OT - thinking about a new vehicle - suggestions/opinions?

[pasadena]

All I own are german cars.

The best, smartest engineering that is designed to last forever?
Toyota. Hands down.

Originally Posted by zap

edit



Our 21 year old +200K mile MB would shrug and say whatever if it could. Extremely reliable. Our repair folder from new is extremely thin, regular maintenance, front suspension bushings (once) and an ac compressor went kaput 4 years ago.

Cheapest car we've owned.

We have two other reliable MB's but they are too new at 12 and 5 years old.

Bottom line, it depends. Personally I wouldn't touch any BMW or Audi. Some MB's are also problematic initially but once sorted should last a long time.

[fmradio516]

My grandpa had a 1987 MB 300TD(Since new) that had over 400k miles on it. It was the best running car in the family and never had any major issues besides around the middle of its life, need some regular suspension work(dont remember what exactly). A few years ago, he brought it in for a rattle and they found that the winter salt completely rotted out the shock towers mounts. He had to junk it. I guess thats what you get for driving through NY winters and dont take it to get the undercarriage washed/rinsed regularly.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by Mzilliox

im gonna jump in this thread instead of start new and i hope thats ok, and my input adds value. I just test drove a subabru outback, 2016 top end model. the road noise was surprising. i kept checking to make sure the doors were all the way closed. is this normal for subarus? the car was on a ford lot, so the salesman simply said, yeah, all subarus are really noisy, im not sure why we sell so many.

A great deal of road noise is caused by tires and there can be a huge difference in the amount of noise generated by tire A vs. tire B. Generally the more aggressive/knobby the tread the more noise. OTOH sometimes seemingly similar tires will vary in noise level more than you would guess from looking at them. Tire Rack tests always rate tires for noise so checking there is a good idea. Some tires get noisier as they age so that may be part of the problem with a used car too.

[pasadena]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

My grandpa had a 1987 MB 300TD(Since new) that had over 400k miles on it. It was the best running car in the family and never had any major issues besides around the middle of its life, need some regular suspension work(dont remember what exactly). A few years ago, he brought it in for a rattle and they found that the winter salt completely rotted out the shock towers mounts. He had to junk it. I guess thats what you get for driving through NY winters and dont take it to get the undercarriage washed/rinsed regularly.

Anything pre-1994 Mercedes is amazingly well engineered and truly designed to last a million miles
Those old diesels are indestructible

[wasfast]

Originally Posted by pasadena

All I own are german cars.

The best, smartest engineering that is designed to last forever?
Toyota. Hands down.

It's difficult to make high level brand recommendations as all of them have had issues of some sort. I have a 2008 Scion tC, 127K miles currently. It burns oil like no tomorrow (and has since 40K miles) and it's a factory issue. They lost a class action lawsuit over it. Bad piston rings. 3 sets of front struts, the transmission intermittently won't shift to high on the freeway, plenty of road noise and just about anything plastic breaks it seems.......I like Toyota's but this car has been a turd.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by pasadena

All I own are german cars.

The best, smartest engineering that is designed to last forever?
Toyota. Hands down.

All I own are german cars too...

I refuse to die of boredom while driving a Toyota!

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by zap

Bottom line, it depends. Personally I wouldn't touch any BMW or Audi. Some MB's are also problematic initially but once sorted should last a long time.

I briefly had a '93 W124 diesel. Stupid things broke on that car which were not fixable -- taillight cluster @ $200, for example. Very different ergonomics than other german cars, and it couldn't move under its own power in snow, with new Nokian snows...

So I went back to Audi. Similar year Audis were better thought out, both mechanically and ergonomically. Seemed to be a generation more advanced for
similar production years.

All four of my Audis have 100K or more miles. I like to buy them at about 100K...depreciation curve has flattened out, initial mechanical and electrical bugs have been addressed.

[BikeNY]

Sounds like you have a pretty good handle on your options. There are pros and cons to all of the options, and then of course there's always the chance of getting a lemon even with Honda and Toyota.

A VW TDI wagon will get great fuel economy and have lots of room, but expensive parts and maintenance. The Diesel engine itself should last forever, but everything else is a gamble.

A Prius is a safe but uninspiring option. Great fuel economy around town and decent highway. Toyota quality.

How about a Mazda 6 wagon? Probably falls somewhere between the above 2 concerning fuel economy and repair costs.

It's obviously a gamble, as you never know how the car was treated by the previous owner(s) and what issues may be hiding. The safest option if you really want to keep costs down is to keep the current car running. Not very exciting, I know...

Edit: In your situation, I don't think AWD makes sense. FWD and a good set of snow tires will get you anywhere you need to go. The added upfront expense, increased maintenance costs, and decreased fuel economy are not worth it.

[jbreebs]

I'll check out the mazda 6 wagon as well, thanks for the suggestion. I think agree with most of the opinions here that AWD isn't worth it, which likely rules out the Subaru and Volvo (haven't heard much from anyone on the volvo front). I think a newer honda or toyota may be the ticket. Anyone have knowledge on their smaller suv's (rav4, cr-v?)? Not 100% sure I'm sold on the Fit, though I should probably take one for a test drive before I judge it.

As fun as a miata might be, it just doesn't have the space I need. I do too many things that require taking lots of bulky stuff with me.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by jbreebs

I'll check out the mazda 6 wagon as well, thanks for the suggestion. I think agree with most of the opinions here that AWD isn't worth it, which likely rules out the Subaru and Volvo (haven't heard much from anyone on the volvo front). I think a newer honda or toyota may be the ticket. Anyone have knowledge on their smaller suv's (rav4, cr-v?)? Not 100% sure I'm sold on the Fit, though I should probably take one for a test drive before I judge it.

The Mazda6 Wagon is reputed to be a very fine vehicle - but unfortunately, it hasn't been available in the US for about a decade. If you are looking for cross-over SUV, Mazda has a good one in the CX-5, which is based on the Mazda 3/6 platform.

[Hawker]

I drove a Mazda 6 for a week the first year they were available. It was a wonderful car, I loved it. Initial reviews were great but I'm not sure what they are saying about the used ones at this point.

Nice thing about this car is nice handling (more Accord-like than Camry), perky even with the smaller motor and very excellent gas milage. Only thing I'm not sure of is bike carrying capacity?

[cmg]

It would be hard to use the word reliable and Audi in the same sentence. just saying....

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by FriarQuade

You need a Miata, that's always the answer to a car question.

If we're going to talk sports cars: S2000

If we're going to talk sports sedans: 330i or 328i If you're somewhat handy with a wrench, there's all kinds of support for the older BMWs online and on the BMW specific forums. This car is an 04 X3 with a 6MT that's been pretty good overall. Had I known about some of the 'gotchas' before time was up, I don't think I would've had to do some of the repairs I've had to do.

Last car was an 02 328i. Probably one of the last 'driver's cars' that don't have all the gizmos or computers to go wrong.

Parts ARE more, but the cars are (were) built really well. ..and the driving experience! Oh my!

My Dad always told me to buy something top of the line and 1-owner if possible. That 1st owner has probably cared for the car better than a less expensive car.

HTH

M

[BikeNY]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

The Mazda6 Wagon is reputed to be a very fine vehicle - but unfortunately, it hasn't been available in the US for about a decade. If you are looking for cross-over SUV, Mazda has a good one in the CX-5, which is based on the Mazda 3/6 platform.

That's exactly why I suggested it, he's looking for cars older than 10 years!

[pasadena]

Originally Posted by jbreebs

I'll check out the mazda 6 wagon as well, thanks for the suggestion. I think agree with most of the opinions here that AWD isn't worth it, which likely rules out the Subaru and Volvo (haven't heard much from anyone on the volvo front). I think a newer honda or toyota may be the ticket. Anyone have knowledge on their smaller suv's (rav4, cr-v?)? Not 100% sure I'm sold on the Fit, though I should probably take one for a test drive before I judge it.

As fun as a miata might be, it just doesn't have the space I need. I do too many things that require taking lots of bulky stuff with me.

Rav4 and Crv are perennial best picks for used cars. However, they are popular so you will pay more.
The 07-15 Scion Xb is a very roomy and practical compact. If you like the funky style, it's a good pick.

For your budget, I think the Camry is still a great pick. Big pool to choose from and you can pick up a good, lower mileage one.