New Small Car Shopping... Avoid Ford 6-spd automatic and japanese CVT???

[ultrarunner]

Jeep was something I considered and resale is good...

Part of the reason I got Mom into lots of different cars...

Some manufacturers really have gotten building reliable cars to a science...

I think once a car has a 100k miles it is kind of like a game of just how far will it go.

Typical arbitration cases where a buyback is requested use 120k as useful life and have for a while...

One of the nurses I work with got a green honda accord for a graduation present from nursing school... she has over 300k on this car... original engine and transmission... when she was working in the valley, she put a thousand freeway miles on a week... or 50k annually... over about 10 years... only factory service intervals for maintenance.

 

[EddieWalker]

I dated a girl with a Kia that impressed me. Smooth, comfortable with great handling and a really impressive sound system. She went from a much more expensive Mercedes to this and felt it was a much nicer car. I've never been in a Mercedes that I would have wanted, but that Kia is something I'd consider buying. Last year Karen and I rented a Hyundai electric car and we where both amazed at how well it rode. Smooth, fast and comfortable. Another car that I would consider buying.

I was listening to the local car talk radio show a year or two ago and they had a big shot from Ford on that they where interviewing at some big car event where all the manufacturers where showing off the new model year vehicles. He was pushing what was new for Ford, but then the guy interviewing him asked about the competition and who was their biggest concern. He said that both Hyundai and Kia where the two that had them the most worried. They where building very good quality cars at a price that they where struggling with to compete against them.

I like to read the reviews at New Cars, Used Cars, Car Reviews and Pricing | Edmunds.com but I also wonder how much is influenced by the manufacturer giving them money like the magazines?

Eddie

 

[s219]

I think Hyundai is giving several automakers the fits. They have pretty much outdone Honda in the last few years in terms of value and styling.

 

[xring100]

The Focus and fiesta both Use a Dry Dual clutch and they are terrible with no torque converter similar to Audi's DSG but with poor execution. Felt like someone who did'nt know how to drive a manual was in control. We took our 2012 in to have the supposed fix put in and it only made the car worse we traded it for a 2015 silverado a week later. The focus also ate strut mounts at the rate of a set roughly every 500 - 1000 miles before it started clunking away. We had ours replaced 3 times they fought us everytime even when we i supplied them with a copy of the TSB. The Fusion transmission is a conventional automatic transmission

25 years ago the Americans still made bad cars and the Germans still made good cars.....

Subaru still sells quite a few manuals but most of the new cars have CVT's and Subaru has more than tripled their US market share since 2008. They now sell more in the US than VW. You can even buy the CVT in a WRX. All CR top rated for reliability.

I looked up the Ford Fusion on CR and for both "Transmission Major" and Transmission Minor" they report "Much better than Average" the highest rating. 2010-2011 were Average for "Transmission Minor."

The #1 reliability hit for Ford (and quite a few other brands) cars is audio systems - people have problems with the new dangled "infotainment" systems.

We have three Chevy Cruze, two turbodiesels and an Eco. CR says they are "Much worse than average." They all have 30K plus miles and never been back to the dealer other than service and some recalls. Attractive car with great economy, nice interior,, good trunk, great front seats but rear seat is a bit small.

Which cruze do you have pictured is that the eco or diesel? I notice that the wheels are not the stock wheel for either? If i could clearly see the front brake caliper and pad i could which it is based on the brakes? Are you running the stock low rolling resistance tires?

I know GM has had a fair share of problems with the 1.4 including oil consumption especially on the earlier models. Lots of complaints of coolant smell in the cabin. Windows fogging due to the blend door loosing its position. I believe 2012- 2013 had complaints of strut pop which they resolved. The Cruze diesel actually switched strut suppliers before it launched because they were still trying to figure out how to solve this issue on the gas cars. We have a 2014 cruze diesel with 21,000 miles so far the only problem we've had is the blend door getting stuck between modes. it took me less than 10 minutes to fix and $0.

 

[xring100]

The Volt must be on the same platform because we are using Volt alloy wheels for winter tires.....The TD and Eco have a bunch of aerodynamic tricks like a thermostatically controlled lower intake shroud, trunk lid spoiler, and smooth panels underneath to reduce drag.

But a lot of Gen X'ers won't buy "American" cars because they grew up with their parents' Hondas and Toyotas. Millenials are back buying domestic brands.

I like to make fun of the Prius and their often sanctimonious owners, but they have proven themselves quite reliable and economical in city use.

Yes the Volt, Cruze, Verano, Opel Astra , cascada are all built on GM's Global Delta 1 platform they share they share similar under bodies and chassis components. Volt , Cruze Eco, and Turbo Diesel actually all use the same tire.

 

[DHD]

I looked at a Hyundai, and was close to getting one.
Then my sister, who owns a Hyundai Accent, found out the timing belt has to be changed every 60,000 miles, a $200-$300 job.

 

[ultrarunner]

Kia was coming on strong when I worked in Austria... it was based on value... low price for Austria, more features and warranty.

Most still like VW but find them costly...

 

[Buggs67]

Jeep was something I considered and resale is good...

In your area you should avoid 4X4. And small SUVs. No need, higher initial cost, more prone to break down and worse gas mileage. I say this owning a Jeep and a Subaru. But I like to off-road and the Subie will go anywhere in the snow with snow tires.

If your mom can drive a stick that's how I'd go, but the Hundai/Kia/Honda/Toyota/Nissan Automatics are good. I have no experience or knowledge about Ford.

 

[dfkrug]

I looked at a Hyundai, and was close to getting one.
Then my sister, who owns a Hyundai Accent, found out the timing belt has to be changed every
60,000 miles, a $200-$300 job.

More folks should look into these issues before buying. That is one of the reasons I favor
Toyotas over Hondas. Both very reliable lines, but Toyotas mostly have non-interference
valve systems and some use chains instead of timing belts. Honda, conversely, has mostly
interference heads and timing BELTS. Some have the 60K replacement required, but many
have gone to 90K miles.

I plan to rent a Kia Rio for 2 weeks next month, but it will be new (Hertz).

 

[dfkrug]

Never really thought of Toyota as foreign because the Pontiac, Chevrolet and Toyota cars were made on the same
assembly line at the NUMMI plant in Fremont California for almost 30 years... had a lot of UAW friends that were
happy working there...

Well, congrats, Curt. Where did you find it?

A friend bought a new Toyota Avalon a couple of years ago, and at the time it was the most "American" car
you could buy. It was assembled in the US, and had the highest DPC percentage of any car/pickup. DPC=
Domestic Parts Content, and is required to be listed on the sticker. Even the F150 was lower.