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Would you recommend your car?
- Thread starter thebassoonist
- Start date
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Addressing some points I read throughout this thread
.
1. To everyone recommending Saabs, big NO to that one. There are two people who bought newer Saabs where I work and they were less than thrilled with the vehicle after it was purchased. They are NOT reliable vehicles and the resale value is beyond abysmal.
2. Toyota Corolla is one of the least fun cars to drive on earth not to mention is boring beyond belief. Sure, it is bullet proof but don't you want to have some fun behind the wheel? All the major car magazines say the same thing. Beyond bland.
3. A Civic that is bad in snow? You must not have had proper tires. I had an Integra GSR for 5 years (greatest car I have ever owned) and it was lighter than a Civic and unstoppable in snow on regular all season tires. I think some people forget the importance of dedicated snow tires .
4. I can tell you why you shouldn't buy any VW product. FOUR vehicles here at work have been lemoned by VWoA. Two Touaregs, a Jetta, and a Passat. All four people were treated poorly not only by the dealership where their vehicle was being serviced but also buy VW corporate. If your vehicle is lemoned you have some serious issues.
I couldn't possibly recommend any Honda product more, honestly. They are bullet proof, resale value is amazing, high quality, and still fun to drive. A Civic or an Accord has everything that you are looking for in a vehicle!
1. To everyone recommending Saabs, big NO to that one. There are two people who bought newer Saabs where I work and they were less than thrilled with the vehicle after it was purchased. They are NOT reliable vehicles and the resale value is beyond abysmal.
2. Toyota Corolla is one of the least fun cars to drive on earth not to mention is boring beyond belief. Sure, it is bullet proof but don't you want to have some fun behind the wheel? All the major car magazines say the same thing. Beyond bland.
3. A Civic that is bad in snow? You must not have had proper tires. I had an Integra GSR for 5 years (greatest car I have ever owned) and it was lighter than a Civic and unstoppable in snow on regular all season tires. I think some people forget the importance of dedicated snow tires .
4. I can tell you why you shouldn't buy any VW product. FOUR vehicles here at work have been lemoned by VWoA. Two Touaregs, a Jetta, and a Passat. All four people were treated poorly not only by the dealership where their vehicle was being serviced but also buy VW corporate. If your vehicle is lemoned you have some serious issues.
I couldn't possibly recommend any Honda product more, honestly. They are bullet proof, resale value is amazing, high quality, and still fun to drive. A Civic or an Accord has everything that you are looking for in a vehicle!
honda (civic) or toyota (corolla).
those cars go forever. you will pay a bit more, but you can still hit your budget, but it will be worth it big time.
i can't tell you how many times i'm told one of those engines and vehicles for past 300 K , but i rarely hear that about NA vehicles.
those cars go forever. you will pay a bit more, but you can still hit your budget, but it will be worth it big time.
i can't tell you how many times i'm told one of those engines and vehicles for past 300 K , but i rarely hear that about NA vehicles.
i think the OP knows already. but as mentioned numerous times in the thread, the saab 9-2x is a subaru impreza (aka reliable japanese car) w/ saab's suspensions and appointments. the 9-2x is manufactoered by fuji heavy industries in japan. it can be had w/ a turbocharged engine and comes standard w/ awd, which means the saab will out handle civics, corollas, accords, etc.
I dunno what you people are on... but european cars are built WAY better than US cars. and japaneese are just tacky.
I guess it might be because VAG (VW / Audi Group) cars in the USA are built in Mexico.
My friend has a Toyota Corolla, very nice cars.
And i dunno how Subaru and efficient can be in the same sentence.
Honda's are for old people.
Go get a ford focus, brilliant cars.
I guess it might be because VAG (VW / Audi Group) cars in the USA are built in Mexico.
My friend has a Toyota Corolla, very nice cars.
And i dunno how Subaru and efficient can be in the same sentence.
Honda's are for old people.
Go get a ford focus, brilliant cars.
I go on Miata.net all the time and the car enthusiasts who've owned VW and Audi seem to pretty much say the same thing; that they are great, fun to drive cars that break a lot. Electrical problems seem to be number one.
My girlfriend has a 2000 Civic that she paid $10k for with 30k miles on it about 3 years ago, it's been problem free and is quite fun to drive, at least with a stick.
Pontiac G6 is a fun to drive, sportyish little sedan with lots of room in the back seat. Also available with the "semi-automatic", "clutchless manual", whatever they call it option, so you can shift for yourself if you want or put it in fully auto mode. I rented one and the manual mode worked really well, wasn't just a gimick.
P.S. If you go to the "Car Talk" forum on Miata.net you can get great advice about anything car related, doesn't have to be about Miatas. The people there tend to be a bit older and more mature than on many car forums, so you'll get polite and knowledgeable answers to your questions, for the most part. Some people there know an incredible amount of stuff about cars.
My girlfriend has a 2000 Civic that she paid $10k for with 30k miles on it about 3 years ago, it's been problem free and is quite fun to drive, at least with a stick.
Pontiac G6 is a fun to drive, sportyish little sedan with lots of room in the back seat. Also available with the "semi-automatic", "clutchless manual", whatever they call it option, so you can shift for yourself if you want or put it in fully auto mode. I rented one and the manual mode worked really well, wasn't just a gimick.
P.S. If you go to the "Car Talk" forum on Miata.net you can get great advice about anything car related, doesn't have to be about Miatas. The people there tend to be a bit older and more mature than on many car forums, so you'll get polite and knowledgeable answers to your questions, for the most part. Some people there know an incredible amount of stuff about cars.
don't forget you are in the UK and you guys don't get the same U.S.-spec cars even if they are the same model. focus, civic, and accord are a few examples.
forget about anything from VAG if reliability and cost are priorities, even if they are from ingolstadt. trust me, btdt too many times.
How are you saying go European when you're giving out praise for Japanese and American makes? Now granted the Euro Focus is 10x better then even the new US Focus.
I love my Subaru Impreza. I would recommend it to anyone. It is fun to drive and they are very reliable. Great in the snow too.
Okay, so staying under 7K, this is what I have found. Are there any that look awful or any that I should go see in person?
2004 Saturn L 300 $6999 97K miles
2002 Ford Focus LX $6999 52K miles
2001 Ford Focus SE $6998 91K miles
2001 Ford Focus LX $6998 78K miles
2004 Ford Focus SE $6995 69K miles
1998 Honda CR-V EX $6995 125K miles
2000 Toyota Camry $6995 105K miles
2003 Saturn L 200 $6995 93K miles
2000 Subaru Impreza L $6995 82K miles
1999 Honda Accord EX $6795 127K miles
2003 Ford Focus SE $6695 58K miles
2002 Ford Focus SE $6685 79K miles
2000 Honda Accord EX $6500 137K miles
2002 Saturn SL 2 $6500 94K miles
1999 Toyota Camry LE $6495 114K miles
2001 Ford Focus SE $6587 75K miles
2002 Ford Focus ZTS $6295 81K miles
1999 Toyota Camry LE $5995 98K miles
1998 Subaru Legacy $5995 124K miles
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback $5900 97K miles
1997 Honda Accord SE $5599 113K miles
2002 Ford Focus SE $5448 96K miles
2002 Ford Focus SE $5195 93K miles
1997 Acura RL 3.5 $4995 184K miles
1997 Honda Accord SE $4988 168K miles
1998 Mazda Millenia S $4199 130K miles
1997 Subaru Legacy L $3500 156K miles
1997 Toyota Camry LE $3690 168K miles
Thanks!
2004 Saturn L 300 $6999 97K miles
2002 Ford Focus LX $6999 52K miles
2001 Ford Focus SE $6998 91K miles
2001 Ford Focus LX $6998 78K miles
2004 Ford Focus SE $6995 69K miles
1998 Honda CR-V EX $6995 125K miles
2000 Toyota Camry $6995 105K miles
2003 Saturn L 200 $6995 93K miles
2000 Subaru Impreza L $6995 82K miles
1999 Honda Accord EX $6795 127K miles
2003 Ford Focus SE $6695 58K miles
2002 Ford Focus SE $6685 79K miles
2000 Honda Accord EX $6500 137K miles
2002 Saturn SL 2 $6500 94K miles
1999 Toyota Camry LE $6495 114K miles
2001 Ford Focus SE $6587 75K miles
2002 Ford Focus ZTS $6295 81K miles
1999 Toyota Camry LE $5995 98K miles
1998 Subaru Legacy $5995 124K miles
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback $5900 97K miles
1997 Honda Accord SE $5599 113K miles
2002 Ford Focus SE $5448 96K miles
2002 Ford Focus SE $5195 93K miles
1997 Acura RL 3.5 $4995 184K miles
1997 Honda Accord SE $4988 168K miles
1998 Mazda Millenia S $4199 130K miles
1997 Subaru Legacy L $3500 156K miles
1997 Toyota Camry LE $3690 168K miles
Thanks!
I won't buy an American used car with more than 45k miles on it and I buy only manual transmissions. The Focus are OK but the later ones are said to be better than the early ones. Still, many of the Focus in your list have too many miles for their prices.
The Hondas in that list are probably the way to go. The CR-V is nice, should go 200k miles for you if it's in good mechanical shape now and is not rusty. I don't know how long automatic transmissions are supposed to last in any of these vehicles.
What do you mean should you go see it? How can you buy a car without driving it first. Check them for rust, bondo... And anymore you need to at least look under the hood and get all those little brine shrimp from Hurricane Katrina outta there. You don't want a car that has been in a flood, and it's not always easy to figure that out even if you get CarFax reports. A car can look great a week after it's been drowned if a detailer really sweats for his paycheck, but that big-ticket wiring harness will be totally corroded in six months.
What you want is a dealer with word-of-mouth integrity and satisfaction ratings from people you know personally. Or, buying from a person you think you can trust. I prefer to deal with established independent dealers with local reps based on people going back to them time after time.
Often you can give such dealers a spec and some time, and they'll get you an auction car pretty much meets your requirements. You can save a grand or so doing that too, instead of starting out in their lot staring at their stickers on cars they spiffed up nice and shiny and put four new cheap tires on. Maybe they won't detail it perfectly, just bring it home from the auction and call you. They'll make it safe and legal but not fancy and it will probably cost you $500 more than you said to spend by time they maybe replace a fuel filter and etc. Just don't be telling them something like "and it has to be blue..."
The Hondas in that list are probably the way to go. The CR-V is nice, should go 200k miles for you if it's in good mechanical shape now and is not rusty. I don't know how long automatic transmissions are supposed to last in any of these vehicles.
What do you mean should you go see it? How can you buy a car without driving it first. Check them for rust, bondo... And anymore you need to at least look under the hood and get all those little brine shrimp from Hurricane Katrina outta there. You don't want a car that has been in a flood, and it's not always easy to figure that out even if you get CarFax reports. A car can look great a week after it's been drowned if a detailer really sweats for his paycheck, but that big-ticket wiring harness will be totally corroded in six months.
What you want is a dealer with word-of-mouth integrity and satisfaction ratings from people you know personally. Or, buying from a person you think you can trust. I prefer to deal with established independent dealers with local reps based on people going back to them time after time.
Often you can give such dealers a spec and some time, and they'll get you an auction car pretty much meets your requirements. You can save a grand or so doing that too, instead of starting out in their lot staring at their stickers on cars they spiffed up nice and shiny and put four new cheap tires on. Maybe they won't detail it perfectly, just bring it home from the auction and call you. They'll make it safe and legal but not fancy and it will probably cost you $500 more than you said to spend by time they maybe replace a fuel filter and etc. Just don't be telling them something like "and it has to be blue..."
Of course I will test drive it before I buy it...I'm not a total idiot. I'm just wondering if any on the list are worth my time. And I don't care about the color of my car, either...thanks for the advice on the mileage and CR-V!
Years ago I heard a radio interview with a lawyer who specialized in representing people who'd been ripped off by car dealers and he said the best dealers to deal with were the high end ones because they make enough that they don't feel they have to resort to cheating. In my limited experience that's been true.
My girlfriend bought her Civic from an Infinity dealer and they gave her way more for the trade-in on her POS Accord than it was worth, plus they charged her less for the Civic than they'd listed it for. It was actually pleasant buying a car from them.
I bought my used Subaru from a dealer that sells many brands of expensive cars such as Maybach, BMW, MB, Cadillac, SAAB, etc. They gave me a very fair deal. I might have found the same car for a bit less from a private seller but they had exactly what I wanted so I said what the heck. I was, and still am, very pleased with the car and what I paid for it.
IMO, the only reason to by from one of those divey little independant car lots is if you need a loan or they have a car you're just not going to find anywhere else, like that salmon over aqua-marine '53 Studebaker Hawk you've been looking for for 30 years.
You usually get the best deals from private sellers.
Yeah, that makes sense. My parents bought a used Jeep many years ago from a Porsche dealer who was willing to negotiate because they didn't want the Jeep on their lot! Quite a few of these cars are from private dealerships in SLC and surrounding area.
Avoid early MY Saturn L Series. Those things had some quirks in the first MY. Avoid any Saturn with the VTi CVT transmission. Horrid reliability. The SL2 though I am not so sure. Owners though of the S-Series will stick to their cars. They are loyal to their cars. Though if you want more info on the SL2 you can go to saturnfans.com and ask how reliable theirs have been and gather more info on it.
Out of the list, I would go for the 2004 Focus.
Out of the list, I would go for the 2004 Focus.
boy american car makes are still dealing with a poor rep for the crap they put up in the earily 90's. At this point in time American cars are not really any worse than foreign cars. Heck most of the time they are cheaper.
I would say stay away from any car than has over 90k on it. It starting to get up there at that point and issues will start coming up. Also try not to get a car more than 7 years old. At around 100k is when the more expesive repairs star cropping up depending on the cars life and yes that includes the honda's. Things just start failing at 100k.
Any car that is over a 100k in miles I would throw off your list. It is just not worth the trouble to spend all that money to buy the car and then shell out a pretty penny in up keep.
You could look into the 1.8 L sentras. they 04 should be below 7k by now considering my 04 Spec V with 40k on it is down to about 9500.
I would say stay away from any car than has over 90k on it. It starting to get up there at that point and issues will start coming up. Also try not to get a car more than 7 years old. At around 100k is when the more expesive repairs star cropping up depending on the cars life and yes that includes the honda's. Things just start failing at 100k.
Any car that is over a 100k in miles I would throw off your list. It is just not worth the trouble to spend all that money to buy the car and then shell out a pretty penny in up keep.
You could look into the 1.8 L sentras. they 04 should be below 7k by now considering my 04 Spec V with 40k on it is down to about 9500.
I have a 96 Accord with 189k miles. Runs beautifully, easy on gas, and the design seems to have aged well. Basically just make sure you change you're Honda's oil regularly, and it'll keep on running
My next car will probably be another Honda. Or Acura, which is still Honda
Edit: To answer your question, yes I'd recommend my car, or Accords in general.
My next car will probably be another Honda. Or Acura, which is still Honda
Edit: To answer your question, yes I'd recommend my car, or Accords in general.
I have a 96 Accord with 189k miles. Runs beautifully, easy on gas, and the design seems to have aged well. Basically just make sure you change you're Honda's oil regularly, and it'll keep on running
My next car will probably be another Honda. Or Acura, which is still Honda
Edit: To answer your question, yes I'd recommend my car, or Accords in general.
I am not going to argue that honda's are great cars and last a very long time. My dad is on his 2nd honda. His 82 or 83 civic was 14 years old when it was sold with almost 200k on it and the engine still ran great. The Supesion was shot and it had some electrical issues but it still ran. My dad has a 99 right now with over 150k on it. It has had it clutch replaced and some other part of the clutch system replaced and it distributer and the suspension is starting to show its age.
Hell honda happens to be one of the leading brands I will be looking in a few years when I replace my Spec V. I will dump my Spec before it hits a 100k because of the known issues with Nissan's Q25 engine.
As for your Honda at 189k it is safe to say your suspension system is shot and the car has some mechanical issues starting to show up chances are the tranny is pretty beat up. Not that you will noticed this stuff because of how slowly it changes but if it was replaced it would be VERY noticable of how bad of shape it was in. I can think of plenty other parts of the car that are in bad shape. Chance are you injection ports need to be cleaned, spark plugs need to be replaced, ssuspension system is shot and around 100k the interior is in bad shape. Sorry but those items I listed it does not matter who makes your car those things just wear out.
Do not buy a car over 80k on them with your money. with your budget it is better to get a newer car with fewer miles on it than it is to go after a honda.
I'm not sure what you mean by a shot suspension. The car feels fine
I'm no mechanic either, so I don't know about the spark plugs or injection ports, I just go through my scheduled maintenance, which hasn't been too bad. As for the interior, it is by no means in bad shape. Not to say you'd ever confuse it for a new car or anything, but the leather is still pretty soft. Paint's fine too.
Anyways, thats beside the point, what I'm trying to say is that a car, at least reliable types like Honda, or even Toyota are still really good buys well past 80K miles. I'm not suggesting the OP should spend $10K on a Honda/Toyota with a 189kmiles on it or what not, but if the price is right, it is still well worth buying past 80k miles.
I've got a 2000 Subaru Outback. It's a pretty good car - nothing to write home about, but pretty good. She's a little on the slow side being an Auto / 2.5L non-turbo H-4. Still, a pretty good car.
I've also got a 2004 Nissan Xterra 4WD. I would avoid something like this - it's got a small V6 (only 3.3L) so one would expect it to get good gas mileage.... it doesn't at all, with it's big (yet stock) tires and auto tranny I average 17-18 city (and max at 24 MPG on the Highway. This is not a big SUV, it's actually on the small side yet I get Chevy Suburban gas mileage...
With gas prices what they are in California I've been driving my Subie more and more but still want something better than 27 MPG. I think I'll wait for Summer '08 when the new 50 state legal Diesel Jetta becomes available and snatch one up. 50+ MPG on just plain Diesel fuel. Yes, thank you.
I also had an '89 Isuzu Trooper that was originally my Moms (bought new in 89) and then passed on to my brother and then to me. I "traded" it in when I bought the Xterra. Had 193k miles on it at the time - had nothing seriously wrong with it ever. Only had the clutch replaced once. Nothing else other than the occasional air filter or battery (both very normal wear and tear things). It was a great SUV. Took me to Canada and back twice and a few times down to Mexico for some 4x4ing. Although, they were pretty hit or miss when it came to reliability - I guess I was just lucky and got one of the good ones.....
I've also got a 2004 Nissan Xterra 4WD. I would avoid something like this - it's got a small V6 (only 3.3L) so one would expect it to get good gas mileage.... it doesn't at all, with it's big (yet stock) tires and auto tranny I average 17-18 city (and max at 24 MPG on the Highway. This is not a big SUV, it's actually on the small side yet I get Chevy Suburban gas mileage...
With gas prices what they are in California I've been driving my Subie more and more but still want something better than 27 MPG. I think I'll wait for Summer '08 when the new 50 state legal Diesel Jetta becomes available and snatch one up. 50+ MPG on just plain Diesel fuel. Yes, thank you.
I also had an '89 Isuzu Trooper that was originally my Moms (bought new in 89) and then passed on to my brother and then to me. I "traded" it in when I bought the Xterra. Had 193k miles on it at the time - had nothing seriously wrong with it ever. Only had the clutch replaced once. Nothing else other than the occasional air filter or battery (both very normal wear and tear things). It was a great SUV. Took me to Canada and back twice and a few times down to Mexico for some 4x4ing. Although, they were pretty hit or miss when it came to reliability - I guess I was just lucky and got one of the good ones.....
i'll probably check out the '02 focus w/ 52k mi and the '03 focus w/ 58k mi. i guess it all depends on how long you gonna keep the car, but i'd try to get one w/ the lowest miles possible in the price range.
idk, but i feel that you can probably get an '01+ focus/corolla/civic w/ much lower mile (< 40k mi) for under $7k. but i'm no car salesman so i could be wrong.
idk, but i feel that you can probably get an '01+ focus/corolla/civic w/ much lower mile (< 40k mi) for under $7k. but i'm no car salesman so i could be wrong.
By shot suspension I am saying it is bad shape and should be replaced. The reason you would not noticed is suspension go bad very slowly so you would not realize it is in bad shape. If you had it replaced you would noticed a huge improvement.I'm not sure what you mean by a shot suspension. The car feels fine
I'm no mechanic either, so I don't know about the spark plugs or injection ports, I just go through my scheduled maintenance, which hasn't been too bad. As for the interior, it is by no means in bad shape. Not to say you'd ever confuse it for a new car or anything, but the leather is still pretty soft. Paint's fine too.
Anyways, thats beside the point, what I'm trying to say is that a car, at least reliable types like Honda, or even Toyota are still really good buys well past 80K miles. I'm not suggesting the OP should spend $10K on a Honda/Toyota with a 189kmiles on it or what not, but if the price is right, it is still well worth buying past 80k miles.
But like I was saying after a 100k it does not matter on the brand because that is when things start going wrong. Some cars are better than others but still it is when huge things tend to start going wrong.