Posted on 01/13/2016 4:44:36 AM PST by AbolishCSEU
Bought a 2007 Subaru Forester 5K cash, 150K miles earlier this year against my better judgement--hubs was insistent it was reliable. They USED to be reliable. I had an 88 Justy that you couldn't kill. BTW I live in upstate NY with its harsh winters.
Seems they now have major engine problems. Something I've found out the hard way.
Any recommendations on a new car?
Toyota
I have replaced all of my big 3 vehicles over the last few years with Toyotas.
I bought a 1999 camry with 100k on it, 4 years ago. Still drive it every day. 133k on it now.
bought my wife a used Venza....nice crossover vehicle. got the 6 cyl model.
I still have an first gen durango which runs, with 143k on it, but it is almost terminal. Detroit is not so good with reliability. I also have many years of working in the auto industry as a supplier to detroit....dont buy detroit. jus sayin..
Me too. We have a ten year old car we bouth new and have to replace. Any suggestions? My wife drives less than 12,000 miles per year. I wonder if we should lease.?
Mazda. We have had 4 — no problems — great cars.
I just picked up a 2014 Ford Edge LTD AWD used - I love it great cargo space, snotty 3.5 liter -also in Upstate
I just bought a 99 Toyota Camry with 116K in October. It has zero rust. I added new struts, sway bar bushings and control arms. It’s now a wonderful ride. 28-30 MPG. $4500 invested. I hope to get at least 100K out of it.
“Get a Suburban...if you hit something it will likely be worse off than you.”
Just turned in a Suburban LTZ at DEN, Worst Avis rental in 15 years. 40k miles and interior lights were non functioning. The all wheel drive had serious front shock problems. No driving over 60 or it would bounce you into other lanes. No thanks on the Sub-urban...
Toyota Highlander. Nice size, not too big, not too small. My GF has a 2011 with 94000+ miles. Zero problems. Easy to work on. I just did the 90/100K service myself, including changing the transmission fluid and filter. She has the 2.7L 4 cylinder which has plenty of power and averages 25MPG. I’ve gotten close to 30MPG on some long freeway trips. A 6 cylinder is also available.
The only problem with this type of lease on a private basis (unless you are going to purchase at lease end) is the mileage restriction.
Typically, a $300 a month lease is limited to about 840 miles per month, 39 months.
Am I close?
I have an 06 Xterra. Purchased new in 06, had 23 miles. Will be rolling 179k on it soon.
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My X is an ‘05. 155,000 miles.
Best dang vehicle I’ve ever owned. And I’ve owned 2-3 dozen.
Seriously, If I lived in snow country, I’d buy a new 4WD X and drive it for 10 years all over again.
For me 150K is “nicely broken in” Here are some cars I’ve owned in the past:
72 mercury montego (lemon)
85 Dodge Ram Vam (meh)
86 Toyota Corolla (nice car but long story)
88 Subaru Justy (took a licking and kept on ticking)
92 Saab 900 nice car; ran well hit a deer)
93 Audi Quattro (electrical problems)
95 Honda Passport (lemon—really an Isuzu Rodeo)
94 Nissan Truck (was hubs not bad for a little truck)
97 and 2000 Dodge Neon (at the time repairs were free for the 2000 so had pretty much everything replaced-weird ignition but ok)
Oh yeah and a 98 Dodge Windstar? (ugh)
97 Ford F150 (nice truck had long commute at the time to downtown parking garage so impractical for me)
I agree with the Silverado/Suburban crowd. I have always had trucks and they give less trouble and last longer due to heavier duty components than the frontwheel drive cars/SUVs my wife has owned. For example: my current 2004 GMC Sierra has 231,000 and uses maybe 1/2 quart of oil in 4,000-5,000 miles. It still has factory plug wires, radiator hoses (pushing my luck on those), starter, alternator, u-joints, fuel pump, and front brake pads.
My previous was a 1999 Silverado and the last time I saw it running around the kid who bought it had 235,00 on it. The truck prior to that was a 1994 Silverado and the last time I saw it running down the street, it had 272,000 miles.
So if your Jap flag is made in the US you will proudly fly it?
So if your Jap flag is made in the US you will proudly fly it?
That’s what I’m experiencing now. Dumped over 3K into engine regasketing. It’s continuing to leak oil
I think I meant FORD windstar. It has a proverbial “jingling rattle” sound that I could identify from a block away.
BTW I also prefer standard trannys but they are hard to find.
If you drive alot for work, dont rule out having 2 cars. I have had at least 2 most of my life. Currently I have a Corvette Z06 and a Civic hybrid. The Civic is slow, uninspiring and dreadfully boring. But it averages 48 MPG. And the Z06 gives me an escape after driving the worlds most boring car for 40K a year. In VA you can also have an antique tag on any car over 25 years old. Allows you to have a fun classic and not have to get it inspected every year, and also allows you to get a break on insurance. I have had an Opel for 20 years this way.
To me this is better than having one car to do it all.
Buying an 8-year old car of any make is a gigantic risk. It’s probably not the Subaru. If you buy it from your mother and if you took it to the dealer yourself for all the scheduled maintenance over those years, you’d have a better chance of it holding together for a while. Anything else is a waste of money. For any used car, you have to see the records showing all the factory required maintenance was done. There are virtually no $5000 used cars on the market today that are not junk, unless you are getting a deal from a rich uncle — who had the dealer do all the maintenance. But that’s not market price.
When you get into the fair market price range of a well-maintained, low-mileage used car today, you can probably get a better deal on a new car. There are huge rebates and incentives, plus cheap interest on new cars today we are in a recession and heading deeper into it. The manufacturers are desperate to move new cars right now. I suggest you shop around and do the math.
If you like the suburban/denali/escalade but can live without the “quirkiness” or “unanticipated features,” get the Toyota Sequoia. Tons of room, and doesn’t break
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