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Midsize Sedans 2.0

13322 messages,  Last post on Dec 02, 2009 at 1:21 PM

You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Volkswagen Passat, Mazda MAZDA6, Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu, Saturn Aura, Car Comparisons, Sedan


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#3468 of 13322
Re: Aura owners? [captain2] by akirby
Jul 18, 2007 (5:43 am)
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Replying to: captain2 (Jul 18, 2007 5:33 am)

Small rebates ($1K or less) don't really hurt, especially if they're consistent. What hurts is adding $2K-$3K in rebates later. That reduces the resale values across the board and that is what has happened in the past. It will take years to get the buying public off the rebate wagon. Interestingly Honda and Toyota are increasing rebates on some models (Odyssey and Tundra, not Camcords) and given the reliability records of the 06/07 models so far it sounds like the tables may be slowly turning.
#3469 of 13322
Re: Aura owners? [lightfootfl] by akirby
Jul 18, 2007 (5:45 am)
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Replying to: lightfootfl (Jul 18, 2007 5:29 am)

Why can't we just refrain from saying things that are misleading or incorrect or stating opinions as facts?
#3470 of 13322
Re: Aura owners? [captain2] by lilengineerboy
Jul 18, 2007 (5:45 am)
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Replying to: captain2 (Jul 18, 2007 5:33 am)

The Camcord shopper, OTH, is doing well to get close to invoice (except possibly on EOY model changes). And then we wonder why those 'Detroit' brands don't hold their resale values that well, so much so that even the steep discounts can't make them cheaper to own than those Camcords they 'compete' with. And part of the reason why Ford/GM/Chrysler are losing money faster than it can be printed? Wouldn't it be nice for those same mfgrs. if they made a car that was good enough and/or in demand (the two kinda go together) enough that MSRP and invoice meant something?
 
Actually my fleet safety weekly email had a blurb about how the costs in the rental car industry are skyrocketing because there is no longer the dumping vehicles to fleet sales there has been in the past. Other than a cost increase for rentals, I don't see this adversely affecting the overall market so much.
They also had a blurb about how GM and Ford residuals percentages increased by double digits in the last year, crediting the Fulan/Edge.
#3471 of 13322
Re: The ACTUAL subject at hand... [mz6greyghost] by pat HOST
Jul 18, 2007 (5:50 am)
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Replying to: mz6greyghost (Jul 18, 2007 4:02 am)

Good post - congrats! Let us know how delivery goes.
#3472 of 13322
Re: The ACTUAL subject at hand... [mz6greyghost] by benderofbows
Jul 18, 2007 (6:50 am)
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Replying to: mz6greyghost (Jul 18, 2007 4:02 am)

Congratulations! Awesome choice with the 6-speed.
 
I didn't even look at these when I bought my Accord in February, because I knew I'd want one! The Accord was also on my short list and since they were all marked $300 under invoice at the local dealer, and the Altimas were brand new and selling for MSRP, the deal made the final choice for me.
 
RE: the Milan... you stated: "The 5-speed is pretty smooth to operate, but the car should either have a 6th gear or the gearing revised, because it revs higher than the 2.5S 6-speed at highway velocities, and I'm sure it affects both the NVH and fuel economy."
 
When I drove the Fusion 5-speed I never got to highway speeds, what RPM was it running?
 
At 80 MPH my Accord is spinning 3,000. I't doesn't bother me because NVH isn't an issue, and my old 626 V6 used to spin 4,000 at the same speed (7k redline).
 
What RPM does the Nissan 2.5 6-speed turn in 6th?
#3473 of 13322
Re: The ACTUAL subject at hand... [benderofbows] by mz6greyghost
Jul 18, 2007 (7:42 am)
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Replying to: benderofbows (Jul 18, 2007 6:50 am)

When I drove the Fusion 5-speed I never got to highway speeds, what RPM was it running?
 
Crap, you had to ask me that...
 
I don't remember exactly (since my wife was driving at the time), but IIRC, I THINK it was 3500 RPM at 75 MPH (give or take).
 
What RPM does the Nissan 2.5 6-speed turn in 6th?
 
I don't recall this one, but it was quieter than the Milan (in terms of engine noise) at speed. Between that, the 35 MPG rating for highway (compared to 31 for the Milan), and the extra cog, I'll assume that it's lower than the Milan. I could be wrong, but I'll find out for sure when I get the car.
#3474 of 13322
The problem with the Saturn... by mfletou1
Jul 18, 2007 (10:11 am)
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and why I guy like me is just not going to want to buy one at this point, is long term reliability. When you've owned GM cars for a while, you start to learn that at first, everything seems great. At the time, my Intrigue was sort of the equivalent of what the Aura is today. It beat Camry in a CD comparo back in the day. It was Detroit's great hope. But what gradually drove people away was long term reliability. After a couple of years, things just starting going wrong. And wrong. And wrong. And so on. And now the same thing has started happening to our '04 Malibu Maxx. And the same thing happened to my wife's '00 Alero a few years ago.
 
Is the '08 Aura a better car than those were? Well, generationally speaking, I don't know that you can say that. Its hardly groundbreaking considering its competition. But sure, its appealing. At this point, though, I want PROOF that it will hold up for a good 7-8 years. And obviously we won't get that proof for a while.
So I'd really hesitate to buy it.
#3475 of 13322
Re: The problem with the Saturn... [mfletou1] by urnews
Jul 18, 2007 (10:47 am)
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Replying to: mfletou1 (Jul 18, 2007 10:11 am)

I want PROOF that it will hold up for a good 7-8 years. And obviously we won't get that proof for a while.
So I'd really hesitate to buy it.

 
There's no way any mid-size car manufacturer can meet that standard, since the 2007 or 2008 or 2009 model is going to be considerably different than a 2000, 2001 or 2002 model.
 
Assuming the Honda Accord to be the best 2000, there is no guarantee that the much-altered 2007 will equal its reliability, endurance, etc. because so many changes will have been made in the interim.
 
Cars are like stocks: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Buying any new mid-size is a crap shoot. Some makes and models are going to be better than others, no matter what.
 
The 2007 Aura might be the best mid-size sedan GM has ever built and it may be trouble-free into 2014 but that doesn't necessarily mean that the 2014 model will fare as well.
#3476 of 13322
Re: The problem with the Saturn... [urnews] by mfletou1
Jul 18, 2007 (12:46 pm)
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Replying to: urnews (Jul 18, 2007 10:47 am)

I don't agree, and neither does Consumer Reports (I know! I uttered the dreaded CR!)
 
If a manufactuer--say, Honda--consistenly builds reliable cars, every year, than there is a much, much greater chance--both statistically and rhetorically--that they will continue to do so. CR is generally willing to give reliability recommendations on new models when the previous model performed very well for the life of the car for that reason, and past performance is a very reliable indicator of (no pun intended) reliability.
 
And really, this goes beyond mid-size cars. General Motors, for instance, has consistent long term reliability issues across all models--many of them are shared-component problems (ie, brakes). That could well change, but it will be a while before we know. It doesn't take 7-8 years (though I did mention that), I think we'll probably have a good idea in 3-4 or so. But what I speak of is an overall problem. According to many CSR's at GM dealers I've spoken with (and, unfortunately, I've gotten to know them very well), the problems we've experienced with our Malibu also show up on G6, Trailblazer, the minivans, etc. They're more systematic than anything else.
 
The other issue which I didn't bring up is how a manufacturer treats these issues when they do come up. GM's got a ways to do here, also.
#3477 of 13322
Re: The problem with the Saturn... [mfletou1] by dieselone
Jul 18, 2007 (1:03 pm)
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Replying to: mfletou1 (Jul 18, 2007 12:46 pm)

One thing with Honda is they excel at everything they build. Be it cars, motorcycles, marine engines, lawn equipment, jet skis, etc.
 
Several of Honda's outboard marine engines use basically what is in their cars. THe civic 4cyl is used in Honda's medium HP outboards and the Odyssey 3.5L v6 is the basis for the 225hp Honda outboard. If an engine can hold up to marine use and can pretty much withstand anything. Honda is always one of the tops in reliability in the marine category too. Amazingly, a HOnda 225hp outboard engine costs more than a whole civic.

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