Brain Fertilizer

I'm just going to rename this blog: "My New Car Blog".

One of the things I think that the test-drive writers miss when they give reviews of cars is perspective.

I mean, sure, they drive alot of cars, so they get a good idea of what kind of rattle gets annoying after a while, how much power you need to merge, which seats are just plain the least comfortable. And they can pass that on to the consumer to purchase the best car.*

But here's the thing. I say that my car is excellent compared to a Sentra, Corolla, Civic, Focus, Cavalier, Neon, Spectra, Excel, etc... And I may insist that I think it is the equal to the Camry, Accord, Altima, Sebring, etc (lacking some things I don't care much about but for a significantly lower price)... But I'm not actually comparing this new car to those, am I? I'm comparing it to the car I drove to work over the last four years: a 1991 Toyota Corolla. So if my Verona lacks an inch of legroom the Camry has, I'm only going to notice that there's more space in the back seat of my new car than my old car, even with the driver's seat pushed all the way back. I'm only going to notice that it has more power, more torque, smoother shifting, and quieter operation and drive than my 2001 Corolla.

I say that Honda priced themselves out of my loyalty. That's sort of true. I did get onto their lot to see what was offered for what price on their Civic Value Priced car. But I saw that they were adding things like a trunk liner, ugly rubber floor mats, splashguards, etc, that I didn't want to pay for, and lacking a few things I would prefer, like cruise control, or maybe manual transmission for better mileage/acceleration. When I went to look at any of their other models, the prices jumped to above $17,000 way too quickly.

When I went to look at Kia (the Optima, specifically), it was to see what kind of car I could get that was supposed to compete with the Accord and Camry for around $10,000. But again, when you started getting a few options that are nearly non-negotiable, like a V-6 for decent power for that size car, CD player, power locks, etc, you were over $17,000. If you wanted the leather, it was over $21,000... ...for a car reputed to just about disintegrate before your very eyes the day after the bumper-to-bumper warranty expires. But I guess they got me on the lot to at least look.

I went to look at cars this time for the Ford Focus. I'd heard about its "spacious" interior and "deft, European handling". Well, I felt jammed up against the salesman (also over 6'0" and wide-shouldered), and I felt every bump in the road and heard the road noise. The salesman suggested we try a Suzuki, and I very nearly blew him off based on the derision I've held toward the Grand Vitara, XL-7 and Samauri (which at least one reviewer said was totally unfair...). But I went to check and was stunned by how comfortable the ride was, how much power it had...and, of course, how much I got for the listed price. Keep in mind, I was comparing to the car I drive daily. So I just had to be impressed enough to get into research. What I learned in research led me to go into negotiations. And the negotiations went well enough that I got a car I love for the price. Would I love a BMW 5-series more? Yes. But I'm not willing to pay that price.

I got my car for $14,700 flat out. Let's take a look at all the other sedans I could get for under $15,000. Be sure and notice how many of them start just barely under the magic $15,000 mark, and consider how little you probably get on that baseline car, and how easy it is to go over just with floor mats, base sound system and air condititioning.

Suzuki hit on the lure to get me in and interested. It will be interesting to see if any other companies figure it out...or if I'm unique enough in my cynicism and frugality to make it worth it for any company to try...

*I'm ignoring some of the conflict of interest aspects of car magazines that accept advertising from car companies...