Recently, I had a two day opportunity to drive the 2019 Nissan Sentra 4 door sedan. After driving the Sentra, I was impressed that it's a very standard car with some nice features. It's definitely a car for a someone who doesn't want to stand out and attract attention. If you have driven a couple of cars in your lifetime, there won't be any problem getting used to the driver layout and placement of the buttons. (Yes, I'm talking about you Tesla Model 3). Air conditioning controls, using the windshield wipers, setting cruise control, taking phone calls, and others functions are all where a average car driver expects them to be. I was amazed that the Nissan Sentra has many features that premium cars had eight years ago and safety features that were recently introduced. A "Push to Start" button and key fob came standard. The standard Sentra has an automatic audio brake warning that triggered during the times when I braked aggressively in stop and go traffic. The 7 inch electronic display was not only extremely convenient in picking music, but included reading text messages as well. If you have ever driven a Infiniti G37 or similar cars, this car will fit you like a tailored fit glove because the display information and selection display information such as fuel economy, odometer, fuel remaining, etc. are all where any Infiniti driver expects them to be.
In my 274 mile drive, I managed a 34.1 mile per gallon drive and was content with the acceleration and turning in the dry roads in Arizona. Obviously no driver is expecting too much from a car of this category, but it is more than enough for the daily commuter. With my eco driving abilities, one is able to get 490 miles per tank. That's pretty efficient for a non-hybrid car. This is a pretty normal car for a someone looking to get from point A to point B efficiently. Sure, the Nissan Sentra won't win any awards for acceleration and handling, but it is a very comfortable and decently priced car with Japanese reliability. "I have a BMW. But only because BMW stands for Bob Marley and The Wailers, and not because I need an expensive car." - Bob Marley
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The Tesla Model 3 has been available for the few who have reserved their's early or ordered a Model S/X. I didn't because as a prior Tesla shareholder and person who has followed them, Elon Musk was notorious for over promising release dates for his Tesla cars that never got delivered in time. Anyways, the Model 3 is out now and available to people who are willing to spend more for an additional upgrade (extended battery pack) that boost it much higher than the initial 35k price. Prices tend to start at around 58k until later this year when they will sell the regular battery pack model. I partly regret not putting the reservation on Day 1, because I might have been able to qualify for the tax credit. Reserving one now is a hopeless endeavor if you want to qualify for the tax credit.
After watching the live-stream of the Model 3 unveiling I was still pretty skeptical that the Model 3 would be delivered on time. But it was as 2018 progressed. I finally saw one on the street yesterday. Initially, as I read the reviews online, I was not terribly fond of the streamlined approach of the spartan front dashboard with no display gauges and buttons. As I didn't have access to a Model 3, I read online and some reviewers complained about that as well. After actually going into the Tesla store and seeing it for myself, it wasn't as bad as I thought. It was annoying that there were so few buttons to control stuff with and I heard that you had to control opening the glove box and windshield wiper with the touch screen. However, the car evoked an emotional response inside of me as I rose up to leave the driver's seat at the store. I really wanted to buy this car, but the sales rep reminded me that there were 400,000 people already in line and there was no way I'd get it this year. A couple weeks have passed and there's a flood of electric vehicles coming out the next couple of years. Jaguar just announced their EV SUV to compete with the Tesla Model X. Supposedly Benz and Audi have a couple of cars in the works as well. They'll qualify for the full federal tax credit too since they're not even close to the 200k market limit. Nissan's new 2nd generation Leaf is out too. Hyundai is on track to release a some new EVs as well. Since I wasn't able to get the Model 3, I get the benefits of not being a Model 3 beta-tester and being able to drive my current Toyota to remote places without a charging station. I like the Model 3 and hope it does well, but luckily I can wait for other companies to come out with their electric cars and drive a fully-tested electric car in the future. Car sales haven't been great this year for some companies. Because of this, many car makers are offering incentives to push their models onto consumers. In May 2017, GM sold 237, 156 cars. In May 2016, GM sold 240, 1450. That's a 1.4% drop. In May 2017, Ford sold 240,250 cars. In May 2016, Ford sold 234,768. That's a 2.3% gain. In May 2017, Toyota sold 218,248 cars. In May 2016, Toyota sold 219,339. That's a 0.5% drop. In May 2017, BMW sold 29,987 cars. In May 2016, BMW sold 33,685. That's a 11% drop. Data courtesy from motorintelligence. Obviously, there are many factors for a specific dealer discounting certain types of car such as supply, demand, meeting sales goals, etc. and this was just a general overview. Besides the evidence presented above, two people I personally know have been able to get cars at discounted prices. Negotiation skills are definitely a factor as well. One was able to get an 2017 Audi A4 for 33k. Another was able to get an 2017 Acura TLX for 28k. These are substantially discounted since the MSRP for the Audi was around 37k and the TLX was 30 something k. However, MSRP prices aren't always a good starting price to negotiate. From what I've heard, if a dealer is really looking to sell, they'll knock it down further. Obviously, getting a 2017 car when the 2018 car models are coming out definitely saved some cash for these two as well as shopping during Memorial Day sales. If 2017 sales continue to worsen, there might be even better deals if you wait. The trend nowadays is a compact SUV, and many companies have been jumping on the bandwagon lately. If you're in the market for a sedan you might be offered a good price since those haven't been selling well. I'm personally waiting to see what the Tesla Model 3 will be like... |
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