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Car choice help!!

Jbyjnkx57

Jbyjnkx57

Jan 24, 2011
318
1
Adrian Mi 49221
#1
Hey TB I'm looking to buy a new(er) car And I'm in desperate need of some advice and where's a better place to look?

So lets start with the facts.....

I'm a Ford Guy,
But I like VWs, Honda's, Audi's

I'm looking to spend about $10,000 Max.

Looking for the right deal more or less. I'm not opposed to getting like an SUV with a V8 cause then I can haul my bass gear around and I'm not opposed to getting like a focus that's great on gas, or something like a fusion in-between.

I've test driven a VW Touareg with the V8, 2008 Ford escape 4cyl, 2006 Fusion with V6 and I've liked all 3 a lot.

So I'm just looking for opinions on what people like for the value in that price range on reliability, power, and comfort. The only brands I'd like to stay away from is GM (anything) and Dodge most other stuff is fair game. Let me know whatcha think and thanks so much for your input I'm really kinda confused on this one :/ thanks again!

Joby
 
#3
What are the most important features and attributes that you're looking into having a new vehicle? What are things that you don't want to live without that you have in your current vehicle?

I mean this is way wide considering the cars you test drove are in all different shapes/classes/and leagues... Also serious about wanting a v8 suv?
 
#4
Buy the latest model year Focus wagon you can afford and you will be happy for years. Parts/labor are dirt cheap, WAY cheaper than any import, every garage knows how to work on them, they get spectacular milage, and you can fit the veritable crapload of gear into them.

If you really need to fit gear, and want to go bigger, this is the best utility cargo vehicle on earth right now.
Read the reviews and check the track record. The Ford Transit Connect mini-panel vans are AWESOME. Especially the ones with the rear bench that fold flush to the front seats!
 

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#5
I went through a similar process four months ago. I literally had to write out my important criteria. For me it was:

1. Good gas mileage, and must be diesel, as I'm on the road a lot.

2. Comfort as I'm on the road alot.

3. True off road as we have a farm in mountainous country in France. I wanted to be able to put the vehicle in 4x4 and lock it there. I also wanted low range gearing or an equivalent.

4. Had to have the same, or better, cubic space as our outgoing A-Class

5. Had to be new and under a certain price.

That narrowed it down to about six vehicles. I drove them all, read a ton of reviews on each. That narrowed it down to two SUV's (Freelander 2 and an X-Trail). The Nissan won.

I find the X-trail hideous. The purchase was unemotional, purely on meeting my checklist. This was a first time, buy with no emotion. Very very happy with the choice.

Buying used, I would insist on a complete documented service history, with maintenance being done as scheduled. Don't go with a fistful of receipts from shops. Often, those indicate it saw servicing when it broke.

As for V8's, there are plenty of owners looking to gladly divest themselves of gas guzzling 8's. The downside of buying one is trying to unload it later. You could take a bath on the sale.
 
#6
We have an 05 focus and I;ve got to say Ford has really straightened out.

at about 80k miles on it and no major issues, fact not a single one which is surprising.

I'm totally gassing for an econo van for equipment and stuff.
Fusions are great and I'm sure you can find someone to give you their discount at the dealer.

VWs are actually going down in quality in recent years, and for the price you'd pay for one used with 70k on it you could get a ford with 10 miles on it.


Buy 'Merican sonny
 
#7
I love my Honda Odyssey minivan for hauling my gear; last row of seats folds flush with floor, middle row seats come out and go in pretty easily, remote control doors come in handy when unloading, comfortable, reliable, decent gas mileage. Of course, I get some looks when I pull up next to the Harleys at the biker bars we play at.....
 
#8
VW's and Audi's can get expensive when it comes time to fix something...so keep that in mind.

I'm a German car enthusiast and my dream is to get an S4 (maybe even the S4 wagon so I can haul my gear ;)) BUT I probably won't do that on a musician's salary because of what maintenance expenses tend to be on German cars. Same w/ BMW's and Benz's. Great cars, but man you get that one-time breakdown and it can REALLY cost ya.

But what car doesn't cost a lot to fix, I guess...

Hondas are great cars because the parts are relatively cheap, they're built simply (so you can do simple fixes yourself if you're so inclined), get great gas mileage, and run forever.
 
#9
I have a Honda Element. This is the last year they are making them, and used ones in good shape are out there. The rear seats can either fold up against the wall or be removed completely. Tons of room to store gear and a has a fairly low load height. I am 6'1" and can lie all the way down in the back with the seats removed. AWD is amazing and mileage isn't bad- 24 avg. Plus it's a honda- I've owned 3 and will always own one. My last one was a 92 accord with 190,000 miles and the only thing broken was the a/c.
 
#10
Big + on the Ford Focus wagon idea. I picked up a 2004 ZTW earlier this year. Has over 110,000 miles on it. Very quiet for a little car, can fit all my gear, economical to run, sporty handling, fun to drive, it came loaded with leather, moon roof, bun warmers, etc... for under $6K.
 
#11
mkandolf said:
Big + on the Ford Focus wagon idea. I picked up a 2004 ZTW earlier this year. Has over 110,000 miles on it. Very quiet for a little car, can fit all my gear, economical to run, sporty handling, fun to drive, it came loaded with leather, moon roof, bun warmers, etc... for under $6K.
Click to expand...

No way in heck I'd pay anywhere near $6k for an 8 year old car with 110k+ on the clock. That's a $3000 car.
 
#13
Here's what I posted in the other car thread, and which is completely unhelpful:

It's a wasted question.

Why?

Because when I sold cars years ago, I learned this infallible rule:

People don't buy the car they need, they buy the car they want.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Only the OP knows what car he WANTS. (Hint: it's a Ford, VW, Honda or Audi.)
 
#15
Jbyjnkx57 said:
Well Thanks for all the advice guys! Definitely some more options to consider.... anyone have any experience with the Land Rover Freelanders? I've found one at an awesome price with decently low miles so any opinions?
Click to expand...

Maintenance nightmare! As pricey as any other Euro vehicle, but 4WD and big and heavy so stuff breaks more often. They are, however, great SUVs. All the high end Euro stuff, drive great - but will roll over if you push them when cornering, just like all SUVs but more prone to it. Just be prepared to spend some $$$ on maintenance.
 
#17
I *just* went through "bass-friendly car shopping". I had to replace a Toyota Matrix that we gave to #1 son. I play URB (so don't have cabs), so I'm a fan of the small hatchback or wagon. I am very disposed towards the smallest car that can get the job done, but I'm 6' 1", and have a couple of 6' 5" boys.

My short list was: Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe, Honda Fit, Focus Wagon, Mazda 3 hatch, Nissan Versa hatch. If you have a lot of cabs, they all may be too small.

That Toyota Matrix was the best car I ever owned. Room for an EBG, URB, AI Coda, bag of cables, music stand, small cooler, overnight bag, and my wife. 27mpg in town, 34 on the road. Ok in snow. *Reliable*, mine has 118k miles on it, we were comfortable taking it on a 2k trip to Canada, handed it to son on the way back, and we don't worry about him having trouble with it at all (and he lives in Michigan's UP, there are some very lonely roads up there).

my teacher drives a Pontiac Vibe (same car), and loves it similarly.

I shopped hard for a newer one, couldn't find one in the shape I wanted (I was in the luxurious position of having a little more budget than you). Finding a 5-7 year old one with about 100k for $10k is quite doable, if you are patient; it does seem like the owners don't give them up lightly!

I would have bought a Focus wagon if one had popped up. Sister owns 2 of them, absolutely no complaints. Seating is good, not as good as Matrix/Vibe.

Ended up with a new Honda Fit (picked up on Friday). not as roomy as the Matrix, but it works. Not that much more $$$ than a used Matrix. Not likely to find one for under $10k, not a lot of used ones around.

If you can go older, an Accord or Camry wagon is wonderful (but rare), again, everyone knows how to fix them. Old Saturn wagons are relatively cheap (but rare), seem to run forever, and are easy to repair; not as nice as the Focus, and the seats in our Saturn are *not* comfortable on the long trip...

it was fun, showing up to car dealerships with an URB, and just trying things on for size...
 
#19
Wifey and i took a road trip this past June while our main vehicle (her daily driver) was in the body shop recovering from a fender bender.

She had a Ford Escape rented and I was thinking it was going to be an ordeal in both getting everything we needed to haul inside, and me arriving too stove up to function thanks to my messed up legs and their need to be straightened out on long trips.

I was surprised (pleasantly so) when we got everything in and had room to spare, but the real nice surprise was finding that other than having to do a little twisting to get under the wheel, I had plenty of room for my legs.

In addition to a pleasant trip with no gear or leg issues, we also got off for about 1/3 of what it could have cost us to drive wifey's GMC crew cab Sierra.

Wifey was so impressed she wants me to sell my truck, buy her an Escape, and me take her "old" (2009) truck.
 

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