[chevelle]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Thanks, Jose! I went for automatic.

All: I am a newbie when it comes to automatics. I have a question about going to hilly roads / steep inclines. I noticed that my Mazda3 doesnt have any hill mode, asked my friend about it. He explained that basic cars don't have it, and we cannot take these cars to hilly areas, and there is no guarantee these cars will pull when it they are fully loaded with 5 adults, and in fact people rent cars to go to hills. So.. with an entry-level automatic car that's not possible?

These cars will easily go on hilly roads. I have personally taken such car(elantra and civic) to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe without any issues. Your friend is exaggerating by saying it can't be taken. Yosemite has awesome hilly roads with steep inclines and super cars. Most recently we took civic and it was loaded with 5 passenger. We didn't face any issues except that FE went down a little.

Put it in auto and it will take care of gears on its own. Use steptronic and you can hold the revs a little bit more in lower gears and it will easily go over hills and inclines. Most parts i drove it in auto only.

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

When I said manual, I meant there is some sort of mechanism to shift through the 4 automatic gears manually (paddles or so).. And yes, I wont be the only driver. She is happy to drive a manual though!

IIRC, Forester with auto doesn't have paddles. It may have steptronic which won't be fun. You can get an audi if you have the budget to buy and maintain it.

Also it seems you are smitten by Forester, so i would say, just go with your heart and buy it. Just put some calculations in. Remember, if you are financing, used will be expensive. Makes more sense to go for new one and get 1% APR. You can consider Outback too if you are ok with wagon label.

[amitoj]

Time for me to get active on this thread.

Will be looking to buy a car in the New Hampshire area (tax free, yoohoo ) by June/July of this year and i am absolutely confused what to do. Finance or lease? New or used? Sedan or Suv or (just for being crazy) pickup truck with a crew cab? Given that we are a family of four, where two will be in child seats, space is necessary. But still, SUVs and those confused things called crossovers are lowest on the list.

Been drooling over the BMW 328i xdrive for some time now.
And also the A4 Quattro
And also the Toyota Tundra

We'll probably need two cars though. One for the wifey for her runabouts and one for me. And since we will be doing quite a few cross-border trips (which goes against leasing) probably it makes sense to have one new car for that. But the first buy will be a car that will be the main car.

So, lots of confusion. Lots of fun!

[dr.abhijeet]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Time for me to get active on this thread.

Will be looking to buy a car in the New Hampshire area (tax free, yoohoo ) by June/July of this year and i am absolutely confused what to do. Finance or lease? New or used? Sedan or Suv or (just for being crazy) pickup truck with a crew cab? Given that we are a family of four, where two will be in child seats, space is necessary. But still, SUVs and those confused things called crossovers are lowest on the list.

Been drooling over the BMW 328i xdrive for some time now.
And also the A4 Quattro
And also the Toyota Tundra

We'll probably need two cars though. One for the wifey for her runabouts and one for me. And since we will be doing quite a few cross-border trips (which goes against leasing) probably it makes sense to have one new car for that. But the first buy will be a car that will be the main car.

So, lots of confusion. Lots of fun!

Budget sir?

I always prefer used may be 1 year or less, for cars that are mid cycle, as the interest rate from my bank is the same.
Which if you are planning for 328xi, you will have to buy new.
personal choice: Toyota tundra 5.7V8 limited .
How about a mildly used CTS-V/ or the new upcoming ATS-V?
Will you consider wagons(A4 Avant/CTS-V wagon);lots of space , not an SUV?
How about Infy G37?(Not a fan of the car, I dont know why)
P.S.--My wife wants the tundra crew cab so much, I am just not sure that she can handle such a big car.

Let the games begin.

[naj]

Hi!!

I have been told to relocate to Midwest Illinois from Pune and should start working in a couple of months .

The place of work is a scattered laid back small town and considering that
I will need two cars , one for me and one for the lady.
I am not looking for something fancy but some thing practical but both rides are to be new.
I am even ok with cheap hatch backs like the Fiesta or the one by GM etc.

Can you all pls guide me on selecting the ride. Any thing which you can suggest. I dont mind leasing /buying with a loan. As the corporation I will be working for actually feeds/runs that and the neighboring counties , so getting loan should not be a problem as told to me.

Cash at hand 10k for the cars.

Please guide me!!

Cheers

[Sahil]

My sister studies in Boston and we have decided to buy her a car. I went to University in Boston too hence am aware of the weather there, an SUV is a must. Considering that she is only 20 years old and thus has had only 2 years of driving experience, anything bigger than a compact SUV might be too much to handle for her.

Given the above scenario, the requirements are:
- Compact SUV with 4 wheel drive to handle the snow day
- Power and performance are not important, would rather opt for fuel efficiency. After the Altis in Bombay for 2 years, anything will feel more than powerful to her.
- Safety is paramount ! She would be driving on the highway often and those speeds can be dangerous even if you are in the speed limit zone.
- Good looking. She is a girl after all thus these things matter to them.
- Must have a maintenance pack and warranty(Similar to BSI)
- Resale value after 3 years

Options at the top of my head (have stuck to the Germans mainly due to their sold build gives me peace of mind on safety)
- Q5 (Seems like the best, also comes in a 2.0T model now)
- X3
- VW Tiguan
- Volvo XC30
- ML (Slightly bigger but the only option from MB as the GLK is too ugly)

The Q3 would have been the perfect fit but it is not available in USA, nor is it likely to launch anytime soon.

I do not have experience in buying cars in the US but I have always been tempted by the used car deals. My only problem with them is the maintenance as most are out of warranty. I do not want her to have to deal with issues of maintaining a car as much so if I can get a used car which has a service pack included and warranty valid for 3 years I will gladly choose that option over buying new. Do used cars bought via an official showroom have this included?

Any tips on purchasing new or used in USA would be welcome.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by dr.abhijeet

Budget sir?

I always prefer used may be 1 year or less, for cars that are mid cycle, as the interest rate from my bank is the same.
Which if you are planning for 328xi, you will have to buy new.
personal choice: Toyota tundra 5.7V8 limited .
How about a mildly used CTS-V/ or the new upcoming ATS-V?
Will you consider wagons(A4 Avant/CTS-V wagon);lots of space , not an SUV?
How about Infy G37?(Not a fan of the car, I dont know why)
P.S.--My wife wants the tundra crew cab so much, I am just not sure that she can handle such a big car.

Let the games begin.

Budget is very much in the 328i territory.

Hmmm.. float like a cadillac or sting like a beemer? I'd prefer sting like a beemer. I dont think I am quite ready for a Caddy yet, somehow. I did consider the A4 Avant also but I dont think i need that much boot space yet.

What's your wife's practicality reason for going for the Crew Cab Tundra? My folks insist that its for construction crew etc and the bed will be practically useless for a normal white collar family.

What are the normal bank rates these days? And there is no difference in bank rates whether you go for used or new, like here in India? By used, i mean certified cars.

[chetanhanda]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

All: I am a newbie when it comes to automatics. I have a question about going to hilly roads / steep inclines. I noticed that my Mazda3 doesnt have any hill mode, asked my friend about it. He explained that basic cars don't have it, and we cannot take these cars to hilly areas, and there is no guarantee these cars will pull when it they are fully loaded with 5 adults, and in fact people rent cars to go to hills. I was surprised, and for a moment regretted going away from manual/stickshift - I hadn't thought about this aspect. My Indica pulled perfectly well on Ooty and Munnar roads (some of those roads were steep) with 5 adults. All I had to do was stay in the right gear, rev enough and take care brakes/engine don't overheat. Of course my Figo could do that even better than the Indica. So.. with an entry-level automatic car that's not possible?

Don't even worry about it - its not that bad at all, I rented the Mazda 3 once.
Your friend seems to be giving very strange advice...honestly.

[amitoj]

I think the certified used cars market is pretty good in the US.

How about 4WD Rav4? Seems to be a hit among the students community there. Plus, with a Toyota, you get some more peace of mind in terms of reliability.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

All: I am a newbie when it comes to automatics. I have a question about going to hilly roads / steep inclines. I noticed that my Mazda3 doesnt have any hill mode, asked my friend about it. He explained that basic cars don't have it, and we cannot take these cars to hilly areas, and there is no guarantee these cars will pull when it they are fully loaded with 5 adults, and in fact people rent cars to go to hills.

As others have said, its not an issue.
I drove the Ford Focus automatic in the White Mountains region without any issues, with four on board. Of course, if I were to attempt the motor road to Mount Washington, then I would not have been even allowed to make that attempt.

[akbaree]

I am not sure Boston's driving condition because I have never lived there but if it has to do with winter and snow - any good 4 wheel drive car is a good option.

I feel you should consider Subaru (Impreza or Outback or Forester or any other) as well. They make some of the best AWD drive cars that perform well in winter/snow and have very good resale value.

If SUV, why not consider Jeep?

There are a lot of certified pre-owned cars that come with extended warranty. If the used car is not very old (don't remember exactly how old but may vary on the car and model) the dealers (thru warranty companies; not manufacturer) offer extended warranties (pretty comprehensive) which are very good - may cost couple of thousand dollars but then over three year's peace of mind, it could be worth.

P.S.: The Audis are very popular in Minneapolis. It took me some time to understand why - because of the the AWD. I see more Audis then BMWs and Mercs combined here. But Q5 as a compact SUV - I am not sure.

P.P.S.: Between Acura MDX is the best rated SUV and is excellent for wintry and snowy conditions. But like Q5, I am not sure about it's compactness. As you are considering Q5, you may like to consider MDX as well. You can research it's smaller cousin RDX - it seems to share the same DNA and is compact

[mempheS.D]

Originally Posted by Sahil

My sister studies in Boston and we have decided to buy her a car. I went to University in Boston too hence am aware of the weather there, an SUV is a must. Considering that she is only 20 years old and thus has had only 2 years of driving experience, anything bigger than a compact SUV might be too much to handle for her.

Since the car is going to be lady-driven, ease of maintenance and service availability is something that needs to be given due attention. Your pick for SUVs all seem from the European stable. And for now, I'll go by the assumption that you've already considered that while you chose your picks listed above, and not merely by the performance of those SUVs.

I would second what someone mentioned above about the RAV4. Highly reliable and comes with a V6 option too. The other option is the Honda CRV AWD although Honda doesn't offer a V6 on the CRV.

In case you are going for a USED CAR, be sure to check 2 MOST IMPORTANT sites:
1. The authority in used and new cars pricing in America is a book called Kelley's Blue Book. It gives prices information for all the models for the last 15 years. It is updated twice a year to reflect the most recent changes. If you are in the process of buying a car I strongly recommend you to buy it. You can find Kelly's online and you can get instant price estimates over the internet. You can search for price estimates online for specific models, makes and get the prices instantly.

2. Run a Carfax title check: before seeing the car in person check the car's history by running a Carfax title check. Carfax is the biggest company in the US and Canada who performs searches on a car's history. Carfax Vehicle History Reports reveal you important background information and hidden problems in a vehicle's past that may affect its safety and resale value. Carfax can protect you to become victim of buying a lemon. Carfax also can identify other key problems in cars, like flooded cars, totaled and rebuilt after an accident, stolen cars, odometer roll-back cars etc.

Hope this helps. Cheers.

[Animesh]

I would vote for Toyota Rav4. It fits all the criteria that you specified:-
1. Easy to maintain
2. Not expensive
3. Compact
4. Toyota is Toyota: Read low maintenance
5. 4WD
6. Good looking whether it is a female driving or a male
7. Doesn't get too much attention
8. Cheaper insurance
9. Good resale
10. Decent Fuel efficiency
11. Safe and robust
12. Need more?

[VLOCT]

Originally Posted by amitoj

.. float like a cadillac or sting like a beemer? I'd prefer sting like a beemer.

I'm not sure that any Caddy currently exist that floats. As someone who owned a CTS-V, I used to eat M5s for lunch. CTS-V handling is tuned in Nurburging in Germany. Beemers got nothing on CTS-V and that's coming from someone who owned a 740iL for 11 years.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by VLOCT

I'm not sure that any Caddy currently exist that floats. As someone who owned a CTS-V, I used to eat M5s for lunch. CTS-V handling is tuned in Nurburging in Germany. Beemers got nothing on CTS-V and that's coming from someone who owned a 740iL for 11 years.

Thank you very much for adding to my confusion

The CTS Sports seems nice, minus the Bose though. Wish i could stretch and atleast get the V6.

[creative420]

I would also vote for Rav4. A friend of mine recently got a used Toyota Rav4 (2 door) for his wife in Uganda. She used to drive a Ford Endevour in India. And now she loves this compact SUV to the core. It's compact, reliable and as he puts it...Uganda-proof.