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Thanks for everyone's Input. I ended up switching jobs to one that won't involve 80 miles driving a day, but might pick up some variant of Subaru for a weekend fun car down the line.
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May 20, 2018 07:04
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SalTheBard posted:UPDATE: You are all over the map with what you're driving: a tiny piece of garbage, a decent midsize sedan, a weird FCA partsbin minivan SUV thing, and a tiny piece of garbage. Figure out what your needs and wants are, identify cars that fit those needs, then go drive those.
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May 20, 2018 11:48
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Is the Journey weird? It's a midsize crossover based on the Sebring/Avenger. Every carmaker has one? We had one from new, the interior is pretty bad but not much worse than a Subaru, it's a large vehicle with a large engine so don't expect compact car fuel economy, the V6 from 2012 was the 3.5l HO that will need a timing belt eventually although IIRC the interval for it is quite long, like over 100k miles.
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May 20, 2018 12:13
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The 3.5 is a giant piece of poo poo, the 3.6 is a far, far better engine even though it has a hosed-up two-stage electronically-controlled oil pump. Whenever I hear people considering used FCA cars, all I can think is that old saying about how the bitter taste of poor quality will persist far longer than the sweet low price. People, there’s a very good reason why Hondas and Toyotas command high prices used and Mopars are always cheap as hell. :waits for Deteriorata to start posting spreadsheets showing that FCA vehicles are just as good as everything else:
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May 20, 2018 14:05
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:You are all over the map with what you're driving: a tiny piece of garbage, a decent midsize sedan, a weird FCA partsbin minivan SUV thing, and a tiny piece of garbage. Figure out what your needs and wants are, identify cars that fit those needs, then go drive those. We are primarily looking for a commuter car that can fit a Baby seat in it. She liked the Versa because she sat more upright. The Journey was totally out of left field and not something we were even considering.
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May 20, 2018 15:10
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SalTheBard posted:We are primarily looking for a commuter car that can fit a Baby seat in it. She liked the Versa because she sat more upright. The Journey was totally out of left field and not something we were even considering. The Journey would not be a great commuting car. It will get 20 mpg downhill with a tailwind.
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May 20, 2018 15:14
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Deteriorata posted:The Journey would not be a great commuting car. It will get 20 mpg downhill with a tailwind. Ya that was our primary concern about it
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May 20, 2018 15:16
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nm posted:She needs to replace the timing belt today. mariooncrack posted:Seconding this. If the timing belt breaks, it may take the motor with it. Hm, okay. I thought it was a non-interference engine? Both the mechanic we had check it out and the dealer said the belt was okay for now. I know all dealers are crooks, etc, but I fact checked literally every other thing the guy said and couldn't catch him in anything. Eric the Mauve posted:Subarus are fantastic cars that last forever so long as you obsessive-compulsively do every millimeter of routine maintenance and never miss one tiny thing ever, apparently Guinness posted:It's really funny that Subarus have a reliability reputation on par with Toyota among the general population, when they're really far more like a European car than a Toyota. It's because laymen listen to their mechanics. They don't think anything of that kind of upkeep, and pass on their enthusiasm unqualified to average folks. I literally had three different mechanics tell me to buy one unprompted
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May 20, 2018 17:38
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EJ25s (the motor in the forester) are interference motors.
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May 20, 2018 17:53
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Wikipedia says they only used those until 2002 and then switched to an H4, if I'm reading this correctly
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May 20, 2018 18:53
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The H4 just means it's a flat four engine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_EJ_engine#EJ251 Looks like the Forester has this engine in it. From the ej motor wiki page: quote:The SOHC EJ Subaru boxer engines were non-interference engines through 1995, run by a single timing belt driving both cams (both sides of the engine) and the water pump. Because they are non-interference engines, if the timing belt fails, the engine of the models up to 1995 will not be damaged. The oil pump is driven directly from the crank shaft and the waterpump by the timing belt. All DOHC and 1998-up SOHC EJ engines are interference engines, if the timing belt fails the valves will likely be damaged.
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May 20, 2018 19:24
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I can't think of a single widely used piston engine newer than 1998, or whatever year they stopped making the US MK4 Supra 2JZ-GTE, that is non-interference. Any kind of variable valve timing = interference motor, plus lots of non-VVT engines are too, like the aforementioned Chrysler 3.5l V6.
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May 21, 2018 00:15
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Throatwarbler posted:I can't think of a single widely used piston engine newer than 1998, or whatever year they stopped making the US MK4 Supra 2JZ-GTE, that is non-interference. Any kind of variable valve timing = interference motor, plus lots of non-VVT engines are too, like the aforementioned Chrysler 3.5l V6. Mazda BP? Edit: Googling around about modern timing belts taught me: 1) Ford says that the 1.6T has a "lifetime" timing belt. I'd say that when it goes, thus ends the engine's lifetime. 2) The 1.0T has a separate belt to drive the oil pump, with its own replacement interval! Twerk from Home fucked around with this message at 01:44 on May 21, 2018 |
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May 21, 2018 01:00
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Your Loyal Vizier posted:Wikipedia says they only used those until 2002 and then switched to an H4, if I'm reading this correctly Every subaru (except the sixes in the Outback and the WRXs until 2006) were some form of EJ25 from like 2000-2010. edit: I think the new Camry 4 still has a non-interference motor. Toyota has never been big on interference motors for pedestrian cars. nm fucked around with this message at 01:12 on May 21, 2018 |
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May 21, 2018 01:05
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Hi guys. Can't figure out how to use the search function to look through this thread to see if someone else posted about this so I'll ask again. Im considering buying a BEV vehicle as a commuter car. I have a 45km commute. I won't be using it for anything else as I have a larger car to grocery shop and go on trips. I'm in Ontario and looking at what's out there. I'm looking in that mass of bevs in the 35k range like the Leaf, the Soul EV, the Ioniq etc. Any favs out there? They all seem really close to each other but interested to know from people who've got them.
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May 21, 2018 15:55
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I was also looking at the egolf but I'd probably die of old age before getting one and you can't get the Ford Focus ev in Ontario yet.
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May 21, 2018 15:56
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Noblesse Obliged posted:Hi guys. There's an EV thread in AI that might prove useful to you: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3461390
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May 21, 2018 16:09
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Hello AI! I have a car issue yet again, and I think my wife and I are now at new car point. Her car is a 2006 VW Passat. It’s been limping along, mostly fine, but the car currently isn’t starting. We got a transmission valve swapped Jan ‘17, recently is started jerking between gears again. I have it in the shop now, they’re thinking it’s the battery. Mechanic also said battery could be why the transmission is jerking as well. Anyway, I don’t mind replacing a battery, but it’s likely the last repair we are willing to do on this car. If we can get it working to give us a few months to shop, even better. Proposed Budget: New or Used: $15-25k Body Style: (e.g. 2 door? 4 door? Compact/Midsize/Fullsize Sedan? Truck? SUV?) -4 door car. Our other car is a Civic (2012), something like that is fine. Def not smaller than a Civic though. How will you be using the car?: (Do you tow things? Haul more than 5 people on a regular basis? Have a super long commute? How are you going to use this vehicle? To and from work for my wife. We occasionally play music, being able to fit a few instruments is great. My Civic is overall fine for that, although a little more room certainly is a bonus. No kids or plans of kids. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?) Just having Bluetooth would be nice. Backup camera nice but not required. More safety than less is always better. We will consider a hybrid if the price is right, worth it, etc. What aspects are most important to you? (e.g. reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, import/domestic, MPG, size, style) We are not car people, not great with mechanic stuff, so key features are reliability, mileage, def open to getting something that we won’t have to pay for major repairs on for a bit. 3. If you do not live in the U.S. you should probably say so because what's available can vary a lot. In the US Anyway, advice is appreciated! Edit: I think what we are currently researching, in no particular order: Honda Civic or Fit Toyota Camry or Corolla Subaru Impreza VW Jetta (she liked her VW, personally I found maintenance to be too high). So far I emailed local dealership just asking a general inquiry on car prices. Goal there is to try have some quotes, bounce prices off one or another, see what I get there. Credit isn’t an issue. Of course, lower price is always a plus, but I’m ok with paying more if it makes sense. Edit, I made a list of what I think we would be looking for outside of price Car features -Reliability -Automatic -Gas mileage -Medium size is fine, more space or trunk space a plus -Bluetooth -power windows and cruise control -backup camera not necessary but a plus -standard options otherwise. Features like heated seats are nice, but def not necessary -will consider Hybrid depending on pricing Duckman2008 fucked around with this message at 18:59 on May 21, 2018 |
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May 21, 2018 18:27
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Thread favorite Prius hits all your needs: Great reliability, cargo space, economy, has all the tech (camera, bluetooth, etc) you mentioned. You can find them at any point in your price range. The driving dynamics aren't very good, but it doesn't sound like that's a problem.
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May 21, 2018 19:56
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The thread title should probably just be “Unless you’re towing regularly or have 3 kids, buy a Prius”
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May 21, 2018 21:47
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Eric the Mauve posted:The thread title should probably just be “Unless you’re towing regularly or have 3 kids, buy a Prius” Someone would immediately buy a salvage title former rental Prius.
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May 21, 2018 21:55
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I’m biased because I’m typing this sitting in a Honda dealership waiting for some paperwork to be done for one but you can get a pretty nice turbo accord for $25k. They come with Apple CarPlay and android auto and the full host of Honda sensing (lane keep, auto braking, cruise follow, etc) and are bigger than your civic
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May 21, 2018 23:26
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:I’m biased because I’m typing this sitting in a Honda dealership waiting for some paperwork to be done for one but you can get a pretty nice turbo accord for $25k. They come with Apple CarPlay and android auto and the full host of Honda sensing (lane keep, auto braking, cruise follow, etc) and are bigger than your civic Not a bad idea. I’m a big fan of my Civic, my only regret is I didn’t get Bluetooth, which was my mistake.
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May 22, 2018 00:22
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Bluetooth can be added to just about anything with an aux port for $50 or less.
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May 22, 2018 00:35
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Sits on Pilster posted:Bluetooth can be added to just about anything with an aux port for $50 or less. That’s what I currently do with my civic. Honestly, I’m at the point where I wish I paid for it, it’s just not as automatic in my experience. That being said, I’m also assuming that Bluetooth is probably included in almost any car at this point.
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May 22, 2018 02:52
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From my experience, the little $30 Aux-in bluetooth adapters work more reliably than many of the crappy built-in manufacturer infotainment systems that are often glitchy and behave weirdly. Trade-off of course being that they aren't built-in, but taking a little bit of effort to thoughtfully install one rather than just string wires everywhere helps on that front, too. But I have no experience with the newer Apple Car Play/Android Auto stuff that I hope is a lot slicker and more reliable.
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May 22, 2018 03:04
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Guinness posted:From my experience, the little $30 Aux-in bluetooth adapters work more reliably than many of the crappy built-in manufacturer infotainment systems that are often glitchy and behave weirdly. Trade-off of course being that they aren't built-in, but taking a little bit of effort to thoughtfully install one rather than just string wires everywhere helps on that front, too. Car play actually may be a big deal for me, we both use iPhones. I use a $15 converter for my car and it works fine, but sometimes I have to power cycle it twice, and the microphone is not great for talking.
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May 22, 2018 03:43
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Noblesse Obliged posted:Hi guys. In the US, if you want a new electric car in the sub-Tesla end of the market, the advice is usually to lease instead of buy. The technology is improving so fast that resale values a few years in the future are hard to pin down, and you get to roll substantial government incentives into the lease. The lease ends up a better deal than usual because it's incredibly cheap, and it removes any depreciation uncertainty. Looking at the Ontario-specific incentive program, it looks like the economics are probably similar. Generally speaking, the cars that were actually developed as electric (Leaf, Bolt, and friends) are much better than converted gas engine cars that have to wedge a battery pack somewhere in the passenger or cargo space. The Ioniq is kind of in a middle ground here; it was designed as both a hybrid and an EV, so the packaging is better than "we just kinda jammed the battery in wherever" but it's not as elegant as a pure electric car. If you do want to buy, you might think about off-lease cars. The BMW i3 is very cheap for a car that's really nice on the inside in a sci-fi movie way (although the outside is debatable, and the special tires are on the expensive side). Or, just fish in your couch cushions for enough to buy a used Leaf. Make sure you get one with a heat pump, though; some of the early and lower-end models just used a battery-eating resistive space heater for cabin heat.
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May 22, 2018 07:46
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Hello car buying thread. I want a car recommendation. Here’s my vitals: Proposed Budget: $40k or less. New or Used: No preference, but probably used. I live in the city and it’s only a matter of time before someone messes up your car in a parking lot or rear-ends you. Body Style: 4 door. SUV or truck...maybe a full size sedan. Car use: Utility vehicle. Occasional light cargo hauling and towing. Want to haul the family around on extended trips. What’s important: Environmental impact and utility. I want something that offers comfortable passenger hauling and is appropriate for moving stuff but I don’t want to destroy the earth. The family currently owns a hybrid Camry and a 2014 Mazda CX-5. No one in the family likes the CX-5 as it lacks power and isn’t fun to drive. It doesn’t have the real road feel you’d get in a performance car but at the same time doesn’t have that couch like comfort ride you get with the Camry. I do like the way the CX-5 handles and I like the cargo space, which is mostly useful for home maintenance (moving supplies), hauling beach stuff or bikes around, hauling kayaks, and hauling stuff to the dump. We wouldn’t mind buying a small boat in the future so I’m not adverse to having some towing capacity (call it 5000 lb.) but it’s not a deal breaker. Because we have the Camry for a general people mover on short trips I’d like it if this vehicle offered more space and comfort for longer drives (Taking a 250 mile drive for a vacation, for example). It seems like a mid size or full size SUV would work well for me but those vehicles are so bad for the environment, right? For that reason, I’m considering a diesel SUV. I’ve been looking at older Touareg diesels (2014~2016). There are some decent Audi Q7 diesels as well from the same year range. Lots of old Benz diesels too, and of course BMW. Volkswagen and Chevrolet seem like the two big non-luxury manufacturers of diesels. I’ve also read that the modern full size-trucks make reasonable family cars, but I kind of don’t believe it. The F150 will have a diesel available this year and there are already a variety of Chevrolet, GMC, and even a Nissan truck that offer diesel configurations. These would be GREAT for my cargo needs but not such great vacation vehicles, I’m thinking. Then of course I could always go for a Toyota or other hybrid SUV or wait for more plug-in hybrids to be available in the size class I want. Or maybe I should just go for a traditional gas vehicle and be careful about when I use it. Help me out thread. Can you actually use a modern 4-door truck to haul around a family of four? Should I stick to SUVs? Should I just buy a hatchback sedan? The plan would ultimately be to keep this car a long time and when Camry dies invest in a real short-range people hauler...a Prius or electric vehicle perhaps. Something for one or two rider commutes into the city OR maybe hauling four people to soccer practice.
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May 22, 2018 14:23
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You never mention minivan as a possibility, but it seems like the ideal solution to your needs. A Pacifica hybrid or Odyssey would be worth a look.
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May 22, 2018 14:27
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Good point. I checked out the newest odyssey at the Honda dealer when I went in recently to look at the accord plug in hybrid. It's not bad. I'm kinda anti-mini van though because I drove one in high school and college. Thanks for the hand me down, ma. I've considered an actual diesel van but it's overkill for my current needs.
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May 22, 2018 14:33
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I didn’t know there were cheap BT aux port plug ins. Thank you.
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May 22, 2018 15:05
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Why is the Prius such a standout thread favorite? I'm seeing 2010 Priusi in my area for $5k, and I'm tempted to ditch my 2004 Elantra. It's fine and trustworthy, but it's a little unrefined and starting to smell like wet dog inside when it rains (every day in Florida this time of year)
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May 22, 2018 15:09
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Your Loyal Vizier posted:Why is the Prius such a standout thread favorite? I'm seeing 2010 Priusi in my area for $5k, and I'm tempted to ditch my 2004 Elantra. It's fine and trustworthy, but it's a little unrefined and starting to smell like wet dog inside when it rains (every day in Florida this time of year) Incredibly low cost of ownership. If you don't have specific needs, it's probably the perfect commuting car.
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May 22, 2018 15:16
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Your Loyal Vizier posted:Why is the Prius such a standout thread favorite? I'm seeing 2010 Priusi in my area for $5k, and I'm tempted to ditch my 2004 Elantra. It's fine and trustworthy, but it's a little unrefined and starting to smell like wet dog inside when it rains (every day in Florida this time of year) It's so cheap to own not just because of good fuel economy, but because it has no belt-driven accessories and the automatic transmission has fewer moving parts and is more reliable than any other auto. Those are two of the common failure points of older cars that it just sidesteps!
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May 22, 2018 15:46
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Your Loyal Vizier posted:Why is the Prius such a standout thread favorite? I'm seeing 2010 Priusi in my area for $5k, and I'm tempted to ditch my 2004 Elantra. It's fine and trustworthy, but it's a little unrefined and starting to smell like wet dog inside when it rains (every day in Florida this time of year)
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May 22, 2018 15:46
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Are there any non-Prius hybrid recommendations or horror stories? I'm intrigued by the hybrid versions of sedans by Honda and Hyundai, but I can't find a review that flat out says "Stuff on this breaks a lot" or "Yeah this is so reliable that even though the gas savings won't pay for themselves immediately, in the long run you'll be happy." I know Hyundai had a legal issue a couple years back when they claimed a whole lot more mileage than their hybrid Sonata actually delivered. Well, since I'm posting this much may as well make an actual post: Proposed Budget: $25-30k New or Used: If reliability is solid would be ok with a 2-3 year old car, otherwise new. Body Style: Sedan or compact. Car use: Long commute (500 miles+ weekly) What’s important: Fuel efficiency and reliability, responsive brakes. Current car is a 2011 Hyundai Sonata which gets decent mileage and has been shockingly reliable. It's still holding up great but we don't take very good care of it, so I'm fully expecting it to spontaneously collapse into a heap of parts within a couple of years. (That or have a mechanic say, "Hey, the transmission and brakes are finished and will $3000 to fix." Nope.) I drive a hulking, gross SUV so that meets our cargo needs. This car would be for my wife's long daily commute. The Macaroni fucked around with this message at 16:11 on May 22, 2018 |
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May 22, 2018 16:07
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The Macaroni posted:Are there any non-Prius hybrid recommendations or horror stories? I'm intrigued by the hybrid versions of sedans by Honda and Hyundai, but I can't find a review that flat out says "Stuff on this breaks a lot" or "Yeah this is so reliable that even though the gas savings won't pay for themselves immediately, in the long run you'll be happy." I know Hyundai had a legal issue a couple years back when they claimed a whole lot more mileage than their hybrid Sonata actually delivered. You sound like a great candidate for a Prius, or otherwise a base-ish new Accord.
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May 22, 2018 16:20
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The Macaroni posted:Are there any non-Prius hybrid recommendations or horror stories? I'm intrigued by the hybrid versions of sedans by Honda and Hyundai, but I can't find a review that flat out says "Stuff on this breaks a lot" or "Yeah this is so reliable that even though the gas savings won't pay for themselves immediately, in the long run you'll be happy." I know Hyundai had a legal issue a couple years back when they claimed a whole lot more mileage than their hybrid Sonata actually delivered. Also those "hybrids need new batteries every few years" was based on Hondas. I assume they fixed it by now, but I dunno. I'd probably stick to toyota/lexus (they make some other hybrids) simply because they seem to do it the best. Apparently chevy volts are pretty solid, but they only make sense if you do the bulk of the driving on the batteey.
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May 22, 2018 16:26
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500 miles per week is most likely a lot of highway miles, in which case a hybrid won't do you nearly as much good in terms of mileage. A Prius would be pretty low-maintenance though, since that sounds like it's also a real concern if you've managed to thrash a 7 year old Hyundai.
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May 22, 2018 16:36
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