Time for some Car Shopping - Off-Topic

#1 Posted by TheHBK (4884 posts) - 3 months, 13 days ago

I am looking for opinions from the GB Car Club on trying to decide on a car. I currently am riding a 2008 Mustang GT and just want something with 4 doors and something that I will enjoy being in. But of course economics come into play. This is what is currently in play for me. Different beasts that is for sure. These are the colors for each car that I am thinking.

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid (known as the Mondeo in Europe)

I am open to a steel gray for the BMW. I don't have a long commute to work, about 7 miles and going with used for the BMW. The Fusion just came out so there is no such thing. Insurance for both would be about the same, got quotes already. Opinions? And I think I can get either for around the same price seeing as how the BMW would be used.

#2 Posted by T1000 (45 posts) - 3 months, 13 days ago

I'd prefer the Red if it didnt look pinkish.

#3 Edited by WEB_War4 (105 posts) - 3 months, 13 days ago

I'm partial to the BMW, but I‘ve only driven a 7 series. As for a four door car, I've been considering the 2013 Charger. I had a rental for a week. A fully loaded SXT plus I think. 300 hp V6 and I still averaged 24mpg after wailing on it the entire week. If at all possible, get the longest test drive you can. Some cars have horrible seats that only reveal themselves after sitting in them for a while. I found out I really dislike touchscreens. It's a lot easier to change radio presets with buttons and not having to look at a screen. A fair amount of satellite radio antennas are really weak and cut out going under overpasses. I'd say make a note of how you sit in your car, what you lean on and how you hold the wheel. Some wheels are impossible to hold similarly to how I do in my current car. The wheel buttons on the new mustang are awkward to use. High door sills are difficult to rest your arm on. One thing about the BMW, it will have a high original MSRP, so your registration fees are a thing to research and might be higher than you expect.

#4 Posted by JasonR86 (7760 posts) - 3 months, 13 days ago

@thehbk:

I haven't driven either one but I would be worried about the maintenance costs of the BMW. I've never owned a BMW so I don't know if they are costly to maintain or not. Not necessarily whether they are reliable or not but rather for normal maintenance or for if, and when, the car has a more major problem what the costs of those repairs might be. I would think that a Ford would be cheaper to take care of. But I could be wrong too. Plus, even though the new Fusion is based on the Mondeo, it was still tweaked for the US. I've heard buying newly remade models of established cars is a bit worrisome because it isn't clear exactly what it is like to own, and what could go wrong, with that specific model of car for an extended period of time. The BMW will be faster then the Fusion but will have worse gas mileage. But since you only drive 7 miles on your commute it might be more fun to get the faster car.

It'll probably all depend on the test-drive and which car feels better to you. I recently bought a new Ford Focus but was also really interested in the Dodge Dart. Both looked to be neck and neck on reviews and from the research I did. But when I did the test-drive I was floored by how little I liked the Dart and how much more I preferred the Focus. None of my issues were that apparent in the reviews but were huge issues for me. So go test-drive the cars and see which one is a better fit for you.