What car to buy for a long commute

[zio]

All I hear is a bunch of geek speak. No one has made a single good suggestion yet. I, however, have one:

Get something you can put a matress in the back, and that breaks down a lot. Maybe an old VW bus. Keep it stocked with a few bottles of wine, snacks, scented candles maybe. And keep Journey's Greatest Hits in the tape deck. Maybe Lionel Ritchie. Endless Love can't miss.

Who cares what type of mileage you get.

 

[gmsssi]

You obviously have money to burn!

 

[FL_Cracker]

So many good thoughts. Well now it's time to take the wife out to bless the deal and choose the car. I know a lot more than I did two day ago and for that I thank all of you.

Whiskey, as for the Honda Element, do you think ugly does it justus. I once had an old pit bull that was ugly, but the Honda Element makes him look like a Ten (10) /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue"> ( Whiskey, as for the Honda Element, do you think ugly does it justice? ) </font>

Well, the jury is out on what vehicle is most ugly: The Scion xB or the Honda Element.

After seeing them on the roads -- I still think the Scion is ugly, but the Element is growing on me.

 

[Whiskey]

Ya know, after ownin' this thing now for 2 years I would buy another one in a heart beat! Kind of funny thinking back when we first got it I wouldn't even look at anybody while sittin' at a red light, was scared they would be pointin' and laughing.

Like the Sicon I think the Element was built for the kid crowed but I almost never see anybody under mid 30's and above driving them.

Take a min. and drop in on the Honda dealer and plop your backside in one, room like you wouldn't belive. Back seats lay flat for a bed, come slap out for hauling, or fold up on the sides for on the go hauling. has a small tailgate and a hatchback, I'm telling you...the things you can fit in this little beast, bail of hay, horse feed, grocery's, friends (only a 4 seater) compressor, generator, dishwasher, wheelchair, mother inlaw ( /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif)), dogs (kind of the same as mother inlaw) of course not all this can go in at the same time..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif so you may have to leave the mother inlaw at the curb once in a while....but thats not a bad thing!

 

[Sigarms]

I've owned 4 volkswagons.

Last one had over 230k and had to sell it due to no A/C (came to N.C from upstate N.Y).

Do not buy a new volkswagon. Most are now made in Brazil or Mexico.

V.W has/had a major issue with selenoid coils and window "issues" in the past. Ever see a recall on it? When have you ever seen a recall on V.W?

Keep in mind, only my opinion, but most issues are now occuring that the cars are not made in Germany anymore.

Hmmm. cut cost, make cars overseas, but...who knows what happens to quality?

Had a hard on for a GTI, those puppies can fly, 6 cyl. Stop and find a used 2 year old model. Salesmen told me that this GTI was made in Mexico. My response to him is why do I want to buy a german car made in Mexico?

My current VW has over 200k on it, but it was made in Germany.

V.W has this "perception" about quality. If you do your research, you will find that overall quality is low.

All of my mechanics have been "local" (non-dealer) , and most V.W dealerships will "bend you over" and charge you an arm and a leg due to "percieved" quality.

Don't get me wrong, I ever come across a rabbit diesel with under 200k on it, I'll buy it because I know other than a clutch or head gasket, I'll get 300k on it no problem. But... this is the older models.

Right now my compressor is shot on my 1997 VW golf. Go and price a compressor for a VW and compare it to a toyota or honda.

Used honda or toyota, you can't go wrong.

I might add that both Honda and Toyota were always recomended to me by all my mechanics (in different states where I lived. When I find a good mechanic, I stick with him /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif)

 

[Alan L.]

Land is extremely hard to move.

 

[WVBill]

In January I retired my Dodge Ram 1500 from my daily 148 mile round trip commute to weekend Home Depot runs. I replaced it with a new 2005 Pontiac Vibe AWD. I was concerned about downsizing but found the cabin room and seating to be quite comfortable. The seat is a bit higher and more upright than most small cars so the transition from the truck was not a problem.

I've been driving it for 6 months now and average 31MPG. My inbound commute is 72 miles at 65-70 MPH then the last two miles or so is downtown traffic lights. Homebound is 10 miles of stop-and-go then the rest at 65-70.

My only dislike about the Vibe is the headlights. On low beams there is a light cut-off on the road about 30 - 50 feet in front of the car. Out here in the country, when I hit low beams for the guy on the other side of the divided highway it's like driving into a black hole. (kind of reminds me of night launches from the aircraft carrier....).

 

[RHughes]

We bought a Jetta TDI in 2001 to replace my wife's aging Camry. I can say that the 2001 *definitely* got around 50MPG on the highway. On average (city/highway) it would go slightly better than 45MPG.
The mileage was great and that was good because we needed it get back and forth to the dealership. I can honestly say I've *NEVER* had a new vehicle that stayed in the shop that much. Here's my short list:
1) Some clutch/shift column interlock problem kept it in the shop for almost 3 weeks while they tried to figure out why it couldn't get out of PARK 75% of the time.
2) The electric fuel pump sprang a leak on the suction side and pulled air through all the injectors; stopped it in its tracks in the office parking lot.
3) The electric windows were held onto the power unit with some plastic clip or something. One of those broke *twice* in one year. This allowed the window to drop down into the door, never to reappear. Hefty bags and duct tape are *not* my idea of customizing on a new car or any kind.
(FYI, I believe these have been replaced with metal clips *now*, but ours were junk.)
4) There was a recall of some sort on the brakes, I believe.
5) Valve timing is maintained with a belt (which I think is crazy, considering the torque a diesel generates, but that's another story). The regular shop price to replace it is about $800-$900 (which I think is ridiculous) and that is prescribed every 40K miles. If it breaks, your hosed; you'll be lucky if only the heads and pistons are messed up.

Well, that was a good rant /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
If anyone is interested in *why* I think the engineering was so bad, drop me a private message or email and I'll give you my thoughts on that too.

BTW, after the power window broke the second time, be had that fixed and traded it in a on a new Camry.