Is it worth to have limited than premium?

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Hanzo

My brother who was in the cars business for several years told me "there is a buyer for every car".

That is so true. Here's an example. My son's fiance resently sold a Pontiac Trans Am (mid 90's model) that had serious rust, barely ran, used more oil than gas, and part of the dash was missing. She listed on CraigsList on a Saturday, and sold it by Tuesday for about 3 times junk value (which was what it was really worth).

The guy that bought it wanted it for the glass and the doors (about the only decent parts on the car) for a rebuild he was doing. They both got a deal on it.

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Originally Posted by MmmHamSandwich

Comes down to whether you think it is worth the added value.

For me, I passed.

Auto climate control: I personally hate it. While aesthetically it looks far better than the normal controls, temperature is subjective. I have no idea what a number means, if I want it hotter I turn the knob towards red. Cooler, towards blue. Plus I'd rather explicitly control when I am pulling heat from the engine and when the a/c starts and stops. Most auto climate control systems I've been exposed to I feel like they end up doing something I don't like and I have to spend time overriding it's decision on controls that are usually less intuitive. Still, no denying how ugly those standard controls are, man dey ugly. I'm gonna have to do something about that.

Spoiler: I like the look without the spoiler.

Fogs: Given the low seating position I doubt fogs will be that useful. Plus the lower grills look really cool without them IMO.

Push button start: The idea of hopping in the car and before your ass has fully dug into the seat you can hit a button and the engine starts right up is cool, until you realize you still have to push in the clutch anyway. Might as well use a key.
Keyless entry on the other hand is kinda neat, I like the fact you don't have to mess with your keys just to get in and start the car. They are already literally attached to my hip just so I don't lose them.

Heated seats: My first car had these, which were almost a requirement since the engine took 8 years to warm up. Not gonna lie they are nice on those cold winter mornings.

Leather: I wasn't that woo'ed. Looks decent but it really just ends up being more leather trim that actual leather seats, and I don't prefer leather anyway in a sporty car. A plainer cloth is fine to me, I almost wonder if I should somehow dye the gray fabric on the premium to black.

So for me it basically would come down to $2000 for heated seats and stuff I don't really want. Another person might get lots of added value however.

Excellent post. I agree with pretty much everything you said, especially regarding the climate control. It's definitely a luxury, but when you're dealing with a car with a small engine, the load of the A/C will have a bigger effect on it (especially if it kicks in at the wrong time) than it would on, say, my boss's 550i with a twin-turbo V-8.

Originally Posted by Subie

Personally although HIDs and navigation are nice, I wouldn't pay extra for those two features alone. The navigation maps will be outdated soon enough, and map updates will not be cost-effective.

I've owned two Evos; the first one had the regular halogen projectors while the second one had HIDs. The difference in brightness between the two was substantial in otherwise identical cars to the point where it made me prefer to have factory HIDs (if offered) on all potential car purchases. I would gladly pay for that option, assuming it's not bundled with an expensive package full of other features that I either don't want or don't see the value in for the premium in price.

Regarding navigation systems, people drastically exaggerate the drawbacks of having them in-dash from the factory. Yes, maps become outdated, but not to a significant degree, at least not throughout the life of a car. Seriously, how often are brand-new highways built (and not just updated or re-paved)? Exits? Streets? And how often are you going to those? I think I have a Thomas Guide from the mid-1990s somewhere, and I bet that should GPS devices and Google Maps not work that day, I could probably still use it to find my way to at least 80% of the places I would need to go, assuming I had the address in hand (which you usually would, unless you routinely use your navigation system when randomly craving food from unfamiliar restaurants you've never been to).

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by DeeezNuuuts83

...Regarding navigation systems, people drastically exaggerate the drawbacks of having them in-dash from the factory. Yes, maps become outdated, but not to a significant degree, at least not throughout the life of a car. ...

I gotta agree on that one. I have had a GPS of one sort or another since the mid 90's when they only gave you current position and that was about it. One of the one's I use regularly right now has a map date from 2007. It has never failed to get me where I was going.

Oh sure, every once in a while there will be a road reroute or something but it keeps working and eventually catches up or it doesn't send you the most efficient route, but you do get there. That's true even when you're maps are up to date though.

My favorite example is going into the Outer Banks of NC where they have opened an new bridge since the maps. For about 3 miles across the bridge it just happily shows me going across the bay with no visible means of support and saying "proceed to the nearest road".

[tinnyms3]

Originally Posted by Turbowned

The heated seats and mirrors alone seal the deal for me. You guys in CA don't have that thing called winter that we have to deal with. Y'know, when shit looks like this:



I need to get out of New England...

Hey sissie, just wear extra set of underwear. Seriously tho, I don't envy you living over there except for all the championships you guys seem to be winning.

Despite my anti-limited inclination, likely end up with one since wife demands heated seats for her back, and extra clothing will exaggerate her rear end, she'll say.

[86'd]

Originally Posted by Hanzo

My brother who was in the cars business for several years told me "there is a buyer for every car".

Sure there's a buyer but it may not always be a good deal.

[speedracer38]

I really like the options on the limited. I sat in the WRB at the NY auto show which was a limited and the alcantara seats were great along with the cleaner center console layout IMHO. I spend a lot of time behind the wheel and having a few more luxury features really appealed to me.

Plus I love having fog lights and the rear wing gives it a more completed look.

The best part about the limited is the keyless entry and start button!! No more fumbling with keys to unlock your door. Now you can just walk right up to the door and it will automatically unlock and open and you don't need to stick the stupid fob into the dash like you do on BMWs to start the car Little things like that make it worth the extra few K for the car.



On another note all this talk about GPS. There is a SD card in the nav screen which has the maps loaded onto it. I'm sure a simple update through your computer once a year or so will take care of any new roads / routes.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by speedracer38

...On another note all this talk about GPS. There is a SD card in the nav screen which has the maps loaded onto it. I'm sure a simple update through your computer once a year or so will take care of any new roads / routes.

I think its more about the cost of the upgrade than anything else.

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

I think its more about the cost of the upgrade than anything else.

That, and whether or not it's worth it to do it however so often.

[YukiHachiRoku]

Originally Posted by Hanzo

My brother who was in the cars business for several years told me "there is a buyer for every car".

yeah, my old car sales manager would always say:

"There is an ass for every seat on this lot"

I even got someone to buy my old 99 subaru Impreza L that was totally stripped out, (for weight) and had 270,000~ miles and leaked oil and coolant all over the place... deal was $500, then he swapped a 93 jdm sti motor, which was stolen a few months later...

[Lighting Red]

As far as keyless ignition systems are concerned my last motorcycle as well as my current motorcycle and car have keyless ignition: I am S-O-L-D. Limited was worth it just for that feature. The drag reducing "spoiler" is also a nice touch. OEM foglights are garbage, but getting them gives me housings to use HID yellow lights! I also like heated seats and mirrors.

Damn... looking back, I am glad I bought the Limited!

[Oriental Life]

Originally Posted by Turbowned

The heated seats and mirrors alone seal the deal for me. You guys in CA don't have that thing called winter that we have to deal with. Y'know, when shit looks like this:



I need to get out of New England...

You are forgetting that we have mountains, and it snows up there, occasionally even in the Bay Area. Tahoe is 4 hours away as well. Mountains - is why we have so many AWD cars on the road.

This pic is nice.

[8987846]

thanks guys, i went to the dealer today and spent $2xxx more for the sport-tech.

[djdnz]

I don't think you will regret it. I went with the sport-tech as well, main reasons for me were the alcantara seats, heated seats and keyless entry. My current car doesn't even have power doors, so it will be quite a luxury for me