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zapplez posted:I know I am beating a dead horse but the Camry would have been fine in the snow. I've driven one personally that was the same model year and driven through terrible snow storms. The only real advantage a SUV or 4WD have is for getting OUT of ditches. If anything, cars tend to stop quicker than truck/SUVs in the snow. The only time they are better at getting around is when there is 6 or more inches of snow on an unplowed highway, and in that circumstance, stay home. Lies and slander. When I lived in MN, I had a 95 Camry and my fiance-now-wife had a 07 Forester. I was from MN, she wasn't. Anyhow, yes a Camry can get around in the snow, even in all-seasons. Hell, I even spent a few winters in an 95 Crown Vic... had to put snow tires on it after I almost ended up in a ditch during a snow storm, but in general as long as you know how to drive in the snow any daily driver is fine. But my god, I borrowed her Forester once in a snow storm and it is absolutely a night-and-day difference. In my Camry I would have to feather the gas to get going in the snow, and even then I'd spin the tires. But in the Forester I felt like I could stomp on the gas pedal and be off like a shot. I mean, not literally, but in comparison it's a massive difference. To be sure, in snow-bound areas you won't HAVE to drive in the snow because they know how to take care of the roads. But to say that AWD only benefits in 6+ inches a snow is not true at all. quote:That being said, if you want a little SUV/CUV you should go test drive a Mazda 5 and RAV4 and a Tucson. They are all great cars and all reliable. Maybe consider a Tiguan if you are ok with a bit more maintenance if you want to try something german. Do you mean a Mazda CX-5? I think the Mazda 5 is some tiny mini-van or something weird... the CX-5 is a small SUV and is pretty popular. I'd throw a Forester in the list as well.
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Nov 7, 2018 20:00
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Wow it’s almost like 4WD/AWD helps you get going easier by having double the number of driven wheels
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Nov 7, 2018 20:03
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nm posted:I'll never recommend an ej255/7 backed by a 5 speed to someone who like reliability. Two cars for two different purposes of course...
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Nov 7, 2018 21:31
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IRQ posted:I think ya'll mean the CX-5... the regular Mazda 5 is a weird minivan. Also look at the CRV. Yeah the CX-5.
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Nov 7, 2018 21:32
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:
Thank you for this answer, this is useful info. Especially the idea that the car has good sight lines. I've test driven a VW Polo, and the windows seemed small to me, and this has been a problem in various bulkier cars. I'm in Hessen, a part of Germany that is basically a bunch of towns of various sizes that all knit together without a real center. That's why public transport is a bit more complicated. I'm with my partner, and we don't have a car. We occasionally get a car from our parents, and we've used it about one-three times per week, mostly to go sightseeing or visit venues in other towns, about 50km one way. When we get to the city, we'll probably add some city driving, but public transport is good there. We do go on the Autobahn, but not very far or very fast. We don't plan on regularly transporting large objects or many people. So I thought a small car with two doors would be ideal, but my partner says a car with less than 100 horsepower is too weak, and the smallest cars (VW Polo, Fiat, Smart) are too unsafe if someone hit us at high speed. I'd like an automatic transmission, but can't justify paying the high extra price (automatic is rare here). It can't be a diesel because those are being banned from cities and are losing value rapidly.
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Nov 7, 2018 22:12
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Does anyone know how accurate the dealership inventory search is on edmunds.com? Or is there a generally agreed upon site that has the most accurate results? I'm looking for a specific trim/option/color combination in my car search, and according to Edmunds there's only like 30 of them in the country, and only 1 within 100 miles of me. Can that be right?
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Nov 9, 2018 03:26
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Autotrader or cars.com seem to be better for that kind of thing.
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Nov 9, 2018 04:08
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All of the aggregators are pretty bad. Sorry to say but the best way is to make a list of all the appropriate dealers in your area and check their websites one by one. My experience is that most have a good picture of their own inventory but really bad pictures of everyone else's.
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Nov 9, 2018 11:11
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Ranidas posted:My wife and I find ourselves in the position of needing to purchase a minivan without as much time to save and plan as we'd have hoped. We were planning on a second child, which our current vehicles could have managed without a problem, and ended up getting pregnant with twins. I can squeeze three car seats into the back of our 2008 Accord if two of the car seats are infant seats, but that limits us to one vehicle that can transport them and wont last beyond the time they're in infant seats. It also means I'd be using the HHR for my 60 mile round trip commute, which isn't the end of the world as it runs fine but is noisy and not as comfortable. Thank you to those who offered info and suggestions. After doing some more research we've narrowed it down to the Odyssey. Due to the fact that we live in a smaller community though, there isn't a lot available in our immediate area. We will be visiting my parents for Thanksgiving and they live in a large metro with tons of options, so our plan is to buy it over the holiday weekend. I've found several 2015 EX-L Odysseys with 20-40k miles that fit our budget and price point in their area, but I'm not sure how to best go about narrowing it down form there as we have to do everything over a short span of time. I'm assuming wait until closer to that weekend, see what's still available, pull the Carfax on those vehicles and test drive the top 2-3 based on the Carfax, price and mileage. I don't think I would have time to bring a vehicle to an independent mechanic for inspection, how important is that for a low mileage Honda with one owner? When it comes to price, is there much wiggle room in used car pricing at dealers? My assumption would be that they have more power there compared to new cars as I can't go to the next dealer and get a quote on the same product, but I don't really know. If we decide not to do any financing and I don't know the final price before I buy, do I just bring a cashiers check covering most of it and then use a personal check to cover the difference?
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Nov 9, 2018 16:40
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How far away is the closest big community, because buying a car on a deadline while visiting my parents in another city during a holiday week sounds like my personal vision of hellpidan posted:Thank you for this answer, this is useful info. Especially the idea that the car has good sight lines. I've test driven a VW Polo, and the windows seemed small to me, and this has been a problem in various bulkier cars. Interesting, I've not driven a recent Polo but I find that VWAG product in general is better for sightlines and ergonomics. I just want to clarify for you - the Polo and the Corsa are in the same segment (B). The Smart Fortwo and Fiat 500 are A-segment. I would look at B segment cars rather than A. Here's a handy wikipedia table of B-segment cars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-segment Of these, I like the Clio, the Fabia, the Mazda2, the Corsa, and the Fiesta. The Polo is fine too, but the Fabia is almost always a better value for more of essentially the same car. I prefer five doors to three, just because it's a more useful design and you don't save that much money for three doors. Small cars are, all else equal, less safe than somewhat larger cars due to physics, but newer cars are more safe than older cars, so if you're going to buy a larger but older car there's a decent chance it will be less safe. I would say anything with less than 90hp is too slow, but it's not unsafe to drive a slow car - you just have to manage energy and momentum a bit differently. I've driven a 79hp Ford Fiesta triple and it was not fast, but certainly not dangerous. You just have to drive very aggressively on the throttle, manage speed, and Hello, I go to Kassel a bunch so I'm vaguely familiar with Hesse. There are certainly areas where you would like a car. If you move to a more real city, I doubt you'll want it (if I lived and worked in Kassel, for instance, I probably wouldn't own a car). But if you're borrowing one from your parents on a weekly basis, and you can afford it without difficulty, I think about a 10,000 euro B segment gas-powered hatchback fits the bill.
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Nov 9, 2018 22:30
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:How far away is the closest big community, because buying a car on a deadline while visiting my parents in another city during a holiday week sounds like my personal vision of hell About a 3 hour drive. We live in a city of 100k so it's not the boonies, there just isn't any stock of what we're looking for here.
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Nov 9, 2018 23:18
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Drive out in the morning drive some poo poo drive home decide. Seriously.
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Nov 10, 2018 00:40
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Took the plunge and bought a 18 Jeep Grand Cherokee today. I really tried to like the 4runner, Highlander, and explorer and test drove them multiple times. But the GC just had everything I wanted with the most comfort. I did go ahead and include a total care warranty in my budget calculation because, well, FCA. Thanks to those who gave advice in this thread on negotiation and financing as well as midsize SUV options.
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Nov 10, 2018 06:26
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Thats a nice vehicle, hopefully you have many great years in it. Jeep and Ram will live on for another 50 or 100 years no problem. Chrysler cars, not so much. Enjoy the jeep!
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Nov 10, 2018 12:21
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I highly doubt you would have ended up spending money on covered repairs higher than the amount that the warranty cost you and would encourage you to get a refund on that, but otherwise the GC felt like a really great car when I rented it. Nice job. Some of Jeep's other vehicles are a crappy exercise in cost cutting to get a 'cheap CUV' out the door like the Compass but the GC is quite nice.
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Nov 10, 2018 18:31
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Hmm, you don't think I'll spend $3k in repairs after the original warranty expires? I'm seriously asking, this isn't snark. I haven't purchased the warranty yet. The $0 deductible 8 year 125k warranty was $3.1k. It's Mopar, not a third party. I didn't buy yet, but got quotes from out of state dealers who don't charge fees/tax listed in Jeep forums.
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Nov 10, 2018 19:16
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Hiya! I'm looking to pick up BIG OLD SUV this winter, and was wondering if I could get a bit of guidance. Location: Denver Budget: I'm kind of wary of anything below $2k here, and don't want to throw much more than 4k at it. It'll be a beater and I don't want to empty my account and have a truck that I'm paranoid about getting a scratch on. Purpose: Big grocery trips, bad weather trips (I daily a motorcycle), plywood hauls, camping in the mountains. It will also be my ham radio truck, with a bunch of radios and big rear end antennas installed. Will not be a daily. I do not care about gas mileage. Things I require: 4WD, not even bothering with a 2WD here. enough space in the back that I can throw down an air mattress and camp out. I'd like to see good tow capacity (may want to pull a small camper or a bike trailer). Really want to see a V8. Things I don't care about at all: Air ride, flip down DVD screens, Escalade badges, 3rd row seats Things i'm actively avoiding: Lifted trucks, anything with aftermarket wheels, "runs good just needs a little work, has CEL on, may need coils or just a tuneup" poo poo that concerns me: Exploding transmissions and rod knock. Anything else I can fix by myself in the driveway. My short list, in descending order of how much interest and knowledge I have: Expedition, Sequoia, Suburban, Land Cruiser. The latter may stretch a bit up in the price range but it's a thought. What's the word on the first gen Expeditions? There are a billion of them for sale here in the 2500-3500 range, look clean on the body work, and I hear they will run a long time. How are those gearboxes? Will gladly listen to any suggestions for similar vehicles that aren't on my list. As far as non-cars go, I've previously owned a 2012 Forester (ok boring vehicle) and a 77 K5 Blazer (TONS of fun but required a lot of wrenching and didn't really break 60mph).
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Nov 10, 2018 19:58
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Evil SpongeBob posted:Hmm, you don't think I'll spend $3k in repairs after the original warranty expires? I'm seriously asking, this isn't snark. I haven't purchased the warranty yet. My co-worker got one of those 8 years and it immediately came in handy when the trans. started making a noise before a long road trip. I think they said it has 35k miles or something just outside of the factory warranty. I'd get it if I were in your shoes.
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Nov 10, 2018 20:08
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Jonny 290 posted:Id like a giant 4wd truck in a good condition for 2 dollars Man in my area, anything that can be turned into a work truck/suv with 4wd, even if 10-20 years old, even with 250,000 km+ , starts at around $8000 (if obvious repairs needed) and 10k if safetied and ready to go. I'd say try your hand at Ford Expeditions I guess. I don't know how lucky you will be with a 4k budget to get anything that wont need a lot of work. Nissan XTRAIL is actually a great mid size SUV from years ago without a lot of demand, so they can be found cheap. Maybe try to find yourself a Chev or GMC fleet Tahoe or similar. Will be missing some holes and might have an old radio in it, but parts should be cheap at least.
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Nov 10, 2018 22:07
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Maybe something with body damage at that price? I got an Xterra for $3800 and kinda fits what you're talking about but mine is 2wheel drive, not 4. Tows 4,500lb or so and I sleep with the backseat down often. Replace the radiator though, pretty commonly contaminates the ATF with coolant. Chunjee fucked around with this message at 00:20 on Nov 11, 2018 |
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Nov 10, 2018 23:20
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I get it, but denver's littered with cleanish body ones under 5 grand, check it out. Here's an 04 eddie that looks to be a great deal, for example. They're mostly 150-200k mile vehicles, which is why i'm calling out transmissions - I know that's a common failure mileage for a lot of lovely/middlin' gearboxes so i'm a little wary, but i'm not seeing too many complaints on my casual searches so far.
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Nov 10, 2018 23:29
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WJ Grand Cherokee? Can usually find them in solid shape for $4k. There's no shortage of stupid poo poo to break though.
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Nov 10, 2018 23:45
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We had a 4.0 WJ and I hated it. Think chryco's out of the picture for this one.
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Nov 10, 2018 23:51
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Chunjee posted:My co-worker got one of those 8 years and it immediately came in handy when the trans. started making a noise before a long road trip. Yeah, I figured that I'd have at least 4 or 5 pricy repairs before 125k at the end of the original warranty for $3k. Worst case I'm prepaying for dealership repairs now I guess.
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Nov 11, 2018 00:35
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I know a guy with a 97 expedition in Castle Rock that he just won’t let go of because it’s so bulletproof. That said if you want add ons and hams I’d seriously consider looking at the 3/4 ton (2500) Suburban. You could get vinyl trim in those and just hose that thing out. No idea if that’s in budget e: nevermind this is not helpful, cheapest ones I found were like '90s ones for $6k Hed fucked around with this message at 03:07 on Nov 12, 2018 |
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Nov 12, 2018 01:47
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Drive out in the morning drive some poo poo drive home decide. Seriously. Point taken, we'll be going to do some test drives next weekend. Anyone have thoughts on my other questions?
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Nov 12, 2018 16:40
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Hed posted:I know a guy with a 97 expedition in Castle Rock that he just won’t let go of because it’s so bulletproof. I've thought quite a bit about the burbs but yeah, people want a few bucks more. I'm going tomorrow to look at a 4500 obo '05 eddie bauer expedition with maint records and a clean carfax, 165k on the clock. Hopefully it ends up being as clean as the pics and I can wiggle him down to 4k-4200. Lotsa toys. Might be nice to get some heated seats for once in my life.
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Nov 12, 2018 17:27
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Jonny 290 posted:I've thought quite a bit about the burbs but yeah, people want a few bucks more. Out here in Oregon a month or two ago I was looking at craigslist under $5k and saw a ton of Suburban 2500s. My search terms included all of Oregon and parts of Washington, but I am guessing if your are willing to expand your search and travel a little you should be able to find something. People out here buy them to haul their boat or trailer a couple times a year and otherwise seem to use them as grocery getters.
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Nov 12, 2018 17:56
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What exactly changes, based on how many kW / horsepower a car has? Its top speed? Its acceleration? Ability to go uphill? Something else? The cars I'm looking at have between 69-135 horsepower, and I'm not sure how important that is.
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Nov 13, 2018 12:52
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pidan posted:What exactly changes, based on how many kW / horsepower a car has? Its top speed? Its acceleration? Ability to go uphill? Something else? Yes, all of those. Modern cars generally have enough horsepower to do anything you could conceivably want as long as you are willing to step on the throttle and wring it out, other than maybe to a huge trailer or something.
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Nov 13, 2018 13:39
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I'm currently driving a 100 hp Hyundai i30 rental car. It's pretty much fine - it's not real fast but if you wring it out it'll go, and it doesn't like to do more than 140 kph on the autobahn. It has struggled to climb fairly steep grades at 120kph on the autobahn, but that's fine as long as you're willing to downshift and join the right lane. edit: 69, while nice, is probably lower than I would go. My floor is probably around 80.
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Nov 13, 2018 16:58
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I had a Picanto with 67hp and it was fine in a manual as long as you’re good with driving it full tilt all the time.
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Nov 13, 2018 17:18
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Closure: Bought A Thing '05 Eddie Bauer Expedition with 169k actual miles, recent transmission service/run-through (got the paperwork - $25 for the trans/t-case gasket, and $450 for labor to install it), like two tiny dents and no major problems. All the toys work. It's a pleasure to drive and I need to re-learn how to drive Huge Truk. Seller was asking 4500 and I knocked him down to 4k cash by being an actual Car Fan and pointing out the broken taillight and tiny rust bubbles on the tailgate, which is a known thing on these. Rocker panels have no rust, spark plugs were changed 30k ago, all the big Expedition gotchas have been addressed. Rides smooth in 2WD and 4WD, stereo bumps, not one rip in the leather. I'm happy as a clam. Now to get some Spongebob DVDs for the rear seat player so my drunk friends can stay entertained while I cart them around. Jonny 290 fucked around with this message at 06:59 on Nov 15, 2018 |
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Nov 15, 2018 06:37
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I went up to test drive the Outback yesterday, and you were right that it's way, way too sedate for me. Even the 3.6R engine was unwilling to put in the hard work I needed as I was accelerating to highway speeds and in comparison to my last two cars it felt totally anemic. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of swinging by the dealership where we bought our XC90 and they had an XC60 T8 on the lot. I have always been fascinated by that power plant so I chatted with the guys who were only too happy to let me test drive it. I'm in love.
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Nov 15, 2018 13:38
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Why
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Nov 15, 2018 18:08
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I like plug in hybrids as a class of vehicles, I liked the power and the responsiveness, I think it's an interesting power plant. I like the interior of Volvos and we're very pleased with the service and support we've had from Volvo and our dealer, I like the infotainment system, it feels like the right size, I could round-trip commute using only battery, I've always had an affinity for Volvos (my first car was an 850) and I think they're very luxurious without being ostentatious, I support their commitment to the environment and safety.
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Nov 15, 2018 18:39
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I've got a possibly stupid question! I was test driving a bunch of cars and noticed all of them have an electronic parking brake with the little flippy switch. Now this is maybe an issue because before the car hunting started, my 2003 Accord died on the freeway and my brakes and gas stopped working. So I pulled onto the shoulder but was still going around 40mph at this point and there was another car in the same shoulder in front of me, and I hit my emergency brake and was able to slow down and stop before I plowed right into this other dude. It was the middle of the night so I had the tow truck bring it to my driveway, and I still haven't had the opportunity to get it into the shop. But it was suggested that my alternator died and I lost power. So I'm suddenly concerned if my battery lost power would that electronic parking brake still work?
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Nov 16, 2018 05:40
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cyxx posted:I've got a possibly stupid question! I was test driving a bunch of cars and noticed all of them have an electronic parking brake with the little flippy switch. Now this is maybe an issue because before the car hunting started, my 2003 Accord died on the freeway and my brakes and gas stopped working. So I pulled onto the shoulder but was still going around 40mph at this point and there was another car in the same shoulder in front of me, and I hit my emergency brake and was able to slow down and stop before I plowed right into this other dude. It was the middle of the night so I had the tow truck bring it to my driveway, and I still haven't had the opportunity to get it into the shop. But it was suggested that my alternator died and I lost power. So I'm suddenly concerned if my battery lost power would that electronic parking brake still work? An electronic brake uses a motor to move the pads. Without power, they don't move so they stay in whatever position they were in before power was lost.
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Nov 16, 2018 05:49
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cyxx posted:I've got a possibly stupid question! I was test driving a bunch of cars and noticed all of them have an electronic parking brake with the little flippy switch. Now this is maybe an issue because before the car hunting started, my 2003 Accord died on the freeway and my brakes and gas stopped working. So I pulled onto the shoulder but was still going around 40mph at this point and there was another car in the same shoulder in front of me, and I hit my emergency brake and was able to slow down and stop before I plowed right into this other dude. It was the middle of the night so I had the tow truck bring it to my driveway, and I still haven't had the opportunity to get it into the shop. But it was suggested that my alternator died and I lost power. So I'm suddenly concerned if my battery lost power would that electronic parking brake still work? It's not really relevant. Your brakes will still work without electricity or a running engine. You lose power assist, so you need to use a lot more force than you're used to, but they're still your best option. Even the Prius, which has a complex brake-by-wire mix of regenerative and powered hydraulic systems, still has a "when all else fails" direct hydraulic connection between the brake pedal and the calipers. The idea of the parking brake as a genuine "emergency brake," instead of something to hold your car in place on a hill, only makes sense in old cars. Back in the old days, you had one hydraulic system, and if there was a leak at a single wheel, you could lose fluid and pressure from all your brakes. You had to have a separate, mechanical backup - which doubled as a parking brake. Since the 70s, though, federal safety regulations have said that every car sold has to have two independent brake circuits operated by a single pedal. Even if one circuit is at zero pressure, the other one can stop the car with more force than you'd be able to get yanking on a lever. If your engine dies, all you need to do is push harder on the brake pedal.
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Nov 16, 2018 06:25
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Deteriorata posted:An electronic brake uses a motor to move the pads. Without power, they don't move so they stay in whatever position they were in before power was lost. Yeah that seems kind of obvious in hindsight now, haha. Space Gopher posted:It's not really relevant. That was a great explanation thank you. I guess all of my (barely passable) car knowledge comes from my dad so I just kind of went with it thinking that what the parking brake was for. This was actually my first car I ever got that I bought back in 2002 so it's kind of embarrassing that I literally know nothing about cars. But after test driving a bunch the mazda3 hatchback fits my needs the best and felt pretty good driving so I will make an effort to not be an idiot going forward. Thanks guys
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Nov 16, 2018 06:48
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