Re: Buying a car in USA. New, used, etc. Quote:
Originally Posted by maranellored I'm looking to get a car here in Seattle, for about 25-30k$.
My main preference is that I want a manual transmission and a 4wd. I've driven a lot of automatics and am not really interested in owning an automatic car.(Do let me know if you think otherwise). I would like to keep the car for atleast 2-3 years and be able to get a good resale value.
I've been looking at a bunch of both used and new cars. I see a couple of 2007-2008 BMW 3 series for about 25-28k$. But I'm not really sure if I should be getting a used car, when I could get a brand new one for the same price.
I've seen the Subaru Impreza WRX and it looks pretty good. It seems to be my choice at the moment.
But then again, the fact that I could get a brand new audi/bmw for about 35k is lurking at the back of my head and enticing me.
The point is, I'm very confused.
Any pointers that'd help me decide would be great
Thanks in advance! |
I think it make sense to go for automatic with paddle shifters if available. Or else stick to automatic if you plan on doing lots of running. Manuals are great, but after sometime it gets boring and tiresome especially in bumper to bumper traffic. I used to have a mitsubishi eclipse manual and got bored of it along with high clutch repair cost, so i switched to autos. Its good when one has to commute 2 hours a day and do long trips once in a while.
For your requirement, there are many options but you didn't mention if fuel economy is a priority or not. With gas touching $4, if it is going to play on back of your mind stay away from wrx or evo. They are very notorious for bad efficiency.
4wd is a good requirement and you have many options like CR-V, RAV4, MDX, RDX, TL, RL from Honda and Acura stable. You can get a brand new CR-V 4wd for your price range or a pre-owned TL, TSX, RL MDX. You can also look at Infiniti EX35 or FX35 pre owned which comes with 4wd. When considering BMW, do keep in mind humongous maintenance cost with 4-5 year old bmws and mercs. You can also consider Toyota FJ Cruiser, RAV4 and IS series if you like Toyota and Lexus. Most of the above are available with automatics.
If you are determined to get manual and 4wd or awd, you have limited options like Acura TL, RL, Infiniti G35/G37 Sedan/Coupe, VW CC and BMW 3-Series.
For new and used debate, i prefer pre-owned since we can get a class higher than what we spend, say like for your budget, we can get less driven, almost new e-class or 5 series or a SUV. Also the depreciation of these cars is huge in USA after 3 years. I have seen very good AWD samples of G35/G37 going for as low as $20-25k for 2006-2008 models.
P.S: I haven't considered American brands. If you are open to them, you get plethora of options right from Taurus AWD to Tahoe 4WD.
Hope this helps. you can pm me if you have any questions or want some help. |