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Smart Shopper Please help me decide between...
562 messages, Last post on Sep 17, 2009 at 6:31 AM
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Replying to: aredfield (May 13, 2008 6:25 am) Translation: "I don't think I could get you the car before you change your mind, so why don't you buy one of my little cars that I've got sitting here right now?" That's not just wrong, that's daft. I've never had a car with VDC or even traction control, so I can't speak from personal experience. The point is that the car senses when you start to slip and slide, like for instance on ice, and starts to selectively apply individual brakes to keep you from losing control. I suspect that 1/2 its value derives from the fact that it lets you know via a warning light what it's doing, so you know when you're close to the edge. It's like driving on the freeway and you don't know if it's icy. With ABS, you just make sure nobody is behind you, then you apply the brakes. If you feel the brakes pulsing, you k.now things are slick and you need to slow down. Without ABS, you'll start going sideways almost immediately if there's black ice, for instance, and good luck getting the car back under control. VDC is just another tool, and I suspect it's a good one. By the way, I doubt you got this feedback from a "Subaru dealer", I suspect it was a salesman... keep in mind, they don't usually know cars... they know how to sell. Cheers -Mathias
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Replying to: steine13 (May 13, 2008 5:05 pm) Here in the great Pacific NW, the roads are wet, icy, or snow covered for a fair percentage of the year. Throw in a few wandering Bambis, and it is easy to get sideways, regardless of the vehicles power output!  james |
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Hi Ladies and Gents, I commute 100 miles a day, 75% freeway. I drive an aging civic that still gets 35 to 38 MPG, but it's the model year (95) that tends to rust apart, and is on the borderline of costing me too much. I'm looking for fuel economy, but fun as well, I need to try to enjoy those miles to maintain sanity. Here's my two final choices: VW Jetta TDI Diesel- great fuel economy (45-48MPG) and engine life, not so sporty or fun, but also has the potential alternative fuels?! Standard Mini Cooper- Almost 40 MPG, obviously fun to drive, comfortable enough for a guy my size, but what type of car/engine life and reliability are we looking at? I'm having trouble talking myself into a new car only to put 30+ thousand mile a year on it, am I off base there?!!?! Any other Suggestions? Thanks Jonny 
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Replying to: jonnyg1 (May 22, 2008 5:15 am) I'd run the numbers to see if either is a financial advantage to just buying a used Civic.
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Replying to: dtownfb (May 22, 2008 5:49 am) 
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Replying to: oregonboy (May 22, 2008 6:59 am) At 30,000 miles a year though resale matters a lot less. That many miles a year just wipes out your resale value too fast.
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Replying to: british_rover (May 22, 2008 7:37 am) True, so it may be better to buy either of the two new rather than used. Six years later, at 180k miles, each will retain some value, as opposed to say, a Ford Focus, which would be nearly worthless. As an aside, I was recently supprised to notice that the Civic is rated better for highway mileage that a Honda Fit.
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Replying to: jonnyg1 (May 22, 2008 5:15 am) A Buick LaCrosse is both sporty, fun, reliable... and good mpg.
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Replying to: jipster (May 22, 2008 10:02 am) There fixed that for you.
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Replying to: british_rover (May 22, 2008 10:04 am) I went to the Buick website to find out the EPA mileage estimates for the LaCrosse, and that information is nowhere to be found. I was able to get it on the Edmunds site: 17/28 for the least expensive, 6-cyl model. Not really comparable to Civics or TDIs. 
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