Car Shopping Round 1

After repeated calls from the Kia dealer, I decided to start looking at cars yesterday afternoon. I started at the Toyota dealer, first because they really only had one car I was interested in, and second because it’s at the extreme end of the highway that most of the dealers closest to my house occupy. I think with a couple exceptions every brand available in RI has a presence along Route 2. So in spite of the kid I talked to trying to sell me anything else but a 4Runner, I drove one. It’s not as big as I thought but still plenty roomy. It’s an honest truck based SUV, and the one I tested didn’t have many frills or unnecessary extras. It would be great for camping trips or hauling things, and I have no doubt that it’s plenty capable in any situation I’d be likely to throw at it, and then some. The problem is I’ll be using this car primarily for commuting in often heavy traffic. The truck based MPG and truck based ride kind of don’t make sense there. Even though the thing has some torquey grunt, it’s a big heavy truck so it doesn’t get off the line quickly. What I’m getting at is I think the 4Runner is great, but not the right tool for the job. I’ll probably look at it again when we decide to replace the Jeep.

The next stop was a Ford dealer. I didn’t actually drive anything here. I sat in an Explorer and a Flex. Both were very nice, but HUGE. Way too big to serve primarily as a daily commuter. I also took another look at a Taurus, just to be sure. I quickly confirmed that they are oddly small inside, like a reverse Tardis. The kid also showed me a Fusion even though I explained my issue with them. I get the impression that maybe he got some extra incentive if he sold one. Unsurprisingly, the center console remained unchanged, so I had no interest. I will say that all the Fords I looked at were nicely appointed. With the exception of the Flex what I looked at were midlevel trim models (The Flex was the only one on the lot and had all the options save a couple minor cosmetic things). Ford has really stepped up their game in this regard. I was impressed, but the individual pieces didn’t come together in a way that worked for me.

I drove down the road to the Hyundai dealer. I really only wanted to see a Genesis. After a brief glance at a Santa Fe and Tucson to ensure that they really are nondescript egg-like CUVs, I spoke to a sales person and drove a Genesis. There’s a reason Hyundai is using this car as the breaking off point into a luxury brand. This thing is NICE. It’s slightly bigger than the Optima, and the base model has more bells and whistles than I really want or need but it was comfortable. It’s also laid out intuitively, which is something car makers seem to struggle with as they cram more gizmos into products. I wouldn’t call it fast, but it hit highway speed with no effort, and it wasn’t afraid to pass. For a bigger car it corners well. There’s apparently also a sport mode that the salesman didn’t show me until after the test drive. I’m not sure it would make a huge difference, but I’d like to find out. I priced it out, and it’s easily in my range. This thing makes the short list.

At this point I was running into the time I had agreed to meet up with the Kia salesman, so I made my way down the road to the dealership. I was expecting it to be a quick trip, as I’d already decided the Sorrento is too big, and the only other option is the Sportage, which looks eggy. Or at least the 2016 model did. They’ve recently updated the looks and released the 2017 model (in March?). It’s slightly less hideous, and I’ve had good experiences with this salesman and this dealership, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt and drove one. If you’re in the market for a car and not sure what you want, dump any preconceived notions you may have and go look at a Kia. They’re putting together some decent cars for fairly reasonable prices. The Sportage I drove was an EX, their midlevel trim. But it had heated leather seats, dual climate control, a heated leather steering wheel, a huge fancy power sunroof I would probably never use, and all sorts of the warnings and nannies and things that people want now.

It drove fine. It wasn’t exciting. The ride was fairly smooth. The seats are comfortable. It was capable on the highway. It’s got space for people and stuff. It’s a good solid all –around car. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. If it was crazy cheap I would consider it. The problem was, it wasn’t crazy cheap. It’s not expensive either, no Kia is except maybe the K900, but I’ve never actually seen one in person. They may be a myth. These things are fresh off the truck and Kia is trying to flush out the 2016 models, so there’s no incentives on them. That combined with the fact that I need to dispose of the Optima put the price just a few dollars shy of the Genesis. I can’t think of a reason I would do that to myself.

It took me about four hours to run through this gauntlet. I think they were fairly productive. I eliminated Toyota and Ford, and unless something interesting happens, Kia. I didn’t expect the Genesis to make the cut, but it’s currently a top contender.  I’ve also come to the conclusion that most SUVs are probably a bad fit for my situation, even if I like them (Jeep). I’ve also got time. I don’t need to rush to find something, and I can make sure I’m getting a  good deal when I figure out what I want.

On a final note, I’d like to encourage you again to go look at a Kia if you’re in the market for a new car. My opinion is likely strongly colored by the good experience I had at the dealer (Bald Hill Kia) and with the salesman (Al Paulo). The thing is, Kia really is building good cars now, and for the price it’s hard to beat the options. If they made an all wheel drive Optima, I’d take one in a heartbeat. They don’t currently, and the AWD options they do have aren’t meeting up with my personal taste and use case. Maybe they’ll meet yours though.

I'm in the Market for a Car. Want to Read About It?

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I find myself once again in the market for a new car. I’m currently leasing a Kia Optima. This is the first time I’ve ever gone down the lease road. I may not have considered it but at the time it seemed like the most viable option given the situation. It hasn’t been bad so far, but I may feel differently when the lease is up and it’s time to turn in the car. Speaking of the car, I have been really pleasantly surprised by the Kia. It’s well put together, sporty (for a midsize sedan), and not bad to drive. I might even consider keeping it, except that I went for a less equipped model because of the situation at the time. There are a few things it’s missing that I’d really like to have.

This puts me in an interesting situation. I like cars and driving but I wouldn’t exactly call myself an enthusiast or an expert. My wife calls me a car snob, but she has to listen to me talk about cars. I live in an area with a prolific variety of car dealers. I don’t really hold any brand loyalty. I do have a fondness for Jeeps, and admittedly, I’ve owned as many Chrysler products as other brands combined. That said, I’d like to explore all the options.

But this leaves me with a lot of choice. The auto industry is probably the best it has been in my lifetime. No matter what your requirements are there is a good car to meet them, and probably two or three. If I randomly wandered on to dealer’s lots I would probably waste a lot of salespeoples’ time getting lost in all the options.

So I’ve decided to put together a list of requirements in order to narrow things down. Oh yah, I’ve also decided to write about my experiences and the cars I look at in order to give you a layman’s view of the car buying process. Maybe we’ll all learn something. Maybe (likely) you’ll all laugh at how stupid I am. Anyway, here are my requirements:

NEW (or possibly CPO) – In the past I have purchased used cars almost exclusively. The depreciation hit a new car takes alone is worth it. I would still consider a used car if the right one came along. The problem is (1) the used car market, at least in my part of New England is really ugly. It’s almost as if cars don’t take anywhere near the depreciation hit they used to. (2) there are A LOT of used cars out there. At least for the purpose of trying to decide what I really want, it’s better to focus on the new ones. Maybe after I narrow things down to a specific model or two I’ll take a look and see If I can get a deal on a gently used example.

AFFORDABLE – I’m going to avoid talking actual numbers here because I think it’s crass. If you pay attention you’ll be able to figure out what the range is anyway. I will let you know if I come across a great deal. Something like $10K below MSRP for example. Anyway, the goal here is to keep both my payments and my insurance from making me want to drink when I get the bill every month. I should also note here that I’m open to leasing again if the terms are favorable.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION – I know; hardcore car guys shun autos. This is part of the reason I don’t claim the enthusiast title. My wife and I can both drive a stick. The problem is the area of the Midwest where we both learned to drive is MUCH flatter with much straighter roads than Southern New England. My wife doesn’t want to worry about making a mistake in bad weather or heavy traffic and causing an accident. She will occasionally drive the car. I can’t blame her. Auto it is.

AWD/4WD – I understand the arguments. I know without a doubt that a good set of snow tires will do more in winter weather than AWD. I have driven front wheel drive cars and even a rear wheel drive pickup in northern winters without major problems. Still, the weather is unpredictable here with intense rain and snow blowing up out of nowhere from time to time. It would be nice to have an extra bit of traction when things get interesting. It also limits the pool of contenders a bit.

SEATS 4+ - I honestly don’t have passengers, other than maybe my wife. Still, it’s nice to be able to cart visitors around when we have them without having to rent a bus. I may need to take the dogs somewhere at some point too. I can’t see fitting all three of them in a two seat coupe.

WIFE’S APPROVAL – She will have to drive it occasionally. She will have to be seen with me driving it. I’m spending our money. She gets a say.

Other things that would be good to have, but aren’t deal breakers if they aren’t possible:

SEAT 4 COMFORTABLY – Like I said, sometimes we haul visitors around southern New England all day. Ever ridden in the back seat of a Mustang?

25 MPG COMBINED – Gas is fairly cheap now, but I’m not holding my breath that it will stay that way. 25 MPG combined isn’t too much of a stretch given current engine technology. Also: environment and stuff.

HEATED/COOLED SEATS – the better to be comfortable with.

HEATED STEERING WHEEL – Every winter I want one more and more.

REMOTE START – I never knew I needed this until I had it. I’m not sure I can live without it anymore. I love going out to a pre-warmed car on a cold morning. I know, it’s not so environmentally friendly.

USABLE CARGO SPACE – we like to go places. It’s nice to take stuff with us, especially if we’re also bringing the dogs. I also have a decently sized garden and lots of home and yard projects. The more cargo space, the better.

FUN TO DRIVE – This should probably be required rather than nice to have. The practical side of me says this shouldn’t matter. I’m stuck in slow traffic for part of my average commute anyway. Even so, there is a great deal of value to me in having something that is enjoyable to spend time in since I spend at least of an hour of my day there. I’ll probably end up putting a great deal of weight on this quality.

So that’s it. My plan is to throw up my longlist of options in the next post with some preliminary thoughts. I would love to get suggestions and thoughts as I’m going through this process. You can even tell me I’m making mistakes. I’m open to constructive criticism. Please don’t tell me “FORDSUCKSCHEVYRULEZ!!!!” though. I already know.