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Proposed Budget: $25,000(ish) New or Used: New How will you be using the car?: Mostly commuting - 2 hour round trip, 120+ miles per day Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?: I don't need every bell and whistle, but good Bluetooth is a must. What aspects are most important to you? : Reliability, MPG, Cost of Ownership, Ability to accelerate on the highway, handling in a couple of inches of snow I'm one of the lucky folks who has a Golf TDI involved in the buyback. As such, I need a new car - and quickly, it seems, as I'm getting a scraping sound when turning right, so I don't want to put any more money into repairs. As much as I like the handling and sporty feel of the Golf, the cost of ownership for VW is too high, and I have had too many repair issues with this car, so VW is on my poo poo list. I have a decent commute, so I spend 2+ hours per day in the car - comfort is a concern. I'm also 6 feet tall, so a seat that isn't deep enough to support my legs isn't going to cut it (our Forester has bad seats.) As stated, I don't need all sorts of tech in the car (more points of failure) but I do want a Bluetooth system that 1) works reliably; and 2) can support more than one phone. In other words, if my wife drives the car without me, I want for the system to connect to her phone without having to delete the original phone and re-pair her phone and contacts (the 2016 Forester's BT system is a complete joke and I totally hate it.) With my commute, I need something that can reliably hold up to 30,0000-ish miles per year and gets good mileage (I get 42mpg in the Golf, which is one thing I'll miss.) Since I do a lot of highway driving, I want a car that can accelerate to pass if needed - the TDI is great for the extra push (and is peppy on the drive.) Finally, I live in Connecticut, so we do get snow once in a while. The Golf handles pretty well with all-seasons, and I'd like something where I don't have to throw winter tires on at the first sign of a flake (I had an HHR that would fishtail in any accumulation of rain or snow, and that was terrifying.) I'm not planning on driving offroad in a blizzard, but I'd like to get home from work if there happens to be a couple of inches on the ground. I've been looking at: Mazda3 5-door- Concerned with lack of information regarding long-term reliability, winter handling Prius 2 or 3 - Concerned with winter handling, highway pickup Honda Civic Hatch - Consumer Reports dropped the Civic from their "most reliable" list due to electrical and infotainment issues I know it's a lot to take in, but any thoughts on the above? Anything else I should look at? berzerkmonkey fucked around with this message at 19:20 on Oct 26, 2016 |
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Oct 26, 2016 19:17
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Michael Scott posted:Toyota Camry? It is appliance-like but the engine gives you pep and decent MPG, similar to the Civic. I do need the pickup - I cruise at about 70mph, but in CT, all we have are two-lane highways, so a lot of time, it's necessary to zip out and pass an idiot casino bus doing 50 in the left lane. I don't get mileage reimbursement, so it is what it is. We bought a house halfway between my and my wife's work locations, so there isn't much I can do about that at this point, unfortunately.
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Oct 26, 2016 20:01
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Throatwarbler posted:You should buy a Prius, but if you want to continue your diesel douche lifestyle GM made a Cruze diesel for the last generation. I'm not stuck on diesel - I pretty much bought the TDI for the economy and longevity of the engine. I didn't know about the Cruze though -I'll check it out as well. Thanks.
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Oct 26, 2016 20:32
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Michael Scott posted:I drive a tiny 120HP Ford Fiesta and it's squirelly on the highway at 80+ MPH but it is more than fast enough for the city. Passing is a piece of cake. No one goes WOT. I haven't driven the Prius yet, but it certainly isn't out of the running. And passing buses isn't really the issue, but more being able to get that punch of speed to get out and pass whatever I need to, in whatever short window I need. nm posted:Edit: the stock prius tires are going to kinda suck in the winter, even compared to other all seasons because they are LRR, but as you're looking at used cars anyhow, the car probably needs new shoes anyhow. You should get winter tires anyhow. They're not for every day, but they'll save your rear end when some jackass runs a light in front of you in a snowy intersection. What kind of life cycle do you get with the Prius battery? I had a friend whose battery started failing after about 10 years. With the mileage I'm going to put on the car, I don't want to have to replace the battery after 4-5 years (I know nothing about hybrid batteries.)
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Oct 26, 2016 21:26
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Michael Scott posted:It will probably take you ~250k miles before replacement is advisable. Degradation will be very subtle and barely perceptible over those 250k. Replacement will then cost maybe 1 or 2k. That's good to know. Thanks. KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:The tires are excellent for maximizing fuel economy. People are stupid about tires.
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Oct 27, 2016 12:41
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What are the thoughts on the 2017 Civics? I had mentioned them previously, but I'm concerned about the issues people were having with the 2016 models. have those problems been ironed out at this point?
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Oct 27, 2016 18:28
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Ammanas posted:They have not. I was really keen on the hatchback model but am leaning more toward a Mazda 3. drat. Of course the year I am up for buying a new car, Honda shoots itself in the foot. I guess I can be thankful I didn't pick one up last year and have to deal with the problems first hand. Speaking of Mazda, I was looking at the the 3 as well - have you been able to find any stats on reliability? I've been coming up pretty short in that department, and it's one of the things steering me away from them. US News rates the 3 really highly, but gives them a 3 out of 5 on reliability, which is only slightly higher than the problem-filled TDI I currently own. I really don't want to be in the shop all the time with repairs that I shouldn't have to do. berzerkmonkey fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Oct 27, 2016 |
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Oct 27, 2016 20:09
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Twerk from Home posted:I hate to be a part of the problem with new cars, but Ford put a 7 year / 100,000 mile full warranty on all the DCT-related parts in our Focus. Do that many people buy brand new 0 mile cars and keep them for longer than that period? The DCT isn't great, but its expensive future failure sounds like a problem for the next owner. I buy a car for as long as it will run reliably for me. I am in the minority though, as I also put 30,000 miles on a car in a year.
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Oct 28, 2016 17:06
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Twerk from Home posted:Do you buy them new, though? I get that people own cars for long periods of time, but I don't get why if you want a 6-12 year old 100k+ mile car you didn't just buy a used one in the first place. New - why would I buy someone else's problems? FYI, for TDI owners, Hyundai is going to be offering a really good deal for your business. I'm assuming this will mark the beginning of other brands doing the same.
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Oct 28, 2016 20:10
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Prius question - highway speed is usually around 70-75mph if traffic is light. How much impact on MPG will the Prius take at those speeds? Do the 4th gen models handle ok at constant high travel speeds?
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Nov 2, 2016 14:31
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big crush on Chad OMG posted:MPG drops pretty quick over 60 in any car. The Prius will handle those speeds fine for as long as you want. I pull 42 MPG in the TDI just fine at 80. I'm torn between the Civic EX-T and the Prius, and if the Prius is able to keep up the high mileage at a good speed, that may be the determining factor.
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Nov 2, 2016 15:10
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Throatwarbler posted:Fuel economy increases because the aero drag on a car increases as a square function of frontal area and coefficient of drag. The Prius already has a low coefficient of drag, and no more height or frontal area than any other car with the same carrying capacity. The only way another car could be *more efficient* would be if it was significantly smaller, like if you switched the Prius engine and tires on to a Corvette or something. Ok, I was reading on some posts saying that people were seeing drops down to the low 40s (which is obviously still good mpg,) but there were also hypermileing maniacs in the mix, so I didn't know how much information was true, and how much was "I heard from a friend who saw a spreadsheet..."
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Nov 2, 2016 16:30
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JnnyThndrs posted:My co-worker and I do the same 43 mile commute, most of it is 75-80mph freeway miles. He gets about 42 mpg with his Gen3 Prius, I get 33mpg with my 2012 Fit. Exactly the information I needed. Thank you.
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Nov 2, 2016 19:32
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I've got a dealer down to $22075 out the door (so far) on a 2016 Civic EX-T. Are there any significant differences between the '16 and '17 models? I can't find a whole lot online regarding whether the '17 had a better ride, fewer issues, etc.
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Nov 4, 2016 19:48
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I would be inclined to buy the 2017 because it is very likely that there were a lot of incremental improvements in the model year refresh that don't really make headlines but will significantly improve overall reliability. nm posted:FYI, the 2016 Civic is the first civic consumer reports hasn't recommended since the early 80s due to reliability issues. Maybe they've fixed the 17s, but I would avoid the 16s. OctaviusBeaver posted:I took a 10 hour road trip in a rented Prius C and averaged a hair over 49 mpg going between 65 and 75 mph most of the way.
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Nov 7, 2016 14:29
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nm posted:^^^^^ The complaint is that there is no knob for the volume, and that the touchscreen can be slow and annoying to use. Otherwise the car was highly rated by CR. To add to that, a lot of the consumer complaints seem to be related to Bluetooth connectivity. Of course, compared to the Prius, the Civic looks like a total disaster... EDIT: Got the dealer down to $21,500 on the Civic EX-T so far. Decisions, decisions...  DOUBLE EDIT: Fucker tried to pull some bullshit, so I'm back to $22,075. berzerkmonkey fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Nov 7, 2016 |
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Nov 7, 2016 16:17
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Ammanas posted:Picked up a 17 Mazda 3 GT hatch. Compared to civic hatch. Cloth interior on civic is loving garbage and leather is merely ok. Cabin felt more spacious than the Mazda and feels larger, but the Mazda has an extremely nice interior (dumb hologram HUD notwithstanding). Can I ask what your final price was on the Mazda and what state you're in? I want to try to get a starting point for negotiation. The Honda guys are pissing me off as well, so I'm not too keen on dealing with them either.
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Nov 8, 2016 15:48
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Ammanas posted:The first Mazda dealer offered 27.5 otd. 2nd, through Costco pricing, was 26.3 + a $300 acquisition fee (pretty sure they were going to get the car i wanted at the first dealership). Called first dealer, they agreed to match 26.3. This is for the 2.5 GT in dark grey, with nav. Thanks. I drove the 2016 Touring at lunch today. Initial thoughts: LOUD ride. I thought my 2011 TDI was loud on the highway, but it is positively quiet in comparison. I know the 2017s had some additional noise mitigation, so hopefully they're not as bad. Also, at 60+, there was some very noticeable juddering. The salesman tried to write it off as "new highway that hasn't been worn down" but on another stretch, I still felt the chatter, just not as much. Also, the 2.0 engine felt lackluster - I get that it's not going to be screaming, and I am coming from a high torque manual, but it took a bit to get going, and there was a definite strain to get to passing speed. I'm going to try the 2017 2.0 manual transmission, if I can get my hands on one, just to see if there is any difference. I'm not optimistic, but the MPG on the 2017 2.5 Touring kind of bumps it out of my minimum MPG criteria range.
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Nov 8, 2016 19:41
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YoshiStomper posted:Cars I've been considering: 2017 Golf GTI, 2017 Honda Civic, 2017(or 2016) Acura ILX
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Nov 9, 2016 17:31
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khysanth posted:Yea thanks for the recommendation. I need to see one in-person and get behind the wheel but this looks like it could work for us. Didn't think the Vs would be in our price range but I'm finding plenty. My local dealer had one for $26000 - I was really surprised. My wife immediately had buyer's remorse over the Forester we bought a year ago.
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Nov 9, 2016 20:47
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Ultimate Mango posted:Hay guyz, when purchasing a new ride how much do you normally pay for vin etching? Does $695 sound reasonable? Dealers think everyone is stupid. They aren't. But they are victims of the shady business of selling cars where getting information is like pulling teeth, and even then you're not sure if that information is accurate. Amazon needs to start a concierge service for auto buying and end this poo poo.
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Nov 10, 2016 03:09
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Toxx posted:I am considering buying this Prius. I have the dealer currently offering 10500 out the door. That price includes trade in of my 04 Jeep with no working engine. Is this 'decent'? KBB says that the $10500 is a fair purchase price, so you're basically giving away the Jeep. If you're comfortable doing that, that's up to you. The dealership is just going to sell the Jeep to a surplus auction, so anything they make if free money on top of what you paid. Add to that you'll have to transport the Jeep to them, and you're going to lose money. Also, at some point, you're looking at a battery replacement for the Prius - it may not be for years, or it may be at 100k. It appears to be a function of time, so you should be ok, but it's something you need to be aware of. Oh, and extended warranties should not be a consideration to you - they very rarely cover anything that is going to happen (you aren't going to blow a Prius engine or have the tranny fall out.) If they throw it in for free, fine, but do not think of it as added value. Here's what I'd do if I was you - take the Jeep off the table and tell them you'll pay $10500 out the door. You can either advertise the Jeep for a grand on Craigslist or donate it to one of the many charities that take cars and get the tax writeoff. Finally, look around - if you can find another dealership in the area, tell them that these guys offered you a 2012 Prius 2 for $10500 - ask the other dealer if they can do better. Play them off of each other. It's a time consuming pain in the rear end, but it does work, and it will save you money in the long run.
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Nov 14, 2016 21:34
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 18:33 |
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Public service announcement: I bought a Civic the other day, and the tire warning indicator came on Monday. I was thinking that the pressure was off a bit due to a temperature change. Turns out that either Honda or the dealer overinflated the tires to between 48 and 52 psi - the recommended pressure is 32 psi (the tire max is 51 psi.) I'm lucky I didn't have a blowout thanks to a pothole or hydroplane during the heavy rain the other day. Moral of the story: Make sure to ask about your tires before you leave the dealership.
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Nov 17, 2016 16:57
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