New Car Prices: I don`t get it?!?

[ca.detailchick]

It`s insane seeing all these new vehicle prices (especially trucks and SUVs).

I had a co-worker who was always switching cars by either leasing something new or buying then selling. He said that a car Payment along with a Mortgage is just something that we have to live with for our entire lives..... i thought "ummm no you don`t" and it was sad to hear someone accept that as their reality. The only reason i`m strongly considering getting a brand new vehicle is to have something reliable for Mobile Detailing and that`s it. Otherwise i`d be buying another of what i currently drive but with better paint and call it a day.

Thats exactly why I went with something new ,for my Detailing business. I was going to buy used but everything I looked at was trashed by kids LOL. It was a good decision business wise .I was surprized how many customers commented that it was good for my business to buy new. Makes you look successful I guess!

[Migue]

Thats exactly why I went with something new ,for my Detailing business. I was going to buy used but everything I looked at was trashed by kids LOL. It was a good decision business wise .I was surprized how many customers commented that it was good for my business to buy new. Makes you look successful I guess!

Yes i`m with you on that, it enhances the image of your business a lot and adds value. I`ve had potential customers comment on how i should drive a newer vehicle or something with better paint. I`ve never been one to care about driving the latest and shiniest(in an ego kind of way), but it looks like for the sake of my business i might have to bite the bullet. I really want a brand new Scion XB, i could see it being a great daily driver as well and if i`m able to fit everything i need in my `98 corolla, i`m sure the XB will allow for much better accommodation of my equipment/products.

I recall seeing a thread where you were thinking about an XB , did you ever end up getting one? or did you stick to an SUV/Truck?

[trashmanssd]

I think its a sign you are becoming (or already are) one of the old guys. It happened to me when I bought my current truck while shopping you realize just how costly they have gotten and remember what you paid for the 199?-200? truck you had and the replacement is closing in on double that. As you get older you value the dollar and the hard work it takes to make it much much more.

[Accumulator]

I too have always assumed that the prices are viable because people don`t really "own" their vehicles very often these days.

Eh, whatever turns your crank...I also ASSume that people do the math and make rational decisions.

...Im hoping this is my last vehicle...

Now there`s a sentiment ya don`t run across every day, at least not here at Autopia!

My wife feels the same way about her A8. She`d still be happily driving her `94 S4 had it not gotten rear-ended in a huge way.

I`m *almost* at the same point...all the newer/"better" vehicles have "features" that I`d simply *HATE* to have, even if I can disable them (and some stuff just can`t be).

[bigfish528]

I agree with everybody here today if you want a fully loaded 6 cylinder car it will cost close to $40,000 and a suv close to $45,000-$50,000. And these cars are not mid to high end luxury cars these are Chevy and Kia. It appears the average car now a days is out of reach for the average guy or gal without going into to major debt. It looks a certified used car for many is the best way to go. it realy boggles the mind to see some of these prices when fully loaded. I think manufacturers think we all make 6 figures.

[ca.detailchick]

Yes i`m with you on that, it enhances the image of your business a lot and adds value. I`ve had potential customers comment on how i should drive a newer vehicle or something with better paint. I`ve never been one to care about driving the latest and shiniest(in an ego kind of way), but it looks like for the sake of my business i might have to bite the bullet. I really want a brand new Scion XB, i could see it being a great daily driver as well and if i`m able to fit everything i need in my `98 corolla, i`m sure the XB will allow for much better accommodation of my equipment/products.

I recall seeing a thread where you were thinking about an XB , did you ever end up getting one? or did you stick to an SUV/Truck?

I looked at the Scion and brought a tape measure and found my ladders were too long and my vacume cleaner too big and difficult to hoist up into the Scion.

I have a Sienna van that works perfectly for a detailing business with sliding doors on both sides . I took the 3 middle seats out and the rear ones fold into the trunk area.

One thing about the Scion XB I did not like is the way the windows dont give as much visibility as I like But the price was good!

[ca.detailchick]

I too have always assumed that the prices are viable because people don`t really "own" their vehicles very often these days.

Eh, whatever turns your crank...I also ASSume that people do the math and make rational decisions.



Now there`s a sentiment ya don`t run across every day, at least not here at Autopia!

My wife feels the same way about her A8. She`d still be happily driving her `94 S4 had it not gotten rear-ended in a huge way.

I`m *almost* at the same point...all the newer/"better" vehicles have "features" that I`d simply *HATE* to have, even if I can disable them (and some stuff just can`t be).

Yes this is more for practical reasons then emotions or desires. I only drive about 6 thousand miles a year so this van could last me many many years!

Also I take pristine care of my vehicles and want to reap the benefits!

Even if I could afford a new car every few years I wouldnt want to waste my money that way !

[SYMAWD]

You lease. Where I work, 70% of our sales are leases.

[Ronkh]

My first car was 1975 Pontiac Grand am (not like the later grand am`s, tis was a real car)
Fully loaded
Tax Lic delivered in NYC $5000.00

[jfelbab]

I agree with everybody here today if you want a fully loaded 6 cylinder car it will cost close to $40,000 and a suv close to $45,000-$50,000. And these cars are not mid to high end luxury cars these are Chevy and Kia. It appears the average car now a days is out of reach for the average guy or gal without going into to major debt. It looks a certified used car for many is the best way to go. it realy boggles the mind to see some of these prices when fully loaded. I think manufacturers think we all make 6 figures.

You can buy a new (2015) Lexus RX 350, very well equipped (premium package BSM, Nav, etc) for $45-46k. Who would pay that kind of money for a Chevy or Kia?

[Nutbread]

I think most people lease. Then they have creative financing to make people buy vehicles thst they cant afford. 70 k for a new pickup? There is still old guys around that bought nice big farms with that much money. And dont even get me started on the quality of these new vehicles. Oops, I put quality and new vehicles in the same sentence. I dont get it either, but then again I don`t have to have the latest and greatest like most people do.

I couldn`t disagree more about quality. I can remember when it was a major milestone to hit 100,000 miles, now it is nothing. Anyone remember the 70`s? Rust, paint and bumpers that faded differently, 200hp Corvettes with 3-speed Hydramatics, freezing your kiester off sitting in a cold car nursing the throttle until it warms up enough to stay running?

IMNSHO cars have never been better or more reliable. I can`t remember the last time I prayed that my car would start on a cold morning. And they achieve this level of reliability despite being unimaginably more complex than cars of the past.

[Migue]

You can buy a new (2015) Lexus RX 350, very well equipped (premium package BSM, Nav, etc) for $45-46k. Who would pay that kind of money for a Chevy or Kia?

I see it the same way, seeing a Kia or Huyndai go over $30k is ridiculous to me as well as some Ford and Chevy vehicles. IMO anything passes the $30k mark, i might as well go with an MB or Lexus if i`m going to pay that much. I blame it on all these bells and whistles that get added to mark the prices up while they`re still selling you a turd. I don`t want a vehicle with tons of crap that is designed to fail sooner than later on purpose. It`s like these refrigerators nowadays with touchscreens that allow you to check your social media websites.....really??? It won`t be long before cars come equipped standard with a selfie stick popping out of the center console or some crap like that.

[House of Wax]

I couldn`t disagree more about quality. I can remember when it was a major milestone to hit 100,000 miles, now it is nothing. Anyone remember the 70`s? Rust, paint and bumpers that faded differently, 200hp Corvettes with 3-speed Hydramatics, freezing your kiester off sitting in a cold car nursing the throttle until it warms up enough to stay running?

IMNSHO cars have never been better or more reliable. I can`t remember the last time I prayed that my car would start on a cold morning.ray: And they achieve this level of reliability despite being unimaginably more complex than cars of the past.

Completely agree with this. I think the difference is (which alters people`s perception) there are more gizmos on vehicles which increases the chance for something to go wrong and everything on cars is more difficult to work on than they used to be. Also with the Internet and the media you`re more exposed to issues with vehicles.

[Migue]

It`d be awesome if every new vehicle came with a simple version without the gizmos and unnecessary junk that causes more problems, and then add all those things as an option to those willing to pay for it. It`s like little by little we`re being left with no option but to get all these things we don`t want in new vehicles that we know will cause us more headaches down the road.....sad.

They could call it "The Standard Vehicle Package" (without gizmos) , and "The YOLO Package"(with all gizmos)

[House of Wax]

I hear ya. When my wife and I were recently looking at Expeditions, we went to ford`s site to "build" one just out of curiosity. It was beyond irritating to get a few options we wanted you could only get them with equipment packages full of stuff we didn`t need that drove the price of the vehicle up thousands of dollars.