New daily commuter

[illirep]

Well it's official, I fart rainbows, I mean, I bought a hybrid. Had to snap a pic of my mpg's this morning. Happened to capture the word 'mafia' in there as well! http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/03/17/4fb88a9b590602339d477231b237e775.jpg


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[fredo]

Congrats ! Details about the hybrid would be nice.

[illirep]

Forgot to mention that this car (lexus ct200h f sport) replaced the e60, not the Zhp or e30. No current plans to sell either of them.

Was going to trade the 535i sport in and my 25 year old brother insisted on buying it. Hell of a lot more car than I had at that age! Good for him.


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[UdubBadger]

Rofl.

Nice work those Lexuseseseses are pretty nice


GoingHAM mobile

[Simmsled]

I come from Lexus Land... Great cars.
That CT is a wonderful commuter. Very comfy and isn't a penalty box to drive.
Wish it had about 50 to 100 more horsepower, but for its intended purpose... hits the mark dead nuts.
Had a CT as a loaner when I owned an AWD GS.
IMHO, that CT will likely be the most reliable vehicle you've ever owned.

[az3579]

IMHO, that CT will likely be the most reliable vehicle you've ever owned.

#becausetoyota


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[UdubBadger]

Lexus has the lowest number (and thus highest rating) of mechanical failures of any brand out there.

Id say that's a damn fine pickup and much more enticing to get into than a Prius (no offense to the Prius owners).


GoingHAM mobile

[Simmsled]

#becausetoyota


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Yup.

[NYRhockey]

For that type of money (mid/high $30K) on a CT200h i'd get myself a Fusion hybrid and a have enough left over for a second zhp :)

[az3579]

For that type of money (mid/high $30K) on a CT200h i'd get myself a Fusion hybrid and a have enough left over for a second zhp :)

I don't think the two cars even compare...
I'd rather the Lexus.

[danewilson77]

I don't think the two cars even compare...
I'd rather the Lexus.
He wasn't making a comparison.

"No flamesuit required"

[az3579]

He wasn't making a comparison.

"No flamesuit required"

Yeah, I know...

[danewilson77]

Yeah, I know...
:)

"No flamesuit required"

[illirep]

Thanks for all the compliments. it is a perfect daily driver. Comfortable, nice amenities. Could use a little power boost, but that would work against the primary purpose of buying a hybrid.

I was contemplating a few options:
BMW i3 - great lease program, but my parking garage wouldn't plug me in once in NYC - not enough range for round trip
eGolf - same issue
VW TDI - back of the envelope calculation lead to me to believe that premium price of car plus higher cost of diesel outweighed excess fuel economy
Prius - just couldn't do it
Honda Accord 4cyl and Hybrid - lease programs on non base-LX's were not attractive, hybrid lease is awful.

In the end, went with a fancier, sportier version of the Prius. Lexus was offering very heavily discounted leases - basically a $40k car with F-sport, Premium and Navi package, 12k miles per year, for $350 per month, $0 out of pocket. Coupling that with about $100 - $200 per month in gas savings, it was a pretty simple decision.

PS - I bet a fully loaded Fusion Hybrid would cost $400 - $500 per month to lease. No thanks.

[cakM3]

congrats on the new car Bill. Given the choice I would get the same car you did :thumbsup

[Simmsled]

congrats on the new car Bill. Given the choice I would get the same car you did :thumbsup

Me too.

[az3579]

Thanks for all the compliments. it is a perfect daily driver. Comfortable, nice amenities. Could use a little power boost, but that would work against the primary purpose of buying a hybrid.

I was contemplating a few options:
BMW i3 - great lease program, but my parking garage wouldn't plug me in once in NYC - not enough range for round trip
eGolf - same issue
VW TDI - back of the envelope calculation lead to me to believe that premium price of car plus higher cost of diesel outweighed excess fuel economy
Prius - just couldn't do it
Honda Accord 4cyl and Hybrid - lease programs on non base-LX's were not attractive, hybrid lease is awful.

In the end, went with a fancier, sportier version of the Prius. Lexus was offering very heavily discounted leases - basically a $40k car with F-sport, Premium and Navi package, 12k miles per year, for $350 per month, $0 out of pocket. Coupling that with about $100 - $200 per month in gas savings, it was a pretty simple decision.

PS - I bet a fully loaded Fusion Hybrid would cost $400 - $500 per month to lease. No thanks.

The starting price for a Fusion Hybrid Titantium (somewhat comparable to the Lexus) is over $32k, without any extra option boxes ticked. I think you did good with the CT. Plus, it's smaller and consequently easier to park in the city. :thumbsup

[derbo]

The starting price for a Fusion Hybrid Titantium (somewhat comparable to the Lexus) is over $32k, without any extra option boxes ticked. I think you did good with the CT. Plus, it's smaller and consequently easier to park in the city. :thumbsup

It still uses your favorite engine from your favorite car


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[az3579]

It still uses your favorite engine from your favorite car


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It uses a S55 from an F80 M3???? No way!


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[slater]

In the end, went with a fancier, sportier version of the Prius. Lexus was offering very heavily discounted leases - basically a $40k car with F-sport, Premium and Navi package, 12k miles per year, for $350 per month, $0 out of pocket. Coupling that with about $100 - $200 per month in gas savings, it was a pretty simple decision.

wow, bill - that's impressive. smart economics. nice job!

peter

[JupiterBMW]

....back of the envelope calculation lead to me to believe that premium price of car plus higher cost of diesel outweighed excess fuel economy....

This a good point for anyone looking to diesel as an economic alternative. I ran across an article about the BMW 328d (the same as what we owned last year for a bit) that mentioned just how economical the Diesel cars are. They said that given the price of the vehicle, and the cost of Diesel fuel, there was a rough calculation that could be done to determine at what point the car because more economical to own.

For the 2014 BMW 328d that we owned, I would have to have kept it for 44K miles before it actually became a wise financial decision... Being that we traded it in after 6200 miles, I'd say we lost out on that deal. :facepalm

This article would've been great to read BEFORE I had purchased the car. :rofl Either way, I loved it, and I still prefer the Diesels to the hybrids... BUT, I think you made a very wise choice, and definitely one of the coolest Hybrids out there.

Good purchase and enjoy it!

:thumbsup

[az3579]

The way a diesel becomes an economical choice is if you buy one secondhand and intend on keeping it.

[NYRhockey]

Interesting that it's a lease. I've thought about leases in the past (BMW has good leases for the 3 series) but have never pulled the trigger b/c i kept thinking you're just renting.

[johnrando]

Nice Bill!

[derbo]

The way a diesel becomes an economical choice is if you buy one secondhand and intend on keeping it.

That's how we bought my moms F25 28d


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[illirep]

Interesting that it's a lease. I've thought about leases in the past (BMW has good leases for the 3 series) but have never pulled the trigger b/c i kept thinking you're just renting.

I hear you. I've actually modeled (I'm an excel geek) buying new versus leasing new. What I learned is that at the 36 month mark, nine times out of ten, you are in the same position whether you bought or leased.

A real life example I've modeled in the past, rounded numbers for simplification

$30k car, all in:

Lease: $300 per month, $0 out of pocket, residual roughly $20k after 36 months

Finance: $500 per month, 60 months, principal loan balance at 36 months is $12k

Payoff versus residual is $8k
Additional cash outlay on finance vs lease over 36 payments is $7.2k.

Hence a difference of less than $1k, amortized over 3 years. Lease is less risky to consumer. Say you were in an accident and have a bad carfax, wouldn't you want option to walk away from car? If you owned it, you are stuck selling a car that is likely underwater equity wise. Leases mostly come with gap insurance, finance deals do not. The car gets beat up, dinged, or you get bored with it, you walk away at the end.

Last but not least, if I decide that I hate this car in a year, I throw it on swapalease and someone takes over my lease free and clear. If I financed, I'd still owe $34k on a car that I'd have a very hard time selling for more than $25k.





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[illirep]

Been meaning to post a pic



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[illirep]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/03/20/8e1902a869bc03b0deb9f9c95044784b.jpg
Nothing like a few inches of snow in the spring

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[JupiterBMW]

At least your cars (ALL of them) don't change color when it snows! :rofl A family of white! :thumbsup

[Imola.ZHP]

They look much better than a Prius, thats for sure.

[ryankokesh]

Lexus has the lowest number (and thus highest rating) of mechanical failures of any brand out there.

Id say that's a damn fine pickup and much more enticing to get into than a Prius (no offense to the Prius owners).


GoingHAM mobile

Hey now... Just dropped an afe filter in ours. Added at least 65 hp. :shifty


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[UdubBadger]

You're still a loser


GoingHAM mobile

[derbo]

Lexus has the lowest number (and thus highest rating) of mechanical failures of any brand out there.

Id say that's a damn fine pickup and much more enticing to get into than a Prius (no offense to the Prius owners).


GoingHAM mobile

I wish the CT200H made sense when I was doing a 114mile commute/day. The maintenance cost would not have made sense for me when the Prius has an extra 10mpg as well..

The CT200H was also 10k more when I was looking at them.

[UdubBadger]

I wish the CT200H made sense when I was doing a 114mile commute/day. The maintenance cost would not have made sense for me when the Prius has an extra 10mpg as well..

The CT200H was also 10k more when I was looking at them.

Both the lexus and toyota hybrids seems way overpriced when compared to Honda's but they are damn nice. Just drove a black and saddle CT today at work. Mi gusta!


GoingHAM mobile

[derbo]

Both the lexus and toyota hybrids seems way overpriced when compared to Honda's but they are damn nice. Just drove a black and saddle CT today at work. Mi gusta!


GoingHAM mobile

The Prius is still the best mpg car no matter how you look at it. Unfortunately it comes with a lot of loss of respect from car guys hahah. It's okay, I made my decision and I'm going to drive it till it does this. Here's to hoping!

18830

[ryankokesh]

You're still a loser


GoingHAM mobile

Even with the upgraded 16" wheels??


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[ryankokesh]

The Prius is still the best mpg car no matter how you look at it. Unfortunately it comes with a lot of loss of respect from car guys hahah. It's okay, I made my decision and I'm going to drive it till it does this. Here's to hoping!

18830

Think that'll take a while... Seems these things just keep on going. Forever and ever.


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[UdubBadger]

Even with the upgraded 16" wheels??


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This has nothing to do with toyota lol


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[az3579]

The Prius is still the best mpg car no matter how you look at it. Unfortunately it comes with a lot of loss of respect from car guys hahah. It's okay, I made my decision and I'm going to drive it till it does this. Here's to hoping!

18830

I approve of this image.

:waldo

[cakM3]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7646/16335067763_6715a76a34_c.jpg

I approve of this image.

:waldo

I knew this image would bring joy to your heart BP.... I, on the other hand, would never wish this on anyone no matter what the car is.... bad karma...

[az3579]

I knew this image would bring joy to your heart BP.... I, on the other hand, would never wish this on anyone no matter what the car is.... bad karma...

Wishing and being happy about it are two very different things.
I don't wish this on anybody.

[derbo]

I knew this image would bring joy to your heart BP.... I, on the other hand, would never wish this on anyone no matter what the car is.... bad karma...

Well that prius is trying to be more upscale like a porsche or a ferrari ;)