Guest Anonymous Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 Well, I travel a lot between Michigan and Chicago due to work. Anyways, my small family buisness has always driven trucks and SUV's. Well, Gas prices in Chicago and my exploder that is falling apart due to the extesnive milage is forcing me to buy a new car. Well, usually the Ford dealership gives my family a deal because we always buy our cars from them, but I need to start looking outside of the box. I need to go from the V8 big boy to a 4 cyl car.... I would like a coupe and a manual and I have been looking around, but I don't even know where to start. Do you guys have any suggestions as to a decent car? thanks, BTW in return for your help I will pm you a random joke.... hehehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sputnik Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 Here are some recommendations from my personal experience: If you want to stay with Ford, look at the Focus SVT (I don't know about the gas mileage but it's a fun fun car). Make sure it's the SVT. Front wheel drive. Also look at the the Subaru WRX (hatchback or sedan). Fast, fun, and all wheel drive too. The Honda Civic Hybrid. Doesn't seem that different that the regular Civic and "it's a Honda." Toyota Camrys are quite nice. Our Camry with over 180,000 miles is probably the best car I ever owned. Stay way from Audis . I own one and wish I didn't. Stupidly over engineered. Owning one is like dating the prom queen - pretty and fun at first but eventually nagging and wallet draining high maintenance. Whatever you do, don't buy an Audi. Audi bad. No Audi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sputnik Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 Here is my idea for a vanity license plate: AUDI SUX I would like to use that but my wife is a first grade teacher and drives the car to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 Alright, here is the deal, if we are gonna pick you a car, we need something to go off: -Are you tall (size of car)? -How many passengers/cargo? -Price? -FWD, RWD, AWD? Don't care? -Do you care if it is slow, or so you still want some slam if you want it? -Do you want something sporty or luxurious? Stuff like that. I personally would look at Japanese cars (Subaru, Nissan, Mazda (owned by Ford!), etc.) first and see if you like anything you see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurs Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 If you have had Ford's, and have had a good relationship with a dealer who will make you a deal......check out the Ford 500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Don't laugh, how about a Hyundai Tiburon (link).. Low cost (base list $16K) to get into, good mileage and a 100,000 mile (60K bumper to bumper) warrantee. If you rack up mileage that fast, stay away from the high priced spread, you'll loose value too fast. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Have a look at the Toyota Prius. It's a hybrid, but drives like a sports car. It's incredibly economical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Subaru Forester, if you need a small, car-like "SUV." Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Cars for me are like speakers. If the label doesn't say "Klipsch", "Altec", or "JBL", odds are I'm just kicking tires. If the trunk edge says "Toyota" or "Honda", then I know I'm in the right place. Those two are pretty much it for me anymore. After driving numerous American makes both for personal use and fleet, it will be a long time before I buy another. This goes against my grain, because I like to support US workers/jobs. However, cars are too damned expensive, and I have no tolerance for such an expensive item not being reliable. I cannot afford to make a poor car choice. Given that you want a manual transmission, I would look at the Honda Civic or Scion (which is Toyota) TC. Great economy and reliability in compacts. Only problem with Civics are the HIGH insurance rates ("ricing" fad doesn't help here). If you can forgo the manual transmission, Toyota Corolla and Camry 4 cylinder models will get you there reliably and with good gas mileage. The Camry is KING in a 4 cylinder family car that gives good economy and reliability. Toyota, however, is going away from manual gearboxes in most sedans - which bugs me some, because I prefer manual transmissions for reliability reasons. I have found, however, that Toyota auto transmissions do very well if you maintain them (swap tranny fluid every 30K with the right fluid). They still run well at nearly 200K and beyond if you maintain them. Accords are nice, too. Also: if $$$ are an issue to you, buy a late model instead of new - one or two years old - to save $$$. On a Toyota or Honda at 15-30K miles, it's just getting broken in. I paid $9500 for an 18 month old Corolla with just over 30K miles on it - one of the best car deals I ever made. That car sells new for 16K, so the way I see it, I bought 80-85% of the car's future life for 60% of the new price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Gramas, You have come to the right place. I'm currently 'shopping' for a new car. My theory on car ownership is Buy em new, run em into the ground, it's the least expensive way to own a car unless you maybe buy 2yr old used car. But some cars depreciate less than others. So here's my thought process... Go to local Honda Dealership, point to Accord, ask salesman which colors and options available, write check. I'll be purchasing my 5th lifetime Honda this month. They are inexpensive, cheap to maintain, parts readily available, high resale, good trade-in, excellent mileage, safe, made in USA. You name it. Plus everything is where it's supposed to be. Talk about human engineering, these guys have it down. We're right now on the 3rd year of 5 year cycle with these models, so any 'bugs' have been worked out. (not that Honda ever has any) Plus they routinely last 200,000 miles. I've got a 96 with 186,000 drives like new and never had a breakdown. Still routinely get 30+ mpg, and I do check it often. Just tune-ups, tires, and exhaust. You can buy a 2005 MANUAL in LX or EX versions.(my choice also, it's sportier and better driving that auto, plus less expensive and better mileage) The EX gives you upgrades in interior, 16" wheels, moonroof, 4wh disc, ABS, 6CD changer for about $2000 more. It's really quite a value. Now, I've bought a lot of cars from my salesman and been a loyal customer, but here's the prices I've been given for 4 cylinder models are (can you say 26/34 MPG, I knew you could!) 4 dr LX manual 20,290 MSRP, 18,815 my price 4 dr EX manual 22,715 MSRP, 21,000 my price (think I'll get this one) EDIT - my salesman says these prices represent $500 in the dealer's hands, they are both 7% off MSRP and I imagine he is honest and that's about as low as it gets) END EDIT email if you want to hear from a Happy Honda owner. Go drive one, you'll smile! If you really need killer gas mileage, get a Civic, but it's not nearly as comfortable on the big road. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Yea i would say Honda my son and his friends treat their Hondas like crap but they always keep going where most cars would have died.My son bought 88 crx and runs it into the ground i cant imagine how good this car was when it was new it still runs like a scared rabbit.Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmboydoug Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Another vote here for a Focus. Great little car. My 83 year old dad just bought one and I keep teasing him we are gonna rice it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor.Ham.Slap Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Check out the Mitsubishi Diamante. These cars are excellant if you're looking for a really good used car as they generally come down really fast when someone purchases them new then holds pretty steady till the end, not to mention they last pretty much forever (my parent's 92 Diamante lasted for 236,000 before it started to die and mine is currently at 122,000 with no problems at all). They get reletively good gas mileage (I average around 23 mpg -- mostly town driving) and the engine packs a pretty good punch for a sedan (you'll leave any stock Civic or Accord in the dust ). A used 2003 will probably net about $12,000 with low miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 This is interesting that this thread came up! Yesterday, I was out car shopping and ended up with this: Yes, that is a brand-new 2005 Saturn ION-2. Right now, as pictured, it is sitting there in my driveway with only 25 miles on the clock. I test drove several of the Focus, and I'll admit, they are fun, but they just felt to "small" for me (as I am a fairly big guy - 6'0 and a good 230 pounds). This is my third Saturn in 12 years. Total price, delivered and off the lot, including tags and such, was $18,561.66. I put down $5,000 cash, along with $2,000 in rebates. I'll have the remaining $11,000 paid off within three years (which I got financed at a very good rate). My last vehicle, a 1999 Saturn SL-2 met an untimely demise two weeks ago. It was parked off the side of the road while I was helping some lady getting her car unstuck out of the ditch. Some dude skidded right in to the @$$-end of it, pretty much ending its life right there. The good thing is that I did get some $5,000 in settlement (where the downpayment on the new one came from) out of it, which is way more I probably would've gotten in trade-in. The downside was that I just had it paid off and intended to keep it for at least another three years or so. I am one of those types that likes to buy new (or very recent year used - no more than say one or two years), and run them into the ground. I could've gotten something more expensive or "fancier", but I look at cars as an expense, a utility, much like my water/power bill. Yes, I also did look at the Honda's and the Toyatas and the like, but nothing there really appealed to me (and to me, those Scions are just plain butt-ugly, especially the "xB" model - a friggan lunchbox on wheels!). To cut a long story short, I'd look into the Saturns as well. My personal experience was that they have been good cars with good milage. And BTW, that was one has a manual transmission in it. The only "upgrade" is that I am going to re-install my after-market stereo system in this one, that I was, thankfully, able to recover out of my last car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelerFan Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 I generally like to buy American myself...having said that, take Michaels advice and get a Honda. That's what I have now. Had an Accord back in the 80's and I couldn't break that car no matter how hard I tried. Had a Saturn for nine years before my current Honda and (sorry Steven) my experience with that car chased me right back to Honda. I've had my Civic SI now for 5 trouble free years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Honda Accord, made for decades in Marysville Ohio USA by AMERICANS. Not Japan. Just buy one. They KICK. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Stupid Mozilla, I'm ready to switch BACK to IE!!! Anway: No way, get a S2000!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 i use trucks in my biz ... 4 cyl ford ranger ...they get 24 mpg, and the 2 older ones i got have 200k +, with just minor repairs, you know, alt, starter , the stuff that Wears out .. i drive a 4.0 Ltr. 4WD that one'll smoke all 4 tires ... gets 19 mpg highway ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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