can go another year without buying, so I'm not in a huge rush but I figure I should weigh my options now and if something comes up, then go for it.

I'll definitely check out the accord though. Thanks guys!

Edit: so after taking a quick look at the accord...I'm not sure why I hadn't before. The EX-L has pretty much everything I'm looking for and a good price. Something more to definitely think about. If any accord owners have info, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Table 5]

Keep in mind both the Accord and 6 are brand new models (not even sure if 6's are on the lot yet), so any owner feedback will probably be from the outgoing model.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by -TC-

you are comparing a Kia and a Ford to an Acura....wow.

Let's see, resale, build quality, powertrain, fit and finish, engineering....is there any area where a Kia or a Ford is better...bigger maybe but that's it.

Buy a Civic or an Acura and you will be happy. Buy a Korean or an American car and you probably won't.


BTW, I drive a Lexus and rent cars probably 35-40 times a year. I would never, ever buy a Korean or an American car. Ever. They aren't even close, for all the reasons I already mentioned.

Buy Japanese, or if you can afford it, German. They are just better cars all around.

I find your entire post strange. First, I don't trust car advice from anybody who speaks in absolutes (e.g. I would never buy Korean or American). The Korean brands are basically following Honda's playbook from the 70s/early 80s. There was a time when Japanese cars were seen as crappy little cars, but those days are obviously long gone. I think writing off Korean cars is just as ridiculous now because they have undoubtedly turned the corner and are now a compelling option in every price range in which they compete.

Second, this isn't 1998. No respectable car enthusiast writes off Ford. They are making great cars.

Third, it's super dooshy to read Yasa's list of cars he's considering and suggest he buys German (which are obviously more expensive) while throwing in that you drive a Lexus. I mean, good for you I guess, but how does that help a guy looking at an entry level Acura, a Kia and a Fusion?

Also, German cars aren't better than many American and Korean cars if value, low cost of ownership and reliability are primary concerns, which they usually are in the price range he is in.

That being said, the Acura is a great car and is probably what I'd get on that list, though the interior and options Ford offers tend to be better and can make the vehicle more enjoyable to own imo. As for the Kia, as good as I think they are I always read about inferior driving dynamics relative to their competitors; however, if you're not a car guy you probably wouldn't care or notice. I did rent a Sonata in Arizona for a week last year and really liked it. It gave me a lot of respect for the Koreans.

Too bad Toyota doesn't have a single car that isn't completely boring. I remember going to a Toyota dealership in high school to look at a Supra, Celica GT-S and MR2 all parked beside each other like it was no big thing.

[Minnie]

The 2013 Fusions are remodeled from past years. I have a 2010. Haven't had a lick of trouble with it yet. We've only had to do the basic normal maintenance. It's been a great car. I'm short as well, but don't seem to have too much problem with the pillars. I test drove the Focus but it just felt too small.

My husband works for Ford (mechanic) - I can ask him to ask his workmate, who is in sales, about the employee pricing, if you'd like, as well as see if the Costco 'special' is still in effect - we got another $1000 off with that.

[Table 5]

Too bad Toyota doesn't have a single car that isn't completely boring. I remember going to a Toyota dealership in high school to look at a Supra, Celica GT-S and MR2 all parked beside each other like it was no big thing.

They do make one, but they unfortunately call it a Scion.

The rest of your post I whole heartedly agree with. Buying a car based on nationality these days is stupid. Cars today are about as international as ever. A huge chunk of the Japanese cars are built in the US. Some German cars are built in Mexico (and most BMW suvs are built in America). Honda has plants in Canada. Some Fords are from Turkey. Honda will even start selling a Chinese made Fit in Canada soon. And Lexus? Soon will start moving production to the US.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by -TC-

Buy Japanese, or if you can afford it, German. They are just better cars all around.

Both my cars are German, and I work in the auto industry. However, I would buy a Hyundai product over any Honda or Toyota at this point in time. That old "Korean cars are crap" thing, is no longer relevant. Toyota and Honda, are just as domestic as Ford and Chrysler now. Hyundai is building incredible cars not just for the money, but simply in general now.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Table 5

They do make one, but they unfortunately call it a Scion.

That FR-S looks fun as fun can be. Also, Subaru sells the exact same thing under the BRZ badge. At least there's a little fun coming back to Toyota.

Makes me a little mad sometimes that as North Americans we didn't get to spend our money on some of the great Japanese machine from the early 2000's. Cars like Supra, Sylvia (thinking S15 here) and especially the Skyline. Sure there was the Lexus' and Infinity G35 coupe but I loved the looks of the pure sports coupes they have in Japan.

EDIT: Sorry, don't want to derail. On the topic at hand, the Accord and Optima are both good cars. The new Fusion is supposed to be amazing but do keep in mind the after market things like maintenance schedule and such. I know some dealerships are better or worse than others when dealing with them. I've never really heard anything outstanding about Ford's after market service being top notch. Kia I would think are far more customer service oriented as they are trying to grow in the market. I could be talking out of my Butt but I always try to keep an eye on those things when looking at a big purchase.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by -TC-

you are comparing a Kia and a Ford to an Acura....wow.

Let's see, resale, build quality, powertrain, fit and finish, engineering....is there any area where a Kia or a Ford is better...bigger maybe but that's it.

Buy a Civic or an Acura and you will be happy. Buy a Korean or an American car and you probably won't.


BTW, I drive a Lexus and rent cars probably 35-40 times a year. I would never, ever buy a Korean or an American car. Ever. They aren't even close, for all the reasons I already mentioned.

Buy Japanese, or if you can afford it, German. They are just better cars all around.

You might be quite shocked at some of the new Fords, some now have a lot of japanese parts (dashboards,electronics and a few drivelines) the body is still American but a tonne of Japanese vehicals are as well,depending on the model your Lexus may have been built in the USA anyway.

When I was shopping for a new smallesh SUV/crossover a little over a year ago I checked out 6 units,Honda,Toyota,Nissan,GM,Kia and Ford. for the money I bought a Ford Edge because it had far more options, it felt tighter and had very little road noise compared and I couldn't be happier. As far as re-sale value goes a quick check online shows my 2011 Ford Edge Limited is selling for about 12-15% less and a Acura MDX is selling for 12-15% less, don't fall for the biggest sales pitch in the auto business, give or take a % or 2 resale value is mostly relative to the original price and the shape it's in

My sister is a Honda freak,she has bought a new one every 4-5 years for over 30 years but after driving my "crappy" ford she's starting to re-think her next purchase and now admits that the quality has been going down with her last couple of Honda's.

You are correct about the Germans (Mercedes), nobody touches their stuff but you definitely pay for it.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by pylon

Both my cars are German, and I work in the auto industry. However, I would buy a Hyundai product over any Honda or Toyota at this point in time. That old "Korean cars are crap" thing, is no longer relevant. Toyota and Honda, are just as domestic as Ford and Chrysler now. Hyundai is building incredible cars not just for the money, but simply in general now.

I heard that a lot in the last year or so, The new Kia's look nice as well.

[Hugh Jahrmes]

I narrowed down to Jetta tdi and fusion hybrid as I have an 80km round trip commute daily. Ended up going with the Jetta which is a great car, but service is very expensive and required to maintain the 200,000km/6year warranty I opted for. Both were great cars to drive IMO.

[Canehdianman]

I've got a 2011 Kia Optima EX-luxury. Love it. PM me with any questions you might have.

[SeoulFire]

Originally Posted by T@T

I heard that a lot in the last year or so, The new Kia's look nice as well.

You may know this but Kia is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group.

[RedMileDJ]

Originally Posted by pylon

Both my cars are German, and I work in the auto industry. However, I would buy a Hyundai product over any Honda or Toyota at this point in time. That old "Korean cars are crap" thing, is no longer relevant. Toyota and Honda, are just as domestic as Ford and Chrysler now. Hyundai is building incredible cars not just for the money, but simply in general now.

I've had my Hyundai Elantra for just over a year now. Not one issue. Lots of room inside (I'm 6 foot and a big guy).

Edit: to add, I was comparing Civic, Cruze and Mazda3 at the time, and Hyundai just included a lot more for the price. Plus the build and safety tests were better.

Overall it just felt like the better vehicle.

[Francis's Hairpiece]

Originally Posted by Red-Mile-DJ

I've had my Hyundai Elantra for just over a year now. Not one issue. Lots of room inside (I'm 6 foot and a big guy).

Edit: to add, I was comparing Civic, Cruze and Mazda3 at the time, and Hyundai just included a lot more for the price. Plus the build and safety tests were better.

Overall it just felt like the better vehicle.

My wife and I have been looking at the Elantra as well. I'm in the same boat, being over 6 feet and not petite. Good to know I will fit. Thanks.

[Titan]

My father in law drove an acura and bought a Hyundai Elantra and loves it.

We had a CRV and when looking for a bigger vehicle we looked at the pilot and the Explorer. The Explorer was as good or better in every category that mattered to us and had more options for a lower price.

I drive a Titan and would buy an F-150 as my next truck without giving it a second thought. My (several) buddies that drive the F-150 are all very happy and the trucks have way more options for similar price.

The idea that Honda or Japanese a superior is not necessarily correct. It will help resale, our honda sold immediately, but why buy a car to drive for 3, 5, 10 years based on selling it?

You have to be happy with the car everyday.