Dr.Monkey1313

Everyone, I may be in the market for a new vehicle since the accident last weekend. I am really trying to do my research before buying another vehicle and could use all of your knowledge and opinions.

I am starting by trying to make a list of who owns what. Let me explain...

From what I can find, the following is true...

1) Ford owns Jaguar and about 33% of Mazda
2) Volkswagen owns Bentley, lambourghini, and Audi (VW owns Porsche??)
3) BMW owns Mini as in the Mini cooper
4) Daimler Chrysler AG owns Dodge and some of Mitsubishi and Mercedes-Benz (Well actually Mercedes merged with Chrysler to form Daimler Chrysler AG.) But you get it.
5) Hyundai owns KIA
6) GM owns Daewoo, Suzuki, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, and a portion of Sabb
7) Toyota owns Scion

Please feel free to add other auto makers that I have not listed.

I am not a big fan of American vehicles because I have not heard too many good things about most of them. I feel that American vehicles are good for about 100K miles (at best) and then you should toss them.

I am a big fan of foreign vehicles such as Infiniti, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, etc. I feel that you with basic maintenance, you can get at least 250K ++++ miles from these vehicles with no issues.

Please help me by giving me your opinions, good and bad experiences, and HARD FACTS about different vehicles.
If possible, I would like to be at or below $22K for my next vehicle, so my monthly payments will not be too big.

Thanks everyone...

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

get an I35 or a G35 depending on your needs.
if your were satisfied with the quality of your I30 another nissan product should be fine.


BTW ford owns Mazda lock stock and barrel, has for about 30 years already. and stay away from anything chrysler FWD.

emub00

Just as an addition, GM also owns Opel in Europe, which will be responsible for all the future Saturn designs in North America. I think that GM also holds some Subaru shares and they sold a portion of them to Toyota at the end of 2005.

As previous owner of a 2001 I30t and actual owner of a 06 Maxima, I can say that I am not impressed with the american build quality of my Maxima...It might be just one isolated case, but...I miss the rock-solid feel of the Infiniti

I hope this helps...if you need more details I'll be glad to share...

emub00

Porsche, as company, was founded by Ferdinand Porsche, who also created the first Volkswagen.

As far as I know, Porsche holds now approx. 25% of VW shares....

96i30azn

Get a used G35, you should be able to get one for about 20-25k

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

Porsche, VW, Audi, Lamborghini, (Bugatti)?


Anyway, if i was looking at a car now, i would hands down look at BMW and porsche, mabye Infiniti and Nissan again, great cars, but i want something different, and as they say, german cars are "Huned from a solid block of granite"

BMW, options all over the board, if you need to carry alot of people, start looking around.

Porsche-my speciality.... if you need only 1 extra seat (mabye in a pinch a small back one, but not for long trips.)
-944,(83-91) NA's are cheap as dirt, and pretty reliable, Turbos, a tad less reliable, more pricy, but fast as ****, and they handle incredibly (front engine rear trans)
-968,(92-95) newer, supposedly better made, more pricy, but faster, and better in some cases.
-928, (late 70's (77?) to 95) Uses a fair amount of gas, but power like crazy, fun to drive, fast (95GTS will do 170 all day long, no problem) parts aernt cheap, but not terrible either.
-Boxster, whole new beast than all the other ones ive mentioned (all of which were FR with the trans in the rear configs.) still a great car if you dont mind a soft top, if you do get a hard top to go along with it, steer clear of 99 if you can otherwise, real real reliable, awesome handling (mid engine) and just fun cars.
-911, prob out of your price range, but the classic porsche, rear engined so learn how to drive one fast before you try it, its very different. a 993 (last of the air cooled years) would be great, but there a bit hard to come by, a 964, great but a tad old, and sort of hit or miss with reliability (none are too bad though) and a 996, newer, and prob in your price range if you can deal with higher miles, get an EX warrenty, as there tricky sometime.


And if you dont want a porsche, thats cool, clearly there not for everyone, but the following for them is incredibly, this site is great and all, better than some porsche boards, but having buisness that make there living based on your brand cars is hard to beat (porsche magazines, specialty shops, and so on and so on)



Sorry for my strange rant, im weird like that. if your interested in anything i meantioned let me know, im pretty good with these cars, prices range from $1k (beat up 944) up to as high as you can go (993 twin turbo probally)

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

If you are looking for something used, and need a sedan, I would look at a 91-95 Acura Ledgend, 93-97 Lexus GS 300, or another I30. You should be able to pay for most of (if not all of) any of those cars with the check you get from the insurance company.

clayman88

iTrader: (1)

If you're looking for something new and if this won't break your budget, definitely check out the new G35's coming out this November. After the re-design they are sweet!

MaximaExposure

iTrader: (1)

Even without the redesign, it's still sweet , but yeah, the new design is hella nice.

If you're looking for a new ride, you pretty much have to spend over $37K for a luxury sports sedan, and that's just for an entry level, Infiniti G's / Lexus IS's / Acura TL's / BMW 3's / Audi A4's. If I had the money, I would go with the new IS's, and if I had even more money, GS's .

kkashi04

Actually, I'm also looking to get a used car for around 22k. I think you lose too much $$$ out the door when you purchase a new one. I think 2-3 year old cars are the best.

I also have the same preference as you so I'm basically looking to get Infiniti, Nissan, Honda, Toyota, etc.

I'm looking for a safe, reliable, and comfortable 4 door sedan and it needs to have some power...meaning it's gotta have V6.

After doing some research, I've narrowed it down to 7-8 cars. Below, I've listed Pros and Cons of each model based on the reviews I read on edmunds.com by the owners.

'04 - '05 Accord EX V6



Pros: reliability, high quality, cheap maintenance, uses regular octane gas, good safety rating, good resale value

Cons: too popular, transmission issues on '04 models, poor off-the-line acceleration, weak brakes, not so hot exterior design

'04 - '05 Camry SE, XLE V6



Pros: reliability, high quality, better looking tail lights on '05, came with more power on SE models

Cons: too popular, regarded as gramps car, crappy acceleration or lack thereof in highway to the point where it may even be dangerous when trying to pass...I think this has to do with the transmission not shifting properly or something, not so much power compared to its competitors

'04 - '05 Maxima



Pros: VQ35, design (at least I like), 4-wheel independent suspension (finally), projector xenons, quad exhaust, info screen

Cons: some reliability issues, poor gas mileage, poor interior/paint quality, poor resale value

'02 - '03 Maxima SE/GLE



Pros: it's the cheapest of all the cars I've listed (can easily get one for well below 20k) VQ35, design, xenons, reliability

Cons: rear beam axle, wide turning radius, poor paint/interior quality, poor resale value, not as good gas mileage as Accord or Camry, requires premium gas

'02 - '04 I35



Pros: VQ35, reliability, luxurious interior, Infiniti badge, design (I think this is the best looking one out of the ones I listed)

Cons: interior quality (but I think it's improved over previous I30's), rear beam axle, wide turning radius, not as good gas mileage as Accord or Camry, requires premium gas, poor resale value

*Although I've never driven one, I would think that the driving characteristics would be pretty similar to that of our I30's so we pretty much know what to expect (same for the Maxima). Of course, this has more power, luxury features, etc.


Continued...

kkashi04

'04 - '05 Mazda6 s Sport/s Grand Touring



Pros: design (second best looking car IMO in this list), engine

Cons: poor gas mileage, poor interior quality, not much interior space, not so sure about reliability

'04 - '05 Altima 3.5 SE/SL



Pros: VQ35, design(improved on '05 models both the exterior and interior), reliability, xenons (if you opt for it)

Cons: poor interior quality, you're still gonna say you drive an Altima (no offense to Altima owners ), ricey looking tail lights

'03 - '04 G35



Pros: VQ35, RWD, design, reliability, Infiniti badge, xenons, great resale value

Cons: poor interior quality, brakes wearing out too soon (myabe just the OEM's?), pricier compared to other models listed

I like the G35 a lot but it's too small inside for my taste. Plus, I'm not too sure about the maintenance cost. Plus, it's a bit more expensive than other models listed.


Honorable mention:


'07 Camry V6



Pros: awesome 3.5L engine, good gas mileage, design, good quality materials, cool interior, good resale value (almost given)

Cons: first year model

I'm actually very tempted to get the new Camry but like I mentioned earlier, I don't like the fact that it depreciates so much in the first 3 years. Plus, it's a first year model.





Conclusion: Among them aside from the '07 Camry, I kinda like the Accord the best considering it's got the best safety rating (thanks to standard head airbags), has decent power, uses regular octane, has good quality materials, and good resale value.

But, there are other good alternatives out there as you can see above.


Dr. Monkey1313, I hope that helped. Keep in mind that what I listed above in regards to Pros and Cons may not entirely be accurate. But, I tried my best to summarize what the general consensus was on those cars.

Also, I would like to know you guys' opinions on these cars as I'm sure it will help Dr. Monkey as well.

Thanks a lot.

MaximaExposure

iTrader: (1)

Not sure why you put I35 and 5.5th gen interior as a "Con", but I love my I30t's, design + material + fitment gets all B+'s from me.

I've been in a couple of '05 Camrys, including a XLE V6 sitting in the dealer showroom, the interior is no where near as nice as the 5.5th gen Max, other than the seats, everything else looks and feels like cheap plastic. I would rate it a C-. The newly redesigned '07 is a different story, I am very impressed by how much they improved, it deserves a B/B+ for the interior.

The current generation of Accords also have a nice interior, I give it a B/B+ as well. Exterior on the other hand, it's too blah..., no attitude at all. The updated rear of the '06 is an improvement, but still not enough to win my vote.

My definition of an "A" for the interior would be something like the Q45 / LS430 / S500 / 7 series. Bentley / Maybach would be an A+.

For under $22K, I would go with a used G35 / I35 / GS / ES / TL / RL / 3 series.

kkashi04

Again, all the stuff I put up there were gathered from the user reviews on edmunds.com. I can't back any of that stuff up since I've never been/driven any of those cars for an extended period of time. I did, however, put some of my own opinions there like the exterior design and some cool features that set the car apart from the rest...or from most of them. Those two aspects we can all see without having to own one.

You may be right about the I30/I35 interior. They look pretty good, especially the I35's. But I've never been in one so I can't say for sure that it has a good quality. Definitely an improvement over the first gen I30's for sure at least by the looks.

I agree with you about the definition of "A" interior.

Dr.Monkey1313

Hey, thanks to all of you for jumping in with your thoughts and opinions. I really do appreciate it. Please keep the info coming. I should find out what is happening with my car on Monday. (Totaled or not)

My main concern with buying another vehicle is that I usually buy expecting to drive for at least 150K or more with no major issues. I would bet my life that I can do this on a Toyota, Infiniti, Nissan or Honda, but am concerned about doing it on almost any other vehicles. For instance, can I buy one of the new Mazdas and not be concerned??? What about a Chrysler? I like the Chrysler 300 look, but am concerned that I will have issues.

If I were buying a car for 3 to 5 years and was only going to put 75K to 100K on it then get rid of it, I would probably be less worried about buying a Chrysler or Mazda, but I don't know.

Any thoughts??????

Thanks again, you all have been very helpeful and please keep the info coming.

PS: Tell me more about Porsche. Are the newer Boxters any good and could I get over 150K miles on it without any issues????? 1998 to 2002???

Jellyfishian

I'm not sure of Mazda now, but my first car, the one before my current maxima, was a 92 Mazda Protege, the car had 150K and had never broken down once! other than like a dead battery, but i still miss that car, it was my first baby! I would buy another Mazda!

just an FYI

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

You should be able to, as i said 99 has its issues for some strange reason, and it wont be as cheap to keep up with as an I30 for example, nor will it likely be as reliable, but then again Porsche continually comes in 2nd in quality ratings, 2nd to lexus, and honestly, how many new lexus owners do you see at the track on weekends?? not nearly as many as porsches....

Keep up with the car, oil changes, tranny fluid changes, and so on and it should take care of you, get a pre purchase inspection before you buy, take a look over at rennlist, and their forums. Also as a side, the market for porsches is real soft right now, and there are many deals to be had.....

Dr.Monkey1313

Well, My wife and I went to the dealer tonight and looked at a Porsche Boxter. Unfortunately, it was a 99, but OH SO SWEET! and only 16K miles on it. I have to say, right now I am really thinking about this car seriously. I may try to find a 2000. Can you tell me more about the Boxters? What are the highs and lows and what should I look out for as far as possible issues. Anything else I should know?

Thanks again.

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

Well first off if you get one, 2 things, first i expect to see many many many pictures of it, and 2nd, you cant leave the org forever.


On a similar note however, anyone who knows me knows that i like my I30 just fine, i wish it was RWD and 5speed (6 actually), but there is one thing i feel it is missing, in fact one thing i feel all infinitis, and nissans are missing, a truly great following, dont get me wrong, the Org is one of the best car specific forums online, but we dont have the same following BMW's, Porsches, and hondas (although im not a fan of theirs) do. Go to your local book store and they will likely have at least 3 different porsche specific magazines, theres porsche specific part dealers(lots of em) (probally for us too, just not as well known) and the aftermarket makes pretty much anything possible for these cars(wanna put a 911 engine in a boxster, it can be done) , and its all (almost at least) tastefully done, which is what i feel lacks from the honda crowd. So that is just my rant as to why i love those two makers speciffically, although i feel BMW is almmost becoming slightly tainted now days, by the ex-hondaers who get M3's.



Back to what you asked:
Boxters i will not lie are not my exact specialty (Cadillac Allanté's are) but then again i will admit to being slightly (understatement) Porsche obsessed...
From what i know the boxster from the begining has been a quite reliable car, not to mention it will out handle just about anything, and if its an S model its real quick too, if its a base model, the 2.5 is considered a little underpowered by the porsche crowd, but then again there used to much bigger stuff, to the average driver, the 2.5 should perform quite well. The transmission (hopefully your looking manual) is a "sealed for life" unit, Porsche intended for the fluid to last you a life time, i doubt it will, and for the cheap insurance it provides i would change it reguarly (im sure its possible, just not sure how hard) The clutch will go, thats what clutches do, they wear out, but even with the worst of drivers it should last into the 60's, which may sound low, but dont forget most if not all of these cars see track duty. Brakes, again pads and rotors wear, its no different on a porsche, Electrical should be good overall, being mid engined, im not sure how much fun changing spark plugs would be, or preforming other assorted tasks, but if its got any of its bigger brother the 911 in it, it wont be a hard task to pull the engine (an experienced 911 owner can do it in about an hour and a half) Coolant, not sure if they have problems or not, none that i know of, but i would just follow these simple guidelines, 1, use distilled H20, 2, good coolant, and 3, the two afforementioned items are so cheap, change it often, 2 years, 30k miles.


Now as i said i dont know everything about these cars so im going to throw a few links your way, also if you have any questions which i cannot answer i will gladly post them for you on rennlist (one of many porsche forums, there may be better boxster specific ones not sure) or you can register there for free and post.

Basic overall review.
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/U...reviewshowall/

Fifth Gear (different than the one below)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...5&q=Fifth+gear

Rennlist-Go to watercooled, Boxster/s and read some stuff, a few pages in look for the MY99 discussion.
http://forums.rennlist.com/


Fifth Gear video
http://www.dpccars.com/car-movies/06...RadicalSR3.htm


Also check out Epinions.com for some owner reviews, i havent personally checked but they must have some.




Good luck

BlackI30Boi98

I'd go with a 01-02 Lexus GS430.

Pros: Power from awesome motor, interior, features, and very reliable
cons: Heavy, gas mileage, you'd be pissed if someone dinged your door.

96i30azn

Last time I read consumer reports(2002 new car guide) the porsche boxster had pretty crappy reliability... On par with the worst of Americans.

Also, kashi's comment about the G35's brakes. I believe that Infiniti fixed this problem wither in 04 or 05 at the same time they got rid of the brembos

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

Unless its an S, they are not that fast for a porsche. I could pick on one in my 10 year old sedan.

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

But it will destroy you in the turns, i dont care what you've done to your I...

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

ill have to dig through my stacks of magazines to find mine, i dont remember the relibility #'s, but i do remember it was one of the only, if not the only car they gave a 100 overall to...

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

So could a 10 year old garbage miata which is slow as hell... put me on even a little straight away and I would be able to compenstate for any handling aspect. You make it sound like I drive a crappy muscle car from the 70s that rides on leaf springs. Regardless of what gay magazines like car and driver and motortrend say, there is a lot more to performance than handling.

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

I didnt mean to downplay the importance of horsepower (or more importantly in my mind, torque) but the boxster (even the base 2.5) is not a slow car, slow by 911 standards, sure, slow by most peoples standards, nope. Also lets not forget your car isnt exactly stock, so were comparing a non stock car to a stock one here.

Anyway i dont see the Dr. buying a car solely to beat you on a straightaway, but if he wants on for that, im sure i can find him one.


As for the miata, thats not a half bad idea, it doesnt have the panache (sp) or the Porsche, but a few year old loaded miata might not be a terrible choice, slow can be fun, just an idea Dr.

Dr.Monkey1313

LOL, guys, I am buying my next car strictly to drive and hopefully enjoy. I will never go to a track or race someone on or off the track in it. (Just not my thing)

Having said that, I took the 99 boxter out for a drive today. OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH. Very nice vehicle. I loved driving a stick again. Havent done that in a long time. Got lots of looks in the silver boxter. Very fun. I also took out a 2001 BMW convertable 3 series. It was nice, but was very heavy. I am still considering it, but not sure yet.

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

I may not be stock but even a stock 4th gen would hold with one. I know they are not slow but my point is that for the money you basically pay for the porsche name you can get more from a different car that serves the same purpose.

The newer miatas look ok, but those holder ones are crappy little cars. They have a junk interior, horrible reliability, and they fall apart pretty easily.

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

If you like it, I say go for it... after all that is whats most important here.

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

Miata, horrible reliability?! never heard that, never...

I dont think i fully understand what you mean, an I30 and a Boxster serve the same purpose?, im missing something.


anyways, i realize that i sound like im putting the I30s down, after all i do drive one every day, and it is a NICE vehicle, very reliable, but someday i do aspire to own porsches, emphasis on the porscheS, multiple ones.

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

You must have never even seen, driven, or worked on one in that case.

I had a friend that had one, he said the same thing about Miata's that you just did. He tried to take good care of it too, but that car was the biggest piece of **** to ever come out of Japan. I'd say a car that has multiple oil leaks, goes through head gaskets constantly (I believe 2 in one year), a nightmare of an electrical system, all on an engine with only 75K, has pretty sh!tty reliability... I think eventually he gave up on it when it blew its 3rd head gasket and it sat for a couple of years until he had it towed away to be scrapped. Complete garbege. I'll I could say was 'I told you so'.

And I never said the I30 and a boxster serve the same purpose. I don't know how you could infer that from what I said.

i.e. read different car as: g35c, sc, s2000, etc...

brio_max

iTrader: (9)

What about the Acura TL?




video http://reviews.cnet.com/2006_Acura_T...7-6472444.html

Luigi38

iTrader: (2)

Hey Dr. Monkey,

The new TL's are nice and all, but they look like the big cousin of the civic.
Screw the Boxter, overpriced for what u get...If you can't afford an 911 don't bother getting a porsche.

Get an I35, G35, 07' new camry.

Good luck

gakary54

You can't say a car line is bad because of 1 vehicle. Every car line has a few lemons. My friends 06 Max shifts like my 86 Monte used to, but I'm not going to say that Maximas are bad cars because of one bad car.

95gxe

Given the amount of miles that you plan tp put on the car a new '07 camry may be the best bet. To stay at or or below $22k you can go with a 4 cyl. XLE or a 6 cyl. model that may hace a few less bells and whistles.

I know folks that have had Mazdas and Volkswagens and had horrible reliability. They specifically stated that they'd not buy another of those models. Also, Volkswagen had horrible reliability on their models as well. Keep in mind too that Ford owns Land Rover and that reliability as well as dealership reputaion is in the dumpster.

nycspudz03

iTrader: (2)

If Im not mistaken, I think he bought an IS300...

MetaOrbit

iTrader: (19)

You'd be correct.

Dr.Monkey1313

Yes, I did buy a Lexus IS300. I will let you guys in on a little secret...

I am not sure if I am going to keep it. I am just not getting the lovie dovie feeling for this car like I had for my I30.

Don't get me wrong, I like this car and it has a lot of bells and whistles and is pretty fast stock, but the gas milage sucks and I just dont have the love for it.

Not sure what I would get into if I don't keep the IS300.

BlackI30Boi98

What kind of price range are we talking about?

I-30BLACKDEMON

Whatever you get I would make it Japanese! I've owened many and they're all very well built and very reliable. Preferably ones that are actually built in Japan. The germans have prestige but are almost always overpriced for what you get.

Dr.Monkey1313

BlackI30Boi98: Do you mean what would I ask for it if I sold it? I would probably sell it for $21K It has 43K miles on it interior and exterior are in great shape and it is a Lexus Certified Pre Owned vehicle, so you know it was checked over and is as close to new car standards as possible.

Anyway, not sure what I am going to do yet. I like the car, I am just not getting that warm and fuzzy feeling from it. lol