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Car buying advice
- Thread starter waloshin
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Providing the Patriot is of a decent color (black, silver, or ...black), I'd take that. maybe without a smile, but I'd drive it.
I'm not sure if you saw the Dodge Caliber, but that thing is Fugly (yes, with a capital F). Plus it's only FWD, and depending on where you live, a winter with 4 wheel drive is a million times better than a winter with F/RWD.
Dodge also fitted the Caliber with the steering wheel from a ferry. It's s***.
But in all honesty, don't buy either.
I'm not sure if you saw the Dodge Caliber, but that thing is Fugly (yes, with a capital F). Plus it's only FWD, and depending on where you live, a winter with 4 wheel drive is a million times better than a winter with F/RWD.
Dodge also fitted the Caliber with the steering wheel from a ferry. It's s***.
But in all honesty, don't buy either.
Toyota had to ask for money from its government even though they were (at the time) #1 in sales in the Nation.
And BMW, and Volkswagen, and Honda.
Yet, the same people crying about the American bailouts will gladly buy a car from one of these other companies.
And BMW, and Volkswagen, and Honda.
Yet, the same people crying about the American bailouts will gladly buy a car from one of these other companies.
By the way, if you want a car known to be very safe and has reasonable fuel economy, get this:
2009 Honda Civic sedan
It's one of the few vehicles with a full IIHS Gold certification for safety, easily protecting passengers in the same type of crash yg17 experienced in that VW GTI.
2009 Honda Civic sedan
It's one of the few vehicles with a full IIHS Gold certification for safety, easily protecting passengers in the same type of crash yg17 experienced in that VW GTI.
By the way, if you want a car known to be very safe and has reasonable fuel economy, get this:
2009 Honda Civic sedan
It's one of the few vehicles with a full IIHS Gold certification for safety, easily protecting passengers in the same type of crash yg17 experienced in that VW GTI.
+ 1. Hondas rule.
I know this is an old thread, but I just had to get a rental car while my car is in the shop and they gave me a Dodge Avenger. While it seemed like a solid enough car overall, the blind spots out the rear were horrible, the steering was a little too twitchy, and it seemed underpowered. If I could have seen well enough to feel comfortable driving, it would have been an OK rental, but I don't think it would make my list of new car possibilities.
I wonder what the OP ended up getting.
The last choice he asked about was a Jeep Patriot versus Dodge Caliber. I've test driven both, and was equally unimpressed (of course, they're the same vehicle platform, so you wouldn't expect the drive to be too different). I don't drive standard, so I was testing the CVT on both. I guess that just takes getting used to, because in both cases I found the CVT to be loud and buzzy (and quite whiny on the Patriot when accelerating, even slowly). The Caliber had visibility issues with its small rear window and side windows that get smaller toward the back.
I really wanted to like the Jeep, as it's so inexpensive and, well, it's a Jeep!
I ended up with a Toyota Matrix, which is a reasonable car, but I think I'd like my next one to be a bit bigger and more off-road capable. I'm going to look into the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Subaru Forester, etc. Maybe I'll look at the Jeep Liberty too. (Edit: The 2010 Chevy Equinox looks like a solid contender, too.)
The last choice he asked about was a Jeep Patriot versus Dodge Caliber. I've test driven both, and was equally unimpressed (of course, they're the same vehicle platform, so you wouldn't expect the drive to be too different). I don't drive standard, so I was testing the CVT on both. I guess that just takes getting used to, because in both cases I found the CVT to be loud and buzzy (and quite whiny on the Patriot when accelerating, even slowly). The Caliber had visibility issues with its small rear window and side windows that get smaller toward the back.
I really wanted to like the Jeep, as it's so inexpensive and, well, it's a Jeep!
I ended up with a Toyota Matrix, which is a reasonable car, but I think I'd like my next one to be a bit bigger and more off-road capable. I'm going to look into the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Subaru Forester, etc. Maybe I'll look at the Jeep Liberty too. (Edit: The 2010 Chevy Equinox looks like a solid contender, too.)
I have been in the repair business for a long time. Whenever people ask I say Honda or Toyota. Simply the best in the normal price range.
The expensive ones all seem to be good, just a matter of what you like!
Chrysler products, and Jeeps, always seem to be the worst choice. Terrible horror stories.
A lot of "imports" are built in the USA by Americans, who also sell, service, fuel and repair them. I don't care about the CEOs, incompetents more worried about bonuses and mega-wealth than building good cars.
BTW, quality is not dependent on where a car is made. The assemblers don't have choices. There is a bolt hole and they put the bolt in there!
Quality is a matter of design and choice of materials.
The expensive ones all seem to be good, just a matter of what you like!
Chrysler products, and Jeeps, always seem to be the worst choice. Terrible horror stories.
A lot of "imports" are built in the USA by Americans, who also sell, service, fuel and repair them. I don't care about the CEOs, incompetents more worried about bonuses and mega-wealth than building good cars.
BTW, quality is not dependent on where a car is made. The assemblers don't have choices. There is a bolt hole and they put the bolt in there!
Quality is a matter of design and choice of materials.
carlgo,
You're right that quality must be designed in from the beginning, but wherever humans are involved there will be variations. Manufacturing plants nowadays are largely run by robots and are not as susceptible, but in the past this was most definitely not the case. My father had a Chrysler dealership in the 70's and I can tell you for a fact that the cars that we received that were built on Fridays were of poorer workmanship, sometimes with missing pieces or loose bolts! We could quite often trace a car's reliability (or lack thereof) to when it was built.
You're right that quality must be designed in from the beginning, but wherever humans are involved there will be variations. Manufacturing plants nowadays are largely run by robots and are not as susceptible, but in the past this was most definitely not the case. My father had a Chrysler dealership in the 70's and I can tell you for a fact that the cars that we received that were built on Fridays were of poorer workmanship, sometimes with missing pieces or loose bolts! We could quite often trace a car's reliability (or lack thereof) to when it was built.
DO NOT BUY A COBALT OR pontiac G5. I have a 2007 cobalt ls with 52,000 km's on it and i've had warranty work done to it nine(9) times. In fact right now it sits on a hoist at my dealership waiting for parts to fix the transmission. The third gear went all crunchy and nasty. It really is a P.O.S. Ima buy a honda again next time. My '99 SiR was such a great car, I need my head examined for letting it go for this one.
That story has probably happened to just about any car manufactured today. Go hang out at a BMW dealership and see how many cars are in for warranty work below 50,000 miles. Hondas are the same. Like others have said, it's all in perception and that perception is distorted.