Recommend your car!

[canuk-gal]

HI:

For a coupe: we love our MB CLK 500.
For a sedan: we love our (new) Acura TSX.
For a SUV: we love our (new) Acura MDX.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Amandine]

Wow, this is great information! We have been reading Consumer Reports reviews, but I always feel first hand experience is much more invaluable!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 8/21/2008 3:08:57 PM
Author: FrekeChild
I feel you on the ''99 Pontiac Grand Am. I only had mine for 2 years when it started to act up on me. I unloaded it and got my car, ''01 Honda Prelude, which isn''t made anymore here in the states. But it''s a sports car anyway.

My husband would DIE if he saw your car. The Prelude is a big deal to people that know about cars - it''s fast as heck! :O I better not tell him lol.

 

[ucdcows]

Date: 8/21/2008 4:03:18 PM
Author: oobiecoo
I also loved my mom''s camry and accord. Our accord was a little nicer... leather seats, sunroof, nicer look IMO but the Camry held up just a little better. The clock light on the dash and the cd player broke in the accord. You''d think ''no big deal'' on the clock light... but it WAS a big deal. We had to hunt down the little fuse or whatever for it and then they had to take the whole dash off to replace it and it was pricey.

You know, I have noticed this is a problem with the Accords. My entire family had about 10 accords give or take through the years and there always seem to have some kinda electrical issue! The engines last forever with no major problems but then a window tends to go haywire and just stops working, or the CD deck breaks, or the clock starts acting funny (I had a clock that just decides to set itself daily! One day its right, next day its 3 hours behind, then the next day its like 7 hours behind...). We still have a 91 accord that runs fine with like 200000 miles on it but one door is no longer controlled electrically, the clock is haywire, and the radio doesn''t work. I still love all our accords because they''re so low maintanence and they''re a little cheaper than the Camrys when comparably equipped.

 

[Haven]

I LOVE MY HONDA CIVIC! Hubby and I both drive Honda Civic Ex 4-door sedans. We traded in our SUVs about a year and a half ago and haven''t looked back since.

They were super cheap (I think just under 19K each, and the EX is the most expensive version of the regular sedan.)

I''m nearly 5''10" and I am comfortable sitting in front or back. Our 95 lb Lab, 45 lb Border Collie, and 40 lb Pit Bull fit quite nicely in the back seat, as well.

We did an enormous amount of research before we bought the cars, and we chose the Civic because of the quality, gas mileage, and safety features. I LOVED the Honda Fit, but at the time they weren''t making them with side airbags and that was a must for us. Perhaps they come with better safety features now.

I only drove Chevys before I bought my Civic, and I cannot say enough good things about it.

Edgar is such a handome guy! What a face. I bet he leaves lovely nose streaks all over your car windows when you go for rides!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 8/21/2008 4:45:02 PM
Author: Amandine
Wow, this is great information! We have been reading Consumer Reports reviews, but I always feel first hand experience is much more invaluable!

they always rate the Japanese cars on top yr after yr.

 

[icekid]

We have a Civic, and it''s definitely not flashy- but it''s a great car, and I love it! Totally reliable and low maintenance.

 

[diamondsrock]

Date: 8/21/2008 4:02:57 PM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 8/21/2008 1:09:45 PM
Author: phoenixgirl

But anyway, trade-ins aside, since some of the models you''re looking at will be close to your $22k mark (meaning you''ll have to do all that haggling and might not get the climate control and other things that are worth it to you), you might consider a no-haggle place with good guarantees where you can get a gently used car with the works for a more reasonable price. Those Japanese models age so well that you can buy a two year old car and be confident you''ll easily get another ten out of it.

But if you, say, go with the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla instead of the Accord or Camry, then you shouldn''t have a problem sticking to your budget and getting better option packages (although there may be fewer high-end options available as opposed to the higher priced sedans).

been down that road before and found out that those 2-3 yr old Civic aren''t that much cheaper than a new one.

This is true. I have an 05 Civic (bought new) and was originally looking for something 2-3 years old, but the price difference was so small that I ended up getting a new one. They really hold their value. I get about 30 mpg around town and some highway. I am a geek and I calculated my gas mileage

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 8/21/2008 4:53:14 PM
Author: MonkeyPie

Date: 8/21/2008 3:08:57 PM
Author: FrekeChild
I feel you on the '99 Pontiac Grand Am. I only had mine for 2 years when it started to act up on me. I unloaded it and got my car, '01 Honda Prelude, which isn't made anymore here in the states. But it's a sports car anyway.

My husband would DIE if he saw your car. The Prelude is a big deal to people that know about cars - it's fast as heck! :O I better not tell him lol.

Well don't show him this then

:

Heck, he could have seen it. I think there are less than 5 Electron Blue ones in the ABQ area.

(And they are all owned by older people who probably have no idea what their cars can do!)

ETA: I should add that my Honda is now going on 7 years old, and I bought it around $20k, it's still holding it's value around $13k. Granted it has only about 60k miles, but still...Hondas in general hold their value, but it was a nice add-on to buy the car the last year it was being manufactured in a color that was only used for one year of the Prelude's existence.

I love my car.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 8/21/2008 8:19:28 PM
Author: FrekeChild

Date: 8/21/2008 4:53:14 PM
Author: MonkeyPie

Date: 8/21/2008 3:08:57 PM
Author: FrekeChild
I feel you on the ''99 Pontiac Grand Am. I only had mine for 2 years when it started to act up on me. I unloaded it and got my car, ''01 Honda Prelude, which isn''t made anymore here in the states. But it''s a sports car anyway.

My husband would DIE if he saw your car. The Prelude is a big deal to people that know about cars - it''s fast as heck! :O I better not tell him lol.

Well don''t show him this then

:

Heck, he could have seen it. I think there are less than 5 Electron Blue ones in the ABQ area.

(And they are all owned by older people who probably have no idea what their cars can do!)

ETA: I should add that my Honda is now going on 7 years old, and I bought it around $20k, it''s still holding it''s value around $13k. Granted it has only about 60k miles, but still...Hondas in general hold their value, but it was a nice add-on to buy the car the last year it was being manufactured in a color that was only used for one year of the Prelude''s existence.

I love my car.

Freke, it''s GORGEOUS!!! I''ve always loved the ''Ludes!

Before I got my Mariner, I had a 1995 Honda del Sol ~ the color was Paradise Blue-Green. I loved that car! I only got rid of it because it was 11 years old, had about 95,000 miles on it, and I really needed something with four-wheel drive. But I''ve always been a Honda fan, and the Prelude is one of my all-time favorites!

 

[AprilBaby]

ANYTHING by Toyota! I have had 2 Camry''s (last one went 125,000 miles), currently drive a Corolla, and had 2 Tercels in the past. All reliable, low maintenance , good gas mileage, and run into the ground. The last few weeks I see Gray Corollas EVERYWHERE!

 

[Amandine]

Date: 8/21/2008 5:23:02 PM
Author: Haven
I LOVE MY HONDA CIVIC! Hubby and I both drive Honda Civic Ex 4-door sedans. We traded in our SUVs about a year and a half ago and haven't looked back since.

They were super cheap (I think just under 19K each, and the EX is the most expensive version of the regular sedan.)

I'm nearly 5'10' and I am comfortable sitting in front or back. Our 95 lb Lab, 45 lb Border Collie, and 40 lb Pit Bull fit quite nicely in the back seat, as well.

We did an enormous amount of research before we bought the cars, and we chose the Civic because of the quality, gas mileage, and safety features. I LOVED the Honda Fit, but at the time they weren't making them with side airbags and that was a must for us. Perhaps they come with better safety features now.

I only drove Chevys before I bought my Civic, and I cannot say enough good things about it.

Edgar is such a handome guy! What a face. I bet he leaves lovely nose streaks all over your car windows when you go for rides!

OMG yes! We took our engagement photos tonight (little late, but bettern then never!) and he is in some of them. Riding over in FI's Explorer, he likes to lay and rest his nose on the ridge by the window and watch the world go by. I let my friend's kids ride in the back of my car and they complained they couldn't see out very well...due to said nose streaks!

Everytime I log on there is more! I have been keeping notes, thanks so much!

 

[pennquaker09]

We have a Lexus LX470 which is basically a Toyota Land Cruiser with some Walnut wood inserts and Mark Levinson sound system (maybe a few other extras). I used to hate it, but now, I love it. I''m short, and I had to kind of get used to driving it. We''re looking for a second car, we just can''t agree on what to buy.

 

[jewelerman]

hate my nissan altama...in the shop all the time...about every 11,000 miles( 6 times in 67,000 miles)every problem the shop manager says that this never happens...I loved my Toyota...want another one...loved it.

 

[Julianna]

I just upgraded last October from a ''95 Ford Escort (HATE) to an ''05 Honda Civic LX 4 door. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Luckily I bought it before the gas "crisis" so it wasn''t too too expensive. It had 62,000 miles on it but I am not worried in the least because Hondas will take a legendary amount of miles before pooping out. The only car I''d have rather had (in a perfect world wherein I am filthy rich) is one of the new ''07 or ''08 Toyota Camrys, which are sexy as heck. But this is the REAL world and I got a fantastic Civic. The only things I''ve had to do for it thus far are oil changes and tire rotations.

As far as why I love it: It''s so cute. It makes me smile to look at it. It gets FAB mileage (I kept track of at least 3 tanks, it''s close to 34mpg on a mix of roads/highways even if you drive too fast like I do). I actually like the "older" Civics'' (before ''07) body style better than the newer ones, they look more solid. No offense to ye of the new Civics. It actually can hold 5 people comfortably, unlike the Escort. The LX is a good compromise, it''s got a lot more upgrades than the DX and is almost as upgradey as the EX, though the EX has a sunroof. It doesn''t cost a zillion dollars to fix like a VW does (not that it needs fixing in the first place!).

The only thing I dislike about it is....no heated seats!! I''m so serious about needing heated seats. Maybe next car, eh?

Good luck with your search! How exciting.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

My Acura TSX is awesome. I would totally recommend it.

 

[swimmer]

I have a Subaru Forrester, its fantastic with space for the dogs and 4wd, which is just about necessary in the winters since my town started not plowing to save money. Yes DF, the Japanese cars are nice! I found the Forrester was cheaper than most of the other Subarus. Its not a sexy car, but the dog and grocery space is great.

But the Prius, formerly DH''s, now my summer car as he takes the train to work, gets 53 mpg on the highway. Enough said. I love the Prius, we got it within your price range as we snapped up one that came off a two year lease to a local company. The pickup is great, space is great, labs fit in the back, so does 6'' hubby. But the mileage is just insane. I love the turning radius too and its just so smooth. Never before have people come up to me and asked about my car.

Well, my 87 volvo 240 did get some stares, but that was probably because it was held together with bumper stickers. RIP volvo.

 

[gemgirl]

I love my five year old Mazda Tribute. It really does drive like a car, it''s extremely comfortable, very roomy inside, and it''s kind of nice looking, but it''s not very good on gas. Not good at all. On the other hand, my husband sometimes takes my sixteen year old Mazda Protege'' to work and he can drive for two weeks on a tank of gas.

We''re buying a nice 4 cylinder Honda CRV next year. We have to do something about how much we spend on gas between the two of us.

 

[DMBsGirl]

i drive an acura rdx and looove it, however it is pretty crappy on gas (i''m getting 18 mpg) because it has a turbo engine. but boy is it fun when that turbo kicks in! we are now in the market for another car as FH''s lease was up a few months ago and he is looking into the acura tsx, but if i have my way, we''ll get a mini cooper, i think they''re so cute.

 

[merlinthecat]

I''ve got a Toyota Yaris. Wouldn''t drive anything else! Japanese engineering is unbeatable for reliability.

 

[ksinger]

I have a 2007 Toyota Camry LE - 4 cylinder. Love this car like no other. I''m 5''2" and it feels utterly plush to me - plenty of leg, arm, and head room and the controls are logical. Gets great mileage for a car that size - about 32 on the highway and about 28 in town. But the thing that sold me was the seat. I have a truly terrible back, with an even worse neck. So, after test driving a Civic (cramped and the headrest wasn''t adjustable and pushed my head perpetually forward while there was no lumbar support at all), and the Accord(nice car but primitive seat IMO, and brakes so touchy that you were scraping yourself off the windshield every time your foot even brushed the pedal), the seat in the Camry was pure bliss..highly adjustable, lumbar support, headrest good...yum!) I HAD to have the Camry. It also didn''t hurt that I liked the styling better than any of the others. I probably would have gotten the Corolla if I hadn''t driven that darn Camry FIRST.

I had a ''97 Saturn prior to that, and it was a great car, but being run into by Bubba (not my fault), and Juan (no English, no INSURANCE, and not my fault) left it a bit battered. It still ran great, but I was tired of looking like I lived at the local trailer park, so...

 

[UCLABelle]

We are a Jeep and SAAB family. Jeeps are awesome, but don''t recommend one now, with the high gas prices....Our new Saab 9-3 gets good gas mileage and love the turbo

 

[little miss sunshine]

Toyota Rav4!! My mom is on her 2nd Toyota (Camry and now Solara convertible) and between the 3 cars we have had never had a single problem... I found Consumer Reports very helpful. My husband and brother and sister all drive Nissans and they also love their cars. The new Honda CR-V is also amazing, and has gotten good reviews. They significantly updated the body on the cr-v since I was car shopping and would have chosen that over the rav 4 if it looked like it does now!! I will say that the Rav4 has gotten larger since mine (its a 2005) so it might get as good gas mileage.

Defnitely go test-driving!!

Happy shopping

 

[Julianna]

Date: 8/24/2008 7:38:24 PM
Author: ksinger
I have a 2007 Toyota Camry LE - 4 cylinder. Love this car like no other. I''m 5''2'' and it feels utterly plush to me - plenty of leg, arm, and head room and the controls are logical. Gets great mileage for a car that size - about 32 on the highway and about 28 in town. But the thing that sold me was the seat. I have a truly terrible back, with an even worse neck. So, after test driving a Civic (cramped and the headrest wasn''t adjustable and pushed my head perpetually forward while there was no lumbar support at all), and the Accord(nice car but primitive seat IMO, and brakes so touchy that you were scraping yourself off the windshield every time your foot even brushed the pedal), the seat in the Camry was pure bliss..highly adjustable, lumbar support, headrest good...yum!) I HAD to have the Camry. It also didn''t hurt that I liked the styling better than any of the others. I probably would have gotten the Corolla if I hadn''t driven that darn Camry FIRST.

I had a ''97 Saturn prior to that, and it was a great car, but being run into by Bubba (not my fault), and Juan (no English, no INSURANCE, and not my fault) left it a bit battered. It still ran great, but I was tired of looking like I lived at the local trailer park, so...

HEE HEE! I''m 5''9" and I can stretch my legs out in my Civic (with the seat back some, that is...). Like I said in my prior post, though, in a perfect world....I''d be driving an ''07 Camry. Heh. LOVE. Lucky you!

 

[firebirdgold]

I'm a bit of a car nut so it takes us a while to pick the perfect car!

We have a Subaru wagon which are extremely safe and reliable. They last a really long time too! I love the fact that our (90lb) dog fits into the back when he's muddy or sandy, plus it's great for hauling stuff. And it's nice to have something AWD for winter skiing trips or bad weather. We were the few people to get off our hill during last winter's snow/ice storm! Pretty much everyone in our family has a Subaru; we each had a forester before getting married, his parents have an antique wagon, my sister has a legacy sedan, and my parents have a wagon which is their fourth Subaru. Used Subaru's are really easy to sell, too. We're planning on keeping this wagon until it dies, which could be another 10 to 15 years!


We also have a Prius which is a wonderful car! It's smooth, solidly built, handles well, and overall feels like a really high quality car. It's our favorite car for long drives.. or short drives... heck we make up excuses to drive it! We're surprised at how roomy the back seat is. My 6'2" fil was comfortable in the backseat. Plus that great milage is hard to beat! I can't comment on the dog-worthiness of the car as our prius is new and the dog is still banned from it.