Car suggestions?

[golfgal]

What kind of car do you drive, do you like it, have you had to do repairs, even small things? Would you buy the same car again?

We need to buy a car and want a Toyota Corolla but are having problems finding one so we might have to look at something else. We are drive them until they die type people. We want a used one because this will be a kid car eventually. I would like something with about 50,000 miles on them but most people hold on to their Corollas longer then that . A Honda Civic/Accord would be good too, but same problem, can't find one.

 

[Christine]

I've had two Camry's--absolutely FABULOUS cars. Very trouble-free. I also have a Toyota Highlander. Have also owned an Accord. Have to say that I prefer Toyota. My mom just bought a new Corrolla and she loves it.

 

[bananiem]

We drive ours 'til they die too. My dh drives a Saturn with 128,000 miles on it. We've had good luck with it.

 

[bcvillastwo]

Our family car is a Honda Accord an I drive a Toyota MR2. In my humble opinion you can't go wrong with any of the big three Japanesse cars Honda, Toyota, and Nissan or their luxury models.

I drove American cars up until about 5 years ago when my oldest son convinced me/us to try a Honda. He is a certified automotive master tech (mechanic) he's worked in independent garages and for dealers. His point to me was that he almost never saw a Honda come into the independent garages with anything but routine maintenace issues. He said Toyota's were next, followed by Nissans.

I know that is annecdotal evidence but harder evidence is supplied by Consumer Reports and Consumer Reports essentially says the same thing--you can't go wrong with any of the 3 major Japanese products.

(By the way, anyone can get a lemon in any brand of automobile so there are no absolute guarantees.)

 

[GoofyDad869]

I drive a 2001 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am - black and mean lookin'. I don't drive it everyday, I just kicked 65,000 miles over on it. We commute in the Subie especially in winter (icy mountain roads + big V8 RWD car = potential for problems). We just paid it off recently so we'll keep it a while. I like to keep the same car for 6-8 years. We've had it right at 5 years. I have to replace tires every 20,000 to 25,000 due to my driving habits, and I've had the differential rebuilt (also due to my driving habits - but I upgraded the gearset for better low-end power). Other than the differential rebuild, I've not had any major problems with it. The minor stuff: my driver's side window doesn't want to come back up once it's down (I talked to a GM tech and he said that is probably covered in a window motor recall notice - that problem started happening last summer). The seatbelt holder on the driver's side has split from the seat (thanks to my daughter hanging from it as she gets out of the car). The Pontiac Firebird / Chevrolet Camaro (known as F-body cars in GM language) ended production in 2003 so you can't buy 'em new anymore. There's a new Camaro concept car at the Detroit Auto Show right now, but it won't enter production until 2007 or 2008.

My wife drives a 2003 Subaru Legacy wagon. Metallic green with about 75,000 miles. We've had it 2 1/2 years. She likes to keep her same car 2-3 years. I'm not sure how much longer she wants to keep driving it, but it's a good car. She may go up to something else (her car buying history & my common sense tells me), in which case the Subie will become my daily driver - and then when Da Son becomes of driving age that can be his car. I call it our little billy goat - not much to look at but it is a very good car. The only things I can think of are: the rear cupholder broke (might have had something to do with my daughter standing on it), and the throttle plate stuck a little (they cleaned it which was NOT covered under warranty as a 'wear item').

I'm saving up my pennies, nickels & dimes for a Corvette Z06. Awww yeah, baby.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I use to drive a Nissan Sentra. Before I traded it in for my Pathfinder I never had to put a single penny into repairs for it, it had 120,000 miles on it. That was the best car I had, all I had to do was change the oil and rotate the tires. It would go about 32 mpg in town and about 38 on the highway. That is why I stuck with the Nissan Brand and bought the Pathfinder.

 

[KingsFanInRI]

Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota

That is one recommendation for every year I have worked for Toyota

 

[golfgal]

I drive a 2001 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am - black and mean lookin'. I don't drive it everyday, I just kicked 65,000 miles over on it. We commute in the Subie especially in winter (icy mountain roads + big V8 RWD car = potential for problems). We just paid it off recently so we'll keep it a while. I like to keep the same car for 6-8 years. We've had it right at 5 years. I have to replace tires every 20,000 to 25,000 due to my driving habits, and I've had the differential rebuilt (also due to my driving habits - but I upgraded the gearset for better low-end power). Other than the differential rebuild, I've not had any major problems with it. The minor stuff: my driver's side window doesn't want to come back up once it's down (I talked to a GM tech and he said that is probably covered in a window motor recall notice - that problem started happening last summer). The seatbelt holder on the driver's side has split from the seat (thanks to my daughter hanging from it as she gets out of the car). The Pontiac Firebird / Chevrolet Camaro (known as F-body cars in GM language) ended production in 2003 so you can't buy 'em new anymore. There's a new Camaro concept car at the Detroit Auto Show right now, but it won't enter production until 2007 or 2008.

My wife drives a 2003 Subaru Legacy wagon. Metallic green with about 75,000 miles. We've had it 2 1/2 years. She likes to keep her same car 2-3 years. I'm not sure how much longer she wants to keep driving it, but it's a good car. She may go up to something else (her car buying history & my common sense tells me), in which case the Subie will become my daily driver - and then when Da Son becomes of driving age that can be his car. I call it our little billy goat - not much to look at but it is a very good car. The only things I can think of are: the rear cupholder broke (might have had something to do with my daughter standing on it), and the throttle plate stuck a little (they cleaned it which was NOT covered under warranty as a 'wear item').

I'm saving up my pennies, nickels & dimes for a Corvette Z06. Awww yeah, baby.

See, these minor problems on the cars is what gets me. We had our first car, a Toyota Corolla for 16 years, the person we sold it to is still driving it. We NEVER had to do any "minor" repairs and the only "major" repair was a new starter. That is it. Our van is a Mercury and we have fixed so many LITTLE things it drives me nuts, the tumbler for the ignition, door panels falling off, other trim pieces falling off, etc not to mention the major things, too. I hope we can find a Corolla or Honda or Nissan (there aren't any foreign car dealers within 100 miles of us so finding those cars is tricky--the local dealer is working on it for me-hopefully he finds something).

 

[coliebird]

I love my Corolla. It's 8 years old (65,000 miles) and hasn't given me any problems yet (knock on wood). I will always buy Toyota.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I have a Honda Pilot and a Ford Escape...I love both, but the Honda has a 100k warranty and I think it cost like $300 more

 

[stinkerbelle]

I use to drive a Nissan Sentra. Before I traded it in for my Pathfinder I never had to put a single penny into repairs for it, it had 120,000 miles on it. That was the best car I had, all I had to do was change the oil and rotate the tires. It would go about 32 mpg in town and about 38 on the highway. That is why I stuck with the Nissan Brand and bought the Pathfinder.

I drove 2 Toyotas into the ground (a camry wagon and a camry sedan - both "hand me down" cars from my parents) until I traded the sedan in for the Nissan pathfinder.

I drove the pathfinder for almost 5 years...but it had a lot of little stuff that irked me. the "service engine soon" light loved to come on...that was always a nice little bill at the dealership. It was a bear on gas too...but hey, that's a mid-sized SUV for ya!

I traded THAT in and bought myself a Toyota Rav 4 (05 model - last year of the 'small' suv). I personally love it. I didn't NEED the big SUV, so this is working out well for me. Good on gas, plus i can put the cheap stuff in!

My dad drove a Nissan maxima and pathfinder...then went to a toyota 4RUnner...my mom is on her second 4Runner.

we're a toyota family I guess! My FIL is on his second Tundra! hehehe

 

[luvwinnie]

Just got a Pacifica and we love it! SOO COMFY!
Also have a Crossfire, but it's very sporty, just seats 2 people.
We loved our Jeep Cherokee too.

 

[Galahad]

Love my Nissan Altima! Can't go wrong with a Honda, Toyota or Nissan!

 

[Forevryoung]

I was looking for a car a year and a half ago and was torn between the carolla and the nissan sentra. I wound up going with the Sentra because for the same price I could get a newer car (with lower miles) that actually had a CD player in it. The carollas I was looking at didn't even have power locks and windows

I love my Sentra! I bought the car a year and a half ago when it was a year and a half old for 10k and it hasn't needed any repairs. I plan on it lasting me at least the next 8-9 years until I finish school and actually have a good paying steady job (woohoo). Next time I need a car hopefully student loans will be repaid.

 

[disneynutt1225]

I drive an '04 Toyota Matrix (which is a Corolla with a hatchback, basically). I like it. It's reliable...haven't really had to do anything to her yet. We like Toyotas in my family - my first car was a Camry and my father now drives a Highlander.

 

[GoofyDad869]

Actually the Toyota Matrix is a reskinned Pontiac Vibe (the practice is called 'badge engineering'). Pontiac & Toyota's California design had a joint venture on that design. I'm not sure what the split for chassis / engine / drivetrain / interior exactly was. For those who aren't aware of it, the automotive industry in the mirror is NOT larger than it appears... It's common for the Big Three along their model lines, but it does happen across lines that aren't readily apparent. For example, the recent SAAB 9-2x is the Subaru Impreza line - I call it a SAABaru (I didn't come up with that, just read it somewhere else). The Chrysler Crossfire convertible / Mercedes SLK... The Audi TT / VW New Beetle...

Some (not all) of the perceived quality issues are just that... perceived. The Big Three US manufacturers have made great quality strides in the past 10 years - but there simply IS a quality bias for AND against certain makes/models. Like someone said earlier, a lemon can show up wearing any badge. It's not going to put J.D. Power or Consumer Reports out of business any time soon, but they do have a vested interest in continuing the myth.

 

[golfgal]

Actually the Toyota Matrix is a reskinned Pontiac Vibe (the practice is called 'badge engineering'). Pontiac & Toyota's California design had a joint venture on that design. I'm not sure what the split for chassis / engine / drivetrain / interior exactly was. For those who aren't aware of it, the automotive industry in the mirror is NOT larger than it appears... It's common for the Big Three along their model lines, but it does happen across lines that aren't readily apparent. For example, the recent SAAB 9-2x is the Subaru Impreza line - I call it a SAABaru (I didn't come up with that, just read it somewhere else). The Chrysler Crossfire convertible / Mercedes SLK... The Audi TT / VW New Beetle...

Some (not all) of the perceived quality issues are just that... perceived. The Big Three US manufacturers have made great quality strides in the past 10 years - but there simply IS a quality bias for AND against certain makes/models. Like someone said earlier, a lemon can show up wearing any badge. It's not going to put J.D. Power or Consumer Reports out of business any time soon, but they do have a vested interest in continuing the myth.

So what American made car do you recommend? I know that most of the Toyotas, etc are made in the US. We have had Toyotas in our family since 1972 and NEVER had a problem with any of them. We have also had Fords, Chryslers, Dodge and Chevy's and they have ALL had problems.

Consumer Reports really doesn't have a vested interest in how a car or anything performs. They are a non-profit agency that accepts no advertising. All of their funding comes from subscriptions and private sources.

 

[Mercy]

I also work for Toyota and think they are great cars. We've had a Corolla... loved it!... a 4Runner... loved it, and now I'm waiting for my Avalon... woohoo!!

DH had an old Corolla that we drove into the the ground! Can't say enough about Toyota.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I have a 2002 Toyota Camry and have not had any issues. At some point this year, I will be trading it in for another Toyota. I was thinking a Highlander but the new Rav4 looks so cute, more like a crossover vehicle. It depends on if DH fits in it okay.

DH has a 2001 Toyota Tundra and he still loves it. We plan on keeping it for a probably five more years (until he can get his Corvette, lol).

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We have a "93 Accord my parents bought right before we went to WDW in July of '93. It has over 300,000 miles on it and it runs great and gets great gas mileage. It's more of a secondary car now, we use it when no one wants to put a large amount of miles on their newer vehicles. I have a Mercury Mariner I bought in August of last year for about 24k (when they had that whole employee price thing), and I love it. Of course I was driving a Jeep Wrangler before that. And it was noisy and got poor gas mileage. Now I have heated seats (sooooooooo nice), a sunroof, leather seats, and plenty of room. I think I'm going to stick with this one for awhile. You really can't go wrong with anything Toyota or Honda (as far as cars) makes if you're looking for good fuel economy and a car you can drive forever.