OT: Cars
- Thread starter Habsy
- Start date
johnunit
New member
They've been caught up to in most reliability polls, and those are biased towards good reputation to begin with. Furthermore, they've bought into the trend of overly heavy vehicles for the chassis, like the Accord Crosstour and the now-heavier CRV. Brakes, ball joints, wheel bearings, etc. designed around the idea of a (for instance) 3000 pound 4cyl vehicle with a low centre of gravity being used in quasi-trucks or 7 passenger vehicles with trailer hitches. They've also noticeably de-contented (cheapened) the interiors of the Civic and arguably the Accord in the new generations.
johnunit
New member
Yes, the 2012-2013 civics are getting poor reviews. To be fair though, reviews are generally not about reliability. The design, from behind the wheel, is mediocre. the CR-V is doing better.
About the only 'old reliable' models I'd rely on a 2013 being rock-solid would be the Camry and Corolla. Even then I'm not sure a fully loaded v6 camry is going to be the last word in reliability.
All that said, IMO, there's just not that big a difference between all the asian makes at this point. Undercoat them, especially the Mazdas, and they're all about the same in terms of reliability. You could nitpick between specific models in specific classes, but a blanket statement like Nissans over Mazdas or Hondas over Kias is kind of pointless at this point. Aside from european cars still being ungodly expensive, and tires and brakes getting more expensive to service/replace as they get bigger, there just isn't that big a difference between the makes these days with regards to reliability.
About the only BIG gap in reliability I can think of is that Caravans, at least up until 2010 or so (I don't see stuff that's still under warranty) are still worse than most other minivans. But if you're looking at an Accord vs. Taurus, or Elantra vs. Mazda3 or something, I honestly wouldn't think that hard about reliability in the equation.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Honda has a cult following from their rock solid ~1990-~2000 gems. "Reliability" though, is the wrong discussion to be having. Total cost of ownership is really all that matters at the end of the day, and that has more to do with warranty coverage, factory maintenance plans, etc than it does the difference between manufacturers build quality.
johnunit
New member
Very true. Just like a 2000 dollar car can be expensive if you immediately blow the transmission, a 50,000 dollar car can be a good deal if you never have to drop a cent on repairs for the first 10 years.
Of course, there's the X factor of how much the time/annoyance related to the car breaking down annoys you. Someone like my mother who will run a car with problems until it's immovable and then is literally afraid to drive the loaner car will car about reliability more than someone like me who goes 'hah... well that's fubar. CAA time.'
That also gets into the statistical question of how you quantify 'reliability.' Is a car that can limp to the shop then need 2 grand in repairs more or less reliable than one that dies on the 401 with a 50 dollar problem? What about a car that's in for 5 recalls in the first year vs. one that becomes a money pit the year after the warranty ends?
Sorry, we can't all afford 60-100K+ penis extensions.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
It has nothing to do with cost you cranky ****. Live a little bit and drive something that's fun. Lacking that, at least don't spend hours of time arguing over the relative merits of two uninspiring, cookie cutter compact SUV's. It's ****ing embarrassing to read.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Of course, my man here gets us. 800 a month is 800 a month, whether you're spending it at the dealership, or the shop.
And that's fair...which is where maintenance plans fall into my "total cost of ownership" bit. How do you get someone who will run a vehicle until it's a 2 ton paperweight, to not do that? By taking the sting out of the dealership visit. Blend those costs into your total purchase cost....because if you can't afford to buy the maintenance plan, you can't afford to fix it when the warranty runs out. The better you maintain the vehicle, especially early on, the less it will cost you down the road once it's no longer covered under warranty.
Yeah, it's a set of moving goal posts really. With how cheap CAA is though, there's no difference imo between limping to, and being towed to the shop.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Fwiw...my current vehicle cost me less than your CRV cost you. Significantly....as well as being a metric ****ton more fun to drive.
Cranky? Where was I cranky? Our post I was replying to was cranky and then the one I am replying to now is cranky. Mine was cheeky at best.
Sorry, I didn't realize this was a thread just for fun/cool cars. I bought a new car and decided to post about it in the "Cars" thread. If nobody wanted to discuss it then it would have been a one and done post.
If I made more money I'd want to buy a sweet Mercedes but as it stands now the CR-V is at the top of my price range and at this stage practicality trumps coolness.
When I was in my early 20s I always had what I considered cool cars. Like my 88 Nissan Pulsar. The speedometer topped out at 240 km/h and I'd bury the needle on a regular basis. Guess that's why the engine blew. Other than that it was a lot of 4x4s which were a must for the mountains of northern BC.
And that's fine for a guy in your situation. I hurl down the highway in a 50 tonne loaded Kenworth for 60+ hours a week. Driving for fun doesn't really compute for my anymore. When I drive I want to be comfortable and feel confident I'm going to get where I'm going at 5 km/h over the speed limit. Once driving became my livelihood it really stopped being a source of entertainment.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Oh I'm sorry, you just decided to take a (misplaced) shot at me because you were being cheeky. That's right Ray, everyone who buys cars out of your price range is doing so to cover up for having a small cock.
Oh, it doesn't have to be about "cool" cars. But reading people arguing the relative merits of extremely boring vehicles is nauseating. The two vehicles being argued about couldn't be more ****ing similar if they were designed by the same engineering team.
Again...has little/nothing to do with price. I run a used Infiniti that I haven't had the time/inclination to replace yet, that is still fun to drive, has been reasonably reliable (I'm at maybe 1300 in repairs since I bought it in spring 2012), and is reasonably pratical (4 door, big trunk). But I wouldn't sit here arguing for pages about the difference between it and a 4 door 3 Series bimmer, 4 door C Class benz, etc.
You only get old when you let yourself get old.
Hey, if the CRV works for you, great. But let's not pretend that it isn't what it is. It's a barebones, "crossover" SUV that can last 220-240K before it falls apart. It will handle most weather you throw at it but doesn't do anything particularly well. It's underpowered and handles like a brick, but will comfortably haul your groceries most places you want to take them.
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MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Total cost of ownership....someone else gets it.
It wasn't intended to be anything more than a cheeky remark to you because you gave me shit for discussing my car that cool or not I'm very happy and as lame as it might be, kinda proud of. With the kind of insults we all sling at each other I certainly didn't expect you'd be offended.
As for getting a fun/cool vehicle. At this point we're on a pretty strict budget. Right around $420-450 a month for a vehicle is about our limit. We absolutely need an SUV... So what would you have suggested?
I don't think its a matter of being "voluntarily old" but it's a matter of having different priorities. I'm almost 38 years old, just got married. Up until about 6-7 years ago I was all about fun and didn't give a shit about much else. Thanks to that I spent all my money partying and doing whatever sounded fun at the time. Ended up with bad credit, never owned a new vehicle, never owned a house... Nothing. Always had a kick ass stereo in my shitty car though.
Last week for the first time in my life I bought a brand new vehicle and very soon we'll be buying my first house. Those things are what is currently important to me as far as purchases go.
Like I said, I drive like 60 hours a week for a living... Driving for fun just does not compute at this point. Someday if I'm in the right financial situation and not driving for a living maybe I'll have the desire for a toy to drive around in.
angelfish
Well-known member
My first car was a 95 Accent. I had it for 11 years and only traded it in because I needed a 4 door (at the time (kids)).
corksens
Legend
I had never really taken the time to figure it out till last year. It was black and white.
A complete slam dunk for me.
The only way that owning a car makes sense is if you drive it into the ground and get incredibly lucky that costs don't pile up out of control.