Help me! I'm so torn!
03-13-15, 08:01 PM
#17
Lexus Fanatic
The Hellcat doesn't appeal to me, a little too blue collar. I think the Jag is much more sophisticated, as is the GS.
03-13-15, 10:24 PM
#18
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
Trek, you're struggling with the classic left brain (sensible) vs. right brain (creative, impulsive) battle. i feel your pain. 
it's always cheapest and easiest to keep the car you have, but also the most boring. i recently traded in an 8 year old vehicle that was perfectly reliable but i was bored of it and wanted newer safety and other features and just something 'new'.
i tried going practical and getting a 'sensible' vehicle, but ended up spending a lot more to get something i grin from ear to ear every time i get in it or see it in a parking lot. i'm sure i would have been ok with the other vehicle, but i'm glad i made the decision i did.
so you can be practical, or you can do something fun. without being morbid, none of us knows what tomorrow brings (or doesn't). it's ok to plan for retirement, but not to the point of not having some fun and happiness in the present. material things aren't everything but they can certainly be very enjoyable. i just love new cars and each year they really do get better and better.
oh and on your list... for me it would be the macan. a friend on here has one and LOVES it. he struggled some with whether to treat himself, but he has no regrets now.
and while the hellcat is incredible, i'd get a loaded corvette instead for that money - a vastly superior vehicle technically, or a jeep grand cherokee srt
it's always cheapest and easiest to keep the car you have, but also the most boring. i recently traded in an 8 year old vehicle that was perfectly reliable but i was bored of it and wanted newer safety and other features and just something 'new'.
i tried going practical and getting a 'sensible' vehicle, but ended up spending a lot more to get something i grin from ear to ear every time i get in it or see it in a parking lot. i'm sure i would have been ok with the other vehicle, but i'm glad i made the decision i did.
so you can be practical, or you can do something fun. without being morbid, none of us knows what tomorrow brings (or doesn't). it's ok to plan for retirement, but not to the point of not having some fun and happiness in the present. material things aren't everything but they can certainly be very enjoyable. i just love new cars and each year they really do get better and better.
oh and on your list... for me it would be the macan. a friend on here has one and LOVES it. he struggled some with whether to treat himself, but he has no regrets now.
and while the hellcat is incredible, i'd get a loaded corvette instead for that money - a vastly superior vehicle technically, or a jeep grand cherokee srt
03-14-15, 07:00 AM
#20
Lexus Test Driver
Not that my opinion will matter to you, but here are my thoughts. If you are retiring and it will be your possible last car you buy, RELIABILITY is your #1 priority!!! You dont want to buy charger or any unreliable vehicle simply bc it will drain your account over years.
My dad was in the similar situation and I advised him to buy an Acura RDX. He knew that SUV was a must and he understood that reliability was the #1 priority.
So, if I were you, I would advise to stay away from any un Japanese cars for 2 reasons: 1. Reliability 2. Resale value just in case you need to sell it!!!
If you can swing up to $100k, If that was me i would buy an lexus LS460 F-sport!!! You will get a fun and reliable car. Oh and dont forget the Luxury part and its will turn heads for sure!!!
Just my 02
My dad was in the similar situation and I advised him to buy an Acura RDX. He knew that SUV was a must and he understood that reliability was the #1 priority.
So, if I were you, I would advise to stay away from any un Japanese cars for 2 reasons: 1. Reliability 2. Resale value just in case you need to sell it!!!
If you can swing up to $100k, If that was me i would buy an lexus LS460 F-sport!!! You will get a fun and reliable car. Oh and dont forget the Luxury part and its will turn heads for sure!!!
Just my 02
03-14-15, 08:32 AM
#21
Lexus Fanatic
Not that my opinion will matter to you, but here are my thoughts. If you are retiring and it will be your possible last car you buy, RELIABILITY is your #1 priority!!! You dont want to buy charger or any unreliable vehicle simply bc it will drain your account over years.
My dad was in the similar situation and I advised him to buy an Acura RDX. He knew that SUV was a must and he understood that reliability was the #1 priority.
So, if I were you, I would advise to stay away from any un Japanese cars for 2 reasons: 1. Reliability 2. Resale value just in case you need to sell it!!!
If you can swing up to $100k, If that was me i would buy an lexus LS460 F-sport!!! You will get a fun and reliable car. Oh and dont forget the Luxury part and its will turn heads for sure!!!
Just my 02
My dad was in the similar situation and I advised him to buy an Acura RDX. He knew that SUV was a must and he understood that reliability was the #1 priority.
So, if I were you, I would advise to stay away from any un Japanese cars for 2 reasons: 1. Reliability 2. Resale value just in case you need to sell it!!!
If you can swing up to $100k, If that was me i would buy an lexus LS460 F-sport!!! You will get a fun and reliable car. Oh and dont forget the Luxury part and its will turn heads for sure!!!
Just my 02
03-14-15, 08:48 AM
#22
Lexus Test Driver
The Japanese brands, though building a (general) reputation on reliability, don't have a lock on it by any means. There are a number of non-Japanese vehicles that are quite reliable (Consumer Reports and J.D. Power can fill in the details). And, in fact, for several years, a Japanese-brand SUV (the Nissan Armada) was among the most UN-reliable SUVs sold in the American market.
03-14-15, 09:04 AM
#23
Lexus Test Driver
03-14-15, 09:14 AM
#24
Lexus Fanatic
I only used the Armada as a random example. But, for the most part, the days when there were huge differences between the Japanese and other countries in eligibility are gone. Most vehicles there days are at least reasonably reliable, though some Chrysler/Jeep, Fiat, and Land Rover products still have some problems here and there.
03-14-15, 09:24 AM
#25
Lexus Test Driver
I only used the Armada as a random example. But, for the most part, the days when there were huge differences between the Japanese and other countries in eligibility are gone. Most vehicles there days are at least reasonably reliable, though some Chrysler/Jeep, Fiat, and Land Rover products still have some problems here and there.
03-14-15, 12:37 PM
#26
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
it's not available yet, is it? 
so it sounds like you don't mean this will be your LAST car, just the last one you're willing to splurge on.
everyone's definition is different, but if you're not rich, i'm not sure you should be leasing a car that's worth up to 100K if you're retiring in 4 years but of course i don't know your situation.
well, unless you're pretty bad off when you're "old" you can always drive something (beater corolla 
).
i still say you should enjoy yourself before you're dead.
I'll be retiring in four years and I'm not rich.
I'm scared about spending too much. What will happen after the lease? Will want this car when I'm old? If I give it up, what will I drive then?
).i still say you should enjoy yourself before you're dead.
03-14-15, 02:04 PM
#27
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Like I said in my earlier post, the GS F is a sedan with RWD. The same as the HELLCAT. But the GS F is a lot slower AND a lot more expensive, so it doesn't make sense.
Don't get me wrong. I would never consider a Charger, not even the next one down with the 392 HP engine, as a substitute for the GS F or the regular GS. But the HELLCAT is not an ordinary Charger.
I don't know. It is a Dodge. The last Dodge I owned (an AWD mini van when my kids were little) the engine caught on fire. I haven't gone near a Dodge since, but this is a Charger HELLCAT, and I'm assuming all the American brands have improved.
Such a hard decision. Every option has a negative.
Don't get me wrong. I would never consider a Charger, not even the next one down with the 392 HP engine, as a substitute for the GS F or the regular GS. But the HELLCAT is not an ordinary Charger.
I don't know. It is a Dodge. The last Dodge I owned (an AWD mini van when my kids were little) the engine caught on fire. I haven't gone near a Dodge since, but this is a Charger HELLCAT, and I'm assuming all the American brands have improved.
Such a hard decision. Every option has a negative.
Last edited by Trek; 03-14-15 at 02:11 PM.
03-14-15, 02:19 PM
#28
Lexus Fanatic
It doesn't make sense if all you're looking for is the fastest sedan you can buy. The GSF will handle better, ride better, more refined, more prestigious, the list goes on and on. Its all about priorities.
03-14-15, 02:46 PM
#29
Lexus Test Driver
The lease on my GS expires this year. I don't know what to do! This was my first ever lease. In the past I always bought. I think I will lease again, but I'm viciously torn as to what to go for. I'm seriously considering keeping the 4GS, but I'm torn! Help! This is my first Lexus, so I'm not a real fanboy. Nothing against Lexus. There are brands I won't touch (can you spell F-O-R-D?) but otherwise I don't have a favorite. I'm not brand loyal, nor am I biased in favor of Japanese vs. German vs. American vs. Korean, etc. I don't care about that stuff.
Here is my dilemma. This next acquisition is likely my last new car, get what you want and can afford car. I'll be retiring in four years and I'm not rich. But right now, I can get close to whatever car really interests me, if it is below 100K. At the same time, I'm scared about spending too much. What will happen after the lease? Will want this car when I'm old? If I give it up, what will I drive then?
So here is my dilemma. I love my 4GS. It has AWD and is unbelievably good in the snow, and I've always lived in snowy states. None of the California, Texas, Florida or Arizona stuff and I don't expect to retire to any of those places. Calfiornia is too expensive and culturally/politically my wife wants no part of the other states. So we'll likely stay in the snow belt.
MY choices seem to be:
1. keep my 4GS, which is the safe but kind of boring choice especially knowing this is my last luxury car. Boring because it is the same old, same old. This is negative to me.
2. Satisfy the pull in my loins for a brand new Dodge Charger HELLCAT. 707 HP, fastest sedan in the world. There is something visceral about the idea of owning this car. Maybe it's the old school in me. When I was 20 years old no respectable American would touch a "foreign" brand. I became less provincial as I grew older, but I've never been prejudiced against American brands like many younger people are today. The negative: RWD, although it does have traction control.
3. Porsche Macan S. It's a small SUV but it's a Porsche, and every review has been stellar. You get performance, AWD, comfort (with air suspension), and even off road capability which I would likely never use. The negative: Lux sedans are easier on my sore back than SUVs, even a Porsche. And I worry about repair costs with lux German brands. I really worry.
4. My ultimate dream car but the most expensive by far, the Jag F-Type R Coupe with AWD (new for 2015). I keep telling myself 'you only live once.' The negative: cost plus the guilt I would feel doing something this impractical (only two seats and limited trunk space) as well as expensive.
5. Lease/buy a 2016 Lexus GS. The negative: It will still be 4GS not 5GS. Also, I tend to like change over familiarity or habit. The only time I bought the same brand in consecutive purchases was as a young single guy when I bought four Chevys in a row. But my last Chevy purchase was 25 years ago.
If you were me, what would you do? Agonizing over this big decision is eating me up.
Here is my dilemma. This next acquisition is likely my last new car, get what you want and can afford car. I'll be retiring in four years and I'm not rich. But right now, I can get close to whatever car really interests me, if it is below 100K. At the same time, I'm scared about spending too much. What will happen after the lease? Will want this car when I'm old? If I give it up, what will I drive then?
So here is my dilemma. I love my 4GS. It has AWD and is unbelievably good in the snow, and I've always lived in snowy states. None of the California, Texas, Florida or Arizona stuff and I don't expect to retire to any of those places. Calfiornia is too expensive and culturally/politically my wife wants no part of the other states. So we'll likely stay in the snow belt.
MY choices seem to be:
1. keep my 4GS, which is the safe but kind of boring choice especially knowing this is my last luxury car. Boring because it is the same old, same old. This is negative to me.
2. Satisfy the pull in my loins for a brand new Dodge Charger HELLCAT. 707 HP, fastest sedan in the world. There is something visceral about the idea of owning this car. Maybe it's the old school in me. When I was 20 years old no respectable American would touch a "foreign" brand. I became less provincial as I grew older, but I've never been prejudiced against American brands like many younger people are today. The negative: RWD, although it does have traction control.
3. Porsche Macan S. It's a small SUV but it's a Porsche, and every review has been stellar. You get performance, AWD, comfort (with air suspension), and even off road capability which I would likely never use. The negative: Lux sedans are easier on my sore back than SUVs, even a Porsche. And I worry about repair costs with lux German brands. I really worry.
4. My ultimate dream car but the most expensive by far, the Jag F-Type R Coupe with AWD (new for 2015). I keep telling myself 'you only live once.' The negative: cost plus the guilt I would feel doing something this impractical (only two seats and limited trunk space) as well as expensive.
5. Lease/buy a 2016 Lexus GS. The negative: It will still be 4GS not 5GS. Also, I tend to like change over familiarity or habit. The only time I bought the same brand in consecutive purchases was as a young single guy when I bought four Chevys in a row. But my last Chevy purchase was 25 years ago.
If you were me, what would you do? Agonizing over this big decision is eating me up.
If this is your "last new car", why would you opt for a lease (in choice 4)? You will have to make another move in 3 years. And again, if it's your last new car, I wouldn't get a Dodge or a Jag--I would want something I know I can keep driving for years with little drama. Going only by the choices you list, based on those parameters, I'd buy a new GS. The other potential choice would be to buy out your current GS, and trade it in for the 5GS when it comes out.
03-14-15, 02:51 PM
#30
Lexus Test Driver
However....if it's your "last" new car, there is some question as to long-term reliability and battery replacement costs.