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

[ultrarunner]

Mom only had sticks until she suffered a vicious dog attack back in 2001 and has had shoulder problems every since.

She can drive one if she had too... although she grew fond the 4spd auto on her Toyota and power steering too.

Got the replacement Corolla in the driveway and the neighbors approve... eventhough it is 10 years newer, it's the same color and equipment... and... the controls are very similar which is a good thing.

 

[ultrarunner]

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.

After two weeks of searching and a few wild goose chases and false starts I got a reply from the San Francisco Toyota Dealer saying they have a 23,000 miles white Corolla S we should see... two weeks ago buying any car was not even on the radar... paid more than I had planned going the Dealer route and the offset is the factory warranty, etc...

By the way... I want to say thank you for sending me leads and I let Mom know my TBN friends were looking out for her... a few days ago, it looked like I was heading to Santa Barbara for a car and it did not pan out... just as well.

Now the interesting part is me being in San Franciso during Friday night commute... it was like being a thousand miles from home... probably 5 years since I've driven SF city streets... poor Mom, she was following me and if she left a 10' gap between our cars... someone would cut in... typical rush hour driving in San Francisco... glad to back home in the East Bay!

 

[DHD]

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).

My 1990 Honda civic had the 90,000 mile timing belt., changed it 3 times.
My 2013 Honda Fit has the chain rather than the belt, Honda claims it never needs changing.

 

[ultrarunner]

In laws have a Honda Fit and love it... downside from an older Accord they liked... thing is the new Accord is way bigger than the old one.

Mom felt the Fit had blind spots... can't say one way or the other...

 

[RSKY]

Glad you got her a car that is easy to handle and park.

Got my mother a Mazda 3 in 2007. Good reliable car with more room than most of the econoboxes. Only one problem! After years of driving Ford LTDs and the like she felt like she was in a go-kart.

She drives like it too.

Seldom does she exceed fifty miles per hour but when she is turning in somewhere you better have a good grip on the dashboard. Turn signal on. Blinks twice. Turn that sucker, never missing a beat in the conversation.

Have banged my head on the side glass during an unexpected left turn.

The little car also has excellent brakes.....and it is a good thing. No more starting her slowdown a quarter mile from a stop sign. Just run up close and slam 'em on.

She is ninety now and does not drive at night unless she has to. And you couldn't get the keys to that little car out of her hands if you tried.

I think your mother will be happy with her Corolla. We looked at them before buying the Mazda and the controls were laid out very logically and the writing was easy to read. That is another gripe on the Mazda, everything printed very small.

There was an article on MSN a week or so about the death rates for different vehicles. We have a Honda Pilot to carry grandkids in and the death rate for it was 2 per million miles. Some of the small Kias had a death rate over 130 per million miles. Makes you wonder if it is the vehicle, drivers, or a combination. Have looked for the article and was going to post a link here but I forgot.

RSKY

 

[ultrarunner]

Bless her heart... still zipping around at 90!

Only hope for similar... Mom will be 81 in two weeks... never a ticket or an accident.

Last year she had to make her Driver's license again at 80... no problems!

 

[Cpjlube]

Honda has started to lose the timing belt, thank god. Growing up in central Ohio, I'm very familiar with Honda. Worked at Marysville plant and several subsidiaries when young.
Hyundai / Kia has become a thorn in the side of Honda. When I was young, every dad purchased a silver civic for their daughter when they left for college. Now we are seeing small Kia cars. They are usually about 4k less and the reliability has gotten into the realm of Honda.
Bought a 12 Sportage for my wife. She loves it. 60k on it without anything except LOF. Getting tires soon but it's been very reliable.
I found the only noticeable difference between Hyundai / Kia and Honda was the suspension. The Honda is much more refined on bumps and uneven pavement.

 

[dfkrug]

My 1990 Honda civic had the 90,000 mile timing belt., changed it 3 times.
My 2013 Honda Fit has the chain rather than the belt, Honda claims it never needs changing.

Yes, indeed, the Fit has a chain and you may get 200K+ miles out of it. The Fit is known to be an
excellent car. Civics, Accords, Acuras still use belts and have interference heads. Our old Integra had
a 60K belt replacement interval, and I got tired of changing it.

OTOH, the tried-and-true 22R engine found in millions of Toyotas had a timing chain, but it was prone to
wearing out early, resulting in excess noise. Belts are quiet anyway.

 

[DHD]

Yes, indeed, the Fit has a chain and you may get 200K+ miles out of it. The Fit is known to be an
excellent car. Civics, Accords, Acuras still use belts and have interference heads. Our old Integra had
a 60K belt replacement interval, and I got tired of changing it.

OTOH, the tried-and-true 22R engine found in millions of Toyotas had a timing chain, but it was prone to
wearing out early, resulting in excess noise. Belts are quiet anyway.

I believe the recent Honda 4 cylinders have timing chains and the Honda 6 cylinders have timing belts.
My wife's 2014 Honda Accord 4 cylinder has a timing chain.

 

[Capricious]

"...I dated a girl with a Kia that impressed me..."


Impressed by the car, or the girl ?

60 days ago my Ford Ranger was hit from behind on the highway, and shoved into a Kia in front of me

The back end of the Kia held up a whole lot better than the front end of the Ranger. I had to work my butt off, bending the front bumper to get it to clear the right front tire. The Kia looked like it had no damage at all, although there may have been some damage not readily seen. I was impressed with it.