anyone owne these cars? (looking for owner opinions)

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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...
 
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!
 
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.
 
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!
 
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
 
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
 
From Chryslers To Saturns

My first car was given to me by my mother--her old 1966 Chrysler Newport hardtop. The transmission leaked; it overheated; the power windows didn't work--but it ran and ran until I sold it to the junkyard and bought a 1974 Dodge Monaco. Sold that and bought my first new car--a 1982 Nissan Sentra. Over the years (both good and bad) I owned a 1986 Ford Escort; 1982 Ford Granada and (a car I loved) a 1993 Escort. When the automatic seat belts went out on the Escort (and I was told it would cost $500 to fix), I was about to buy a Ford Focus. But I was treated poorly and walked out of the dealership, determined to buy a Toyota Corolla.
It didn't happen.
Several friends of mine bragged about their Saturns, so I went to the Saturn dealer and ended up with a 1990 SL1 sedan. I loved that car--good on gas, reliable and comfortable. Several years later, I got a good deal on a brand-new 2004 Ion, and traded my trusty SL1 in. Another good car--and God help me, last October, the dealer gave me another good deal on the last of the Ions. I am now driving a 2007 Ion 3 with the rare 2.4 liter engine--I understand only five percent of Ions built that year have them. I'm a very happy camper, and I will keep my all-black Ion (spoiler too) for years to come.
In my experience, I have found both American and imported cars to be reasonably reliable--and today's cars are far more trustworthy than their predecessors. I'm neither pro-American or anti import (whatever that means these days in the wake of NAFTA and globalization). Sometimes, you just stumble into ownership and come out a winner. I did.
 
I would look at Honda, Toyota, or Nissan. They all seem to be very reliable. I drove my dad's 1990 Nissan Pulsar for a few years in college and I had only one problem with it: the timing chain went out at about 90,000 miles. I got the car with 65,000 miles on it and it still had the original fuel filter and air cleaner in it. The only thing my dad serviced was the oil. I had to replace the front struts too - he drove it HARD. The timing chain issue can be partly attributed to my dad's poor care of the car before loaning it to me. I decided to replace the chain myself - big learning curve but I did it. I loved that car but had to give it back so Dad could trade it in towards an Explorer. I'm not familiar with Subaru, I just remember a college buddy had one in 1993 and it needed an ignition part that was very expensive.

For American cars, I tend to favor Ford. Having said this, the only two newer cars I have ever owned are a '99 Saturn and a '98 Olds 88, so I don't know how good the new Fords are. I bought the Saturn new and only had it for a year before it was totalled (women drivers!). It never gave me any problems. I bought the '98 Olds form my boss' inlaws 3 years ago for the good gas mileage - it had 35,000 miles on it. 10 days after buying it, on May 31, the intake manifold cracked and dumped the engine coolant into the cylinders. I knew the mechanic and got a discount, but it cost $600. The problem? poor design - an exhaust bypass was improperly insulated and melted the plastic intake. On June 1, GM posted a recall on these and I was re-imbursed for the towing and repair. This recall was 6 years after the car was manufactured. The automatic traction control is currently giving some problems, which disables the antilock feature on the brakes. But the brakes work anyway (like old brakes - no antilock) so I haven't investigated too far yet - it can be costly.

I have several FOMOCO and GM classic cars ranging from 1957 to 1978. I am always having to fix something on the GM cars, only rarely on the Ford products.
 
Timonator...

I must have hit a nerve here. These are only my experiences. No Hoover is not an American made machine anymore since you want to bring this into it. They are made in CHINA and everyone knows it. Purchase a Hoover and you support the Chinese economy. What we as Americans have to realize is that we are a global economy. Capitalism works. I am going to buy the best product I can. I would rather spend a few more dollars and get a decent car (one that won't fall apart like those crappy GM cars and trucks) and one that will be worth something at trade in time. Have you ever shopped for a USED Honda? They are pricey! Ever shopped for used Chevy? Probably a good car but much much less expensive for a reason. Why don't you email Marysville Honda and tell the workers down there that their company supports Japan? You know those thousands of workers at the state of the art car plant that build those flawless Honda cars? You know those well paid employees that pay taxes and have medical coverage? You know those American workers who support their families and local economy from the sale of Honda Accords? Those same Accords that are rated the BEST family sedan in AMERICA? How can we say that Honda supports Japan when it does so much for the families right here in OHIO? Last time I taught my third graders about geography, Ohio is far from Japan.

Oh...if you want, I can mail you copies of all of the work that was done on my Alero. I have all of the receipts for the car. If you will pay postage, I will send it to you. It is rather thick so I hope that you can afford the postage because I will be more than happy to send it to you. You know I can't afford that on my teacher's salary since they have not passed a levy in my district!

Do some research...the dyson does lose suction. Check the court records of the lawsuits filed against the company. I won't go into that since you are not a vac guy. You just would not understand.

--Tom Anderson
 
My family has been GM buyers for as long as I can remember, but I can't ever remember them having any particularly serious problems with them. Sure, they may have silly stuff breaks on them, like a light burning out in the dashboard, or a doorhandle breaking, but I never remember them leaving us stranded, or racking up big repair bills.

Mom owned an older honda, and it wasn't a bad car either...it broke DIFFERENT things than the GM vehicles, but I cannot say it was no better or worse.

I am suprised nobody has said anything about the SAAB 900 he mentioned. I currently own a 1990 model, and have not found it expensive at all to keep running. Parts for this car, although more expensive than American vehicles, are no more expensive than for a typical Japanese vehicle. The BIG thing to watch out for with SAAB 900's are shops that DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING! They WILL charge big money to repair the car because they don't know what they are doing, and run up excessive labor charges trying to figure out what to do. A knowledgable mechanic can repair a SAAB no more or less expensive than any other car. I perform many of the maintenance tasks for this car myself, and they are not particularly hard to work on really.

One thing to remember, if you don't like GM cars, don't get a SAAB built after 1994. That's when they went to a GM design, and the design is totally different. From what I have heard, these vehicle have had some reliablitiy issues, primarly because they were a half-breed between genuine SAAB engineering, and GM engineering, and it didn't merge together well!

One last important thi
 
The machine slowly rotates the drum while it fills initially, just like the Fisher Paykel washers. If it needs to add water after it has begun tumbling, it simply keeps on tumbling and adds water until it thinks it has enough!

You'd think a Whirlpool Duet would hold more laundry actually, my dad's Duet is rated at 3.8 cubic feet, the Neptune TL is rated at 3.5 cubic feet. However, the Neptune TL uses a LOT more water than my dad's Duet so the laundry is weighed down with a lot more water making it able to hold and clean much much more than the Duet.

The lid switch is bypassed using 2 very very strong magnets, it's incredibly picky about the magnet placement however, and sometime takes me 2 or 3 tries to make it happy.(I'll post a pic shortly.) Just a word of caution, when it fills the lid either needs to be closed or the water jets diverted down into the tub, otherwise, it will spray water pretty much everywhere BUT the tub!
 
Here's the pics of the safety switch magnets, you have to be careful of the little cream colored tabs that pop out, those need to pop out or it will just beep at you. I've had happen a couple times where only one of the tabs pops out, which is fine cuz it doesn't seem to care, but that may just be a fault on my machine. The magnets need to be placed just right, it's very picky!!!
 
Interesting but

Some good points made by all but it all boils down to this THE Global ECONOMY is obviously NOT working here in OHIO..The other thing is One bad apple doesnt spoil the whole bunch! All cars including imports have problems! I was in the auto biz for 20 years and not for GM !We could argue this point for decades you responded EXACTLY the way I knew you would but..even tho JAPAN is a Long way from america doesnt mean we need to finance their schools and economy and who knows what else. AND...despite lawsuits that GM and DYSON have as you say there are MILLIONS of happy owners..Go figure
 
I tried too !

But At least I can look a retired HOOVER employee in the eye and say..GEESH I support american made products Im sorry about what happened to Hoover But Im Doing my part NOT to let it happen to other american companies. And btw I dont own a dyson Nor would I For the simple fact its not american made! Is it better? Ask the millions of americans who pay $400 Dollar for them! As the guy who used to work at Hoover? Ask him if he drives a Honda? Im sure youll find one. And as a governement employee I can say to my co workers well..How can you expect a levy to pass when theres noone working around here? Meanwhile..in Japan the economy is flourishing
 
USA made Hondas

an interesting thing I noticed about older Hondas is that they had some problems until they were built in the USA. Older Japanese Hondas typically rusted out badly, had really poor automatic transmissions, and the AC / climate control systems were cantankerous and troublesome. The cars also weren't geared properly for American highway driving, and the seats and such were too small for American drivers.

Now, for all you you all that remembers in the eighties when Honda started building in Marysville Ohio, that's when they obtained their good reputation. This reputation was earned because not only was Honda building the cars here, they were also ENGINEERING the cars here for the American market! The Americans always knew how to build a good, reliable automatic transmission, and if you were going to build cars for the US market, they had to have automatics...Honda obliged and built a rock-solid 4-speed automatic for their Accord. Same holds true for their air conditioning systems. The Americans built ice-cold air conditioners. Japan-designed AC units got warm when the car was stopped, or if it was driven too slow, and don't count on that AC system lasting any longer than 5 years either! It doesn't get that hot in Japan...go figure. American-Hondas however have pretty impressive air condioners in them. many of which still have their original charge that are 10 years or older.

Honda was also to fix all the other little minor engineering issues that made the vehicles more palatable for Americans, like gearing them for slower rev's at highway speeds, building in longer legroom for American drivers, and using coatings that withstood the more caustic road clearing chemicals we use, as well as the climate extremes. American-Hondas don't have the rust issues, or the interior issues like the old Japanese ones did either. Hondas are truly purpose-built American designed, American built cars, and when you buy one you are benefiting Americans.

Hondas are good, well engineered cars, but I am not going to put them on some holier-than-thau pedestal though. They will break, they are mechanical, and no piece of machinery is perfect. As far as my own experience goes, I have had good cars from American-managed companies, and from Honda, both of which which I can honestly say are good cars. I consider both the Honda and the Chevies to be "American" cars because they were not only built here, but designed for the American market. Both vehicles broke things when they got age on them, and they both required maintenance, but neither one had ever left me or my family stranded, or racked up any major repair bills.

Let's leave it at that guys, there are good vehicles, and there are bad vehicles from both companies on both sides of the pond. If it's made in America, chances are, it's a good vehicle. Americans know how to build cars no matter if their paycheck comes from GM or from Honda, or Toyota!
 
old enough!

Actually Im old enough LOL! To remember when EVERY honda I think it was called a CVCC was recalled here in Ohio due to severe rust problems specifically in the front undercariage At first they replaced Front fenders then eventually recalled the whole car. I also remember aspens and volares having the front fenders replaced for rust as well. And some of the earlier 70's Fords were terrible for rust but they used Japaneese steel ...Go figure! But the point I continue to try to make is that just because you have a bad experience with one car doesnt make the rest bad. Doesnt matter who makes it! And when I look at some of the great old cars of the 50's and 60's your sure dont see anything japaneese standing out in the crowd there! Theres nothing like a 57 Ford or Chevy! And back in the good Ole days Cars changed and a Ford looked like a Ford..A Chevy looked like a chevy..and so on . Today all these "Throw away" Accords, Camrys, sonatas, all look the same to me! I miss the day when you actually looked at a car and said Dayum...I gotta have one of those Thats the best looking car ive ever seen!
 
Timonator...sounds like you need to modernize your thinking! The world will pass you buy and from the sounds of it very quickly.

My experiences are true and only have happened to me. All I can share is what truly happened to me. I dearly love the two classic GM cars that I drive in the summer months. However, no amount of badgering will get me to change my mind and run out with the rest of the sheep to buy crappy GM cars. I have had THREE new GM pieces of shit...that is more than a coincidence. (I guess I am pretty slow since it took three BAD cars for me to switch to Honda!) I think for myself and it has worked for me in my life. I believe soundly in capitalism....the best product for the money. Do some research and you will see for yourself. Like I said I am going to happily Honda and Hoover my way through life. Life is grand. In life we have differences of opinions...that is ok. I am quite happy working in my district. There are great families that I serve everyday. I also have worked for the Hoover Company. I regularly see the employees as I have many friends who worked there. They are great folks whom I admire a lot. They have not had easy times. And yes, the folks at Hoover drove Hondas, Jags, Mercedes, Kias, etc. Who cares? I can only share my personal experiences with others like Vacuumfreeke. I will try to persuade folks away from GM if at all possible when looking for a new car. But I can only do this from my own personal experiences, nothing else. If you choose to take offense...well that is your problem. Like I said maybe life has passed you by with your outdated thinking. Best of luck to you.

Vacuumfreake

As to why I responded originally, I would recommend staying away from the Alero. I can only recommend the Honda because I have had such good luck with mine. Have you read any reviews on the cars in question? If nothing else, try the Yahoo auto reviews. It is free! I do hope that you get a good deal on the car of your CHOICE. I am sure you will make the CHOICE that is right for you. That is what is great about America...choices. Best of luck to you.

--Tom
 
There is no end

Outdated thinking??? Yea right! Come on now! I see your views as "Double Standards" which is cool we live in a free country but Dont Whine about the demise of Hoover and Drive a HONDA and brag about it In that case BUY a DYSON the rest of America does! If you Truly Beleived in american enterprise and you had a bad experience with GM you would have chosen another American made car..Like I said earlier in my "outdated" Thinking in OHIO...The global economy is NOT working you must admit that! I respect your views and will refrain from responding further. As far as the original question "what Car to buy"? Buy what makes you happy a good deal is a state of mind..If you THINK you got a good deal you probably did!
 
I would avoid the VW

I think the Honda is the way to go. I have two friends with VW's and they seem to be expensive problem after expensive problem. One has an 04 Jetta that has tons of electrical issues and another has an 05 Passat and she has gotten stuck with a few $1,000 + repairs. I did notice in Consumer Reports (a publication that I don't have much trust in) but they did have the VW on the bottom of the reliability list for what it's worth. I'm on my first Honda and have been very impressed with the car and the service given by the Honda dealer when I take it in for Scheduled Maint.
 
I work for a M A J O R tow company in the United States. You get what you pay for. Trying to save a buck on a $5000.00 car it is very likely things will go wrong with it. Things you can't see. Bad transmission,bad computer,bad electronics,bad fuel pumps. All will leave you stranded on the road,waiting for a tow truck,with out transportation,having to spend money on repairs,rent a car,and wondering if it was fixed right. There are some exceptions. Actually finding that little old lady from Pasadena who has the 1968 buick with all the maintenance records. Good luck!
 
Hondas and others

Good cars, I really miss my '84 Honda CRX HF. That car got 60 mpg, and was so much fun to drive. It was my first new car. I have also had an AMC Hornet. That car was still running strong when the body rusted off the frame. A real VW bug, not the warmest car in an Ohio winter. A couple of Datsuns. A Geo Metro, a Suzuki in disguise. Bought my second new car in 2002, a brand new Ford Focus ZX5. We felt really good about buying an American car. And was really surprised (and a little p.o.'d) to find the sticker "Assembled in Mexico" when the car was delivered. Oh well, guess that's globalization for you. Anyway the Ford Focus has been a good car, it has 175,00 miles on it. I expect to get 200,00+ on it. It's been a good ride so far. You may want to consider a used Focus.
 
A $5000.00 Honda will break down! I would not consider this a "reliable" car. More calls for newer and older Honda's than you would expect. Lots of calls for Fords,Chrysler,GM,VW. Less calls for Toyota's,Subaru,Mitsubishi,Nissan. The older the car,no matter what brand,the more likely for mechanical breakdown. A newer car is less likely for mechanical breakdown.
 
Pay for the name OR pay for the tow,repair,rent a car,and TIME.

Pay for zero miles on a new car OR pay for the tow,repair,rent a car,and TIME.

Pay for the intrest on the loan OR pay for the tow,repair,rent a car,and TIME.

Pay for maintenance OR pay for tow,repair,rent a car,and TIME.

YOUR GONNA PAY.... New car,intrest loan,low maintanence,reliability OR Old car,high maintence,mechanical break downs,tow,repairs,rent a car and TIME.

EITHER ONE YOUR GONNA PAY. WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT TO PAY FOR?

INTREST LOAN AND NAME ON A RELIABLE NEW CAR OR HIGH MAINTANENCE,TOWS,REPAIRS,RENT A CAR AND T I M E?
 
I chose new car,reliable name brand,low maintanence,intrest loan. I drive a 2008 Toyota Prius. No break downs for me. No tows for me,no rent a cars for me. No lost time dealing with a broken down car for me. No stuck on the side of the freeway for 1 hour waiting for a tow. Bonus = lower gas bill for me 'cause I got a Hybrid. Yes,I still PAY.

Jim
 
thanks!

Wow, I'm surprised at the amount of responses I got. I am actually looking at a different car that I hadn't considered before. An 01 Nissan Altima. It is in my price range and has most of the features I want (tilt, cruise, power windows)... the only thing it lacks that I want is a gearshift indicator display on the dash. I like that feature, and if I get an Altima will just have to go without it. I do not like the way the back of the car looks, but the front and interior are fine for me. I know several people who have had Nissans and they swear by them. If I wanted to pay cash for an Accord or Camry I'd have to get a mid-ninties model and I'd like something a little newer. I now 5000 isn't a lot to spend for a car, but I've been driving 500 dollar cars for the last 7 years so this really will be an upgrade for me. The best car I ever had was a 1990 Toyota Camry. It had 150,000 miles on it when I bought it for 400 dollars. I had it for two years and in that time put another 150,000 miles on it. I drive it to work and school, and to my ex once or twice a week who lived 70 miles away for two years. Then one night, some people here illegally from Mexico ran a stop sign (in an 87 Ford LTD Crown Vic) and smashed into me as I was going down the road. Their excuse was, "I sorry, I no looky, I no peaka English." It turned out that they didn't have insurance, or even a license and they were driving a car that wasn't even theirs! But, on that car, the A/C, cruise control, and all the power windows still worked. I never did anything to that car except oil changes and tires. It never left me stranded, and I miss it very much. Definitely a great car.

I still haven't made the final decision yet, but I'm having fun looking. It's kind of a frustrating process as well, but the first time I get in my "new" car and know this is the one for me, it will be worth it.

Thanks for your advice, and I welcome any additional comments :o)
 

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