Went to the Houston Auto Show last night All I can say is....Holy Moley cars are ridiculously expensive! Are you kidding me? Examples:
The new Chevrolet Suburban - It looks like a hearse - a hearse they want $73,000 for in its best trim! $73,000 - are you kidding me? You can get a decent Suburban for $60,000 but it still looks like a hearse. My advice is find a clean 2007 - 2009 Suburban for about $20K and drive it for the next decade.
The new Tahoe - It doesn't look as much like a hearse because it's shorter, but they want $70K for it if optioned out like I want it. Dang! And the last Tahoe I drove (my father-in-law's 2012) was like driving a tank. Horrible suspension. I hope they improved it
Toyota Land Cruiser - It makes the Suburban look like a bargain. You want a fully-optioned Land Cruiser? Be prepared to shell out $82,000. Yes - $82K for a Toyota truck! No way! I wanted to see what the sticker was on the Lexus SUV that's their Land Cruiser equivalent because I figured it had to be $100,000. But I hate Lexus cars (they're the new Buick - drive one, and everyone figures you're 75 years old), so we didn't go look
Ford Explorer - Here is the SUV to buy! Completely optioned, including 4-wheel drive, it was $51K. I'm sure you could get it for somewhere in the high $40's. And it was NICE. This is what we are going to buy before next winter to replace our Suburban
Mercedes ML350 - This is the best bargain in the entire world! My mother-in-law is going to buy one and you can get it completely loaded with everything for $58K. Who in their right mind would buy a Suburban, Tahoe or Land Cruiser when you can get a Mercedes for more than $10,000 less?
Dodge Challenger Scat Pack - Oh hell yes! Maybe you've heard of the Challenger Hell Cat? That car has 707 horsepower but stickers for over $70K. Well, the Scat Pack version has almost 500 HP but fully loaded stickers for $35K. If you want a badass muscle car, this is it!
Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 - They had a "prototype" there and it was locked. But the sticker on it was $72,000. I don't them selling very many $72,000 Camaros
Chevrolet Corvette - Ding ding ding! We have a winner! This is the most awesome car I saw. And you can get one for $54K! Or a convertible for $59K! Wow, is this car incredible. I will have one, sooner or later
Hyundai Azera - Double ding ding ding! Here is the absolute best value for a sedan in the entire world. For $34K you get one of the nicest - and certainly the most optioned - cars there is. We own two Hyundais now (2012 Sonata and 2012 Elantra) and those cars have been just great. So now my wife is definitely trading up to the Azera. You can go completely nuts on one and still not spend $40K. Sold!
Those were my observations. What new cars do you think are worth the money? |