Need Some Suggestions With Cars | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Need Some Suggestions With Cars

Fuelly.com is a great resource for people looking for real world fuel consumption figures. It tends to show a good average despite the usual grampa fuel misers and Mario Andrettis wannabes that sometimes post numbers that are not indicative of typical figures because of their driving styles. Fuelly generates a nice round bell curve figure based on averages shared by members.
 
We just bought a mazda 3 for wifes 8km commute. Its a very nice car , IMHO, and at 23k all in it was an ok deal. We get a lot of rentals traveling, with usually under 15,000kms on them and new to us, they are all fun..... for a week.

BMW and Benz are or not bad to own, unless your at the mercy of dealership repairs prices.

I've had 'stupid' repairs on every brand, power windows on a Honda 5 mths out of warranty, power locks on my F150 right now (warranty ran out in Jan), pitman arm on a chev impala with 8k kms. Main rear seal leaking on same Impala now 30km on it.
 
If you don't mind buying used, $20-25k will get you into a 3-4 year old entry luxury sports sedan with 50-80k km; Infiniti G37, Acura TL, Lexus IS. You can even fit the German's in, but you get a lot less for the same money.

An extended warranty can be purchased for peace of mind if reliability is a concern.
 
Mazda3's are nice but I would only buy a used one with a proven history of being Rustchecked (or equivalent) from day 1. I see way too many of those things having turned into rusted hulks in seemingly just a few years. Substandard metal, finishing, factory rustproofing...I dunno, but they sure seem susceptible to corrosion.
 
I recently bought a Mazda 3 2010. I love it, great fuel economy, fair bit of room (wagon) and it's handles quite well. I have no brake problems, they'll make you eat the dash if I want you to. One thing I do like is the timing chain versus a belt. You don't need a rustcheck history, it's either been done or the car will look terrible already. Lol

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Blackfin said:
+1 for the WRX:
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Those have always caught my attention. For a great many years I had a about not driving anything that was naturally aspirated. That kind of went all to hell when I started parking my big diesel pickup in the winters and driving the Aveo beater..and then stopped even driving the pickup in the summer most of the time in favor of the Aveo just because it's so much cheaper to operate.
 
Iceman said:
I recently bought a Mazda 3 2010. I love it, great fuel economy, fair bit of room (wagon) and it's handles quite well. I have no brake problems, they'll make you eat the dash if I want you to. One thing I do like is the timing chain versus a belt. You don't need a rustcheck history, it's either been done or the car will look terrible already. Lol

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Blackfin said:
Mazda3's are nice but I would only buy a used one with a proven history of being Rustchecked (or equivalent) from day 1. I see way too many of those things having turned into rusted hulks in seemingly just a few years. Substandard metal, finishing, factory rustproofing...I dunno, but they sure seem susceptible to corrosion.
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My wife had a 95 protege, just started to rust at the fendets when we traded it in for the escape in late 2009. Alternatively, my sister's 03 mazda 3 can now fit 20" rims because of all the metal that's rusted away. Sorry @Iceman, I have to agree with @Blackfin on this. And I would throw Honda in the mix as well. Fwiw, my wife never washed hers in the winter, so salt sat there all the time, I don’t believe that was a factor.
I've noticed many recommendations for what I would consider "compac cars". Golf, wrx etc. Does nobody want mid and full size sedans anymore? Or is it just us fat guys?

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On the topic of rust, touching on the Chrysler 300's again, I'm honestly completely amazed. Ours is an '05, having just cracked 300,000 Kilometers (and we'll probably drive it to 400,000+ barring any major issues) and I'm constantly amazed at how little rust it has on it for having had no rust prevention ever. Wheel wells and even the chassis underneath (I do all our maintenance so I've spent my fair share of time under there) still show original stickers and paint with very little surface rust. I did notice a spot starting to appear on the passenger side rear door, but I'll probably just get it fixed and painted. It's been a great ownership experience so far, my first ever Chrysler FWIW - always was a GM guy, but the plant shenanigans here in Oshawa as well a few turds we bought (Glad the Montana van was relegated to the junk heap of history) prompted me to wander.
 
No love the Honda products? Acura TSX or Honda Accord?


I like the Fusion Titanium trim level and even like the Infinity G37x. I know there is some question about the CVT but my goodness they drive nice.

My uncle has a Caddy CTS with the V6 and it's a nice car too.


Just fine an example from an old retiree looking for an upgrade and you can find some at a decent price point and in decent shape.




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Edit. I had this reply but didn't press send. Apparently, these had been suggested. Please ignore lol
 
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I've looked at a few Caddys. Biggest depreciation pits I've ever seen, cars that sold for north of $50-$60K new selling for ~/<$10K not that many years later.

Would never buy one new, but the used market is indeed attractive.
 
People don't want cars anymore, SUVs big and small are all the craze.

Having said that, I wouldn't buy any of the 'econo' lines. Jetta, Focus, Mazda 3, Elantra. All small, cut rate and underdeveloped and built on a budget.

Go with a roomy fun to drive Accord Sport w 6m or even a Camry. FAR more refined and better equipped and more money spent on R&D than the Econo's.

Best bang for the buck 'cars' on the planet.

Sent from my Passport
 
Joe Bass said:
Does nobody want mid and full size sedans anymore? Or is it just us fat guys?
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My 2006 Jetta was within an inch of the same overall length as the 1996 Passat that it replaced, and the Passat was VW's big car at the time. The Golf (through that generation) was the same up to the shape of the back end, and the Golf actually has more headroom due to the squared-off roofline. Only reason I bought the Jetta instead of Golf was that for that model year, there was no diesel in the Golf.

The just-introduced Civic is bigger than the first few generations of Accords. The Fit is bigger than the first couple generations of Civic.

Compact cars nowadays are quiet enough and ride well enough.

I don't particularly care for big cars. A couple months ago the rental counter gave me a free upgrade to a brand new Impala. It's a nice car, but I don't need something that big. It just makes it harder to park. I would have been happier with the Chevrolet Sonic or similar that I had actually reserved.
 
Are you sure you shouldn't just get another minivan, until they're on their own?

Look at a Toyota Hybrid?
 
Jay72 said:
So I would like mid size, would consider 2 door but 4 door would be much better, also if there was something all wheel drive, that might be interesting alao. Juat want something quick, fun and looks good. But like I said I'm so far out of the car loop.
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Look no further, mid size, 0-60 in 6.6 seconds, available with a 6speed manual, fun to drive, full featured, moon roof, heated seats, Sporty, roomy, handles beautifully. Legendary Honda reliability.

mYQFFH5.jpg

http://imgur.com/mYQFFH5
 
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SunnY S said:
Look no further, mid size, 0-60 in 6.6 seconds, available with a 6speed manual, fun to drive, full featured, moon roof, heated seats, Sporty, roomy, handles beautifully. Legendary Honda reliability.

mYQFFH5.jpg

http://imgur.com/mYQFFH5
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Have they fixed the headroom with a moonroof? I sat in one around 2013 and it was embarrassingly short. I am not tall and my hair was brushing the roof, I have no idea how they screwed it up so much. I wanted to like it but didn't even bother with a test drive.
 
GreyGhost said:
Have they fixed the headroom with a moonroof? I sat in one around 2013 and it was embarrassingly short. I am not tall and my hair was brushing the roof, I have no idea how they screwed it up so much. I wanted to like it but didn't even bother with a test drive.
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On the "Sport" model, the moonroof only became standard factory equipment from 2015 and on. Find a 2013/14 Sport and you are good to go....
 
I've got a '13 Elantra GL 6spd manual. Bought new, but had to fight for the manual transmission in the GL trim. With extended warranty (8 years), free lifetime oil changes, 0% interest over 7 years, $121 biweekly, came out around $24k.

Never had an issue with it, light and enough power to do whatever you need, great on gas and cheap on insurance. I put a K&N air filter and a SS 2.5" from the cat back with a Magnaflow #12255 muffler just for some extra noise in the go pedal. Plastidipped all the chrome and badges and hubcaps, removed the "Elantra" lettering, and eventually going for a dark tint and maybe smoked taillights.

I definitely recommend it as a commuter/cheap fun car. I've done almost 57,000km since August 2013 and have no regrets about the purchase
 
JP0160 said:
I've got a '13 Elantra GL 6spd manual. Bought new, but had to fight for the manual transmission in the GL trim. With extended warranty (8 years), free lifetime oil changes, 0% interest over 7 years, $121 biweekly, came out around $24k.
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That was a close second for me last time I was looking. Hated the Mazda 3 and civic, elantra wasn't bad at all, Golf won out in the end for me. I wasn't sure about longevity/resale on the Hyundai. Based on my numbers the TDI and the elantra should have similar costs of ownership and I preferred almost everything about the Golf.
 
Thanks so much for all the great suggestions, there are some in there that I will certainly have a look at. @joebass, you are exactly right, I guess I didn't explain my self well enough, but mid size luxury sport is right what would make sense for my needs. I'm interested in that Acura posted but not sure the model. Even a used CTS may be a good option.
I love the thought of the golf gti, but think it will be a bit too small when space is needed. I definitely need to hit some of the dealerships up in London and try a bunch of these options oout. Thanks again everyone for all the great advice.
 
Oh, just realized that's a Honda posted above, stupid phone I couldn't see it that well. What year accord is that?
 
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