- #637 of 948
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Re: Which one? [qbrozen]
by lightwave25
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Jan 04, 2007 (2:09 pm)
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Replying to: qbrozen (Jan 04, 2007 1:49 pm)
My son is only 3 months old, but I think that he'll be riding in Mommy's Toyota most of the time. I don't like to drive big cars much, but I have enjoyed my Altima (which is big for me).
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- #638 of 948
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Re: Which one? [lightwave25]
by lilengineerboy
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Jan 04, 2007 (5:35 pm)
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Replying to: lightwave25 (Jan 04, 2007 2:09 pm)
If your Altima was a 4-cylinder, I believe its the same enigne as the SE-R you were looking at. If its only going to be an occasional baby car, that gives you some leeway.
The Protege is also a sedan, like the Mazda3 sedan and sport wagon thing.
I would say go drive a few of these and see if any strike your fancy.
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- #639 of 948
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Re: Which one? [jlawrence01]
by blckislandguy
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Jan 04, 2007 (6:12 pm)
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Replying to: jlawrence01 (Jan 04, 2007 1:51 pm)
I'm interested in your comment about electrical problems. Do you think though they area function of miles driven or simply happen randomly and accumulate. If you think that electrical problems are a function of mileage, then you have the difficult job of relating electrical malfunctions to a mechanical processes (miles driven). Or you think, as I suspect is the case, that electrical problems are not related to mileage driven but occur randomly but maybe in a pattern of some kind that can be graphed?
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- #640 of 948
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Re: Which one? [blckislandguy]
by jlawrence01
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Jan 04, 2007 (7:43 pm)
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Replying to: blckislandguy (Jan 04, 2007 6:12 pm)
Interesting question. I don't know.
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- #641 of 948
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Re: Which one? [blckislandguy]
by tidester HOST
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Jan 04, 2007 (11:42 pm)
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Replying to: blckislandguy (Jan 04, 2007 6:12 pm)
... I suspect [it] is the case, that electrical problems are not related to mileage driven but occur randomly
Typically, component failures do occur at random times but are distributed. There is something called the "Mean Time Between Failures" (MTBF) which is a rough measure of when you can expect a component to fail. Because time correlates pretty well with distance driven, you will see a correlation between failure rates and distance driven as well.
"Distributed" means that a failure is unlikely to occur early in the lifecycle of a component but, given time, a component will almost certainly fail. In between, there is a period of maximum likelihood of failure and, yes, it can be graphed! 
tidester, host
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- #642 of 948
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Re: Which one? [lightwave25]
by qbrozen
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Jan 05, 2007 (6:31 am)
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Replying to: lightwave25 (Jan 04, 2007 2:09 pm)
Let me put it this way ... the Lincoln was a bit problematic because the headrest of my seat while driving was rubbing against the rear-facing carseat. I traded for the Accord to eliminate this (among many other reasons, of course).
Depending on your and/or your wife's sizes (i'm 6'5"), you may not be able to drive a compact with a rear-facing carseat at all. But, of course, also keep in mind that you've only got maybe 9 months before that seat turns around and changes everything.
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- #643 of 948
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Re: Which one? [qbrozen]
by smittynyc
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Jan 05, 2007 (6:56 am)
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Replying to: qbrozen (Jan 05, 2007 6:31 am)
FWIW (and wildly off-topic), there is an emerging movement to keep kids rear-facing much, much longer than the current 1 yr/20 lb recommendation. The American Academy of Pediatrics now suggests keeping a kid rear-facing for as long as possible. In Europe, it's not uncommon for kids to ride backward until they're five or six, and studies show that they have far fewer child fatalities/severe injuries.
The reasoning for this is pretty simple -- the overwhelming majority of accidents are either frontal or side impact, and these tend to involve far greater forces than the less-frequent rear-end accidents. Front and side impacts put a ton of strain on the neck of a toddler. When riding backward, the head and neck are cushioned by the seat in such accidents.
Food for thought and something to consider when purchasing your vehicle. The kid may be facing rearward for much longer than a year.
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- #644 of 948
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Re: Which one? [smittynyc]
by qbrozen
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Jan 05, 2007 (7:22 am)
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Replying to: smittynyc (Jan 05, 2007 6:56 am)
i think that's a fair point. However, its going to depend on the kid and the seat. We had to turn the seat around at 10 months (which was just a week or so ago) because he could no longer fit comfortably in the rear-facing position. He's a big kid and his legs became too long to sit that way.
I can't imagine kids riding backwards till they are 5 or 6 unless they have some special seat that I've never seen before.
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- #645 of 948
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Re: Which one? [lightwave25]
by robbieg
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Jan 05, 2007 (7:33 am)
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Replying to: lightwave25 (Jan 04, 2007 12:18 pm)
Your original finds didn't get positive comments because they basically weren't reliable cars. An 8 year Saab is not a reliable car and is probably a ticking time bomb. Also, I would guess that the Saab you listed was overpriced. If you want something reliable buy something newer and not European. Toyota Corollas are cheap even if bought new (around 15K). Same goes for the Focus. However, if you want to buy a new Focus you probably could get an ST, which has the same engine as the Masda 3s, for around 15K. I realize that these are above your price range but you need to know what a new one costs in order to determine if a used one is a good deal. Basically you are left to decide if you want a one or two year old Focus or a three year old Corolla. Toyotas hold their value and are therefore usually a better buy new. Fords don't hold their value and as a result are a pretty good buy used. Also, remember that those prices are asking prices.
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- #646 of 948
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Re: Which one? [robbieg]
by jlawrence01
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Jan 05, 2007 (8:06 am)
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Replying to: robbieg (Jan 05, 2007 7:33 am)
Also, remember that those prices are asking prices.
I would agree with you and add one point. On most Toyota Corollas of recent vintage, the "asking" and the "getting" price are generally pretty close. In the case of many Fords, there is more negotiating room.
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