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Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars Too

Maestro

Vice Admiral
Admiral
So here's the deal. My mighty 2000 Buick Century, which has served me well through two jobs, died today. We stopped for gas before going up to get plants for the garden, and she wouldn't start after fueling.

We jumped her and got her across the street to the mechanic's, and I'm calling them Tuesday. Clearly the battery and/or the alternator need to be replaced. Both are still the factory originals.

The window motors have all had to be replaced, the windshield wipers are often stuck in the "up" position, and the brakes were replaced three years ago. The motor for the climate control fan had to be replaced this winter.

She's still always run and always treated me well, but I think it's time for a new mighty car. It will need to be similar sized. I'm a big guy, so a mid-sized sedan is probably best for me. I teach Band, so I need some trunk space and the seats to fold down. Fuel economy is important, although not as much. I live in Wisconsin, so it needs front wheel drive and to be heavy enough to handle our winters (my wife's Impala is so light that it's virtually useless on ice; the Buick laughs at ice and races across it). I don't have any brand or national loyalty either. I want the best car for my money. I'm buying it in the US, so even if it's a VW, a whole bunch of Americans are still going to make money in the process.

Anyone got suggestions?
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

I currently drive a Dodge Caravan (one from 2000 too - bought of a friend when we first moved here to Canada). I've no idea about how it compares in the industry, but I can tell you that it drives a Saskatchewan winter much better than my husband's Honda CRV.

It has the space you need and it doesn't seem to eat fuel - again no idea how it compares to other cars. It works fine for me and is very reliable.
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

buy an impreza. all wheel drive and its a wagon.. you u can get turbo
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

VWs are HUGE inside. I am in the market right now too, and sat in many of their models a one or two weekends ago.
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

Highly recommend the Chevrolet Malibu, model year 2008 and forward. Seems to fit your requirements and have a range of very efficient gas engines. If you want to squeeze even more out of it the MPGs there's a Hybrid version, but it's not that huge a gain sadly, aboout 4 MPGs or so. But it doesn't gulp much fuel to start with and is pretty cheap new even.
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

Highly recommend the Chevrolet Malibu, model year 2008 and forward. Seems to fit your requirements and have a range of very efficient gas engines. If you want to squeeze even more out of it the MPGs there's a Hybrid version, but it's not that huge a gain sadly, aboout 4 MPGs or so. But it doesn't gulp much fuel to start with and is pretty cheap new even.

Seconded.
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

Highly recommend the Chevrolet Malibu, model year 2008 and forward. Seems to fit your requirements and have a range of very efficient gas engines. If you want to squeeze even more out of it the MPGs there's a Hybrid version, but it's not that huge a gain sadly, aboout 4 MPGs or so. But it doesn't gulp much fuel to start with and is pretty cheap new even.

I highly recommend you stay away from anything that GM makes. Now don't get me wrong, the Malibu is a fine car. For a GM. However, there are better and cheaper cars in that range. Shit get a Camry or an Accord. Both MUCH better rides. Last longer, hold the resale longer, built better. Oh ya, Honda and Toyota are not gonna file Chapter 11 next month...
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

:brickwall:

I am so fucking tired of this. *sigh* Here we go again.

GM has made great strides in quality over the past few years. Hell I have a GM car that's ten years old and nearly 130 000 miles on and it starts every time, always works and has served me extremly well with minimal repairs. And yes I mean minimal, the fuel pump failed two years back. After owning it for seven years and using it A LOT.

As for the ride quality, the new Malibu have gotten great reviews in both build and ride quality from A LOT of serious car reviewers. Not to mention it's more fun to drive then a Camry.

Oh and Toyota has lost a shit load of money as well, and they are not as dependable as people think they are. The cost of getting to the spot of number one auto maker in the world has been pretty serious recalls since they've seriously started slipping in their famous quality control. I actually don't hate Toyota (just think they're boring for no longer a single "fun" car in their lineup), but I am sick tired of people hailing then as some kind of golden standard. They mess up good too. Everyone's just set in their old tracks of putting down GM since they historically (like twenty-thirty years ago) have a bad track record.

Honda I don't have a problem with, but I'd say it's out of the question for Maestro since they tend make cars that are smaller internally then both GM and Toyota.
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

Yeah, Toyota's have been having problems for several years now. Tons of recalls, not nearly as reliable as they used to be, and they're losing as much money hand over fist as GM...they just haven't been losing it as long.
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

While I think that GM has made strides with several vehicles in recent years, I wouldn't buy a Malibu over some of the competition out there. My top two picks for mid-sized sedans are the Honda Accord and Mazda6. And that's just assuming that you aren't looking to spend a little more and move up to the premium brands. The new Accord is just massive inside. Tons of space. Very nice.

There are a lot of mid-sized sedans that are in the middle of the pack - the Malibu, the Toyota Camry, the Ford Fusion. They're all okay but I don't like any of them enough to actually buy one. Whatever choice you make, stay the hell away from anything made by Chrysler.
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

Not to mention the troubles they've been havin with everyones little lovebug the Prius. Now, I don't hate hybrids. My dad has a Prius and it's good at what it does, get you from point A to point B. But there have been an alarming amount of reports of the car accelerating all of it's own, and violently so. Toyota's response to this has been to either blame the customer, saying they must've confused the pedal (yeah since keeping track of two pedals is so hard) or that they (get this) have put in too many floor mats :wtf: Other then that they haven't recognised the problem at all and refuse to admit that there might be a problem with their product. I GM did that there would be a nationwide outrage!

One of the reasons why there haven't been one is because people give Toyotya a huge amount of slack because of these rundown preconceptions. Some of the people who have had their car malfunction have been asked why they didn't sue and most of the time te response is "Oh we don't want to cause a fuss, our other Toyota's have been so good" :wtf: Yeah but this one tried to kill you!
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

She's still always run and always treated me well, but I think it's time for a new mighty car. It will need to be similar sized. I'm a big guy, so a mid-sized sedan is probably best for me. I teach Band, so I need some trunk space and the seats to fold down. Fuel economy is important, although not as much. I live in Wisconsin, so it needs front wheel drive and to be heavy enough to handle our winters (my wife's Impala is so light that it's virtually useless on ice; the Buick laughs at ice and races across it). I don't have any brand or national loyalty either. I want the best car for my money. I'm buying it in the US, so even if it's a VW, a whole bunch of Americans are still going to make money in the process.

Anyone got suggestions?

Any of the Audi Avant stationwagons would fit the bill nicely, the A6 being a bit bigger than the A4 (go for the S4 if you want some real fun with it or the RS4 or RS6 if you're really mental and have some money to burn; I have an S4 sedan myself and they're definitely good to drive.) - big enough for your needs, sleek stylish looks, nice handling, reasonably fuel efficient, well-made and quattro drive to help with the ice/snow.
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

Mazda6. My 95 Mazda has been treated like shit and still runs as well as can be expected. It's a good drive, handles decently on the ice (not as well as my Rabbit did with all the weight up front, but way better than the LeBaron which was a heavier car but drove like it was under water) and at 140,000 miles, the only engine repair I've had to make was to the coolant system. I will say, I've had and continue to have issues with the suspension, but I attribute that to driving it on Baltimore "roads" for a decade... :techman:
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

With respect to GM, I've been very happy with both Buicks I've owned, and we were happy with my wife's Century before we replaced it with a Chevy Impala. I'll never buy another Impala. Way too unreliable in winter. You even think about touching the break on ice and you're in the ditch. I fear that a Malibu would be the same.

I'm seriously thinking about Camrys and Accords, as well as the Ford Fusion and the Dodge Charger. The problem with the Charger is that it's RWD, which makes it a royal pain in Wisconsin winters. I remember pushing my Grandparents' '83 Buick Regal to church every Sunday in winter when there was fresh snow. I don't care how far RWD has come, that memory has stuck with me for 25 years.

True to form, Holdfast has recommended something upscale enough to match his clothes, but I'll be looking at the Audis too, as well as the Mazdas that flamingliberal recommends.

Keep 'em coming, folks!
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

^silly complaint, as the Charger is also available in AWD. My buddy bought one a week or two ago. Pretty nice, and a massive trunk...

Not personally a Dodge fan, but it's a nice car.
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

If you are going to look at the Fusion, you probably should look at the Taurus too.

Be wary with the Cryslers - Consumer Reports lists almost all of them as the most unreliable vehicle in their classes.
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

What I've heard about the new Malibu is that's it's a huge step over the old models, but each to his own. I myself stay the hell away from Fords because of my intense hate for the Focus and the fact that it and all other Fords I've driven have been crap. Only driven "regular" Fords though, so Mustang guys don't bash me too hard, mkay? :lol:

The Charger is a way to go if you want room. That, the Chrysler 300C and even the Challenger are all huge both out and in. And yes, the Charger does have AWD as an option. Fuel economy isn't too exiting though. I'm seriously divided between the Challenger and the Camaro for my next car, will have to testdrive both before I decide.

Things with a Dodge though is that Chrysler has a reputation of pretty lackluster quality. If this is the same kind of reputation as with GM, lot of talk and no facts, I don't know. Just thought you might want to keep it in mind.
If you are going to look at the Fusion, you probably should look at the Taurus too.
The new Taurus SHO has me veeeeeery intrested actually. To bad it's a Ford.
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

Get a 1978 black Trans Am with a big firebird on the hood.

Joe, east bound and down
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

Where could I find one of those?
 
Re: Alright, Apostle, Recommend Me a Car - Anyone Else Who Knows Cars

Here would be my three recommendations:
- Audi A4 - great car, reliable, much better to drive then the previous versions, a bit pricey though
- VW Passat - huge amount of room, well built, reasonably priced, it is boring as hell though (we used to own one)
- Mazda 6 - lots of fun to drive, reliable, cheaper then the A4 (the interior isn't as nice though), and more fun to drive then the Passat
 
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