egs21

$3,500 car and you are broke? Probably time reevaluate your budget and not spend money on mods.

driver1988

I'd consider a Corolla if this was the issue. True, GS is reliable but all it takes is one small problem and parts are expensive.

egs21

True. If finances were the only factor, something like a Corolla would be perfect. For me, I'd rather spend a small amount more and get something with the comfort and style of a GS.

mccrimmon

iTrader: (2)

If you happen to be a pimp and you use your car to make money then it is definitely an asset. But then you're probably driving a Caddy instead.

toy4life86

iTrader: (4)

If this was the case wouldnt a prius make even more sense I have seen a prius used as a taxi with 450k preety much running non stop and from the owners that we know it never had any major expensive problem

pheonix72

iTrader: (6)

You are confused! We are talking a Daily Driving car; NOT Collectable Cars!

mk2tmr2

iTrader: (1)

You realize that people who were fans of the 1970's style engineering were singing this exact same tune about the cars of the late '90s. When you compare a 2GS to, say, a 1977 Chevy Malibu, the 2GS is far more "plastic" with infinitely more electronic gadgets and gizmos that could break and cause many headaches for someone trying to repair them.

Our cars have VVT-i and a complex drive-by-wire throttle body setup. Those two things, alone, would cause anyone who likes reliability and simplicity to balk.

I'm not saying that our cars are not reliable. They are. But when it comes to "they don't make them like they used to" - I don't think 2GS owners have a soapbox to stand on here. If anything, we're seeing an increase in engineering quality and reliability in modern cars of the last 2 or 3 years.

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Other than the fact that hybrid batteries will die. It's not a matter of 'if,' but a matter of 'when.'

Neosakai

I thought this thread was about the financial benefits of owning a reliable car and driving it for many years to reap the benefits from not having to buy a new car.

I cant truly make out if this is a GS appreciation thread or you are actually trying to say there are actual financial benefits of owning a GS because a V6 or a V8 is not exactly saving anybody's money in any way. I also believe there are other luxury cars that are in the same competitive price range as our GS so personally I dont think Im getting any financial benefits from driving the GS. Im driving it because I really like the car and if I were to factor in financial benefits while keeping style and comfort, there are many other cars I can choose from.

But style and comfort is objective, so to each their own I guess.

Just my two cents, not trying to say whats right or wrong.

egs21

Allow me to clarify: I am not making this into a "GS appreciation thread". Cars (with a few rare exceptions) to do appreciate. What I was saying buying a used car that is know to be reliable and will last a long time is a smart financial decision. The GS is not the only car that would fit this description, however I used it as my example because I own one and this is a GS thread.

I disagree with the whole "gas mileage" point when comparing to new cars because the average new car will set you back around $25k (on average). Sure you will get better gas mileage than a second generation GS; however not to the tune of $15k over the life of the car (unless you kept that same car for 20 years which is unlikely). That also is not factoring in depreciation which is another cost that hits new car buyers in a big way.

Frankly I'm a little surprised at how this thread was to perceived to be something it isn't. But maybe that is my fault for not being more clear. I hope that helps clarify things.

Cartune

iTrader: (3)

2013 alone. Spent about 2400-2500 in gas, oil change, basic maintenance.

Neosakai

I do understand and agree with you on this one


and regarding your second paragraph

I should have stated in my comment earlier that I wasn't trying to compare our GS to new cars. I was meant to say there are a number of other reliable cars that could reap better financial benefits that is of the same year range and price range. Starting with looking at cars that are non V6 and especially non V8 would instantly save a lot of money on gas.

I bring gas mileage to this discussion because it really makes our car not 'cheap' to drive. Parts and labour is cheaper than other luxury brands such as Mercedes and BMW, but I believe it is not the cheapest and gas mileage definitely brings everything down when we look at our GS from a financial standpoint. You dont have to agree with me on this but this is how I see it.

I appreciate you taking your time to clarify any uncertainty. I am just a little sensitive when I saw the word 'financial benefits' linked with our GS because my other car is yielding far greater financial benefits than my GS and Im driving the GS only because I really like the car.

ttaylor993

Not confused, just a different opinion. Not everyone who has a GS (or any car for that matter) uses it for DD, just as not every car that is owned is a collectable. There is a lot of grey in between. Nevertheless, any well cared for car, DD or not, will only go down so far in value before it starts to increase in value with age.

egs21

Neosakai,

I agree that there are other cars out there that may provide a great financial benefit than the 2nd generation GS. I only used the GS as an example because this is a 2nd generation GS forum. That makes a lot of sense to me and I didn't think I needed to provide the disclaimer that there are other cars that could be better. I mean that is pretty common sense. I mean its cool that you have another car that may do better, but how am I supposed to account for that before I made my initial post? Seems a bit unreasonable to be sensitive about something like that :-)

Was just commenting that 2nd generation GS is a lot of car for the money and allows you to drive a stylish and reliable car for not a ton of money. While other "economy style cars" will provide a better return on investment there are intangible benefits in my opinion with the GS that outweigh that. But that is just me.

Neosakai

I was saying I am sensitive to putting the words 'financial benefits' and the GS together base on the fact that Ive driven cars that are alot more inexpensive to drive (gas) and maintain (repairs). while driving in style and comfort. But that is based on my own experiences with the cars Ive driven so you will definitely have different views based on what you have driven. If you came from lets say a Mercedes that costs alot of money for maintenance and gas mileage is disgusting then driving the second generation GS is definitely giving you financial benefits while driving in style as you have stated. As I've stated earlier this is objective so don't let my words get to you, they are only my opinions based on my own experiences so it is natural you might see things differently.

I also see intangible benefits to having our GS and that is also why Im driving it, Im sure we can agree on that. I was simply just not quite agreeing with seeing financial benefits with the GS but that is just based on my experiences so don't let my words get to ya