Posted on 01/19/2014 10:57:43 AM PST by cicero2k
Quality is something we all want when it comes to cars, especially older used ones. But how do we get it?
I have been studying this question in one form or another for nearly 14 years now. I began my automotive career as a car dealer, buying and selling hundreds of vehicles a year. As time went on, I became an auto auctioneer, a remarketing manager and a part-owner of a wholesale auto auction.
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.yahoo.com ...
Also see analysis at
http://members.wolfram.com/nickl/QualityIndexRating.html
I’ve actually never had a problem with my “older Suzuki”. Still has original muffler/cat and valve cover never off except for timing belt change.
All vehicles I would avoid anyway. Still interesting. Friend of mine said stay away from Mazda because of oil leaks.
I will add one of my own, 2008 Chevy Aveo, just because for a small car it got crappy MPG ( and I drive 60 ). Underpowered, accelerates like a pig on stilts. Only good point, it had the best factory radio of any car I’ve had.
We’ve had good luck with Cadillac DTS. We buy them when they are coming off lease at 3 years, and we drive them forever. We buy the most luxiurious model available (heated and cooled seates, back up sensors, etc.)
I’ve had some problems with my used Aviator but overall it is a solid vehicle.
I call BS. I would expect GM to claim at a minimum seven of the bottom ten spots.
(later)
Id rather put 15k into this car and make it "new" rather than spend 25K on a new car.
I don’t imagine they’re around anymore, but the Mazda RX7 should certainly qualify - that rotary was a total POS!
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/12/monday-mileage-champion-the-year-in-review/
...Well, approximately two-thirds of the vehicles that reach the 300k+ mark at an auction I attend will usually belong in one of four categories.
Ford truck or SUV. Chevy truck or SUV. Honda car. Toyota everything.
There you have it. Nearly two thirds of the vehicles that I see with serious high mileage credentials will belong in one of those four categories...
All ten of those cars are crap to begin with - I just picked up a 2000 Buick Park Avenue Ultra with 67K original miles and nary a scratch on it for 6 grand. Original sticker price 38K, it has the excellent V6 with a factory supercharger. Gets 25mpg on a cruise with a ton of passing power.
Thanks for posting.
My 1998 Buick Park Avenue Non-Ultra has 190,000 miles and plenty of scratches. Plenty of nuisance problems (stuck doors, windows , bas head lamp lenses) and I HATE daytime running lights, but that 3800 drivetain is a champ.
Depends. I know many people who have had great luck with GM trucks. Some of the cheap econoboxes they made, not so much.
What?
No Pintos or Gremlins?
I love my ‘06 Scion Xa. Only gripe is that the paint is fragile and gets chipped off easily. Add that to the NYC drivers who believe they have to tap the cars fore and aft while parallel parking, and you have chipped bumpers.
Don’t forget Chevy Vegas!
Oh Yeah...and the Chevy Geo too.
My 1999 Chevy Venture is the best running vehicle I ever owned. It’s got 128 thousand miles and still runs great! That being said I will never buy another Chevy.
A good complimentary article.
As an owner of a 2000 Civic, I tell people that it is like driving for the cost of gasoline, and at 35 MPG, it is not much.
Then my 2005 Chevy Trailblazer. Rides quiet as a luxury car, and had only to replace a fuel pump in all that time. The brakes are original.
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