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Help Me Choose!

3286 messages,  Last post on May 20, 2013 at 2:50 PM

You are in the Sedans Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Malibu, Nissan Maxima, Mazda MAZDA3, Nissan Altima, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Lexus IS 250, Acura TSX, Car Comparisons, Sedan

Messages Page 243 of 329

#2418 of 3286 Re: 2004 Honda Accord or 2006 Ford Fusion? Please help buying first car!!! [qbrozen] by mr_gone

Sep 26, 2011 (9:43 am)

Replying to: qbrozen (Sep 01, 2011 1:35 pm)
I've shopped for both lately and can tell you that the Fusions are going for about the same as Accords of the same year. Having driven the 2006 Fusion, I'd pick an Accord any day. The Fusion handles fine, but the 4 cylinder is weak and noisy. The car just doesn't feel like it's in the same league as the Accord. More recent Fusions may be better, and the Accord definitely has lost some competitiveness of late. But the 2003-2007 Accords are hard to beat. All models 2005 on have side curtains. The high-end 2003 and 2004 models did, too.

#2419 of 3286 Re: 2004 Honda Accord or 2006 Ford Fusion? Please help buying first car!!! [mr_gone] by backy

Sep 26, 2011 (9:48 am)

Replying to: mr_gone (Sep 26, 2011 9:37 am)
Actually side curtain airbags weren't on all 2004 Accords either.

#2420 of 3286 Re: $ budget auto for teen driving LOTS of miles [backy] by mr_gone

Sep 26, 2011 (9:52 am)

Replying to: backy (Sep 25, 2011 4:41 pm)
I wouldn't buy a car -- especially a small car -- without side curtain airbags. Check out the IIHS/NHTSA sites to see how much worse drivers and passengers fare in a car without side curtains/side airbags. A lot of the suggestions fall in the range of cars that are otherwise great -- like the Protege -- but lack side protection. With interest rates being as low as they are, consider spending more than $6,000 to keep your child safe.

#2421 of 3286 Teens need High Performance Driver's Training by andres3

Sep 26, 2011 (2:46 pm)

A lot of teens are going to drive like race car drivers anyway, so you might as well train them well. Also, High performance driver's training isn't so much so they can grow up to be the next race car champ, but moreso for avoiding an accident with an emergency avoidance manuever and executing it flawlessly and safely. No need for airbags if you can avoid accidents.

#2422 of 3286 Re: $ budget auto for teen driving LOTS of miles [podunk1] by suydam

Sep 26, 2011 (3:34 pm)

Replying to: podunk1 (Sep 26, 2011 9:21 am)
>>warned away from Altimas<< Don't know where you heard that. Altimas have been a very reliable car. They would be a good choice but would be hard to find in the $6k range without a ton of miles on them.

#2423 of 3286 Re: Recommend a car in the mid $20k range for a techie [backy] by twitchhd

Sep 26, 2011 (4:10 pm)

Replying to: backy (Sep 23, 2011 7:59 pm)
Test drove the 2012 camry SE today with navigation and entune. The guy wanted $500 OVER invoice and was peanuts for my trade in. I walked out. The interior seems somewhat improved from 2011. The navi display unit has slightly inferior resolution compared to the hyundai elantra. However after installing an app on your cell phone you can use your phone's internet connection in the car which is cool (similar to ford sync I suppose). It took me a while to get the internet working in the car but it did finally. Incase anyone sees this thread in the future - you need to install the entune app on your cell and register on myentune (free registration). I think they give you 36 mos of free entune service. dunno what they'll charge after that. The voice recognition worked slightly better than the sonata bluelink. It was however slightly slower.
 
I still can't believe that 2012 models are still plagued by slow / poor resolution touch screen displays for navi/audio. It is nice to see that the trim comes with 90 days of free xm radio which worked fairly well. As the reviews indicated the steering is loose/weak. The i4 engine similarly (non cvt, I think) is probably more comparable to a hyundai elantra subjectively (i realize there is a horse power difference). Still quite noisy. Didn't test drive the v6. Despite all this I'd have considered purchasing it at the right price. The 0% 60 mos financing is for the 2011 model. No incentives/rebate for 2012 (atleast none that are announced per the dealership/or I could find). Along the same lines, I can't qualify for the $1000 recent college graduate promo either because they don't have a financing deal.

#2424 of 3286 Re: $ budget auto for teen driving LOTS of miles [mr_gone] by backy

Sep 26, 2011 (4:34 pm)

Replying to: mr_gone (Sep 26, 2011 9:52 am)
That's a good point. Not many cars today available under $6k with all of the latest safety equipment including 6 airbags and ABS/ESC. A couple of years ago, you could get a lot more for that $6k.

#2425 of 3286 Re: Car expert opinions needed! :) [suydam] by plekto

Sep 26, 2011 (4:42 pm)

Replying to: suydam (Sep 26, 2011 7:02 am)
One nice thing about the last generation LeSabre is that the limited trim has a nice HUD which displays the speed. It's quite easy to keep from driving too fast. The leather, decent sound, and other features, like rear A/C vents are also nice. The bench seat option is preferred, though, as it keeps the front seat area much more clean and open feeling (and the center console is 90% as usable). Being able to fit 6 people in a pinch is a nice features as well, since you don't need a minivan.
 
The Park Avenue is all of that and a bit more luxury/options. If you have 3 kids, it will fit them in far more comfort, and the trunk is huge. It suffers 1 mpg for all of that extra size. It's about the same size and weight, and 0-60 time as a Crown Vic, but the engine gets 5-7mpg better economy (I've owned both, verified in actual real-world driving) . Really a win-win situation. Add in the fact that almost none were sold as rentals and 95%+ were sold to old people who hardly drove them, and it's a good used car to consider.
 
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=296083311
This is a typical example. In this case, you absolutely want a private party vehicle so that you can determine the history and get paperwork. Most owners will be elderly, be anal about their car, and have a book of paperwork an inch thick, since new. Just be sure to get the supercharger checked out first in the ultra model. They are known to die around 100-120K (not a defect, just wears out - blame Eaton, not GM) and are ~$600 to get a rebuilt one. That said, with a properly working supercharger, the Ultra is 240HP and crazy fast for its size. I'm driving my dad's Ultra currently (bought it from him) and it leaves Accords and Camrys in the dust as it generates most of its torque down low compared to the imports that have to rev their engines to death to get their maximum power. It jumps from, say, 20 to 50 far quicker as a result, unless they absolutely floor their accelerator.(I'm at half throttle by comparison) Pretty fun car for cheap, to run around in.

#2426 of 3286 Re: 2004 Honda Accord or 2006 Ford Fusion? Please help buying first car!!! [backy] by mr_gone

Sep 26, 2011 (9:27 pm)

Replying to: backy (Sep 26, 2011 9:48 am)
No, but they were on all Accords that had leather seats (EX-L models), which the car in question did. All 2005 and later Accords had side curtain airbags.

#2427 of 3286 Re: $ budget auto for teen driving LOTS of miles [backy] by podunk1

Sep 27, 2011 (5:50 am)

Replying to: backy (Sep 26, 2011 4:34 pm)
Backy, that is exactly why I ended up here asking the question. Right now I'm driving an extra 150 miles a day because it's been near impossible finding him a reasonable mileage safe car. 10000 miles in 4 months on my new car = blowing thru the warranty in around a year. It's a losing situation.
 
Back to the hunt..thanks

Messages Page 243 of 329

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