[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by vasoo

Will be relocating to Boston in end of May or early June. Planning to pickup an used SUV. Any recommendation for a 3 member family? I was impressed with an Acura RDX I drove in my last trip. My budget will be around 20k. Not very keen on RAV4 or CRV as they look and feel down market.

The Used RDX at 20k would most possibly be the turbo 4 engine - I haven't enjoyed it - have driven it quite a bit. It feels unrefined. The new V6 engined RDX feels much nicer though.
What else are you considering?

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by vasoo

Will be relocating to Boston in end of May or early June. Planning to pickup an used SUV. Any recommendation for a 3 member family? I was impressed with an Acura RDX I drove in my last trip. My budget will be around 20k. Not very keen on RAV4 or CRV as they look and feel down market.

Congratulations! Another addition to the New England chapter of Team BHP

Budget of 20K in the used market will give you a lot of options, even though you have narrowed it down to SUVs only. What are your other priorities?
You could try a Lexus too if you are considering Acura, although it will be difficult to find a piece that has less than 50K miles on it AND is also not more than 5 years old.

[vasoo]

I am open to any premium small SUV category. RDX seems to be rated on the top in that category and the 2012 V6 model I drove was pretty good. I am yet to do full research on this. Let me know if you know of other good options. I normally rent sedans when I am there.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by vasoo

I am open to any premium small SUV category. RDX seems to be rated on the top in that category and the 2012 V6 model I drove was pretty good. I am yet to do full research on this. Let me know if you know of other good options. I normally rent sedans when I am there.

The v6 came in 2013 or 2014. Prior to that the RDX was powered by a 2.3 turbo. It was good fun, but in terms of refinement it was not probably the best implementation of a turbo. If you want the complex and sporty SH AWD system, that is going to be previous generation model, the current gen AWD is a simpler and less engaging version.

[vulcanize]

Servicing/maintaining a vehicle in NA is where I find the satisfaction of services by the dealers to be very "wanting" in many areas (this includes Hondas, Fords and even higher end cars like Mercedes).
Luckily for me about a decade ago (in 2004) a young girl lost control of her Ford Taurus and rear ended my family van. No damages to my vehicle but her car was in a pretty bad shape. She was totally shaken since she was very young and moreover it was the week before she headed out to an ivy league school. Anyways, I comforted her and once she came out of the initial shock and was composed, insisted that I follow her to her dad's workshop to have a look at my vehicle for an expert opinion.
That was the beginning of a wonderful relationship, even to this day, since her dad and his partner really know their work and machines and we have always used their expertise and services to buy used vehicles (which I was hesitant about initially). They will always be my "go to" folks as long as I am local.
Anna (the girl who rear ended me) has meanwhile gone on to graduate magna-cum-laude and successfully professionally employed and starting her own family.

[vulcanize]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Interesting, didn't know that was possible.

I totalled my Honda Civic EX in 2003 and the write off after depreciation was around 12.5K (bought it 18,500 brand new in 1999). The trade-in value was about the same.
But the downside of it all was that the insurance premiums quadrupled and the company (Farmer's) was quick to cancel my policy six months later citing me as high risk.
Was glad to take my business over to Progressive and been with them ever since (just got their loyalty award status of "emerald")

[georgesraju]

I gave my car recently for a wheel alignment and they did a courtesy inspection of the vehicle. They mentioned that there is a bad leak from the front right struts of the car and both the front struts should be replaced. The quote given was 750$. They also mentioned that the OEM strut has to be replaced after 50K miles. I did not get it changed then as I felt a bit skeptical about all this. I haven't faced anything abnormal in the ride or handling of the car.

The car is 2009 Nissan Altima. Is there a way I can verify myself if there is indeed a leak? Are the struts gas filled or oil filled?
Is the price they quoted (including labor charge) reasonable?
Is it too early for a strut to fail?

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by vulcanize

But the downside of it all was that the insurance premiums quadrupled and the company (Farmer's) was quick to cancel my policy six months later citing me as high risk.

Were you the "at fault" party in the crash? I'm waiting to see how my premium changes when GEICO gives me a renewal quote in a couple of months.

[vulcanize]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Were you the "at fault" party in the crash? I'm waiting to see how my premium changes when GEICO gives me a renewal quote in a couple of months.

It was a freaky accident in the rain during morning commute. I was coming out of a tunnel of sorts under a curving bridge and hydroplaned. Hit the wall on the left side of the freeway, did half a doughnut and then went crossing three lanes diagonally and crashed on to the wall on the right side lane. Literally had angels on my shoulders taking care of me coz I did not hit anyone nor did anyone crash in to me.
One of the lessons learnt was "NEVER" drive on "cruise control" in wet weather because the response time for vehicle to react to the brakes is few milliseconds more since the cruise control mode has to be switched off first by the on board computer. I got a "warning" issued since that is customary apparently.
Anyways, added reason was that I also had a speeding ticket three years prior to that - kinda "6 pointer" and so the folks at Farmer's Ins. hiked it from about 55$ a month when I had initially started with them to about 300 and odd per month - and then six months later decided to not renew my policy for being a high risk (all this was more than a decade ago - in 2003, so I am not sure if things have changed ever since).

Don't sweat it. Relax. Hopefully the rates don't change and Good luck to you.

[idofsuresh]

I am moving to US by end of June and felt this is the best place to ask about cars - even though the new car I need is in the US! My needs below:

Primary Use: Long freeway cruises in pretty much flat roads
Reliability: Need an absolutely reliable car that can clock long highway miles without issues
Resale Value: A car that can sell at least at 55-60% of the new car price after 3 years.
Ride quality: Par for the course is great.
Handling: I am fine as long as I don’t have to hold a steering that’s too light when driving in a freeway.
Mileage: Par for the segment is great.
Budget: 25K USD +/- 10%

After owning an SUV type car (Duster) here, I feel like moving to a sedan as the roads would be good and ground clearance won’t be an issue in the US.

I am considering Accord, Mazda 6, Camry, Ford Fusion. I briefly considered a used BMW 3 series but worried about the maintenance cost and reliability. Is it a good idea? Finally, is V6 accord worth the extra dollars compared to a V4?

Any other points I should consider when buying a car in the US ?

Thanks a lot for your help!

[Turbanator]

try search in another thread

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intern...erica-248.html

I am considering Accord, Mazda 6, Camry, Ford Fusion. I briefly considered a used BMW 3 series but worried about the maintenance cost and reliability. Is it a good idea? Finally, is V6 accord worth the extra dollars compared to a V4?

Will suggest for V6 , there is not much difference in mileage , extra power will be useful on highways & its better configured than V4 with little difference in price .

Check this one as well in case you fancy something sporty - 2015 Subaru WRX

http://www.subaru.com/vehicles/wrx/photos-videos.html

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by idofsuresh

I am considering Accord, Mazda 6, Camry, Ford Fusion. I briefly considered a used BMW 3 series but worried about the maintenance cost and reliability. Is it a good idea? Finally, is V6 accord worth the extra dollars compared to a V4?

Any other points I should consider when buying a car in the US ?

Thanks a lot for your help!

If you are going to go for the best ride/handling mix - I think you already identified two of the best options out there in the midsize sedan segment - Mazda 6 and Ford Fusion. You could also look at the Jetta GLI as a sporty alternative. Since your plan is to get a brand new car, reliability should be fairly ok with most brands, and new car warranties would cover you in case of any issues.

A CPO BMW 3 is not a bad idea - usually they are also warrantied 6 years and upto 100k miles as a certified car.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by idofsuresh

I am moving to US by end of June and felt this is the best place to ask about cars - even though the new car I need is in the US! My needs below:

Primary Use: Long freeway cruises in pretty much flat roads
Reliability: Need an absolutely reliable car that can clock long highway miles without issues
Resale Value: A car that can sell at least at 55-60% of the new car price after 3 years.
Ride quality: Par for the course is great.
Handling: I am fine as long as I don’t have to hold a steering that’s too light when driving in a freeway.
Mileage: Par for the segment is great.
Budget: 25K USD +/- 10%

After owning an SUV type car (Duster) here, I feel like moving to a sedan as the roads would be good and ground clearance won’t be an issue in the US.

I am considering Accord, Mazda 6, Camry, Ford Fusion. I briefly considered a used BMW 3 series but worried about the maintenance cost and reliability. Is it a good idea? Finally, is V6 accord worth the extra dollars compared to a V4?

Any other points I should consider when buying a car in the US ?

Thanks a lot for your help!

Personally, after having driven both the Ford Fusion V6, and the Accord V6 in the US, I would recommend the Fusion.
I felt a more connected with the car, and the V6 was quite punchy - more so than the accord with its cylinder deactivation technology. A boon for everyday driving.
That aside, if you do not need the 4 doors, there are some interesting options in the form of Mustangs

A pre-owned 3 series shouldn't be very unreliable - with your budget, you wouldn't be looking for a very old model either ways.

[idofsuresh]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

I started with Mustang, but I need to carry 4 passengers at times for long drives or sometimes even 5 (Okay, I can give up on the 5th passenger if everything else falls in place). Gave up Mustang with a heavy heart. And the 2015 appears like a new generation car, did not want to get stuck with an old gen car when buying new. Is the rear seat practical in Mustang ? I looked up the pictures but they don't convey very much.

Thanks for the WRX suggestion. I had driven Subaru Legacy in the past and liked the car. I have now already spent a few hours reading about WRX after your post!

What would be the resale value of 2-3 years old Fusion and Subaru WRX ? I can live with a depreciation of 10 K for 2 years. Will be hard to take a larger depreciation.

[Tats07]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Personally, after having driven both the Ford Fusion V6, and the Accord V6 in the US, I would recommend the Fusion.

Fusion V6 is no longer sold. EcoBoost 2.0 (turbo inline 4) with 240 horses has replaced the V6.

Of course, am only talking of new cars, not used market.

I'd recommend Mazda 6 if V6 is not high on priority. Or even the Mazda 3 with the 2.5 Litre engine if boot is not an issue.