Ohai - Since you’re full of knowledge on Acura… What’s your view on the RDX? I’m not likely to go this path as I’m really leaning sedan, but if I punted my existing SUV, this could be an option. I am seeing the fuel economy and ride on these would be 100x better then my 4Runner. And this would have AWD.
^Thanks for talking me out of letting my wife test drive one for her new car shopping venture!
Nissan Altima
To answer that question, let’s first consider the original RDX from 2006. It was the sportiest of the CUVs (a category that can be traced back to the original CR-V before other companies began to copy it). It had a performance oriented chassis, AWD, and came with a turbo charged engine with a high redline. Honda rarely makes turbo cars, even today. So, this powertrain was especially unique back then.
This kind of car was very appealing to Acura enthusiasts. However, it failed to attract the wide interest of CUV/SUV buyers, who generally just want a comfortable ride with good space for kids and their crap. These buyers instead gravitated towards other car models, like the Lexus RX or even cars from non-luxury brands.
Acura’s response was to make the second RDX more like its competitors. The car became bigger and softer. The turbo 4 was replaced by Honda’s company 3.5 liter V6. In other words, the RDX became just like any other CUV. On top of that, Acura pasted the ugly beak grill on the front of the car.
So, how fo I feel about the current RDX? The answer is, I feel nothing. The car is just like other CUVs. For your money, it’s not a bad choice, but there’s no real reason to choose the car either. You would probably be better off with the updated CR-V (year 2015 or later), Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4, or one of the various competing Audis and BMWs.
I’m aware of the difference in the second gen RDX and was considering a 2012 1st gen if anything. I liked the idea of the performance focused CUV. Now you’re right, the Audi/BMW alternatives probably fit better, amongst the new options. All very helpful.
Summon my man HP. He’ll give it to you straight.
I love my Navigator.
Chad has the Genesis and loves it.
when my car was in the shop i was given an A6 3.0t, 2015 model. dont test drive it, youll fall in love. 335xi is really nice for a bmw. The non german cars loose their appeal quick imho. There is a q50 parked outside my apt everyday and the style doesnt do it for me. i would suggest sticking to audi or bmw
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No complaints about my Acura TL so you can’t go wrong with Acura.
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Ohai needs to start his own blog
I repeat… Nissan Altima
some serious hacksaw cars here…
Nissan Altima is not bad. It is just not as good as Accord or Mazda6. Mazda is trying to get market traction, so they go all out on this model. Honda just got everything right somehow.
I have a bare bones 2011 328i. I love it. Fund to drive, and not terribly expensive. I will keep it until 60k miles or so before the infamous bmw oil leaks start to hurt my wallet.
If you’re open to leasing you can lease a 2014 335i M sport for $500 per month, or less depending on your state taxes. Amazing car.
^ Not really into leasing. This will be a cash purchase. Like I said, I’m cheap, I hate having monthly bills and payments. Cars aren’t investments, so why am I levering one up? The 335i would come in right at my upper limit so it may be worth a look (and comes with the xDrive option). Again, reliability concerns weigh on me with the BMW, but I will probably add this to my test drive list. Anyway, on the Altima comments, I test drove an Altima a year or so ago and I hated the CVT. The shifting was terrible. Makes me reluctant to try another CVT driven car. The Subaru Legacy would qualify based on my requirements, but that CVT? Hmm… And Gringo: Hacksaw cars? Some of us financiers prefer having cash to a depreciating asset. Give me the choice between an Accord and $75k cash or a A8 and $0 and its a no brainer. Now if I were an insecure single guy, maybe I’d throw more cash at a car. But I’m not either of those so I’m more into a car that’s reliable, but still fun to drive and at a reasonable cost.
I understand your sentiment about leasing, but I would only want to own something Japanese, which to me means boring. I leased, then took the buyout option on my car, negotiating heavily both times and getting the extended warranty thrown in. Essentially I financed over 6 years total with a very low interest rate. I hate shelling out large quantities of cash, especially for a depreciating asset. With promotional financing of 0.9% I have no idea why anyone wouldn’t at least finance part of that over 3 years.
For what its worth, I am getting offered around 15% off MSRP for 2014 model 335s as of last week.
Altima V6 with CVT is not bad, because you just step on the gas and the thing throws you forward. With the 4 cylinder, the CVT is unpleasant, as it just drones on. It’s kind of like when you drive an automatic and you feel the point before the transmission shifts up, but it is not as intense and does not go away.
just get a 3 series. it hits all your points - fun to drive, very good fuel economy for the performance, and you can easily get a low mileage pre-owned for high $30s.
I’ve had mine for about 8 months and i love it.
^ I certainly plan to test drive a 3 series and see if its worth it. A low mileage CPO is certainly in budget.
CPO is the way to go with a BMW, at least around here. You get a ton of maintenance perks (oil changes, tire rotations, etc.) and extended warranty.
The 335 is a very fun car to drive
Hmm. With BMW, CPO is conducted by the dealer. Don’t trust that the car is reliable just because it has undergone the 100 point check, or whatever that is. Look at the Car Fax (or Canadian equivalent) and make sure it does not have a history of going for service at non-scheduled intervals. The dealer can say “sure, I just patched this, so I can certify this check point”, but if the car is the lemon, it will probably just break again. When you see a used BMW that is priced below comparable cars, this sometimes shows that there is an issue.
Listed CPOs for 2011 BMW 335xi’s are around $40k here. Ouch. Around 100,000km (60,000 miles) on the clock.