Normal car recommendation….

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JZ67 said:
I own the CX-5 Signature and it is the best vehicle I have ever owned. I'm a bit of a Mazda advocate :)

Towed with it once and it does not like towing at all. Fuel mileage went to ****. Total tow weight was under 2000lbs and it felt like I was pulling a tank. Power was still kinda there but it was definitely lacking. I would not want to tow long distances. If towing is going to be a regular occurrence, I would not suggest the CUV options on your list.

The performance characteristics between the CX-5 and CX-50 are very different. I find the former way more driver oriented. The CX-50 lacks driver spirit and performance in comparison and felt floaty while the CX-5 feels tight and connected to the road.

Of the CUV options, IMHO, it is far nicer and more fun to drive. Makes the Honda and Toyota very utilitarian.
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The interiors on the higher end models are getting comparable to the luxury brands... probably nicer than some.
 
raginduck said:
The wife is looking for a new vehicle...
I have her looking at.. X3.. GLC.. and the Stelvio. She's always liked the look of the Stelvio... I like it too.. but!?
Any thoughts.. or other suggestions???
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Looks like we're talking base model luxury SUV?

X3
GLC
Stelvio
FPace
Q5 (Q3 is too small for anything imo)
NX450 i think Lexus calls it now
XC60
Macan

My top 3 would be;

1) Macan
2) XC60
3) Fpace

but of course it depends on wants/needs.
 
raginduck said:
The wife is looking for a new vehicle...
I have her looking at.. CX-70.. X3.. GLC.. and the Stelvio. She's always liked the look of the Stelvio... I like it too.. but!?
Any thoughts.. or other suggestions???
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Alfa Romeo and Fiat are on life support.

good luck with warranty (you'll need it). and service in the coming years.....
 
raginduck said:
The wife is looking for a new vehicle...
I have her looking at.. CX-70.. X3.. GLC.. and the Stelvio. She's always liked the look of the Stelvio... I like it too.. but!?
Any thoughts.. or other suggestions???
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Full disclosure, I am biased towards Mazda but for good reason. They are simply outperforming the competition on build quality. They have moved to the luxury market space and doing it well. Unlimited kilometer warranty only screams build quality to me.

A coworker owns an an Alpha, spends 8 weeks in the shop every year. But it looks sweet and presents with an image.

A coworker owns the F Pace, costs a bloody fortune to maintain. But it looks sweet and presents with an image.

To me, BMW and MB are vehicles you lease. Once things start to break, it gets heavy.

The Volvo is an awesome option.

Mazda...lower cost to buy. Lower cost of maintenance, great warranty, beautiful design with luxury touch, decent resale value. Does it carry the same gravitas when you arrive, no.
 
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What's the story with Volvo currently? Are they reliable? Have they gone downhill since Tata bought them from Ford?

They're expensive to buy/lease, but they are gorgeous and their wagons are one of the sexiest on the road to me.
 
mimico_polak said:
What's the story with Volvo currently? Are they reliable? Have they gone downhill since Tata bought them from Ford?

They're expensive to buy/lease, but they are gorgeous and their wagons are one of the sexiest on the road to me.
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I know a Volvo family. A never-ending string. Each one they like better than the last. No major issues. The latest is current Gen and quick. I can't remember which one as I've only heard about it but haven't seen it.

I would love it if Volvo would bring back the R wagons. So nice.
 
GreyGhost said:
I know a Volvo family. A never-ending string. Each one they like better than the last. No major issues. The latest is current Gen and quick. I can't remember which one as I've only heard about it but haven't seen it.

I would love it if Volvo would bring back the R wagons. So nice.
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Isn't the last Polestar version the latest 'R' model?

I saw a V70R a few days ago....love em to this day. If I wasn't so scared of Jaguar quality and maintenance I'd go buy an old X-Type Estate wagon as I loved those when I was working for Jag.

Had a nice BRG one...it's practically an F-TYPE R....almost...
 
mimico_polak said:
Isn't the last Polestar version the latest 'R' model?

I saw a V70R a few days ago....love em to this day. If I wasn't so scared of Jaguar quality and maintenance I'd go buy an old X-Type Estate wagon as I loved those when I was working for Jag.

Had a nice BRG one...it's practically an F-TYPE R....almost...
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I guess polestar is similar to R but different imo. R vehicles were hairy and tight. Imo, polestar is a nudge in that direction but falls short.

I have zero love for x and s type. Modern xjr would be cool but I don't know if I could go back to a vehicle with a trunk. Not a "normal" vehicle though.
 
Has anyone dealt with Haldimand Motors? Their pricing seems better than the GTA, and obviously they're not a dedicated / manufacturer dealer.

I've never bought from a non-manufacturer dealer so a little hesitant.

Also, any ways to confirm that the odo wasn't rolled back on used cars? I've had people casually tell me that $350 and almost any car can be rolled back if you know the right guys...that's concerning as if it's that easy...outside of CARFAX if a dealer / shop doesn't input the odo readings...very simple to hide.

@PrivatePilot you mentioned that you hooked up something to your new IONIQ5 and could pull all sorts of data...does that work with any car?
 
mimico_polak said:
Has anyone dealt with Haldimand Motors? Their pricing seems better than the GTA, and obviously they're not a dedicated / manufacturer dealer.

I've never bought from a non-manufacturer dealer so a little hesitant.

Also, any ways to confirm that the odo wasn't rolled back on used cars? I've had people casually tell me that $350 and almost any car can be rolled back if you know the right guys...that's concerning as if it's that easy...outside of CARFAX if a dealer / shop doesn't input the odo readings...very simple to hide.

@PrivatePilot you mentioned that you hooked up something to your new IONIQ5 and could pull all sorts of data...does that work with any car?
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It depends on brand. Generic obdii reader can tell you some things.Vw keeps a second mileage log in the computer that integrates data from transmission. It's slightly off from dash odo but they should be close. Afaik, nobody has found a way to roll back the secondary odo. I don't know if generic obdii reader can get to secondary mileage or if that requires a vw specific tool.
 
mimico_polak said:
Has anyone dealt with Haldimand Motors? Their pricing seems better than the GTA, and obviously they're not a dedicated / manufacturer dealer.
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They have been in business and at that location for a long long time. I remember shopping for a car their 20 to 30 years ago.

They have a huge inventory, I am sure they are doing something right. Their google reviews are 4.7 stars

I wouldnt hesitate to shop there .
 
mimico_polak said:
Has anyone dealt with Haldimand Motors? Their pricing seems better than the GTA, and obviously they're not a dedicated / manufacturer dealer.

I've never bought from a non-manufacturer dealer so a little hesitant.

Also, any ways to confirm that the odo wasn't rolled back on used cars? I've had people casually tell me that $350 and almost any car can be rolled back if you know the right guys...that's concerning as if it's that easy...outside of CARFAX if a dealer / shop doesn't input the odo readings...very simple to hide.

@PrivatePilot you mentioned that you hooked up something to your new IONIQ5 and could pull all sorts of data...does that work with any car?
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It’s been a long time since I purchased but, I do check out their stuff from time to time. If you see something you like, give them a call before heading down as they do move quite a bit of inventory and often the vehicle you are eyeballing was sold before they can update the website. But, they do have a lot of similar vehicles in stock.

Inventory is typically sourced by end of fleet sales and rentals etc. So the history is limited to non-existent.

Pricing is non-negotiable and they try to sell extended warranty like any other. But, overall experience has been positive.
 
nakkers said:
It’s been a long time since I purchased but, I do check out their stuff from time to time. If you see something you like, give them a call before heading down as they do move quite a bit of inventory and often the vehicle you are eyeballing was sold before they can update the website. But, they do have a lot of similar vehicles in stock.

Inventory is typically sourced by end of fleet sales and rentals etc. So the history is limited to non-existent.

Pricing is non-negotiable and they try to sell extended warranty like any other. But, overall experience has been positive.
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I've had good contact with one of their reps, but they just got in a car that really interests me so I want to be sure before I make my way over so far...especially with recent snowfalls.

From Mississauga...it's a trek.

The price they give is fine, it's the trade-in value that makes or breaks the deal in my case.
 
mimico_polak said:
I've had good contact with one of their reps, but they just got in a car that really interests me so I want to be sure before I make my way over so far...especially with recent snowfalls.

From Mississauga...it's a trek.

The price they give is fine, it's the trade-in value that makes or breaks the deal in my case.
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They should be able to give you a decent ball park value for your trade in with the vin. They will run a carfax at their expense and give you a quote based on your feedback of condition. It’s not in ink so, it’s subject to change but gives you an idea before spending the time and fuel for the drive. Good luck!
 
To me the 1966 VW beetle is the perfect car. Cheap and easy to maintain. However as a daily driver that has to go to Brampton occasionally I would want air bags, disk brakes ABS, collapsible sheet metal. Climate change necessitates air conditioning and a heater that works.

Thanks to catch and release it needs theft protection. Better corrosion is good value. To keep climate change at a minimum eco options are needed as well, FI and cats.

I'd be happy if they could keep the cost under $2000 new.
 
nobbie48 said:
To me the 1966 VW beetle is the perfect car. Cheap and easy to maintain. However as a daily driver that has to go to Brampton occasionally I would want air bags, disk brakes ABS, collapsible sheet metal. Climate change necessitates air conditioning and a heater that works.

Thanks to catch and release it needs theft protection. Better corrosion is good value. To keep climate change at a minimum eco options are needed as well, FI and cats.

I'd be happy if they could keep the cost under $2000 new.
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A stupid enclosed mobility scooter (crappy single seat electric golf cart) is $8k or more. Or did you mean $20K for a bare bones safe car? Don't forget that our morons in control have mandated cameras, automatic braking (that only works at low speed) and all sorts of other expensive gimmicks that do very little to help but they sure do drive up costs and therefore prices.
 
GreyGhost said:
A stupid enclosed mobility scooter (crappy single seat electric golf cart) is $8k or more. Or did you mean $20K for a bare bones safe car? Don't forget that our morons in control have mandated cameras, automatic braking (that only works at low speed) and all sorts of other expensive gimmicks that do very little to help but they sure do drive up costs and therefore prices.
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IIRC the 66 beetle was ~$1600 for the standard and + $100 for the deluxe (Chrome trim around the windows). I was allowing them $400 for inflation. :) Now they run in the mid $20K range. You can spend over $8K for a Chowcycle.
 
nakkers said:
They should be able to give you a decent ball park value for your trade in with the vin. They will run a carfax at their expense and give you a quote based on your feedback of condition. It’s not in ink so, it’s subject to change but gives you an idea before spending the time and fuel for the drive. Good luck!
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They just did. It's within the range I'm expecting.
 
mimico_polak said:
Has anyone dealt with Haldimand Motors? Their pricing seems better than the GTA, and obviously they're not a dedicated / manufacturer dealer.

I've never bought from a non-manufacturer dealer so a little hesitant.

Also, any ways to confirm that the odo wasn't rolled back on used cars? I've had people casually tell me that $350 and almost any car can be rolled back if you know the right guys...that's concerning as if it's that easy...outside of CARFAX if a dealer / shop doesn't input the odo readings...very simple to hide.

@PrivatePilot you mentioned that you hooked up something to your new IONIQ5 and could pull all sorts of data...does that work with any car?
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Since it's probably a newer model, service records should not be an issue. It should show the mileage train.
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