a bunch of us early first year people are 6-9 months away from the end of our lease. what car are you guys thinking of to replace your crossfire? personally i'll be going with a gto. you can pick one up for about 26k with 2k miles on them very slightly used, or 29k brand new with a 34k sticker. and that includes a 6.0 liter v8 and a 6 speed trans. i bought the crossfire expecting an aftermarket to develop, never happened. i won't make that mistake again, the aftermarket for the gto is huge because it runs an ls motors. and even with the new muscle cars coming out it will more than hold its own. for 3-4 k you are looking at 450 whp, crazy fast.
so what about you guys?

 

x ~

i just hope you aren't disappointed in the build quality of an american built car... after owning a crossfire.

gto - bang for the buck...yes. design...plain.

i'll see what i can come up with... and post a few options...

 

The GTO is imported from Australia.

 

i think you guys are a little to excited about the crossfires "build quality". mine squeaks like a son of a ***** and the suspension is noisy as is the rest of the car. i wondered what the sound was i kept hearing, it was like a leaky window, figured out it was just the sound of the side view mirrors wind resistance, never the less annoying. its better quality than say a corvette, but having been in a mazda 3. i would say its no better than that car. oh, and the ls series motors are some of the most bullet proof engines ever built, going to 200k miles all the time without problems with being driven hard, alot. my friends dad has been selling the motors for 10+ years. amazing motors.

 

Squeaking bad, check to see if your seat back is touching the back of the passenger compartment. Mine was and buy moving the seat a touch problem solved.
Wind noise from outside mirror. I brought it to the dealer and the rubber piece that is by the mirror that seals the glass when it goes up had to be adjusted, now quiet as can be. Not to be mean and I'm not trying to start trouble but the truth is GTO is on the way out. To pricey, yes lots of HP but the look was not distinct enough. A new one is on the way. They are being heavily discounted. Mustang is actually a better buy and will hold its value better. This is not my opinions but from reports from the Auto industry news. But if you like the GTO that is all that matters. Go get the goat.

 

400 hp for 27k overpriced? the mustang has 300 for the same price, if not more. and the quality of the mustang is even worse, are they still running the 30 year old fox body platform. gto ftw, its not even close, it blows the gt in every single performance category. i appreciate your input with the crossfire fixes, just goes to show that the car always has these pain in the *** problems, no matter how small.

 

and it may be the sound of my seat, that's a good point, but i'm 6'1 and that the only position my head doesn't hit the top of the roof in. again, gto ftw, power, speed, price (same as crossfire, 185 hp more lol, almost twice the hp). millen also uses the gto as its training car for drifting. with some basic suspension mods, this car is an amazing handler for its size. it is a fat *** though, and i hate fat cars. but rwd, 400 hp, 27k, too good to be true. but i'm not here to defend the gto, its a great car for the price. have you driven one, have any of you, or are you just magazine racing interiors? i just wanted to know what cars you guys wanted, i already made my mind up.

 

I'd get a Nissan 350z! Those are sexy like the crossfire.

 

x'ed,

I'm not sure what I'd buy at this point, probably nothing new. I like the new 'Stang exterior, the interior is cheap. I like the Sky Redline, but don't want a convertible. I'd buy a nice used 'bimmer 3 or 5 series, or, I've seen a nice Audi Quattro 3.0 at a dealer...3 years old, 21k, super nice car, nice power.

Keep us up on your search and thoughts.

 

I plan on buying the Crossfire out right when I'm done. I love my baby.

 

I heard that if you want to buy the car at the end of the lease that the price is not negotiable. Is that true? Would DC seriously prefer to take the car back as opposed to making a deal with someone that wants the car??

 

At any point in any lease you can ask for a buy out. I have done this many times. Sometimes only half way through the lease. In some cases the buy out might be say, 17K and the dealer offers 17.5K for a trade in on a nice one owner. You buy it out and pick up $500 toward the deal. On the other hand if your buy out is 19K and the dealer is offering 17K then run it to the end and walk away. The only factor that might play into it is the tax on the trade difference if that is how your state handles it.

This comes into play if you should sell your car out right or trade. In most cases you have to get at least 2,000 more selling it than the dealer is offering to make it worth while to off set sales tax.

 

You would think that they would accept a reasonable offer from the Lessee as they will get auction $$ from a dealer, at best. I've done this, but have asks to speak with a decision maker at the leasing company, otherwise you will get the standard answer from the person who answers the phone.

 

When the lease on my wife's 4-Runner was up they wanted $19,000 for the buy-out. I told them I could buy a used 2002 for around $15,000 so that is what I was willing to pay. The guy told me (in a heavy Indian accent ) - no deal! So I traded it in for a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The dealer that handled the return told me that Chase called them later and offered to sell it to them for less than that...

I was told that sometimes the mfg leasing companies are more likely to negotiate than banks - I don't have any personal experience with that.

 

I would get the Lotus Elise, yeah its 200 HP but its so light, its like a rocket on a paper air plate. I think the is going to be a Lotus Exile version coming to the US too.
If not I get a corvette with the big V8. Have Fun with your money!

 

I shouldn't be allowed to post here. I've never leased a car. Shouldn't have gotten my degree in Accounting. For individuals...except those for whom money is no option...leasing is a bad way to go. The banks and leasing companies found a way to make more money on the deal.

Now as to my next car...maybe a nicely broken in 2007 Crossfire Roadster. Like many on this forum...I love my baby.

My boss owns a Mustang Convertible. Whenever possible he insists we take my car. He never stops raving on the build quality of the Crossfire. He is constantly comparing it to his Mustang...and stating that there is no comparison. His is a big, powerful, American Icon, while the Crossfire is a refined European cruising sedan...which happens to go very fast.

I like his opinion.

 

I agree leasing is not for most people, even some of those who are already in a lease even if they own your own business.

The next car? Dodge Challenger unless they drastically change it from the prototype.

 

I just turned my Crossfire (Lease) in with 26k on it and the thing squeaked like a mouse and a rattling sound that sounded like a boeing 747 flying right over my car.

 

it all depends upon the lending institution.

i had a jeep cherokee limited and just before the lease was up... the lender offered to sell me the jeep for thousands less than the residue value.

then my wife's X5 lease was up and the lender (huntington bank) would not negotiate off of the residual price listed on the contract... but they sure called multiple times trying to sell it to us. huntington banks leases are insured... therefore regardless of the value of the vehicle come lease expiration... huntington is guaranteed a fixed rate/price. the insurer makes up any difference... and they all go to auction regardless... unless the leasee agrees to purchase the said vehicle at the predetermined contract residual price.

 

LOL...just to be clear, I OWN mine already, so another car would NOT be instead of the XF, I'll keep it as long as it functions! I was remarking on X'ed looming choice.

Honestly, while I think there are really nice cars rolling off the lines these day, the choice is still tough.

One car I would like to see is an S2000 Coupe...that would be interesting to me.