pizza face Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 My car was totalled in an accident a few weeks back and I'm still searching for a decent car. I had a 2007 Nissan altima. So I'm here trying to get some input on what some of yall drive and how reliable your car is. I had zero problems with my car up until I was rear ended. Essentially I'm looking for a sedan but wouldn't be opposed to something like a Mazda 3s. Test drove a 2012 Honda Accord but it was kind of rough on the road and noisy as well. 2013 chevy Malibu was decent but too big for my taste. I'm not a car guy in the least, I don't drive manual. I'm sure it's easy to learn but I'd rather not. Honda civics get stolen in my city all the time so I'm trying to stay away from that. Sorry if this is a pointless post, I'm just up against the clock right now trying to get into something before Christmas. I have about $15,000 to work with. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswamsley Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Ford focus gets really good gas mileage/ have a pretty good resell value as far as down the road, you can get a new one for right around 15k with all the incentives right now or go to your local dealer and ask about lease returns (low miles no more than 2 years old and usually in good shape because they have to pay out of pocket for any damage when they return the leased car) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswamsley Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 avoid older subarus unless you set money aside for a head gasket because they almost always need them done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abovetheearth Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 i just recently bought an Elantra. 15k will get you one with hardly any miles if not new. best warranty in America and many many options to choose from. 1.8 liter 2.4 etc. if you buy a pre owned with low miles for an extra 4-500 you can have Hyundai certify it which extends the warranty to 60k miles. power train. you never want to buy a 4 cylinder with more than like 10k miles. those tiny engines get so weak quickly. I've had the Malibu and Impala. both wonderful and the redesigns are awesome. decent power and they are built better than compact. never had issues with either. hard to pass up that 10 year 100,000 mile warranty. imagine that relief when having to own a car. consumer report has a great review on cars. one of the last ones was a ford. didn't do well for us. their transmissions are ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bladewillisisdead Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 My last car was a 98 Ford Escort Would not recommend paynegretzky 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswamsley Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 i just recently bought an Elantra. 15k will get you one with hardly any miles if not new. best warranty in America and many many options to choose from. 1.8 liter 2.4 etc. if you buy a pre owned with low miles for an extra 4-500 you can have Hyundai certify it which extends the warranty to 60k miles. power train. you never want to buy a 4 cylinder with more than like 10k miles. those tiny engines get so weak quickly. I've had the Malibu and Impala. both wonderful and the redesigns are awesome. decent power and they are built better than compact. never had issues with either. hard to pass up that 10 year 100,000 mile warranty. imagine that relief when having to own a car. consumer report has a great review on cars. one of the last ones was a ford. didn't do well for us. their transmissions are ugh. the hyundai warranty is a little mis-leading as its 3 years 36k bumper to bumper and then 10 years 100k on powertrain. still a great warranty. I work for a hyundai/ ford dealer in the parts department and hyundais just break more often. as for the ford focus clutch issue its been remedied now but was a huge problem but the good news is that they have extended the warranty on the clutches to 10 years 100k (its an automatic transmission that is actually a maunual that has a computer shifting for you) which is different than the traditional automatic transmission. leads to better gas mileage and longer life of the transmission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youinreverse Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Whatever car you choose, if you're buying pre owned make sure to take it to a shop you trust and get a pre purchase inspection done. Preferably a shop that specializes in the brand you plan on purchasing. It'll probably set you back $100-$200, but it will help you avoid purchasing a car with future major problems and can help you haggle the price a little lower with the seller of they find any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswamsley Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 the hyundai warranty is a little mis-leading as its 3 years 36k bumper to bumper and then 10 years 100k on powertrain. still a great warranty. I work for a hyundai/ ford dealer in the parts department and hyundais just break more often. as for the ford focus clutch issue its been remedied now but was a huge problem but the good news is that they have extended the warranty on the clutches to 10 years 100k (its an automatic transmission that is actually a maunual that has a computer shifting for you) which is different than the traditional automatic transmission. leads to better gas mileage and longer life of the transmission. hyundai is currently rolling out a HUGE recall on the engines in elantras i believe so also heads up on that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abovetheearth Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 yeah. there are three tiers of their warranty. the base is still pretty hard to beat. gold covers it all recall? hmmmm. do you know any specifics? I'll need to check on this for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GradedOnACurve Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Anybody get/know of anyone who got a Honda HR-V yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batman Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I have a 2011 Altima and I love it. Bought it new and no problems so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konk Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I really like the last years of the Saab 9-5, but that's probably asking for problems. I'd go with something with a timing chain so you don't have to worry about changing the timing belt every 60,000 miles, although that's probably 4-5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjkenney Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Hondas are my vote for best money spent hands down. Japanese engineering has always been light years ahead of its time. Honda is great about using similar parts on multiple of their cars so they're easy to find and Honda mechanics are a dime a dozen, for better or worse. My gf just bought a 12 Fit for 11k and its excellent. The way they have the engine setup makes it really easy to work on too. I also have a 30 year old Honda scooter i rebuilt which runs like a dream. Clearly I'm bias but Honda rocks imo especially in the pte-owned market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 First car was a hyundai, this was long ago and I know they've improved, but I still avoid them. I had good luck with a jeep compass and currently have toyota rav4. generally though toyota is quality, as is honda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswamsley Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 yeah. there are three tiers of their warranty. the base is still pretty hard to beat. gold covers it all recall? hmmmm. do you know any specifics? I'll need to check on this for sure. cant speak to specifics but if your car is affected you will get a letter from hyundai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youspinmeround Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I really like the last years of the Saab 9-5, but that's probably asking for problems. I'd go with something with a timing chain so you don't have to worry about changing the timing belt every 60,000 miles, although that's probably 4-5 years. I wouldn't recommend buying a car that is out of business Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I wouldn't recommend buying a car that is out of business Sort of second this. I dumped my 2007 9-3 even though I liked the car a lot. It's not so much that the company went out of business (I wouldn't dissuade anyone from buying a Pontiac, for example) but almost no local mechanics will work on a Saab as the parts are too hard to get. Simple things like changing the headlamp bulbs were also a huge pain with that car. Everything is really tightly packed into the engine compartment. Cool cars when they are new, too much of a hassle to deal with later in their life when things start wearing out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostOfRandySavage Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 avoid older subarus unless you set money aside for a head gasket because they almost always need them done.I love my forester, but yes, this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konk Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Sort of second this. I dumped my 2007 9-3 even though I liked the car a lot. It's not so much that the company went out of business (I wouldn't dissuade anyone from buying a Pontiac, for example) but almost no local mechanics will work on a Saab as the parts are too hard to get. Simple things like changing the headlamp bulbs were also a huge pain with that car. Everything is really tightly packed into the engine compartment. Cool cars when they are new, too much of a hassle to deal with later in their life when things start wearing out. This is why I traded my Audi A4 for a Civic SI. I miss some of the creature comforts, but it's nice to know it won't start falling apart when it reaches 6 digits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abovetheearth Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 my Saab 9-3 burned through so many front bulbs it was sickening. and yes, hard to change. also the 0 weight oil = $70 oil changes or at least $15-16 a quart. f that. the turbo was great though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GradedOnACurve Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I borrowed my Dad's 2007 Saab 9-3 for two road trips to Montreal and Vermont. Awesome car to drive, but a pain in the ass to maintain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjkenney Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Sort of second this. I dumped my 2007 9-3 even though I liked the car a lot. It's not so much that the company went out of business (I wouldn't dissuade anyone from buying a Pontiac, for example) but almost no local mechanics will work on a Saab as the parts are too hard to get. Simple things like changing the headlamp bulbs were also a huge pain with that car. Everything is really tightly packed into the engine compartment. Cool cars when they are new, too much of a hassle to deal with later in their life when things start wearing out. I own a 2000 Pontiac. Would not recommend. Replaced the starter, the coolant reservoir twice, the idle air valve keeps getting jammed with carbon, the power steering hose busted and replaced the ignition cylinder. Oh and the turn signal relay has a bad solder point so they work sometimes, but not always, which is scary. All in about 3 years with 135k miles. I will indeed dissuade anyone from buying a Pontiac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streetwaves Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I have a Mazda 3 and I love it but the gas mileage isn't so great. I have a 2010 so this may have improved with newer models. The main reason I bought it was because they offered manual transmission and I can't imagine driving an automatic since I've never owned one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I have a Mazda 3 and I love it but the gas mileage isn't so great. I have a 2010 so this may have improved with newer models. The main reason I bought it was because they offered manual transmission and I can't imagine driving an automatic since I've never owned one. They are definitely getting harder to find. Used to get better gas mileage but with all the computer controls and 8 speed transmissions that are being put out now they actually get worse mileage in a lot of cases. Given things like CAFE standards, increased hybridization, and low demand, I think they are going to be gone from everything but maybe muscle cars in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paynegretzky Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Honda usually is the best bang for your buck. Had an Acura for 12 years (Honda engine), only had to put into it on year 9. Now I went for Volkswagen last summer, there are many models for the Jetta that range in price. So far I'm liking it - no issues at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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