# Help me buy my new (and expensive) car **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 24, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467 "2009-05-24T16:32:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/81 "2009-09-28T20:08:20Z")
Goddamn that is one COOOL Kat! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/82 "2009-09-28T20:22:04Z")
> [@leander](#): > > Is that the Jag that has the special HD display that a passenger can watch a video from their angle while the driver only sees the controls from theirs? Yep, although it wasn’t installed in the one I looked at. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/83 "2009-09-30T10:37:08Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Yep, although it wasn’t installed in the one I looked at. ☹ When you do buy this car you MUST start a thread about its coolness. We seriously need a full rundown report on its incredible features. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/84 "2009-09-30T14:06:59Z")
> [@Early\_Out](#): > > Got one as a rental (they were out of the subcompact I wanted). A pig. Lousy handling, underpowered. You have to get a 300C to get in on the action. The rental varieties are probably of the V-6 putt-putt ilk. The 300C has a LOT of balls. I wouldn’t call it a sports car, though, and it certainly isn’t in the class of the likes of BMW 5 series, etc. ---
**Author:** ![cdsilv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cdsilv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cdsilv)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/85 "2009-09-30T14:32:23Z")
Panoz [http://www.panozcars.com/gallery.htm](http://www.panozcars.com/gallery.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/86 "2009-09-30T21:22:58Z")
They look pretty. What are they like to drive? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/87 "2009-10-01T05:11:33Z")
It is my experience that once you go Cadillac, you can’t go back. They ride so beautifully and are so nice, you simply can’t own any other car. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/88 "2009-10-01T12:01:39Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > They look pretty. What are they like to drive? They handle, and they’re quick, but they don’t have the gadgets the Jag’s got. I was under the impression you wanted gadgets. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/89 "2009-10-10T17:37:46Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > Goddamn that is one COOOL Kat! 😃 I guess I ought to [post a picture](http://i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu108/TapiocaD/Jaguar.jpg) of the one I saw ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/90 "2009-10-13T02:38:24Z")
Update: Since this thread began, I realised that I’ve been upselling myself. Every time I find my nearly perfect car, it’s been more expensive than the previous model. I thought I ought to put an end to that by being being as ridiculous as possible. Today, I went to the local Bentley dealer. Boy howdy, I think I might have made a big mistake. I can’t afford a new one, but they had a 2006 Continental Super Spur for sale. It’s indescribably ridiculous. There’s no sane reason why anyone would buy one. I’d look stupid driving one. I’d have to take up a secret identity as a drug lord or porn producer to justify owning one. I’m taking it out for a test on Thursday. Someone tell me not to. Please. ---
**Author:** ![sharding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@sharding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sharding)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/91 "2009-10-13T02:42:49Z")
I **really** want a Bentley. Buy it and tell us all about it! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/92 "2009-10-13T02:47:34Z")
Can you afford it? (_Really_ afford it, not…payments and I can live on Top Ramen afford it) ETA: new 2006 Bentley, after a quick google was more expensive than: 1 Lamborghini Gallardo 2 Dodge Vipers 18 Chevy Aveos 35 Vespa Granturismo 200 scooters 72 Scattante CFR LE bicycles 1,045 Nike Air Jordan XXI sneakers ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/93 "2009-10-13T12:51:58Z")
Three years of depreciation makes a big difference 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/94 "2009-10-13T13:07:06Z")
Well yeah, but half price is still twice a new most-anything-else. But I googled a review and it was. …stellar. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/95 "2009-10-13T15:39:21Z")
I thought you were looking for a midsize sedan? A Bentley is a land yacht, and this is coming from someone who drove Cadillac DeVilles for years. It is just too big, especially if you are looking for something fun. I recently went car shopping, and pretty much had my heart set on a Mercedes E55. The engine was a blast, the brakes were great, it had cool gizmos. But as you said in your first post, turning it felt like driving a bed. I suspect the Bentley will be like driving a king-size bed. If I were you, I’d go find another BMW dealership, and look for a 550i or an M5. Track down a Mercedes E63 (or wait for the new one to come out if you prefer the updated body style). Take an Audi S6 for a spin. Or hold out for the Jag XFR. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/96 "2009-10-13T22:44:10Z")
I think I might have got slightly carried away with the Bentley, so I decided to try something slightly more sensible today. Does a Maserati Quattroporte count as sensible? :dubious: Probably the nicest thing I’ve driven so far, but it’s a little out of my price range. It’s toys were also a year or two behind the others too, so I’m back to a Jaguar ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/97 "2009-10-19T14:50:53Z")
> [@sharding](#): > > I **really** want a Bentley. Buy it and tell us all about it! 😉 I took it out for a spin at the weekend. The interior is breathtaking. Thedre’s so much leather, it’s like being inside a cow. The air vents looked like they were made of solid silver. Carpets so deep they probably to added to the things the lawn guy needs to take care of. There was a downside, as it was a 2006 model, so there was no ipod interfence and the GPS was pretty crappy. The ride was very surprising. It’s a huge car (or as **Necros** says, a land yacht 😃 ). It weighs nearly three tons, more than most full size pick ups. It’s not a sports car. Having said that, it’s quite lively. 0-60 is around 5 seconds, the brakes are really powerful, but all the HP and stopping power in the world can’t defy the laws of physics. The handling is a lot better than an average car, but is nowhere near the other cars that have made my shortlist. It would be a great car for my chauffeur to take me cruising in\*, but not the car for me in the real world. \*did that come out right? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/98 "2009-10-19T15:11:56Z")
Well, there are the privileged and then there’s just us Hoi Polloi. If you can’t get comfortable having other people do the driving, your time just isn’t worth enough. 🙂 My mind boggles that there are people out there who’s time is worth so much that a BizJet becomes an economical decision. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/99 "2009-10-19T20:44:17Z")
> [@Necros](#): > > Take an Audi S6 for a spin. Or hold out for the Jag XFR. Took an S8 this morning, nice car, but it was a bit of a plastic fantastic inside for a $100,000+ vehicle. Very nice handling (and Lamborghini engine) though. Then I went to the Jag dealer and put an order in for the XFR. I’ll start a new thread when they get it built 😃 ---
**Author:** ![sharding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@sharding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sharding)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467/100 "2009-10-20T05:16:50Z")
Thanks for the report on the Bentley. It doesn’t make me want one any less, but since I can’t afford one, it doesn’t really matter anyway 😉 And congrats on the Jag! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-my-new-and-expensive-car/497467.md?page=6)