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Car advice? Want combo of good mileage/price/maintenance
Old 07-11-2018, 01:26 PM   #41
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Car advice? Want combo of good mileage/price/maintenance

OK, here's my car advice for a combo of good mileage/price/maintenance:

1. Look at all the cars on your short list.
2. Toss out the ones that do not say "Toyota" on them anywhere.
3. Buy the Toyota and smile because they generally have a great repair record, too.

Bear in mind that I haven't had any of the cars you are thinking of, but I am pretty biased because I do like my Toyota a lot.
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Old 07-11-2018, 01:44 PM   #42
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Originally Posted by W2R View Post
OK, here's my car advice for a combo of good mileage/price/maintenance:

1. Look at all the cars on your short list.
2. Toss out the ones that do not say "Toyota" on them anywhere.
3. Buy the Toyota and smile because they generally have a great repair record, too.

Bear in mind that I haven't had any of the cars you are thinking of, but I am pretty biased because I do like my Toyota a lot.
LOL! Nothing like biased opinions!

BTW, most modern cars are equally as well built and efficient these days!

(Take this from one who is driving 21 year old pickup truck! )
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Old 07-11-2018, 02:40 PM   #43
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Such interesting advice - thank you! I added Kia, Prius, and Suburus to the list to check out too.

More data:
my husband and I aren’t tall people, just statistically average. (5’4 and 5’9).
My new job has a free plug in station for electric cars. Bonus is those spots are right up front next to the handicapped spots. :-)
It’s unlikely this car would go on any road trips since our family of 6 won’t fit into it.
Subarus are great for their full-time AWD system.

But in my experience they do require more maintenance.

After owning a Subaru, if I needed a new AWD vehicle I'd look hard at the RAV4 hybrid (standard AWD)
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Old 07-11-2018, 02:49 PM   #44
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Subarus are great for their full-time AWD system.

But in my experience they do require more maintenance.

After owning a Subaru, if I needed a new AWD vehicle I'd look hard at the RAV4 hybrid (standard AWD)
Are you aware that Subarus no longer have timing belts? One less maintenance issue to deal with.
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Old 07-11-2018, 03:34 PM   #45
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Are you aware that Subarus no longer have timing belts? One less maintenance issue to deal with.
With Subarus, there have been multiple generations with head gasket problems.

Ours also needed CV joint replacement (i.e. pay for a new axle) far more frequently than any of our other (FWD) vehicles.
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Old 07-11-2018, 03:43 PM   #46
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Are you aware that Subarus no longer have timing belts? One less maintenance issue to deal with.
They have camshaft drive chains and chain guides. Those are not maintenance free and cost a bit more than a simple timing belt replacement. They also have water pumps, fuel pumps, alternators, etc that can fail. No car is free of maintenance and repair costs.
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Old 07-11-2018, 03:46 PM   #47
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A very good friend of ours a mechanic , he believes all cars built today are good . One thing he said was people who own Honda's Toyota's and most Euro. cars take better care of them ( follow the owners manual ) so they have a fondness for them . I believe buy what you are looking for DW wanted the new Ford Eco mini suv , but the Ford dealers just would not deal . She looked at Toyota but it seems to be the same problem. Didn't like the Honda too expensive for what you got . She settled on the Mid level Kia Soul . Actually a really nice car.
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Old 07-11-2018, 04:04 PM   #48
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They have camshaft drive chains and chain guides. Those are not maintenance free and cost a bit more than a simple timing belt replacement. They also have water pumps, fuel pumps, alternators, etc that can fail. No car is free of maintenance and repair costs.
Might as well throw blown engines to that list.
I don't recall anyone stating "free of maintenance and repair costs"
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Old 07-11-2018, 04:09 PM   #49
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With Subarus, there have been multiple generations with head gasket problems.

Ours also needed CV joint replacement (i.e. pay for a new axle) far more frequently than any of our other (FWD) vehicles.

My understanding head gasket issues have been drastically reduced with the FB engines, I will agree with the CV joint issues.
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Old 07-11-2018, 04:09 PM   #50
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Might as well throw blown engines to that list.
I don't recall anyone stating "free of maintenance and repair costs"
Remember the 3.5 million engine recall fiasco of Toyota several years ago. Sludged up engines and countless failures. And the bad Honda transmissions where Honda would not recall them and only extended the warranty a few more miles. I could go on and on.

Actually, a periodic timing belt change is a good thing as the mechanic can assess the water pump and camshaft seal area for leaks or pending issues. SIL has a Mercedes and his camshaft chain guides failed last year to the tune of $4000.
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Old 07-11-2018, 04:22 PM   #51
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Remember the 3.5 million engine recall fiasco of Toyota several years ago. Sludged up engines and countless failures. And the bad Honda transmissions where Honda would not recall them and only extended the warranty a few more miles. I could go on and on.

Actually, a periodic timing belt change is a good thing as the mechanic can assess the water pump and camshaft seal area for leaks or pending issues. SIL has a Mercedes and his camshaft chain guides failed last year to the tune of $4000.
On most cars with chains the water pump is no longer hidden like with belts, at least on my 04 and 10 Toyotas they're not. I will check the Subaru next time I'm under the hood
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Old 07-11-2018, 04:36 PM   #52
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A few years ago , within the last ten Subaru had some engine problems . The problem was they would not own up to it . It caused a stink . Hyundai and Kia had burrs in their engines and came forward . They replaced 40,000 engines . Everyone has problems but some do not own up to it . It seems the Japanese try to ignore all inherit problems.
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Old 07-11-2018, 06:53 PM   #53
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A very good friend of ours a mechanic , he believes all cars built today are good . One thing he said was people who own Honda's Toyota's and most Euro. cars take better care of them ( follow the owners manual ) so they have a fondness for them . I believe buy what you are looking for DW wanted the new Ford Eco mini suv , but the Ford dealers just would not deal . She looked at Toyota but it seems to be the same problem. Didn't like the Honda too expensive for what you got . She settled on the Mid level Kia Soul . Actually a really nice car.

I would say good compared to what? The Chrysler/Dodge/Fiat group has earned a reputation for producing some of the worst cars made today...


BMW and Mercedes do not stand up to time... they are good for a few years but then start having many problems...


Yes, all cars built today on average are better than cars built 10 year ago and much better than 20 years... but there still are big differences between models....
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Old 07-11-2018, 07:03 PM   #54
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I would say good compared to what? The Chrysler/Dodge/Fiat group has earned a reputation for producing some of the worst cars made today...


BMW and Mercedes do not stand up to time... they are good for a few years but then start having many problems...


Yes, all cars built today on average are better than cars built 10 year ago and much better than 20 years... but there still are big differences between models....
To add to this I have owned 2 chevys a 97 S-10 and an 04 Trailblazer that have been scraped because they rusted out, frame and body. My cars are washed top and bottom on a regular basis. Never again.
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Old 07-11-2018, 07:03 PM   #55
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That isn't always the case. Some cars require the ECU to integrate with other systems and they have to be programmed by equipment and software that is VERY expensive. It's not always just "plug and play".
That was my issue. My mechanic told me I would have to take it to the dealer because they are the only ones that can program it to the VIN.
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Old 07-11-2018, 07:34 PM   #56
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BMW and Mercedes do not stand up to time... they are good for a few years but then start having many problems...
My daily ride is a 1995 BMW that just turned 280,000 miles. It has required some rubber suspension bits over the years, but it doesn't burn oil, shift erratically or leak any fluids. The paint is getting rough but the body and subframes remain sound. That's after a couple decades deep in the Rust Belt.

I trust Euro steel. I do agree that newer bimmers have gotten too complex. I'd still consider an 11-year-old model at this time, but my '95 refuses to die.
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Old 07-11-2018, 10:26 PM   #57
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My daily ride is a 1995 BMW that just turned 280,000 miles. It has required some rubber suspension bits over the years, but it doesn't burn oil, shift erratically or leak any fluids. The paint is getting rough but the body and subframes remain sound. That's after a couple decades deep in the Rust Belt.

I trust Euro steel. I do agree that newer bimmers have gotten too complex. I'd still consider an 11-year-old model at this time, but my '95 refuses to die.

You can always get lucky on a car...



I had a 95 Chevy Monte Carlo with the 3.4 liter engine... I kept reading how bad these engines were... but I never had a problem with it... I had close to 100K miles but traded it in on the cash for clunkers...


Still, that engine was a bad engine in general...



BTW, when we talk about something bad today, that might mean 10% of the cars, where back in the 70s we were talking maybe 50% to even 90%...



As an example, I can remember reading about a car made in the 70s and it had on average over 150 problems per car... and that was new...
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Old 07-19-2018, 12:32 PM   #58
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Couple more options:

Honda Fit class:
Toyota Yaris, Nissan Sentra, etc etc

Hybrids:
-Chevy Volt
-Prius, Prius C, Prius v (wagon, almost the same size as a mazda5)
-Ford C-max
-Hyundai Elantra/Sonata hybrid
-Ford Fusion Hybrid (get them while they still make cars)


plug-ins (how cold it gets in the winter for batteries with thee heater on? range?):
Prius C, Nissan Leaf, Chevy Spark, etc

cars/wagons:
Kia Soul (the cheapest new-ish used car)
Volkswagen: Jetta, Passat, Golf, Golf Sportwagen/Alltrack (cheap because car sales are down)
Buick
Ford
GM

any mid-size car


CUS/Small SUV:
world is your choosing; everybody has them...
...and they sell the best.


P.S. would the new start-stop feature drive you crazy in DC stop-and-go traffic?
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Old 07-20-2018, 03:06 PM   #59
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i have a Mazda 6 and I'm very happy with it. It gets fantastic gas mileage, was significantly less than the Honda I was considering, and has had zero maintenance issues in the 3+ years i've had it. All I have done is change the oil. I had a friend who drove one for 300K miles but I'm planning on passing this one to DS in a couple of years..
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Old 07-20-2018, 03:41 PM   #60
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My daily ride is a 1995 BMW that just turned 280,000 miles. It has required some rubber suspension bits over the years, but it doesn't burn oil, shift erratically or leak any fluids. The paint is getting rough but the body and subframes remain sound. That's after a couple decades deep in the Rust Belt.

I trust Euro steel. I do agree that newer bimmers have gotten too complex. I'd still consider an 11-year-old model at this time, but my '95 refuses to die.
The older BMW's were the ones to have. Good, solid cars and well engineered. Recent BMW's are a lot more complex electrically and even changing the battery requires a trip to the dealer and a heafty charge to program the ECU to the new battery. Think I am BS'ing..read this

BMW battery registering & programming explained - BIMMERtips.com

Quote:
In the good old days when your BMW battery died one could go to the local auto shop, pick up a new one, replace it at home and get back on the road. Unfortunately, with the late model BMW's battery replacement is not as simple yesteryears. The new batteries need to be replaced by a dealer or qualified Euro specialist with the right tools to either register or program the car to your new battery. Failure to do so can result in overcharging of your new battery or even electrical malfunction.
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