Guest Post by The Zman
I have been looking at new cars for a year or so. I started thinking about getting a new car a few years ago, when I realized I was getting to the age where owning a sports car might be a now or never proposition. To enjoy a sports car means driving fast in places where you’re not supposed to drive fast. That means having the reflexes and risk tolerance to take chances. There really is nothing sadder than seeing an old woman driving a Porsche or some old guy putt-putting down the road in a Corvette.
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I have yet to pull the trigger on the car buy. The main reason is I hate the hassle of buying a car. The way cars are sold in America has never worked for me. I don’t want to develop a rapport with the car salesman. I don’t want him (her) to help me develop a relationship with the car that will tell the world about me. I’m not interested in having a self-actualizing experience with a car. I guess I’m a weirdo, but I don’t think the way I live my life needs to make a statement. I just want to enjoy the time I have.
There’s also the fact that I can’t seem to make up my mind. I’m not a car guy, in that I don’t get into the car culture. A part of owning a sports car is being a part of the social life around owning it. I think a car is, for the most part, a necessary item of life. I want my car to start in the morning, warm up quickly and have a cold air conditioner. I never listen to the radio, but Bluetooth is a nice feature so I can listen to my favorite hate-thinkers on road trips. Otherwise, a car is like the toilet. I only notice it when it does not work.
Still, I feel like I should buy a sports car before I’m too geezerly to enjoy it. I’ve looked at a number of them over the last year. The last sports car I owned was 30 years ago and it was used when I got it. It was fast and fun to drive, but compared to what is on offer today, well, there is no comparison. Modern technology has made affordable sports cars that are vastly better than the most enthusiastic drivers. A modern sports car is not a machine you control. It is a technology platform and the driver is just one part of it.
Something that I did not expect when getting into this is the class issue. I grew up country poor, but I’m not country poor now. I’ve been all over the world and I have been around very worldly people. I retain my working class sensibilities, but I’m not going to lie and say I prefer the proletariat to the bourgeoisie. Whether I like it or not, the car I buy will say something about me. Am I a man who prefers an Audi or a guy who thinks a Camaro ZL1 is the right choice? I never had a reason to think about it until now.
Having driven a number of different cars over the last year, I’ve come to believe that the professional auto journalists are just public relations flacks for the car industry. For instance, I drove a Mustang and a Camaro on the same day. I was in the muscle car mood and they are the two premier options in the category. I read the reviews of them on the popular car sites. I was expecting one model to be refined and the other more brutish, as that is what all of the reviews indicated. Both cars felt pretty much the same.
That’s probably the biggest obstacle to me pulling the trigger. There’s a weird sameness to all of the new cars. A few weeks after the muscle car testing, I did a day of driving European sports sedans. The sameness of the cars, at least in terms of driving them, is the one memory. I found I had to keep a list of the small differences between, say, an Audi and a BMW, as they were otherwise indistinguishable. There’s no quirkiness or originality to set one off from the other. It’s like the car makers are all aiming for the same goal.
This sameness is due to the fact the car makers are global companies now. Instead of the British car makers building cars mostly for Brits and the German makers building cars for Germans, car companies are rootless cosmopolitans, making cars for the world. That means they think they need to avoid the quirky, local flavor, as much as possible. It used to be that America cars were utilitarian and made for the open road. European cars were sophisticated and built for tight corners. Now, they all do the same things and look alike.
This sameness extends to how they sell cars. The last time someone tried to re-think the retail sale of cars was when Saturn was rolled out. Their pitch was the “no-haggle” price and a limited set of options. It never really worked as people have been conditioned to haggle over the price of a car. That and they rolled out the no-frills option idea just when technology was allowing everyone to have a bespoke experience buying everything. The “customized experience” is a great sales tool as everyone wants to feel special.
Look at the car dealers today and they all do exactly the same things. Even their website are cookie cutter. Other than some aesthetics, it appear that maybe one or two website companies have built every dealer’s website. That’s not unrealistic. There is one main software maker for car dealership software. I no longer recall the name of it, but one software package was used by something like 90% of all new car dealers. It’s not unrealistic to think that they or someone else is doing the same thing with the websites.
Despite the uniformity, the other thing that strikes me about the dealership websites is their uselessness as sales tools. I’ve noticed that the cars on the site, often don’t exist on the lot. At the same time, the cars on the lot are often not listed on the site. Dealers are famous for the bait and switch tactic, but this just looks like sloth. Spending time in the dealerships, the vibe I get is that the business remains hostile to technology. They just want to sell cars to the people who walk into the showroom. That’s it.
As far as the car purchase, I’m still weighing my options. I’m down to one of the muscle cars or one of the German sports sedans. I’ve always liked the look of an Audi, but I fear the repair costs. BMW’s are known for sturdiness, but I’m told that is not longer true, so maybe a Mercedes. Having driven enough of them, I’m sure I would enjoy owning any one of them. But, I still cannot get over the thrill of driving that Camaro ZL1. It was like being strapped to a rocket sled. I could get used to that in a hurry.
Having just gone through the ugly, painful process of buying a car I can testify that Zman’s observations are 100% correct. I had an 11-year old Honda Civic coupe with a 5-speed. At 175K miles it was getting a little long in the tooth. Since I like the Civic I went looking for a similar new Honda. First, as Zman observed the dealer websites show cars that don’t exist on the lot. Then, when you go in to the dealer, they only want to sell you what they have lots of, which is 4-door Civics made for middle-class families. When I said I wanted a 2-door coupe with a manual transmission, they blew me off. At which point I said, under my breath, FU, no Honda for me and one less customer for you.
I then went to high end dealers (Lexus & BMW) and was treated like a valued customer. At the BMW dealer I wanted to test drive a coupe I saw on their website. The salesman took me to four different lots that the dealer had spread over the neighborhood looking for the car I was interested in. Turns out it was out on loan for the day.
In the end I bought a 3-year old certified used BMW with 25k for half the price of a new model. I’m a happy man and I’ll never again grace the doorsteps of the low-life dealers.
We have owned three MBs over the last 15 years (CLK 320, CLK 550 and SLK 350) and they have performed admirably. Never put much mileage on (4-5k/yr) and perfect (pricey) dealer maintenance, but nothing ever broke. Ever. Try getting that from Japan or USA. Even my Toyota Sequoia can’t match MBs performance of zero mechanical breakdowns of any part. IMHO, German assembled/manufactured cars seem more reliable than their competitors.
My E-350 has never had more than routine maintenance and is at 140 k miles.. smooth, quiet and from 60 to 80 mph when I need to pass someone with no effort
Has your Gas tank been replaced yet?
How’s that intake manifold with the plastic linkage holding up?
Or that electronic transmission with its incessant shift malady.
You did buy the car after 07 right? Before then was the sprocket on the balance shaft of the engine wearing prematurely causing engine lights to never ever go away.
Yeah…I’m being a Dick cuz I know what you own.
Agree on the MB. Never breaks down unlike my toyota and pontiac which in comparison are the true money pits.
You didn’t put enough miles on those Benzs to even mention them. Or compare them to anything else.
Compare any Mercedes to a Toyota Avalon at the end of 100,000 miles. It won’t be pretty mein herr. They Toyota will have had oil changes, new wiper blades, one or two sets of tires, maybe brake pads. That’s it.
Camaro ZL1 = never, ever buy a GM product
I boycotted GM long time ago for the typical reasons, crap quality and salesman rudeness.
One comment for another post, I bought a used German car that had the certified pre-owned warranty, like the car, but had to make several warranty claims.
Zman, buy a Joo sports car. It stops on a dime … and then picks it up.
Go with a Nissan Versa or a Ford Focus. There’s nothing chicks dig more than frugality. You hear it all the time “I love a man who knows the value of a dollar.”
Actually, I have never heard that. Not once in my life. Out.
Our most recent( last month ) car purchase for the wife was a 2016 Ford Escape. We got an SE with cold weather package ( heated seats and mirrors- flash defrost windshield ).It also has a backup camera and Bluetooth mysync. It has 11k on it and the balance of the warranty 3 yr 50k. It is basically 45% off the new price. That little Turbo Eco motor is a hoot.
Done buying new.
On a separate note all you BMW and Mercedes owners need to leave. Just get out. This blog is not for you. You fucking 1% dbags are prolly the guys lodging complaints against us causing Jq’s Funding issues. Go spy somewhere else.
The new Mercedes C class is 0-60 mph in 3.8 secs
Is that before it stalled in freeway traffic?
Now retired, I spent many years in the US as one of the Top 20 import car salesmen in all of America. I spent many years attempting to educate consumers, prospects, and clients to avoid dealer shenanigans, by recommending that each and every one spend a few hours reading Jeff Ostroff’s excellent website CarBuyingTips.com. Most don’t, and I’m out of the business now; but Jeff is still hard at it, and I still continually recommend his site to anyone considering a new or used vehicle purchase.
Get to be (really good) friends w/your local auto mechanic shop owner. Tell him that you want his help in buying a used sports car. Next, find a local independent retail vehicle dealer (make sure he’s “retail”). Negotiate a price for a purchase w/him (should be no more than 1K for buy/sell). Next find your local DEALER auto auction (e.g. in So Cal it’s Mannheim). Get your “dealer” to get you passes for the regular (weekly) previews and auctions. Start attending both WITH your shop owner (test driving the vehicles you have some interest in at the previews and getting comfortable w/the bidding process at the auctions; shouldn’t take more than a couple of previews/auctions). When you’re ready to bid on one or more vehicles tell your dealer to meet you at that day’s auction to finalize the auction purchase (you can’t purchase at the auction yourself). The sale to you from your dealer can be finalized at your mutual convenience. If you’re really lucky your local shop owner will also be a licensed retail dealer but that’s rare. Use this procedure for all your vehicle purchases and you’ll save tens of thousands of dollars. To get the best buys at auction plan on spending $1 – 2K w/your shop to fix some MINOR defects in the vehicle you purchase. Of course it goes w/out saying that you will reimburse your friend for his time and effort.
Buying new is stooooooopid.
You are so right. I sold cars for years and can back that up. Buy a 1 -2 yr old car with low miles or dealers give salespeople demos to use. When the demo hits 5k they sell it at 30% off or a little above dealer cost. Go to a high end (rich) city to buy the car because those rich folks trade in their cars every 1-2 years and they maintain them well.
Maybe you should consider the 0-400 km/hr-0 test:
I bought a Mazda Miata in 2011. Analogue instruments which I like and an ignition key. Wife didn’t like it with the top up cause she said it made her claustrophobic. I got tired of it too as it was hard to get in an out of when you were 60 but with a manual transmission it was fun to drive and handled like a true sports car.
I’ve thought about a convertible Mustang GT but you pay a lot for that 8 cylinder engine and I would feel like an idiot burning rubber and have no need for speeds over 80 mph much less 100+ but having a Mustang convertible without a big engine seems wrong. Still it is a handsome car but not flashy like an Alfa, Porsche or even a BMW Z
“I bought a Mazda Miata in 2011.”
All this time I thought you were a DUDE!! Had no idea you’re a female.
Cuz, really, no dude in his right fucking mind would buy a Mee Ahh Ta. And even if he did, — cuz perhaps a mooslim-fuk terrorist was holding a gun to his head — they sure as fuck wouldn’t admit they have one.
Mind if I call you Ms. Unit from now on?
Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson, who is as rude as you but with much more wit, gives the Miata a thumbs up and he has driven every high performance exotic car in the world.
When you have something useful to contribute let me know but until then STFU!
It doesn’t have to be a supercar to let a good driver wring it out. I’ve had as much or more fun in a Spitfire or TR-6 than a 454 ‘Vette. The techniques are the same, it all just happens at lower speeds. The above video only does acceleration, and it misses out on the braking and cornering. It takes a good controlled access road course to real test any vehicle’s limits.
We who prefer two wheels have a saying: “It’s more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow.” (Yes, I know that it’s grammatically incorrect.)
Among other bikes, I have a 250 Ninja, just because it’s a blast to ride on the hilly, twisty roads around here. It’s not fast, but it’s light, quick, & very entertaining. Riding a touring bike around here isn’t fun, & my literbike isn’t any quicker than the Ninjette.
My first sports car was a 1960 MGA. Talk about quirky. 6 volt pos ground Lucas(the prince of darkness) electrical system, 4 spd tranny without synchro in 1st, wooden firewall and floor boards, leaky top and even leakier side curtains, &TC. But it had personality. It was fun to drive and the girls loved it! There was nothing else quite like it on the road. That is what’s missing today.
Two words. Cop magnet
2003 Silverado 2500 HD diesel here
And a 2010 impala. The sedan IS a sports car to me.
distill everything down to a cents/mile valuation. What it cost + major repairs/ miles driven. Leave out insurance, gas, and routine items like tires for simplicity. I’ve found the best cars for the money are GM/Ford trucks and the Ford panthers. Sports cars today even with the base engines are the equal of most of yesterdays cars’ performance with better reliability and comfort. My opinion: Germans overengineer everything and routine maintenance visits should not cost $1000-2000. Goes back to the idea of LEAN manufacturing vs Assembly line vs Craft manufacturing. The first is very efficient , second one is Henry Ford legacy, third is old school but quality all over the place. LEAN is the most modern approach, most heartily embraced by Ford. Final thought is made in America can mean Canada or Mex, so made in North America is more accurate.
I’ve gotta weigh in on this one.
Buy nothing yet!!!
And forget the mercedes benz. I worked on em for forty years. Ticking time bomb. And I don’t buy for a second, the Japanese can’t build anything comparable to the Krauts BS
Tell you what Zman…buy some leathers and a helmet and proceed straight to your nearest Ducati dealer if you want to play Neil Armstrong. Get a Panigale and find an open road in the Fall.
A perfectly restored TR-6 or TR4-A might be a nice blast in the past.
Whatever…. Don’t make a move yet.
Get a Toyota Avalon. It handles like a sports car. It will go 150 mph and under 80 mph gets 35 mpg on the highway. Very comfortable. No problems and the most American car you can buy, made in Kentucky. It will go 200,000 miles and still look good.
If you really want a sports car and have money to burn, Acura NSX.
If u liked the Camaro, do yourself a favour and try the new Dodge Challenger. I found they had a way better feel and appointed with all the modern luxury of a Cadillac.