19th Jun 2013, 10:46
What if I told you that my neighbor's brother's girlfriend's uncle's boss had a Camry that went 600,000 miles with no recalls or problems with the original tires and oil, then would you believe it?
20th Jun 2013, 08:07
Keep in mind we all have options. If I had a 95 for example, that I drove into the ground as a forever car, my opinion will be glowing. In the same drive you have car 2, a 2007 model in the shop all the time. Identical except for the year. That's when you start questioning as we did. Then you trade and buy even newer. More problems. At that point you share your personal disenchantment with others on here.
The days of going to one dealer and just buying the same brand are over. In fact it's wise to shop around. You are shortchanging yourself. Another brand may suit you better, with ride, seating position and ergonomic upgrades that you missed in the past.
I want a reliable engine, but more importantly one that has advanced amenities for the same price range. We have had fantastic cars that we sold only due to age. And then abysmal newer ones that had us pulling our hair out. It's very inconvenient having repetitive service issues. On here it's just words on a page hearing glowing reports. In reality, your make and specific years may be lemons, with a lot of recalls required. Look around is our suggestion. There are plenty of good brands out there. And better dealer service as well than we had.
20th Jun 2013, 14:07
I'm not sure where people keep coming up with these "Toyota is best" arguments, but here are the facts:
J. D. Power's latest quality ratings are as follows: No. 1, Porsche, No. 2, GMC, No. 3, Lexus.
Dave Sargent, J. D. Power's Vice President of global automotive says GM has the best quality of any manufacturer.
Oh, and those "top quality" Scions? They finished dead last.
20th Jun 2013, 23:04
The brand (B) with 75 problems like unintended acceleration, faulty brakes, airbags, steering, frames etc. is the one to avoid as compared to brand (A) with 112 issues that would not cause you to lose control of the car. At the end of the day, getting home safely without killing yourself or others takes precedence over everything else.
I can assure you dude (I assume), that if my preferred brand (A) had the bad reputation of brand (B), I'd be over on your side in 5 seconds, no matter what emblem is on the hood.
21st Jun 2013, 07:52
Do you really think someone even cares about a 2k Gas Guzzler Impact Fee when their new exotic import loses 25-50k in depreciation the first year? Then add 5k for annual insurance, and at least that set aside for basic maintenance before upgrades. Then only driven sparingly, 3k a year, when time and weather permits. And then have the engine pulled for a valve adjustment around 4k miles.
I could make a lengthy list of domestic new models that I would love to add to my car collection. Not the bland basic grocery getters.
21st Jun 2013, 14:52
I've recently been shopping for used cars and am amazed at how quickly very expensive cars depreciate. I'm finding that 12 year old Mercedes and BMW's are priced the same as 12 year old Fords and Chevys. Of course repairs and maintenance on the expensive cars is over twice what it is on a Ford or Chevy, so I wouldn't buy one even if it were cheap.
21st Jun 2013, 15:41
I think they like to say Lexus, even though most of middle America cannot afford a new one. Like Acura is with Honda buyers. That's great if you have an extra 20k to get a reliable car.
22nd Jun 2013, 10:41
It was easy for us to figure out. Sounds like if you bought a new 1995, and later a new 2007, same make and model, the 1995 was higher quality. 2005 and up, I agree, lesser quality, and reports validate the comments as well.
23rd Jun 2013, 02:15
Having owned Toyota's in the past that decimated my savings with repair costs, I know that quality drop is real.
As for your list of high mileage vehicles, I have owned many domestic vehicles that have matched or exceeded your list with no major problems.
Lastly, I invoke my right of free speech to warn people about a manufacturer that has little regard for your safety.
23rd Jun 2013, 05:17
I have owned 2 Mercedes. The reason you see the depreciation drop is that high end luxury models tend to look dated quickly. New buyers can quickly tell how old most are, by even subtle changes in areas such as the new headlights. If you can afford new, you do not want an old design. My thoughts are that many that cannot afford a new one, buy a dated one and pray they hold up. When big repairs hit with high mileage examples, they wish they had bought a new Accord instead of used luxury models. Buying even burnt out $300 HIDs is an example. It's best to buy what you can afford to own and maintain. It's not very impressive to anyone being broken down in the driveway.
23rd Jun 2013, 11:56
Yes, I want a domestic luxury vehicle too, the only thing is, they haven't been made in decades.
Chrysler: Hasn't made a good luxury vehicle since 1978.
Ford: Not since 1979 with the Lincoln Continental.
GM: Not since 1992 with the Brougham.
24th Jun 2013, 08:30
I feel the domestic luxury vehicle can include SUVs and full sizes totally loaded with options. I have been in new Suburbans, Escalades and even the Lincoln pickup. Its only downfall was price. Great ride. Even a loaded new Ford F-150 4 door rides great on trips.
I have had import sports sedans, including Mercedes. A luxury vehicle to me is loaded with every conceivable option, and then aftermarket ones added after purchase. Personally I would rather take a trip in a new loaded Suburban than a sedan. The new Cadillac sedans have a model with a manual trans and 638 HP. If you feel domestic technology is lacking, you are mistaken in 2013. The only limitations is your wallet. And since the luxury segment was mentioned, it is not an issue anyway.
19th Jun 2013, 10:33
Let's make this even more simple than it needs to be. OK everybody, let's assume we're not talking trucks, but instead coffee makers.
We have Brand A and brand B. Both are similar types of models, both are the same vintage, and both were owned by an equal number of buyers.
In the 2-3 years that the buyers owned these coffee makers, a survey from a reputable company was given to those owners. Let's say the sampling was exactly 10,000 total owners with 5,000 owning brand A, the rest brand B; a 50-50 split.
Out of the total, Brand A had 112 owners who reported problems, repairs, or failures of their machines. Brand B owners reported 75 problems, repairs, and failures.
So if you were to read the results of this survey, which brand is more reliable and less prone to having problems?
Brand A?
Or Brand B?
It's a simple question. I doubt I'll get a straight answer for obvious reasons, but I am rather curious just the same.