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Value Rating
Above Average
IntelliChoice Value Rating
The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.
One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.
What is a good car value?
A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.
But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?
For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.
This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)
Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.
Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.
So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.
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2007 Porsche 911 Review
It's true: There is no substitute.
Lineup
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The Porsche 911 lineup starts with the Carrera ($72,400), powered by a 3.6-liter version of Porsche's classic flat six-cylinder engine generating 325 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Standard equipment includes leather-trimmed height-adjustable seats with power recliners, a digital AM/FM/CD stereo, trip computer, leather telescoping steering wheel, power windows, power locks with keyless remote, cruise control, 18-inch wheels and a speed-dependent retractable rear spoiler. The Carrera Cabriolet ($82,600) is similarly equipped. The Carrera S ($82,600) and Carrera S Cabriolet ($92,800) are powered by a 3.8-liter six-cylinder, delivering 355 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Besides the bigger engine, the Carrera S gets the Porsche Active Suspension Management system (PASM), 19-inch wheels, bigger brakes with painted red calipers, Bi-Xenon headlights, a sport steering wheel and aluminum-look interior trim. The Carrera S Cabriolet is similarly equipped. The Carrera 4 ($78,200) is equipped similarly to the rear-drive Carrera, but features all-wheel drive, larger wheels and tires, and the wider fenders needed to accommodate them. The same idea holds for the Carrera 4S ($88,400), Carrera 4 Cabriolet ($88,400), and Carrera 4S Cabriolet ($92,800).
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The Carrera Targa 4 ($85,700) is equipped similarly to the Carrera 4, but features Porsche's unique roof system that provides occupants with a panoramic view even when the top is closed. The Targa's roof is made from two glass panels and extends across the full width and length of the passenger compartment. In other words, the entire roof is glass, and in combination with the windshield and side windows provides a panoramic vantage and protection from the elements. The Carrera Targa 4S ($95,900) features the same unique roof system along with the other standard components of a Carrera 4S. The all-wheel-drive 911 Turbo ($122,900) gets Porsche's race-bred, twin-turbocharged version of the 3.6-liter engine, producing 480 horsepower. The Turbo comes with Porsche's Ceramic Composite Brakes, which use exotic nonmetallic discs. It also comes with a full leather interior and a high-power, Bose-tuned stereo with a six-disc CD changer. The GT3 ($106,000) has a 415-hp, normally aspirated 3.6-liter engine. For 2008, the GT2 ($191,700) is joining the line, boasting 530 horsepower using an engine based on the Turbo. Options include ceramic composite brakes, Porsche Communication Management, which incorporates audio, navigation system, and trip computer into a single control interface ($2,680); heated seats ($480); metallic paint ($690); and a CD changer ($650). Porsche maintains its long tradition of factory customization, with options that cover colors and materials for virtually every part or surface inside the car. And if there's not an existing option, Porsche will likely go off the card, for a price. Safety features on all models include Porsche Stability Management (PSM), an electronic stability control system that helps a driver maintain control in the event of a skid. New for 2007 is a tire-pressure monitoring system as standard equipment. Frontal airbags, side-impact airbags, and door-mounted head-protection airbags come standard. next page |
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911 Porsche
Drive around Stuttgart, Porsche's heartland, in a new Carrera and you will not normally attract much attention. Even tuned Porsches are so common here that unless your car is sporting a pretty signifi...
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Newcomers: 2008 Porsche 911 GT2
Driving the 530-horsepower, two-seat 2008 Porsche 911 GT2 at 180 mph doesn't cure our jet lag as much as expel it violently from the car, but heavy rain means reaching the GT2's top speed of 205 mph i...
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