New Car Shopping Time - Suggestions?

[JJ]

Well, my Mitsubishi Galant's repair estimates are getting increasingly high, and the time has come to purchase another vehicle. But I don't even know what's around anymore these days, so I come to you gents and ladies to help me out.

Some of my primary considerations:

-Must be new. Don't tell me to get used, or tell me why it's a better reason to get used, and so on - work with me here!

-Full-size sedan or crossover only.

-Price cap of $27,000ish

-A little bit of uniqueness. I can't drive a Camry, Corolla, Civic, BMW 3-series, or Accord. Everyone has one!

My short list so far, from a few hours worth of reading, is:

-Chevy Malibu
-Nissan Altima
-Ford Fusion
-Mazda 6

But then again, I know I'm missing a lot, since those 4 were some of the few that came to my head, I know there's more. Help me out! Thanks.

If you know of cars that meet those qualifications that are bad ideas, i.e., poor reliability, extreme depreciation, etc, then let me know as well.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Nice choices your considering JJ! I like all of them to be honest. I guess one thing to add is, which of those 4 models holds better resale value?

If I had to choose I would go for the Mazda6. It has great styling and is the more sportier-looking of the lot. The car looks amazing in very bright colours as well, if you like the flashier look.

Good luck!

John

[JJ]

The Chevy Malibu is the one catching my eye the most right now.

[MaCruz]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

My short list so far, from a few hours worth of reading, is:

-Chevy Malibu
-Nissan Altima
-Ford Fusion
-Mazda 6

Have you test drove any of these?

[sfmarine]

Ford Fusion won car of the year. I'd personally get the Altima though.

[Blu-Benny]

the mazda 6 is nice, my brother in law has one....and it's a good looking car.

[JJ]

No, I'm in the research phase until I finish my thesis in ten days. Then I'll do all my dealership visits and test driving, probably won't buy until late April.

[DJ Manyak]

i would hold off for end of summer/ labor day special you will probably be able to find better deals.

[JJ]

I had no idea the new Camaro and the Mustang were in my price range - not sedans like I want, but tempting regardless.

[JimShaw]

I don't know which to buy but I can tell you how to buy. If you are going on the lot of the dealership, ask for the fleet manager and deal directly with him not a sales person that has to run to his sales manager to get a price. The fleet manager should be able to work everything out with you.

In fact, if you know the make, model, color, etc., call the fleet manager and ask if he has one like you described, have him fax you the invoice and also ask him how much over invoice he will sell it to you. The quoted price should not include and rebates that are going on at the time of sale.

[SS0 CLEAN]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Well, my Mitsubishi Galant's repair estimates are getting increasingly high, and the time has come to purchase another vehicle. But I don't even know what's around anymore these days, so I come to you gents and ladies to help me out.

Some of my primary considerations:

-Must be new. Don't tell me to get used, or tell me why it's a better reason to get used, and so on - work with me here!

-Full-size sedan or crossover only.

-Price cap of $27,000ish

-A little bit of uniqueness. I can't drive a Camry, Corolla, Civic, BMW 3-series, or Accord. Everyone has one!

My short list so far, from a few hours worth of reading, is:

-Chevy Malibu
-Nissan Altima
-Ford Fusion
-Mazda 6

But then again, I know I'm missing a lot, since those 4 were some of the few that came to my head, I know there's more. Help me out! Thanks.

If you know of cars that meet those qualifications that are bad ideas, i.e., poor reliability, extreme depreciation, etc, then let me know as well.

new car.. i would go with a Mitsubishi Galant, lol. They are good cars

now on a side note.. which dealer did you go to? i work at Bill Seidle's Mitsubshi in Miami. i can try to help you out with the prices to fix your cuttent car

[Hammie]

I know you said you were not interested in the Honda Accord, but what about the Honda Accord Crosstour?



That might just be my next car, unless my wife wins the decision of the Mercedes that she wants (the MB that I want is WAY too expensive. )

[MaCruz]

Originally Posted by Hammie

I know you said you were not interested in the Honda Accord, but what about the Honda Accord Crosstour?

Any Honda product. I'll pretty much drive. Better resale value, and it's been proven how long they can last. Interior IMO, has always been a step or 2 better than domestic makes.

[mikejet]

I actually really like the Ford Fusion.

I'd recommend the Taurus SHO but it's out of your price range.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by SS0 CLEAN

new car.. i would go with a Mitsubishi Galant, lol. They are good cars

i work at Bill Seidle's Mitsubshi in Miami. i can try to help you out with the prices to fix your cuttent car

Nice plug there.

As for Mitsubishi, I'm partial to the Lancer Ralliart (over the Galant, as sedans go). It does cost a bit more than the Galant, but I prefer the styling, plus it's AWD.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by Hammie

I know you said you were not interested in the Honda Accord, but what about the Honda Accord Crosstour?

I'm aware that styling is subjective, but the appeal of the exterior is lost on me (I think it's the ugliest thing on the road since the Pontiac Aztek, and based on the comments on the Crosstour's Facebook page, quite a few share my sentiments; the Acura ZDX is a close second)

[SS0 CLEAN]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

Nice plug there.

As for Mitsubishi, I'm partial to the Lancer Ralliart (over the Galant, as sedans go). It does cost a bit more than the Galant, but I prefer the styling, plus it's AWD.

The Ralliart is real nice and fast. i have a co-worker here putting about 380whp. but i always figured if your getting the Ralliart.. just spend a few more and get the Evo (non MR).

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

My short list so far, from a few hours worth of reading, is:

-Chevy Malibu
-Nissan Altima
-Ford Fusion
-Mazda 6

Of the four listed, my first choice would be the Mazda 6, followed by the Altima and lastly, the Fusion. I can't seem to get past the Malibu's rental car image, and the sixth-place ranking by Motor Trend (in this month's seven sedan comparison) reinforces this perception:

Motor Trend
Comparison: Best-Selling Midsize Family Sedans

Width is especially tight, which makes the back seat tightest of the group for three sets of shoulders. It also sits low, lacks a center armrest, and presents the hapless hump-rider with a particularly uncomfortable perch. The hard-grained plastic below the attractive swathe of blonde "would-grain" and the unrefined engine note (too much accessory drive noise) cast a rental-grade pall over the driving experience that was hard to get past in the voting, even when crediting such family-friendly features as standard OnStar and the group's best overall crash-survivability rating of 47 (tied with Subaru), from Informedforlife.org. And so the gracefully aging Chevy ranks sixth.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by SS0 CLEAN

but i always figured if your getting the Ralliart.. just spend a few more and get the Evo (non MR).

I think your definition of a few more is different than mine. According to Edmunds, the MSRP on the Ralliart is $27,190, while the Evo GSR's MSRP is $33,590 (invoice price on each is ~$2K less, but that's still a $6K difference).

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by SS0 CLEAN

The Ralliart is real nice and fast. i have a co-worker here putting about 380whp. but i always figured if your getting the Ralliart.. just spend a few more and get the Evo (non MR).

Evo's are gas hogs, they drink faster than most current V8's do.