Enlightening; not pointless. Strategic; not stupid. Educational rather than envy-driven. That’s what The Good Car Guy says about this $$$ article. The fact that a BMW 3-series or Infiniti G35 can be had for a speck more money than Honda’s latest special edition vehicle, the Civic Mugen Si, and that Acura’s TSX or a Subaru Impreza WRX are less expensive than the Mugen (as seen on GoodCarBadCar this week) told me the world needs to see comparative pricing.
That’s not to say the 1000 people who buy Mugen Si’s aren’t smart. They’re getting a great car, a vehicle which sought out handling fun and disregarded any expense; caring not about luxury or straight-line speed. Nevertheless, it is sometimes shocking to see what other items are available for the price you paid.
In some cases – many cases, actually – very sporting vehicles are available for the same price as your new minivan, and it’s hard to remember that you needed seven seats. “Counting the Cost” ignores that fact and looks at five USD price points ($20, 30, 45, 80, & 170K) to find out what unique rides are available. Don’t get stuck in the rut of considering some of these cars “good deals” and others “bad deals”. Different buyers need different vehicles.
- Chevrolet Malibu (169bhp 4 cylinder)
- Ford Mustang (210 bhp V6 coupe)
- Mini Cooper (118 bhp 4 cylinder)
- Honda CR-V (fwd, 166bhp 4 cylinder)
- smart fortwo cabriolet (71 bhp 3 cylinder)
- Toyota Avalon (Touring, 268bhp V6)
- Toyota Highlander (awd, 270bhp V6)
- Subaru Legacy GT (sedan, 243bhp turbo 4 cylinder)
- Mazda CX-7 (awd, Grand Touring, 244bhp turbo 4 cylinder)
- GMC Sierra 1500 (SLE2, 315bhp V8)
- Audi A6 (awd, 255bhp V6)
- Audi TT (awd, convertible, 250bhp V6)
- Lincoln Mark LT (4×4, 300bhp V8)
- Dodge Ram 3500 (4-door, 4×4, 350bhp diesel 6-cylinder, dualie)
- BMW X5 (260bhp 6 cylinder)
- BMW 750Li (360bhp V8, long wheelbase)
- Land Rover Range Rover (305bhp V8)
- Land Rover Range Rover Sport (390bhp supercharged V8)
- Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (505bhp V8)
- Volkswagen Touareg (310bhp diesel V10)
- Bentley Continental GT (552bhp twin turbo W12)
- Aston Martin DB9 Volante (convertible, 450bhp V12)
- Mercedes-Benz S600 (510 bhp twin-turbo V12)
- 1 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, 1 awd 4-door BMW 335i, and 1 Cadillac Escalade
- 8 Mini Cooper S
- 1 Honda Civic Mugen Si, 1 BMW 328i, 1 Acura TSX, 1 Infiniti G35, 1 Subaru Impreza WRX