Buying a car at the 2015 N.E. Auto Show
I need a new car.
This is a reality I can no longer ignore. My 2003 Nissan Altima has over 106,000 miles on the odometer and the repair bills are getting costly. This past November, my semi-reliable clunker failed to pass state inspection because the check engine light came on.
As luck would have it, I’m heading to the New England Auto Show where I have the chance to peruse plenty of choices. According to The Boston Globe, I’m not alone, with 84 percent of Auto Show attendees planning to shop for a new vehicle.
Like most people, I want to get the best car I can possibly get at the lowest possible price. Unfortunately, I’m very early on in this process. I don’t have a clear sense of my budget (other than it will be pretty low).
What I do know is I would like another sedan. I’ve always liked Nissans, but I’m not married to the brand and can see myself behind the wheel of a Ford, Honda, or any other car make. It should get good gas mileage, all-wheel drive, and heated seats wouldn’t be bad, either.
One day before the Auto Show I had the chance to speak with one of the region’s best-known car guys, Herb Chambers. He confirmed what I thought, that the Auto Show is a great place to get started, but that I shouldn’t expect to drive out of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in a new set of wheels.
“People shop with their eyes,’’ said Chambers. “The good thing with the Auto Show is there may be a model of car that you weren’t aware of.’’
“It’s the best place to go shopping to find what you want,’’ said Chambers. But that’s only the first step. “Then you go online to find the best deal.’’
But according to AAA Southern New England media relations director John Paul – aka “the Car Doctor’’ –there might be a few deals to find.
“What you can find is a clear understanding of rebates and incentives,’’ said Paul in an email. “In fact what is great about the Auto Show is there is no pressure to buy. Just look, discuss and learn. Buyers have the ability to look at nearly every new car in one place without sales pressure.’’
He’s right.
I started my search at the Subaru display, where a very helpful product specialist, who preferred not to be named, showed me around a Legacy.
The Legacy we looked at had all wheel drive, decent ground clearance, and comes with heated seats. It also has voice-activated technology, adaptive cruise control, and blind spot detection to warn the driver if there is another vehicle just outside their line of sight.
It also has a pretty decent price tag that starts at just over $18,000 and can go as high as $40,000.
But the product specialist I spoke with also told me that $250 Auto Bucks were available with the car if I leased or purchased the car in the next 90 days.
Unfortunately, I’m not ready to make a move so I continued shopping.
Next, I headed over to Mazda where product specialist Darryl Sims introduced me to a four-door Mazda 3.
With the Mazda 3, I had two engine choices. First, a 2.0-liter that gets 155 horsepower, and a second with 2.5-liter that gets a decent 184 horsepower.
Some of the fancier toys that come with the Mazda 3 include Mazda’s SkyActive technology, lane departure warning, and a rear-cross traffic alert for backing out into a lane of traffic.
The Mazda 3 also gets a combined fuel economy of 34 mpg, with a 41 mpg highway and a 30 mpg city. As far as price goes, the Mazda 3 starts at just under $18,000 and can go as high as $27,000.
Sims told me about an Auto Show incentive worth $500 in “Auto Show Bonus Cash’’ that can be used if I lease or purchase certain new Mazdas by early February.
Over at the Hyundai station, another helpful product specialist (who again did not want to be named), showed me around their vehicles.
Unfortunately, AWD is only available on the Hyundai Genesis, a luxury car that is a little out of my range starting at $38,000.
Instead, we looked at the 2015 Hyundai Tucson, an SUV with AWD, and a 2.0-liter engine that gets 164 horsepower. I’ve never considered an SUV, but I’ve taken a Hyundai Tucson for a spin before and was impressed with its handling.
Unfortunately, there is no Auto Show incentive for the Hyundai Tucson. But the product specialist encouraged me to check out Hyundai’s site for other deals.
Next stop was Nissan, where another helpful product specialist who went by Lionel W. showed me around some of their vehicles.
The bad news is if I wanted a Nissan sedan with AWD I would have to look at the GTR, Nissan’s supercar. Not going to happen, so we look at an Altima and Maxima instead.
The Altima featured NASA-inspired zero gravity seats that can ease the stress on a driver’s spine by supporting the necessary pressure points. It also has rear view monitoring, blind spot warning, and has plenty of legroom in the front and the back.
Lionel W. then took me to the Maxima, which has not been redesigned since 2008, but has a more sporty and aggressive feel to it. I will be driving this car around Boston, so that could come in handy.
The Altima starts at just over $22,000 while the Maxima starts at over $31,200. Between the price and my history with Altimas, I’m leaning away from the Maxima.
But here was another station with no Auto Show-specific bargains. Instead, Lionel W. encouraged me to visit Nissan’s website to find national and local incentives.
Lionel W. encouraged me to visit Nissan’s “sister company’’ Infiniti, if I’m committed to buying an all-wheel drive sedan. I’m a little hesitant because Infiniti is a luxury brand and I doubt I can afford one. Still, why not check it out?
Another helpful product specialist named Natalie showed me an Infiniti Q4. This model has AWD that will kick in when necessary and the heated seats I’ve been looking for. It also has a rear view camera and a Bose speaker system inside.
The car starts at just over $35,000. Of course, it gets more expensive the more options get added on.
Natalie told me that there is no Auto Show incentive, but encouraged me to visit Infiniti’s website for more information on national and local offerings.
At the end of the day, I didn’t end up with a new car. Surprise, surprise, right?
But I did have a great chance to learn about a host of vehicles without moving from dealership to dealership. Plus, I have had a great opportunity to adjust my expectations and realize that if all-wheel drive is a must for me, I’m probably looking at the wrong car.
So in conclusion, the Auto Show isn’t a great place to shop for a car. But it’s definitely the right place to conduct research on vehicles and discounts.
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