The Car Quest

The Latest Blog Post • Posted 1 year, 5 months Ago • March 24, 2007

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I’m pretty bad at making decisions. Whether it’s at a restaurant figuring out what to eat or which college to go to, I’m always plagued with too many options and no clear winner. The process of elimination determines 90% of the decisions I make, and I figured out that number by eliminating the 10% of decisions that I make compulsively or instinctively.

Disclaimer: I know almost nothing about cars. All my decisions are based mostly on looks and the opinions of my friends.

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I’m going in to take my license test on Tuesday, so I’m looking to get a car sometime in the very near future. Now, for the record, I love the new Audi A5. It’s design is great and it seems like a good all-around match based on what I’ve read so far. But it’s probably going to be pretty expensive. Once it comes out. Which won’t be till the end of this year.

So till then (and perhaps past then if I make the right choice) I need to get a car. Now, there are millions of cars out there so here are a few criteria to narrow it down a bit:

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The Lookout

Design. Call me shallow and vain, but I want something that looks good. I’m a designer. I want something with the right blend of executive and sporty. I don’t want a sports car/convertible (too sporty) or something that looks kiddy. In terms of all-time car design, I love the Carrera (997), M3 (E46) and A5 the most.

Power. I’m not looking to break any records or anything, and I don’t drive like a moron but it’s nice to have acceleration sometimes. An M3 or something would probably be too much, but I figure at least around 200 would be nice.

Good interior. I’m going to be in this thing a lot (hopefully) so it should be both comfortable and good looking. Gadgets are ok, but good sound and tasteful/useful design is important. I love light or cool looking interiors.

Coupe. A coupe would be good because I plan to be using it alone most of the time, or perhaps have one passenger occasionally. Not going to be transporting a family or something. Not that I have something against 4 doors, but usually coupes look nicer and are more compact. Not too big a fan of wagons/hatchback/avant/whatever it is called without the regular truck, (ie. VW golf) though some are alright.

Grey. Or white. Most of the cars that I like (including the A5), I’d want in grey. Not silver, but the regular metallic grey color. Although on certain cars white would look good too. Grey is by far my favorite car color though, and I think it looks good on pretty much anywhere.

Short Term. Unless I get something I absolutely love or something (even though that is the goal), I’ll wanna get rid of it within about 8 or 10 months (and maybe pick up an A5 or something really nice like that). So that kind of puts a different perspective on the decisions, especially of buying a new car. Though if I find something that does all the above really well, I might have no reason to want to get rid of it for something that better. Hard to explain, but this could possibly be considered a short term purchase. But then again if I get a great deal on something like an M3 or just any car that turns out to be lovely, I might just hold on to it for a long time…

Something Good. Lastly, I just want it to be an awesome car. Although it might be for a short time or learning thing, I am (planning on) going to travel and drive around extensively, especially over the summer. So I’m going to be spending a lot of time with it, and I want it to be something good.

Budget. My budget really depends on the car. It could possibly stretch to 30k (if it was something worth it like the A5 or M3) but ideally I’d want to keep it to around 15-20k, at least especially on a used car. But once I narrow it down to a certain model, I can start negociating the great deals. Again, unless something really stands out. I want someting with a lot of bang for the buck, but also just a lot of bang overall.

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The Showdowns

A few decisions that I have to make:

Manual v Automatic

I’m leaning towards manual, almost decided actually. I don’t know how to drive one yet, but it can’t be that hard and I figure it’d be something good to know. Not to mention it’s cheaper/better on the car/more powerful and they say its funner.

Japanese v German

I think the German cars have more style and class, but the Japanese ones are much cheaper and run well. Quite a predicament, I’m split halfway.

New v Used

Unless there’s a sweet car that I’d want to hang on to for a long time (A5 perhaps, or something else [that’s what I’m looking for right now, after all]) I’d probably want to get something slightly used. Just because there would be less depreciation. But…

Lease v Buy

Might be more affordable this way. It’d be interesting to get a short lease (like a year or something? Maybe two if it’s really good.) or pick up a lease on a car. In the end, mathematically, I think they both turn out to be pretty much the same in terms of how much money you end up spending. Not too worried about this one, more worried about what car to get first — then how to get it.

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New Cars

Pros: Covered by warranty, don’t have to worry about repairs. Newer tecnology/styles (not necessarily always better though).

Cons: Will cost more, paying a big premium for the newness. Won’t have access to higher end cars (unless lease).

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2007 Civic Coupe (Si?)

• Doesn’t look that great
• Reliable, good brand
• Decent interior (haven’t actually been in one)

2007 Toyota Scion tC

• Looks pretty nice, better than the Civic I think
• great value, can get one easily (<20k) — same for the civic though
• Some negative opinions, possibly unfounded

Honda Accord Coupe

• Looks nice, better than Civic
• More expensive
• Not the best car in the world, but reliable and decently powerful if configured right

Volvo S40

• Looks sweet
• Reviews not that great

06/07 Audi A4 (B7)

• More expensive (at least 25-30k+)
• Looks pretty sweet, not as great as A5 or M3 but still wouldn’t mind one

2007 Acura TSX

• Nice design
• Quite expensive ~30

2008 Audi A5

• Looks perfect (at least from the pictures & videos)
• Coupe
• Not out till end of the year!
• Possibly pretty expensive when configured (US prices not announced yet)

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Used Cars

Pros: Considerably cheaper or better for the same price. Not paying to take it off the lot. Can afford higher end cars.

Cons: Worse condition than new (depends on past user though). Older technology. Possibility of breaking, will need to do repairs, etc. If not still in warranty. Not as reliable.

BMW 325i / 330ci (E46 - not the new ones)

Design is ok - has some issues though, not as good as M3
Decently powerful
Paying for the brand, repairs will be more expensive
Value questionable, compared to modern new cars or lower end cars
15-20k?

Volvo 24x

Very safe
Very old
Pretty cheap
Doesn’t look that great

Honda Accord Coupe

• Looks decent.
• Don’t know too much bout it.
• Falls into good price range, ~10-15k

Acura RSX-S

• Powerful
• Looks nice (I’d want a white one)
• Expensive to maintain
• 15-20k

Audi A4 (04/5 B6)

• Looks pretty nice, some minor design flaws
• Sedan (would rather have a coupe, but whatever)
• Decent specs, etc.
• A little pricy, cheaper than new one though though
• Possibly unreliable?
• 15-20k

BMW M3

• Sweet design
• Very powerful
• Too powerful (expensive engine that I might not need)
• Used/worn
• Will cost a lot to repair etc. if it gets messed up (and not under warranty)
• Insurance will probably be expensive too, given the general statistics of the car.
• At least 30k, pretty pricy
• Sweet design!

Porsche Carrera 997

• Awesome design!
• Way too expensive for a first car, would be at least 40k – far too much
• Awesome design!

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I will post updates as I eliminate cars, add them or lean towards one. Right now everyone is suggesting different things, and a lot of the cars seem decent. I’m sure that any of the cars here work well and would do the job in the end. But I want to find the one that I would like best (going to go check them out in person sometime later) and would fit the best.

If anyone has some suggestions, resources, ideas, etc. I’d love to hear them!

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