Need help finding the right car. Lease price needs to be <$250.

ALPINE6SPD · 07-07-2008, 04:40 PM

Honda Fit

DougLikesBMW · 07-09-2008, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALPINE6SPD

Honda Fit

Lol

.

Well I started off my test drive with the base Rabbit model, 5-speed manual. It was rather bleh, steering feel and wheel were not so great. Needless to say I was rather disappointed.

Then I tried the Jetta SE, I believe, as it came with leather seats, etc. The steering wheel was the leather wrapped one, definitely better than the base Rabbit steering wheel. Steering was quite a bit heavier than the Rabbit and had less wobbliness. Overall the Jetta was so much nicer than the Rabbit.

Hopefully I will be able to get into a Black/Black Jetta SE !

Just for the hell of it I am going to check out the Mazda 3 and maybe their hatchback too, but I doubt that I will be able to get the same quality for similar price as far as the Jetta goes.

UdubBadger · 07-09-2008, 01:42 AM

So i see youre dad talked to you and youre kinda set on leasing but consider this 1st... even if its just for comparison.

You lease for $250/mo with probably $2500 down (plus tax, title, tags).
You will be restricted to a certain amount of miles per year and responsible for ANY damages incurred through out the lease. Then you give the car back after 2-3 years and have ZERO to show for it.

You could BUY a used car for $17.5k or so, your payment would be $250/mo (for 5 yr loan at about 6%APR) with that same $2500 down (plus tax, title, tags). You AREN'T limited to miles, you AREN'T required to perform repairs if you don't want to (or at least have more leeway in how/when you can do it) and in the same 2-3 years you would have leased... you'll have equity in the car so you can sell it and possibly trade it in for more than you owe on it and use it towards a new ride when you graduate.

I would suggest going Japanese since you'll get the best resale values. For what you are looking for, I would go for an Acura (or Honda if you like the Accords/Civics but the Acuras are cooler IMO) I have owned an 05 RSX type S (which next to my bimmer was the most fun car to drive) and an 07 TSX which was also a lot of fun and a little nicer on the inside than the RSX. Both of those cars are safe, fun to drive, dependable, fuel economical and hold their values VERY well. You could have a used or maybe even CPO'd one and it will last you WAY beyond your time in college.

heres just a few out there in the Dallas area right now.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/search...2&aff=national

Something to consider I guess.

GL

-Badger

NaTuReB0Y · 07-09-2008, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALPINE6SPD

Honda Fit

+1

Spec 1 · 07-09-2008, 01:33 PM

Personally for the minute price difference I would never consider a Rabbit over a Jetta. The Jetta is the best deal VW has going IMO. I haven't driven the new generation of car but have had a good amount of time in the last gen, and it was an excellent car to deal with for everyday use. Having said that, I think the Civic SI is a better way to go than the Jetta. Honda's are incredible cars for reliability. They're built well and should have slightly less problems than the VW. I owned an Acura for two years and you could literally change the oil every 20,000 miles and be fine (don't worry, I didnt do that). They're incredibly built. VW's have had electrical issues in the past.

Ford's Focus is actually a decent car (did I just say that about Ford?). The new models can be had for your price range, they're good on gas, reliability is good for the first few years which is all you'll need it for, and they're actually not that bad to drive. Just another option.

Notes: Civic SI > Jetta > Rabbit

DougLikesBMW · 07-10-2008, 12:58 AM

Thank you for the helpful posts Badger and Spec1, I really appreciate the time you guys took out to type that up!

Badger - I think my dad is pretty set on leasing, I told him all of the reasons you mentioned as to why we should buy over lease, but he told me that he's aware of all of that, and told me it was more complex than that. Go figure. Also he said that he didn't want a loan for say five years because it's much longer than the leasing terms. He wants to lease for 2-3 years and then jump to a different car. I think he wants to go the leasing route because he keeps telling me to think of the car as just a "throw-away" car, meaning we will just jump to another lease after this lease ends. In the end he is the one who is making all of the financial decisions, so I guess he knows what would be best for me.

Spec 1 - I will definitely go to a local Honda dealer and see if I can check out the Civic SI, however I have been told that I won't be able to get a lease on that car that is similar to the Jetta. Oh, and do you have any more pics of your E30? She is gorgeous! Feel free to PM me

.

Thanks again for your help folks, I will be posting some pictures in a couple weeks of the new ride (most likely the Jetta).

07-07-2008, 04:40 PM	#23
ALPINE6SPD Lieutenant General 160 Rep 10,411 Posts Drives: 2010 BMW 328i Sport Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Highland Lakes NJ iTrader: (2)	Honda Fit __________________ 2010 AW e90 328i: 6 speed, Black Leather, Dark Wood trim, ZPP, ZCW, ZVP,ZSP, Nav, Xenon BMW Performance CF Rear spolier and Gloss black grills 2008 Candy White MKV GTI 2.0T 6 Speed Manul Gone 2008 AW X3 3.0si: 6 speed Returned 2006 AW e90 330i: 6 speed Dinan Stage 1 Returned
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07-09-2008, 01:42 AM	#25
UdubBadger Banned 641 Rep 24,685 Posts Drives: '04 330i ZHP Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Chicago Burbs iTrader: (22) Garage List 2004 BMW 330i ZHP [9.50] 2011 135i [7.46] 2008 328xi [8.76]	So i see youre dad talked to you and youre kinda set on leasing but consider this 1st... even if its just for comparison. You lease for $250/mo with probably $2500 down (plus tax, title, tags). You will be restricted to a certain amount of miles per year and responsible for ANY damages incurred through out the lease. Then you give the car back after 2-3 years and have ZERO to show for it. You could BUY a used car for $17.5k or so, your payment would be $250/mo (for 5 yr loan at about 6%APR) with that same $2500 down (plus tax, title, tags). You AREN'T limited to miles, you AREN'T required to perform repairs if you don't want to (or at least have more leeway in how/when you can do it) and in the same 2-3 years you would have leased... you'll have equity in the car so you can sell it and possibly trade it in for more than you owe on it and use it towards a new ride when you graduate. I would suggest going Japanese since you'll get the best resale values. For what you are looking for, I would go for an Acura (or Honda if you like the Accords/Civics but the Acuras are cooler IMO) I have owned an 05 RSX type S (which next to my bimmer was the most fun car to drive) and an 07 TSX which was also a lot of fun and a little nicer on the inside than the RSX. Both of those cars are safe, fun to drive, dependable, fuel economical and hold their values VERY well. You could have a used or maybe even CPO'd one and it will last you WAY beyond your time in college. heres just a few out there in the Dallas area right now. http://www.cars.com/go/search/search...2&aff=national Something to consider I guess. GL -Badger
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07-09-2008, 01:33 PM	#27
Spec 1 Faster in the Corners 56 Rep 1,062 Posts Drives: '91 E30, '05 ZX6-R, '06 300C Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Portland, OR iTrader: (0)	Personally for the minute price difference I would never consider a Rabbit over a Jetta. The Jetta is the best deal VW has going IMO. I haven't driven the new generation of car but have had a good amount of time in the last gen, and it was an excellent car to deal with for everyday use. Having said that, I think the Civic SI is a better way to go than the Jetta. Honda's are incredible cars for reliability. They're built well and should have slightly less problems than the VW. I owned an Acura for two years and you could literally change the oil every 20,000 miles and be fine (don't worry, I didnt do that). They're incredibly built. VW's have had electrical issues in the past. Ford's Focus is actually a decent car (did I just say that about Ford?). The new models can be had for your price range, they're good on gas, reliability is good for the first few years which is all you'll need it for, and they're actually not that bad to drive. Just another option. Notes: Civic SI > Jetta > Rabbit __________________ '91 M42 E30 - All sorts of goodies.
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07-10-2008, 12:58 AM	#28
DougLikesBMW Fapmin 428 Rep 2,660 Posts Drives: '03 E46 330Ci Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Plano, Texas iTrader: (0)	Thank you for the helpful posts Badger and Spec1, I really appreciate the time you guys took out to type that up! Badger - I think my dad is pretty set on leasing, I told him all of the reasons you mentioned as to why we should buy over lease, but he told me that he's aware of all of that, and told me it was more complex than that. Go figure. Also he said that he didn't want a loan for say five years because it's much longer than the leasing terms. He wants to lease for 2-3 years and then jump to a different car. I think he wants to go the leasing route because he keeps telling me to think of the car as just a "throw-away" car, meaning we will just jump to another lease after this lease ends. In the end he is the one who is making all of the financial decisions, so I guess he knows what would be best for me. Spec 1 - I will definitely go to a local Honda dealer and see if I can check out the Civic SI, however I have been told that I won't be able to get a lease on that car that is similar to the Jetta. Oh, and do you have any more pics of your E30? She is gorgeous! Feel free to PM me . Thanks again for your help folks, I will be posting some pictures in a couple weeks of the new ride (most likely the Jetta).
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