[CaliAtenza]

Originally Posted by chevelle

Ya, i saw on their website that for Technology package, all other packages have to be included which increases by $8900. So it will be around $45k for sure if i add it to base model. Add premium and it reaches $50k easily. But now a days, prices of all cars have gone up, so this is expected. Looking at what dealer has stocked so far, it looks like 3.7 Premium with and without Nav will be very popular. I will ask them again after Aug 5 for better answer to adding just the Deluxe touring and Technology package. That would help me save a cool $3500 in the process.

Again, as i said, a person spending $40k won't mind spending $5k more on various packages. But ask the same person to spend $15k more on BMW with similar package and they will think twice before spending. That is what Q50 aims at and i am sure it will be successful.

Incentives for Q50 will be offered, not for 3-4 months, but for sure during holiday season. Even though they have G37, i think they mentioned it will have a bigger price cut to justify selling it along with Q50. I think G37 will target 320i, c250, is250 and at that point, it will be appealing too.

Also i noticed, Infiniti also now offer 4 yrs/60k warranty just like BMW and Mercedes. I don't know if it includes everything but that's a good start and will certainly help hold value after lease expires. Was it the same with G37? I thought it was 3 yrs or so.

As such, i am not the one to buy a new car in first year and i would never ever buy a car at MSRP.



I don't think Infiniti can survive if they stick to MSRP for Q50 and give G37 at lower price. It just can't work that way. Then most of them will end up buying G37 more as it has similar engine and various features. The only thing would be, if G37 has $5000 off MSRP, Q50 will have $2500 off say after 8 months. Its just an example, but that's how it will be. Nov-Dec will be true pointers for this when they push to do more sales.

Who buys at MSRP now a days? unless one is an early adopter and must have the new one in garage as soon as its launched. Same thing has been happening for C7. People are going crazy and paying MSRP and then some more for first 9 months of C7 Production. Total Craziness.

I agree with you; you have to be a fool to buy a car at MSRP. I hope by December there will be some pretty good incentives on the Q, there should be, but Infiniti might just steer people into the G37 to get rid of those cars. Actually there are 3 models of the Q; base, premium and sport. The base is truly base, nothing more can be added other than a moonroof. To add anything, you must step up to the premium model. From the premium model you can load up with options. People spend more on German cars because of the brand name and recognition. I think Infiniti is a wonderful brand (my favorite Japanese Luxo brand), but their sales are below Audi and Acura i believe; and Infiniti has more vehicles than Acura. I am hoping the Q50 will be somewhat of a slow seller so that the price becomes more palatable.

Originally Posted by Fraz33r

Golden rule of thumb for Germans is Invoice ( i.e. Wholesale price that the dealer is sold a car from the manufacturer )

Your car = Invoice + $500 (Dealer profit) for Germans,luxury brand

For any other brand = Invoice + $300

If you can give me the above quote, I am talking. Else i am not interested. For a car that has been in the lot for a long time, You might as well haggle for Invoice.

Or just live in Southern California; i managed to get my father's MBZ C250 for about $6000 off of MSRP and a couple thousand below invoice , that too without no haggling. I was straight up offered the price, this, on a car that had to be trucked in from Northern California due it being one of only 2 cars in the entire state that had the Driver Assistance Package. Didnt have to pay the shipping fee either. I dont think i would have gotten a deal like that from any other dealer anywhere else.

[Fraz33r]

Originally Posted by CaliAtenza

Or just live in Southern California; i managed to get my father's MBZ C250 for about $6000 off of MSRP....

Holy cow! How is that possible? Only 2 cars in the state? Do you know how long they have been on the lot? That could be a one of the many reasons.

The final price haggled/offered by the dealer depends on lot of factors other than invoice would be :

The time it was on lot.
The color of the car ( Some colors are huge in demand for certain brands).
Popularity of the package/options (Esp. applies to Luxury brands as they have 'n' number of options)
The willingness of the dealer to get the Car out of the lot as soon as he can and so on.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Are you sure? I have never seen an Accord or Civic as rental anywhere.

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Mazda and Honda both have rental fleet sales.

Honda had an official press release come out yesterday - where they are bragging about

1. low fleet sales as compared to competion
2. high resale value

Here is the link - http://www.cnbc.com/id/100920282

So while the Cruze maybe the highest selling compact, GM sells a lot of it to rental car companies, so is the case with the Altima and Camry. I think Honda still has some of the brand cachet that they created in the 80s and 90s (and were at risk of losing with the 2012 Civic and the Crosstour and some other lackluster products).

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by CaliAtenza

but Infiniti might just steer people into the G37 to get rid of those cars. Actually there are 3 models of the Q; base, premium and sport. but their sales are below Audi and Acura i believe; and Infiniti has more vehicles than Acura. I am hoping the Q50 will be somewhat of a slow seller so that the price becomes more palatable.

i managed to get my father's MBZ C250 for about $6000 off of MSRP and a couple thousand below invoice , that too without no haggling.

Yes, it has always been 3 models in Infiniti. May be their overall sales are lower than Acura and Audi but if we just consider entry-level luxury segment, only 3-Series and C-Class sells more than G37/Q50.

I found this link which shows that A4, TL, IS are nowhere near G37 which in April was outgoing model.

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2013/05...-2013-ytd.html

It has always been 3rd ranked in the sales, i don't think that will change. Though offers on Q50 will increase as it becomes old. As such, buying a first year is risky proposition. When i got '05 G35, i also considered 03 G35, but it had lots of first year issues that make me go away. '05 was the year it got major change in design, engine and components and was one of the best models of that generation. This was told to me by service dept at Infiniti. A couple of service manager told 05-07 year have been the best in G35 while 10-12 year the best in G37.

You got an extremely good deal. Usually, if they offer you at such a discount, additionally haggling usually ends up in a sour deal that ends up as a no deal or one with lots of grudges. I usually avoid that. So i guess you made some part of German depreciation from this discount.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

So while the Cruze maybe the highest selling compact, GM sells a lot of it to rental car companies, so is the case with the Altima and Camry. I think Honda still has some of the brand cachet that they created in the 80s and 90s (and were at risk of losing with the 2012 Civic and the Crosstour and some other lackluster products).

I know a person who bought an accord , just because he doesnt want a rental car image. The same image Indica has .... back in India.

Innovative methods of providing value to customer, whatever brings profit works, I think.

[CaliAtenza]

Originally Posted by Fraz33r

Holy cow! How is that possible? Only 2 cars in the state? Do you know how long they have been on the lot? That could be a one of the many reasons.

The final price haggled/offered by the dealer depends on lot of factors other than invoice would be :

The time it was on lot.
The color of the car ( Some colors are huge in demand for certain brands).
Popularity of the package/options (Esp. applies to Luxury brands as they have 'n' number of options)
The willingness of the dealer to get the Car out of the lot as soon as he can and so on.

Oh its possible, because almost nobody wants or needs the Driver Assistance Package (frankly i think its $3000 well spent for safety, but many people dont think like that). I am still shocked they actually had a C250 with the package, let alone two. I think both of them were at the same dealer in Northern California. Funny thing is that the one we got was actually a smidge more expensive than another car, which had all the same options with the addition of the lighting package (Active Xenon headlights). I mean they had to truck the car in from this dealer down to my dealer in Socal, that too i got them to take off the shipping fee as well.

Originally Posted by chevelle

Yes, it has always been 3 models in Infiniti. May be their overall sales are lower than Acura and Audi but if we just consider entry-level luxury segment, only 3-Series and C-Class sells more than G37/Q50.


I found this link which shows that A4, TL, IS are nowhere near G37 which in April was outgoing model.

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2013/05...-2013-ytd.html

It has always been 3rd ranked in the sales, i don't think that will change. Though offers on Q50 will increase as it becomes old. As such, buying a first year is risky proposition. When i got '05 G35, i also considered 03 G35, but it had lots of first year issues that make me go away. '05 was the year it got major change in design, engine and components and was one of the best models of that generation. This was told to me by service dept at Infiniti. A couple of service manager told 05-07 year have been the best in G35 while 10-12 year the best in G37.

@Chevelle: The G has always been a value for money luxury sedan. Yes the later years are the best because the bugs have all been worked out. If any bugs are going to be in the Q, it will be due to the electronics cause they are pretty much all new. The Engine and Transmission are tried and tested now. Interesting, i didnt know the G was third in sales..i always thought it was either the IS or A4.

[cyclops]

Okay, so this time I listened to my heart and bought a nice clean 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD. Man, its a monster!!! Its my first real SUV and so far I am loving it. This vehicle has a cult following within the 4x4 community.

Any recommendations on a good garage around Edison NJ area? Enclosing a pic taken when it was the dealer lot.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by cyclops

Okay, so this time I listened to my heart and bought a nice clean 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD. Man, its a monster!!! Its my first real SUV and so far I am loving it. This vehicle has a cult following within the 4x4 community.

Any recommendations on a good garage around Edison NJ area? Enclosing a pic taken when it was the dealer lot.

Congratulations! What are the specs? Is it the v6 or the I4? How many miles has it run? How much did you pay? Did you buy any warranty?

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by cyclops

Okay, so this time I listened to my heart and bought a nice clean 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD. Man, its a monster!!!

Booyah! Congrats and welcome to the single digit mpg club .

As a preventive, Flush/Replace all the fluids - Transfer Case/Front and Rear Diff etc. - Would cost you between 300-350$.

How many miles has the truck done btw and what was your final OTD?

Congrats again.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

welcome to the single digit mpg club .

Won't be that bad. The lowest figure I achieved in a V8 SUV @ stop & go traffic is 10-12.

The lowest mpg figure I've seen so far is 7mpg in a V12 idling in traffic.

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by aah78

Won't be that bad. The lowest figure I achieved in a V8 SUV @ stop & go traffic is 10-12.

True. Last couple of months, the traffic for my daily commute has been pretty bad - 2 mile commute takes around 10-15 mins. I have been getting around 10-11 mpg due to this. This is after me switching off the truck at every stop that exceeds the 10 seconds. Then again,mine is a 13 year old american renowned for its gas guzzling capabilities.

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by cyclops

Okay, so this time I listened to my heart and bought a nice clean 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD. Man, its a monster!!! Its my first real SUV and so far I am loving it. This vehicle has a cult following within the 4x4 community..

Congrats!!! This is awesome! This forum is one place which reinforces the fact that we do take some risks and do have a passion.

On another out of context note. A indian friend of mine just got a tattoo done the past weekend and happened to post it on FB. He got a couple of americans who were pretty shocked and surprised that an indian did it and actually asked if its ok culturally!! God!, either someone has given a really bad example of us or the guy was living under a rock.

Anyone has faced issues of chips or piece of alloy wheels getting chipped out? I just noticed the same on my left side wheels and am breaking my head figuring out how this happened. This has also resulted in minor cracks on the tires.

So you know where my next shopping trip is going to be at.

Whats the average tire life for a car? Mine has done 23k miles in hot and very HOT conditions of AZ. Is it time to change all four tires as i do see a lot of treads on it still.

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Then again,mine is a 13 year old american renowned for its gas guzzling capabilities.

You had some issues with rust right? Is it resolved? pictures please?

Maddy

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Anyone has faced issues of chips or piece of alloy wheels getting chipped out? I just noticed the same on my left side wheels and am breaking my head figuring out how this happened. This has also resulted in minor cracks on the tires.
So you know where my next shopping trip is going to be at.

Whats the average tire life for a car? Mine has done 23k miles in hot and very HOT conditions of AZ. Is it time to change all four tires as i do see a lot of treads on it still.

May be you can take it up with Hyundai and ask why chipping is taking place. Usually it only happens during curb rash. A safe option would be to apply plasti dip. It will protect alloys, look different and best of all you can peel it off anytime and apply various colors like black, clear and grey.

Tire life depends on how its driven. Depending on that you can expect anywhere from 10k to 50k on tires. If your tire depth are >4/32, you are good to go. Usually a change is suggested once it reaches 3/32. So if its all good, don't bother with it.

Can you post pics of the chipped alloy. That will give us better idea. Thanks.

Originally Posted by aah78

Won't be that bad. The lowest figure I achieved in a V8 SUV @ stop & go traffic is 10-12.

The lowest mpg figure I've seen so far is 7mpg in a V12 idling in traffic.

The lowest i saw in 5 mph bumper to bumper traffic is 7-8 mpg on my Corvette. Almost gave me an attack.

Originally Posted by cyclops

Okay, so this time I listened to my heart and bought a nice clean 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD. Man, its a monster!!! Its my first real SUV and so far I am loving it. This vehicle has a cult following within the 4x4 community.

Congo on the new to you acquisition. I dig this SUV. How many miles on it? How much you got it for? Enjoy and hope the mod bug bites you soon so we can see some lifts and other off-roading package.

Originally Posted by CaliAtenza

@Chevelle: The G has always been a value for money luxury sedan. Yes the later years are the best because the bugs have all been worked out. If any bugs are going to be in the Q, it will be due to the electronics cause they are pretty much all new. The Engine and Transmission are tried and tested now. Interesting, i didnt know the G was third in sales..i always thought it was either the IS or A4.

All the electronics are already used in JX35, QX56 for sometime now. Also Japanese are know to be reliable as far as electronics are concerned. Small issues and recalls are bound to happen in first year but since this is more of an evolution, it should be quite less compared to 2003 G35.

I have noticed, in G35 and G37 when manually shifting from 3rd to 4th gear, there is always a small jerk. I wonder if it is fixed in Q50. But yes, reliability is pretty solid.

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Is it resolved? Maddy

Heh - Maddy, lets just say that the current state is not in a Photograph-able state. Interiors are now carpeted, I ll post some soon