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February 23, 2005

New Car II « Car Issues »

So last night I purchased a brand-new 2004 Suzuki Verona S. I paid $14,700 and got $500 for my 1991 Toyota Corolla in Fair condition with $146,000 miles...

Here's the thing: I don't think there is a car out there that is as good as the Verona for that price. (The same goes for the Forenza, but I didn't buy one of those...)

If you have a chance and would like to purchase a new car, I'd go to your local Suzuki dealership and see if they have any 2004s in stock. The engine, materials, style, and everything is identical to the 2005...the only thing they add for 2005 is the side-impact air bags. So you can get a brand new car that they are desperate to get rid of, that should have been off the lot last October.

The Verona compares well with mid-range Accords and Camrys in looks, fit and finish, materials, and size. But a similarly-equipped Civic or Corolla or Ford Focus or Dodge Neon (all a step below) will cost you a few thousand more than a brand new 2004 Verona.

I'm sure you could get a Forenza (which compares favorably in all but power and gas mileage to all entry-level vehicles in everything but gas mileage) for an even cheaper price.

I think even the 2005 models are worth checking out, and probably still the best deal going. There are cheaper cars out there, yes. You can get a Kia Rio or Spectra or a Hyundai Accent. There are cars out there with better gas mileage and more power, like a Ford Focus or Honda Civic.

But the Suzuki represents a far better value than any other vehicle, in my opinion. The cheaper cars don't have Suzuki's quality. The more powerful cars don't have Suzuki's inexpensive price. The cars with better reputation don't have all the added extras without going into the upper echelon prices. You can walk out of the dealership with a brand new 2005 Suzuki Forenza S for the neighborhood of $15,000 (maybe less). A similarly-loaded Honda Civic would cost you at least $3000 more, and you'd also overpay for bunches of gee-gaws you don't really want, like mudflaps and a trunk tray.

In some ways, having all the extras be standard is nice: it simplifies things, and you get all the stuff you normally want even on a baseline vehicle like the S. In some ways, I admit it is a problem, in that you can't mix and match things. There's no way you can just get the sunroof on an S without simply upgrading to the LX level, with the extra things (like alloy wheels) that you may not want.

I keep comparing it to the Accord and Camry, but when it comes to options, it even beats out the "cheap" cars like the Kia Optima. Because when you go to look at the $10,000 Optima, and you think of the options that you really want, like a 6-cylinder engine, cruise control, CD player, floormats, etc... you very quickly get into the $18,000 range.

And for what it's worth, Intellichoice.com rates the Forenza S and Verona S (but not the LX and EX models, strangely) as being Top 10 for both low depreciation and low maintenance costs. For a car that's only 2 years old (they factored that in), it's pretty impressive.

One thing you'll note at Edmund's reviews of the Verona S, is that while the professionals rate the car only a 6.0 out of 10, the actual owners rate it an overall 9.1 out of 10. I'm going to wait a few months before I put my rating in, but I think I'll probably be about the same. I think the reason for it is, the professional writers just judge a car on its merits alone. They don't have to drive a Kia or Hyundai long enough to see it disintegrate before your eyes (within about 2 years lots of the stuff is broken or shabby looking), they don't own an American car long enough to hear its rattles and squeaks. And they certainly don't need to worry that much about price.

And price matters. I'd be depressed if I paid $30,000 for this car, sure. I'd have a heart attack if I'd been able to get this quality for less than $5000. I don't care how good a Civic is, if it costs my $19,000, I'm going to be a little unhappy, wondering how much I paid just for the reputation. Every time I get in this car, I'm going to think about how comfortable it drives and how nice it looks and how I would have gotten a noisy, boxy, cramped car from any other car company for the price I paid, and I'm going to feel quite happy and proud. The professional writers don't really get to have the experience to add to their writing.

Oh, and I found a picture of the same car, same color for your viewing pleasure.

Posted by Nathan at 06:09 AM | Comments (1)
Comments

Nice car! I expect to be taken for a drive in it if I'm in the neighborhood sometime... lol

Wish I had a new car. We drive an '89 Acura Integra Rustbucket, but it was free. Some people in our church gave it to us while my husband was ministering there, so we'll probably drive it unitl it literally falls apart. We also have a '93 Villager (yes, I am ashamed to admit that I do drive a mini-van) with a dented-in side door and a collection of bumper stickers. That one was free, too, because Rick's mom passed away and left us $10K. We went to the lot and bought it outright. It's been a very good vehicle, I must admit, even if it is a mini-van.

Congrats on the car, and thanks for the advice.

Posted by: Kris at February 23, 2005 02:22 PM
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