December 2nd, 2006 by Atomictumor
So, this morning I’ve been laying in bed (lying in bed?), in a blissfully quiet house, with just the tinge of a headache from last night, and researching cars.
Uh, cars suck these days.
Seriously.
OK, heres my problem… I’m too aesthetically picky. I LIKE the VW stuff because I like the design they put into the cars. For like 20 years now, theres been crap for car design. Crap.
I also like the fact that not a lot of people have one. I like smugly driving, and I smugly drive best when nobody else has my car. Theres been another white turbo Volvo 240 running around town, and I think I have to smite him (”Theres only room enough in this town for one white turbo 242, mister.”)
Indeed.
So, lotsa people say that the VWs suck with regards to reliability, which certainly removes from that smugness factor. Its difficult to be smug when your car is broken down on the side of the road.
I didn’t say IMPOSSIBLE, just difficult.
So, heres what I’m looking for, in roughly the order I’m looking for it, and now I’ll make you guys work for me. Here goes:
- Manual transmission. For reals, no deals. Don’t lay no auto on me.
- Pizazz. Look it up.
- Low milage. I’m not adverse to a new car, although I’ve never seen the sense in buying a new car, since its like taking the few thousand dollars in depreciation and flinging it into the woods somewhere. Incidentally, thats where the Leprechaun pots of gold come from. Now we’ve both learned something
- Uh… how do I say this gently… not domestic. Wait wait wait, don’t lynch me, its just that American cars look… well… lame. There.
- Not so the crazy about Japanese cars either, because they all look pretty much exactly the same
- Oh yeah, gotta be big enough for 3 fairly largish sized bodies. I figure this car’ll see me for 4 or 5 years, so MastaG will be sprouting body hair by then and talking in a crackly voice (its a shame, because BJ couldn’t WAIT to make fun of that). Yeesh.
- Um, I think thats it.
What you should be taking away from this, is that I’m a man who judges me on my car. I like the Volvo. I liked the 74 cutlass I had. Wasn’t so crazy about the Subaru wagon. So, there you have it.
—
Seriously, what are you still doing here?
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:53 am
Unfortunately, according to CNN.com, most of the top reliable cars are domestic.
“Six of the “Most Reliable” are from General Motors or Ford. Those are Ford’s front-wheel-drive midsize sedans (Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr), GM’s new large non-luxury SUVs (Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon) and GM’s Pontiac Vibe wagon. The Vibe is shares its basic shape and engineering with the Toyota Matrix, a nearly identical vehicle which also made the list.”
The Pontiac Vibe is actually a really, really good car. Not sure if it comes in manual,though….
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:56 am
Well, we obviously have different taste in cars. I go for cheap, reliable ground transporation, not the extension-of-my-ego vehicle.
However, my mom, who is a big fan of VWs, acknowledges that they have always been unreliable for her. She has a pretty short memory for unpleasant experiences, as evidenced by the fact that she had five kids.
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:57 am
We have a vibe. It is a stick shift. My wife loves it.
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:57 am
How about selling the van and using the money to repair the Volvo? Is the Volvo too far gone? Doesn’t the sunroof leak? My hubby works for a car repair business. Everytime I tell him about a car that I have seen that I like, he gives me a whole list of reasons why we shouldn’t buy it. He has a unique perspective because he sees a massive number of cars and notices the patterns of problems certain cars have. The way I understand it, cars are similar to computers. Some cars have parts that are proprietary in nature. You can’t just buy a generic part to repair them which ends up costing you more for repairs in the long run. If the car with proprietary parts has a reliable track record, this is not such a big deal. If I remember correctly, the Jetta does not fall into this category. Because of the way some cars are designed, a simple repair causes huge labor charges because so many other parts must be removed to get access to the part that is causing the problem. Also like computers, parts simply wear out over time. So if you buy a used car or keep a new car long enough, you will end up dealing with repairs. Many repair shops will inspect the car you are considering free of charge. Of course, they cannot predict the future, but can find obvious problems. Most people don’t take advantage of this free service. Maybe they don’t know businesses do this. Even if the car has problems, you could use this info to negotiate a lower price or simply walk away altogether. My hubby’s mindset never takes in the “pizazz” factor, which carries a little more weight with me :)
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Idgie, the Volvo works fine, but its a 20 year old car, and I’m careful to just drive it around town. We need something that can truck down to the BBF, or visit Canadian relatives, or go to California to try Erins Boysenberry syrup.
Joel, your way makes way more sense, and is probably the proper way to go about it, however, I don’t have a lot propping my ego up nowadays, so I figure spending a little more (or sacrificing a little more) for a car that I “like” would be worth it. However, the nice thing is that even if I wanted to, I can’t act on this for probably another couple of months.
Who knows what I’ll be thinking by then?
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:10 pm
Cars, like houses, are a money pit.
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:12 pm
From what i heard on the Vibe is that it has a Toyota running gear. That wouldn’t be so bad if its true. Toyotas are a good reliabe car as is Honda or Nissan. Take a look at the Toyota Highlander(2 wheel or 4 wheel drive). I have a buddy that has one and he loves it as well as his wife. He also has a VW Jetta and likes that car also(never heard him fuss about any break downs, but he is the kind of guy that get a little antsy when the oil change time goes over by a couple miles). Go luck on you car quest.
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:15 pm
The Vibe and the Matrix are the same car. But you’ll pay less for it as a Pontiac.
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:34 pm
Joel…I don’t view a car as a money pit. They are just machines with parts that wear out. Some car designs/parts are just better than others and thus need less repairs. However, when I was a struggling single parent trying to raise two girls and driving junkers, I would have probably described a few of those cars as “money pits.”
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:51 pm
What I mean by “money pit” is that they are not investments. You aren’t gonna sell your car for as much or more than you paid for it. And if you actually expense home ownership, most folks don’t really make money on their home, either unless they buy in a good neighborhood and live it it for a very long time (but for many people, the equity is the only way they can “save” money).
I only buy new cars, BTW, because I hate having cars break on me. I lose a couple thousand just driving them off the lot. We end up owning them for ca. 15 years, but we put money (besides gas and oil) into them most years. From a financial POV, if you don’t see cars as a money pit, you aren’t paying attention. Buy the cheapest car that will keep you on the road, and invest the rest.
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Don’t buy a Saturn please — go buy yourself a box of crayons instead. There service not only sucks, you will be there a long time too. I hear you on design — american cars are POSs when it comes to both exterior and interior. They usually pinch on the interior and you have rattles and all sorts of nonsense. How do you feel about Scions? You can do a fair about of customization on them off the floor. There exterior kind of sucks though. I have to agree with you that VW has done some great stuff and they can be fast as hell too. CRV? Element? They are both boxes on wheels but good cars. No sub compacts . . . If you should tread into American land — what about Chysler? Magnum, Charger, — they have some edgy designs. Don’t know about power plant though. I am trying to think of something that says “I am a bad ass, with style.” Not coming up with much . . . What about Saab? Shoot, GM owns them now.
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:03 pm
I drive a Saturn SL2. It is certainly noisy and a bit under-powered, but it gets decent mileage and has no worse a repair record than the two Mazdas we owned before it. Just turned 100 K a couple of weeks ago.
WRT the money pit calculation, be sure to include the cost of auto insurance when you do the math.
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Yeah, thats one fortunate thing about having previously worked in the auto insurance racket, I have a good idea how expensive some of these cars will be.
Additionally, I agree, in theory, on the money pit thing, but don’t necessarily agree with the thinking of function over form. I like to think a certain amount of style comes with the car, just from a purely vain standpoint. Sure, I’m admitting a flaw, but its mine, I feed it and water it and I’m going to keep it.
Yeah, I’d stay away from Saturn anyway, although my father in law also has an SL2 and has had a great time with it. Its not my bag, thanks.
That said, I’m not at all interested in the ‘badassness’ of cars. The testosterone pananche of the Dodge cars kinda turns me off. I’d prefer a Clark Kent kinda car, sure, something fast, but something kinda nerdy on the outside.
I have eyed a couple of Saabs, but I’m not sure.
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:26 pm
My brother has a Mazda Z6 (I think) that he really likes. It comes in both sedan and hatchback varieties, gets good gas mileage and is nice looking. All of his friends are in the 6′0″ to 6′7″ range and seem to be able to cram in, but I have no idea how it would be to drive one. We have a Toyota Corolla which has no pizazz factor but in the 3 years we’ve had it, we’ve only had to change the oil. The VW Golf we had before that was a POS, had electrical problems right off the bat, leaking dash and some random problem that would drain batteries but that no one could ever pin down. I would really avoid the VW.
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:29 pm
Ok, not the Z6 the mazda 6, http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsAllMZ6
He has either the 5 door or the sports sedan and can fit his tenor sax and a couple of amps in the back.
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:30 pm
purple cars are cheap.
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:41 pm
I have a vibe and I like it a lot, as does my husband. It’s a manual and has a sun roof. It’s kind of sporty, and pretty room, and cheap. And it gets okay gas mileage (it averages about 30).
Good luck finding a car that is perfect for you guys!
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:44 pm
AT I think this is exactly what you are lookin’ for.
http://images.burningman.com/gallery/cameragirl.20397.jpg
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:45 pm
Finally, I de-lurk. Let me preface my car comments by offering my condolences on the loss of BJ. I have been reading since BusyMom sent me over here and I have been moved and heartbroken.
Now, cars. Like you, AT, I must love the car I am driving. I have owned a volvo, a vw and a lot of others in between. Some have been good, some bad, some moneypits, but what they all had in common was - I loved them while I owned them. My fav of all time was the VW passat wagon. Way too expensive for me to keep in the long run, but oh-so-fun to drive. Comfortable, fast, good looking. VWs are the perfect cars. Once I had a Jeep Grand Wagoneer - the moneypit, but very cool looking and fun to drive. The volvo was boring, but very safe. I wonder how you would feel about a new-ish volvo? They really are the safest, and I had almost 200,000 miles on mine when I finally got rid of it.
I have opinion of all of the other cars I’ve owned, too, but I’ll spare you. Please let us know what you got when you finally do. Also, a pic?
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:24 pm
I had a Jetta and so did the Rodent Queen at one period of time and it was an okay experience.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:52 pm
Daco, if I could put pinstripes on that thing, it’d be totally me.
Keep the ideas comin’, folks, what you’ve said so far has been mite-T helpful! Thanks!
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:59 pm
Daco — that is what happens when you have an old IH bus and are expressing yourself though your highschool welding class. Is that what they mean by pimped out?
tg
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:05 pm
I HAD a 98 VW Beetle (diesel and standard) and it just fell apart. Little things would suddenly fall off (such as the rearview mirror and all the window buttons and a rear light cover) and the engine just did not last. It was in the shop constantly and I practically pushed it into a Ford dealer to trade for a truck. I will say this for the little Beetle: it holds up in a crash. I was hit practically head on at one point by someone driving a much larger car and his car was totalled and mine didn’t take all that much body work to repair it. I had purchased the car while pregnant and ALL I based the purchase on was crash test results. My baby was in the back seat at the time of the accident and we came out just fine.
I hate car shopping!!
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:08 pm
“I hate car shopping”
That’s why we went for the Saturn. No haggling. Probably paid too much, but I didn’t feel like I had to take a shower after I left the show room.
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:17 pm
The parallels are uncanny sometimes, AT. I have a Honda Odyssey and a Toyota RAV4. I’ve thought about getting rid of one since I don’t technically need two. But I’ve decided to keep them both since babysitters and friends use one sometimes to schlep some or all of my babies. But about two months ago, I got the overwhelming urge to get a VW EOS. It’s a hardtop convertible. Sexy, fast, and definitely good for the ego. I hunkered down and the feeling finally passed. I drive my cars until they croak, and with an ‘00 and an ‘02, I’m not likely to buy anything soon. Though I’ve also thought that it would be pretty responsible to trade in the RAV4 for a Prius or other hybrid from an environmental/social responsibility perspective.
I’m mostly resisting the urge to make very many changes at all for the first year.
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Not for 3 but good for the soul by yourself.
http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php?js_enabled=1
December 2nd, 2006 at 4:17 pm
I just bought a Scion xB and love it. Not a lot of people have them, it’s affordable and they are super roomy. Only (minor, for me) drawback is not a lot of horsepower, but it’s certainly not sluggish. You should check them out. Or not. Whatever :)
December 2nd, 2006 at 5:04 pm
All this car talk made my stock stereo in my toyota take a crap — no right channel — POS!!!
December 2nd, 2006 at 7:33 pm
I neglected to mention earlier that I am now the “proud” owner of a 2001 mercury villager MINIVAN!! Not nearly as fun as the passat wagon, but much more economical. After the kids are up and out of the house, I will definitely go back to the VW.
December 2nd, 2006 at 9:34 pm
I know you said you didn’t want to go Jap. but I have to say since I bought my Honda Accord a few months ago I’ve had a blast with it. Five speed stick at 4 cyl. has some power to it (much more so then my automatic trans. van 6 cyl. did,) I have to watch my speed as I have too much fun accellerating (sp?) Anyway, I checked Consumer Reports and it had the most red dots so it won my attention after my domestic gave me a helluva time. The Honda family has very little depriciation, 400 miles per tank of gas, etc. I don’t think I’ll ever drive anything but a Honda now. I have several friends who have Honda’s with over 200,000 miles on them and have had very little problems under the circumstances. Anyway, just my two cents ; )
December 2nd, 2006 at 9:56 pm
To its credit, my jetta never has broken down (except for the battery reboot thing) - it’s just got annoying little electrical issues when the computer components wear out.
Oh, and it’s a ‘99 and the front bumper was designed a little too low to the ground and we’ve knocked it off almost a dozen times by a) parking too close to the cement divider things (spouse does that) or b) driving over small valleys i.e. from parking lot to street where one is higher than the other and you ‘bottom’ out. At least that was an easy repair - it just snapped back on. Most of the cars designed for good mileage have that lower front bumper. You may want to consider that since you’re in TN and theoretically that’s not a flat area.
I’d probably buy one again if I was anywhere near a reliable VW dealer. We didn’t have any issues until we moved to a rural area.
December 2nd, 2006 at 10:08 pm
Not a good source of car advise, as we only own junkers. But I did have a thought. My son bought himself a camaro on his 16th and became kind of obsessed with camaros. A few years ago, when I had way too much time on my hands I found this
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/features/0312phr_chevy_camaro_fifth_generation_concept/photo_04.html
Last summer, only one month after the traumatic events of Ladybugs birth, he got sick. MDs thought it was an absess,but it was Necrotizing fasciitis (go ahead, google it, I’ll wait). Anyhoo, that stuff it nasty to get rid of and after his third surgery (everytime it was supposed to be the last) he became sicker. While waiting for the surgeon to arrive, he started talking about giving up….so being the brilliant Mom that I am I brought up the dam concept camaro. Actually promised to buy him one if he lived. Well, of course, he did and he won’t let me get out of the promise. I can’t even buy us a house to live in, but I do owe him….BUT I have the hidden ace…its not a real car. So here is my idea, how bout I buy you one too? They are very kewl looking dude.
Vickie
December 2nd, 2006 at 10:11 pm
Can you get Wolverine to drive it?
December 2nd, 2006 at 10:12 pm
I can probably arrange that, since Batman is driving his.
December 2nd, 2006 at 10:14 pm
And you could be very smug, since you would probably be the only one driving around in an imaginary car that side of the rockies.
December 2nd, 2006 at 10:49 pm
On behalf of all humanity pleeeeease don’t buy a VW! I was sucked in by their slick advertising and great style, but tragically the cars themselves are crap (ok, I can only speak for my 2000 VW Jetta GLS, but still).
Before I completely lost my mind and bought The Nightmare That Is My Jetta I had a great Honda Civic — I know you’re not crazy about Japanese cars but oh my heavens was it reliable.
And, let me just say how moved I am by your site. My thoughts are with you and your family.
December 3rd, 2006 at 9:18 am
Well shoot. Yeah, you guys are kinda swaying me with the insane reliability and relative affordability of the Hondas and Nissans (although our craptastic van is a Nissan, but its one of those Quests that mimic the Villager, so I blame it on Ford).
Maybe, if I save money on repair bills and general maintenance on a Civic or Accord or something, I can use that money to put flames on the side of the car?
December 3rd, 2006 at 9:25 am
Honda, Honda!
December 3rd, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Honda’s are REALLY REALLY good cars. If I could get anything, it would be an Accord. Everyone I talk to said that their Honda’s are always so reliable.
I had one for a while, but it was an 86 (?) and it was the car my parents “let” me drive when I first got my license. Great little car…
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Ack… but… so…. not…. cool!
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:58 pm
Are you saying that I’m not cool, with my wicked-ass Odyssey?
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:03 pm
I can’t really offer much insight here, but I’m enjoying the converstation.
We drive *the* most impractical cars for your situation. MINI S’s .
Not what you’d want to drive with 3 tall boys.
But mine is little, blue, and makes me happy - I call it Valium :)
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Man, BJ was all about the Mini. Whenever one drove by, when they were new, she’d squeal at it and say something like “Awww… Mini”.
I think the novelty wore off, but I do like the looks of them. I”ve heard, tho, that they’re sluggish, and not great at all with the mileage.
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:19 pm
We’ve got the S’s so they’re not sluggish at all. I get around 30 mpg - you’d think it would be better.
The hubby - who went to racing school and thus drives *very* differently than I do - gets about 25 mpg.
I have a friend with a straight cooper - he gets around 38, but it is a bit slower off the line.
Oddly, the best gas mileage we ever got was in the 2001 vette. If they can make that thing get 35 mpg why can’t other cars be that efficent?
I will have to say that it is the only car to drive in Manhattan. Easy to get into small spaces (both when driving and when parking).
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:24 pm
the late hubby worked for a Honda service department….he loved them and all the satisfied customers that came along with them versus the dissatisfied customers he would see coming in to the Dodge side. We had a Dodge and do as the name says - Dodge it! Late hubby was privy to all kinds of service rankings and they were “fearing” the service records and performance rankings on the Kia dealership down the road. He bought one for me…..he passed away….. and shortly thereafter I got rid of the Kia too…was never crazy about it and told him so every chance I got. Love VW’s but I need third row seating….love the Touareg, GTI, Passat and always been a fan of the Jetta. So there’s my .02
December 3rd, 2006 at 4:51 pm
AT-
I had a new 2004 VW Beatle that I loved and it worked like a dream. I was really sad when I needed to sell it when I moved to the UK. I was always good about getting it in to be serviced- and it wasn’t that old when I got rid of it so maybe it would have given me problems if I had kept it longer– dunno.
I had a friend who was really tall and he was surprised how roomy it is on the inside. . . Can’t hurt to look. . .
December 3rd, 2006 at 7:25 pm
AT… i fI didn’t have so many dang kids I would totally, absolutely buy a Nissan Murano. Beatiful, stylish, comfy, RELIABLE, and pretty good in bad weather. That, the Scion’s are cool, but a bit… young, for this old lady.
I have written articles as a freelancer for car mags and have test driven MANY and also have owned nearly 25 cars. Here’s my rant:
VW = cute crap (I owned 2 Cabriolets)
American cars = cheap to fix for a reason. You do it a lot.
Volvo’s = always depends on the year and model. Reliability in new models are a far cry from the old days.
Nissan = Usually fine after the first model year.
Toyota/Honda = always reliable, solid cars. The Toyota Solara is a nice lookin’ lady. I drive a Sienna currently and its probably my favorite family truckster thus far.
You might like the Highlander, they’re pretty and super posh inside.
But, if I had my wish I’d be driving in a chocolate colored Murano.
Good luck! God I love cars!
December 3rd, 2006 at 8:01 pm
I do have a weakness for the Muranos, but I think they’re kinda suck on the gas mileage, and just generally expensive, aren’t they? Need to research.
December 4th, 2006 at 9:53 am
I love my Suburu Forester, damn it. Its not very sexy but I can sleep in it in the woods if car camping, and I can haul my dog around town too. So there. I smugly smite YOU!
December 4th, 2006 at 10:07 am
Are you going to let someone you don’t even know smite you smugly?!
December 4th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
I guess, geez. Don’t see that I have much of a choice…
December 4th, 2006 at 12:55 pm
“Lying” in bed was correct. ;)
Ex: I lie in bed. I lay (not laid) there all day. I have lain there for hours.
Rarely will you hear anyone use any of those words correctly, LOL. I have NEVER heard anyone use the word “lain” in my entire 38 years of life.
January 18th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Things to remember:
FORD=1) Found On Road Dead 2) Fix Or Repair Daily. My 2nd car was an ‘89 Festiva…built, IIRC, by Kia. No great shakes, don’t miss it.
GM=Ghastly Mess. My 1st and 3rd cars were GM products: an ‘81 Olds Omega bought in ‘89 w/ 57,000+ miles, lasted just 20 months; and a ‘91 Chevy Blazer, bought in ‘96 and the starter went on it almost immediately. Can’t even tell you all the issues I had with it. Finally lost it in fall ‘98 to the bad mistake of getting a title loan I couldn’t afford to pay back ($800–I was really strapped at the time) after several months of repair issues, including a rebuilt engine and a new radiator.
Current ride is a 2000 Toyota Echo, bought brand new with 138 miles on the odometer, now has 151,000+, vast majority mine. Toyota is the way to go, IMO.
January 18th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Dude, this was like, a month and a half ago…