fanofpetty
senior member
I agree......I hate VWs
test drove some new cars today
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1968FormulaS340
Well-Known Member
The Toyota Corolla S is a great car with some sporty looking stuff added. The Corola is dead *** reliable, gets 34 highway and has good resale.
The "S" package will make her think she is driving something cool.
The Camry is a few thousand more but it is a car that would last long enough for your grand kids to get into high-school.
Friend of mine just got a new one. Very nice car.
These would be my top choices if I just needed something to sit my butt in and get me from here to there for a very long time.
The "S" package will make her think she is driving something cool.
The Camry is a few thousand more but it is a car that would last long enough for your grand kids to get into high-school.
Friend of mine just got a new one. Very nice car.
These would be my top choices if I just needed something to sit my butt in and get me from here to there for a very long time.
fanofpetty
senior member
ok cool .....thanks. I'll pass this along to her. Ya a toyota is always reliable.
Coronet 500
Well-Known Member
My son bought a 2011 Ford Fusion 4cyl 6spd manual, real good car and he is very happy with it.
OwdKasd
Well-Known Member
I'm still in love with my 2001 Jetta. I've had it since new. Original everything except a few sensors and belts. It still wears tires perfectly evenly. 120,000 miles and running perfectly. I do regret not buying American though.
The Sasquach
Well-Known Member
There is something to be said for the VW TDI's the Diesel Jetta's get in the ball park of 45 MPG and clean burning. and last a very long time. I drive a '95 Jetta gas burner with 225K Miles I bought almost 3 years ago for $500 and get in the ball park of 30 MPG.
What about a Caliber?
Fusion is supposed to be the bomb, and on par with Japanese stuff.
I agree about Pontiacs. The olny GM brand (well, Saturn) with spirit and tech to compete, and it got killed.
My wife has on 04 Elantra. It's been a good car, but resale sucks, and it has it's share of quirks.
My 03 PT is just as good quality wise but gets about 4 less MPG.
Wife even says PT feels solid, Hyundai feels cheap.
Hyundai warranty cost you $100 every visit, no matter what.
Radio volume knob kept breaking and she went through 3 of them before I showed her them math.
Could have got a REALLY nice system for $300.
On the plus side, when I go to salvage yards, I see LOTS of Kia's but very few Hyundai's.
Gotta mean something.
Fusion is supposed to be the bomb, and on par with Japanese stuff.
I agree about Pontiacs. The olny GM brand (well, Saturn) with spirit and tech to compete, and it got killed.
My wife has on 04 Elantra. It's been a good car, but resale sucks, and it has it's share of quirks.
My 03 PT is just as good quality wise but gets about 4 less MPG.
Wife even says PT feels solid, Hyundai feels cheap.
Hyundai warranty cost you $100 every visit, no matter what.
Radio volume knob kept breaking and she went through 3 of them before I showed her them math.
Could have got a REALLY nice system for $300.
On the plus side, when I go to salvage yards, I see LOTS of Kia's but very few Hyundai's.
Gotta mean something.
My buddy at work has an 07 Toyota corolla that he bought new it now has around 160k on it and has been trouble free.
A Honda civic would be another good choice.
My wife has a new caliber and absolutely loves it.
BillGrissom
Well-Known Member
My oldest son was in the same boat recently. He graduated 2 yrs ago and got a good job (computer science grad). We loaned him our 96 Voyager until he saved up for a new car. I suggested he buy new since he knows nothing of cars and doesn't care to learn. He bought a Chevy Cruze a few months ago, 1 yr old but dealer warranty and he thought the better options was worth it. His is the Eco version w/ turbo.
I recommended the Cruze or Focus from my readings. I saw nothing comparable in the Mopar stable. I had to hold my nose, since long ago I bought a new 82 Chevy S-10 that was crap. Chevy sold ~1M Cruzes world-wide last year, so I imagine spare parts will be easy to find years from now. The Cruze Eco gets 40 mpg hwy. Even though a compact, I recall it is roomier inside than a Camry.
My recommendation is to loan her a car from your fleet, if you have a spare. Give her time to mature, gain more driving experience, and appreciate a new car. I read that in the next few years, ~45 mpg non-hybrid cars will be coming out. Even if you don't buy one of those, that will lower the price of used cars like the Cruze.
I recommended the Cruze or Focus from my readings. I saw nothing comparable in the Mopar stable. I had to hold my nose, since long ago I bought a new 82 Chevy S-10 that was crap. Chevy sold ~1M Cruzes world-wide last year, so I imagine spare parts will be easy to find years from now. The Cruze Eco gets 40 mpg hwy. Even though a compact, I recall it is roomier inside than a Camry.
My recommendation is to loan her a car from your fleet, if you have a spare. Give her time to mature, gain more driving experience, and appreciate a new car. I read that in the next few years, ~45 mpg non-hybrid cars will be coming out. Even if you don't buy one of those, that will lower the price of used cars like the Cruze.
GMachineDartGT
Senior Member
Caliber is by far the worst car I've ever driven. The CVT trans is icing on the cake.
Take a look at nissan you won't be disappointed. I bought a titan two years ago and its been great and my wife got a brand new altima coupe. It gets 30 miles a gallon with a big v6 in it. Should be about the same with a 4 door.
Everyone I know that has a nissan loves them and has had great luck with them
Everyone I know that has a nissan loves them and has had great luck with them
OwdKasd
Well-Known Member
+1 on this Car. My brother in Law loves his. V6, Great mileage, Sweet Car for the money.
I would try to go American if possible though. Maybe that way we can all try to help the USA economy.
I like Ford because they were the only ones not to do the Bogus Bail Out scams.
Why not? My son has a 2011 Mustang Shelby GT500 and loves it. You don't have to get her the "hot rod" version. They offer a six cylinder that has 300 HP! We have been happym with our mustang and if she fits comfortably in one, the 6 cylinder may be a good choice for her. If she needs more power, look at the Mustang 5.0 - now has 412 HP.
zakimodo
Well-Known Member
We bought a 2010 Avenger RT for my wife. So far we have no complaints. It has a 3.5 V6 and a 6 speed auto. Gas mileage is less (27 MPG with mixed driving) than her old 4 banger Honda (31 MPG), I really didn't care, I just wanted a car that could move its self out of the way on the interstate.
We did test drive one with a 4 cylinder, it was a turd.:tongue3: Almost started looking at new Hondas after that test drive.
We did test drive one with a 4 cylinder, it was a turd.:tongue3: Almost started looking at new Hondas after that test drive.
cdawglean
Well-Known Member
I would recommend VW. The passat and jetta prob would both fit the category you are looking for. Fuel mileage is good and first 3 years if maint is included (oil changes and scheduled maint). I bought a 2012 GLI which is like a Jetta hopped up on steroids, 200hp 207 tq. VW also has good options to chose from on all their models.
Thrashard340
Well-Known Member
I would also recommend taking a look at the Altima. The 4 cyl versions price around what your looking at (comparing to Elantra & Impreza).
I used to sell Hyundai's back in 1999 - 2000. This was when Hyundai first offered the 10 yr/100,000 mile powertrain warranties. Hyundai was the first to do this. It was a bold gamble, but Hyundai Upper Management was confident that they had a competitive product in terms of longevity. So it made sense to offer such a warranty to help sell cars. We also carried Nissans at the same dealership. Hyundai sales absolutely crushed Nissans at that dealership. I remember people would come into the dealership asking about "HUNDAY". Most thought they were Hondas. I was working at a dealership in the middle of nowhere where the demographics consisted of buyers with little education. Anyways, it didn't take much but to tell these customers about a 10 yr/100k mi warranty and that Hyundai (at the time) was where Honda was during the 80's. Fast forward 5 years later and Hyundai makes JD Power & Associates Best Buy list along with Consumer Reports, etc. Long story short, Hyundai has become quite an impressive car maker and a key reason why Ford, GM and Chrysler have had difficulties competing in the small car market for the past 10 years. The Elantra is a good choice for a college student or recent grad. It's cheap, economical, reliable...and has a good warranty.
As for KIA: Hyundai bought out KIA around that 2000 timeframe. It wasn't until about a couple of years ago that Hyundai started to rebadge Hyundais as KIAs. Which is why you see more KIA's in the junkyards than Hyundais.
Subaru has taken an interesting engineering stance within the last couple of years. Whereas all the car manufacturers are building up their economy engines for more power, Subaru is detuning their base engines to increase MPG. The Impreza is a great buy as well. Plus, it's AWD.
I used to sell Hyundai's back in 1999 - 2000. This was when Hyundai first offered the 10 yr/100,000 mile powertrain warranties. Hyundai was the first to do this. It was a bold gamble, but Hyundai Upper Management was confident that they had a competitive product in terms of longevity. So it made sense to offer such a warranty to help sell cars. We also carried Nissans at the same dealership. Hyundai sales absolutely crushed Nissans at that dealership. I remember people would come into the dealership asking about "HUNDAY". Most thought they were Hondas. I was working at a dealership in the middle of nowhere where the demographics consisted of buyers with little education. Anyways, it didn't take much but to tell these customers about a 10 yr/100k mi warranty and that Hyundai (at the time) was where Honda was during the 80's. Fast forward 5 years later and Hyundai makes JD Power & Associates Best Buy list along with Consumer Reports, etc. Long story short, Hyundai has become quite an impressive car maker and a key reason why Ford, GM and Chrysler have had difficulties competing in the small car market for the past 10 years. The Elantra is a good choice for a college student or recent grad. It's cheap, economical, reliable...and has a good warranty.
As for KIA: Hyundai bought out KIA around that 2000 timeframe. It wasn't until about a couple of years ago that Hyundai started to rebadge Hyundais as KIAs. Which is why you see more KIA's in the junkyards than Hyundais.
Subaru has taken an interesting engineering stance within the last couple of years. Whereas all the car manufacturers are building up their economy engines for more power, Subaru is detuning their base engines to increase MPG. The Impreza is a great buy as well. Plus, it's AWD.
Dustpan
Well-Known Member
We just recently replaced my wife's 02 Jeep Liberty Limited, as it had over 160k miles on it, only got 15-17 mpg and my wife now drives 25 miles, each way, to work. We looked at, and test drove, many of the above mentioned cars. My wife settled on, and I agreed with her, the Hyundai Elantra Limited. Of all of the vehicles we drove, this was the most comfortable, and was also at the top for fuel economy. The two weeks she has had it, she is averaging 33+ mpg, city driving. She has yet to take it on the highway for a prolonged drive.
On a side note: Our local dealership has bent over backwards to accomodate us, and has gone above and beyond.
On a side note: Our local dealership has bent over backwards to accomodate us, and has gone above and beyond.
C130 Chief
Mechanical Genius
I am a happy VW owner, currently have 165K trouble free miles on our 03 TDI Jetta wagon. Car has been totally reliable, and has only seen routine maintenance, abuse and neglect.
I know 2 accountants who lease Acura TSX's, they're nice cars and hold their value well.
Hyundai seems to have spent a lot of effort to make a nice quality product, but not sure of the resale.
Compared to even a few years ago, cars have come a long way. With limited dealers in your area, my advice would be to shop dealers as much as cars. Nothing is worse than a crappy dealer.
I know 2 accountants who lease Acura TSX's, they're nice cars and hold their value well.
Hyundai seems to have spent a lot of effort to make a nice quality product, but not sure of the resale.
Compared to even a few years ago, cars have come a long way. With limited dealers in your area, my advice would be to shop dealers as much as cars. Nothing is worse than a crappy dealer.
fanofpetty
senior member
We looked at a chrysler 200, but she did not like it much. So far we' are the most impressed by the subaru impreza....
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