Test Drive
So yesterday I got up the nerve to go out and do some hands-on research on the new cars I would like to own. Wasn't ready to make any deals seeing as how I have no money on me right now, so I was prepared to deal with anyone who was trying to make me a selling deal. I was also prepared for any kind of denials for credit as well.
My first stop was to Suntrip Nissan to check out the Nissan Cube. I already put in an online request for one, so I had no problem being helped when I got there. The sales rep showed me to the back where they keep most of the stock. Unfortunately I was really bummed when I eventually found out that they had no Cubes with manual transmission (and this after the one guy I talked to the day before said they did have manuals, too). All they had were automatics. That sucked. Still the guy let me test drive one of them. The ride was an okay one, save for the transmission part. I was really hoping I could get a chance to feel how the 6-speed would feel (especially on the highway) since I'm so used to 5-speeds. Afterwards, we went inside to see what kind of deal could be worked out to put me in one (he actually did manage to track an MT Cube but it was on the other side of Ohio). That kind of fell flat. The finance people were not willing to work with me as is, and required that I fork up $3000 to $4000 down before anything could be done. So, no Cube for me. Such a shame because it's the roomiest of the three I've been in.
Next stop was to Suntrip Kia to test out the Kia Soul. When I got to the lot, there was already a Soul parked at the front door. That one was (of course) an automatic. One of the sales reps came out and asked if I needed help. I told him of my interest in the Soul and he immediately asked if I wanted to test drive one. I then asked if he had any with a manual. He took me inside and asked another guy if they did, and it turns out they did, so they brought it around (it was in that Alien green color) and let me get in it. The Soul feels much like my PT Cruiser, if not somewhat lighter. Interior wise, it had almost everything the Cruiser has including the sunroof (the particular trim I was testing I think was the "!"). My only gripes with the Soul is that I lose a lot of interior room, especially in the back, and it comes with a Sirius satellite radio receiver, and I prefer XM to Sirius because of one channel XM has that Sirius took off (the channel Cinemagic which plays movie score music, and I listen to that channel a lot). Other than that, it pretty much felt like my Cruiser. The transmission would take a bit somewhat to get used to because normally I'm used to a shift pattern like this (which is almost universally standard for those that drove clutches):
, but the Soul has one that looks like this:
. Now I know what you're thinking: what the hell's the difference, right? The difference is that in the second one, of course the placement of the reverse gear is next to the first gear, but with this setup, there's a ring on the stick that you have to pull up in order to get it into reverse. I say that because I noticed that everytime I took it out of reverse I would always end up accidentally going in third gear instead of first. Obviously I've never driven a vehicle with that particular shift pattern before (stryder619's old VW had one just like it, but I never drove it). Anyway, when I got back they tried to work out a deal to put me in one (and it was the end of the month so they were in desperation mode major). They're only option was to finance it, and I was actually approved but the monthly payment was totaled out to be $497 a month (the price of it is listed at $17,581). Yeah, a little too high for me seeing as how that pretty much takes up at least half of my paycheck. If they had the "+" trim, maybe I could work with that, but all they have (and the others also have it according to their websites) is the "!" trim which is a bit too pricy for my liking. So if push comes to shove, the Soul is my second choice.
My final destination for the day was Weiss Toyota, which is the nearest place that they sell Scions so I could finally check out the Scion xD. I got to the dealership and walked in the direction to where all the new stock were located. Upon reaching the other side of the building there were four xDs sitting next to the entrance. Of course I was expecting all four of them to be automatics, but a black one turned out to be a manual. The Scion sales manager came out just in time to see me. I told him of my interest in the xD and he asked me if I wanted to sit in it. At first he tried to get me into the one of the automatic ones assuming I couldn't drive a manual, but then turned back around and asked if I could drive a clutch and was absolutely stunned when I told him "it's the only thing I drive." So he went in and got the key to it, showed me the vehicle all the way around, then invited me to a test drive. I have to say the xD is really quick. It's a small 1.8L I4 with only 120 hp, but God does it ever take off! Transmission feels really smooth and the handling is really nice. And at 27c/33h MPG...you just can't beat that! I wanted to get it out on the highway but missed my chance, so it was all county streets. We got back and we went to see what my options were to get me into that one. The guy was even nice enough to give me an appraisal on my Cruiser. According to KBB, in its current condition, which is listed as Fair, the Violet Vixen is pretty much worth $1450...however if it were in Good condition, it'd be worth $1950 or so. He even told me of the leasing option where I can lease the vehicle for X amount of years, pay no interest on it whatsoever, and then if I wanted to I could go ahead and buy it afterwards. And if I end up leasing it, my monthly payments would be lower, like $100 or so cheaper than what I'm paying now (currently I pay $342.28 a month for the Violet Vixen). I decided not to fill out the credit app at that moment because I still wasn't sure if I wanted to make it my final choice, so the guy gave me the paper app and some other brochures on the xD in hopes that I come back soon ready to be in a new vehicle, but I actually did take a chance and filled out and submit the online one and this morning I found out that I was actually approved, and they were willing to give me a base payment of $241 (which is $101.28 cheaper than my current payment). Still in all, with them willing to help me out in getting in one, as it stands, the Scion xD is my top choice for a new car.
So that's that. If anything else comes up within the next couple of weeks, you guys will be let known. Later for now.
My first stop was to Suntrip Nissan to check out the Nissan Cube. I already put in an online request for one, so I had no problem being helped when I got there. The sales rep showed me to the back where they keep most of the stock. Unfortunately I was really bummed when I eventually found out that they had no Cubes with manual transmission (and this after the one guy I talked to the day before said they did have manuals, too). All they had were automatics. That sucked. Still the guy let me test drive one of them. The ride was an okay one, save for the transmission part. I was really hoping I could get a chance to feel how the 6-speed would feel (especially on the highway) since I'm so used to 5-speeds. Afterwards, we went inside to see what kind of deal could be worked out to put me in one (he actually did manage to track an MT Cube but it was on the other side of Ohio). That kind of fell flat. The finance people were not willing to work with me as is, and required that I fork up $3000 to $4000 down before anything could be done. So, no Cube for me. Such a shame because it's the roomiest of the three I've been in.
Next stop was to Suntrip Kia to test out the Kia Soul. When I got to the lot, there was already a Soul parked at the front door. That one was (of course) an automatic. One of the sales reps came out and asked if I needed help. I told him of my interest in the Soul and he immediately asked if I wanted to test drive one. I then asked if he had any with a manual. He took me inside and asked another guy if they did, and it turns out they did, so they brought it around (it was in that Alien green color) and let me get in it. The Soul feels much like my PT Cruiser, if not somewhat lighter. Interior wise, it had almost everything the Cruiser has including the sunroof (the particular trim I was testing I think was the "!"). My only gripes with the Soul is that I lose a lot of interior room, especially in the back, and it comes with a Sirius satellite radio receiver, and I prefer XM to Sirius because of one channel XM has that Sirius took off (the channel Cinemagic which plays movie score music, and I listen to that channel a lot). Other than that, it pretty much felt like my Cruiser. The transmission would take a bit somewhat to get used to because normally I'm used to a shift pattern like this (which is almost universally standard for those that drove clutches):
, but the Soul has one that looks like this:
. Now I know what you're thinking: what the hell's the difference, right? The difference is that in the second one, of course the placement of the reverse gear is next to the first gear, but with this setup, there's a ring on the stick that you have to pull up in order to get it into reverse. I say that because I noticed that everytime I took it out of reverse I would always end up accidentally going in third gear instead of first. Obviously I've never driven a vehicle with that particular shift pattern before (stryder619's old VW had one just like it, but I never drove it). Anyway, when I got back they tried to work out a deal to put me in one (and it was the end of the month so they were in desperation mode major). They're only option was to finance it, and I was actually approved but the monthly payment was totaled out to be $497 a month (the price of it is listed at $17,581). Yeah, a little too high for me seeing as how that pretty much takes up at least half of my paycheck. If they had the "+" trim, maybe I could work with that, but all they have (and the others also have it according to their websites) is the "!" trim which is a bit too pricy for my liking. So if push comes to shove, the Soul is my second choice.
My final destination for the day was Weiss Toyota, which is the nearest place that they sell Scions so I could finally check out the Scion xD. I got to the dealership and walked in the direction to where all the new stock were located. Upon reaching the other side of the building there were four xDs sitting next to the entrance. Of course I was expecting all four of them to be automatics, but a black one turned out to be a manual. The Scion sales manager came out just in time to see me. I told him of my interest in the xD and he asked me if I wanted to sit in it. At first he tried to get me into the one of the automatic ones assuming I couldn't drive a manual, but then turned back around and asked if I could drive a clutch and was absolutely stunned when I told him "it's the only thing I drive." So he went in and got the key to it, showed me the vehicle all the way around, then invited me to a test drive. I have to say the xD is really quick. It's a small 1.8L I4 with only 120 hp, but God does it ever take off! Transmission feels really smooth and the handling is really nice. And at 27c/33h MPG...you just can't beat that! I wanted to get it out on the highway but missed my chance, so it was all county streets. We got back and we went to see what my options were to get me into that one. The guy was even nice enough to give me an appraisal on my Cruiser. According to KBB, in its current condition, which is listed as Fair, the Violet Vixen is pretty much worth $1450...however if it were in Good condition, it'd be worth $1950 or so. He even told me of the leasing option where I can lease the vehicle for X amount of years, pay no interest on it whatsoever, and then if I wanted to I could go ahead and buy it afterwards. And if I end up leasing it, my monthly payments would be lower, like $100 or so cheaper than what I'm paying now (currently I pay $342.28 a month for the Violet Vixen). I decided not to fill out the credit app at that moment because I still wasn't sure if I wanted to make it my final choice, so the guy gave me the paper app and some other brochures on the xD in hopes that I come back soon ready to be in a new vehicle, but I actually did take a chance and filled out and submit the online one and this morning I found out that I was actually approved, and they were willing to give me a base payment of $241 (which is $101.28 cheaper than my current payment). Still in all, with them willing to help me out in getting in one, as it stands, the Scion xD is my top choice for a new car.
So that's that. If anything else comes up within the next couple of weeks, you guys will be let known. Later for now.