buying a car

A car is meant to get you from Point A to Point B, not to be attractive. Stick with the Camry or Accord.

Subaru.

It's a fundamentally boring class of cars -- salesman's specials.

But within the category, I favor sleeper cars, from brands that try harder. That means Suzuki, Japan's fourth biggest car manufacturer, and the ninth biggest worldwide. They excel at reliability, and at copying the best of all the other brands and assembling them together in a package that wows at value.

If I were buying a car right now, I'd very probably get a Suzuki Kizashi. The only downsides for me are
1. I prefer hatchbacks/wagons
2. The fuel economy is unfabulous, but at least the AWD can be turned off.
3. Some people worry that they have such a small presence in the US, they might close up shop. I doubt it very much
4. Resale value isn't likely to be great. That also makes them a good bet for young used cars, but Kizashi is too new (2010). Avoid certain other models from the past few years that are actually rebadged GM designs, inherited from defunct Daewoo.

http://www.cars.com/suzuki/kizashi/2011/reviews/?revid=56970

Also take a look at the Hyundai Sonata.

Stick with the Accord and Camry. There is a reaon why you see so many of them every single day. If you want something different, then consdier the Toyota Venza, the Honda Crosstour, or the Scion XB.

Avoid the Maybachs.

"or the Scion XB..."

I think Komin was trying to avoid ugly cars.

Chrysler 200. Imported from Detroit. Good enough for Eminem, good enough for me.

Guys thanks for the comments.

@Socialist: yes attractiveness is an add-on, like tastiness of our food. Would like to give it a try though before I surrender.
@kylewest: yes I have looked at Subaru. can't see too much difference between an Accord and a Legacy.
@alanhart: kizashi does look pretty and it does look that they are trying hard. Only thing is reliability as it is a new comer but it's a japanese car so perhaps it'd be ok. Actually researched Sonata and found that there are a lot of complaints about it drifting the left. I just don't feel comfortable with them putting out cars while having a problem this obvious.

suzuki's warranty package looks pretty good too. I guess it's part of the "trying harder".

Socialist, in the early-mid 1970s all you saw every day on US roads were the cars made by the American Big Four automakers. They were all hateful pieces of shit, every one of them. Don't be a lemmingzzz.

Not that today's Hondas and Toyotas are hateful pieces of shit, but they COULD be and you wouldn't know, for instance, if everyone else driving them means they don't have deathly sticky-pedal problems.

Avoid the Maybachs. = now thatz funny.

Audi A3 TDI (or 2.0T since TDI will likely cost you more than you want).

I like how audi a3 looks but also read about how unreliable it is.

komin: one difference between Honda and Subaru is that Subaru cars don't get stolen nearly as much. They are practically invisible to thieves. As for Audi: great design, awful awful service records and some issues friends have had were never fixable. I've had 5 Subarus in the past and highly recommend them for this price point.

i would add that subaru is a combination of the honda and saab of yesteryear. great value all around.

KW, CC, what in Komin's posts makes you think he's a lesbian?

What is columbiacounty a combination of?

I would inquire about buying alanhart's Datsun.

r u looking for used / new / either ? if new and reliability and cheapeness are a concern then take a good look at Kia. Don't buy anything prior to 2008, however.

If I was looking for a car with your criteria and did not need to transport people or things, I would buy a Mini. Well made, good mileage, and actually fun to drive.

I second the recommendation for a Subaru.

Yes, there is nothing "sexy" about them, but they have really good safety/crash scores and are great bad weather cars. I drove several Subarus before moving to NYC and they all kicked ass.

There are better cars for a lot more money, but little matches Subarus in the under 30K catagory.

Buy yourself a nice pre-owned Mercedes from the '90s.

If you want outrageously high repair costs. Asian and American cars are much cheaper to fix. All 20 year old cars needed lots of fixing. Worth it for a The Thing, not for an M-B.

"All 20 year old cars needed lots of fixing."

Depends on the car.

Right. The one car I've ever owned was a 1988 560SEL, bought when it was 18 years old. Gorgeous, perfect, and I loved it, but every little thing I couldn't do myself was big money. I don't know how much of that was the skill set, or how much due to the mechanics knowing that anyone with a car like that -- even so old -- wouldn't stint on their baby.

European car parts are much more expensive than Asian or American parts. This is also reflected in comp and collision rates for newer cars.

i nearly bought my first nice expensive car a couple of years ago--my bro, who has more money than god, advised that that would be idiotic--that the car would become a source of anxiety and annoyance when it looked like shit all dinged up after a year or two of city driving parking and garage abuse--well my honda has been a pleasure to drive, always starts right up, is said to be safe, has had not one maintenance issue, and gives me no angst when i notice new dings from time to time (if and when i notice)-- and i bot the car new for 10% under sticker where 1-2 year old useds were trading 25% under

my advice: do as i say/do. buy a low-priced japanese car an drive it for a lotta years.

and dont buy a 90's car of any type--safety equipment now vs then makes walking away from a serious accident way more likely--side airbags a must--the choice between walking away after being hit from the side, or learning to speak again--and god forbid a passenger got hurt based on your choice

"and dont buy a 90's car of any type--safety equipment now vs then makes walking away from a serious accident way more likely--side airbags a must--the choice between walking away after being hit from the side, or learning to speak again--and god forbid a passenger got hurt based on your choice"

BS.

I'll never give up my classics!

You could pick up something like a 2008 MB C300 for ~$30K. Rock solid, comes with some warranty, This is the car of choice DD (Daily Driver) as a second car for those who drive high end and exotic cars.

Thanks for the comments. I don't think I would buy a 20-year old car for my daily 90 mile commute, however nice-looking she is. Mini's reliability is an issue somewhere I read.

@ieb: thanks for that. Will take a look.

curious that so far nobody mentions hybrids. Any thoughts on Prius? The mpg is pretty amazing. How about reliability?

"I'll never give up my classics!"

A 20 year old car is not a classic. It's a clunker.

Matthew, not everyone shares your admiration for Yugos.

My concern about hybrids is that it and similar technologies are evolving quickly and the next best implementation is always just around the corner.

Most reliable cars
GM makes big strides but has a long way to go

While Honda and Toyota still dominate in reliability, General Motors has improved considerably in our latest predicted-reliability Ratings. Those are the findings of our 2010 Annual Auto Survey, based on subscribers' experiences with 1.3 million vehicles.

While some GM nameplates had been among the least reliable brands in past years, they now rank above some major European competitors. But as a company, GM is still far from tops in reliability.

The major Asian brands are still doing well overall. All models from Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Scion, and Toyota have at least average predicted reliability.
Ford continues to be the most reliable American automaker. Ninety percent of Fords, including Lincoln models, have at least average reliability.
Chrysler remains the lowest-ranked manufacturer in our survey. We can recommend only one of its vehicles, the four wheel-drive Dodge Ram 1500.
While European reliability had been improving, momentum seems to have stalled. All Porsche and Volvo models are rated average or better. But Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are among the worst automakers overall.

Honda and Acura are among the top four brands, with their models topping five vehicle categories. But problems with rear brake pads help drop the 4-cylinder Accord and Acura TSX to average.

Subaru had a good record overall, with a top rating going to the four-cylinder Legacy sedan and the non-turbo version of the Forester SUV. The WRX was the only model that rated below average.

Europe's bumpy road
BMW had a bad year, with five of 11 models now scoring below average.

Mercedes-Benz had the least reliable vehicles in three categories. Six of its 13 models were below average, and the GLK SUV was far below average this year. The redesigned E350 sedan was above average, but the new E-Class coupe, a wholly different car, was a disappointment.

Almost three-quarters of the Audi models we analyzed were below average. Volkswagen did better, with its Golf (formerly Rabbit) doing very well and the various Jetta models doing average or better.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/cr-recommended/best-worst-in-car-reliability/reliability-findings/reliability-findings.htm

I have a 10 year old Honda Odyssey. Listen to someone who knows... buy Japanese!

This thread had gone way too long. Buy a reliable car like a new Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, etc.

If you want a toy, then get a toy for that purpose. It's probably 100% useless in NYC though, but hey, if you are so rich that you can waste money, then great.

Don't buy some crap, pseudo luxury car like a C class Benz or small 3 series BMW. Those always scream out "Entry Level so-called luxury car driver over here!". And they really are not more luxurious than a nice Accord nowadays anyway, so you're paying for a Mercedes badge.

/thread.

>Don't buy some crap, pseudo luxury car

What if you are from columbia county, NY, and you sold all of your stocks at the bottom of the market in March 2009, but you still want to show your friend that you are somebody?

"A 20 year old car is not a classic. It's a clunker."

As a matter of fact it's a 1973 Buick LeSabre.

With math like that, you're only in your 40s. In the world of the real, we need to add 18 years to both age estimates.

And a 1973 LeSabre isn't even a clunker -- its clunking days are long gone -- it's merely scrap metal.

It's a CLASSIC, bitch. And it purrs like a kitten ... much like you do when your tummy is rubbed ...

Nobody is stuck in the past more than Matt. 1973 Buick LeSabre. CRT television. How's the eight track working?

But Socialist, NYCMatt is pro-union and hates immigrants. You still want to criticize him?

My two turntables are working just fine, thanks.

Is that what they call pacemakers way up in Fort George? How quaint.

saab 95 wagon < 2011

Alan, I'm going to smack you.

I'm extremely happy with my Lexus IS300. Mine is a Sportcross, very hard to find. Fabulous trunk space with back seat folded down. Fits two cellos. Get a sedan, but no trunk space. Bought a used Ford Escort 2005 for the kid last summer. Excellent value and no problems until now.

what songs do you have on your iPod Matt? Oh wait, never mind. Those don't come out for another 10 years.

I have quite a variety of songs on my iPod, ranging from the Andrews Sisters to Lady Gaga.

If you're driving 90 miles a day in the Northeast Corridor, reliability, comfort, safety and fuel economy should be your criteria, period. You're going to have 100,000 miles on the car in 2 years!

I think a CPO Accord or Camry is what you want, unfortunately. Also consider a Ford Fusion -- lots of Ford dealers. Other factors should be roadside assistance availability.

YOu listen to Lady Gaga? How old are you Matt? 16?

BMW 3 series. You'll wanted a little something to take the sting out of the commute.

What sort of job requires this terrible commute?
You're going to hate it, and it's going to wreck your weekday social life.

Komin, Are you willing to buy used? Like new looking but just a few years old. 30k miles, etc.

It's a job that I really like so commuting is not that big an issue. Actually after much thinking, I am going to go with train+folding bike. It's a brand new way of commuting for me so kind of excited. it's less than 2 miles of bike ride so should be easy. Would be interested in hearing from people with the similar experience.

Have you ever rode a bike in freezing temperatures, snow, or rain?

Yes.

maybe best to dry run the bike ride now and see if you'll be able to be all in on that

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Wbottom

about 4 years ago

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i nearly bought my first nice expensive car a couple of years ago--my bro, who has more money than god, advised that that would be idiotic--that the car would become a source of anxiety and annoyance when it looked like shit all dinged up after a year or two of city driving parking and garage abuse--well my honda has been a pleasure to drive, always starts right up, is said to be safe, has had not one maintenance issue, and gives me no angst when i notice new dings from time to time (if and when i notice)-- and i bot the car new for 10% under sticker where 1-2 year old useds were trading 25% under

Big W bottom saved $20,000 to $30,000. Wow.