Dorsey4ANewCar

[LaCroix]

hmm, google skim suggests it's wrong, so I don't know what I read

[Zanza]

Let me start this by saying I hate cars beyond their ability to move me from point a to point b.

Get a 2-3 year old used car (lease return or so) then.

[crazy canuck]

Tesla.

Yeah, if he can afford it.

Good alternatives are the BMW i3 or the Kia Soul EV

[viper37]

My options so far:
-lower end Mercedes or BMW. The low end versions don't cost too much, and I get a shitty status symbol. FWIW, my girlfriend said she would think less of me if I got one of these cars. While that seems to be a negative, perhaps she is just scared of the competition for her I'd be attracting?

Avoid at all costs.  They're not worth the money you poor into it.
You only buy such cars if:
a) you live in a big city, close to a Mercedes dealer and lots of mechanics who specializes into these cars
b) you are rich (talking about 500k$/year min per couple)
c) you are adept at doing mechanical work yourself

I bought one and it's the only car I really regret buying.  Now, I'm stuck with it for a while longer and I hate it more&more everyday.

Maybe the AMC line is better, but I doubt it.  It's filled with conceptual error and the electronics keep failing.  My cousin had a BMW and he ran into the same problem.  He changed it back for a Ford truck.

Given that you still live in the south (right?), I'd go for a Nissan Leaf Electric car.  They ain't very good in northern climates like Quebec since during winter your autonomy falls rapidly (20-50km max), but it's ok for warmer places.

[viper37]

the maintenance costs refers to replacing the battery, which I've read can cost several thousand??

Depends on the model:
Link

Yes, it can be pricey for now.  By the time it needs to be changed, it could be a tad lower.

[Eddie Teach]

iirc, cars do nothing to the environment.

That is actually retarded.

What he really meant is there are so few cars in his hodforsaken state that their impact is negligible.

[CountDeMoney]

My options so far:
-lower end Mercedes or BMW. The low end versions don't cost too much, and I get a shitty status symbol. FWIW, my girlfriend said she would think less of me if I got one of these cars. While that seems to be a negative, perhaps she is just scared of the competition for her I'd be attracting?

-a leaf or other electric car. See the Mercedes or BMW, yet with the status symbol being a display of environmental consciousness. My girlfriend also said she would think less of me if I got this car. Has the downside of not having the range to go on some of the weekend trips I take, but on the other hand that also gets me out of driving for them. 

-a honda accord. My civic has been awesome. I feel loyalty to honda. An accord is better, but also just really seems boring. Maybe a Nissan Altima?

-a small SUV, something like a Subaru Forrester. Not too hard to park in the city. On the downside my best friend just got one so I'd be copying him. My girlfriend thinks I should do this. While that seems like a positive, see what I wrote on the BMW/Mercedes, and apply the opposite.

I know some on this forum have a fetish for FJ Cruisers. I'm not going to get an out of model car, but I definitely get the appeal and might have done so if they were still making them. But I don't do offroading and live in the center of a major city.

My recommendation is to punch your girlfriend square in the fucking throat, and get the car you want.  Fuck.

[alfred russel]

CdM, what I tried to convey and you may not be picking up on, is I don't give a fuck about the car I drive. My choice would probably be to fix up my 14 year old honda civic and drive it for another 10 years or until the self driving cars take over and I can just use ubers.

Since this is entirely about what other people think, and girls most especially, why not consider their point of view?

[Zanza]

Get a Porsche then.

[LaCroix]

What he really meant is there are so few cars in his hodforsaken state that their impact is negligible.

no i read* an article once and it said words that maybe meant that

[dps]

Generally speaking, I'd avoid electrics for now.  You're paying more for less car, though the gap is narrowing (and might be closed when the new "entry-level" Tesla comes out).

If you have a Honda and are happy with it, yeah, then an Accord makes sense.  But you're right--they're boring, about as boring as a car can be.  My mom's got an Altima that I drive, and it's a nice car, though it's a bit boring, too (though nowhere near as badly as an Accord).

SUVs are over-rated IMO, unless you're going off-road, which most SUVs aren't really good at anyway.

With BMW or Mercedes, you're definitely paying a premium for it being a status symbol, not that they aren't good cars.  IMO, most BMWs are cooler than comparable Mercedes.

And Zanza is right--if all you care about is having a vehicle that'll get you where you want to go, a program car or other late-model used car makes a lot more sense than buying new.

Based on the rest of your comments, I voted Accord or similar.  Keep in mind that there are other cars in that class besides the Accord and Maxima.

[alfred russel]

Get a Porsche then.

This thread is kind of a search for that middle ground between the ancient civic i'm fine with and the porsche the women want.

[crazy canuck]

Since this is entirely about what other people think, and girls most especially, why not consider their point of view?

I am not sure it is worth considering girls who think that a car is an important thing. 

[Admiral Yi]

Lexus convertible.

[Monoriu]

Honda Accord.