Locate an Auto Repair Shop in York, North Dakota

Avanti was in a tough tough niche from the get-go---the Vettes were getting meaner and the T-Birds more and more full of bloat. It's almost like the niche split in two directions and Avanti was prepared for neither. I think that Studebaker picked a pretty good niche between the two-seat Corvette and the four-seat Thunderbird. The problem was the production delays and the price. Studebaker announced the Avanti at the New York auto show in April 1962 and gave one away at the Indy 500 but could not produce enough while the excitement was still fresh. By September 1963 the Avanti was old news and you could buy a 327 cu. in. Sting Ray split-window coupe for $4,252 ( $4,037 for the convertible) or for $4,333 you could buy a new Riviera with a 401 or 425 cu. in. V-8. Chevy sold 21,513 Sting Rays and Buick sold 40,000 Rivieras that year. An Avanti cost $4,445, was available with only the 289 cu. in. V-8 of unknown horsepower because Studebaker wouldn't cite any horsepower figures. If wanted an R-3 you had to pay "top of the line" Cadillac prices and wait a long time to get it. This seems like a pretty good niche which was later exploited by the Riviera, Monte Carlo and second generation Camaro-Firebirds such as the one seen on the Rockford Files. Studebaker only wanted to sell 30,000 Avantis in the first year of production but they took a gamble with the large rear window and lost that bet when it would not fit into too many bodies they received from Ohio. Chevrolet played it safe and put a split window in the 1963 Corvette, although that was a much smaller glass area. The Avanti was supposed to generate excitement lead the way to more streamlined cars from Studebaker, but when the leaders (Avanti and Egbert) faltered, there was not enough money (or interest) to carry out the Egbert plan to move away from boxy cars that everyone else was selling. The pro types shown below have many styling features that showed up in later cars including no decorative chrome, no grille, one- piece door windows and hidden windshield wipers. http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/photo/592917,18846/1962-Studebaker-Avanti-Protot- ype_photo.aspx

Consumer Reports rated Honda as producing the most reliable cars, followed by Subaru and Toyota. Hyundai, Ford, and Kia are salivating at the prospect of passing Honda in terms of quality and repeat sales but they still aren't there yet. Their respective owners (like the ones in this forum) are overly anxious to see Honda fall.. I say- hold your breath until it happens, then I won't have to listen to it anymore ;)

"""in a Honda you usually get the LEAST for your money"""" Perhaps in terms of features per dollar, but when you factor in class leading resale value, reliability, and among the lowest ownership costs in their respective classes, HONDA GIVES YOU ALLOT FOR YOUR MONEY.

Hi nickr1. You are free to lease for however long you want. If I was going to lease an A4 this month, I would do so for 39 months. That is probably the best term right now. Consumers can lease any vehicle they want without making any sort of capitalized cost reduction. There are other fees that one has to pay at signing, such as the acquisition fee, tax, title, etc... One can usually either pay these fees at signing or roll them into their vehicle's capitalized cost to bake them into their payment. The selling prices of leased vehicles are negotiable, just as if you were financing or paying cash for them. You are fortunate to be in an area, New York, that likely has a number of Audi dealers. Shop around and try to get the lowest possible selling price for the car that you want. You can lease with any mileage allowance you want, 10,000, 12,000, or 15,000. The fewer miles you go with, the lower your monthly payment will be. The fact that your credit is in good shape will enable you to take advantage of the best available money factors. Dealers make money on leases because they are essentially selling the vehicle to the bank that you are leasing through. Dealers can also sometimes mark up vehicles' money factors to add additional back-end profit to deals. Since you are new to leasing, you definitely should check out the following informative articles on the subject that are available here at Edmunds.com: 10 Steps to Leasing a New Car and Calculate Your Own Lease Payment. In short, the easiest way to get a good deal on a leased vehicle is to shop around for the lowest possible selling price and then have the dealer that you decide to go with calculate your vehicle's monthly payment using its buy rate lease money factor. Car_man Host Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum

Not even considering that a FWD Avalon can turn HAZARDOUS on a slippry roadbed in a New York Minute....I would still choose the LS. Make those long driving miles as comfortable as possible.