Cars

[alixthetree]

So basically on Wednesday my car overheated, my dad tried fixing a combination of things that he thought it was (thermostat, upper hose, water pump) and it was none of those. So we have discovered that it's a head gasket that has broken, the price of the parts to fix it is worth not much less than my car. Therefore I'm looking for a new car.

So I'm wondering, what types of cars do people here like? Or recommend that they have had good experiences with? I'm definitely looking for something newer, that's reliable.

[LeapOfFayth]

I'm a fan of domestic cars. In terms of sedans or coupes (I prefer sedans) I love Dodge or Ford.
I myself have a Ford Focus and I like it, heck so many people like Ford Focus' that there's an entire site and forum dedicated to how to take them apart and make them better!

I think the only import cars I like are Hyundai or VW, so maybe look at those too?

[alixthetree]

My mom has a Ford focus and I don't mind it but it's definitely not my favorite car out there. Her's just seems so light and pulls really easily when it catches any snow or mud.

[LeapOfFayth]

If you get the right tires (and not an older focus) then it's not a problem. I live in Western Canada, it's always snowy, icey, muddy, etc. I've never had a problem driving in any of it.
My one and only complaint about my year of focus (2010) is that it catches side wind like a sail. So if it's really windy and you stop at a light the car rocks a bunch xD
Oh my only other complain is that the push-pins for the grill are so hard/weird to take out I lost two of them cause they went flying. I'm sure they only cost like 10 cents each though.

[Iris. ♥]

I've never driven a Ford Focus, but I know that Ford manufactures cars that are generally safe and reliable.

[iHEAVENn]

If you are unsure, then you should go out and test drive a few and do research on the ones you like.
We will be getting a new car again this year some time and are looking in to Nissan's/Toyota's. However we are looking into mostly Suvs/Crossovers as we will be adding a big furry family member later this year and the new member simply will outgrow our tiny Civic around 8 months LOL!

[BDF]

lol yea... Ford Focus is good. I rent it sometimes.

[alixthetree]

The few I've been kind of looking at are the Chevy Sonic, the Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris. I know those are all new cars but to me it makes more sense to go that route than one where there are already miles on a car and have had other owners and such.

[kadyCHAOS]

toyotas a really reliable brand, plus their new cars come with pretty good warranties. my boyfriends corolla got free oil changes til 20,000 miles.

if your considering used, you can find one that someone barely drove a descent chunk cheaper simply because it was driven off the lot. cars automatically lose money when you take them home.

anyways good luck with car shopping a i hope you can find something you like!

[alixthetree]

I've thought about that with a used vehicle butone of the pros that both my dad (whos opinion I really value on cars) and I like about getting a new car, is you know how it's been taken care of (well because it hasn't had another owner). With a used vehicle unless you have every maintenance slip you don't know how well someone took care of it. Or if you find a used vehicle are you going to have to turn around and replace something right away or in a few months.

[Viky]

I love sports cars but I'm sure that's not quite what you're looking for x3. For smaller compact vehicles I've found Subaru's to be quite reliable and also good for gas mileage and all weather conditions. My favorite is probably the outback :3.

[RobbieFox]

I don't know what you think of european cars but i'll throw in my 2 cents. If you like 2 door and sporty i'd go with a BMW. I've owned a 3 series coupe for a couple years and it has been a very safe and realible car. I bought mine used (make sure if you do go to the dealership, check their website for used cars and then check kelly blue book for a good price to bring up to them.) and also added on a 2 year 24,000 mile warranty. Also volkswagon is another great brand to check out if you like 4 door's.

[Brandon]

The thing about reliability that you need to understand that cars need to be properly maintained if you want something reliable. If you don't keep up with the maintenance, you could expect a car to last about 100 to 200,000 miles before it starts breaking down on you. A Honda can last for a really long time provided you properly maintain the vehicle. I've seen Honda's go up to 500,000 to even 1 million miles, but that's if you follow the service checks properly and don't do what I did by taking the car to get an oil change whenever I feel like.

One of the advantages of a Nissan is the braking power. Nissan has some outstanding brakes and generally good quality cars such as the Nissan Altima.

For the Honda's, I'd definitely recommend a Honda Accord or Civic; they're one of the most popular cars on the American road, and for a very valid reason.

Toyota Camry is a good car for Toyota, hands down.

Stay away from the Ford Mustangs and BMW's. I've talked with several towing service guys (I've had to have my car towed on numerous occasions), and they've said that they tow BMW's and Ford Mustangs a lot.

If you want something with reliable gas mileage, I'd look into manual transmissions turbo'd vehicles. Turbos increase gas mileage, and a manual transmission can potentially be a good gas saver as well.

Overall, I'd recommend either the Honda Accord, or the Toyota Camry based on reliability, but they are not all wheel drive vehicles and not the best in snow and mud. If you want all wheel drive that's reliable, I'd recommend a Volvo.

[Nicole!]

Originally Posted by Brandon

For the Honda's, I'd definitely recommend a Honda Accord or Civic; they're one of the most popular cars on the American road, and for a very valid reason.

I have a Honda Civic, and while its pretty old, it still runs very well. I'd recommend one

[LeapOfFayth]

I wouldn't recommend buying brand new. I would recommend looking for a used car with about 1000km on it or less from someone buying one and regretting it or not being able to afford it. There's no mainenance to be worried about yet and it takes a huge chunk out of the price. Also if you're going to buy used I would recommend GM as they have the best used car warranty (in my opinion).

Since it seems you've narrowed down your list though, I would suggest going to your insurance company and getting a quote for each one. That can really help you make a decision and certain cars depending on how their built (for example the Ford Focus has big bumpers which cause the insurance to be higher as they cost more to repair or replace). If the price of insurance is important to you then you'd be surprised how useful getting quotes can be to choosing your car.
Ford Focus has one of the highest insurance prices of family cars because it has one of the highest repair costs because of the way the body is designed. Large paneling = large costs.
I'm not a fan of Chevy ever since they screwed everybody here over by releasing their last car right before winter without making block heaters for them, and not making them until 3/4 of the way through winter.
As far as I'm concerned Yaris and Fiesta are the same thing. The only reason I wouldn't buy a Fiesta is because a few years ago you could get a Focus for that price, and I don't quite fit in them nicely height wise. Never been in any Toyotas except the trucks though, so can't say anything there.

[Briana]

I will put my 2 cents out there. My mom and I both own Hyundai's. She has the '11 Hyundai Sonata and we love it. Has never had any problems. I have the 05 Hyundai Elantra and same thing, no problems at all. I personally think Hyundai makes a great car. So does Toyota, but they had a lot of recalls on the Camry (I believe) Which is what my dad use to drive. Don't get me wrong, it was a very nice car, but re-called too much. My sister has the Honda Fit....don't get it! Completely horrible!! I always feel like I'm in a toy car, you can feel every bump you go over. I agree with Brandon, on the BMW, I hear about it all the time when I go to Auto Shows. Always breaking down!

If you want something to be good in the snow, I'd suggest a Jeep, but those suck up way too much gas, but great in snow, I use to have a Jeep Cherokee Classic, saved my life many times with 4 wheel drive. haha. My dad now has the Toyota Rav4, great in snow, good on gas, and very comfortable.

[LeapOfFayth]

Vans and cars do fine in snow as long as you know how to drive in snow. Anything that's light and fwd = great for snow, go to a class for learning to drive in snow and its like having awd. The only drawback for cars in snow is that they're low, so if it snows as much as it sometimes does here your car doesn't clear the snow and thus doesn't go very far, the only solution for that is something taller like a jeep, truck (not rwd or you'll be worse off), or a similar suv (ford escape, toyota rav4, honda element). You can get a hybrid edition escape, which is as good on gas as a focus but taller and 4x4 with towing capacity.

[iHEAVENn]

Hubby has a 2006 Honda Civic... and loves it.. It's a great car as long as your not claustrophobic while driving..... I can only drive the Civic around our tiny town (Our tiny town has 2 main streets in it lol!)

Any farther then that and it freaks me out.

We got a 2004 Mercury Sable last year and let me just say..... Stay away from Mercury's. This car has just been one issue after another and we will be trading it in lol.

[alixthetree]

Originally Posted by Brandon

The thing about reliability that you need to understand that cars need to be properly maintained if you want something reliable.

I'm not overly concerned with not maintaining it properly, that's something I've always stayed on top of, even going as far to replace things that didn't quit need replacing yet. My dad used to work as a mechanic and so he does all the maintenance on my vehicle. My dad currently has a '98 Chevy Tahoe and has done all the maintenance on it, it's currently pushing 373,000 miles and still gets fairly decent gas mileage.

[alixthetree]

Thanks for everyone's opinion, I'm hopefully looking to test drive a car tomorrow (Chevy Sonic) when I'm done with classes.

I just took a quick look at the Hyundai Accent and it's standard features and everything and call me picky if you may but really no standard air conditioning? And it seems like once you had some of the basics it's going to be just as much as the one I'm looking at right now. Also I don't think anyone in my family has ever had a Hyundai.

Really though, thank you for your recommendations. I've been taking them into consideration.

[LeapOfFayth]

I haven't logged on for a couple days but I thought I would mention ask them if the car is made for your climate! The last Chevy car that came out here they sold to everybody and my father-in-law drove it home, popped the hood and noticed they didn't have blockheaters in them. He went and asked the dealership and Chevy about it and found out they didn't even start building them yet.
I don't know how cold or hot it gets where you live, but here blockheaters are standard features because good luck getting your car to start at -30 or -40 without one.

Since then I told myself I'd never buy a chevy.