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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 25, 2015 - 11:00am PT
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Since I'm always parking in the same lot with lots of lawyers like myself who drive MUCH nicer rigs than myself, I was thinking of going slightly upscale to something like an Audi Q5 (not superduper pricey, but has AWD), mostly because I bust my ass to support my family and feel like I've earned it.
My law firm had quite a collection of pricey partner vehicles. We had two Acura NSX's, a Jaguar XJ-12 A BMW 3.0CS, a Porsche 931, a Mercedes S Class and my more nondesript BMW 5 series cars. I love the handling and steering in my old BMW's (I haven't liked the newer ones). We had a fairly lucrative practice (for an area with relatively lower real estate prices) and I think we justified our conspicuous consumption by saying that it let the world know we must be good lawyers.
As I got older, though, the lure of prestige from goods has vanished. Partly, I noticed that those I admired didn't care about those things. The local gentry more often than not were farmers who drove old full-sized pickups. My wealthiest partner (who, among other things, was a member of Cypress Point) drove an aging 528e and a Chevy Impala. More importantly, I have better uses of money than trying to impress others. I'm happy driving a car with 215,000 miles on it, because I still enjoy driving it and it provides fast, reliable and entertaining transportation.
You sound like someone with the wisdom to avoid that siren song, and I hope you continue to do so. I know we share a law school alma mater, and if you're like my classmates were, it's too easy to misuse our time and resources. Keep up your practicalilty. I'll bet your peers respect that more than any car someone else may drive.
John
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Nov 25, 2015 - 11:30am PT
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I'm tall and have a hard time getting into an outback.
That was my husband's gripe about my Outback, John. The Forester fits his frame better.
Which brings up an important point about whether there is one primary driver or two people who will be driving.
The Outbacks were primarily my car, and since that was our bigger car, we would take that one on longer road trips. He always complained it was uncomfortable for him. Then my husbands little sportier car started having trouble and he decided to go back to a truck. He went out and bought a Tacoma without me. Well, we used to own a Tacoma , when it was a relatively small truck, but this newer one was considerably bigger and it was impossible for me to drive - my feet wouldn't reach the pedals. It was actually dangerous for me when I had to drive it - I had to have a big pillow behind my back and my ribs were practically on the steering wheel.
After the fact I found a website somewhere, something like, "best cars for tall people/best cars for short people" and the Tacoma was one of the worst cars for short people.
The Forester fits us both pretty well. And we both switch off driving it for different purposes so that's a good thing.
one of the reasons we went with the Subarus over other brands was they get relatively better gas mileage than other all-wheel cars (in addition to the snow/ice handling advantages). If you just go by the ratings, yes they are rated less mechanically reliable than Hondas and Toyotas but like BuddhaStalin said, if you are good about maintenance, they are fine.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Nov 25, 2015 - 12:06pm PT
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Re: Fat dad, I was disappointed to hear about the lack of quality in German cars. They got a really good reputation in the 70s and have been riding that for years. Again check the long term index I posted. Many are average in quality or worse. I had a BMW which was really nice to drive, but little things made of plastic that should be metal kept breaking. The window regulators would break, etc. But it did have the original clutch with 140K miles on it.
If I was to buy an expensive car it would be because it's just nicer. I don't care much about prestige or image. But nice cars ARE nicer to drive and just be in. I would look at at Lexus GS which has a good optional AWD system, or an Acura TLX. Or perhaps a Lexus hybrid SUV.
Re: buddha's fun car. I was looking at the Miata recently. If it had a backseat we'd probably have one (have two kids). Very good quality. Very fun to drive. The 2005 and newer felt far more solid and peppy than the earlier ones. The retractable hardtop is slick.
My family is kind of lucky in that we have two cars and a truck. Much less compromise is required. I used to drive a Toyota pickup or 4runner for years. Now I only drive my big diesel truck if I need it, a car is much more pleasant to drive. We may even get a miata and have 4 cars, sheesh, because it's probably either the two seater miata which won't work with the kids at all, or a BMW 3 series, which could replace the suby, but isn't as fun or economical as the miata. And I'd hate to give up the suby for ski trips.
Subys are much more sure footed in the snow than 4x4 trucks. I always see trucks/suvs going way too fast around Tahoe. If you are off road, sure you can't beat a truck, but for snowy/icy roads a suby handles much better with it's lower center of gravity, etc. Unfortunately you get the flatlanders in their SUVs up in the mountains thinking they are invincible until they are stuck in a snowbank, or worse coming at you.
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Nov 25, 2015 - 12:08pm PT
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Buddha and John,
Thanks for your comments. The fancy and more practical aspects of my nature will continue to spar over which car to get.
I suspected the Audi would have some ownership costs, just wasn't sure of the full extent of them and what kind of long term maintainance issues are involved. Also, I get the philosophy behind leasing but, and maybe I'm dense on this front, I've never seen how the costs of continually leasing a new car every three years is cheaper than putting maintainance costs into the same vehicle. Maybe when you combine the costs of purchase with the maintenance costs?
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John M
climber
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Nov 25, 2015 - 12:28pm PT
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Does anyone know how decent the Lexus RX AWD system is? Preferably the older ones. RX300 and RX330 which goes to 2007 I believe. I found an interesting price situation in the larger cities with them. They were often cheaper then those same years Honda crv. It appeared to me that Lexus owners would sell their RXs at about 100,000 miles, and the market wasn't as strong for them as the Hondas, so they were cheaper. Just curious as I have already bought a vehicle. This price difference was not as noticeable on car lots, but rather from private owners.
Phylp, very good point about two different drivers sharing the driving..
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Nov 25, 2015 - 12:36pm PT
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Leasing is rarely, if ever, cheaper than buying, unless perhaps you are leasing for a business.
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steve s
Trad climber
eldo
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Nov 25, 2015 - 12:46pm PT
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Subarus are very popular here in Boulder with women who need all wheel drive. The newer models seem to be disposable i.e. before you hit 100,000 miles get rid of 'em. I will stick with my trust worthy Toyota Tacoma and get a Porsche 911 as a second car.
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Nov 25, 2015 - 12:49pm PT
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After having Moose pull out of the mud (twice) in Indian Creek a month or so ago, Patty and I are thinking of getting a Subaru after the Toyota Sienna goes tads up. Hook it up to a teardrop camper and we are set! Question is; which one has better ground clearance?
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Nov 25, 2015 - 12:50pm PT
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Problem is the classic air cooled 911s have skyrocketed in price.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Nov 25, 2015 - 12:53pm PT
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Just sold our Sienna. More carefree miles and tows better than my Suby.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Nov 25, 2015 - 12:56pm PT
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Generally Metrosexual vs. Openly Gay owners - the only real difference...
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Gearhead
Trad climber
Novato Ca
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Nov 25, 2015 - 01:10pm PT
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I got a 2014 Outback in July. It had 6000 miles on it and comes with a better warranty than a new one (Dealer Certified) I drove nothing but full size American 4x4's all my life. This car is more stable and goes everywhere I've ever gone in one of my trucks. I'm a machinist/mechanic/welder, so I'm pretty anal about maintenance on my vehicles. All my vehicles have gone 200k plus on original engines and drive train. I hope this ones the same, so far I'm impressed. The cvt takes a little while to get used to. Once you get the feel for it the acceleration problem is solved.
P.S. the guy who was looking for the A.C. 911 can pm me. I have quite a few 911, 912, 356, and Karmann Ghia's from the 60's to early 70's.I always have some that I'm willing to roll.
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Nanobody
Trad climber
Fresno, CA
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Nov 25, 2015 - 02:35pm PT
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I love my Outback. Has no problem getting into shuteye, or handling the snow
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BuddhaStalin
climber
Truckee, CA
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Nov 25, 2015 - 05:52pm PT
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Does anyone know how decent the Lexus RX AWD system is? Preferably the older ones. RX300 and RX330 which goes to 2007 I believe. I found an interesting price situation in the larger cities with them. They were often cheaper then those same years Honda crv. It appeared to me that Lexus owners would sell their RXs at about 100,000 miles, and the market wasn't as strong for them as the Hondas, so they were cheaper. Just curious as I have already bought a vehicle. This price difference was not as noticeable on car lots, but rather from private owners.
Phylp, very good point about two different drivers sharing the driving..
Lexus is Toyota and toyota is lexus. The highlander and the RX are both built out of a camry. The AWD is the same. Powertrains are the same.Its just an upmarket vs standard market version of the same thing with different options.
People get gun shy, selling off your car at 100k inst uncommon, but people confuse maintenance and wearout parts with breaking down or needing repairs. Its just part of the service ife of parts is all. Once you hit 100k you have to replace a few things. The more people understand what and why, the more open, the less they understand, the more they think lemon and offload that thing.
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BuddhaStalin
climber
Truckee, CA
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Nov 25, 2015 - 05:59pm PT
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I suspected the Audi would have some ownership costs, just wasn't sure of the full extent of them and what kind of long term maintainance issues are involved. Also, I get the philosophy behind leasing but, and maybe I'm dense on this front, I've never seen how the costs of continually leasing a new car every three years is cheaper than putting maintainance costs into the same vehicle. Maybe when you combine the costs of purchase with the maintenance costs?
Leasing isnt the greatest, but works for my situation. there are advantages, like always being under warranty, having the car always be new, and that sort of thing. I do my own maintenance, so I save there. But car ownership is never a profitable enterprise, they all cost something sometime. I wasnt sure if I want to keep a forester, I wanted to try one. Leasing now is definitely better than leasing several years ago. I dont pay all that much all things considered, and when the 3 years is up, I return it with all its door dings and so on, and I can make my next choice. Prob wont lease again, but it was perfect for the time.
After working on all makes of cars in the 90's and owning both german and japanese, I will say that I enjoy german, but buy japanese. Even volvos are pretty expensive to main tain and have the worst resale value. Its all about what you want and need, as long as what you got makes you happy, boom, youre there.
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Nov 25, 2015 - 10:10pm PT
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I've had a 2006 Forester XT, and a 2011 RAV4 V6. Both had plenty of power and were good to drive. The Forester had an emission issue related to the turbocharger. Was about a 1000 to fix. Otherwise both were perfectly reliable. I've got a bit of a lead foot, so am guessing I might have been less happy with the regular 4 cyl versions of either.
And with decent tires, on gravel roads or in light snow, both handled better than my current vehicle, a 4Runner. It's only when the snow gets deep or the road really rough that the 4Runner has an advantage.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Nov 26, 2015 - 08:18am PT
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For the Lexus RX300 question Toyota/Lexus has a variety of awd and 4wd systems. Looks like the RX300 has a good awd system
the solution was to make an all-wheel-drive option, combining an integrated transfer case with a viscous coupling center differential and an optional limited-slip rear differential. It provides a 50/50 front-to-rear power split for even traction, and we surmise that this system, along with the transmission in the "Snow" mode that starts the RX 300 off in second gear for less slippage, will be useful for residents of colder climes.
With the limited slip differential option you could be putting power to 3 wheels at once which is really good.
http://www.edmunds.com/lexus/rx-300/2000/road-test/
My dad has a newer highlander. It has a magnetic coupler in the viscous center differential where it normally goes in front wheel drive unless it slips then applies power to the rear wheels. So good mpg. But it has a "snow" button which engages the magnets and gives it a 50/50 power split up to 25 mph.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 30, 2015 - 02:56am PT
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Thanks for all the comments. We ended up getting a Forester, which has made my life much better by lifting my wife's mood several notches. Now I just need to figure out I can talk her into borrowing it for some trips to Shuteye, when the time comes.
John
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
Shetville , North of Los Angeles
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Nov 30, 2015 - 05:04am PT
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JEZLarian....Borrow the new car..? Don't rock the boat...
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