socketz67

I tend to view an automobile purchase as a necessity and see the investment portion/return as x number of years driving the car without payments or major repair expenses.

So essentially, I acquire a car every 7-10 years, and try to put down enough cash in order to avoid being upside down after driving it off the lot. Then, within the next 3 years, I try to pay the loan off. Then, for the next 5-7 years I drive the car payment free and hope that there are really no major expenses outside of routine maint/upgrades.

At the end of the term, my goal is to retain at least a 1/4 of the car's value as I move that money into another one that will last me another decade (or close to it).

This is why Japanese cars and below invoice purchases (vs. lease) seem to work best for me.

Ideally, I should probably keep my cars beyond 10 years, but at that point the miles are racking up as is the probability of major repairs like a trannie or critical front-end or emissions system and technology/efficiency along with safety features have upgraded to a point where it seems logical to upgrade and move on. In addition, I love cars and feel like I deserve/can afford one every decade.

I know should also consider pre-owned/used as I understand allowing others to pay for a bulk of the depreciation, but personally I have found this so difficult to do in real life. I am just OCD when it comes to cars being 'clean' that I cannot get over things like odd smells, under-carriage rust, vibrations/rattles, scuffs in the interior, loose hinges/door handles, dings, road rash, undesirable color combos, etc. I honestly have tried, but I can always find at least a dozen things wrong with even CPOs.

I'm sure others have formulas that have worked equally as well to suite their priorities, but this one works for me.

ypdfwg37

I remembered when I first bought my 2008 G37 coupe and the first yr depreciation big time. But then same thing happens for BMW, Lexus, Merc... Now my car is still at least $21K, not bad for 5 yrs old and still worth 50% of it value.

rmfnla

That's because repairs are a fortune and they are nowhere near as reliable as a Japanese car, especially long-term

GraphiteIPL

I think the main issue with the IPL is that it was given an MSRP too high for what the market would allow. This left dealers no choice but to lower the price on new IPLs by several thousand dollars to a price that would entice buyers, which then depressed the used car market for the vehicle. Had Infiniti priced the IPL more competitively, this wouldn't have occurred.


I love my 2011 IPL. I purchased it new three months ago for $38k and think it was worth every penny. Given that there have been no changes from 2011 - 2013 (and 2014 was in name only) I saw no harm getting a 2011. I saved quite a bit off MSRP and the car has already absorbed a lot of the upfront depreciation so it should hold up fairly well over the next 3 years or so.


Best Regards,


Michael


2011 Graphite IPL / 7AT / illuminated Kick Plates

DONTTASEMEBRO

too bad there wasnt an ipl sedan...

Tazicon

iTrader: (1)

I was talking about this with my wife and she said that they were only going to give us 29k for our car. I know she was floored when we found out what the book value was on our "BABIED" IPL. Not sure how they worked it but in the end I got 33.5k for it acording to the paper work. c

jusrushem

youre a lucky man graphite. At least yours have the music box.

chairman25

62 large for an IPL? That my friend is sticker, if you really paid sticker you should not be upset by being offered 34 grand for the car 4 months later. Besides, unless 62k is pocket change, why would you be looking to "trade" the IPL in? Are you buying a C 63? Come to think of it you could buy a C63; RS5; or M3 for about 63 to 65k plus options. These specialty cars have great value to enthusiasts, but few others are interested in them.
A word of advice, keep the IPL and enjoy it for a few years, then when you are ready, trade it for another specialty car.

chairman25

Gotta tell you that there are updates for the software in the car. MY 2011 IPL has no issues after the updates were done. Car has better response and is much more responsive. Have the dealer do the software update, if he tells you there isn't one he is wrong, mine was done in July.

XCoop

That's the reason I even considered a G, as the depreciation is so steep, that slightly used vehicles are a great deal. Do I really need a G coupe? No, but if I can get one with all the bells and whistles for the price of a new Accord? Hell yes!

XCoop

Besides, IPL stands for "I Paid Lots". People that want a lot more car for a lot less money can do it with mods. I know even Infiniti had to sell a lot of IPLs much cheaper to move them. Once these cars become classics many years from now, low mileage IPLs will only then be worth the extra cash. New cars are huge investments, it pays to research before you buy. Not what you want to hear, but hopefully it will help you with your next purchase. Unless it's urgent that you get out of it, enjoy the car if you can't get your price. I always shop the internet and travel to get cars, as cars, especially AWD cars are super expensive here. You could do the opposite, drive to an area where they are worth more. Stop at a few Infiniti dealers, and fly back. Some dealers in other states should be able to give you a good estimate, if not exact price, what they would pay for a gently used specimen. Good luck with your decision.