How to Buy a Car: Part 3 - Test Drives

Never, under any circumstances, buy a car you haven't driven!  You need butt time in the seat to determine if you like the way the car drives and if it's comfortable.   

Let me give you an example why the test drive is so important:

Recently I was looking at four cars to replace my Nissan Pathfinder--the Nissan Altima, Chevy Malibu, Nissan Maxima, and Ford Fusion.  I had already done my research and those four cars were in my price range, offered the features I wanted, and had received good reviews from a number of automotive publications. 

The Altima was my top choice, until I drove it.  The steering was vague, and while I didn't mind the CVT transmission, it would drone under full throttle and didn't snap off crisp gear changes, even in the manual shift mode.  It also felt cheap inside, with cheap plastics, and I didn't like the orange font on the stereo or gauge cluster.  But what really bothered me was the noise level and ride quality.  It rode like a ten year old Honda Civic, which is okay… for a ten year old Honda Civic. 

I also drove the Maxima, which despite being built on the same platform as the Altima, was a revelation.  Many automotive journalists have bashed the Maxima for costing as much as an Infiniti without being as good to drive.  They argue that the Altima is a better car for a third the price.  But as a used vehicle, the Maxima is a screaming deal.  It has Nissan's 3.5 liter V6, which is one of the best engines of all time.  It's got immediate power and will go from 50-90 miles an hour faster than you can say, "Scotty, I need warp speed now!" 

But the Maxima also suffers from the same Jack o' Lantern display as the Altima.  And even though the ride was sublime until you gave it the beans, it just didn't feel quite right to me.  I can't explain it, but I just didn't love the car like I wanted to. 

I think part of the reason was because I drove the Chevy Malibu and Ford Fusion.  I know it sounds like I'm comparing cream to creme brulee', but hear me out--both the Malibu and Fusion nail the right balance of ride and handling for the midsize car segment.  They also offer more features and nicer interiors than the Maxima.  Neither car will show its taillights to a BMW 3 Series, but they aren't supposed to.  You won't take a Malibu or Fusion to Laguna Seca.  You also wouldn't take a Maxima to Laguna Seca, although Nissan's marking to position it as the "four door sports car" make you think you should want to. 

The last car I drove was the Ford Fusion with a V6.  It was almost as fun to drive as the Maxima, but it had a nicer interior and more features.  In my everyday slog to work, those things are more important.  A quiet ride, heated seats, Bluetooth connectivity to my phone, are more enjoyable than a snarling exhaust note, track tuned suspension, and whippet handling, when I'm commuting in stop and go traffic. 

If I hadn't driven those four cars, I'd have picked the Altima and never looked back.  Instead, I ended up picking the Fusion.  I liked the looks, and the interior.  It felt like a quality car and checked all my boxes.  I started looking for a used one with leather and a V6.  I found several on the internet within 30 miles of my house, including one in one of my top colors.  And on a cold, damp November Saturday, I headed for a Ford dealer in Raytown to see a man about a Fusion. 

But things didn't go exactly as planned...  

When to Say Goodbye to a Car

I've owned cars that I couldn't get rid of fast enough.  There was the 1973 VW Thing which had the speed and weather protection of a Conestoga wagon; a Porsche 924 with a failing clutch; and a tan 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme...  Just because it was a tan Oldsmobile.  Each time, I had some regret selling the car for sentimental reasons.  But in all those cases, I knew it was time to say goodbye for practical reasons or because I had a more favorable option.  Usually both.  

Now it seems I'm again reaching the time to make that choice.  My 1999 Nissan Pathfinder, a truck that my wife and I have owned for over 11 years, is starting to break down in ways that make me question its reliability.  Normally I would just keep driving it until it died and then take the plates off it.  However, since my wife uses it to commute to the airport twice a month, where it sits for 4-5 days, I need a reliable car.

But at what point do I say goodbye to the Pathfinder?  It's a question that nags at me for two reasons:  First, it's an honest, capable SUV that's been a solid, reliable workhorse.  It has a real 4x4 transfer case with a mechanical linkage connected to both hi and lo drive ranges.  I've used it for camping, hauling lumber and tile, the occasional lawnmower, and even stuff to the dump or the Salvation Army.  Not that I really need all of the Pathfinder's capabilities, but it's nice having an old truck around when you need to just throw some stuff in the back of it and go.

The other reason is sentimental.  It's the first car my wife and I bought together.  Our son was two months old at the time and we were looking for more reliable transportation to replace Nicole's old Bronco II.  (Yes, there seems to be a pattern here...)  Over the years since then, we've taken the Pathfinder on trips to Iowa and all over Kansas and Missouri, racking up 140K miles in the process.  Through all that time it's been a reliable, faithful companion requiring nothing more than gas and occasional maintenance.

Until about three months ago...

The first sign of trouble was when the Pathfinder refused to start in my driveway.  It was towed to a local repair shop which discovered that the electronic ignition had failed.  Now lately it's been sputtering and losing power on the highway.  And in addition to whatever is causing that problem, I know I'm due for another round of tires, bakes, a transmission fluid service, and possibly new struts.  Added up, I have a nice down payment on a newer car.

To me, the time to say goodbye to a car is when the cost of repairs, other than routine maintenance, adds up to more than the value of the car.  Or when you know that the next $800 repair bill won't be your last and that you're about to spend more over the next year at the mechanic than you would making car payments.

I don't think I'm there yet--close--but not yet.  Besides, I'm doing yard work this weekend and have some home improvement project coming up, so I'll need an old truck to haul mulch/rock/lumber and miscellaneous supplies.      

Falling Leaf Prices

An article on Autoblog about the Nissan Leaf caught my eye this week.  It stated that the Leaf's resale value has dropped as low as 35% of the original MSRP after three years.  This fact is attributed to the $7,500 tax credit as well as the price drop on the 2014 Leaf, which has fallen by about $6,000.  As a result, 2011 Leafs are now selling for around $14K at auction. 

In my opinion, the Nissan Leaf looks like a dweeb.  It's bug-eyed and the back end looks like a four year old Renault  hatchback.  This resemblance is not surprising given Nissan's alliance with Renault, but in a country that ridicules the French, the Leaf would be better served if it looked more like the Nissan Sentra.  But at $14K, or roughly half the price of a used Chevy Volt, and about the same cost as a two year old Hyundai Elantra, I could get used to the looks. 

Low price aside, I still think there are three drawbacks with the Leaf and electric cars in general.  First, is the environmental impact from mining lithium and disposing the used batteries.  Second is that the car is indirectly powered by coal or natural gas, depending on what fossil fuel your electric company uses to power its electric grid.  Those two factors negate most of the environmental benefits of electric cars.

The third problem is the unknown cost of the battery replacement itself.  $3,000?  $8,000?  Second mortgage on your house?  The Lithium ion batteries used in electric cars are high tech and custom built for a specific model.  Like most new technology, the cost of an electric car battery is staggeringly high but will probably come down in a few years.  But by my rough math, the cost of owning an electric car for 10 years and replacing the batteries is probably close to the same cost you'd pay buying the same priced car and paying for 10 years worth of gas. 

But still the Leaf is tempting because a used one is a $14K electric car.  And the drawbacks are no worse than owning a classic or exotic car, which also have high maintenance costs and are detrimental to the environment.  Like a classic or exotic car, an electric car is fun.  It's different.  You feel good owning and driving it, and all the attention that comes with that.  And in some ways the attention that comes from driving an electric car is better.  In a classic or exotic car like a Porsche, you come across as aloof, arrogant, unapproachable.  In a Leaf, you're just a friendly dweeb.      

A Tale of Two Cutlasses

I had to say goodbye to the Infiniti last week. There was too much wrong with it and I couldn't justify spending more to fix it than the car was worth. So I sold it and began a furious week of car shopping.

I spent Friday and Saturday looking at used cars in the $8-$12,000 range. It used to be you could find a decent five year old sedan with around 60K miles in that price range. Not anymore. Everything out there was either pushing 100K miles, a subcompact the size of a phone booth, or abused worse than Mel Gibson's girlfriend.

My wife and I upped our price range and began looking at minivans and crossovers. Maybe we could find something for her to drive and I'd drive our venerable Nissan Pathfinder. I was happy with this idea because I like the Pathfinder. It's a good, capable vehicle that's comfortable to drive. An honest SUV with a mechanical 4WD transfer-case and legit off-road chops, it's been dead reliable for the eight years we've owned it.

But the more we looked, the more we realized there was nothing in our price range we wanted. Eventually we upped our price range again and looked at a Saturn Outlook, which is the twin of the GMC Acadia. In 2007 GM got out of the minivan market and began building the Acadia and Outlook crossovers. Both vehicles have been homeruns for GM and it's easy to see why. The Outlook is like Goldilocks--it's neither too big or too small, but just right for our family. We almost took it home that night.

Then fate intervened in the form of a Cutlass Supreme.

Just before we went back to buy the Outlook, my grandmother offered to loan us her car, a 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme four door sedan with 76K miles. I drove it home and we took it the kids out to dinner in it that night. Over margaritas and Espinaca dip we decided borrowing the car would be a good stopgap while we saved up some more money.

The car has a few bumps and bruises from parking lot mishaps, but is otherwise solid and in good condition. So good in fact, I'm thinking of buying it. It appeals to my cheapskate side and I also have a soft spot for Cutlasses, having driven one in high school. My philosophical side wonders if the two Cutlasses are a a metaphor for my life. The 1968 coupe I drove in high school was more cool while the 1997 sedan is more practical and family oriented.

As my wife would say, I'm probably over analyzing things again. In reality the two Cutlasses are as different from each other as Jimmie Johnson the football coach and Jimmie Johnson the race car driver. Both have the same name, but are totally different.

Monday, when I drove the Cutlass to work, "Roll With It" by Steve Winwood came on the radio just as I hit the highway. The song was popular in 1988 when I had the first Cutlass. And it felt good driving and listening to it in this Cutlass. Maybe the two are not so different.

But either way, sometimes you just roll with it, baby.

Who Killed the Diesel Car?

In 2006, an independent film called “Who Killed the Electric Car?” explored the demise of the electric car industry in the United States. Just over three years later, it appears the electric car has more lives than a cat. Not only is there a thriving cottage industry for electric cars and electric car conversions, but several major car companies plan to roll out electric cars in the next three years as well.

On the other hand, diesel powered cars are being killed. Nissan, Toyota, GM, Ford, and Chrysler have all scaled back their plans to produce diesel versions of several popular cars and trucks, or canceled them outright. Only ze Germans—BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen plan to expand their diesel lineups in the coming months. Germany, if you recall, perfected diesel technology almost a hundred years ago and had diesel-electric hybrids as early as 1915. They were called u-boats.

Diesel is popular in Europe, and I don’t know why it hasn’t caught on in a truck crazy country like the US. The latest batch of diesels offer good performance and get 30-50% better mileage than their gasoline powered counterparts. Diesel versions of the Ford Fiesta and VW Polo routinely get 60-70 mpg in Europe, which is the kind of mileage makes hyper-milers giddy and turns already green Prius owners black with envy.

There is an urban legend about a man who tried to commit suicide by running his new diesel while sitting in the garage. According to the myth, he woke up after a couple of hours feeling refreshed because the tailpipe emissions from his car were actually cleaner than the outside air. I doubt this story is true, but the latest diesels do even meet California’s tough emissions standards.

In “Who Killed the Electric Car,” the demise of GM’s EV1 electric car program was partly blamed on the ignorance of consumers who were largely unaware such a vehicle existed. I suspect the same is also becoming true of the diesel.

What the Head Wants

My 1997 Infiniti has started showing its age. A few months ago the starter went out. This month, I'm dealing with a heater/blower fan problem, a vibrating/rubbing sound from the right rear wheel at highway speed, and problems with my stereo. For sometime I've also noticed oil spots on the driveway, where I park.

None of these problems are fatal. They are the flaws of a twelve year old car with 130K miles on the clock. Cars age in dog years. My Infiniti is a black lab with a graying muzzle and arthritis.

Like the lab, my car has lots of life left. It still likes to run. The 3.0 Nissan V6 is smooth and loves to rev. It uses regular gas and routinely gets 22-24 mpg. The transmission still snaps off
crisp shifts. The ride is not floaty or jarring--pot holes don't feel like hammer blows and yet it will corner nicely. It has room for five, even with two car seats, and a generous trunk. It also has features I like, including a sunroof, Bose stereo and leather seats. In short, it fulfills all my needs and most of my wants.

But it is 12 years old and has 130K miles...

I'm often guilty of shopping for cars online. I have a running internal debate over what kind of car I'd like to own next. Should it be something practical and reliable like a Nissan Altima, Hyundai Sonata or Ford Fusion? Or, for the same money, should I buy a used BMW M3 or Mercedes Benz AMG? Another Infiniti or Nissan Maxima is usually in my top five. So is a Mini Cooper, Mustang or Dodge Challenger.

I think the dilemma with older cars is when to stop maintaining them. The tipping point usually comes when the repair bills are more painful than car payments. For me that point is still outside my event horizon. As much as I like to dream, I usually wind up making the most practical choice, or at least a compromise. The head usually gets what it wants over the heart and in my case, I'm not ready to part with my car.

But I did see a nice Mercury Milan with 33K miles for $12K at a local dealer recently. And there is a Black 2001 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG in Texas on eBay for the same money...