Im getting a Car!!!

[crispy]

Cobalts are OK, but are certainly cheap, and you get some decent features for the money, the engine is fine, but not as refined as a Honda engine, but again, it is a fine car

 

For some reason, I have NEVER liked Scions, I think it looks good, but Toyota should not need to try to come out with a new brand name to be "Cool"

 

Remember, DRIVE THEM!!!!, the Cobalt is like a cruise-mobile, but not really very sporty, even though it has plenty of Horsepower

 

DRIVE THEM< LOOK AT EVERYTHING, Know what your going to use the car for

 

Then....

 

Wait Three days......

 

then if you still know what you want, GO GET IT!!!!

[RCoasterny]

We have a '99 Mercedes ML-320 (cost about the same as a Ford Explorer.) It now has 109,000 miles, and there have been no problems with it. (Okay, a Co2 sensor wasn't working right.)

 

That's normal. CO2 sensors usually last about 100,000 miles before needing replacement. Today's ECU's actually throws a CEL once the car hits 100K saying that the CO2 sensor needs replacing.

[ebl]

"For some reason, I have NEVER liked Scions, I think it looks good, but Toyota should not need to try to come out with a new brand name to be 'Cool'" (crispy)

 

Toyota is just reaching out to the "twentysomethings," though, strangely, a lot of "older" people are buying Scions---particularly the xB model. I took a test drive in one of those. It was a five-speed and was very underpowered. But there's a heck of a lot of room inside!

 

I don't trust the Chevy Cobalt because I don't think it's much better than the Cavalier that it replaced. Honestly, I plan to stick with Honda or Toyota when I buy my next car. You'll pay more for one, but their reliability is unmatched.

 

Eric

[dougr]

Full disclosure-I own a 2003 base model Honda Civic. We test drove the Neon/SX-the Civic is definitely better than the Neon.

That being said, the Caliber is a brand-new model so you'll being getting...

VERSION 1.0

[DerekRx]

I really liked the Scion tC when I looked at it 2 years ago. I was about to purchase one, had all the options I wanted ready, met with the salesman and everything, he had the paperwork all ready and I had my deposit with me. The only thing that stopped me from actually getting the car was that they didn't have it in stock since it was SO new. Its a sweet looking car, and since it is Japanese, it is most likely going to last a lot longer than any American car. Because the Dodge that I was driving was about to die completely and I didn't know if it would last until the Scion came in, I decided not to get it. I went with a Saturn instead, since they had the model, color, and package I wanted in stock. Plus they also had some pretty good incentives when I got it.

 

You do what you want, but remember, its going to be a major investment and have to last you for a good couple of years. Get the car that fits your style and that you like. But if you ask me, I'd try to stay away from the Dodges, or any American car, unless you like working on them.

 

Granted, I still drive the Saturn, and I will probably keep it for quite a bit of time yet (only 18,000 miles on it) and it hasn't needed any work yet. Then again, I can afford to buy a new car every 5 years. Heck, like Joe I'm probably going to be getting a Sky Redline when it becomes available, and all signs are pointing to the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X coming out next October, so the Ion may either be getting traded in for the Sky, or given to Mom or someone as a "here, take care of this for me" gift.

 

Good luck with your decision. I suggest you test drive each and every one you're interested in, see what incentives if any there are, and look at the reports and what others are saying on car forums about these cars. Edmunds is great for finding out what you SHOULD be paying and has great insight to all of these cars, their positives and their negatives.

[RBOrrell]

I am saving for a car. I have looked for about 2 months and have narrowed it down to 2. Honda Civic and Dodge Calliber. Now I need help on choosing which one would be better. I need one with trunk space, Leg room and good handleing. Which would you pick?

Caliber

 

Civic

 

They are very different vehicles. One thing to keep in mind is that the Dodge is new in that this is it's first model year. I used to be a strictly Mopar guy. I had a '71 Duster, 81 TC3, 84 Laser, 86 Lebaron GTS and '95 Talon TsI. With the exception of the Duster and Talon, I had a number of problems (especially the TC3 - 3 transmissions). My last Mopar was not really a Mopar at all but a Mitsubishi ('93 Dodge Stealth RT/TT) which I still own.

 

For my daily drivers, I have switched to Mazdas. My first was a '90 MPV. I kept it for 10 years and replaced it with a 2000 MPV. At that point, we decided to lease on 4 year terms our vehicles. So we have had the 200 MPV, 2002 Protege, 2004 Tribute and finally a 2005 Mazda 6. Right now my wife drives the Tribute and I drive the 6. The 6 is an amazing car. The trunk is large enough to hold 4 golf bags (which is important to me) and has a huge amount of passenger space. The V6 has 240 hp and I have the GFX package and it looks really sporty.

 

I have never been a big Honda fan - they are a little over priced in my mind for what you get. I equate them to Sony in that you can't screw up alot buying Sony or Honda - it's a safe buy. But, you pay a little more for that security.

My current car

[ebl]

^ Actually, you're right about Mazda. They tend to be overlooked. For me, I'll pay the extra for the security of a Honda or Toyota. But Mazdas for the most part are good cars.

 

Eric

[crispy]

Mazda's are GREAT cars, but they are also Ford's, the company who owns them outright.

 

Japanese cars have higher buld quality, but not really better reliability

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5325436

 

While Toyota and Honda Topped the Quality List, many American car companies did pretty well

 

"Perception lags reality

Despite improvements, Ivers, who noted that GM was neck-and-neck with Toyota in the number of highly ranked vehicles, cautioned that Detroit has an image problem stemming from some of its poorly built vehicles of the past, however.

 

“It takes a long time for a reputation to get healed ... The perception tends to lag the reality sometimes by as much as 10 years,” Ivers told reporters on a conference call."

 

 

In the end, if you buy an american car, it will not break down all the time, contrary to popular beliefe, Japanese cars have higher quality interiors, and some can retain thier value better than American cars, but not all

 

An example, say the Cobalt, which has been mentioned as a "poor quality" vehicle, the engine was developed in Germany by GM opel, it has had a very solid track record in Europe, and was brought over here to replace GM's HORRIBLE 4 bangers in 2002 or 2003.

 

 

 

in the end, again, get whatever you want, the Dodge is just a viable as the Honda, would you rather have a Mercedes (Dodge), or a Honda?

[mcjaco]

If you're looking for an good investment (which cars never are). Go with Toyota or Honda, they retain their value much better. I sold my '04 CRV for just under $2000 than what I paid for it. Of course, with the exceptions mentioned earlier, I had it's oil changed every 3000 miles and all the preventative maintenance done on it as scheduled.

 

Now feast your eyes on my new toy:

2006 Rav4 Sport V6. 269 HP, 0-60 in 6.3. Faster than the BMW X3!