Most Overprice Cars and trucks here in America!

[steve88]

20,000 miles a year for me, 8,000 for DW,which is why I have an Accord and DW has the minivan.........

My neighbor just sold his 7 series BMW, and I could have bought it for a song, but I wasn't crazy about premium gas and a V-8 engine,I guess I'm too cheap............

accord = head gasket, radiator, boot problem.

 

[FinanceDude]

accord = head gasket, radiator, boot problem.

What does 7 series =,besides $100 oil changes and electrical problems??

 

[FinanceDude]

The most interesting thing I have observed is that domestic models have the highest rebates, leading to the lowest resale, and they wonder why folks are going in droves to the imports, when all they had to do 15 years ago was make a more reliable car, and this problem could have been largely avoided. Here's an example:

Chevy pushes their Silverado and the Tahoe/Suburban models. Any wonder where the best reliability is for GM, it's in those models. Same with the Ford F150.

The difference is in Toyota and Honda and others, they keep the quality consistent from the lowest price to the highest price cars, and that's why GM and others keeps seeing market share erosion............

Which is more reliable a Chevy Cobalt or a Civic? How about a Ford Focus or a Corolla? Or a Neon versus a Nissan Sentra? Anybody here think the domestic product will last as long or have fewer problems? I didn't think so.........

 

[Texas Proud]

Want2Retire, take a close look at the Subaru when you move to Missouri. I am a huge fan and everyone drives them here in Colorado for the all-wheel-drive feature. They last forever too!

I have to admit that when I looked at the Subaru's at the auto show they looked pretty nice... they even had the new 2009 Forester which you could actually SIT inside and check it out... most of the others would only let you look at anything that was not already on the showroom floor...

 

[steve88]

The most interesting thing I have observed is that domestic models have the highest rebates, leading to the lowest resale, and they wonder why folks are going in droves to the imports, when all they had to do 15 years ago was make a more reliable car, and this problem could have been largely avoided. Here's an example:

Chevy pushes their Silverado and the Tahoe/Suburban models. Any wonder where the best reliability is for GM, it's in those models. Same with the Ford F150.

The difference is in Toyota and Honda and others, they keep the quality consistent from the lowest price to the highest price cars, and that's why GM and others keeps seeing market share erosion............

Which is more reliable a Chevy Cobalt or a Civic? How about a Ford Focus or a Corolla? Or a Neon versus a Nissan Sentra? Anybody here think the domestic product will last as long or have fewer problems? I didn't think so.........

toyota = oil sludge problem

 

[brewer12345]

I have to admit that when I looked at the Subaru's at the auto show they looked pretty nice... they even had the new 2009 Forester which you could actually SIT inside and check it out... most of the others would only let you look at anything that was not already on the showroom floor...

Interior have gotten a LOT nicer than my '03 vintage example. And there was never anything wrong with the rest of these cars.

 

[W2R]

Want2Retire, take a close look at the Subaru when you move to Missouri. I am a huge fan and everyone drives them here in Colorado for the all-wheel-drive feature. They last forever too!

When you buy an American car you are not necessarily supporting American workers. GM manufactures in 33 countries.
General Motors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also, the motorvehicle in third world countries is not the same as in the USA. Check out the new cheap car from India which will cost about $2000/USA. Tata Nano - world's cheapest new car is unveiled in India - Times Online
In Peru, I saw lots of moto taxis which are motorcycles outfitted with a cabin in which two passengers can sit, cheap and efficient for cities and countryside. They even carry luggage on the back. Why can't we have something similar here to save on energy?

Thanks! I'll look at the Subaru, too. They might be just right for me! I'll pass on the cheap car from India, though.

 

[W2R]

325,000 miles in 13 years? That's 25,000 miles per year. Do other people here put on those kinds of miles. Over the last 10 years i've averaged under 7,000 per year.

For the past seven years I have averaged 4,500 miles per year. I live a mile and a half from work, which helps a lot.

 

[aaronc879]

Thanks! I'll look at the Subaru, too. They might be just right for me! I'll pass on the cheap car from India, though.

I have a '04 Forester XT. The perfect car for me, i love it. I will probably have this car for at least another 10 years. Other than cable tv this is the one indulgence i've allowed myself. I'm referring to the XT version with the turbocharged engine and the lower gas mileage and premium feul that come with it. It's great for winter driving with the AWD. Mine has heated leather seats and a remote starter which make a huge difference when getting into the car at 5am after it's been sitting outside in freezing temps for 12 hours at work. It has good leg room for the driver which at 6'6" was a big factor for me. However it does take away from rear seat leg room. That wasn't a concern for me though. It's the perfect mix of safe winter driving but fun summer driving with the turbo and the 20 inch sunroof. I baby it most of the time but i am only 28 and still like to have alittle fun. It's nice to be stopped at a red light next to a "ricer" in a civic. He has a cold air intake and a cat back exhaust and thinks he's the $hit. The look on his face when I destroy him off the light is priceless. Like I said i usually baby it and keep the rpm's under 3000 but it's nice to know you have the power if you want it or need it. Again, in my opinion, it's the perfect all around vehicle.

 

[mathjak107]

What does 7 series =,besides $100 oil changes and electrical problems??

its like trying to describe the color orange to a blind man. just try driving it and you will see.theres no way to describe the feel of some of these hi end cars without actually driving them. i never drove a 7 series but i own a 3 series and the handling is absolutely superb no matter what the speed. most reliable vehicle i had yet to boot. having bought a 2nd home recently in pennsylvania and living in nyc we commute every weekend. theres nothing i owned so far that compares to driving the 3 series on those interstates.


oil changes are expensive because you are dealing with an engine that takes 8 quarts of synthetic oil. its only changed once a year because of the massive filtration system but all that is included with mine anyway. i get rid of them every 4years and get a new one. for now until i retire im a bit of an auto buff.

 

[Orchidflower]

Want2Retire: I think they have buried the Solara, and aren't making it anymore. I, too, have one and love it. I hated having to check 4 doors to see if they were locked, and the Solara having 2 doors was right up my alley. Too bad.
By the way, agree: loved hatchbacks, too!

mountaintosea: What is your trick to get a car to last for 325,000 miles I am so in awe. How do you do it

 

[W2R]

Want2Retire: I think they have buried the Solara, and aren't making it anymore. I, too, have one and love it. I hated having to check 4 doors to see if they were locked, and the Solara having 2 doors was right up my alley. Too bad.
By the way, agree: loved hatchbacks, too!

Orchidflower, where did you hear that? The reason I ask is that just last week, my Toyota dealer sent me a flyer advertising the 2008 Camry Solara, which is also on Edmunds.com at 2008 Toyota Camry Solara Pricing and Information

If they stop making it before 2010, I'll be disappointed! But then probably I will look into the Subaru Forester, and other Toyota models such as the Camry, Highlander, and Rav4.

 

[Orchidflower]

You know...I cannot remember. I just remember being disappointed, because I bought a new Solara and bought my son a used one (quite by chance I got the best deal on a used car on a Solara, but any well made car would have done).
I'm sold so far on Toyota, since I am now on my 4th one!
Glad to know that someone gave me the wrong information.

 

[Boynton]

So if america's car industry is going "stinko" as you put it, it is because people choose not to buy their products. People think they are not worth the cost, do not have the features they want, feel they are ugly... etc. Want the america auto industry to be as successful as the japanese auto industry? Probably not going to happen. The standard of living in Japan is MUCH lower then it is here in america, that means worker in Japan are WILLING to work for much less than their american counterparts.

Your response begs these questions: Are middle-class Americans experiencing growth in personal income in recent years anywhere near annual increases since the mid-1950's? In 10-20 years, will our economy be capable of sustaining our accustomed standard of living for the middle-class?

It seems to me that our recent addiction to borrowed money, by the federal government as well as by consumers, says something about the reality of our present situation: We're running on empty.

The American middle-class UNWILLINGLY accepts downsizing, foreign outsourcing, pay cuts, and unemployment/underemployment simply because they have little or no recourse.

Maybe there IS a Tata in America's future. Besides, how bad could it be to return to a REAL conservative lifestyle.

Music please..... "drive your Tata away in the USA, America's the greatest land of all....."

BDK

 

[FinanceDude]

its like trying to describe the color orange to a blind man. just try driving it and you will see.theres no way to describe the feel of some of these hi end cars without actually driving them. i never drove a 7 series but i own a 3 series and the handling is absolutely superb no matter what the speed. most reliable vehicle i had yet to boot. having bought a 2nd home recently in pennsylvania and living in nyc we commute every weekend. theres nothing i owned so far that compares to driving the 3 series on those interstates.


oil changes are expensive because you are dealing with an engine that takes 8 quarts of synthetic oil. its only changed once a year because of the massive filtration system but all that is included with mine anyway. i get rid of them every 4years and get a new one. for now until i retire im a bit of an auto buff.

I've driven high end cars but never owned one. One of my attorney friends has a Mercedes E55, that is one nice ride. It's a heavy car, but the V-8 makes it fly, you can do 80mph and it feels like 40 mph.

I'll take you word at it. I have heard the 3 series is the most reliable of the BMW's. To me, the 3 series is too small. I like the 5 series, you don't see as many of them around........

I guess I was raised a GM guy and have migrated to Honda because GM has pissed me off too much. I bought 6 new GM cars over a 22 year period, and only ONE didn't have big problems.

Maybe I'll have a BMW someday, and I am sure they'll be around when I am ready. The big thing I notice about high end cars is the depreciation curve is very steep the first 3 years, steeper than the "lesser imports". You must lease your BMW's, or you're taking a pretty heavy bath every 4 years.......

 

[Boynton]

You're on the right track, but

I guess I was raised a GM guy and have migrated to Honda because GM has pissed me off too much. I bought 6 new GM cars over a 22 year period, and only ONE didn't have big problems.

Maybe I'll have a BMW someday, and I am sure they'll be around when I am ready. The big thing I notice about high end cars is the depreciation curve is very steep the first 3 years, steeper than the "lesser imports". You must lease your BMW's, or you're taking a pretty heavy bath every 4 years.......

Stay with your Honda, preferably an Accord EX. We bought our last one, a 1997 EX with only 30,000 miles in 2004, after our 1991 Accord EX finally rusted away with only 235,000 miles in 13 years. Could have kept it much longer if we didn't live in the northeast.

This car is engineered to drive in the $30,000 and above class. It just doesn't cost as much, especially if you allow someone else to eat most of the initial depreciation.

TCO -- infinitesimal!

BDK

 

[FinanceDude]

Stay with your Honda, preferably an Accord EX. We bought our last one, a 1997 EX with only 30,000 miles in 2004, after our 1991 Accord EX finally rusted away with only 235,000 miles in 13 years. Could have kept it much longer if we didn't live in the northeast.

This car is engineered to drive in the $30,000 and above class. It just doesn't cost as much, especially if you allow someone else to eat most of the initial depreciation.

TCO -- infinitesimal!

BDK

I drive a decent amount, about 20K a year. I have had my 2003 EX sedan 4 cylinder for two years, and have had NO issues. I don't count maintenance as issues.........

Let's see, I got a new battery a couple months ago and just put new tires on. That sounds pretty normal to me. I average 28.7mpg in mixed driving, get 32-35 on the highway, and I'm happy with that, considering my SUV got 17.........

 

[Boynton]

I drive a decent amount, about 20K a year. I have had my 2003 EX sedan 4 cylinder for two years, and have had NO issues. I don't count maintenance as issues.........

Let's see, I got a new battery a couple months ago and just put new tires on. That sounds pretty normal to me. I average 28.7mpg in mixed driving, get 32-35 on the highway, and I'm happy with that, considering my SUV got 17.........

Your gas mileage numbers are almost identical to mine -- same engine. My departed '91 and my current '97 qualify with your description -- NO issues.
I didn't/don't pamper my EX. It gets regular maintenance - nothing special. The integrity of the handling and ride on my '91 barely changed over 13 years.

The '91 was a 5-speed stick which added 1-2 more mpg. Remarkably, I never had to replace the clutch in 235,000 miles of driving, although it was getting close when the flatbed arrived to take it to the junk yard after 13 years.

To be sure, I had CV joints replaced a couple of times and the timing belt replaced at about 150,000 miles (MTBF was indicated to be 90,000). The muffler shop got tired of seeing me, although they did make some money replacing exhaust pipes a few times. Brakes lasted a long time with the 5-speed. But all that is expected wear and tear.

I get skeptical looks when I tell this story, but there's a "Hall of Fame" board at the local Honda dealership with many cars lasting many more miles than mine.

We have two grown kids and the only cars they've owned have been Hondas.

They are truly amazing.

 

[FinanceDude]

Your gas mileage numbers are almost identical to mine -- same engine. My departed '91 and my current '97 qualify with your description -- NO issues.
I didn't/don't pamper my EX. It gets regular maintenance - nothing special. They just keep on going. The integrity of the handling and the ride on my '91 barely changed over 13 years.

The '91 was a 5-speed stick which added 1-2 more mpg. Remarkably, I never had to replace the clutch in 235,000 miles of driving, although it was getting close when the flatbed arrived to take it to the junk yard after 13 years.

To be sure, I had CV joints replaced a couple of times and the timing belt replaced at about 150,000 miles (MTBF was indicated to be 90,000). The muffler shop got tired of seeing me, although they did make some money replacing exhaust pipes a few times. Brakes lasted a long time with the 5-speed. But all that is expected wear and tear.

I get skeptical looks when I tell this story, but there's a "Hall of Fame" board at the local Honda dealership with many cars lasting many more miles than mine.

We have two grown kids and the only cars they've owned have been Hondas.

They are truly amazing.

I am probably cursed, because I just told DW I am going to drive this one to 200,000 miles. I have never owned a car over 130,000 miles in my life.....

 

[mathjak107]

I've driven high end cars but never owned one. One of my attorney friends has a Mercedes E55, that is one nice ride. It's a heavy car, but the V-8 makes it fly, you can do 80mph and it feels like 40 mph.

I'll take you word at it. I have heard the 3 series is the most reliable of the BMW's. To me, the 3 series is too small. I like the 5 series, you don't see as many of them around........

I guess I was raised a GM guy and have migrated to Honda because GM has pissed me off too much. I bought 6 new GM cars over a 22 year period, and only ONE didn't have big problems.

be I'll have a BMW someday, and I am sure they'll be around when I am ready. The big thing I notice about high end cars is the depreciation curve is very steep the first 3 years, steeper than the "lesser imports". You must lease your BMW's, or you're taking a pretty heavy bath every 4 years.......

actually i have the x3 which is the crossover. its got more than enough room to lug all our camping and hunting gear as well as 2 road bikes when we want to go biking ...

yes the best deal for us is a lease, every 39 months we enjoy getting a new car. of course when we pull the plug and retire that will come to an end and we will have to stop that luxury

what made this lease so attractive was the extremely high residual value which brought the lease price way down. compared to my nissan xterra for 20 bucks a month more the bmw is a far more expensive and superior vehicle and most important included all maintaince for free right down to the windshield wipers.

in the 4 years i owned the xterra the factory services were killers . i think i could have got a 5 series from bmw once the services on the nissan were figured in.

 

[rs0460a]

of course when we pull the plug and retire that will come to an end and we will have to stop that luxury

Please explain this comment. If you have a budget and have the lease as part of the budet, why can you not continue to lease in retirement?

I'm retired and as part of my "retirement budget", maintain a $500/mo "car payment". In fact, I just purchased a car, paying cash (from my MM retirement cash holdings), and am "repaying myself" every month from my budget, as planned. This will rebuild my MM account, which can be used in the future to buy "other toys".

Maybe I'm different, but I planned to "disburse" (e.g. pay myself) 100% of my net salary during my working years, in retirement via my various retirement income sources. Since I retired last year, that plan has worked, and continues.

- Ron

 

[mathjak107]

your absoluetly right. if it fits in the budget and you want it then do it.

the answere is not being retired yet, and not knowing exactley what are expenses will be in a few years when we permanetly relocate our first goal is to cut expenses as much as we can only because we are scared of the unknown. we tend to think we may stop some of our more wilder spending that we do as my wife and i are sooooo bad with all our hobbies. we think nothing of buying 4000 dollar road bikes, and just this year spent 5,000 bucks on all our camera gear. we are enjoying ourselves as much as we can right now not knowing what tomorrow brings.

 

[FinanceDude]

your absoluetly right. if it fits in the budget and you want it then do it.

the answere is not being retired yet, and not knowing exactley what are expenses will be in a few years when we permanetly relocate our first goal is to cut expenses as much as we can only because we are scared of the unknown. we tend to think we may stop some of our more wilder spending that we do as my wife and i are sooooo bad with all our hobbies. we think nothing of buying 4000 dollar road bikes, and just this year spent 5,000 bucks on all our camera gear. we are enjoying ourselves as much as we can right now not knowing what tomorrow brings.

That's excellent, and probably some LBYM in the past has allowed you to enjoy stuff like that. $4000 for ONE road bike or TWO? Anyway, I had a Cannondale crit bike back in 1989, and I paid $900 for that........ Of course, my Gary Fisher mountain bike, well that was $2200.......so I can relate. When I quit biking a lot, I sold all that stuff and bought a hybrid Trek with the highest end Shimano I could find, and the bike is now almost 10 years old but runs like a Swiss watch........

BTW, my dad is in his 70's and leases Dodge Ram Pickups every 2-3 years, he doesn't care because he can afford it and it likes the fact he gets free maintenance and no out of pocket issues.

 

[mathjak107]

nope each bike. we are avid cyclist and one of the first things we promised ourselves if we could afford it was a pair of klein road bikes