Maxima Vs. J30 Vs. other lux/sport sedans

[lukasbmw]

Here is the deal fellas. There is a good chance I'll be going into the Real Estate field in the next year. I plan on starting as a broker, get to know the in's and out's of the business, save as much money as possible, and start investing.

Anyway, for this I will need a semi new midsize or larger sedan for carrying possible buyers around. I also could use a reliable dialy driver. Why not kill two birds with one stone?

Cars I considered and cut ($10k or under)

Acura TL
Acura Legend
BMW E34
BMW E36 sedan
Mercedes E320 (94-)
Lexus LS400
Audi A6
VW Jetta

I'm not buying another BMW. I only need one headache/hobby. Benzo is out..not worth the money. The Audi would be nice but again I'd probably get attached to it and repairs would suck. I love the early LS400's but the big V8 would not be great on gas. I love the new Jettas, but they are still too expensive. Insurance on the above cars would also be costly. As much as Id like to have a upper class luxury sedan I think I'm better off going with a:

Maxima
J30
??? (Your suggestions?)

Why these two?

You can get a nice example for $5-$8k. Both have leather, sunroof, good engines, a luxury ride, and seem to be popular among their owners. Both have decent sized back seats and both cars seem to be pretty reliable. Insurance would probably be reasonable too.

The only thing that I think I may have over looked is the Acura stuff. I really have not had much experience with their line. Are Acura's worth checking out?

Right now I'm leaning towards a J30. They can be had cheaper, have a more powerful engine, have a Bose sound system, and are supposed to be more sporty then the Maxima.

Your comments/personal stories are wanted.

FWIW: Don't mention anything American made. I'll never buy an American made car. They are all absolute shit in my eyes.

[Bill 84 318i]

The Maxima ('97 generation, don't know the code or whatever) makes a GREAT daily. For the money for a daily, it's real tough to beat. It brings a lot to the table in terms of sportyness, luxury, and fun for the dough.

[BMW BMXER]

My dad has a 97 maxima. Ive spent the weekend driving it since my eta's down again.

Its fairly quick for what it is and is a nice comfertable ride and relativly cheap on gas. He has not had any major problems with it other than the check engine light comming on if he uses shitty gas and a brake squeel that simpley will not go away.

[Z3Jonathan]

I kinda like the maximas. Powerful, sporty, and cost effective to buy/own.

Acura TLs are also pretty cheap to buy, fairly reliable, and have a half-decent aftermarket.

Jonathan

[Anonymous]

J30 because its rear drive.

Other than that:
ES300
Acura Legend- classic, personal favorite, had sex in one in high school
Infinity I30
Mazda Millenia

[BMW BMXER]

Acura Legends were like the 1990 rappers car.

[rwh11385]

my suggestion: J30.

first, it's an Infiniti. Clients want to know, or at least assume, the broker is good and profitable. I'm not saying the maxima isn't a good car, but the Infiniti has the name going for it. The J30 also is sporty, not that the maxima wouldn't be fast (they probably share the same engine). But i hear the J30 has some nice suspension, and the rear-wheel drive etc.

are you licensed right? I'd say either become a Licensed Assisstant to a big seller. I work in real estate, answerin the front desk phone. anyway, i've observed that independent brokers suffer confusion, stress, and slow business. If you trying start off, it's going to be difficult. So i suggest being part of someone's "team". basically you assist them, show their clients to houses, and suppliment their business. You should make good money, learn the business, and have supervision and direction.

about investing: remember those info-mericals about making millions in real estate? maybe a lil out-of-proportion, but the idea is right. the two most important points to the idea is to buy a cheap shitter....then find good workers to fix it up. If you spend X dollars repainting, decorating, etc. you might make a 2X profit at least.

Good luck in real estate! Both my parents have been realtors, and I will be getting licensed this spring. It's a pretty good career, but can be slow..... like my dad who is still in it and really was hurting after the bad market of 2002.

[lowslowe30]

Go for an i30. Very similar to a j30 but doesnt have that ugly ass rear to it. My good friends dad had one and it was a very nice looking and reliable car. One of my friends also has a 93 q45 which are quite reasonable but its a bit of a gas guzzler.

[NCm42]

Id go lexus es300. Shows you have a lexus and therfore the buyer thinks you are doin pretty well.

[UNHCLL]

Id go lexus es300. Shows you have a lexus and therfore the buyer thinks you are doin pretty well.

Which means.... He is charging to much commission on the sales. Turns customers away.

As for the desire not to buy American... that will be a bad choice I think. Yes American cars suck for the most part, however anyone who sees you in a Foreign auto will automatically think you are making good money, and be skeptical of your rates.

Chris

[Rob]

Nothing says "I need this sale" like a 94 Lumina

[rwh11385]

Id go lexus es300. Shows you have a lexus and therfore the buyer thinks you are doin pretty well.

Which means.... He is charging to much commission on the sales. Turns customers away.

As for the desire not to buy American... that will be a bad choice I think. Yes American cars suck for the most part, however anyone who sees you in a Foreign auto will automatically think you are making good money, and be skeptical of your rates.

Chris

Nope, that's not how it works. I'm in real estate, as was or is half my family! More successful the realtor, the more money he will earn. Commission is generally the same.

Most people charge the same rate, 3.5%, or 7% split between then buying and selling agent. Some cases, such as a bank-repo, or Fannie Mae home, the Buyer-Agent Commission (BAC) may be 3,0% because it is easier to sell a bankowned propety.

A realtor who is better off means that he satisfies customers, sells home quickly, and sells expensive properties. All GOOD connotations! Since most BACs are standard at 3.5, a realtor would have to sell many small houses or a few expensive houses.

My bet will be if Lukas is on his own, he'll have to show shitty small houses so an American car will be appropriate. If he is part of a team, aka assistant to a more experienced realtor, he'll be working with expensive nice houses that the clients will appriecate, or expect european/upper market japanese sedans.

For the most part, the commission percentage is standard. The more expensive the property, the more money you get for selling it. If Lukas is successful it will be that he is good at what he does, not ripping off his clients.

[Z3Jonathan]

Id go lexus es300. Shows you have a lexus and therfore the buyer thinks you are doin pretty well.

Which means.... He is charging to much commission on the sales. Turns customers away.

As for the desire not to buy American... that will be a bad choice I think. Yes American cars suck for the most part, however anyone who sees you in a Foreign auto will automatically think you are making good money, and be skeptical of your rates.

Chris

Nope, that's not how it works. I'm in real estate, as was or is half my family! More successful the realtor, the more money he will earn. Commission is generally the same.

Most people charge the same rate, 3.5%, or 7% split between then buying and selling agent. Some cases, such as a bank-repo, or Fannie Mae home, the Buyer-Agent Commission (BAC) may be 3,0% because it is easier to sell a bankowned propety.

A realtor who is better off means that he satisfies customers, sells home quickly, and sells expensive properties. All GOOD connotations! Since most BACs are standard at 3.5, a realtor would have to sell many small houses or a few expensive houses.

My bet will be if Lukas is on his own, he'll have to show shitty small houses so an American car will be appropriate. If he is part of a team, aka assistant to a more experienced realtor, he'll be working with expensive nice houses that the clients will appriecate, or expect european/upper market japanese sedans.

For the most part, the commission percentage is standard. The more expensive the property, the more money you get for selling it. If Lukas is successful it will be that he is good at what he does, not ripping off his clients.

Most commission-driven businesses, if you have client contact you have to be sensitive of the impression you give them. A conseritive but "nice" car will put the customer at ease. Show up in a blinged-out E55 AMG with TV screens, and some chrome 20" rims, and you'll probably be distancing yourself from the customer (unless your customers are purely high-end).

Remember, as the realitor, you may know how much $$$ you make off a sale, but the customer doesn't.

Cars like the Maxima, even older Acura TLs are pretty conservetive.

[rwh11385]

Most commission-driven businesses, if you have client contact you have to be sensitive of the impression you give them. A conseritive but "nice" car will put the customer at ease. Show up in a blinged-out E55 AMG with TV screens, and some chrome 20" rims, and you'll probably be distancing yourself from the customer (unless your customers are purely high-end).

Remember, as the realitor, you may know how much $$$ you make off a sale, but the customer doesn't.

Cars like the Maxima, even older Acura TLs are pretty conservetive.

Exactly! those cars are on his list of possible nods and good suggestions. I said the J30 was a good bet. He should definately get a lux sedan that is nice but not too good. His about $10k ceiling should limit him from getting something people would raise an eyebrow to.

1993 Infiniti J30

[Brew]

Wow, that picture makes the j30 look exactly like my girlfriend's 96' Altima. (Which is kinda a POS in my opinion.)