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Throatwarbler posted:The used market is also similar in that Accords command a rather steep premium over even other Japanese cars, so I'm kind of turned off by it. The last gen Mazda6 and Mazda3 are very appealing though, being in fairly plentiful supply while also being a bit cheaper. Looking hard at a ~2010 Mazda3 wit the smiling grill. The Mazda6s here are made in Japan, and the wagon variant looks pretty tasty too. They're in a rental Mazda2 right now and it seems OK although they find the AC to be a bit weak(important for the climate). The Mazda 2 has the most ridiculously cold A/C I've ever had. I live in the IE too, so it is hot as gently caress here -- not quite UAE, but 110 and I can freeze my nuts off. Think there's something wrong with that rental car.
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Feb 19, 2014 07:00
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My company is offering some kind of deal with regards to auto-loans: I have no idea what any of this means, or if it's even a good idea or a good deal. Can someone break it down (or point me towards a more appropriate thread)? EDIT: I am not in America, if that matters.
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Feb 19, 2014 07:27
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:CRV/Forester/Rav4/Escape/Tribute in something like that order. Eh, I dunno, the Escape/Tribute should probably be at the bottom of the list with the Jeep Compass/Patriot/Tiguan. Would definitely loot into a Nissan or a GM ahead of it. nm posted:The Mazda 2 has the most ridiculously cold A/C I've ever had. I live in the IE too, so it is hot as gently caress here -- not quite UAE, but 110 and I can freeze my nuts off. Think there's something wrong with that rental car. I'll confirm with them but it might be me that misunderstood a staticky skype conversation and that they actually meant the greenhouse headed up in the sun quickly or they just can't figure out the climate controls or some such. They did mention that they got a ride in a friend's (C5 probably) Audi A6, and "the AC on this car works much better, maybe we need to consider these too!". So this is probably going to end in disaster. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 11:01 on Feb 19, 2014 |
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Feb 19, 2014 10:55
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I've driven the Equinox and it is loving horrible so I didn't recommend it.
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Feb 19, 2014 12:06
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Taz posted:Proposed Budget: ~AU$15000 I had no issues with my RX-8 over about 6 years, apart from the high fuel and oil consumption. I did buy it from new, though, and I understand the engines are expensive to overhaul. Having said that, It was a clear upgrade on my MX-5 in every way. It is a unique car, and may not be for everyone, but it is a pretty impressive marriage of performance and practicality.
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Feb 19, 2014 12:36
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gradenko_2000 posted:My company is offering some kind of deal with regards to auto-loans: The percent is the interest rate on the loan, no idea what the compounding period is. "Arrears" means if you pay a single payment late you will get pushed over to the higher interest rate for the remainder of the loan. In the USA you can often get 0-0.5%/60 month loan on a new car with special dealer financing. I don't know what market you are in but it looks like loan shark rates to me. Do you work for a crime syndicate?
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Feb 19, 2014 16:06
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resident posted:The percent is the interest rate on the loan, no idea what the compounding period is. "Arrears" means if you pay a single payment late you will get pushed over to the higher interest rate for the remainder of the loan. In the USA you can often get 0-0.5%/60 month loan on a new car with special dealer financing. I don't know what market you are in but it looks like loan shark rates to me. Do you work for a crime syndicate? Thanks for the explanation. I'm in the Philippines, if that helps, and I don't really know what kind of rates are normal here. I'm only really very vaguely looking into getting a car. How is this related to the prices shown to you directly from/by a dealer though?
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Feb 19, 2014 16:40
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gradenko_2000 posted:Thanks for the explanation. I'm in the Philippines, if that helps, and I don't really know what kind of rates are normal here. I'm only really very vaguely looking into getting a car. How is this related to the prices shown to you directly from/by a dealer though? In the US, the dealer has a price listed, normally manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP). You negotiate to get that price as low as possible, typically aiming for dealer invoice as best case and adjusting higher depending on the popularity of the model. After you have a price agreed upon, PRICE - CASH = FINANCE. You will pay interest on the finance amount, or amount of cash you don't have, over a term length as shown in your picture. A really crude example is if you finance $1000 for 10 months you would pay $100/month if you have a 0% interest. The amount paid per month goes up as interest is applied to the amount of finance left unpaid at that particular time. Typically payment and compounding period is monthly. Here is an auto loan payment calculator that you can play with link.
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Feb 19, 2014 17:31
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Proposed Budget: Up to $30,000 (including trim packages/optional extras/blah blah blah). We have the ability to go higher if we can get something that will be worth the extra cost, but obviously we don't want to if we don't have to. I would say that we're looking for the best value, not just the best price (though lower is of course better). New or Used: Leaning towards new in order to get better financing, but I'm not looking forward to the buying process (never bought a new car before). That, and I'm tired of buying someone else's problems. I would consider used if the lower cost of the car justifies having to deal with no warranty and increased maintenance costs. I should also say that I'm not looking to spend $30,000 on a used car... that would put me in to luxury car territory and I would get reamed on insurance and maintenance costs. $30k is for new, I would probably say around $15k for used (though that is negotiable) Body Style: 4-door sedan, hatchback would be acceptable, and I would consider a wagon (probably just the Outback). I'm 6'2", so no compacts, but a mid-size or larger should work. I don't transport people often, so I don't want something as big as say a Crown Vic, but it'd be a nice bonus if someone my size could sit in the back seat and not have their knees crushed to pieces. SUVs and minivans are totally out of the question. How will you be using the car?: Daily driver for the most part. The vast majority of my driving will be commuting and running errands, with 5-8 hour road trips a few times a year. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?: I don't think it's too much to ask in 2014 that a car has a decent amount technology. I'm more interested in display sort of stuff and phone interface and less interested in things like rear-view cameras. I'm an engineer, I like changing settings, looking at data, and making one piece of technology talk to another piece of technology. I don't see the point of rear-view cameras outside of SUVs/minivans, and I also consider in-vehicle navigation a total waste of money since I have a smartphone. What aspects are most important to you?: Reliability is pretty important, which I think ties in to cost of ownership/maintenance. I've learned my lesson over the years in that spending more up front for quality costs less in the long run than buying cheap stuff over and over again. Other than that, I do want something that's reasonably fun to drive (so a Civic or Camry or something isn't going to do it for me), but it should be reasonably comfortable as well. I don't mind a stiff suspension, but I've never really had to deal with one long-term so I guess I don't know if it would get annoying after a while. Here's my short list of cars I'm considering (I would likely be looking at the higher trim packages for each): Subaru Legacy Ford Focus Ford Fusion (?) Mazda 3 Mazda 6 And for reference, cars I would not be caught dead driving for various reasons: Any BMW other than M series Anything Chrysler Just about anything GM (might consider an Impala, but I would prefer to avoid GM) First thing's first: I've been so busy the past few months I haven't had time to do as much research as I'd like, which is why I'm coming here for advice. What I'm mainly trying to figure out is where to focus my research efforts, so the main questions here would be: Which of the above cars should I do further research on, and which should I abandon? What other vehicles not on my list should I look in to? Regarding utility, my fiancee has a 2008ish Subaru Forester, so we're covered for cargo applications. I was originally thinking I would want a hatchback, but that's not a requirement. At some point we're going to have kids in the next few years, but I think again if we need more space we have the Forester. I was also originally looking at AWD as requirement, but I recently moved to a place where snow is not an issue. That said, I still consider AWD to be a benefit over not having it. I like the Subaru mainly because everyone I talk to who has owned one says nothing but good things about them. They hold their value very well (for the time being) so that's a big plus. I've also been told to avoid the Impreza in favor of the Legacy. Any legitimacy to that claim? I know the Impreza isn't a bad car, but I'm sure there are some differences aside from trim. I suppose maybe a better question is: is the Legacy worth the price premium over the Impreza? I suppose the same question applies for the 3 vs 6 and the Focus vs Fusion. The CVT in the Legacy worries me a little. I know they've been rolling it out over the past several years, so I'm sure it works well, I'm just not familiar with it and how well it will stand the test of time. Are the "manual" ratios adjustable at all? Not that I'd use it much anyhow, but I'm sure I'd have fun playing with the ratios. I've driven both a recent Ford Focus and a Mazda 3 as rentals in the past 3 months, and while I like the way the Mazda 3 handles better, I think overall I like the Focus better. The interior trim and technology was better, but that may have just been because the Mazda 3 was a basic model. One other thing that I should mention is that I'm in it for the long haul. No leases, and I don't intend on ditching the car in a few years just because I get bored. Obviously I don't know what's going to happen in 5 years that might change that, but at least for now that's my plan. To me, there's nothing better than driving a car that's bought and paid for. I suppose I should also throw in that my company builds a lot of equipment for Ford, so I've been told that if I talk to the right people I can get hooked up with a discount. I don't know how much this is really worth, and if it's something that I should factor in my decision or not. I'd rather end up with the car I want instead of the one that I got the best deal on. Price is definitely a factor, but I don't want to regret buying something just because it was cheaper. And then I guess my last question would be: With what I'm looking at, is it worth trying to find something used? My credit union considers 2012 to still be "new" as far as APR goes, so I can go that far back and still get their lowest interest rate on an auto loan. I think I'd be willing to go back as far as 2010 without too much hesitation, but older than that and I'd need a pretty good reason. So holy poo poo that's a lot of words. I've bolded the questions that I'm really interested in having answered, the rest is just background information on what I'm looking for and why.
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Feb 19, 2014 18:09
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puberty worked me over fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Jun 24, 2019 |
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Feb 20, 2014 00:28
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resident posted:The percent is the interest rate on the loan, no idea what the compounding period is. "Arrears" means if you pay a single payment late you will get pushed over to the higher interest rate for the remainder of the loan. In the USA you can often get 0-0.5%/60 month loan on a new car with special dealer financing. I don't know what market you are in but it looks like loan shark rates to me. Do you work for a crime syndicate? It almost looks like they're publishing the rate not as APR, but as "the total interest you will pay on the life of the loan relative to the principal amount"? i.e. a 12-month loan, whatever actual APR they're using would work out to your total payments equal to principal + 4.65%. On a 72-month loan, at that same or similar rate, your total payments across the whole time would equal principal + 40-odd %. Which still makes these rates high compared to the US; on a 0.9% APR five-year loan, my total interest paid will equal roughly 2.1% of the principal.
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Feb 20, 2014 00:52
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Extra posted:Might be I grew up in Minnesota and went to college in the UP of Michigan, so I feel like I can say a few things on this subject: First, studded tires are illegal or heavily restricted anywhere that gets a reasonable amount of snow. At least, in all the places I've lived. Well, more accurately, decent snow tires will come with holes to attach studs, but you have to purchase and install the studs separately. For anyone following the recent Atlanta drama, same goes for chains. If you let people use metal studs or chains in snowy climates, then they put them on in November and they don't come off until April, and it'll rip the roads to shreds. Snow tires help immensely on snow, and they help a little bit on ice. In reality, any car is going to be worthless on ice. Ice on lakes is different because it's rough, and as long as you're not going too fast you're not going to have any problems (you can't go too fast, because you'll put too much stress on the ice and wind up at the bottom of the lake...). Ice that forms on roads is usually smooth as glass and covered in a thin film of water. If you make a mistake on this surface, such as braking too hard or turning your wheels, it will send you into a ditch unless you have metal studs or chains (which, again, are mostly illegal). FWD cars do a lot better on the snow than RWD cars. It's not because the FWD cars are lightweight, rather it's because all the weight (i.e. the engine) is over the drive wheels in a FWD car, which gives the drive wheels more traction. I've driven both, and currently own a 1995 Camry 4cyl. Conversely, RWD cars have almost zero weight over the back wheels, so they get no traction. AWD cars, which I've driven a couple times in the snow, posses some kind of magic that glues them to the road. You can pretty much stomp on the gas pedal in an AWD car in 6" of snow and go like hell, whereas a FWD or RWD car will just spin its wheels and cry tears of vehicular sadness. This is an exaggeration of course, but it certainly feels like magic when going between FWD/RWD and AWD in the snow. You still need to be careful, but it's noticeably easier to drive. The thing to remember is that AWD will NOT help in turning or stopping. It only helps in starting. If you're looking for a car that's good in the snow, nothing will beat an AWD car with (or without) snow tires. If you can't find one, then something FWD will work, but you'll still probably want snow tires if you get a decent amount of snow in your area. In my opinion (and experience), if you drive a RWD car in a snowy climate, you NEED snow tires, and you will have to put sandbags in your trunk to add weight to the drive axle, or else you'll never get any traction.
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Feb 20, 2014 01:15
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but as for snow or possible ice travel is there that much difference between an AWD vehicle with good studded snow tires and a light FWD car with good studded snow tires? It's just almost impossible to find a non rust bucket 5 speed 2.2L subaru here that isn't expensive as all get out. It seems a bit harder to work on than your standard i4 FWD import, the gas mileage is stinky, and tire matching appears to be important. On the other hand there are a plethora of cheap decent simple i4 lightweight high gas mileage FWD cars out there.
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:CRV/Forester/Rav4/Escape/Tribute in something like that order. Thanks a bunch! I have a good direction to go in now.
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Feb 20, 2014 01:44
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puberty worked me over fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Jun 24, 2019 |
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Feb 20, 2014 01:46
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DaveSauce posted:
DaveSauce posted:
The market seems to suggest yes. The midsize category is far more popular than the compact category. I can certainly see why. The difference in price between a Civic and Accord at the base trim is fairly small. The larger car will be more comfortable and nicer to drive due to more sound deadening and a longer wheelbase that helps absorb bumps, the higher price will give it more engineering and better materials in the chassis, better crash safety, etc. One of the things you need to know about car making is that the fixed costs are very large when making a new car and are largely not correlated with the size of the vehicle. A factory that makes a Civic uses the same bricks and concrete as a factory making the Accord, the workers and engineers get paid the same, the extra couple thousand that an Accord costs is largely gravy for the carmaker so they can afford to put more stuff into it vs a thin margin small car. The US doesn't have dumb taxes on car size or engine displacement and cars are generally cheap to begin with compared to other countries, and you'll make up the difference at resale time anyway. DaveSauce posted:The CVT in the Legacy worries me a little. I know they've been rolling it out over the past several years, so I'm sure it works well, I'm just not familiar with it and how well it will stand the test of time. Are the "manual" ratios adjustable at all? Not that I'd use it much anyhow, but I'm sure I'd have fun playing with the ratios. The Impreza uses a CVT too. They are a mature technology at this point. DaveSauce posted:I've driven both a recent Ford Focus and a Mazda 3 as rentals in the past 3 months, and while I like the way the Mazda 3 handles better, I think overall I like the Focus better. The interior trim and technology was better, but that may have just been because the Mazda 3 was a basic model. There is a brand new Mazda3. It has a little plastic HUD that pops up on the dash like a fighter cockpit. DaveSauce posted:And then I guess my last question would be: With what I'm looking at, is it worth trying to find something used? Well if you were spending $30k, go test drive a 2011+ Infiniti M37(x) and a Hyundai Genesis. $15k? Eh I dunno. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 02:33 on Feb 20, 2014 |
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Feb 20, 2014 01:59
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DaveSauce posted:Conversely, RWD cars have almost zero weight over the back wheels, so they get no traction. This might be true for pickup trucks, but my RWD car has a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution. With snow tires plus its generally good traction control system it kicks rear end in the snow. Its biggest limitation is ground clearance, not traction.
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Feb 20, 2014 02:03
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DaveSauce posted:Which of the above cars should I do further research on, and which should I abandon? I'm 6'4" with around the same budget you had and I ended up with a 2011 AWD Taurus for myself a couple years back - I don't regret it at all. I had pretty much the same exact thoughts you did. The new Taurus is NOT the same as Taurus of old. They're built on the same platform as the Volvo S80. They have a good amount of tech to play with as well. I cross shopped it with the Dodge Charger and the Toyota Avalon - I noticed you said no Chrysler though. The new Avalon is pretty god drat nice and if I were doing the same today I'd have to give heavy consideration to that car. The Taurus would probably win again but the Avalon might give it a run for it's money.
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Feb 20, 2014 02:44
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Git Mah Belt Son posted:I'm 6'4" with around the same budget you had and I ended up with a 2011 AWD Taurus for myself a couple years back - I don't regret it at all. I had pretty much the same exact thoughts you did. The new Taurus is NOT the same as Taurus of old. They're built on the same platform as the Volvo S80. They have a good amount of tech to play with as well. The new Avalon is mega expensive though, they start at $31k just for the base. It would be a nice car for at least $5k cheaper but I doubt Toyota is giving the same incentives on them as Ford is with the Taurus. I think for that price point I would consider the Impala and the Hyundai Azera/whatever the Kia version is before the Avalon.
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Feb 20, 2014 03:09
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I just saw the new Mini and I was wondering if it's worth considering over a gussied up 2014 Mazda 3? I recently had a chance to check out the Mark 7 Golf, Mazda 3, Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta et all at an autoshow and I definitely like the Mazda the most. The golf was very attractive but I didn't like the seating position compared to the Mazda and I didn't want to pay similar money for a car with slightly poorer performance and questionable reliability. The upcoming Cooper S looks great, sells for roughly similar to the Mazda 3 GT and it has similar performance figures to boot. What are the drawbacks to owning a Mini, particularly a newly launched model?
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Feb 20, 2014 04:29
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Kraftwerk posted:What are the drawbacks to owning a Mini, particularly a newly launched model? Kraftwerk posted:I didn't want to pay similar money for a car with slightly poorer performance and
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Feb 20, 2014 04:45
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Kraftwerk posted:I just saw the new Mini and I was wondering if it's worth considering over a gussied up 2014 Mazda 3? I recently had a chance to check out the Mark 7 Golf, Mazda 3, Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta et all at an autoshow and I definitely like the Mazda the most. The golf was very attractive but I didn't like the seating position compared to the Mazda and I didn't want to pay similar money for a car with slightly poorer performance and questionable reliability. Mini is absolute dog poo poo for reliability. Literally the worst car there is.
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Feb 20, 2014 04:47
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Extra posted:Hey thanks for the info. Thankfully studded tires are legal here, but you can only keep them on from November until April. That may be a contributing factor in why our roads are full of potholes but hey what are you going to do. I'm far far far more worried about turning and stopping versus getting stuck. If I'm stuck I can just get someone to throw a tow strap on and pull me out or take along some sand/kitty litter. Definitely not skimping on the snow tires and not touching anything RWD. Still not sure on whether I should get the snow tires studded considering it is legal. Not sure if there are any downsides associated with it. Personally I wouldn't get tire studs unless you get a crapload of snow or are regularly driving on ice. In the end, the most important thing is to know the limits of your vehicle, and how it handles in certain conditions. Studs, chains, and snow tires are no substitute for careful driving. Even more important is to know how to recover your car from a slide or other loss of traction. You can google plenty of advice on that so I won't get in to it here. The other thing to remember is that just because you can drive on snow/ice doesn't mean anyone else can. I just moved to the south a few months ago and this is a lesson I'm still learning. If you have AWD and studded tires in the snow down here, you're still not going anywhere because the roads will be clogged with people who aren't equipped with the skills or vehicles to drive in the snow. And even if the roads are empty, there's nowhere to go because everyone is staying home. Also, your studded tires won't save you from some idiot rear-ending you because they didn't start braking soon enough. I guess in my opinion, if you live out in the boonies where plows never make it, then studs would be to your advantage since you'll need all the help you can get. But if you live in the city/suburbs, I don't know that they'll have any benefit. Guinness posted:This might be true for pickup trucks, but my RWD car has a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution. With snow tires plus its generally good traction control system it kicks rear end in the snow. Its biggest limitation is ground clearance, not traction. I've had varying experiences, but it seems to me that in general, a FWD car will do better than a RWD. I can certainly see how a RWD car with 50/50 weight distribution will work just as well as its FWD counter-part, though. I should also say that I've never had traction control in any of the cars I've owned, so that will make a huge difference. For RWD vehicles, I've never driven a pick-up, but I have driven a wagon and a couple sedans. The wagon was impossible, because like a pick-up there's absolutely no weight in the back. The sedans were a little better, but not great. My experience may also be tainted by RWD cars that have larger engines, which means they put out a lot more power than their 4cyl FWD brothers. There's a fine line between getting traction and just spinning your tires. In the RWD cars I've driven, it's a lot more difficult to stay on the right side of that line when you have a big engine throwing out all that power. You have to have a very light touch on the throttle in order to keep from spinning the tires. I think that's where the real difficulty lies. quote:Avalon/Taurus I used to drive a mid-90s Taurus, it was garbage. But, I know the new version is a huge change over the old one. I've been a passenger in the newer ones and they're not bad. Not sure I'm a fan of the cockpit, seems slightly claustrophobic. Looks like they're on the higher end of my price range, though, so I'd be a little hesitant to go down that road. I'll certainly take a look, though. I know Ford has really put their poo poo back together in the past decade, so among American manufacturers they're my top choice. I'm not sure I really trust other American manufacturers right now with all that's happened in the past 10-15 years. Seems like Ford is the only company that came out of that mess with the attitude of making cars right, instead of cheap. And I like that they have a good technology package as well. I've been a passenger in an older Avalon, but nothing recent. Seems nice enough, but if the base price for new is $31k I would have to look for something a couple years old. The problem I'm having is that I keep going back to the Subaru because I want a Subaru. I've wanted a Subaru for years, and I'm not entirely certain why. Used to be the AWD part of it, but that's not really required anymore. This bothers me because I feel like it's going to prevent me from making the right decision. Maybe a good question to ask is: If I'm looking at the Legacy, Mazda 6, Fusion, Accord, are there any major differences between these cars that I would be stupid to ignore? Or is it all small stuff that really boils down to personal preference? I can make a decision if it comes down to personal preference, I just don't want to ignore obvious things just because I like brand X over brand Y.
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Feb 20, 2014 17:33
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Dude if you want a Subaru get one and be happy. Don't put too much thought into buying a car or else you'll never buy one. Get something that puts a smile on your face and enjoy it.
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Feb 20, 2014 17:50
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skipdogg posted:Dude if you want a Subaru get one and be happy. Don't put too much thought into buying a car or else you'll never buy one. Get something that puts a smile on your face and enjoy it. This is excellent advice. I got stuck in analysis paralysis for a while, and ultimately in most segments where you are spending good money on a car you can get a good car.
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Feb 20, 2014 18:30
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Ultimate Mango posted:This is excellent advice. I got stuck in analysis paralysis for a while, and ultimately in most segments where you are spending good money on a car you can get a good car. Absolutely. I spent weeks dwelling on whether I wanted a TL. Everything I read about it made me want one, then I read reviews and was convinced it was ugly because some reviewers said so. I looked at it, loved it, and still had the thought in the back of my head that maybe it wasn't what I wanted or needed. Finally bought it and love the drat thing. Even with the stupid beak.
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Feb 20, 2014 18:48
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Yeah, going to echo everyone else here. If you just really want a Subaru, get a Subaru. If you end up getting something else because of overanalyzing you're going to eventually regret it, sell it, and buy a Subaru anyway so just do it now. You can afford it and they are generally good cars. If you came to us and said that "guys I have 10k and I just really want a Jaguar, I've always wanted a Jaguar" the answer would be very different.
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Feb 20, 2014 18:52
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Ultimate Mango posted:This is excellent advice. I got stuck in analysis paralysis for a while, and ultimately in most segments where you are spending good money on a car you can get a good car. This is exactly what I'm trying to figure out, which is why I came to this thread. I don't really have a rational reason for wanting a Subaru other than a few years ago I got it in my head that I wanted one. But really, that was back when I was looking at an Impreza. Now that I'm looking at a Legacy, I'm not so sure that's the best way to go. This is a decision that's going to stick around for several years, so I want to make sure I get it right, or as close to right as possible. I know if I allow myself to become paralyzed with choice, I will, but if I just go buy a Subaru Legacy because I think I want one, I'll be kicking myself for not considering other options. DaveSauce fucked around with this message at 19:17 on Feb 20, 2014 |
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Feb 20, 2014 19:14
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DaveSauce posted:Maybe a good question to ask is: If I'm looking at the Legacy, Mazda 6, Fusion, Accord, are there any major differences between these cars that I would be stupid to ignore? Or is it all small stuff that really boils down to personal preference? I can make a decision if it comes down to personal preference, I just don't want to ignore obvious things just because I like brand X over brand Y. An Accord will hold its value best when you eventually decide to trade it in for a Subaru? Just get the Subaru if that's what you want duder.
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Feb 20, 2014 19:20
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DaveSauce posted:This is exactly what I'm trying to figure out, which is why I came to this thread. I don't really have a rational reason for wanting a Subaru other than a few years ago I got it in my head that I wanted one. But really, that was back when I was looking at an Impreza. Now that I'm looking at a Legacy, I'm not so sure that's the best way to go. Look Dave, all car manufacturers are doing a very good job of putting out some very good cars right now. Almost anything made this decade is going to run for 200,000 miles as long as recommended maintenance is done. This isn't the late 90's/early 2000's where some cars were utter poo poo. We're in a great period of time with regards to vehicle build quality, and reliability. Now that we have established you can't really make a wrong decision when it comes to basic transportation, now you get to make a decision based on other things. Looking at the 4 cars you mentioned in your last post, go drive each one and then write down what you like and don't like about each one. When I was buying my car about 3 years ago, I wanted a sporty mid sized sedan with enough power to easily pass on the highway, but be comfortable enough for my commute. I didn't want a full size sedan and I wanted to keep it under 28K or so. I looked at Camrys. Would have been the smart buy, the V6 has plenty of power but I hated the interior. Honda Accords are super popular in the segment, but I wanted something a little more sporty. Mazda 6 was the next one to look at but I didn't care for it as much as I did the car I ultimately bought, a Ford Fusion Sport. I loved everything about the car. The black metallic paint, the Sport trim gave me the 18" 5 spoke rims, the spoiler and the bigger V6 engine. I liked the interior a whole lot (I prefer blue over red in the instrument cluster) and Ford had some great incentives and financing available on the car. In my case I wasn't worried about residual/resale value as I drive 20K+ miles a year, and any of those cars will last me until 150K miles which is when I plan to get rid of it. If I wanted top resale the Accord, followed by the Camry would have been the smart choice. Now go forth and test drive some cars, stop reading blog posts and reviews about them and pick the one that makes you happy. If you like the Legacy get it. If you prefer the Mazda 6, go with that one. You're at the point where it's now personal preference.
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Feb 20, 2014 21:23
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skipdogg posted:Look Dave, all car manufacturers are doing a very good job of putting out some very good cars right now. Almost anything made this decade is going to run for 200,000 miles as long as recommended maintenance is done. This isn't the late 90's/early 2000's where some cars were utter poo poo. We're in a great period of time with regards to vehicle build quality, and reliability. To be honest, that's exactly where my hang-up is. My mind is still stuck in what is apparently the past, where if you buy the wrong car it's going to explode in a couple years and you'll be left holding the pieces. I'm just trying to make sure I don't buy a car that has some horrendous defect that I overlooked because of the badge. But it's starting to sound like that won't be the case no matter which car I buy, so that puts most of my concerns to rest.
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Feb 20, 2014 21:46
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Every make gets it wrong sometimes and puts out a lemon. If you're really worried about that, buy a model that's nearing the middle to end of its generational refresh, and not the first year or two of production. But yes, even the cars that we love to poo poo on in here (Minis, the Chrysler 200, etc), while worse than nearly everything else on the market in some major way, are still good cars. In this day and age you actually wouldn't even be faulted for buying a loving Ferrari and being upset if it had problems within the first 3000 miles. This year's JD Power survey for the three-year mark reliability of cars (so, 2011 models) is the first year that reliability hasn't improved year-on-year in the history of the survey - and it's really hard to say whether we're talking about real problems ("my car won't run" / "it runs poorly" / "something fell off") or loose-nut-behind-the-wheel problems ("I CAN'T READ THIS TEXT ON THE SCREEN" / "this system is confusing and must be broken").
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Feb 20, 2014 21:56
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A huge portion of initial quality survey dings come from people complaining about rattles and squeaks. Another big portion is people complaining about really minor poo poo like a loose knob on the stereo or a faulty door sensor, the kind of thing that doesn't strand you anywhere and is fixed under warranty. Cars with bad or broken major mechanical parts are a very small proportion of initial quality problems, and because of that, it's actually difficult to use initial quality surveys as a reasonable judge of how actually reliable a car might be, like, how long it'll go before it needs a major transmission repair, or how likely it is to have a fuel pump break and leave you sitting by the side of the road. Unfortunately anecdotes rule over data when you look around on car forums, so that's not really a reliable way to go either. The best info you can get from that kind of thing is when a specific car model/year has a specific pervasive problem... but in those cases, a lot of times the manufacturer eventually figures out it's an issue and issues a recall, so you can get it fixed for free. In the second decade of the 21st century, in the US, we are living in a golden age of automotive reliability. I think reliability is first or second criterion for like 80 or 90 percent of posters in this thread asking about cars, but it probably ought to be much farther down the list for the great majority of them.
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Feb 20, 2014 22:24
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Godinster posted:Mini is absolute dog poo poo for reliability. Literally the worst car there is. THIS THIS THIS THIS I just ditched mine because the clutch went out at only 28,000 miles. Everyone I know who's had a Mini (4-5 people) had them die on them at or around 60,000 miles. I bought a Hyundai instead.
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Feb 21, 2014 02:24
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Proposed Budget: upper limit of about 13-15k + my current car's trade-in value, would rather spend less if possible New or Used: probably used, though I would consider new if there was a good reason Body Style: probably four door, sedan or hatchback How will you be using the car?: commuting to work, mostly city driving What aspects are most important to you? value, reliability and MPG. don't care about how it looks or bells and whistles, just wanna go from point a to point b as cheaply as possible and minimize the time my car is in the shop. I currently own an 07 Chevrolet Aveo hatchback with about 82k miles on it. Just replaced the timing belt, water pump, serpentine belt, tires in the last 5k miles. In about a year ish I am expecting to move across the country, and it would be awfully convenient if I could sell my car and fly/ride with my partner rather than driving both our cars across the country. However, I am sure I will need a new car once I'm there. I am mostly thinking about this now to figure out how much money I should be saving in order to buy a car in 12-18 months. I could probably save 13-15k (plus equity in my Aveo) if I really tried, but I'd rather spend less if possible, considering I'm also saving for the expense of moving across the country. I do not want to finance if I can help it. Looking around now I am expecting to want something like a Corolla or a Mazda3, maybe a Prius C, but I don't know a lot about cars. Would these be good options considering my situation? Should I go for new, something like 2-4 years used, or something older? Am I looking at totally the wrong cars for what I want out of it?
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Feb 21, 2014 20:45
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Civic...=US_Cars_Trucks How does this look? How low do you think I could talk them down? I was thinking 8,000. Would it be a decent deal then, assuming its in good condition? Are there some really good reasons to get an 06-09'ish civic instead of '03-'04ish? ALSO: I'd like to hear some accord vs. civic insights if anyone has any. an skeleton fucked around with this message at 00:20 on Feb 22, 2014 |
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Feb 22, 2014 00:09
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an skeleton posted:http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Civic...=US_Cars_Trucks Note this doesn't have any maintainance records listed, but because I'm an idiot and I accidentally got a 30 day autocheck instead of a regular one: Vehicle: 2008 Honda Civic LX (1HGFA16548L006427) Event Date Event Location Odometer Reading Data Source Event Detail 09/14/2007 DALLAS, TX 2 Dealer Service NEW VEHICLE PREPPED FOR SALE VEHICLE SERVICED 04/28/2008 DALLAS, TX 5,240 Dealer Service LUBE, OIL/FILTER CHANGED 05/31/2008 KAUFMAN, TX Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL 06/20/2008 KAUFMAN, TX 5,354 Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE (Title #:05745639607102704) (Lien Reported) 08/29/2008 DALLAS, TX 10,466 Dealer Service LUBE, OIL/FILTER CHANGED 05/05/2009 KAUFMAN, TX Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL 10/06/2009 KAUFMAN, TX 37,369 Independent Emission Source PASSED EMISSION INSPECTION PASSED SAFETY INSPECTION 02/22/2010 DALLAS, TX 48,083 Dealer Service VEHICLE BODY SERVICED VEHICLE SERVICED 05/01/2010 KAUFMAN, TX Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL 10/29/2010 KAUFMAN, TX 64,336 64,337 Independent Emission Source PASSED EMISSION INSPECTION PASSED EMISSION INSPECTION PASSED SAFETY INSPECTION PASSED SAFETY INSPECTION 11/13/2010 DALLAS, TX 65,534 Dealer Service BRAKES SERVICED SUSPENSION SERVICED VEHICLE SERVICED 11/18/2010 DALLAS, TX 65,917 Dealer Service VEHICLE SERVICED 05/01/2011 KAUFMAN, TX Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL 11/08/2011 KAUFMAN, TX 91,967 Independent Emission Source PASSED EMISSION INSPECTION PASSED SAFETY INSPECTION 05/01/2012 KAUFMAN, TX Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL 11/29/2012 KAUFMAN, TX 117,057 Independent Emission Source PASSED EMISSION INSPECTION PASSED SAFETY INSPECTION 05/01/2013 KAUFMAN, TX Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL 10/02/2013 DALLAS, TX 133,965 Dealer Service VEHICLE SERVICED 12/05/2013 KAUFMAN, TX 137,040 Independent Emission Source PASSED EMISSION INSPECTION PASSED SAFETY INSPECTION
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Feb 22, 2014 00:30
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Proposed Budget: $35k at the absolute most New or Used: New Body Style: Sedan or Coupe, any size, doesn't matter long as it isn't a leviathan How will you be using the car?: 99% work/errand commute, less than 8,000 miles a year What aspects are most important to you? 1) Gizmos like Bluetooth phone and either iPod or phone music connectivity (GPS a plus but not needed). 2) Reliability (assuming it's treated and maintained well, I don't trash my cars). 3) Good quality A/C, because I live in Las Vegas and it get loving hot. 4) Reasonable trunk space (read: not my 328i, which has a fair size trunk but the actual opening is loving rubbish). LED lamps'd be a nice side bonus because I think they look nice  I'm specifically beginning to wonder about all-electric cars, partly because I'm a nerd, and partly because I drive so little (and never distances more than, at most, 200mi; that's what airports are for). From website trawling the Nissan Leaf caught my attention, at least (though I'm not doing any test driving until September, when my current lease comes close to ending). I've had friends turn me off of the Chevy(?) Volt, but I haven't done any research myself besides vaguely hearing that it's a plug-in hybrid or something (  ) so vOv(edit) Minor sidenote: I have a slight bias toward looking at Nissan or Infiniti, because of familial connections at a local dealership, though I'm still willing to look elsewhere. Ciaphas fucked around with this message at 01:42 on Feb 22, 2014 |
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Feb 22, 2014 01:34
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Ciaphas posted:Proposed Budget: $35k at the absolute most Either you've bought 4 similar cars in the last 8 months, or you're just posting the same question over and over? Just buy a Prius like everyone told you to already. I don't think an all electric car is a good thing when you need to run the A/C all the time, and the higher trim version of the Prius has a solar panel that runs the HVAC when the car is parked in the sun making it perfect for LV.
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Feb 22, 2014 01:42
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...wow, I have asked that before at least twice. I genuinely, honestly don't remember that. That's a bit disconcerting  Oh well, thanks anyway, sorry to be a bother. 
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Feb 22, 2014 01:44
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Throatwarbler posted:Either you've bought 4 similar cars in the last 8 months, or you're just posting the same question over and over? Note that the prius runs only the fans, not the AC.
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Feb 22, 2014 06:21
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