Hey all!

Coming to you live from PDX-ville. Glad to have found this site and hoping it will give me a much better insight to the 8.

With that being said, I am currently waiting for dealer/broker's to get back to me on quotes for a Shinka with the "pretty" packages and am wondering what sort of experience have you all had in the "fleet pricing" sort of venue. This will be my first "mid-life" car and would love to hear about the best ways to go about negotiating, what a fair deal would be, and any "gotchas" I should really pay attention to. Oh, also, other than the aesthetic nature of the Shinka, is there more benefit to go with this particular version, or just go with a base MT and adjust accordingly.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm just a bit ignorant about the whole process, but I am willing to learn from the adept!

Regards,

 

Welcome! If I had a chance to do it all over again I would stick with the base model and then upgrade the seats and suspension. That sunroof takes up a bit of headroom. But then again, I'm more into auto-x'ing then commuting.

 

There is a thread on what extras the Shinka has on it. Basically the Shinka is an upgraded GT as far as suspension and a few other things. You might try searching "shinka" on here and see what you come up with. Personally, I have a GT and have never looked back. I wouldn't buy the base MT because I wanted the leather seats, sunroof, cushy suspension, etc. I love the color of the Shinka also and probably would have bought one if it had been out when I got my green. Good luck.

 

Initially I looked at getting the GT in green as well, but the allure of the Shinka's color and other appointments keep drawing me in. Only thing I'm kinda disappointed about is not having the Nav available (I'm just a geek fer goodies!!)

I do find the reviews a bit tough to decipher as many people say yeah it's great, but not as good as... Man, where are the days of consistency?! hehe

Thanks all for your input!

 

Hello down there in PDXville.

Just rolled over 25K on the GT and have loved every mile of it - welcome aboard. I don't know much about financing, even though my wife is a mortgage loan officer...

 

Nemesis,

Thanks! Yeah the financing will be a bit o' fun, although I think more fun will come from explaining to my wife, hehe. Just had our 2nd daughter the end of February. People don't really get divorced over car purchases, do they?? hehe. What does she expect, I currently drive a '97 Taurus and will be 40 next year! I'd rather my kids grow up thinking, "gee, my dad roolz!" than "There's no way I want to be seen in that car with you dad!" :-)

First the car, then the house with the garage to pamper it! lol

 

I divorced mine and then got the car. Much simpler that way and you don't take the chance that she will get the car in the divorce! :p

 

lol!!

It seems like it would be easier, but I've begun to grow accustomed to the kids. :-)

Hey, I'll have to deal with menopause and puberty in the house, there better be some slack cut! Then again, woman's perogative, sorry ladies!

 

I would recommend you go in the other order. Get the house first, then get the car.

Financing a house is more of a pain when you have a good sized car payment, but financing a car when you have a mortgage is easier. Probably because they know that most houses appreciate, while all new care depreciate.

But that Shinka is very cool....but like you, I'm a bit dissapointed that you can't get NAV...I love my NAV!

 

I don't think you can go wrong with the Shinka, got mine a couple of weeks ago; great fun on the curvies and quite civilized on the 405. Purchased at Lee Johnson in Kirkland, they seem to have another there. The key though on any auto purchase is whether or not you've a trade-in; if you're planning on using the Taurus - prepare to bend over! Two day trips to Portland the last two weeks have proven to a guy in a similar life situation that it beats the hell out of a family four door; although my daughter still can't figure out what happened to her back seat in the Volvo S80 T6 I had, but no front drive and wallowing is all worth it.

 

The Shinka is great for us mid-life guys with kids. Lots of sportiness and still practical enough to justify as a practical purchase. Don't trade. I had an 0 Passat and bought the Shinka before selling it. I paid $31,600 plus the wheel warranty $400. The sticker was $33 with all the mark ups. I knew the guy who ran the dealership so I feel I got a good deal. I am sure they did not lose any money on it though. The great thing about the Shinka is it is beautiful. However, it probably is not the ideal auto cross car. I have not seen any MS body kits for it. I have'nt even gotten any touch up paint yet. I would recommend getting the "Clear Bra" by a company called XPEL. The paint chips and the undercoat is light so the chips are pretty easy to see. From what I have read on this forum teh clear bra is the ticket. I am calling my local detailer in the morning to get it installed ASAP. Good luck with the salesman!! You will definately enjoy the car!

 

Thanks all for the encouragement and advice! So, the consensus is to private sell the Taurus then? I certainly understand the monetary benefits, but man do I hate dealing with people, hehe.

 

go to MSN new cars pick you car out there with the opition u want. It will tell you msp and invoicethen I would not pay more then 500 over invoice.[[I]U] Dont go to SOUND MAZDA[/U]

 

Don't think of it as having to deal with people. Think of it as paying yourself $500/hour for being a part time used car salesman.

You can list the Taurus on web sites like Autotrader or Craigslist (free) and do a lot of it through the Internet if you don't like the face to face stuff. Its not too much work for the money you'll save.