New car suggestions

[Caradana]

A little secret: some Hyundai dealerships still have a few new '05s left on the lot ... I bought a new 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe in April, completely loaded, for under $20K. I LOVE THIS CAR, and they are dying to get these cars sold. Head over to Hyundai.

 

[CanBeGrumpy]

I don't own one, but I like the Subaru Forrester.

 

[debster812]

I don't own one, but I like the Subaru Forrester.

I DO own one, and I LOVE it. Great gas mileage, plenty of room, great safety features. We'll probably get another one when the wheels fall off DH's car.

Yep, we'll be the dorks with matching cars in the driveway.

 

[cosine4]

But the process of building, the companies that contribute parts and the labor (non-union workers) are all very similar or the same setups they have in Japan.

Just-in-time manufacturing and Kaizen philosophy are both Toyota's practices in building cars everywhere and it makes for a much more efficient set up.

The Toyota Corolla is made by UAW workers.

I am not saying that Toyotas are not good cars. But to say that American cars are inferior is incorrect. Just-in-time manufacturing, Kaizen and 6-sigma are all great tools for manufacturing...that is why everyone uses them, not just Toyota.

Take a look at JD Power Brand Ratings (www.jdpower.com) for manufacturing quality and design quality:
Manufacturing
Lexus (5 - Among the best)
BMW (4 - Better than most)
Buick (4 - Better than most)
Cadillac (4 - Better than most)
Chrysler (4 - Better than most)
Hyundai (4 - Better than most)
Porsche (4 - Better than most)
Toyota (4 - Better than most)

Design
Porsche (5 - Among the best)
GMC (4 - Better than most)
Honda (4 - Better than most)
Hyundai (4 - Better than most)
Jaguar (4 - Better than most)
Lexus (4 - Better than most)
Nissan (4 - Better than most)
Toyota (3 - About average)

The best advice is to get a car that you like and suits your needs, not what someone with a biased opinion tells you.

 

[scottygirl]

Wow, I have been away from this board one day and this thread is crazy. For all of you with the good suggestions, thank you. I am definately going to look at the Mazda 5. We are sensitive to the foreign/domestic issue here in the Detroit area, it's a mind set that is hard to change. That being said, I am open to all possibilities, even while risking family exile. For those who question the reliability of American cars, our other car is a 1996 Dodge Caravan with 150,000 miles on it!!! It has been a great vehicle and is still running except for the air conditioning. Our Rendezvous has the third row seat, so we are looking for a smaller, more fuel efficient vehicle that I will use for commuting to work. I still need something roomy enough to pick up the kids from school. Also, since I have been driving larger vehicles, I am not to keen on a really small car. I need some steel around me to make me feel safe.

 

[ChrisFL]

The Toyota Corolla is made by UAW workers.

I am not saying that Toyotas are not good cars. But to say that American cars are inferior is incorrect. Just-in-time manufacturing, Kaizen and 6-sigma are all great tools for manufacturing...that is why everyone uses them, not just Toyota.

I've seen that recently other manufacturers have begun to start using similar systems but still aren't at the same level as Toyota...here's more about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toyota_Way

 

[cosine4]

I've seen that recently other manufacturers have begun to start using similar systems but still aren't at the same level as Toyota...here's more about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toyota_Way

Recently meaning the last decade?

You can say that they aren't at the same level as Toyota all you want, but the truth of the matter is, the data says otherwise. Maybe in certain models, but a blanket statement of Toyota quality being better cannot be made. For example, Scions which are made by Toyota rank below average in quality.

 

[katerkat]

I drive a '98 Mercury Mystique and a '04 Honda Pilot. LOVE the Pilot, hate the Mystique. By the time the Mystique was 4 years old, we had to replace the entire computer because she went all whacky - and she started the whackiness two years before that. The Pilot has not required anything beyond routine maintenance in 2.5 years.

When we replace the Mystique (keeping the Pilot as the family SUV), it'll be with one of the Honda sedans, possibly a Toyota sedan, or maybe a small Subaru. After driving the Mystique today (hubby has the Pilot), I want to replace it NOW!

 

[robinb]

I wanted add another car for your list: the Saturn Vue. It's a 6-cyl SUV with very good gas mileage and plenty of room. I was very impressed on how zippy it was. I know that Saturn is having a big Summer sale now, so prices are down on the 2006's. I picked the Mazda5 because it was about $6,000 less when we bought it and almost as peppy.