If you were buying a car today...

[al_bundy]

about $1.80

still insane that people would pay that much for a used car out of warranty rather than a new fuel efficient car

[brewer12345]

My rental car on this trip is a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. After driving it since Saturday morning, we have been wondering why on earth these pieces of Chrysler were so popular. Same size as my minivan, but with less cargo room and one less row of seats. The huge V8 strains to get up to highway speeds (WTF?) and guzzles the dead dinosaurs like its 1999. And the thing feels so top heavy I keep wondering if we will flip when taking corners at 15MPH. What on earth were all the idiots buying these things thinking?

[al_bundy]

i drove one around 10 years ago. someone gave it to me so i can make a BK run for them and myself. even then i thought you had to be crazy to spend $30,000 or more for that piece of junk. i'm 6' and i thought it was too small

remember now. 1997 or 1998 was a huge snowstorm in NYC and other parts of the northeast. and we had a few big storms for the next 5-6 years. everyone with AWD or 4WD had no trouble so everyone spent all that money to drive to work in the snow. after a few years the people that follow the herd did it for no other reason than everyone else had an SUV

[Patrick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 What on earth were all the idiots buying these things thinking?

Oooh, Jeep. Oooh, 4-wheel drive. Oooh, off-road capability that I'll never use. Yeaaaaaah!

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick Oooh, Jeep. Oooh, 4-wheel drive. Oooh, off-road capability that I'll never use. Yeaaaaaah!

Probably. Having said all that, there is a VW parked in front of MIL's house that has a huge, smug, self-righteous sticker indicating that it is run on vegetable oil that I long to ram with the 5000# monstrosity. "I am older and I have more insurance."

[Finance Dave]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bright eyed Is there a car that gets good mileage (over 30mpg) and is about the size of the mazda 5? I saw one and it's a great size, but same mpg as my pilot so not worth the loss in size or horses... can someone ask toyota to make a prius that looks more like the mazda 5? the highlander is too big...(and expensive!)

May I ask whey you like the Prius? About how many miles do you drive per year?

The reason I ask is that the additional up-front cost of a Prius is high enough that most drivers will not recover the cost for at least 5 years. Of course if you drive 25,000 miles a year, it might be worth it.

I think hybrids are a poor solution to our problems today with oil dependency. I had a 1992 Honda Civic VX wagon that got 38 MPG city and 41 highway, and remember that was 16 years ago!

We don't need expensive hybrids to get good fuel mileage. We need an American public willing to drive cars that are smaller, with fewer amenities, and people that drive more sensibly. It makes me laugh when I see Prius owners accelerating hard between stoplights. They pay thousands more for a car that is supposed to get good mileage, then they drive in a way that severely decreases their fuel mileage.

I'm not saying hybrids are bad, or that hybrid owners are bad...just that hybrids are a marginal solution at best. I'm more looking forward to the Hydrogen fuel cell revolution...that will be a real step up from where we are today.

As a side note, I'm an auto enthusiast and was an auto mechanic for about 8 years in the '80s.

Dave

[samclem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finance Dave May I ask whey you like the Prius? . . . I'm more looking forward to the Hydrogen fuel cell revolution...that will be a real step up from where we are today.

May I ask why you are in favor of hydrogen? It isn't an energy source, it is only an energy transfer medium (like electricity). And, as an energy transfer medium, it is terrible. Compared to electricity, it is more expensive to produce (cleanly), harder/more dangerous/more expensive to transport and store, and harder to use.

The Hydrogen Hoax.

[bright eyed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finance Dave May I ask whey you like the Prius? About how many miles do you drive per year? The reason I ask is that the additional up-front cost of a Prius is high enough that most drivers will not recover the cost for at least 5 years. Of course if you drive 25,000 miles a year, it might be worth it. I think hybrids are a poor solution to our problems today with oil dependency. I had a 1992 Honda Civic VX wagon that got 38 MPG city and 41 highway, and remember that was 16 years ago! We don't need expensive hybrids to get good fuel mileage. We need an American public willing to drive cars that are smaller, with fewer amenities, and people that drive more sensibly. It makes me laugh when I see Prius owners accelerating hard between stoplights. They pay thousands more for a car that is supposed to get good mileage, then they drive in a way that severely decreases their fuel mileage. I'm not saying hybrids are bad, or that hybrid owners are bad...just that hybrids are a marginal solution at best. I'm more looking forward to the Hydrogen fuel cell revolution...that will be a real step up from where we are today. As a side note, I'm an auto enthusiast and was an auto mechanic for about 8 years in the '80s. Dave

I like the size, the style/amenities, reliability and the mileage. There are few other cars that i know of that have the efficient cabin space of the prius for the size of the car. Very open to alternatives i should be looking at.

As i mentioned above, the Mazda 5 looks pretty groovy in terms of size/cabin, but lacking in the mpg (i drive mostly city miles not highway).

The price is high, but whatever car I buy, i'd like to keep for at least 10 years so i'd rather by a higher mpg car now which may look low in 5-10 years (i hope). We're driving about 15k per year now but that's also because we're trying to conserve because of our lease limit on miles.

I haven't gone into "crunch" mode yet on considering what to buy - so once i do a serious crunch i could totally change my mind!

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bright eyed I like the size, the style/amenities, reliability and the mileage. There are few other cars that i know of that have the efficient cabin space of the prius for the size of the car. Very open to alternatives i should be looking at. As i mentioned above, the Mazda 5 looks pretty groovy in terms of size/cabin, but lacking in the mpg (i drive mostly city miles not highway). The price is high, but whatever car I buy, i'd like to keep for at least 10 years so i'd rather by a higher mpg car now which may look low in 5-10 years (i hope). We're driving about 15k per year now but that's also because we're trying to conserve because of our lease limit on miles. I haven't gone into "crunch" mode yet on considering what to buy - so once i do a serious crunch i could totally change my mind!

Wait for the Honda Stream to hit the US shores:

[jclarksnakes]

We rented a Toyota Rav for our Yellowstone and Grand Teton vacation. I was very impressed with the vehicle.
Jeff

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jclarksnakes We rented a Toyota Rav for our Yellowstone and Grand Teton vacation. I was very impressed with the vehicle. Jeff

I rented a Rav4 for my Arizona trip, it was a nice vehicle to take up to Roosevelt Dam............

I am going to Yellowstone next year, but we are driving. I guess I'm going to have to "suffer" with my 2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L with DVD and navigation system.............

[al_bundy]

i know someone with a RAV4

i like it. it's a little rough and there is no leather option but it's pretty good. My wife likes the CR-V more

[Notmuchlonger]

I thought this looked cool. I have no idea if its junk or not just sayen..

http://www.dodge.com/en/2009/journey/

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notmuchlonger I thought this looked cool. I have no idea if its junk or not just sayen.. http://www.dodge.com/en/2009/journey/

Junk...........

[Notmuchlonger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude Junk...........

Darn

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We've got two rav4's in the family, a 2001 and a 2004. Other than the sunroof in the 2001 being the worst piece of junk every installed on any vehicle ever, we've had no trouble with either and they're a great combination of size, space and economy. The rear seats come out completely, making it a great dog mobile. I've moved washers and dryer's in it. Gets around 23-24mpg in mixed driving, 27-28 on the highway.

[bright eyed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude Wait for the Honda Stream to hit the US shores:

OMG smaller than an odyssey but larger than the mazda 5? And it might come in a hybrid? I think I'm getting dizzy...just hope it makes its way over here in time...do you know when we can get confirmation of landing? I saw some articles say late 2009...which would mean I might have to extend my lease a few months?

i test drove an odyssey and it was way too huge for me to drive around daily...this would be my dream car?! just wondering what the price tag will be?

Edit: Edmunds says between $18-$23k...

[Ronstar]

I've had a 95, 98 and now a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Its true they have little room and sh#tty gas mileage, but I frequently go off road, sometimes through heavy snow, yet sometimes travel into the city. So the Grand Cherokee is perfect for me and I can't wait to get a new one when mine craps out at 200,000 miles plus.

[kumquat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar I've had a 95, 98 and now a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Its true they have little room and sh#tty gas mileage, but I frequently go off road, sometimes through heavy snow, yet sometimes travel into the city. So the Grand Cherokee is perfect for me and I can't wait to get a new one when mine craps out at 200,000 miles plus.

Granted, their mileage ain't great, but we drove a 1992 GC from Whitehorse to Inuvik in June. 370km between gas stations, problem free (other than tires). GC had approx 375,000 Km. on it when we left.

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kumquat Granted, their mileage ain't great, but we drove a 1992 GC from Whitehorse to Inuvik in June. 370km between gas stations, problem free (other than tires). GC had approx 375,000 Km. on it when we left.

That could have qualified you as an Ice Road Trucker