Car Thoughts

[dukebound85]

I have been doing a ton of research and want to see if anyone here had opinions/actual real time experience with these following cars

I am looking at
1) 2012 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
2) 2012 Kia Forte Koupe
3) 2012 Ford Focus

And for ***** and giggles, a 2012 Suburu WRX

Aside from the WRX, they are all in the same class except the Koupe being a 2door but looks awesome

Anyone have experience with a Kizashi?

 

[quagmire]

Have you looked at the Chevy Cruze?

I drove it at GM's Main Street in Motion driving event. It drives really well.

 

[dukebound85]

I did. Test drove one the other day. While it handles well, I wasn't terribly impressed with the interior layout

 

[yg17]

Well, I'd choose the WRX in a heartbeat, but if that's just a pipe dream and out of the question, I'd choose the Kia. An opinion based on absolutely nothing as I've never driven or been in any of them. I think the Kia looks best.

 

[DakotaGuy]

2012 Ford Focus is by far the nicest small car on the market right now. It is full of tech and should give you good handling, good fuel economy and decent power. There are other competitors that might outshine it in this area or that, but as a total package it is hard to beat the new Focus.

 

[iGav]

I have been doing a ton of research and want to see if anyone here had opinions/actual real time experience with these following cars

I am looking at
1) 2012 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
2) 2012 Kia Forte Koupe
3) 2012 Ford Focus

And for ***** and giggles, a 2012 Suburu WRX

I would've suggested you hold off until the new Impreza is announced in the next couple of weeks, until I actually saw photos of it that is. Dreadfully over-arched & under-wheeled. At least it no longer looks like an early '90's Corolla anymore. Now it looks like a late '90's Ford Focus sedan. Well… I suppose that's progress of sorts.

Not driven one, but I'd be inclined to go with the Focus, history dictates that it'll undoubtedly be the best drive.

 

[r1ch4rd]

I would also go with the Focus. My Mum had one of the older models and a few friends of mine have the newer shape (not the very newest) and rate them very highly. Of course, a little bit of badge snobbery is at play here too!

 

[einmusiker]

I would honestly go with something a few years older but in a btter class of vehicle. Ive driven these entry class economy cars and i just cant see spending money on machines with such poor build quality.

 

[quagmire]

I would honestly go with something a few years older but in a btter class of vehicle. Ive driven these entry class economy cars and i just cant see spending money on machines with such poor build quality.

You have driven or sat in the 2012 Ford Focus? It's just entering production.

While I prefer the Cruze's interior of that of the 2012 Focus( I sat in the Focus at NAIAS), it isn't an interior to laugh it. It is solidly put together.

The only compact car I don't see why it is winning accolades is the new Elantra. Yeah it gets 40 MPG, but I found the interior to be incredibly cheap. Still not as cheap as the Corolla, but still.....

 

[pcguru83]

2012 Ford Focus is by far the nicest small car on the market right now. It is full of tech and should give you good handling, good fuel economy and decent power. There are other competitors that might outshine it in this area or that, but as a total package it is hard to beat the new Focus.

I disagree. The newly redesigned 2011 Elantra is HOT! Liked it so much we bought one back in December. Looks and drives great, and you can easily get one fully loaded with nav for about $21k.

The only compact car I don't see why it is winning accolades is the new Elantra. Yeah it gets 40 MPG, but I found the interior to be incredibly cheap. Still not as cheap as the Corolla, but still.....

Wow, I don't get this at all. We shopped around a good bit before buying and I thought the Elantra had some of the best build quality in it's class. We love the way the gauge cluster is set up and the controls all seem well laid out (perhaps with the exception of the vent placement) and have that nice feel to them too. The dash is also made of that "soft touch" material that is all the rage these days.

I have absolutely no reservations in saying that it is on par, if not better, than the interior of my 07 VW--no question about it.

 

[quagmire]

Wow, I don't get this at all. We shopped around a good bit before buying and I thought the Elantra had some of the best build quality in it's class. We love the way the gauge cluster is set up and the controls all seem well laid out (perhaps with the exception of the vent placement) and have that nice feel to them too. The dash is also made of that "soft touch" material that is all the rage these days.

I have absolutely no reservations in saying that it is on par, if not better, than the interior of my 07 VW--no question about it.

I sat in the Elantra at NAIAS and the materials were hard and cheap around the instrument cluster and radio. The Cruze's and Focus's interior are superior.

 

[Synchromesh]

Honest opinion? Here:

1. junk
2. crap
3. junk
4. WRX - good car but hardly economy

I wouldn't touch American or Korean economy cars. If you have to go economy only go Japanese. They know how to make small cars by far better than everybody else.

 

[quagmire]

Honest opinion? Here:

1. junk
2. crap
3. junk
4. WRX - good car but hardly economy

I wouldn't touch American or Korean economy cars. If you have to go economy only go Japanese. They know how to make small cars by far better than everybody else.

So what do you base this on? Perception? A junk car from 10-20 years ago?

 

[Old Smuggler]

Honest opinion? Here:

1. junk
2. crap
3. junk
4. WRX - good car but hardly economy

I wouldn't touch American or Korean economy cars. If you have to go economy only go Japanese. They know how to make small cars by far better than everybody else.

This Guy Is Spot On
Get a japanese vehicle, Nothing I mean Nothing is as reliable as them
i have a 94 nissan hardbody pickup and it is ugly as sin but has never broke down on me
Japanese cars last so long that you will be tired of it before it dies unlike all the american P.O.S i used to own

if you want a car that lasts 500k japanese 80k to 120k go american

I disagree. The newly redesigned 2011 Elantra is HOT! Liked it so much we bought one back in December. Looks and drives great, and you can easily get one fully loaded with nav for about $21k.

Hyundai is a Dang Good Reliable Car Hands Down

 

[quagmire]

This Guy Is Spot On
Get a japanese vehicle, Nothing I mean Nothing is as reliable as them
i have a 94 nissan hardbody pickup and it is ugly as sin but has never broke down on me
Japanese cars last so long that you will be tired of it before it dies unlike all the american P.O.S i used to own

if you want a car that lasts 500k japanese 80k to 120k go american

Hyundai is a Dang Good Reliable Car Hands Down

This is what I don't get. Hyundai/Kia were junk not too long ago. But when they improved, Americans are willing to hop right into one. American cars were junk not too long ago either. But now that they have improved, people still insist they are junk......

Curious, what was your last American car you owned? My family has owned 4 GM's so far and they all have been reliable. Although different story with our Chrysler products.....

 

[ender land]

This is what I don't get. Hyundai/Kia were junk not too long ago. But when they improved, Americans are willing to hop right into one. American cars were junk not too long ago either. But now that they have improved, people still insist they are junk.......

I don't get this either

 

[quagmire]

I don't get this either

Hyundai/Kia when they first came to America were not the best of cars. Were they cheap? Yes, but the quality wasn't there. They have improved a lot in recent years and people are talking positive things about them and giving them a serious look at now. The Genesis, Equus, and new Sonata are very good cars.

Same thing with American cars. Back in the 1980's and 90's they were crap. The only thing they seemed to not screw up were the trucks and SUV's. They as well begun to turn it around lately( see the Regal, Saturn Aura/Malibu, Cruze, Focus, Volt, Fusion, Explorer, Edge etc). And yet American cars still get a bad rep.

EDIT: I just realized you were agreeing with me.

 

[DakotaGuy]

I don't get this either

I don't either. If you compare the 2012 Focus or even the Cruze against the current Japanese competition there is no comparison. They are just simply superior cars especially against the very mediocre and recall prone Toyota Corolla. Those of you who are trying to say that the 2012 Focus is junk apparently have not looked at one or even researched one. Some of the most reliable cars being built today are being built by Ford according to firms such as Consumer Reports. The cars that Ford and GM are producing today are MUCH better then ones they built just a few years ago.

 

[yg17]

My mom has a Hyundai Sonata with 70,000 miles and it has never required anything beyond regularly scheduled maintenance. It is a damn good car. And Kia likely has the same quality since they're made by Hyundai.

As far as the American cars goe, we've owned a few from each of the big 3 and had nothing but problems. None of them ever went 70,000 miles without something major going wrong. I don't care if they've improved, I don't trust them at all, and we've had enough bad experiences that we'd never buy an American car ever again.

 

[todd03blown]

Honest opinion? Here:

1. junk
2. crap
3. junk
4. WRX - good car but hardly economy

I wouldn't touch American or Korean economy cars. If you have to go economy only go Japanese. They know how to make small cars by far better than everybody else.

This is what we call an uneducated answer. Tisk tisk.

 

[Pink∆Floyd]

This is what we call an uneducated answer. Tisk tisk.

It's rather an opinion different from yours, no need for your uneducated answer

 

[Fezwick]

Curious, what was your last American car you owned? My family has owned 4 GM's so far and they all have been reliable. Although different story with our Chrysler products.....

Weird, considering my family has owned 12 Jeeps since 1990, and they've all been pretty reliable vehicles.

I'd buy an American car over anything else. Then again, that's just my opinion.

 

[DakotaGuy]

My mom has a Hyundai Sonata with 70,000 miles and it has never required anything beyond regularly scheduled maintenance. It is a damn good car. And Kia likely has the same quality since they're made by Hyundai.

As far as the American cars goe, we've owned a few from each of the big 3 and had nothing but problems. None of them ever went 70,000 miles without something major going wrong. I don't care if they've improved, I don't trust them at all, and we've had enough bad experiences that we'd never buy an American car ever again.

Everyone can quote personal experience, but that is unlikely to change people's opinions. We have ran Ford F-150s for years around our farm and several saw 150-200,000 miles without any major repairs. Of course they were well taken care of and properly maintained. You can buy a Toyota or Honda and I can promise if it is not properly maintained it will break down. Now I'm not saying you abused your American cars, but there is this idea out there that you can buy a Japanese car and even without maintenance it will run forever and that idea is wrong.

I leased a 2011 Escape a few months back and the initial quality is outstanding. Not one issue requiring a return to the dealer. Now of course initial quality doesn't mean a lot, but the Escape does well in quality surveys so I am not concerned. The other real test of a vehicle is cab duty and Escape Hybrids have been tested on the streets of NYC and have held up well. Many are reporting several years of service and hundreds of thousands of miles. Now if Ameican cars are junk why do these Escapes hold up so well?

When it comes to vehicles your mileage may vary. I have an uncle that had a 1982 Datsun (what Nissans used to be branded as) and it was a complete lemon. Should I base a vehicle purchase today based on his experience with a Datsun in 1982? Of course not.

 

[quagmire]

Weird, considering my family has owned 12 Jeeps since 1990, and they've all been pretty reliable vehicles.

I'd buy an American car over anything else. Then again, that's just my opinion.

My family has owned three minivans, a Dodge Stratus, 2 Jeeps, and a Sebring Convertible.

One minivan burned oil constantly, another had a transmission fail early on, the Stratus was pretty good for the short time we had it( it was my brothers first car which he bottomed out on it which drained the oil which lead to the engine seizing), Cherokee kept on overheating no matter what was done to it( my brother still has it and manages to keep it running), Grand Cherokee blew a transmission at 36,000 miles and sensors kept on malfunctioning( killed in hurricane), and Sebring Convertible suspension squeaked, passenger window whistled, and oil pump went at 60,000 miles.

It also didn't help that the dealer said the transmission failing in the Grand Cherokee and the Sebring suspension squeaking and window whistling was normal( and yes I am aware that the dealers are independent from the manufacture).

I know there are lemons, but damn did we have bad luck with Chrysler products.....

Where we have owned a 1996 Chevy Suburban, 2002 Chevy Suburban, 2006 Chevy Equinox, and 2007 Saturn Aura( my personal car). Besides a bad rear driveshaft on the Equinox and the Aura on it's third set of tires in 22,000 miles, GM vehicles have been solid for us( tires not GM's fault).

 

[Fezwick]

My family has owned three minivans, a Dodge Stratus, 2 Jeeps, and a Sebring Convertible.

One minivan burned oil constantly, another had a transmission fail early on, the Stratus was pretty good for the short time we had it( it was my brothers first car which he bottomed out on it which drained the oil which lead to the engine seizing), Cherokee kept on overheating no matter what was done to it( my brother still has it and manages to keep it running), Grand Cherokee blew a transmission at 36,000 miles and sensors kept on malfunctioning( killed in hurricane), and Sebring Convertible suspension squeaked, passenger window whistled, and oil pump went at 60,000 miles.

It also didn't help that the dealer said the transmission failing in the Grand Cherokee and the Sebring suspension squeaking and window whistling was normal( and yes I am aware that the dealers are independent from the manufacture).

I know there are lemons, but damn did we have bad luck with Chrysler products.....

Where we have owned a 1996 Chevy Suburban, 2002 Chevy Suburban, 2006 Chevy Equinox, and 2007 Saturn Aura( my personal car). Besides a bad rear driveshaft on the Equinox and the Aura on it's third set of tires in 22,000 miles, GM vehicles have been solid for us( tires not GM's fault).

Ouch. Yeah if I were you I'd stay far away from Chrysler, too. That's just terrible luck. We've had some small issues (window regulators breaking, cheesy door switches) but nothing that was really bad. I can usually fix the problem myself without paying someone else to do it. My 2000 Cherokee is rock solid at 130k. The 4.0 straight 6 is something Chrysler (AMC) got right. You could fill the crankcase with piss and it would still run.

I don't have much experience with anything GM. My dad has owned a couple of vans for work and they run pretty good. The newer GM cars are looking pretty nice, though. The american automakers seem to be coming around.