New Car Confusion

3523 Views 25 Replies 13 Participants Last post by vega, Mar 27, 2007

vega

Discussion Starter · Mar 19, 2007

gah its been so long since ive posted here, im almost surprised my account logged in. anyway.

time has come to get a new car, but first things first. im not getting rid of my rex. basically, the only car im really considering at the moment is the rsx type-s. my spending range is in the 15-17k range, which is pretty easily covered by the 2002-2003 model. ive read a number of reviews for the car, lots seem to be almost bias, im curious as to what people here think. im not hell bent on this car, but right now, im excited about it. im not sure what it will do to my insurance, but my driving record has cleaned up quite a bit in the last few years.

enough rambling, basically id like to know:
1 - whats an expected price on a good to like-new condition?
2 - miles?
3 - what other cars can i consider? ive looked at the 350z, its still a bit out of my range, outside of that, i dont want something everyone and their neighbor owns. the rsx is fairly rare here in alabama, which has its pros and cons.
4 - whats it drive like? i havent gotten the chance to drive one because, as i mentioned, its pretty rare here.

any insight you guys have would be awesome. blue book value is confusing as well, should i expect to pay more or less than what it claims?

more importantly, the crx is doing well, just put new headlights on her yesterday.

beau

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

jfrolang

· #2 · Mar 19, 2007

I was just looking at these on autotrader a few days ago, just for fun.

Your price range is right on target, as the price range I saw for 02s and 03s was 14k to 16k.

The standard when buying a used car is to multiply the car's age in years by 12,000. I would expect an 02 to have ~60k on average.

I'd also consider a Celica GT-S, or a WRX.

I haven't driven one since about 2003, but they drive amazing. The clutch and shifter feel good, the ride is luxury-soft if you're used to a modified CRX, and the handling is crisp for its class.

Blue book value is the average price you'd expect to pay for a car with said condition and given mileage. They break it down in trade-in values, used car values (person to person), and retail (dealer) values, so it's easy. If you're a haggling man, you should be paying no more than that amount (trade-in value no less).

bil

· #3 · Mar 19, 2007

MarkWilliamson said:
All you need to know:

New car = new car payment!

Well, at least one. ('

Of course, my experience is that:
old car == repair bills

And the more cars you have, the more bills. But at least you can put some of them off.

Ragnaarok

· #4 · Mar 20, 2007

well my good friend just turned in his '04 rsx type-s after leasing it for a few years. it's a mighty fun car, and I took it all the way to 8200 rpm many times.

being an acura, it's a little on the soft side, made for luxury a bit. that's a plus if you prefer it, as my friend did. he has since moved on to a used s2000.

again his was a 2004 model, with about 30,000 miles, and it was worth around 18,500. or so he said, I haven't run the kbb report or anything.

if you can, test drive it and put it through its paces, for me it was fun to play with but I wouldn't buy one. however you could always modify it to suit your taste.

downest

· #5 · Mar 20, 2007

My roommate has one, I like it a lot. It's amazing how little they have depreciated in so many years...

For a new car it's a lot of fun. It's pretty quick, handles ok from the factory, and of course it's a Honda so it's reliable and has great aftermarket support. My roommate's car is an 03 (he bought in 03), and he just clicked over 100k miles a couple of weeks ago. It's had only maintenance repairs, no problems at all even with the high mileage. It's definitely a lot of fun to drive, I like it better than the 06+ Si (but not the TSX

). Go test drive one, Acura is pretty cool about that around here, I've gone for fun and driven a couple, but definitely get the Type-S, the base is... meh.

New Year's Day:

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chet90si

· #6 · Mar 20, 2007

Well my opinion is definitely biased since I just bought one...
but your price range falls right in the area of a used 03-05 WRX.

Seriously man, they're SUCH fun cars. Also, Subarus depreciate like hell, so your 15-17k range could find you a nice low mileaged car. Plus, wouldn't it be cool to own two cars whose names both end in "-RX"?? :lol:

chet90si

· #7 · Mar 20, 2007

Oh, and I highly considered the RSX when shopping for a new car, but once I realized that I could get behind the wheel of a Turbo'ed AWD car for the same price as the Acura...well, I couldn't resist.

HackAbuse

· #8 · Mar 20, 2007

Cobalt SS FTW

Supercharged 2.0 - 205-220whp Stock

Will fetch you a 14.1-14.5 in the quarter if you can drive good (stock)

imgoingforit

· #9 · Mar 20, 2007

Yeah, I don't see myself buying an American car in the near future, and quite possibly the distant future either.

-Chris

downest

· #10 · Mar 20, 2007

chet90si said:
Well my opinion is definitely biased since I just bought one...
but your price range falls right in the area of a used 03-05 WRX.

Seriously man, they're SUCH fun cars. Also, Subarus depreciate like hell, so your 15-17k range could find you a nice low mileaged car. Plus, wouldn't it be cool to own two cars whose names both end in "-RX"?? :lol:

Does it mean anything to you that the Acura hasn't depreciated as much?

chet90si

· #11 · Mar 20, 2007

downest said:
chet90si said:

Well my opinion is definitely biased since I just bought one...
but your price range falls right in the area of a used 03-05 WRX.

Seriously man, they're SUCH fun cars. Also, Subarus depreciate like hell, so your 15-17k range could find you a nice low mileaged car. Plus, wouldn't it be cool to own two cars whose names both end in "-RX"?? :lol:

Click to expand...

Does it mean anything to you that the Acura hasn't depreciated as much?

Not at all. When I buy a car, I intend to keep it until the end of its life. Resale value means nothing to me.

And I hope you're not implying that Subarus aren't reliable. They are (except when stupid 18 year olds get a hold of them and insist on trying 4 wheel burnouts :rolleyes1: ).

downest

· #12 · Mar 20, 2007

I wasn't saying anything about resale, and I know subies are reliable... but it still says something that it's depreciated more. I love the WRX as well, but remember it's a different kind of car, 4dr wagon or sedan vs a hatchback coupe.

mattminerDOTcom

· #13 · Mar 20, 2007

I think Tom was leaning more towards the retains its value thing.

Personally I only worry about high resale value on a brand new car, on a used car I want them to depreciate like whoah. I only wish STis would deprecite even faster!

I like the RSX and all, but I dont think used you are getting alot for your $$$.

[email protected]

shortA25

· #14 · Mar 20, 2007

I just bought an '06 Type S last summer. You can see the topic I made w/ some pics below:

http://crxcommunity.com/viewtopic.php?t=3361&highlight=

I like it a lot, just turned over 20k miles and haven't had any problems other than replacing both low beam bulbs. It rides smooth and is a huge upgrade from my CRX. It was weird going from the minimalist CRX to a luxury car with power steering, locks, windows, working A/C and heat.

It's decently quick and handles pretty well. Though it was an '06, it was technically used because it had 8100 miles when I bought it. I paid around 24k for mine, so 15-17k for a useed '02-03 seems appropriate. Anyway, I don't think you can go wrong with an RSX. Good luck w/ whatever you get. Later,

- short-A

andrey320

· #15 · Mar 20, 2007

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/car/296655401.html

Ragnaarok

· #16 · Mar 20, 2007

andrey320 said:
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/car/296655401.html

I don't know if you got the wrong link, but how does an LS400 tank-of-a-car compare to a crx or rsx ??

vega

Discussion Starter · #17 · Mar 20, 2007

awesome response time guys, glad to see the board hasnt died down at all. i have actually thought about the wrx. the acura's interior is beautiful. like i said, i havent gotten the chance to drive one, but im planning to sometime this week. i like what i hear from you guys, the feedback is great, and very appriciated. im at work right now, so i cant scan very much.

thanks again

andrey320

· #18 · Mar 20, 2007

Ragnaarok said:
andrey320 said:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/car/296655401.html

Click to expand...

I don't know if you got the wrong link, but how does an LS400 tank-of-a-car compare to a crx or rsx ??

No, thats the right link. I guess it was just a suggestion or a thought more for myself then for Vega. I am just saying that for that much money, you can have an excellent luxury car.

Ragnaarok

· #19 · Mar 20, 2007

andrey320 said:
No, thats the right link. I guess it was just a suggestion or a thought more for myself then for Vega. I am just saying that for that much money, you can have an excellent luxury car.

I see your point. That's true, for the same money you can get a heck of a lot more car than just an RSX. In the high teens, if you adjust the model year, you could get so many different cars. That's the only problem I have with Acura vehicles, it's great they hold their value once you have one, but to get into one it hurts the wallet even more than a nice Honda.

But the RSX is a great car, my friend had no problems with it except for the suspension. He had one corner worked on under warranty three different times the first couple years he had it. Harsh ride coupled with clunking noises, that then went away once parts were replaced. Weird.

rex2nr

· #20 · Mar 20, 2007

A friend of mine had a Type S, with Tein coilovers, an Injen intake, and Rota wheels with Kumho MXs on it. It was quite fun and held the road really well.

I'm not sure what one would be like stock though.

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

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