I hate car dealerships

[bzribee]

Did you consider the terrible paint job to be part of your good luck?

Funny!

It hasn't seem to have hurt!!!!

 

[Nick12]

I don't know if you meant only cars in particular, or vehicles in general. Problem is, I want to buy a car, nothing else. A brief look at the Big 3 reveals only about 4 or 5 American-made cars. None of which is the size/style I want.

I would prefer to buy an American car, and every time I buy a new car and try to find one I could live with, but have never been able to.

If you want to buy a car made in America, buy a Honda or Toyota.

 

[jazz4cash]

Does anyone purchase American made cars? It’s not the 1980. There quality is very good these days.

I do, but a pretty high percentage of foreign manufacturers have US assembly plants that produce for domestic and export customers. I would consider one of those next time I am in the market. The quality of all autos is so good that I am inclined to buy a 2-3 year old used car vs. a brand new one.

 

[folivier]

I only buy used cars. Just picked up a 2006 Lexus GX470 with 158,000 miles. Everything works, good maintenance records. The leather seats have some wear and the paint needs a good buffing and polish, otherwise it's in great condition. I'll probably get another 100,000 miles out of it. And only paid $8800.

 

[G8tr]

I only buy used cars. Just picked up a 2006 Lexus GX470 with 158,000 miles. Everything works, good maintenance records. The leather seats have some wear and the paint needs a good buffing and polish, otherwise it's in great condition. I'll probably get another 100,000 miles out of it. And only paid $8800.

I know someone who does this with used Lexuses (Lexi?). He is a mechanic and knows the various models inside and out. He buys them at 10+ years old, fixes their various mechanical issues, and has a good paint guy for repainting, then flips them to folks wanting a Lexus but can't afford new.

He's able to work on the cars at night in his day job garage. His employer is okay with it (and he pays a modest rent for the use of equipment and tools).

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Does anyone purchase American made cars? It’s not the 1980. There quality is very good these days.

"American made"...well, there a LOT of "foreign" cars that are made in America. Are you talking about AMERICAN companies, like GM and Ford? You know that a LARGE number of those components are NOT sourced or made in America. The customer service experience is what you buy these days...since most consumer grade cars are pretty much built with the same components.

As far as the auto start/stop, I know that the Ford vehicles can be "hacked" to disable this feature. There is some risk in hacking your vehicle's OS but it can be done. You can also enable many of the "options" that you didn't pay for but are installed.

 

[ncbill]

I've had great luck with new American "twins": A Chevy Nova that was identical to a Toyota Corolla; a Pontiac Vibe, a twin for a Toyota Matrix. So not fully American, though.

I keep cars ~20 years, 250,000 miles. My current Vibe is 13 years old, just 100,000 miles. The paint job was terrible--I"m considering having it repainted. I get notes on the car every few months--folks offering to buy it. I don't want to sell because I love the car (other than the paint) and it's a stick shift with very few electronics. It's so hard to find new stick shift cars. A benefit, though, is the stick shift cars I"ve found do NOT have all the gimmicky add-ons.

It's fun to watch young kids try to figure out how to (literally) roll down the windows, or lock the car door. All done by hand.

I take my vehicles to the local MAACO once I can't stand it anymore...usually when the clear coat starts peeling off...all mine live outside 24/7.

I get the mid-grade paint...good for 3-5 years in our mild climate...before it starts looking like primer.