"This is such a great car..."

[Buckeye]

At some point, I will have to purchase another vehicle but I am dreading it. I love my current vehicle (2002 Volvo S60, DH has a 2006 Hyundai Sonata) but I don't think they 'make them like that anymore' so I don't know that I would purchase a more recent used Volvo (bought mine in 2005 for $16k).

Does anyone have a vehicle that makes them say, "This is such a great car, I wish I could drive it forever!"?

I like some of the creature comforts (and I get them at a reasonable price in a used car), but extraordinary performance is not a requirement. I love a quiet ride.

 

[aja8888]

The last one I recall feeling that way was when I had my 1965 Corvette Stingray roadster. But that's not today. Today, my 2006 VW Jetta diesel almost fits that bill, but it's an individual thing, buying cars.

Most folks here buy Honda's and Toyota's and other similar economy cars, and are not generally "car people".

Sorry I can't be of much help. You need to express your desires in a car (sporty, economical, like big cars, like the new Fiat, prefer automatic transmission, etc). That way you may get some focused responses.

 

[clifp]

Well if you want a super quiet ride, lots of creature comforts, zero maintenance, low operating cost, safer than Volvo and car that is just a joy to drive.. Look no further than Telsamotor.com

Ok I know they are crazy expensive and the company could go bankrupt (but then so did Chrysler and GM, and Toyota is struggling now).

But if you have a few years before you need a new I really think the the $40K Model E will be a game changer.

 

[chilkoot]

I am still quite happy with my 2008 Infiniti G37 coupe, though I do look back fondly on my '92 Honda Prelude. Then I remind myself that it's a 20 something year old car now, with all accompanying problems.

 

[Midpack]

Does anyone have a vehicle that makes them say, "This is such a great car, I wish I could drive it forever!"?

So far we've had a Plymouth, a Ford, a Corvette, a BMW, 4 Hondas, 3 Toyotas, a Nissan, a Volvo, a Mercedes and an Audi - all of them were good cars, none made us and we wouldn't have wanted to drive any of them forever. Oddly in the context of this thread, the Volvo was the worst and the Audi was the best (reliable but outrageous when maintenance required, wouldn't buy another). But my days of being enamored with cars, once strong, ended quite a while ago. I just want safe, reliable, efficient transportation with basic comforts.

 

[Buckeye]

The last one I recall feeling that way was when I had my 1965 Corvette Stingray roadster. But that's not today. Today, my 2006 VW Jetta diesel almost fits that bill, but it's an individual thing, buying cars.

Most folks here buy Honda's and Toyota's and other similar economy cars, and are not generally "car people".

Sorry I can't be of much help. You need to express your desires in a car (sporty, economical, like big cars, like the new Fiat, prefer automatic transmission, etc). That way you may get some focused responses.

I've been thinking that a Volkswagon might be a possibility. It would remind me of my Volvo. I think they are more reliable than they used to be. Seems like Volkswagen owners used to have lots of problems.

 

[Buckeye]

I just want safe, reliable, efficient transportation with basic comforts.

+1 (with maybe a little more than basic comforts)

 

[aja8888]

I've been thinking that a Volkswagon might be a possibility. It would remind me of my Volvo. I think they are more reliable than they used to be. Seems like Volkswagen owners used to have lots of problems.

They are a good quality car these days and the new Passat is made in the new Tennessee plant. I've had a lot of cars through the years and seem to be settling in on a Euro car for the build quality and driving feel. I would stay away from BMW or Mercedes as the service costs are very high.

There are lots of good choices, but in the end, it's what feels good for you. If you have a chance, take a look at the new Passat.

 

[Dash man]

I drive a 2007 Acura TL Type S that I love. It has about 46K miles on it, so it has a long way to go before I wear it out. It had one maintenance issue, the A/C, that was fixed under warranty, but has otherwise been a gem. The later model Acura TL models I'm not a fan of, but the 2007 looks good, is sporty enough, is very reliable and fun to drive.

 

[Major Tom]

Does anyone have a vehicle that makes them say, "This is such a great car, I wish I could drive it forever!"?

I felt that way about my motorcycle, a Yamaha Maxim 700. Not what most people would think of as a classic model but as a young man, I felt free and invincible on that bike.

Unfortunately I wasn't and now have arthritis as a result of a spill that turned my knee into hamburger meat, but I had such fun on it!

 

[Arifriekinel]

Our 2004 Honda Accord was a dream at 170k miles. It's reliable, good looking, and bigger on the inside. We drove it from the Atlantic Ocean in Jacksonville, FL straight to the Pacific in Los Angeles, CA, and back, with no troubles.

Unfortunately while it was stopped at a red light recently, a man not paying attention plowed into the back of it and smashed it into the car ahead. The front and back are demolished, but boyfriend who was driving is unscathed. We aren't sure what to do next. It's very hard to pull us away from the Accord. It has just been so ideal for us.

 

[RunningBum]

I love both my 04 Pilot and 97 Miata and can't justify replacing them but sometimes I wish they'd give me an excuse to get something new or newer! I also had an 86 Integra like that until I got T-boned.

 

[Buckeye]

Our 2004 Honda Accord was a dream at 170k miles. It's reliable, good looking, and bigger on the inside. We drove it from the Atlantic Ocean in Jacksonville, FL straight to the Pacific in Los Angeles, CA, and back, with no troubles.

Unfortunately while it was stopped at a red light recently, a man not paying attention plowed into the back of it and smashed it into the car ahead. The front and back are demolished, but boyfriend who was driving is unscathed. We aren't sure what to do next. It's very hard to pull us away from the Accord. It has just been so ideal for us.

The possibility of this happening is always in the back of my mind. We have high insurance rates for a reason. This is part of my motivation for having a little bit of an idea of where to go look when the time comes.

 

[Buckeye]

I drive a 2007 Acura TL Type S that I love. It has about 46K miles on it, so it has a long way to go before I wear it out. It had one maintenance issue, the A/C, that was fixed under warranty, but has otherwise been a gem. The later model Acura TL models I'm not a fan of, but the 2007 looks good, is sporty enough, is very reliable and fun to drive.

I traded a used 1997 TL (which I loved) for the used Volvo when we moved back to OH (before we moved back to FL). I wanted a car that would be safer in a t-bone accident, the kind of accident that often happens out in the country. Crash worthiness is also a major concern here in FL.

 

[Dash man]

Our 2004 Honda Accord was a dream at 170k miles. It's reliable, good looking, and bigger on the inside. We drove it from the Atlantic Ocean in Jacksonville, FL straight to the Pacific in Los Angeles, CA, and back, with no troubles.

Unfortunately while it was stopped at a red light recently, a man not paying attention plowed into the back of it and smashed it into the car ahead. The front and back are demolished, but boyfriend who was driving is unscathed. We aren't sure what to do next. It's very hard to pull us away from the Accord. It has just been so ideal for us.

Ten years ago My DW had a similar accident with her 2000 Accord, we went out and bought a brand new 2004 accord because it had protected her so well. We recently passed it down to our son, but it was a great car.

 

[Hermit]

I love both my 04 Pilot and 97 Miata and can't justify replacing them but sometimes I wish they'd give me an excuse to get something new or newer! I also had an 86 Integra like that until I got T-boned.

I have a similar setup with a 2013 Jeep Wrangler and a 2004 Audi TT. Its a good setup for the mountains. I have been very impressed with the Audi mechanically and I have never had such a comfortable sports car. The Jeep is fun, comfortable, and goes places other vehicles just can't (its a Rubicon). So far no maintenance issues on it either, but I bought it with the assumption there would be more maintenance than on most cars. Had a Honda Odyssey up in the mountains for a summer and the roads tore it up pretty bad.

 

[Midpack]

As the OP mentioned it, I always consult Consumer Reports for reliability. Some of the "quality" cars cited above have not fared well in CR FWIW...

 

[Newventurer]

We found ourselves in the market for a new car as the snow and ice on the steep hilly terrain made our current vehicles pretty useless. We were looking for an all wheel drive car and found the Subaru Crosstrek. We have fallen in love with this little car. We call it el blanco burro for the way it gets up the hills even on snow an ice. The gas mileage is close to 30 in mixed city and highway driving. Can't say that we would have looked at it if the all wheel drive wasn't a 'have to' but we are very pleased we found it. We got a 2013 (the '14s were on the showroom floor and had almost no changes to the '13 model) and they gave us .9% for 60 months.

Good luck, there are many great cars out there.

 

[Walt34]

We are liking the 2014 Honda Accord Sport we just bought, but at only 3 months and 2400 miles it is way too early to know about maintenance issues. CR thinks highly of them and their crash test results are impressive.

If it matters to you I think the speakers for the radio are mediocre at best but those are easily replaced.

 

[Ronstar]

I have a 2001 corvette / 2009 F150 combo that I'm very happy with. The corvette is fun to drive and the f150 is very practical. Goes anywhere, hauls my kayak, bike, wood for projects, etc. the perfect hobby enabler.

 

[Zathras]

Well if you want a super quiet ride, lots of creature comforts, zero maintenance, low operating cost, safer than Volvo and car that is just a joy to drive.. Look no further than Telsamotor.com

Ok I know they are crazy expensive and the company could go bankrupt (but then so did Chrysler and GM, and Toyota is struggling now).

But if you have a few years before you need a new I really think the the $40K Model E will be a game changer.

Couldn't agree more.
While many of our cars served us well, I never was so impressed with a car that I was unable to identify any other car that was as good.

Long term reliability is unknown. Safety is better than any other car out there. And the smoothness and silence is profound.

 

[ERhoosier]

IMHO- Mid-sized sedans have been the sweet-spot of US market for some time. Best range of features/options for the price, reliable, efficient, and (except for hybrids) common enough to be serviced almost anywhere. My '10 Altima (4cyl SL) has been trouble-free for 4+yrs, rides quiet, handles great, accelerates like 6cyl's of 10 yrs ago, & consistently gives 27+mpg city/suburbs and 33-34 hwy @ 70(+)mph. Camry, Accord, Sonanta, and Fusion are also very good choices. Malibu's are OK too, but not a big fan of recent VW Passat as quality seems to have dropped from prev generation.

 

[ls99]

Two of my current three wheels are keepers. 95 Jag XJ6 and 99 Suburban 7.4 litre. 98 pickup 4x4 is a winter beater.

 

[mpeirce]

We had been doing great with our old LBYMs cars until last year.

The low mileage 1998 Toyota Camry got rear ended last summer while sitting at a stop light. Totaled the car, but luckily DS went unscathed. Crumple zones and airbags are your friend!

And while we still have our 2003 Nissan Murano, it's, well, showing its age and we'd like to replace it this year or next.

So last year we broke the bank (actually, we had been setting aside virtual money aside into a car fund for some time...) and bought a Mercedes E 250.

My son and I are tall, so many similar cars simply lacked the head and leg room we need.

I had three criteria for the car: comfort, safety, and decent mileage.

The comfort was 100% there in the E.

We got all the techie safety add ons - Attention Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Distronic Plus with Steering Assist (cruise control as it should be!), even Adaptive High-Beam assist. Even to an old techie like myself, these systems are pretty impressive. And as I get a "little" older, maybe they'll keep me from ending up in a ditch some day ;-)

We got the new AWD twin-turbo "new tech" diesel I-4 which gets 27/42/32 mpg. Since it has a large fuel tank, on trips we just fill up as we leave in the morning and go all day - it goes 800 miles without a refill. We actually get about 40 mpg cruising the interstates doing 80 and in the low 30's mpg around town. Nice.

After picking it up in Germany (driving a new car all around Europe makes for a really fun trip - and we're retired, we have the time for it) and already driving it to the west coast and Florida, it's proving to be as great a road trip car as we had hoped.

A bit of an indulgence, but very nice after for driving a sensible Toyota Camry for 15 years ;-)

Now we need to decide how to replace the Murano. We need something to haul mulch and such. And the kids are all grown up, so we're thinking something slightly smaller - Honda CRV or Nissan Rogue maybe. Hard to say...

P.S. We did look at the Tesla briefly. Very nice, but we were surprised that it actually lagged in some of the tech we cared about. It just doesn't have all the assist systems that Mercedes offers.

 

[Larro Darro]

I'm really happy with my '13 Camry. It has a quieter ride than the DW's '05 Prius, plus a big trunk, and still gets 33 mpg. It has plenty of power for passing. In fact, I have to use the cruise control or I would be doing 80 on the way to work.

The sound system isn't the top of the line one they offer, but it is still very good quality. I use my mp3 player with it quite a bit. And if I ever get roped into owning a smart phone, it has blue tooth connectivity, too. I like that all the controls, {not just sound, but ac, etc..} are on the steering wheel.

Larro