Quote from: Fobroader on March 31, 2023, 03:59:30 pmQuote from: ktm525 on March 31, 2023, 03:21:31 pmQuote from: BritWRX on March 31, 2023, 02:57:46 pmThanks. Lots of good information there. I guess when I think “premium”, I tend to automatically think of the European stuff, as we didn’t have Acura/Infiniti where I used to live and Lexus was a very small player. RX and MDX look good. So, is the MDX similar to a Honda Pilot or is it its own thing? Good to know that the MDX has a more sophisticated AWD system too. I guess my problem with spending big money (for me) on a pre-owned Lexus/Acura is that you’re looking at a 5/6 year old vehicle with about 4 years of use on it already, no warranty etc when you can get a new vehicle for not much more (granted it’s a Kia).Point also taken on Mitsubishi, seems like it has been a dying brand for years and despite the Renault/Nissan alliance, they recently pulled out of Europe, so who knows how long they’ll stay in NA. I sold Suzuki cars for a couple of years actually! Well-engineered for the price and decent, non-pretentious cars that I found quite endearing but mostly smaller cars, so not so well suited to the NA market. Kia/Hyundai is a pretty huge industrial powerhouse in comparison though, I don’t really see them going anywhere, I worry more for the big 3 (although less so Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram bizarrely, as they have the might of Stellantis behind them). Jeep/Ram still very strong brands but maybe Chrysler/Dodge will fall by the wayside in the next few years? Re Kia/Hyundai, a lot of my friends in the car industry seem to think they’re the “go to” option if you just want a decent non-enthusiast car and many now own or are contemplating owning them when they used to drive BMWs/Mercedes. Useful information about the DCT on the Sorento though, I didn’t know that, seems like an odd choice on a car like that when even BMW M/Audi RS cars are going back to torque converter transmissions now. I have to say that I though Kia/Hyundai were cheap crap 15 years ago but all the modern ones that I have driven have been quite impressive (I’d put them right up there with the Mazdas that I have driven).Re VW, I’ve been really pleased with my Golf Sportwagen. VW really imbued it with a high quality feel for a compact car and it (touchwood) hasn’t really missed a beat in the 4 years/80,000 or so km that I’ve had it. It has been more reliable and less rattly than my 2013 Civic and significantly more refined/comfortable than my 2014 Corolla was. I wouldn’t have too much of an issue in owning another VW but the Tiguan doesn’t excite me massively, as it doesn’t have a lot more power than my Golf for its extra girth and VW seemed to have cheaped out on a lot of things post-dieselgate, so the Tiguan/Atlas don’t quite have the same “premium” feel as my Golf has. The Golf averages around 7L/100km, so I’m probably not going to beat that (our van averages about 11L/100km) but IIRC, I used to carpool with a guy who had a 2020 Highlander and he was averaging high 8s, which I thought was pretty decent for that type of vehicle, so improving on the GC should be possible.I think that the LR4/original Volvo XC90 are probably two of the best designed 3-row vehicles ever in terms of utility but sadly both are getting on a bit now and their replacements seem to be less reliable (which I wouldn’t have though possible in the case of the Land Rover but it seems to be true)! All I’m reading about the current Discovery Sport/Discovery/XC90 is engine failures and constant electrical issues, so although my desire is high for those vehicles, my head is telling me to keep walking! Live a little. Put that $45k to the best LR4 you can find.. I will even accept if you get a supercharged V6 with the single speed transfer case. I have had a LR3 and then a LR4 in the stable for the past 14 years. Vehicle does everything. Rock crawls and floats down the highway in silence with an air coddled ride. You will pay to maintain and fuel it though, nothing comes for free. If he's willing to roll the dice on questionable Euro things, might as well get something with an AMG badge. I mean for $45k, thats a lot of MB you can get. If you are going to dabble in drugs, go all the way!! Hire's $50k parts&labour "preventive maintenance" on his minty M5 is a sign of God that mere mortals who don't own their own shop shall not dabble in pretty German things...
Quote from: ktm525 on March 31, 2023, 03:21:31 pmQuote from: BritWRX on March 31, 2023, 02:57:46 pmThanks. Lots of good information there. I guess when I think “premium”, I tend to automatically think of the European stuff, as we didn’t have Acura/Infiniti where I used to live and Lexus was a very small player. RX and MDX look good. So, is the MDX similar to a Honda Pilot or is it its own thing? Good to know that the MDX has a more sophisticated AWD system too. I guess my problem with spending big money (for me) on a pre-owned Lexus/Acura is that you’re looking at a 5/6 year old vehicle with about 4 years of use on it already, no warranty etc when you can get a new vehicle for not much more (granted it’s a Kia).Point also taken on Mitsubishi, seems like it has been a dying brand for years and despite the Renault/Nissan alliance, they recently pulled out of Europe, so who knows how long they’ll stay in NA. I sold Suzuki cars for a couple of years actually! Well-engineered for the price and decent, non-pretentious cars that I found quite endearing but mostly smaller cars, so not so well suited to the NA market. Kia/Hyundai is a pretty huge industrial powerhouse in comparison though, I don’t really see them going anywhere, I worry more for the big 3 (although less so Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram bizarrely, as they have the might of Stellantis behind them). Jeep/Ram still very strong brands but maybe Chrysler/Dodge will fall by the wayside in the next few years? Re Kia/Hyundai, a lot of my friends in the car industry seem to think they’re the “go to” option if you just want a decent non-enthusiast car and many now own or are contemplating owning them when they used to drive BMWs/Mercedes. Useful information about the DCT on the Sorento though, I didn’t know that, seems like an odd choice on a car like that when even BMW M/Audi RS cars are going back to torque converter transmissions now. I have to say that I though Kia/Hyundai were cheap crap 15 years ago but all the modern ones that I have driven have been quite impressive (I’d put them right up there with the Mazdas that I have driven).Re VW, I’ve been really pleased with my Golf Sportwagen. VW really imbued it with a high quality feel for a compact car and it (touchwood) hasn’t really missed a beat in the 4 years/80,000 or so km that I’ve had it. It has been more reliable and less rattly than my 2013 Civic and significantly more refined/comfortable than my 2014 Corolla was. I wouldn’t have too much of an issue in owning another VW but the Tiguan doesn’t excite me massively, as it doesn’t have a lot more power than my Golf for its extra girth and VW seemed to have cheaped out on a lot of things post-dieselgate, so the Tiguan/Atlas don’t quite have the same “premium” feel as my Golf has. The Golf averages around 7L/100km, so I’m probably not going to beat that (our van averages about 11L/100km) but IIRC, I used to carpool with a guy who had a 2020 Highlander and he was averaging high 8s, which I thought was pretty decent for that type of vehicle, so improving on the GC should be possible.I think that the LR4/original Volvo XC90 are probably two of the best designed 3-row vehicles ever in terms of utility but sadly both are getting on a bit now and their replacements seem to be less reliable (which I wouldn’t have though possible in the case of the Land Rover but it seems to be true)! All I’m reading about the current Discovery Sport/Discovery/XC90 is engine failures and constant electrical issues, so although my desire is high for those vehicles, my head is telling me to keep walking! Live a little. Put that $45k to the best LR4 you can find.. I will even accept if you get a supercharged V6 with the single speed transfer case. I have had a LR3 and then a LR4 in the stable for the past 14 years. Vehicle does everything. Rock crawls and floats down the highway in silence with an air coddled ride. You will pay to maintain and fuel it though, nothing comes for free. If he's willing to roll the dice on questionable Euro things, might as well get something with an AMG badge. I mean for $45k, thats a lot of MB you can get. If you are going to dabble in drugs, go all the way!!
Quote from: BritWRX on March 31, 2023, 02:57:46 pmThanks. Lots of good information there. I guess when I think “premium”, I tend to automatically think of the European stuff, as we didn’t have Acura/Infiniti where I used to live and Lexus was a very small player. RX and MDX look good. So, is the MDX similar to a Honda Pilot or is it its own thing? Good to know that the MDX has a more sophisticated AWD system too. I guess my problem with spending big money (for me) on a pre-owned Lexus/Acura is that you’re looking at a 5/6 year old vehicle with about 4 years of use on it already, no warranty etc when you can get a new vehicle for not much more (granted it’s a Kia).Point also taken on Mitsubishi, seems like it has been a dying brand for years and despite the Renault/Nissan alliance, they recently pulled out of Europe, so who knows how long they’ll stay in NA. I sold Suzuki cars for a couple of years actually! Well-engineered for the price and decent, non-pretentious cars that I found quite endearing but mostly smaller cars, so not so well suited to the NA market. Kia/Hyundai is a pretty huge industrial powerhouse in comparison though, I don’t really see them going anywhere, I worry more for the big 3 (although less so Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram bizarrely, as they have the might of Stellantis behind them). Jeep/Ram still very strong brands but maybe Chrysler/Dodge will fall by the wayside in the next few years? Re Kia/Hyundai, a lot of my friends in the car industry seem to think they’re the “go to” option if you just want a decent non-enthusiast car and many now own or are contemplating owning them when they used to drive BMWs/Mercedes. Useful information about the DCT on the Sorento though, I didn’t know that, seems like an odd choice on a car like that when even BMW M/Audi RS cars are going back to torque converter transmissions now. I have to say that I though Kia/Hyundai were cheap crap 15 years ago but all the modern ones that I have driven have been quite impressive (I’d put them right up there with the Mazdas that I have driven).Re VW, I’ve been really pleased with my Golf Sportwagen. VW really imbued it with a high quality feel for a compact car and it (touchwood) hasn’t really missed a beat in the 4 years/80,000 or so km that I’ve had it. It has been more reliable and less rattly than my 2013 Civic and significantly more refined/comfortable than my 2014 Corolla was. I wouldn’t have too much of an issue in owning another VW but the Tiguan doesn’t excite me massively, as it doesn’t have a lot more power than my Golf for its extra girth and VW seemed to have cheaped out on a lot of things post-dieselgate, so the Tiguan/Atlas don’t quite have the same “premium” feel as my Golf has. The Golf averages around 7L/100km, so I’m probably not going to beat that (our van averages about 11L/100km) but IIRC, I used to carpool with a guy who had a 2020 Highlander and he was averaging high 8s, which I thought was pretty decent for that type of vehicle, so improving on the GC should be possible.I think that the LR4/original Volvo XC90 are probably two of the best designed 3-row vehicles ever in terms of utility but sadly both are getting on a bit now and their replacements seem to be less reliable (which I wouldn’t have though possible in the case of the Land Rover but it seems to be true)! All I’m reading about the current Discovery Sport/Discovery/XC90 is engine failures and constant electrical issues, so although my desire is high for those vehicles, my head is telling me to keep walking! Live a little. Put that $45k to the best LR4 you can find.. I will even accept if you get a supercharged V6 with the single speed transfer case. I have had a LR3 and then a LR4 in the stable for the past 14 years. Vehicle does everything. Rock crawls and floats down the highway in silence with an air coddled ride. You will pay to maintain and fuel it though, nothing comes for free.
Thanks. Lots of good information there. I guess when I think “premium”, I tend to automatically think of the European stuff, as we didn’t have Acura/Infiniti where I used to live and Lexus was a very small player. RX and MDX look good. So, is the MDX similar to a Honda Pilot or is it its own thing? Good to know that the MDX has a more sophisticated AWD system too. I guess my problem with spending big money (for me) on a pre-owned Lexus/Acura is that you’re looking at a 5/6 year old vehicle with about 4 years of use on it already, no warranty etc when you can get a new vehicle for not much more (granted it’s a Kia).Point also taken on Mitsubishi, seems like it has been a dying brand for years and despite the Renault/Nissan alliance, they recently pulled out of Europe, so who knows how long they’ll stay in NA. I sold Suzuki cars for a couple of years actually! Well-engineered for the price and decent, non-pretentious cars that I found quite endearing but mostly smaller cars, so not so well suited to the NA market. Kia/Hyundai is a pretty huge industrial powerhouse in comparison though, I don’t really see them going anywhere, I worry more for the big 3 (although less so Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram bizarrely, as they have the might of Stellantis behind them). Jeep/Ram still very strong brands but maybe Chrysler/Dodge will fall by the wayside in the next few years? Re Kia/Hyundai, a lot of my friends in the car industry seem to think they’re the “go to” option if you just want a decent non-enthusiast car and many now own or are contemplating owning them when they used to drive BMWs/Mercedes. Useful information about the DCT on the Sorento though, I didn’t know that, seems like an odd choice on a car like that when even BMW M/Audi RS cars are going back to torque converter transmissions now. I have to say that I though Kia/Hyundai were cheap crap 15 years ago but all the modern ones that I have driven have been quite impressive (I’d put them right up there with the Mazdas that I have driven).Re VW, I’ve been really pleased with my Golf Sportwagen. VW really imbued it with a high quality feel for a compact car and it (touchwood) hasn’t really missed a beat in the 4 years/80,000 or so km that I’ve had it. It has been more reliable and less rattly than my 2013 Civic and significantly more refined/comfortable than my 2014 Corolla was. I wouldn’t have too much of an issue in owning another VW but the Tiguan doesn’t excite me massively, as it doesn’t have a lot more power than my Golf for its extra girth and VW seemed to have cheaped out on a lot of things post-dieselgate, so the Tiguan/Atlas don’t quite have the same “premium” feel as my Golf has. The Golf averages around 7L/100km, so I’m probably not going to beat that (our van averages about 11L/100km) but IIRC, I used to carpool with a guy who had a 2020 Highlander and he was averaging high 8s, which I thought was pretty decent for that type of vehicle, so improving on the GC should be possible.I think that the LR4/original Volvo XC90 are probably two of the best designed 3-row vehicles ever in terms of utility but sadly both are getting on a bit now and their replacements seem to be less reliable (which I wouldn’t have though possible in the case of the Land Rover but it seems to be true)! All I’m reading about the current Discovery Sport/Discovery/XC90 is engine failures and constant electrical issues, so although my desire is high for those vehicles, my head is telling me to keep walking!
Yeah, but thats a Honda VS a Hyundai.....thats like comparing Benelli to a Charles Daly , or a Honda to a Hyundai. The dollar store knockoff will be worth how much fuel is in the tank in 5 years, the Honda will keep its value.
Quote from: Fobroader on April 03, 2023, 01:38:49 pmYeah, but thats a Honda VS a Hyundai.....thats like comparing Benelli to a Charles Daly , or a Honda to a Hyundai. The dollar store knockoff will be worth how much fuel is in the tank in 5 years, the Honda will keep its value.Even worse, it's Toyota vs Hyundai.
Thanks. Some really good suggestions there. Subaru Ascent might be worth a look as an interesting alternative. A pre-owned Acura MDX might be worth a look and the Highlander is a solid suggestion (although stylistically I prefer the previous gen). I just can't get over this though.6 years old, 60,000kmhttps://www.autotrader.ca/a/toyota/highlander/winnipeg/manitoba/5_57997170_ct20041118114217706/?showcpo=ShowCpo&ncse=no&ursrc=hl&orup=2_15_16&pc=R0K+1X0&sprx=-2vs virtually new and a few thousand kmshttps://www.autotrader.ca/a/kia/sorento/brandon/manitoba/5_57962652_20120416133336642/?showcpo=ShowCpo&ncse=no&ursrc=hl&orup=1_3_3&pc=R0K+1X0&sprx=100It almost seems worth if I was going Pilot/Highlander to buy new and benefit from the new car warranty, as depreciation is so low, even though I would blow through my budget?
