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The Car Shopping Thread

Hybrids killed diesels here in the us. If Cameron Diaz drove a Jetta TDI instead of a Prius it would be different, silly as that sounds. Early diesels sounded like trucks too. Unfortunately, hybrids took hold before these old diesel complaints were effectively solved.

Overheard a woman say she hates her husband's Mercedes BlueTech.,," they have to put urine in it to keep it clean, can you imagine?" Lol


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Speedliner said:
Overheard a woman say she hates her husband's Mercedes BlueTech.,," they have to put urine in it to keep it clean, can you imagine?" Lol


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Now that's funy, you mean mostly water :)
 
JRod said:
Most powerful v8 in the class. Terrible fuel mileage.

By far lowest cost of ownership . The suspension and front end geometry is miles ahead of any competitor. Buy a gm or ford and you'll be replacing ball joints and tie rod ends by 50k.

Only available in half ton , however the front end components are more hefty than many one ton pickups .


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Not a pickup but I drive an '09 Suburban. Didn't know it when I bought it used but it has the police package (first brake job, necessary parts when running the VIN revealed the package). My mechanic at the time said the suspension was also beefed up and could go longer. Just wondering if you have any knowledge of the package and could confirm.

All I know is, the darn thing handles like a much smaller vehicle. TIA.
 
Speedliner said:
Hybrids killed diesels here in the us. If Cameron Diaz drove a Jetta TDI instead of a Prius it would be different, silly as that sounds. Early diesels sounded like trucks too. Unfortunately, hybrids took hold before these old diesel complaints were effectively solved.

Overheard a woman say she hates her husband's Mercedes BlueTech.,," they have to put urine in it to keep it clean, can you imagine?" Lol


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
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Except the majority of hybrids are awful to drive, and modern diesels are the opposite.
 
WMac19 said:
Not a pickup but I drive an '09 Suburban. Didn't know it when I bought it used but it has the police package (first brake job, necessary parts when running the VIN revealed the package). My mechanic at the time said the suspension was also beefed up and could go longer. Just wondering if you have any knowledge of the package and could confirm.

All I know is, the darn thing handles like a much smaller vehicle. TIA.
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Not sure on the Suburbans, but it sounds legit. My brother once had a "police interceptor package" Crown Vic that he picked up for a song. The thing had different components (including suspension) all over the place. It was a tank. He flogged that thing so hard and it never once gave up on him. Winters, poor gravel roads, freeway traffic, hard accelerations all over the place...it never once hiccuped.
 
WMac19 said:
Not a pickup but I drive an '09 Suburban. Didn't know it when I bought it used but it has the police package (first brake job, necessary parts when running the VIN revealed the package). My mechanic at the time said the suspension was also beefed up and could go longer. Just wondering if you have any knowledge of the package and could confirm.

All I know is, the darn thing handles like a much smaller vehicle. TIA.
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Police package will handle better, but ride rougher, should have an upgraded cooling system as well.
 
I've always wondered about the police use of Crown Vics. One of the courses I play is next to a small local airport. The local police dept are often there practicing manouvers in their big old wallowing patrol cars, and I can't help thinking the easiest way to outrun the plod over here is to get a Honda or Mazda and head for the back roads. I know their cars are police spec, so just how well do these police spec Crown Vics handle a corner?
 
Mark_UK said:
I've always wondered about the police use of Crown Vics. One of the courses I play is next to a small local airport. The local police dept are often there practicing manouvers in their big old wallowing patrol cars, and I can't help thinking the easiest way to outrun the plod over here is to get a Honda or Mazda and head for the back roads. I know their cars are police spec, so just how well do these police spec Crown Vics handle a corner?
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I honestly think you would be surprised. They are heavy, but I was shocked at how nimble they were for the weight. There was very little body roll compared to what one would expect. Their best handling was at freeway speeds. It was so composed and the car "talked" to you too...you knew when you were approaching grip limits. Braking was probably the weakest spot, but who needs brakes if you have a ramming bar?? :D

(my brother went through a jr police academy and we got to flog the crown vic on a closed track, it was awesome)
 
after trying almost every sub compacts, we decided they were all pretty much the same and went with the one that gave us the best deal, we will take delivery of our new accent GLS 2014 tomorrow
 
arydolphin said:
I'm driving a 2001 Honda Accord right now and getting the itch for a new car. Thinking that I'm going to have to go all-wheel-drive with my next vehicle because I now live in a place where we have to drive up a significant hill to get there, and because I have a job where I still have to be there even when the snow is really bad. The new Subaru Legacy is intriguing to me, but if that one doesn't work, I might have to move up to the AWD luxury category (BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, Infiniti Q50, etc). Before anyone says it: wife doesn't want an SUV or crossover type vehicle.
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I have to be at work in the snow, no matter how bad it gets. I only live 2 miles from work, but to get home I have to drive up a 12* incline.

You should try the a Legacy first. Because when you go German, you will not go back. It sounds cliche, but the German cars I have owned have been built like tanks.

I have been driving VWs for the past 15 years. The wife had an old Subaru Outback that got killed when a tree fell on it, so we got a 2014 Outback. While vastly superior to the old Outback, it still lags behind the German AWD autos, IMHO

It is little things. First time I drove the new outback it was raining. . .the sound of rain hitting the windshield and roof was very loud. I asked my FIL, who is a car fanatic why, and he said my car (1999 VW Passat 137,000 miles) uses thicker glass, more sound-proofing and a thicker gauge of sheet metal. . .made sense.

BUT. . . there is a price premium for those "little things", which is a higher sticker price, and, in general, higher maintenance costs.

If my VW dies, I'll get a used A4, a used A6, or a used Legacy. . .in that order. I do not think my wife would go for a Subaru WRX.
 
JB said:
We have car threads, truck threads, mini van threads and even specific maker threads. It was time for the car shopping thread. There are some very wise people on THP that can assist when wanted and tons going through it all the time.
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I needed to get my wife something safe, first and foremost, as she must now drive an hour to work and an hour back through Houston. Other concerns were a long warranty, and low out-of-pocket expenses for the foreseeable future.

Who knew that the best choice would be a 2014 Mercedes C250?? Mercedes of North Houston had over 20 of these that were used for employee leases or service loaners. All had less than 10k miles on them. They were all priced from $29,993.00 to $34,993.00 depending on how long the car was for sale. Miles and options had no bearing on the price. All of them came with the balance of the 4yr/50K warranty, and all of them also came with a Certified Pre-owned Warranty that covered the 5th year with unlimited miles! These cars averaged over $43K sticker price when new.

I bought one with 9K miles, with the Premium Package, for $29,993.00 I also financed the next 36 months worth of services (that included the all important 40K mile service).

This car is loaded with safety features, roadside assistance is free for life, Mercedes performs a "B" service on all of them prior to sale and it actually has a better warranty than the brand new ones. Plus, my wife will pay for nothing but gas for the next 3 years, and she is fully covered by warranty through 2018.

I did a lot of research and this car was easily the best choice for our needs. They sold most of these, but here is one they have on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Be...342b83925&item=151443224869&pt=US_Cars_Trucks
 
shopping for my fiancee's little car made me think a lot lately and I am considering replacing my VW golf to go from renting to financing, and maybe lower ym payments.

the leaders before any test drives would be the hyundai elantra or the for focus, do you guys have any comments/complains about these or and other suggestions in that price ranges?
 
I had an Elantra years ago and it was a solid car. No issues at all during the warrany period.

I looked at them when I was buying this time b/c they were a little cheaper, but the big issue is the resale value and they weren't that much cheaper due to year end closeouts. I wanted something that would be worth something in 5-7 years.
 
MPlefty said:
shopping for my fiancee's little car made me think a lot lately and I am considering replacing my VW golf to go from renting to financing, and maybe lower ym payments.

the leaders before any test drives would be the hyundai elantra or the for focus, do you guys have any comments/complains about these or and other suggestions in that price ranges?
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I've liked my ford focus so far. Transmission has had an issue, but it is bring fixed under warranty. I've gotten 38 mpg on my mostly highway commute. I am going to get a set of winter tires for better performance in the snow.
 
captaincaution said:
I've liked my ford focus so far. Transmission has had an issue, but it is bring fixed under warranty. I've gotten 38 mpg on my mostly highway commute. I am going to get a set of winter tires for better performance in the snow.
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what transmission did you get? I was hoping to find a standard model.

winter tires here are a no brainer, and the local ford dealers are giving them away as an incentive anyways
 
Hawk said:
I had an Elantra years ago and it was a solid car. No issues at all during the warrany period.

I looked at them when I was buying this time b/c they were a little cheaper, but the big issue is the resale value and they weren't that much cheaper due to year end closeouts. I wanted something that would be worth something in 5-7 years.
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resale value is a problem with hyundai indeed, what did you end up with?
 
Anyone have any issues with the new Ford Taurus? Specifically the 2013 or 2014 model?

If so what were they.
 
MPlefty said:
resale value is a problem with hyundai indeed, what did you end up with?
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I just got a 2014 Camry. Wasn't planning on buying new, but 0% APR made it a no-brainer.
 
MPlefty said:
what transmission did you get? I was hoping to find a standard model.

winter tires here are a no brainer, and the local ford dealers are giving them away as an incentive anyways
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We have an automatic. There have been issues with the clutch. We got it used, and even though it has turned into my commuter, my wife didn't want a manual.

The ride is really quiet, and the 2.0 isn't lacking for power. Really surprised me against the Mazda3.
 
captaincaution said:
We have an automatic. There have been issues with the clutch. We got it used, and even though it has turned into my commuter, my wife didn't want a manual.

The ride is really quiet, and the 2.0 isn't lacking for power. Really surprised me against the Mazda3.
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thanks, I will look forward to a test drive for sure.

I might be in the minority, but I dont like the looks of the mazda 3 at all, so they dont even make the list.
 
MPlefty said:
shopping for my fiancee's little car made me think a lot lately and I am considering replacing my VW golf to go from renting to financing, and maybe lower ym payments.

the leaders before any test drives would be the hyundai elantra or the for focus, do you guys have any comments/complains about these or and other suggestions in that price ranges?
Click to expand...

Hawk said:
I had an Elantra years ago and it was a solid car. No issues at all during the warrany period.

I looked at them when I was buying this time b/c they were a little cheaper, but the big issue is the resale value and they weren't that much cheaper due to year end closeouts. I wanted something that would be worth something in 5-7 years.
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I'm on my second Hyundai. I had an Elantra from 2001-2006 (put about 110K miles on it) and have a Sonata now since 2006 (96K on it right now), and I would say that they design things with their 60K and 100K warranties in mind. In the period beyond 60K miles, I have had a fair number of quality-related issues (at least in my mind) like light bulbs burning out frequently, door handles breaking, window lifts failing. The prevalence for both cars has increased as I got to 100K miles. Powertrain wise, both have been really solid for me, and the new prices have been so far better than other brands that I bought the Sonata when I said I wasn't going to consider another Hyundai at that time.

I'm six months or so from trading it in, and I will go in another direction this time, as much out of fatigue as any specific complaint. They are fine, but the overall quality reflects the pricing (which is better than you used to be able to say about them).
 
I'd agree that the little things tend to start going to hell right around warranty time. No engine issues, but minor annoyances for sure.
 
mikeg_74 said:
Anyone have any issues with the new Ford Taurus? Specifically the 2013 or 2014 model?

If so what were they.
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I loved my Tauruses over the years. Great big trunk, very, very comfortable seats. last was a 2012, but they have barely changed.

Only issue I had was warped brake rotors. Each one required rotors to be cut at least once. Always done under warranty.
 
I may or may not have bought a 2014 focus yesterday night
 
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