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Grifter posted:I am thinking about buying a new car. One of my concerns is whether my car seats (two small kids) will fit in the back, because car seats are super expensive and I don't want to buy new ones for a new car. The issue is that I'm not sure what spec to look at. My current car (2009 Corrolla) fits the sits with a few inches to spare, so I thought I'd look up the specs on the corolla, then compare that to cars I was considering. I found this site, which gives a bunch of dimensions. If you google the phrase "will it baby" along with the model and year you can usually find people's experiences with car seats and general kid-having with a particular car. I don't know why such a dumb phrase is apparently the secret code for finding that info.
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Jun 25, 2017 05:22
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Hi I just wanted to say thanks to this thread because 2 months in and my '14 Sienna owns fuckin bones, I love driving it and hauling my family around in it, thanks goons
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Jun 26, 2017 19:43
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Careful Drums posted:Hi I just wanted to say thanks to this thread because 2 months in and my '14 Sienna owns fuckin bones, I love driving it and hauling my family around in it, thanks goons Awesome! I missed your posts when you bought it. Congrats, glad you're happy.
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Jun 26, 2017 23:10
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Big Bowie Bonanza posted:Starting some research but is there anything I should be looking for when shopping for mid 2000s Honda Accords? The automatic transmission hooked up to the V6 was not very good, so that's a set of models to avoid. fake edit: someone already mentioned this JUST MAKING CHILI posted:They don't look to be very high volume, never been to that dealer though. Their lot isn't massive like some of the others I've seen in Dallas, their online inventory only shows 300 new cars. 300 new cars in inventory is fairly substantial for a Subaru dealer. Most dealers finance their inventory. Figure that if the Subaru dealer has 300 new vehicles in inventory that they have roughly seven or eight million dollar in available floorplan financing. The bank technically owns the inventory. The dealer pays interest on that amount (usually a low rate since floorplan is quite safe), and there's no obligation to outlay cash to anyone before the dealer makes a sale and recognizes revenue from the customer. The bank, of course, has to pay the OEM for the cars up front and gets paid back when the dealer sells a car. This means that at the time when new model year cars start to ship, the dealer is trying to draw down inventory on hand to free up money under their floorplan cap to allow them to get new MY inventory on the lot without expanding their total financing obligation for their floorplan. Getting additional financing from the bank is annoying.
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Jun 28, 2017 00:14
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big crush on Chad OMG posted:Don't buy the V6 auto. This is pretty good advice for all hondas imo (currently on my third B7XA) shame on an IGA fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Jun 28, 2017 |
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Jun 28, 2017 00:48
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Does anyone review factory installed stereo systems? It seems like you can compare almost every spec endlessly but no one seems to talk about the sound systems.
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Jun 28, 2017 05:27
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prom candy posted:Does anyone review factory installed stereo systems? It seems like you can compare almost every spec endlessly but no one seems to talk about the sound systems. Haven't heard about that so far. I'm interested and I think that's a cool idea for a review blog or whatever if you'd be able to generate any cachet. Probably some good demand behind that idea.
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Jun 28, 2017 17:52
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Michael Scott posted:Haven't heard about that so far. I'm interested and I think that's a cool idea for a review blog or whatever if you'd be able to generate any cachet. Probably some good demand behind that idea. I think it used to be that if you cared about sound at all you just replaced the stereo and speakers, but that seems like a much different task now with the integrated infotainment systems.
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Jun 28, 2017 18:04
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I'm not so interested in reviews of the stereo system because I'll just listen to it when I drive the vehicle. What I'd really like was someone who did detailed reviews with multiple devices to see how well the infotainment system works with Android Auto, carplay, bluetooth, etc. None of this "yeah, I connected it once and it worked" stuff. Bluetooth in particular is finicky poo poo and how well a car supports all the features BT can enable varies a lot. Some vehicles work with some BT devices but can't maintain a connection...can't really see that to well when you're test driving.
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Jun 28, 2017 18:11
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Yeah, I'd be very concerned with how usable all the touchscreen stereo hvac poo poo realistically is while driving. The idea of having to navigate a bunch of visual menus to turn on the defroster seems like a Real Bad Time. Seems like most cars made after the early 2010s are going to have that though.
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Jun 28, 2017 20:03
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I went with my wife to drive some Honda SUVs this weekend. The low-spec HR-V has a really nice dual zone climate control with physical buttons. If you jump up to the CR-V you have to navigate through the touch screen interface to make adjustments. Honestly surprised there are no regulations saying certain controls in a car need to be physical buttons.
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Jun 28, 2017 20:31
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I drive tons of rentals with touch screens and it's no big deal . If weather is an issue have the climate screen up .
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Jun 28, 2017 20:33
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Yeah it's really not an issue. I prefer fewer physical buttons actually. I'm surprised your rentals have touch screens, they exclusively buy poverty spec strippers, I hope touchscreens are starting to become standard.
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Jun 28, 2017 20:34
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Michael Scott posted:Yeah it's really not an issue. I prefer fewer physical buttons actually. I kind of torn. I prefer physical buttons, but they can get out of hand. Trying to remember just which button adjusts the fan speed for the rear AC in the van gets distracting in itself. Someone needs to hire Apple's UI expertise and apply it to cars. The number of things you can control from the driver's seat is getting overwhelming and it's in desperate need of some streamlining.
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Jun 28, 2017 20:39
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Maybe I would get used to it, our newer car is an 08 so I've never really driven anything with an infotainment system. It felt pretty cumbersome during the test drive but that's also trying to focus on like 10 things at once.
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Jun 28, 2017 20:44
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Physical button superiority. If I can't adjust the ac without looking at a loving screen, that is dumb as gently caress. Yeah, the sea of buttons looks weird, but once you know where they are it is way quicker.
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Jun 28, 2017 20:49
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Michael Scott posted:Yeah it's really not an issue. I prefer fewer physical buttons actually. I'm surprised your rentals have touch screens, they exclusively buy poverty spec strippers, I hope touchscreens are starting to become standard. They do not exclusively buy poverty spec strippers lol what are you talking about I drove a mid model grand Cherokee last week, leather full sun roof etc. Infiniti q56 last month . Off the top of my head.
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Jun 28, 2017 20:52
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They wanted me to drive a BMW last week but it was raining so I declined.
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Jun 28, 2017 20:52
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Michael Scott posted:Yeah it's really not an issue. I prefer fewer physical buttons actually. I'm surprised your rentals have touch screens, they exclusively buy poverty spec strippers, I hope touchscreens are starting to become standard. Do you ever say anything accurate?
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Jun 28, 2017 21:05
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Yeah the fully loaded Flex I had was the base model. So was the Audi A4. I mean, I guess it is the lovely base model of the brand?
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Jun 28, 2017 21:26
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nm posted:Physical button superiority. If I can't adjust the ac without looking at a loving screen, that is dumb as gently caress. Yeah. Cars need to allow the driver to focus attention on the road, not read menus. Sorry, it can get a little cluttered, but tactile response is critical to keeping eyes on roads. The trick is varying the positions and shapes of buttons, so that finding them is effortless, and touching them is distinct. Voice commands aren't accurate enough, and what happens if you have pain while talking or are on a call? Gestures don't work will because learning them takes effort that most drivers won't put aside to learn while not driving. Buttons are best for cars. I don't have the deepest well if experience but my Subaru has a pretty intuitive layout, although it's only dual zone AC (driver passenger). The 2017 Impreza my wife has is more classic with climate controls, and has a touchscreen infotainment center; the good part is that it doesn't require input from the screen to do car based functions, and it had physical key backup inputs.
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Jun 28, 2017 21:34
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My info is coming from speaking to people at Enterprise and Hertz about the cars they buy. The compact and midsize segment fleet purchases are almost always the lowest trim level with cruise control. I personally have never seen a rental car with a sunroof, for example, but I've only been in compact and midsize rentals. Sorry I guess it was wrong. Most of what I say is accurate! How did you like the A4 Mr. Sarcasm Chad? When you're talking about premium rentals, BMW Infiniti etc., even base models on those have leather, sunroofs, etc. so it might appear to be a higher trim. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Jun 28, 2017 |
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Jun 28, 2017 21:43
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^^^ I also only rent the cheapest smallest cars and I've gotten high-trim Sonics and Malibus. It's only GM cars that I've seen this happen with. Michael Scott posted:Yeah it's really not an issue. I prefer fewer physical buttons actually. I'm surprised your rentals have touch screens, they exclusively buy poverty spec strippers, I hope touchscreens are starting to become standard. I've run into a weird rental recently: The old version of the Malibu (Malibu Legacy? Limited?) but optioned up with power leather heated everything, touchscreen, and nav. It said LTZ on the bumper. Another trip I got an actual 9th generation malibu that was super base but a nicer car.
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Jun 28, 2017 21:46
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Airport lots should have an entire range of rentals available I guess the smaller in town ones are limited. If you look at enterprise.com you can see the broad range of cars they have.
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Jun 28, 2017 21:48
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You can see what the rental fleets are selling off to see what they have: https://www.enterprisecarsales.com/car/494842/2016_FORD_Fusion_Titanium_Sedan_4D?lpid=37074 $18k for a Fusion Titanium with 40k rental miles on it feels expensive, sheesh. Edit: Here's a picture in case some poor soul actually buys it: 
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Jun 28, 2017 21:52
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Michael Scott posted:My info is coming from speaking to people at Enterprise and Hertz about the cars they buy. The compact and midsize segment fleet purchases are almost always the lowest trim level with cruise control. I personally have never seen a rental car with a sunroof, for example, but I've only been in compact and midsize rentals. Sorry I guess it was wrong. Most of what I say is accurate! Was this info learned when you were trying to buy a used rental car from them?
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Jun 28, 2017 21:53
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Twerk from Home posted:You can see what the rental fleets are selling off to see what they have: https://www.enterprisecarsales.com/car/494842/2016_FORD_Fusion_Titanium_Sedan_4D?lpid=37074 That's a ton of miles.
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Jun 28, 2017 21:53
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Yes sir I thought I had become an expert in rental cars for sale. They have an insane number of miles, the companies are incredibly good at the logistics to get nearly 100% usage out of these things before they sell at or just below ~40k miles to maximize resale value. Here's my local Hertz dealers: http://www.hertzcarsaleschicago.com/all-inventory/index.htm?sortBy=internetPrice%20asc& Have a strange obsession with checking that page every once in a while to see what used late model economy cars look like in real life photos and what they're going for. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jun 28, 2017 |
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Jun 28, 2017 21:55
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The sedans and econoboxes do If you look at the upscale models and trucks they sell you will sometimes find 10k miles or less . Considering the thread title i will not say these could possible be good deals. The upscale models are frequently driven by the managers too as a personal car.
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Jun 28, 2017 21:57
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euphronius posted:That's a ton of miles. Hell yeah it is for a rental. I got stuck in a Corolla at ATL that had almost 45K on the clock. Holy hell that was a hard 45K miles on that car. You used to see former rentals turn out around the 20K mark, but with the used market being lovely I'm not surprised they're holding on to them longer. button chat: Some of the buttons that were electronic on our 2014 Explorer are back to physical. I'm much happier with the center stack on the 2017 Explorer than the 2014 we had.
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Jun 28, 2017 22:09
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skipdogg posted:button chat: Some of the buttons that were electronic on our 2014 Explorer are back to physical. I'm much happier with the center stack on the 2017 Explorer than the 2014 we had. Oh good, maybe we'll rubberband back from the whole "everything has to be a touchscreen" thing just like capitative buttons on game consoles. I still can't find the loving power/eject buttons on my release ps4. I definitely prefer to be able to do what I need to do with the hvac by touch. A screen (usually at a bad viewing angle) down and to the right just seems like the worst way to do it and be able to pay attention to driving.
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Jun 28, 2017 22:29
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I'm looking for a quick reality check on renting cars for trips into the mountains versus buying a car that can handle it. We currently own a 2006 Pontiac Vibe. 150k miles, runs great, no major issues (although need some new tires soon). From what I understand, the Vibe is a solid car and should last a while. I'm not eager to replace it, and we don't want or need two cars. However, we're taking more trips into mountain areas. We're not offroading or anything, but we're driving on forest service roads and offshoots--most are fine gravel roads, but a decent percentage are much worse. While the Vibe is wonderful in town, it's pretty bad in mud, bad roads, pot holes, etc. So we've taken to renting a compact SUV (i.e. the cheapest rental SUV class) for these trips. A bit more power, ground clearance, AWD/4WD, and the peace of mind that we're less likely to be stranded with no cell signal an hour from the nearest town. The rentals average $150 to $300 a trip, depending on length. We're taking maybe four such trips this year, but future years may have more as we get back into camping. There are inconveniences to using a rental, such as having to pick it up and drop it off while still trying to leave early with a carload of camping gear. But of course it's nice not to put the miles and wear on our own vehicle. How should I approach this? I don't know much about cars, so it's not like I have our next possible vehicle picked out to price compare. I'm not looking for an excuse to buy a new car, but sometimes I wonder if it'd make more sense to throw these rental payments at a monthly car payment rather than our local Enterprise. The fact that our car is starting to get up there in miles makes me wonder as well. If we did get a new car capable of backroads, I'd rather something smaller than a giant SUV, as we mostly do around town and highway driving. Maybe a Subaru or something? If I have to pick a budget, let's say $30k or lower--although that's flexible. (Side note: if I had to get a new car today but not worry about this whole mountain road issue, I'd probably look at a Prius or Mazda 3 or something pragmatic but a bit fun) Sorry for the vague question. I'm mostly looking for suggestions on how to approach the math here (or a simple "keep renting, stupid"). incogneato fucked around with this message at 05:00 on Jun 29, 2017 |
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Jun 29, 2017 04:57
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incogneato posted:I'm looking for a quick reality check on renting cars for trips into the mountains versus buying a car that can handle it. What kind of tires do you have on the Vibe? Better tires might help the Vibe handle better on the roads. Keep renting until you know you're going to be doing this more. It seems like you're looking to buy a car for something you might be doing more often but you're not sure. Doesn't seem like a good idea to me to get a car payment for something you might be doing. It really sounds to me that you're trying to buy a new car. It sounds like you're considering a new car because it might be a better use of money for car payments instead of rental fees. Then you mention the cars you would buy today that are likely no better at mountain driving than your current car. If you bought a prius or Mazda 3 today, would you still be renting a small SUV for these trips? If so, you're spending $150 - $300 for your rental + your monthly payment. You said you're doing this about four times a year. If we assume the rental is $300 and you go four times, that's $1200 a year and likely cheaper than a car payment for a year. I recommend revisiting the issue when you start camping more often. I think you'll also need to narrow down more of what you want out of a car.
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Jun 29, 2017 05:17
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mariooncrack posted:What kind of tires do you have on the Vibe? Better tires might help the Vibe handle better on the roads. I'm sure our tires could be better. It's something we need to look at soon. I don't have a lot of confidence in the Vibe in bad road conditions generally, though. I most definitely am not trying to buy a new car. Sorry if that wasn't clear. I only noted cars that I might buy today because I expected people to ask about budget and car types in order to properly compare. I mentioned the non-mountain driving cars to emphasize that a mountain-capable car is not really my first choice--except for these handful of trips a year. In other words, I'm not trying to find excuses to buy an SUV. I'm not trying to find excuses to buy anything. If renting is the smarter financial choice, I'm happy to continue doing it. $1200 a year in rentals being the smarter choice than replacing our Vibe makes sense, though. It's what I suspected, but just needed a reality check. incogneato fucked around with this message at 05:29 on Jun 29, 2017 |
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Jun 29, 2017 05:27
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If you're set on a new car, the Subaru Impreza is probably the one to go for. It's got 4WD and is rated at 30+ mpg. Subarus cost more on average in maintenance and repairs, but that's the price you pay if you want fuel economy + 4WD. The average maintenance/repair cost is fairly low these days anyway, so being above it isn't too much of a hardship. Your vibe is worth about $5k. You're currently spending about $100/mo on rentals, so that's equivalent to payments on about $5k borrowed. You could replace your Vibe with a roughly 2012 or so Impreza at your current cost level. Every year newer than 2012 will add about $2000 to the cost of the Impreza.
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Jun 29, 2017 05:44
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If you're not sure on your tires, check your tires. Good tires make all the difference in the world. [Edit: Sorry, apparently I somehow missed your clearance and potential off-roading requirements.] Internet Explorer fucked around with this message at 11:13 on Jun 29, 2017 |
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Jun 29, 2017 06:36
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Have you just considered buying a second, lovely high clearance car? By which I mean an XJ. For $2-5k (5k buys you the nicest one ever), you can get a truck that will do the trails and not have to worry about damaging your road car.
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Jun 29, 2017 06:39
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Get a credit card that gives you free damage waiver on rental cars and just rent the cheapest car you can choose every time. Half the time you'll get some kind of SUV anyway because that's what everyone including rental companies buy nowadays, and if it isn't an SUV just pretend it is one and be a little more aggressive? The CDW will cover any damage to the undercarriage.
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Jun 29, 2017 08:32
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Deteriorata posted:If you're set on a new car, the Subaru Impreza is probably the one to go for. It's got 4WD and is rated at 30+ mpg. Subarus cost more on average in maintenance and repairs, but that's the price you pay if you want fuel economy + 4WD. The average maintenance/repair cost is fairly low these days anyway, so being above it isn't too much of a hardship. If you're buying it to take on gravel that's too rough for the Vibe you probably are a decent target customer for the Crosstrek. I agree that the poster should buy a lovely beater 4x4 of some kind.
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Jun 29, 2017 10:50
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nm posted:Have you just considered buying a second, lovely high clearance car? By which I mean an XJ. For $2-5k (5k buys you the nicest one ever), you can get a truck that will do the trails and not have to worry about damaging your road car. As fun as owning a beater truck or jeep sounds, a second vehicle wouldn't be ideal for us. We live in an apartment, so we'd have to pay and fight for street parking. Plus I'm no car person (and have no garage), so maintenance on an older beater worries me. Thanks for the feedback everyone. It sounds like renting a handful of times a year is still a better financial decision than buying something new. I'm sure I'll be revisiting the thread when our Vibe eventually gives up the ghost or we starting renting much more frequently.
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Jun 30, 2017 04:39
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