Are expensive cars worth it?

[buldog5151bass]

I don't know if it is, because like many basses, you can't really go try one out in a realistic way. Sure, you can drive one for 5 minutes at a dealership and spend the next 30 trying to get the salesman off your back, but that isn't really the same thing.

What I'm trying to is get info from people that know more about these things than I do. I think I spelled out that for me "worth it" would be objective, practical improvements in durability and reliability; would be technological advancements that make the vehicle more efficient since I drive a lot; and if there are any real changes that make the actual drive more comfortable or pleasant.
If a Corolla and a Camry have the exact same transmission, suspension, and engine, that means there won't be a substantial increase in reliability, and the efficiency might be less in the bigger car because of its size. So then that wouldn't be worth it, since size is a small factor for me; I'm alone in my car 90% of the time, I'm a class D\Barefaced kinda guy, I don't have toys that need hauling, and my wife has an SUV for big stuff.
Similarly, if a Lexus was to use the same tech, and they just have nicer interiors and a shinier badge, that isn't worth anything to me. However, if they have a more precision engine that will keep ticking longer, that does mean something to me. Horse Power is nice, but isn't worth a lot to me since my drive a straight shot of 75mph on the freeway for 35-40 minutes. I was able to get 80k out of my brakes because I don't sit in a lot of stop and go.
What I really want is to not have to think about my car anymore. I'm sort of jealous of the posters that say they've been able to get 200k out of cars that only needed gas and oil (tires and brakes are unavoidable as well.) I've only been driving for 23 years (I didn't get a car until I was 20) but it would be hard for me to add up the number of them that I've gone through. I'm over the revolving door. I would have held on to my Mazda 3, but the fates just weren't having it. My Focus has been one thing after another, although admittedly, and thankfully, nothing super serious.

Plenty of millionaires driving cheap/old cars. Plenty of people spending more money on their cars than they should. In general, you are getting a better car, but you are spending more for the bling than the upgrades.

Priorities.

 

[CatchaCuda]

Why no Mazda 3? My girlfriend still drives an 05 3, and it's been pretty good to her. I'd imagine yours was newer?

 

[fingerguy]

Bass will last forever, a car will not. But if you have stupid money then go for broke. Me I will stick to my Subaru's; unless I can justify a 4-Runner.

Leases won't fit for my needs.
Used isn't always the best choice
I prefer new and drive it into the ground.

 

[fretter]

The thing that has always scared me about used cars is you are going totally commando. If you buy new, the warranty doesn't last long, but at least you have one. With a used car, you could drive a bomb off the lot, have it croak, and be totally on the hook for it. I know many dealers laud their multipoint, whiz bang inspections, but I trust dealerships about as far as I can throw them.
I also wonder, why did someone give up the car? If it was a good car, still under warranty, with low mileage, in a color that isn't dreadful, why would they trade it in or give it up?

If you buy new, you're still going to have to deal with the dealership. Might as well get a good deal on a lease, or buy a certified preowned model. With dealerships, in my experience, it doesn't matter as much about the brand of car, as it does how much the particular dealership cares about its customers. Of course, there's always the tried and true method of buying private party and getting it checked out by your mechanic.

 

[socialleper]

Why no Mazda 3? My girlfriend still drives an 05 3, and it's been pretty good to her. I'd imagine yours was newer?

Mine was an 07. It had 120k on it when Jiffy Lube stripped the bolt hole on a $800 dollar aluminum oil pan. They are a franchise and the owner refused to accept any responsibility. The corporate office said it was between me and the owner.
NEVER use Jiffy Lube.
It would have cost me over a grand to fix a car worth $3000, so I traded it in. That was in 2014. I got a good 7 years out of it, despite having to replace all the motor mounts.
I haven't ruled out getting a Mazda again. The current models don't have a lot of outstanding reviews, so the 3 or 6 aren't my first choices.

 

[Pilgrim]

I've always been a used car buyer, as it helps me drive what I want, as per my earlier statement. This includes:

1963 Pontiac Grand Prix (a boat, but fun)
1966 GTO
1970 Datsun 240Z
1976 Datsun 280Z
1977 Chevy Monza Spyder (V8, 4-speed)
1980 Chevy Citation Sport 2-door, V6, 4-speed
1982 280ZX
1983 280ZX Turbo (still have that car 34 years later)
2008 BMW 328xi Sportwagon (manual)

And my wife's cars have included:

1985 Plymouth Duster Turismo
1980 Mustang turbo
1984 Audi 500S Turbo
1990 Audi 200 (Turbo)
1993 Audi 90S Quattro (V6, manual)
1994 BMW 325i

Not many boring cars in there. I've done the mechanical work on just about everything, except for automatic transmission rebuilds on a couple (one more reason I don't like automatics - I can change a clutch, no sweat.)

Along the way we've had a couple of boring cars for family use - a 1999 Chevy Blazer that was an appliance (I called it "a toaster with wheels"). Our 2007 Nissan Murano was an improvement over the Blazer in terms of power, handling and storage, but the rubber-band transmission and vanilla driving style got boring.

All of which further illustrates the assertion that "you drive what you want, not what you need."

If we all drove what we need, we'd all be driving Checkers and the Checker company would have survived and added all wheel drive to their cars. There are few cars more practical than a Checker, but unfortunately nobody wants them.

 

[socialleper]

If you buy new, you're still going to have to deal with the dealership. Might as well get a good deal on a lease, or buy a certified preowned model. With dealerships, in my experience, it doesn't matter as much about the brand of car, as it does how much the particular dealership cares about its customers. Of course, there's always the tried and true method of buying private party and getting it checked out by your mechanic.

I don't have "a mechanic." The dealership does all my work. All the mechanics in my city are as crooked as the dealerships and twice as busy.
That's another reason I want a no-maintenance car. These jerks are just trying to suck money out of you and it is nearly impossible to prove or verify anything they are doing.
I hate mechanics, doctors, lawyers, and sound engineers, in that order of dislike.

 

[socialleper]

I've always been a used car buyer, as it helps me drive what I want, as per my earlier statement. This includes:

1963 Pontiac Grand Prix (a boat, but fun)
1966 GTO
1970 Datsun 240Z
1976 Datsun 280Z
1977 Chevy Monza Spyder (V8, 4-speed)
1980 Chevy Citation Sport 2-door, V6, 4-speed
1982 280ZX
1983 280ZX Turbo (still have that car 34 years later)
2008 BMW 328xi Sportwagon (manual)

And my wife's cars have included:

1985 Plymouth Duster Turismo
1980 Mustang turbo
1984 Audi 500S Turbo
1990 Audi 200 (Turbo)
1993 Audi 90S Quattro (V6, manual)
1994 BMW 325i

Not many boring cars in there. I've done the mechanical work on just about everything, except for automatic transmission rebuilds on a couple (one more reason I don't like automatics - I can change a clutch, no sweat.)

Along the way we've had a couple of boring cars for family use - a 1999 Chevy Blazer that was an appliance (I called it "a toaster with wheels"). Our 2007 Nissan Murano was an improvement over the Blazer in terms of power, handling and storage, but the rubber-band transmission and vanilla driving style got boring.

All of which further illustrates the assertion that "you drive what you want, not what you need."

If we all drove what we need, we'd all be driving Checkers and the Checker company would have survived and added all wheel drive to their cars. There are few cars more practical than a Checker, but unfortunately nobody wants them.

What the heck is a Checker?

 

[Mike N]

Mine was an 07. It had 120k on it when Jiffy Lube stripped the bolt hole on a $800 dollar aluminum oil pan.

You could have fixed that with a $20 Heli Coil kit.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Plenty of millionaires driving cheap/old cars.
Priorities.

I knew one that exactly fits this description, back when I lived in L. A.

 

[Stewie26]

I have always been a sports car enthusiast. I like cars with lots of power, handles well on a curving mountain road, and with sexy artistic styling. So yep, certain cars are worth paying more for if you are in to that. If not, then drive your boring econobox that still gets you from point A to B. It just that simple.

 

[socialleper]

I have always been a sports car enthusiast. I like cars with lots of power and sexy artistic styling. So yep, certain cars are worth paying more for if you are in to that. If not, then drive your boring econobox thats still get you from point A to B.

What I am trying to figure out is whether or not econoboxes don't last as long, or if there is a truly tangible improvement in confort\ride. Of course the ads say there is, but ads are lies in pretty boxes and utterly useless.
I want to know if a $50k car is more likely to stay on the road for 200k or 300k vs a $20k car. So far no car I've owned has made it past 130k of constant use.

 

[buldog5151bass]

What I am trying to figure out is whether or not econoboxes don't last as long, or if there is a truly tangible improvement in confort\ride. Of course the ads say there is, but ads are lies in pretty boxes and utterly useless.
I want to know if a $50k car is more likely to stay on the road for 200k or 300k vs a $20k car. So far no car I've owned has made it past 130k of constant use.

Depends. Price is not usually an indicator of longevity. It's more the brand and maintenance. Yeah, there are Mercedes that have gone hundreds of thousands of miles, but plenty of expensive cars that #$%!#% the bed a 80K.

 

[Stewie26]

What I am trying to figure out is whether or not econoboxes don't last as long, or if there is a truly tangible improvement in confort\ride. Of course the ads say there is, but ads are lies in pretty boxes and utterly useless.
I want to know if a $50k car is more likely to stay on the road for 200k or 300k vs a $20k car. So far no car I've owned has made it past 130k of constant use.

I am not the guy to ask as I don't put that many miles on a car. That said, my sister in law has the small 1991 Lexus that she does daily long commutes with. She has over 500,000 miles on it. Most of those miles are freeway miles. We have been trying to convince her to buy a new car for safety reasons, but she refuses.

 

[socialleper]

Depends. Price is not usually an indicator of longevity. It's more the brand and maintenance. Yeah, there are Mercedes that have gone hundreds of thousands of miles, but plenty of expensive cars that #$%!#% the bed a 80K.

It is good to know that price isn't an inherent indicator of reliability.

 

[Pilgrim]

What the heck is a Checker?

Ah, the untutored yout's of America.....

Checker Motors Corporation was a Kalamazoo, Michigan-based vehicle manufacturer and tier-one subcontractor that manufactured taxicabs used by Checker Taxi. Checker Motors Corporation was established by Morris Markin in 1922 through a merger of Commonwealth Motors and Markin Automobile Body.

Checker made the iconic American taxi cab, valued by taxicab companies for its durability in heavy use. Special features included wide rear doors, large rear seats and trunks. The company had trouble competing with fleet discounts offered by the larger manufacturers, as well as economies of scale in procuring components. The final models were produced in 1982.

Checker Motors Corporation - Wikipedia

Checkers came in a variety of layouts including stretch limos and station wagons, and even the basic sedans had more room than most passenger cars, meaning all the room we really need. They mostly had sensible 6-cylinder engines, which is all we really need, right? Add AWD and you have a vehicle that technically meets the actual needs of just about everyone in the US who doesn't actually need a pickup - and most pickup drivers don't need a pickup, they want one.

 

[fdeck]

In my view, most people don't need AWD either. It's my understanding that proper snow tires make a bigger difference than AWD. We now have a set of snow tires for each car.

 

[Pilgrim]

What I am trying to figure out is whether or not econoboxes don't last as long, or if there is a truly tangible improvement in confort\ride. Of course the ads say there is, but ads are lies in pretty boxes and utterly useless.

I want to know if a $50k car is more likely to stay on the road for 200k or 300k vs a $20k car. So far no car I've owned has made it past 130k of constant use.

The answer is entirely subjective.

What car, how do you drive it, where do you drive it, how do you maintain it, and what are your expectations in terms of maintenance and repair?

Econoboxes are cheaper, made with cheaper plastic and interior materials, and less robust suspensions. Trim and interior parts will fail faster than more expensive cars. Replace them and you're OK, but the cycle will happen faster than in a car with better materials.

City driving with stop and go is much harder on a car than highway driving. I knew a gent with an early 70's Caddy who had a quarter-million miles of highway driving on it. He had never had to open the engine, just tune-ups, oil and filter.

Shocks will go earlier on bad roads, Tires get damaged by bad roads. Suspension bushings wear out faster on bad roads.

How do you maintain a car? Do you fix EVERY item that goes bad, as soon as it goes bad? Parts will break, and the only way you get a car to 200K or 300K miles is to never let a problem go unfixed. You get after every problem, every broken part, and you fix it instead of letting it go on.

Why? Because no part costs what a replacement car costs. Get it done. Over time, you may replace many of the systems in the car, but you haven't been making car payments, so it should be no problem to do the maintenance and repair. Transmission go? No sweat, rebuild or replace. Engine burn oil? Do a rebuild. Front end get loose? Replace parts as needed, align, go drive it.

Do you oil the hood hinges, change transmission fluid, oil and filter, lube the chassis, and do every other maintenance item listed in the owner's manual? Why NOT? Because those are the things that keep the car pleasant to drive and dependable. Most people fail at this.

The reason cars "wear out" is usually that owners get tired of them and find an excuse to replace them. They also stop doing needed maintenance and repair, then use the resulting problems as an excuse to sell the car.

So if you want a 300K mile car, you already own it. All you have to do is decide that you will drive it to 300K miles, and do the maintenance and repair required to achieve that. You may rebuild much of the car over that period, but you won't have to buy another car during that time.

If your cars have "worn out" at 130K, my guess is that you're not maintaining or repairing them adequately. My current BMW 3-series is at 125K and runs great. My 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee is at 185K miles and runs like a watch. My wife's last BMW 3-series was sold at 176K miles because she wanted to get into a new model since she's on the road a lot....but there was no mechanical need to sell the car.

 

[fdeck]

What I am trying to figure out is whether or not econoboxes don't last as long, or if there is a truly tangible improvement in confort\ride. Of course the ads say there is, but ads are lies in pretty boxes and utterly useless.
I want to know if a $50k car is more likely to stay on the road for 200k or 300k vs a $20k car. So far no car I've owned has made it past 130k of constant use.

We drive econoboxes, one of them is getting close to 120k and is still running great. I strongly doubt that doubling my purchase price would result in doubling the lifetime of a car. A fancy sound system won't make a car last longer.

How you drive, and how much you drive will make the biggest difference.

Yes, there are some differences in comfort. For one thing, more expensive cars tend to be bigger. That's likely to result in a smoother ride, better soundproofing, more spacious interior. I suspect that "ride" is subjective. I've been in cars that are "fun to drive" and mainly it seems like you feel the bumps more, big deal.

If you buy new, you're still going to have to deal with the dealership. Might as well get a good deal on a lease, or buy a certified preowned model. With dealerships, in my experience, it doesn't matter as much about the brand of car, as it does how much the particular dealership cares about its customers. Of course, there's always the tried and true method of buying private party and getting it checked out by your mechanic.

The days of haggling with the dealership may be numbered. A relative of mine just bought a new car. When it came to discussing price, she looked up the average selling price of the car on her cell phone, showed it to the salesman, and he agreed to that price. She wrote a check for it. Done. I look forward to the day when I can order a car on the Internet and having it delivered to my house.

Of course, a trustworthy mechanic is worth their weight in gold. I wouldn't take a car to the dealer for anything but warranty service. When I go to the dealer's service department, the person who interacts with me is a salesman. When I go to my mechanic, I talk to a mechanic.

 

[GBBSbassist]

The days of haggling with the dealership may be numbered. A relative of mine just bought a new car. When it came to discussing price, she looked up the average selling price of the car on her cell phone, showed it to the salesman, and he agreed to that price. She wrote a check for it. Done. I look forward to the day when I can order a car on the Internet and having it delivered to my house.

I absolutely think it's going away. There's been a stigma about car salesman for a long time, and I've personally experienced the whole stereotypical pushy salesman type several times while looking for a new car, so the stigma wasn't just magically fabricated at some point. There are just so many old school sales tactics that just don't work any more because of the amount of information the consumer has at their fingertips. I've even personally shot down a "You won't find this cheaper anywhere else!" by pulling up a dealer 20 minutes away from the one I was at.

I read an article the other day about dealerships struggling to keep younger salesman employed. Often times, it's a stepping stone for a less commission based career. I don't think sales in general is going anywhere, but I do believe the whole haggling on new large consumer purchases is. People in my generation and younger want goods to priced at a reasonable cost where the manufacturer gets a profit and we get the item we want. I'm not personally interested in having to have the gift of gab to get a fair deal on something.