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Need some new car advice

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Batman, Aug 10, 2007.

  1. HackyMcHack

    HackyMcHack Member

    Bought a Corolla CE in January 2006 to replace an '02 Cavalier that had serious coolant problems just short of 100K miles. Now that I have a Toyota, I will never go back to Chevy. I've put 35K on the Corolla, and I haven't had any major problems. The interior trim materials are a bit on the flimsy side, but otherwise so far so good.

    As for Chevy, avoid at all costs. Besides the Cavalier, my '96 Corsica also bit the dust because of coolant problems.
     
  2. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    I hope you're kidding. Fun to watch "Smokey and the Bandit," but let someone else deal with the headaches. Besides, performance numbers weren't at all impressive, especially given today's standards.
     
  3. MacDaddy

    MacDaddy Active Member

    Sounds like you got the sedan... the hatchback is even roomier.
     
  4. MacDaddy

    MacDaddy Active Member

    Gotta love the '70s.
     
  5. dargan

    dargan Active Member

    The small truck market is pretty much a punchline nowadays. The GM trucks, Canyon and Colorado, are widely known as downright awful. The Ford Ranger is far behind the times, and the Dakota is, well, a Dodge (which means way, way behind the times).

    The best small truck is the Toyota Tacoma, by far. The Nissan Frontier is alright, though not near as good as the Tacoma. The thing is, the Tacoma and the Frontier aren't true "compact trucks" like the Americans.

    As for a Cavalier having more pickup than an Accord, that must be one mean Cavalier. The new Accords have an optional 3.0-liter V6 that cranks out more horsepower than the base-line V8s in F150s, Silverados, and Sierras. 244 HP out of a family sedan is pretty wicked. The Camry has 268 in its V6, but that's because it has a 3.5-liter engine and the gas mileage isn't quite as good. the Altima has a 3.5 that produces 275 HP, but the fit and finish on the Nissans isn't as good as that of the Hondas and Toyotas.

    Surprisingly, the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan and Hyundai Sonata have all become serious competitors in the family sedan market. The Sonata is by far the best value, and it's been getting good reliability ratings. It is no longer anything like the punchline it once was.
     
  6. lono

    lono Active Member

    Fixed.
     
  7. Lugnuts

    Lugnuts Well-Known Member

    I'm a hybrid owner, and I'm about to buy a second.

    If you do a ton of highway driving, it might not be worth it.

    Around town/city/stop-and-go traffic? Can't beat it. I've been running errands around town for 3 days, and my needle hasn't moved.

    There's an art to driving them. You learn the art of the coast - it sounds weird, but it's kind of fun. It's become a game for me - let's see how much mileage I can get.

    The tax credits are fading fast (You have until Oct. 1 before the tax advantage disappears on the Toyotas, I think.) The initial huge tax break is what made my first hybrid truly worth it. I'm gonna do it again because I like that I'm not polluting as much.
     
  8. Breakyoself

    Breakyoself Member

    yeah, that whole 'coasting' thing and me don't mix.
     
  9. dargan

    dargan Active Member

    That's interesting. I've read that the purchase price on hybrids is still too high for the gas mileage advantage to really help. Have you found otherwise?
     
  10. Lugnuts

    Lugnuts Well-Known Member

    Yes - but only because I bought my hybrid under the old tax benefit, which was part of Clinton's energy bill. That was when they offered an actual tax deduction - now they offer tax "credits," which are not as beneficial to the consumer-- but they do offer some benefit.

    Unfortunately under the Bush Administration, you're getting less and less of a tax benefit as time goes on. They have capped Toyota, which in some ways seems very un-free market. Once Toyota sold X number of hybrids, the tax benefit started being phased out.

    Fortunately many states are offering zero state sales tax on many hybrids and other benefits like free parking for hybrids in some cities and the ability to use the HOV lane without another passenger.

    Check this website for tax benefits and a state-by-state rundown of perks for hybrid owners.

    http://go.ucsusa.org/hybridcenter/incentives.cfm
     
  11. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    Luggy, that's better than nothing but still nowhere near worth a hybrid over a standard gasoline/diesel engine. At least not the way I view it.

    Like you, I really like the potential benefit of not polluting the Earth further, but financially I don't see the advantages. I take some solace that I drive a pretty fuel-efficient car (well, when I keep my foot off the hammer) that isn't belching anything extraordinary into the atmosphere.
     
  12. Lugnuts

    Lugnuts Well-Known Member

    That's better than nothing - good for you.

    Hopefully the cost of hybrids will come down.
     
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