Nissan Versa sedan....the cheapest bargain available?
#16
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The Versa was advertised for $9,999 when it 1st came out, but that came with nothing........no AC, power window, auto tranny.....etc. I am surprised it came with a windshield and keys!
They just stripped it and sold it for less, that is not a bargain, is just cheap! You are paying less for less.
They just stripped it and sold it for less, that is not a bargain, is just cheap! You are paying less for less.
The $65k Equus Ultimate, now that's a bargain.
#17
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#18
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The Versa, though slightly larger then the Fit and Yaris, competes more directly with them, especially in price, than it does the Corolla and Civic, which go head-to-head with the larger Nissan Sentra.
#19
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Well, what do you expect?.....a GS Hybrid costs five to six times what a Versa does (it starts at 59K). And unless your name is Trump or Rockefeller, you don't usually give a first-time brand-new car of that class to a college-student.
#20
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The Versa was advertised for $9,999 when it 1st came out, but that came with nothing........no AC, power window, auto tranny.....etc. I am surprised it came with a windshield and keys!
They just stripped it and sold it for less, that is not a bargain, is just cheap! You are paying less for less.
The $65k Equus Ultimate, now that's a bargain.
They just stripped it and sold it for less, that is not a bargain, is just cheap! You are paying less for less.
The $65k Equus Ultimate, now that's a bargain.
Also, comparing the value of say the Equus to the cheapest new car is apples to oranges. The Equus is NOT a better value, even though it is a screaming bargain in its respective class. How can 1 Equus be a better value than a fleet of 6 Versa's? Luxury cars carry inflated profit margins in their price tags, even the Equus. Sub-compacts barely make an automaker money. In fact, they have to usually be built in low wage countries just to exist (the Versa is built in Mexico).
Just like 15 double cheeseburgers at McDonald's is a better value than one $15 steak at a decent restaurant.
And sure, this is a cheap car, especially from a Lexus owners perspective, but remember that a good portion of the population can't even afford this or even no car at all. Always remember how fortunate you guys are.
With that all said, I am disappointed in the new interior. It is indeed a downgrade from the previous generation which started even cheaper. Check out this closeup showing how bad the HVAC switchgear is. Looks 10 years old. And this pic shows it with NAV, which of course won't be in the base cars. However, they did make the exterior look more upscale than the previous car.
#21
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With that all said, I am disappointed in the new interior. It is indeed a downgrade from the previous generation which started even cheaper. Check out this closeup showing how bad the HVAC switchgear is. Looks 10 years old. And this pic shows it with NAV, which of course won't be in the base cars. However, they did make the exterior look more upscale than the previous car.
#22
I'm not clear on what happens with the Hatchback. So far all we've seen is the sedan. There was a pic of what is supposed to be the Versa hatch and it had a nicer interior. Nissan sells lots more hatchback Versas than sedan versions so there has to be a new one coming
#23
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This is the 2012 Versa hatch. It's assumed the US would get this, but who knows.
#24
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I concentrated on the sedan because, for bargain-priced shoppers, it costs less than the hatchback. But, yes, I would probably chose the hatchback version myself......it is more versatile.
#25
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Mike, can we talk about luxury cars maybe? I recently rented one of these for a week and yes its horrible but you then realize "damn it is a new car for 11k" and then you realize" this horrible car is 100 times better than a basic Sentra from 20 years ago".
The seats were dismal, the plastics were cheap but it was put together pretty decent. Since it seems to be a French car, some of the controls were on the inside of the seat which is PITA. There was a huge trunk, good room inside and tons of cupholders, great for traveling. Oddly the gauges were like recent Infinit's with the orange and MPG was decent but range could be better (not sure of the tank size).
Overall it just showed how spoiled we are with a Lexus, you really appreciate what you have. So in summary while I found it horrid, for 11k for a NEW car, well with that perspective its fantastic.
I will say the Kia Forte EX I rented recently was superb (no time to do a write-up), I rented a base model before, the EX was really nice for a small car.
That said, can we talk about luxury/exotics?
The seats were dismal, the plastics were cheap but it was put together pretty decent. Since it seems to be a French car, some of the controls were on the inside of the seat which is PITA. There was a huge trunk, good room inside and tons of cupholders, great for traveling. Oddly the gauges were like recent Infinit's with the orange and MPG was decent but range could be better (not sure of the tank size).
Overall it just showed how spoiled we are with a Lexus, you really appreciate what you have. So in summary while I found it horrid, for 11k for a NEW car, well with that perspective its fantastic.
I will say the Kia Forte EX I rented recently was superb (no time to do a write-up), I rented a base model before, the EX was really nice for a small car.
That said, can we talk about luxury/exotics?
#26
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I'm not sure I understand the question. ......we discuss ALL cars in this forum, luxury and otherwise.
Maybe so for the basic 20-year-old Sentra, but I'm sure you remember the Sentra SE-R from the same time-period. It went like free beer at Clancy's. I remember shopping with a friend of mine and his father at a local Mazda-Nissan shop for a new Protege...we just sat there and watched 4 or 5 new SE-Rs go out the door to customers, in one day, just in the few hours we were there.
I agree that today's Versa trumps a 20-year old Sentra in some ways, but cars back then seemed to have thicker, more substantial doors/sheet metal/hardware than they do today. Some of the sheet metal and hardware they are putting into today's cars (the 3Gen Prius is a prime example) is tinny.
Yes, it's significantly larger than its Rio/Accent/Aveo/Fiesta competition....and the Smart Car ......no comparison.
There are some Chinese-designed/built small cars on the world-market for less than that (some starting as low as the equivalant of $7000 U.S.-dollars), but they clearly don't meet American safety/emission standards, and probably wouldn't meet the quality-demands of the average American consumer.
I reviewed a Forte a while ago at a friend's request. Nice OK small car, but nothing to write home about...and its interior materials were not up to those of its brother Hyundai Elantra. They also do a coupe (Koup) version.
Sure. Start a thread on any luxury car you want. I'll probably post in it, like I usually do.
And, don't forget, a number of my reviews (especially the Holiday Reviews each December) are on upscale products. I've done 100K Jag XKR convertibles, Mercedes E63s, and Porsche Panameras....and am planning a Mercedes S-550 in the near future per CL request.
I recently rented one of these for a week and yes its horrible but you then realize "damn it is a new car for 11k" and then you realize" this horrible car is 100 times better than a basic Sentra from 20 years ago".
I agree that today's Versa trumps a 20-year old Sentra in some ways, but cars back then seemed to have thicker, more substantial doors/sheet metal/hardware than they do today. Some of the sheet metal and hardware they are putting into today's cars (the 3Gen Prius is a prime example) is tinny.
The seats were dismal, the plastics were cheap but it was put together pretty decent. Since it seems to be a French car, some of the controls were on the inside of the seat which is PITA. There was a huge trunk, good room inside and tons of cupholders, great for traveling. Oddly the gauges were like recent Infinit's with the orange and MPG was decent but range could be better (not sure of the tank size).
Overall it just showed how spoiled we are with a Lexus, you really appreciate what you have. So in summary while I found it horrid, for 11k for a NEW car, well with that perspective its fantastic.
I will say the Kia Forte EX I rented recently was superb (no time to do a write-up), I rented a base model before, the EX was really nice for a small car.
That said, can we talk about luxury/exotics?
And, don't forget, a number of my reviews (especially the Holiday Reviews each December) are on upscale products. I've done 100K Jag XKR convertibles, Mercedes E63s, and Porsche Panameras....and am planning a Mercedes S-550 in the near future per CL request.
#28
link: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/6600814-post3552.html
#29
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Lexus Fanatic
Like I said above, if you and Mike want to talk about GS Hybrids, I'll be glad to join in (hey, you know me......I'll talk about anything on four wheels) ........I just don't think that this is the thread for it.