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a podcast for cats posted:it's EU and China only. shame, europe always has the cool poo poo, mazda 6 estates. After a couple days of driving every interesting car under the US sun, what I really want is a subaru crosstrek with volvo v90 interior and audi engine/drivetrain/steering.
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May 18, 2021 07:03
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MeruFM posted:Is there a reason every company only put the high end interior features in their bigger cars? Short answer is no. Long answer is noooooooo.
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May 18, 2021 07:06
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MeruFM posted:Is there a reason every company only put the high end interior features in their bigger cars? You would need someone buying a compact to want that interior more than MORE POWER and they don't. 99% of people in the market for a small car with a bigger than usual budget are going to end up with a GTI, R, or at the top end something like an Audi RS3 which doesn't even have power adjustable seats last I checked.
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May 18, 2021 07:06
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The Oldest Man posted:99% of people in the market for a small car with a bigger than usual budget are going to end up with a GTI, R, or at the top end something like an Audi RS3 which doesn't even have power adjustable seats last I checked. It feels like a missed opportunity. City dwellers are pretty wealthy. Even if they're not bentley and butler wealthy, they would like a nice car that can still be parked easily. and when I say city, i mean LA
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May 18, 2021 07:11
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Get an Aston Martin Cygnet Russian Bear posted:I have a 13 honda Fit (same interior room as HRV now) and while I have shoved up to 3 road bikes and 3 people inside it at the same time, do yourself a favor a get a hitch for the CX30 (looks like $175 ish on etrailerhitch) and a rack to go with it. I'm a fan of kuat or 1up if you wanna splurge. How did you manage that? I just had to move dad's bike and we had to fold both seats flat and even then it wouldn't fit unless I pushed the driver's seat uncomfortably forward and the hatch still barely closed mobby_6kl fucked around with this message at 08:14 on May 18, 2021 |
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May 18, 2021 07:38
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MeruFM posted:After a couple days of driving every interesting car under the US sun, what I really want is a subaru crosstrek with volvo v90 interior and audi engine/drivetrain/steering. So the current-gen Mercedes GLA 250 4MATIC, basically. You can absolutely go to town with Mercedes' extensive options list, including the AMG models. I'm also in the market for a new urban runabout, but old enough enough to want (and can pay for) a nice interior and the GLA seems to be the best option out there, at least in the US market. Crosstrek vs GLA: https://www.cars.com/research/compare/?acodes=USD10SUS091A0,USD10MBS712A0 Interestingly, the current Mercedes GLC and Audi Q5 are basically the same size inside as a 80s/90s E-class wagon, just with more vertical height. It's no wonder they seem to sell eleventy billion of them and they are their respective best-selling models. EnergizerFellow fucked around with this message at 08:11 on May 18, 2021 |
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May 18, 2021 07:52
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MeruFM posted:It feels like a missed opportunity. City dwellers are pretty wealthy. Even if they're not bentley and butler wealthy, they would like a nice car that can still be parked easily. You're describing crossovers, not a Golf with an E-class interior.
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May 18, 2021 08:18
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The Oldest Man posted:You would need someone buying a compact to want that interior more than MORE POWER and they don't. 99% of people in the market for a small car with a bigger than usual budget are going to end up with a GTI, R, or at the top end something like an Audi RS3 which doesn't even have power adjustable seats last I checked. The RS3 not having power seats is actually a weird aberration and one of the stranger things about the car. AFAIK, the base A3 has them but for whatever reason the RS3 doesn’t. That being said, the interior is lovely and the little to touches like the lighting accent around the cup holders and speakers genuinely makes it feel way nicer than it has any right to be. The pop up head unit feels dated now but outside of that, no complaints. It’s size also fits the Bay Area perfectly and I have no problems getting around SF proper in it.
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May 18, 2021 09:01
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MeruFM posted:Is there a reason every company only put the high end interior features in their bigger cars? I’m fairly confident Renault is still having losses from the velsatis on their books so no really. Lancia used to have fancy smaller cars when fiat started to downsize them but nowadays they are just a hollowed out husk. I think their top trim Alfas hatchbacks are the closest thing to your request on the market.
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May 18, 2021 09:36
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The Vel Satis wasn't small though (it's as long as a current Camry), and it also didn't have a very nice interior (because it's a Renault so of course it didn't)
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May 18, 2021 10:38
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dissss posted:The Vel Satis wasn't small though (it's as long as a current Camry), and it also didn't have a very nice interior (because it's a Renault so of course it didn't) I remember renault pushing the avantgard/velsatis as their top of the range in several european countries as their big sedans weren't able to compete with bmw and mercedes. It's just what springs to mind as "hatchback sold as big money".
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May 18, 2021 10:58
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The level of trim and options you can get on even fairly mid spec hatchs these days is pretty decent so just as a curious question - what would make a hatchback or otherwise smaller car a luxury or high end car?
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May 18, 2021 12:12
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CAT INTERCEPTOR posted:The level of trim and options you can get on even fairly mid spec hatchs these days is pretty decent so just as a curious question - what would make a hatchback or otherwise smaller car a luxury or high end car? Interior not made from cheap glossy plastic(sorry merc, that poo poo is not fine), decent infotainment, electrical seats with a decent set of regulations on every seat are what comes to mind. I admit that stuff like FRAU Leather would clash with the current eco friendly standards so I think that’s no longer an option. The current Italy-only leather interior for the lancia Ypsilon is better than a top spec mini in my experience and almost bmw quality SlowBloke fucked around with this message at 12:41 on May 18, 2021 |
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May 18, 2021 12:35
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Actually what you just said reminds me, I really hope that we get luxury/upgraded car interiors with cloth seats instead of leather. Give me wool or something at least, I know Toyota did that in some of their domestic market stuff.
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May 18, 2021 12:53
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Edit: didn’t notice there was another page
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May 18, 2021 13:25
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dk2m posted:The RS3 not having power seats is actually a weird aberration and one of the stranger things about the car. AFAIK, the base A3 has them but for whatever reason the RS3 doesn’t. It's due to the seat itself, it's an unpowered sportier seat. MeruFM posted:After a couple days of driving every interesting car under the US sun, what I really want is a subaru crosstrek with volvo v90 interior and audi engine/drivetrain/steering. haven't you just described a XC40 or Q3?
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May 18, 2021 13:27
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I always wished the ct200h had a good powertrain. Thing looks really nice on the outside. Photos of the interior look decent?
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May 18, 2021 13:31
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SlowBloke posted:Interior not made from cheap glossy plastic Good luck buying any new car at any price then. Glossy black plastic is very much in vouge right now, especially at the higher-end. There's shocking few exceptions industry-wide, sadly. It is what it is...
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May 18, 2021 13:35
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I forget what review I was watching recently but it seems like with every single youtube journalist bitching about it some manufacturers might be starting to listen
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May 18, 2021 14:10
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CAT INTERCEPTOR posted:The level of trim and options you can get on even fairly mid spec hatchs these days is pretty decent so just as a curious question - what would make a hatchback or otherwise smaller car a luxury or high end car? Richer materials quality, a higher level of build quality and solidity, better ride and handling balance, and technology (e.g. more advanced ADAS, ventilated seats, 360-degree camera, HUD, a good stereo) Since we're talking about luxury compacts, I test drove a Mazda 3 Turbo last weekend, which I found to be a very nice car, though not a fun car. While I've had misgivings about the stick axle out back, I figured that I should try it out anyways as the turbo 3 did meet my requirements: a nice, understated car that is sneaky quick. The 3 is a great place to spend time in. The seats are very comfortable, the touch points have a richness to them, and the stereo is clear with decent imaging given that a car is a terrible space to tune for. The noise floor is pretty low, with just a hint of tire noise from the 18s coming into the cabin. The infotainment screen is high-quality, and the blending of the analog and digital elements in the instrument cluster is very cohesive. I do wish Mazda included a touchscreen for CarPlay like the Germans do. If I could use the knob in D-pad mode for CarPlay it'd be a lot better, but you can only use it in click wheel mode, which is really clunky to navigate CarPlay with. The driving experience is relaxed. To my surprise, the ride quality was good, handling broken pavement well. Small road imperfections being more pronounced than I'd like are what keeps the 3 from having a great ride, but that might be a function of the 3 having a smaller wheelbase than I'm used to. The slow steering works within the overall context of the car, even if I prefer the quicker racks that Honda and VW use. The torque carries you to your chosen speed, without a hint of torque steer. I think this car could do a great job on a fun road, but fun isn't baked into the experience. I'd say that the turbo 3's closest competitors are the midsized mainstream sedans, not the luxury subcompacts, nor the mainstream compacts. I don't think this competes with the A3/FWD 2 Series/A-Class, because the reason people buy those cars is it's the cheapest way to get one of those badges new, not to have a nice small car. And the turbo 3 very much isn't in the sport compact mold. The Accord and K5 in their higher trims have similar levels of refinement and technology, and are similarly quick. The Mazda dealer gave me an offer on the turbo 3 that screamed "please take this off our floor plan so we can get another CX-5", so the $2K difference on paper from the Accord I drove ended up being $5K in the real world. If I don't get cold feet over the thought of having a car payment again, I can't think of anything that will beat a turbo 3 for that price.
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May 18, 2021 14:27
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SlowBloke posted:Interior not made from cheap glossy plastic(sorry merc, that poo poo is not fine), decent infotainment, electrical seats with a decent set of regulations on every seat are what comes to mind. I admit that stuff like FRAU Leather would clash with the current eco friendly standards so I think that’s no longer an option. The current Italy-only leather interior for the lancia Ypsilon is better than a top spec mini in my experience and almost bmw quality I think a true luxury experience would be more than just the interior touches. The ride quality is one of the biggest differences between a high end luxury car and the entry level options. Things like dynamically tuned suspensions with forward looking sensors and the smoother transmission options and active (noise cancelling) and passive noise reduction features like insulated windows, underbody insulation, shock dampers on mechanical connections which you currently have to option as top end packages on the top end chassis.
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May 18, 2021 15:14
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Sure, but I don't think there's actually willingness to pay S class money for a C class sized car. Making the car smaller doesn't take that much cost out.
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May 18, 2021 15:53
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I think the closest you’ll will get to that idea is represented by the smaller Lexus lineup - basically the upscale analogues of the Prius/Corolla. The only reason these exist is to cater to folks that want reliability + ‘luxury’
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May 18, 2021 16:02
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mobby_6kl posted:Get an Aston Martin Cygnet Ok there's a little cheating. 3 road bikes, (2 of which were size 60, so not small), we took both front and rear wheels off and stacked them alternating front to back in the 60 part of the 60/40 split of the rear seat. All the wheels stacked up in the cargo area with the rest of our race weekend bullshit. It was a collegiate race 4 hours away, the poor freshman had to sit in the 40 part of the 60/40 split for the ride home. So my 60cm road bike or an XL full suspension 29er are worst case scenarios and the best ways i've found to fit them in the back are as follows: Road bike can go with the rear wheel touching the passenger seat and the handlebars turned sideways (probably a lot easier if you don't have the biggest common bike size like me. It does require the passenger seat to be scooted up, but not uncomfortably so I'd say. The alternative is, take off the front wheel, and put it in the rear footwells with the magic seats up. This is useful if you have other cargo in the cargo area. Once you have the front wheel off things get way easier ime. For the mountain bike, since super wide handlebars is the thing nowadays and the wheelbase of an XL is huuuuge, you have to take the front wheel off (don't leave your thruaxle behind!). Just like the road bike, rear wheel in first and you'll probably have to lay it on the side at an angle a bit. Put your dropper post down of course if you have one of those. I'm rocking a Kuat Sherpa now though, has made life much easier. The downside of course is security, but with the pandemic i put my bike on the rack to go ride it somewhere so security is not a feature I need on the rack even though it has a cable lock.
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May 18, 2021 16:34
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Sab669 posted:I always wished the ct200h had a good powertrain. Thing looks really nice on the outside. Photos of the interior look decent? I sat in one at Carmax once. It was OK, some nice materials but it was pretty clear that it shared a lot with the Corolla of the same era. Kind of the same vibe you get from sitting in an ILX, though not quite as egregious.
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May 18, 2021 16:54
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KillHour posted:Put a trigger warning on that for PT6A pls To be fair, if you completely changed every aspect of the drivetrain, which is essentially what an electric version does, then it would have the potential to be quite a good vehicle.
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May 18, 2021 17:07
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:haven't you just described a XC40 or Q3? It’s not a big deal, I just noticed after playing with configurators thinking it should be possible. When the seats are already powered and in the case of volvo/audi, seem to have identical base seats across the line. tldr, they’re not taking my money
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May 18, 2021 17:21
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morothar posted:I think the closest you’ll will get to that idea is represented by the smaller Lexus lineup - basically the upscale analogues of the Prius/Corolla. A little off topic, but I am hard shopping to replace a 4runner I want to sell. My wife and I have been thinking of getting a new car with a warranty. We have been looking at the new corolla hatchback SE w/ manual. I've gotta say the corolla's interior has come a long way. It's nice. With the given features, style, design, finish, and only ~$20k-21K out the door, it has impressed me. https://www.toyota.com/corollahatchback/photo-gallery/interior no lube so what fucked around with this message at 17:27 on May 18, 2021 |
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May 18, 2021 17:22
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Godzilla07 posted:Richer materials quality, a higher level of build quality and solidity, better ride and handling balance, and technology (e.g. more advanced ADAS, ventilated seats, 360-degree camera, HUD, a good stereo) How would you compare it to a Golf R or a CLA (including it’s AMG variant) On a side note I find the value prop of the CLA,GLA and A class to be kinda weird. Like unless you’re trying to get the cheapest possible Mercedes with the badge the price point can inflate to the point that you’re better served by buying a 3 series or even an S4.
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May 18, 2021 17:32
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no lube so what posted:A little off topic, but I am hard shopping to replace a 4runner I want to sell. My wife and I have been thinking of getting a new car with a warranty. We have been looking at the new corolla hatchback SE w/ manual. I've gotta say the corolla's interior has come a long way. It's nice. With the given features, style, design, finish, and only ~$20k-21K out the door, it has impressed me. Yeah but too bad the cargo area is worthless for pretty much anything but groceries.
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May 18, 2021 17:46
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no lube so what posted:A little off topic, but I am hard shopping to replace a 4runner I want to sell. My wife and I have been thinking of getting a new car with a warranty. We have been looking at the new corolla hatchback SE w/ manual. I've gotta say the corolla's interior has come a long way. It's nice. With the given features, style, design, finish, and only ~$20k-21K out the door, it has impressed me. I saw one parked in my neighborhood the other day and I really like the styling. They nailed the fun sporty exterior. I'd cross shop the mazda 3 manual if I were you as well, it'll be more expensive but you'll get a much nicer interior.
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May 18, 2021 17:49
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Russian Bear posted:I saw one parked in my neighborhood the other day and I really like the styling. They nailed the fun sporty exterior. I'd cross shop the mazda 3 manual if I were you as well, it'll be more expensive but you'll get a much nicer interior. We are cross shopping the Mazda and civic hatch. The Corolla hatch does have small storage, and cramped rear seating for adults. Probably the two biggest downsides. It's weird because I would have never guessed I would have so many Toyotas a decade ago. We have an 07 4runner that we want to sell, a 2004 Prius, and the mr2. We would still have the Prius which has surprising cargo space. For our current activities, like camping at state parts for a handful of days, taking the dog to the park, or whatever short of moving, it works perfect. We end up taking in more than the 4runner. The Prius is a dope rear end car for what it is. Plan to drive the Prius into the ground or until the battery dies/CAT theft happens* and it just make sense. Then see what's out there, probably a van of some sort. One thing the corolla has is the intelligent manual or whatever they call it. rev matches shifts to smooth it out, keeps cruising speed while changing gears, electric parking brake automatically release when shifted into gear and hill hold. It's part of the reason she is considering the manual. She drove a manual for the first 5 years she had her licenses. She will do fine, but it is something she likes as a confidence booster. no lube so what fucked around with this message at 18:20 on May 18, 2021 |
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May 18, 2021 18:10
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no lube so what posted:We are cross shopping the Mazda and civic hatch. The Civic is a better car overall. You might wanna test drive the Corolla with the manual....It's gutless. At least the Civic is gonna have some sort of power band, the Corolla has none. Not sure about the cargo space of the Civic hatch (I drove the sedan) but it has to be better than the corolla because that's just unacceptable to me for a hatch to be that useless.
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May 18, 2021 18:21
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Applebees Appetizer posted:The Civic is a better car overall. You might wanna test drive the Corolla with the manual....It's gutless. That's all good thoughts. Thank you. At the end of the day, it will be my wife's decision. It's the reliable car she needs for the next 10 years. Because of the inventory delays, a lot of these small cars aren't getting off boats until mid June. The plan is to lock in prices with refundable first right of refusals, and already have our outside financing secured. Then see what incentives are offered when the paperwork would be able to be completed. Test drive them all back to back. See what financing options they offer. So far we put down a refundable $500 for right of first refusal on a corolla hatch spec'd how the wife wants for $21.3k out the door. It would get in late June. We are hitting up Mazda and Honda next. See what Memorial Day holds. Get rid of 4runner in the mean time. Then make a choice.
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May 18, 2021 18:44
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Russian Bear posted:Ok there's a little cheating. 3 road bikes, (2 of which were size 60, so not small), we took both front and rear wheels off and stacked them alternating front to back in the 60 part of the 60/40 split of the rear seat. All the wheels stacked up in the cargo area with the rest of our race weekend bullshit. It was a collegiate race 4 hours away, the poor freshman had to sit in the 40 part of the 60/40 split for the ride home. I don't have a bike so it doesn't really matter too much. I certainly regret having a more practical car than a Miata, never had to deal with this crap before lol.
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May 18, 2021 19:01
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no lube so what posted:That's all good thoughts. Thank you. At the end of the day, it will be my wife's decision. It's the reliable car she needs for the next 10 years. The problem with all the Corollas is the motors are focused primarily on fuel economy. I really liked the styling of the sedan initially, and liked the interior too, but after driving it I was pretty disappointed.....The aggressive styling on the XSE is kind of deceiving because you expect by the looks of it that it should be a quick little car but it's just not at all. I drove the Civic sedan with the K series (hatches have the 1.5 turbo) and it was what I expected the Corolla to be, was really close to buying one but decided I didn't want to spend the money on a new car. Went slightly used instead and saved ten grand, but that was awhile ago before the used market went nuts. If I were gonna buy now I'd get the Civic.
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May 18, 2021 19:07
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So now we're "locking in prices" and getting "right of first refusal" on loving Corollas What a world
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May 18, 2021 19:11
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The supply is hosed. We are using it as a way to get the exact car we want on the lot to test drive with a known max cost going in. It's a call option that only costs an hour of emails and short drive. Worst comes to worst we get our money back. and burned an afternoon of time. mock, but what would you do if looking new?
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May 18, 2021 19:18
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Throatwarbler posted:So now we're "locking in prices" and getting "right of first refusal" on loving Corollas https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a36430248/shoppers-pay-over-msrp-cars/ quote:A study conducted in the last week of April found that most car shoppers have heard about the semiconductor chip shortage and are aware that it is affecting vehicle production, supply, and thus prices.
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May 18, 2021 19:25
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Wow, guess I got lucky buying an Impreza under invoice in October.
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