Cars , Cars and more Cars for the car guys

[Texas Proud]

have you looked at vehicle ratings on any actual automotive sites, like car and driver, motortrend, edmunds, etc?

IMO people hang their hats way too much on CR

When i look, I look at a number of sites... I do not see a lot of inconsistent ratings...

You also have to remember that the mags also take into account driving etc... not just reliability... so they can rate a car high even if it will break down on a regular basis... they also do not have long term ratings... CR does... and a car can be good for the first few years and then drop like a rock... that is what I had heard about BMW and Audi... maybe they have changed...

 

[Breedlove]

Did you see the lawsuit in Hawaii . Somehow a Subaru dealer is selling Subaru's with soy wire coatings . I had a Saab years ago and it had Soy coated wiring .. Once it went bad it went bad .

Lots of Europeon cars used the Soy coatings on wiring years ago . Once the rodents got a hold of it

I believe Lexus and BMW had this problem also .

 

[Breedlove]

Kind of funny how things are handled Kia / Hyundai ..a car I think are really good produced a potential 1.2 million bad engines . Engines with metal shavings not good in todays close tolerance world .
Hyundai / Kia's answer is to guarantee the engine for 120,000 miles top to bottom.

 

[ncbill]

Well, "poor power" is not the same as a mechanical flaw or a too common breakdown of a part that should be reliable. If you took the vehicle for a test drive and it had adequate power then it's a non-issue...it's no different than finding the seat comfortable or not comfortable.

No kidding.

I'm looking at a "underpowered" Subaru Crosstrek as a replacement for the 20 year old, 200,000 (city) miles Subaru my kid's currently driving.

Underpowered seems like a plus for a teen driver...

 

[Big_Hitter]

No kidding.

I'm looking at a "underpowered" Subaru Crosstrek as a replacement for the 20 year old, 200,000 (city) miles Subaru my kid's currently driving.

Underpowered seems like a plus for a teen driver...

that model is really hurting for a turbo option, as is the BRZ

 

[Breedlove]

Really funny an old shade tree mechanic once told me . I don't know why they build little engines with turbos. Why not just build bigger engines . Couldn't convice him of the weight savings . Of course he brought up the heat the turbos put on the engine and how turbos sometimes have problems . I used to have a Volvo with a turbo . I liked it .

 

[pb4uski]

This is a retired snowbird couple; they've got the Subie and a minivan, so neither vehicle sees a lot of miles or harsh winter use. As for maintenance, the wife drove the car with an underinflated tire and "had a blowout"; hubby decided to replace all four even though the set still had some life because AWD. The tire shop could have been a factor, I dunno.

Probably an anomaly or the tire shop... we have had two Subarus (since 2011) and lived in snow country until we started snowbirding two years ago and haven't even had a lug come off hard... talk about breaking. DS had one prior to that and DSIL has one and no broken lugs with their cars either.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Really funny an old shade tree mechanic once told me . I don't know why they build little engines with turbos. Why not just build bigger engines . Couldn't convice him of the weight savings . Of course he brought up the heat the turbos put on the engine and how turbos sometimes have problems . I used to have a Volvo with a turbo . I liked it .

efficiency and power - a turbocharged inline 4 dsm will easily make more power than a blown sbc

 

[CRLLS]

Really funny an old shade tree mechanic once told me . I don't know why they build little engines with turbos. Why not just build bigger engines . Couldn't convice him of the weight savings . Of course he brought up the heat the turbos put on the engine and how turbos sometimes have problems . I used to have a Volvo with a turbo . I liked it .

It doesn't need to be one or the other, why not bigger engines with turbo/supercharger?

Mentioned weight savings for sure but don't ignore that, unless you are running wide open, the bigger engines have higher pumping losses at cruise.

 

[ncbill]

Really funny an old shade tree mechanic once told me . I don't know why they build little engines with turbos. Why not just build bigger engines . Couldn't convice him of the weight savings . Of course he brought up the heat the turbos put on the engine and how turbos sometimes have problems . I used to have a Volvo with a turbo . I liked it .

In the past turbo longevity was only a fraction of the engine's longevity.

Newer turbo designs are supposed to be better but Ford has already had longevity "issues" with its new Ecoboost engines.

The above matters to people like me who keep vehicles for 200,000 miles...

 

[38Chevy454]

A turbocharger is a wear and maintenance item, just like other moving parts of an engine. Turbo does not last forever, but new ones are pretty good. Biggest problem is the heat and the bearings. Turbos spin at very high rpm (50-100,000) when making full boost, so any wear and subsequent play in the bearings can cause trouble quick.

I don't have any gas engines with turbo, but do have 3 diesel engines with them. Diesels and turbos go together well, especially since the engines are heavier duty designs. Not that a gas engine is a reliability concern with a turbo. Just remember a turbo needs good oil and does have a periodic replacement interval.

 

[ncbill]

A turbocharger is a wear and maintenance item, just like other moving parts of an engine. Turbo does not last forever, but new ones are pretty good. Biggest problem is the heat and the bearings. Turbos spin at very high rpm (50-100,000) when making full boost, so any wear and subsequent play in the bearings can cause trouble quick.

I don't have any gas engines with turbo, but do have 3 diesel engines with them. Diesels and turbos go together well, especially since the engines are heavier duty designs. Not that a gas engine is a reliability concern with a turbo. Just remember a turbo needs good oil and does have a periodic replacement interval.

If I can get 200,000 miles out of a 20 year old naturally-aspirated engine why should I accept any less out of a new vehicle?

A hybrid power train would likely be more reliable over the same period (e.g. Prius)

 

[pb4uski]

I dunno... we have had 3 turbocharged cars in the last 20 years and no problems at all... and boy, are they fun to drive. That said, we never keep cars for 200k miles.... 125k or so a most.

DD's Saab turbo car gave up the ghost between 125-150k miles... but nothing to do with the turbo... other high mileage car issues.

 

[Big_Hitter]

let's see, i've had one, two, three, four turbo cars now and have never had one single problem with the turbo going out

of course i do things like change the oil frequently and remove banjo bolt filters and stuff too....

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Turbo cars do have a big advantage at high altitude. They can climb a mountain grade with ease where NA cars struggle. If I lived in the Rockies I wouldn't be without one.

 

[gerntz]

It doesn't need to be one or the other, why not bigger engines with turbo/supercharger?

That's what my new Q50 has. Uses lot of gas too. Buying oil stocks.

 

[cj1717]

If you buy used with anything over 100k on the odometer I would suggest a Toyota or Honda

+1 or a Mazda

I would avoid Fiat 500 ......research owner satisfaction./.....always at the bottom

 

[Gotadimple]

Are there downsides to owning a hybrid? Thinking my next car will be a hybrid as I do a lot of in-town driving with longer road trips for fun. Not thinking Prius specifically, but with so many models now available as hybrids, there has been plenty of experience to discover the downsides.

-Rita

 

[cj1717]

We are on our 2nd Prius. Love them. Quality is outstanding. Never an issue with either one.

They do have a price premium, but get 55 mpg. Best suited to 40-45 mph for best economy, but do well on highway also.

Highly recommend.

GL!

 

[aja8888]

Are there downsides to owning a hybrid? Thinking my next car will be a hybrid as I do a lot of in-town driving with longer road trips for fun. Not thinking Prius specifically, but with so many models now available as hybrids, there has been plenty of experience to discover the downsides.

-Rita

Generally, the additional premium you pay for the hybrid technology is difficult to recover with savings in fuel costs. There are examples of these calculations all over the internet if you search.

 

[travelover]

Are there downsides to owning a hybrid? Thinking my next car will be a hybrid as I do a lot of in-town driving with longer road trips for fun. Not thinking Prius specifically, but with so many models now available as hybrids, there has been plenty of experience to discover the downsides.

-Rita

I had an Escape hybrid for ten years. The problems I had with it were not hybrid related. A few things I worried about were whether I could get it repaired on a road trip in the middle of nowhere and the price of a few unique parts, like the $4500 electric brake module. These issues never came to pass, but I worried about them. Also, it had a much lower towing capacity than the gas model, so if you ever tow - even a moving UHaul trailer, that is a drawback. Concerns about batteries seems to have been overblown.

I did not replace it with another hybrid due to towing capacity that I now need, but beyond that I'd be open to another hybrid.

 

[mpeirce]

let's see, i've had one, two, three, four turbo cars now and have never had one single problem with the turbo going out

Yeah, these things got really reliable.

In the 80's a friend got a turbo and he religiously let it "cool down" for a minute before turning off the engine.

Both our cars turbos these days and one has a start/stop system so it turns off the engine at every light. No cool down there!

 

[aja8888]

With today's turbochargers, it's really just about the proper lubrication of the turbo shaft. Plus, in today's turbocharged gasoline powered cars that don't make crazy HP, boost pressures and exhaust gas temperatures are not that high.

 

[Gotadimple]

I had an Escape hybrid for ten years. The problems I had with it were not hybrid related. A few things I worried about were whether I could get it repaired on a road trip in the middle of nowhere and the price of a few unique parts, like the $4500 electric brake module. These issues never came to pass, but I worried about them. Also, it had a much lower towing capacity than the gas model, so if you ever tow - even a moving UHaul trailer, that is a drawback. Concerns about batteries seems to have been overblown.

I did not replace it with another hybrid due to towing capacity that I now need, but beyond that I'd be open to another hybrid.

Thanks, Travelover. This is what I was looking for specifically - physical issues rather than the cost differential and pay-back time. I think the cost differential has dropped significantly and with plenty of used hybrids available, payback is not the concern it once was.

- Rita

 

[Bamaman]

Are there downsides to owning a hybrid? Thinking my next car will be a hybrid as I do a lot of in-town driving with longer road trips for fun. Not thinking Prius specifically, but with so many models now available as hybrids, there has been plenty of experience to discover the downsides.-Rita

Toyota has sold many more hybrids than any other manufacturer. With other midsize cars getting such good fuel mileage, I question whether I will ever recover the $4k hybrid option on our 2018 Camry. We are getting 52 mpg in town and 48.5 mpg on interstate driving.

The Toyota hybrids are not troublesome and are very durable. Mine is a whole new generation hybrid system, gas engine and battery system. And it runs 0-60 on in 7.5:seconds.

Hybrid owners treat their cars differently. And dealers often never see the cars again after the sale day. Owners often pass the cars to their kids, and they seem to always buy another.

The battery packs seem to last longer than most owners will own tne cars. And there is a new cottage industry in big cities rebuilding battery packs for hybrids. When there are issues, changing 4-5 small batteries solve the issue out of maybe 48 batteries in the battery pack. The batteries never all fail at once.