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32000 messages,  Last post on Feb 14, 2013 at 7:24 PM

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#31794 of 32000 Re: 2012 Used Car Buying Guide - CR [uplanderguy] by ateixeira

Feb 10, 2013 (9:38 am)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Feb 10, 2013 7:47 am)
My battery just quit, but it was 7 years old so can't complain. Always happens in the cold when you're far from home. LOL
 
I got a jump and then replaced it.
 
I financed my '91 Escort but paid it off early and since then I've saved up and paid cash each time.

#31795 of 32000 Re: A Chevy comes in fourth [uplanderguy] by busiris

Feb 10, 2013 (9:44 am)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Feb 10, 2013 5:34 am)
I don't believe the names Impala, Malibu, and Camaro would have returned if they had the big negative equity so many seem to say.
 
I think that's a fair statement. Why start out with a hindrance?
 
Certainly, the marketing types (which I assume did marketing tests) understand the value of name equity, which is why we haven't, nor will we ever again, see a Chevrolet Vega, at least, in our lifetime.
 
Chrysler demonstrated there was a niche market for cars like the Challenger to return, to compete with the Mustang. Seems to me it was natural for Camaro to return to the same market segment, too. Lots of Boomers that have $$$ now that couldn't afford a muscle car back when the originals were out.
 
If Chrysler had been in better shape over the last decade, maybe we would have see Road Runners and GTX's, too.

#31796 of 32000 Re: 2012 Used Car Buying Guide - CR [ateixeira] by imidazol97

Feb 10, 2013 (9:46 am)

Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 10, 2013 9:38 am)
>My battery just quit, but it was 7 years old
 
Which car was it in? Seven years is good for your environment somewhere in the DC area--hot, hot in summer and cold in winter. Our battery in the leSabre made it 5-7 years, but it's under the rear seat in a moderate environment compared to the engine compartment.

#31797 of 32000 New Fusion vs. Malibu by uplanderguy

Feb 10, 2013 (10:00 am)

Just saw the March CR at the drugstore. They tested three Fusions. The Hybrid scored high...87. The SE scored 82, a point behind the Malibu LS. The Titanium scored 76. They had a sidebar about rough construction quality on their early examples (even I won't complain too much about that; I think it's been that way since the mists of prehistory when a new model comes out). Exactly like the Malibu, they didn't say they were "NOT RECOMMENDED" (ahem--oh, how the semantics make a world of difference), they didn't have a "Recommended" mark next to them because of undetermined reliability since they are new products.
 
I wonder if a certain unnamed regular here will go over to the Ford forum and post in capital letters, "CR SAYS NEW FUSION NOT RECOMMENDED".

#31798 of 32000 Last year of Cavalier (rhymes) by xrunner2

Feb 10, 2013 (10:00 am)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Feb 10, 2013 3:31 am)
I don't know where to check, but I'd say that even in its final model year the Cavalier probably still sold in the Top Ten. Not sure how 'eroded' sales became.
 
No doubt, low-information or no-information consumers chose the 2005 Cavalier over the world class and benchmark Civic.
 
Here is what Edmunds said about each:
 
Cavalier:
 
Despite various revisions, there's no hiding the fact that the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier was engineered more than a decade ago, leaving it hopelessly outclassed by nearly every other car on the market.
 
Pros: Low price, torquey four-cylinder engine, optional satellite radio and OnStar.
 
Cons: Ancient design inside and out, cheap interior materials, poor build quality, low resale value, poor side-impact and front-offset crash test results, ABS no longer standard.
 
Civic:
 
Still the head of its class, the 2005 Honda Civic is the most refined, solidly built economy car on the market.
 
Pros: Fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly engines, roomy interior, reputation for durability and quality, impressive crash test scores.
 
Cons: Top-of-the-line models are pricey, antilock brakes not available on DX or LX.

#31799 of 32000 Re: Last year of Cavalier (rhymes) [xrunner2] by uplanderguy

Feb 10, 2013 (10:09 am)

Replying to: xrunner2 (Feb 10, 2013 10:00 am)
If you wish to let Edmunds make your entire decision for you, as opposed to your pocketbook, I'm very happy for you.
 
Again--phenomenally arrogant to tell someone why they should or shouldn't have bought a certain vehicle. I doubt the Cavalier was out of the top ten the entire 24 years it was built. My much-younger B-I-L drove our '97 at 105K miles. He was man enough to say, "I expected it to be a POS but it wasn't at all". Of course, he needed to borrow a car because whatever ancient import he was driving at the time was down.
 
But I doubt I'll do any convincing. You're the guy more than one person here tried to show that even the creators of the Mustang said they were influenced by the Monza, but they didn't know as much as you.
 
BTW, I'm surprised certain models of the Civic could not be had with ABS at any price. While I remember being disappointed that GM took it off the standard equipment list that late (both my base Cavaliers had it as standard equipment), GM was an industry leader in providing ABS standard, for years, on even its cheapest cars.

#31800 of 32000 Re: Last year of Cavalier (rhymes) [uplanderguy] by xrunner2

Feb 10, 2013 (10:16 am)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Feb 10, 2013 10:09 am)
If you wish to let Edmunds make your entire decision for you, as opposed to your pocketbook, I'm very happy for you.
 
Smart consumers consider a variety of input in making their buying decisions, whether for cars or refrigerators. Input would include from those such as Edmunds, CR, Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road and Track, Automobile and other publications whose job is to test and evaluate and give opinions on cars and other motor vehicles.
 
Of course, after reading what those who make their living testing cars say, then visits to car dealer showrooms, inspection of car, test drives (plural) on a variety of roads of 2, 3, 4, 5, etc cars in the market segment one is considering is prudent.
 
Now, given this regimen, if price or low price alone is not a criterion, what percent of consumers who did "due diligence" before purchase actually chose a Cavalier over a Civic?

#31801 of 32000 Re: Last year of Cavalier (rhymes) [xrunner2] by steve_ HOST

Feb 10, 2013 (10:35 am)

Replying to: xrunner2 (Feb 10, 2013 10:16 am)
You missed a few. I've read that most people check around 18 sources when car shopping and the new kids hit more like 24 sites.
 
That said, crowd wisdom can break down. And it probably breaks down more frequently than new cars do.

#31802 of 32000 Re: Last year of Cavalier (rhymes) [xrunner2] by uplanderguy

Feb 10, 2013 (10:36 am)

Replying to: xrunner2 (Feb 10, 2013 10:16 am)
I think in that class, pricing was very important to a lot of people; hence, the Cavalier's sales success over two decades. Frankly, I thought my '02 coupe, especially, was a handsome-looking car with the 15 inch aluminum wheels and a very subtle decklid spoiler, and the coupe's low beltline and teardrop-shaped side windows. I liked the styling better than the more fussy Sunfire. It was a very reliable car over the 112K miles I drove it, too. Like my Cobalt, it didn't spend a single night in a garage.
 
People who live in my city, and who live in my old hometown, both worked at the plant my Cavaliers were built in. I like that, and there's no bad in any of that.

#31803 of 32000 Re: Last year of Cavalier (rhymes) [xrunner2] by imidazol97

Feb 10, 2013 (10:37 am)

Replying to: xrunner2 (Feb 10, 2013 10:00 am)
>low resale value,
 
Always one of the mantras of the crowd. If you want high resale, I suggest the smaller Mercedes or BMW's to have a high resale. Or a Corvette.

Messages Page 3181 of 3201

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