anyone owne these cars? (looking for owner opinions)

[whirlcool]

We have a 04' Mazda Tribute that has almost 75K on it and haven't had a bit of trouble with it. It is still as quiet as it was when it was new. Just oil changes and tire rotations. We still have the original Continental tires on it from new!

Honda's are pretty reliable but when they break you pay through the nose for repairs. And even used ones command a premium price. But in your instance and price range, I don't think you are worrying about resale value. You just want something that will get you where you are going and won't break down on you.

But you haven't had an unreliable car until you had either an AMC Gremlin or a Chevy Vega. The stories I could tell you.....

 

[Timonator]

Another Story

My mother has a 2002 Pontiac Grand am essentially the same car as a alero..This car is a 4 cylinder it has had routine maintenance and NOTHING else. oil changes and brakes and a battery The car has 140,000 mile on it today has no rust and looks and drives as well as it did the day she got it. Gm cars are relativley inexpensive to repair unlike some volvos, subarus, volkswagens . It all depends on what you find Reliable these days I would stick with something mainstream not a lot of "frills" like all wheel drive and stuff like that that you really dont need. And I wouldnt pay a ridiculous price for some foreign car because "reliablity" is in the mind of the owner! AND the way the car has been maintained All cars wear out the minute you turn the key your using "something" up afterall noone drives for free. So If you can find a 4cylinder alero that was taken care of..I'd buy it !

 

[johnb300m]

wow that's some damn quick turnover.
this actually looks like a decent machine.
do you like this machine?

i wonder why they were so short lived? looks like a much better concept than the bottom mounted wash plate Oasis machines.

 

[appnut]

Hi Jamie. Thanks. I feel very honored. And very cool!! What a LOAD!!!

 

[jasonl]

I guess I'm lucky

I haven't had very much trouble with my Bug. But repairs and service is pretty expensive. It's the price to pay if you want a "different" car.

 

[liamwa]

Great washer!

What great turnover. It just shows that Maytag had some great ideas right up to the end. It's a shame that WP didn't continue manufacturing these units, as they have a much better wash action then their wash plate Cabrio machines. Does anyone here know what kind of reliability record these washers have? Also what did Consumer Reports have to say about them? From what I can see it seems like the best HE top loader.

Congrats on getting it!
Liam

 

[washabear]

From a reliability standpoint, Hondas, Toyotas, and Nissans are all good. I have a Honda Civic and love it. It only has 54,000 miles on it so far, but it has been flawless. Previously I had a Nissan Altima, which was also good. It had 140,000 miles on it when I bought the Honda, and it was fine, but I wanted a change. I'll bet it's still going strong for some new owner somewhere. Sometimes I miss it, but I do love my Honda.

 

[myhooverco]

Vacuumfreeke...

I owned an '03 Alero that I bought new off of the lot in December 2002. I got 29,000 miles out of it before it was totaled. I had the el cheapo model...no electric windows...plain hubcaps...no spoiler....etc. I had no end of trouble with it. Mostly the brakes were a problem. I went through 3 sets of front brakes in that time. I had numerous "lights" that came on. The best one was when at 20,000 miles the hood started to come off of the car! The hinges at the rear of the hood were separating and I had to take it to the dealer. They kept the car to repaint the new hinges. They also had to replace the drivers side glass because the window regulator was puting deep scratches in the glass everytime it went up or down. I had deep gouges that made it difficult to see out of the window! The transmission (automatic) would only shift into first gear or reverse. It was actually faster to drive backwards! They towed it to my local "GM" dealer who lost my car! Later after locating the car on another lot, they lost my car keys and gave me a brand new Chevy key for my Olds. I made a big stink through the Better Business Bureau over it. Never deal with Spitzer here in north east Ohio! The transmission thing happened twice. All of this of course happended under warranty. The final straw was when they could not replace the front brakes for the third time due to stripped lug nuts.(They could not get the hub caps off of the car.) They were actually going to charge me $20 for the damn things! I refused, told the owner of the dealership what I thought of him (curse words inserted here) and left the hubcaps off! When the accident happened (women drivers!) I walked away totally unhurt. The car was safe since it protected me but I wonder about the role of my brakes in the whole accident. I was amazingly relieved that the car was totaled. I liked the size, the handling, but the fit and finish was total crap. I went right out and bought a Honda Accord as soon as the insurance check came in.

Go for the Honda! (Used or New) I was for the first 30 years of my life against all foreign cars. I have had three new GM cars in a row. All of them garbage. I take care of my cars. I am religious about it. No one even eats in my car...ask HooverWheelaway! GM cars just go to pieces in my hands. The Honda is another story. It is two years old with 15,000+ miles on it. My Accord has only had tire rotation and oil changes. That is it! My new Saturn (very crappy!!) in 1996 had a new engine at 12,000 miles. The Accord is built right here in Ohio. It is at least as much American made as my Alero was. I am looking to keep my Accord. It is solid, reliable, and easy on gas. Guess what? Even the hood has stayed on the car so far. That alone is worth its weight in gold!

I would definitely stay away from anything from GM. They are in lots of trouble now. They will take you down with them. I have even cancelled my GM Mastercard with over $1,000 credit built up toward a purchase of a new GM car or truck! Let us know what you choose. There are plenty of good choices out there!

--Tom

 

[Timonator]

Something to think about Tom

Think about the Demise of Hoover!!! I could say the same thing about vacuum cleaners as well! You cant beat a 40 dollar made in china vac ! You can throw it away when your done They work rather well and come in stunning colors! I take care of my vacuums religiously too! And as far as "american made" yes some Honda's are american made but the PROFIT goes righ back to Japan...To help japaneese companies build cheaper vacuum cleaners LOL...Seems a bit Hipocritical to me. Sounds like alot of your problems may have been Dealer related as well...Unfortunate but the Honda Dealer here in Elyria is Terrible People drive to sandusky or cleveland to buy em..

 

[myhooverco]

No...the cars were junk from the beginning. The dealers just tried to polish American made crap...hate to say but American cars use parts made in China and other foreign countries which bolsters THOSE economies. The arguement that profits from Honda sales benefits Japan is just another American cop out to produce inferior products. I could see one bad car. But THREE in a row all from DIFFERENT dealers? Of course the dealers did not help matters, but one could not help feel that at some point they too were frustrated with crappy products. At Honda, none of that. I am sure the same feeling applies to Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, etc. who all produce very reliable cars. Again THREE GM cars in a row Timonator? Come on...reality check. GM is not what it once was. Hoover has nothing to do with the topic. Apples and oranges. I guess if someone held a gun to my head and forced me to purchase an American car (that is what it would take!), I would have to choose a Ford.

--Tom

 

[Timonator]

So Hoover 's Arent american made crap?

Tell that to the guy who buys one made in china for a third of the price at Wal-mart.. Tell me how this has nothing to do with american manufacturers..Justify or tell me how Hoover was poorly managed just like General Motors...Tell me how the tax payers dont pay YOUR salary when a levy doesnt pass because they have no Jobs! Tell me what are those Honda workers going to do when they retire? Tell me what they are manufacturing in Canton Ohio anymore? who's next? Go ahead finance the foreign countries and their companies and let them continue to take control of America. My only hope is im Dead before the day comes when a Nuclear warhead with the name "HONDA" on the side is pointed toward the USA . It could happen..Meanwhile I'll sit back and watch everyone complain about their American Made Products. Others who will praise them.Funny thing though Ive never counted but I know ive seen at least 1000 Aleros on the road and not one without a hood... they all seem to be stopping at intersections too..well most of them. Dyson seems to make a nice vacuum as well..After all They NEVER lose their suction...As Paul Harvey would say..."Good Day"

 

[beadsobleach]

GM

Had my 03 Impala for 130,000 miles with no problems, sold it for a good price. Bought a 05 Ford Focus, got 50,000 on it with no problems, tired of the knee-jerk, American cars suck, Japanese are perfect attitude, check the latest Consumer Reports on Camry and Tundra...

 

[oxydolfan1]

VF, I would steer clear of the Alero.

He fell in love with its looks and styling as well, but I watched his hair turn snow-white over the ten months he had it, before, in total exasperation, he swapped it out and "went Japanese"...

Of the cars you mentioned, the Honda Accord seems to be the most reliable, but Honda dealers seem to "drive a hard bargain" and that's why the Camry is a close second and seemingly more common and readily available.

The Hyundai Sonata seems to be a solid bargain as well...

Subarus with AWD are fabulous, particularly in cold climates!

Consider gas mileage carefully as well, since gas prices are poised to go through the roof...

Good Luck!

 

[hydralique]

Parts and Maintenance . . .

I can say that my sister's Mazda is much cheaper to service at the dealership than my VW. VW quality is very uneven, some are great while others aren't and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. Parts supply is pretty good at VW, they get parts in within a couple of days if it isn't in stock. I don't know about Mazda because the truck (built in New Jersey at the Ford plant) hasn't needed much aside from maintenance.

I'd stay far away from Chrysler products, especially anything from Jeep-Eagle. Their parts supply is just plain pitiful; they don't stock much for cars over 5 years old and aren't even embarrassed when a part for an older car takes weeks to get in, plus some of their parts manuals are just plain wrong.

One car worth thinking about for cheap reliability is the old Toyota Echo. It was an odd looking little car designed to sell for less than the Corolla, but it never met Toyota's expectations in the market. Ultimately they discontinued it here and replaced it with the Scion and Yaris. I drove a rented Echo all over Maui a few years ago and was very surprised at how well it drove. It wasn't big or plush, or a great choice for really high-speed driving (can't do that on Maui much anyway), but it had a very nice, delicate but well engineered feel much like an older Fiat. Most Echos were very basic (manual windows and such) and I'd guess they are less money than a Corolla or Civic, plus they are lighter and that really helps economy in town.

 

[frigilux]

Great video action! Boy, that machine just loves BobLoads®, doesn't it?

 

[foraloysius]

Thanks for the videos, they look awesome with a colorful load like this.

I am wondering, when it fills, does it stop every time when it adds more water or does it keep tumbling?

A Whirlpool Duet should hold the same amount of laundry, shouldn't it?

 

[stainfighter]

Subaru/Honda/Toyota

I know of Pp that have the 1999-04 vintage of Chevy Impala and both of them have not had major problems, just routine maintenance. We have several in our motor pool at work. For a larger sedan they have great mileage - abt 21 mpg city and 29/30 on the hwy...resale value is not strong but trying to find one that is in decent shape, hmm...
Personally, I own a '94 Honda Civic bought new, with 179K on the odo - has been just a great car. In the past year she has needed a new radiator and is getting ready for one CV joint but what would you expect for a 14 YR old car?! Years ago when in grad school I was real sad when Mom donated her Subaru Justy -was a Fantastic little car and really fun to drive! But, I shudder to think if it had been in an accident, very little metal to protect her - so it was for the best that I didn't get it. Have a friend with a '91 Toyota Corolla DX that is going great. Spend the $$ to have a trusted independent mechanic give the car you plan to buy a going-over. So many crooks out there that can make a car look and drive good enough for you to buy it then Murphy's law next month and BAAM!!! You're spending $$$ each month to fix stuff, no fun. Best of luck in your search!

 

[cuffs054]

I could be persuaded to part with my 1988 Yugo GVS or my 1968 Citroen 2CV for the right price. Oh, wait, you want something dependable...never mind.

 

[jons1077]

2003 Jetta

I did own a 2003 Jetta 1.8T and kept it for almost 5 years. I would say that, in general, I was quite lucky and got one with few problems. However, it did have quite a few recalls involving electrical components (i.e. heated seats). Being a turbo engine, it runs on premium fuel only (I found out right before driving it off the lot!). For a small sedan, I felt it didn't get good fuel economy either. It average around 20 mpg and that's really low in my books. Before I would consider a VW seriously read up on the reviews. Alot of VW for the US is manufactured in Mexico now and the quality is considerably lower than the German counterparts.

My Jetta began having problems stalling at random times (usually at startup, but would occur at highway speeds sometimes as well). I ended up trading it in for a Saturn Outlook and I really do like the Saturn. Good luck with your search and hope this helps!

Jon

 

[maytagmark]

The only GM product I would buy is something from their truck lineup,my boss has Silverado thats a few years old and it has 300,000 miles,the only thing thats gone wrong with it is the door hinges wore out, My '88 240 Volvo had 300,000 miles and was still running perfect,everything original except for normal wear items,the piller where the top door hinge attaches was rusting so I had to let it go,My '91 Jeep Cherokee has 140,000 miles,with no problems,the starter is just starting to act up but it is made by Mitsubishi,My favorite full size cars are Ford,Mercury and Lincoln,If I were in the market for a new small car it would be the Corolla,they look nice, from the back I can hardly tell it apart from the VW sedans,But with only 5000 cash I would look for the nicest Volvo I could find,preferably a wagon,so I could haul appliances. Mark