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Did they have to lower the floor to make headroom for the rear passangers ?
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Personally I have a problem buying any car that costs more than my house. Some of those Mercedes get pretty close.
I guess on the West Coast, buying a $50k car is no big deal if you have a mortgage for more than 10 times that.
The Finance Manager who serviced my loan for my 09 Sonata told me as soon as the lease was up on his car he was going to get an 09 Sonata Limited as well. Loves the car. I asked him what he's leasing and he said a fully loaded 2006 Infiniti M45. He told me it's $1,100 a month payment on a two year lease. Said he almost had the car repossed when he lost his job six months ago as Finance Manager at an Infiniti dealership. He told me if it wasn't for relatives helping him with the car payment for a couple of months (some relatives huh) it would have been gone. I think he told me he had three months left on his lease and couldn't wait to get out of it. Plus the M45 is a gas guzzler which he said was killing him too.
So when you see people driving very expensive premium automobiles know that they are also paying a premium price for that privilege. Me, I'm more than happy with my $400 a month car payment thank you. Those people can keep their $1,000 a month plus car payments. I just don't understand how someone can be okay with driving around a car that costs more than most people's mortgage. America, the land of excess!
So I thought I'd fall in love with the new Camry SE 4-cyl... I hated it. It had an awful ride, the interior was shoddy, and the price for what you were getting was crap. it was 3rd on my list.
Then I went to test drive an '08 Accord EX 4-cyl sedan. I wasn't to crazy about the looks, but I thought I'd give it a try. The car was a complete 180 compared to the Camry: smooth ride, responsive handling, and nice wheel feel... it was quite powerful too.
So for giggles, I went to see if the '08 Altima 2.5 SL was any good. Amazingly enough, I bought the Altima, and here's why. The ride was IMO better than the Accord, the wheel response was absolutely brilliant, and the options and price came out to be just plain better than either of the other cars. Nissan's incentives were great as well. I just got more car for less than either Honda or Toyota. BTW, I hated the way the Altima looked on the outside... I still bought it, and I don't regret it one bit.
I looked at the Fusion and Malibu, but was so unimpressed with sales teams at their respective dealers that I didn't even give them a second chance. The Fusion rode great, but I hated the interior, and the Malibu was wonderful as well, but based on Chevy's track record on reliability (from what I've heard), I passed on that as well. If Chevy proves that they can build a reliable car this generation, I'll bring them back into the mix next time I purchase a car.
Here's how I ranked them:
'08 Camry: favorite before test drive -> least favorite after test drive.
'08 Accord: 2nd before test drive -> favorite after test drive (compared to Camry)
'08 Altima: least favorite before test drive -> favorite after test drive (compared to Accord)
ALL of this information is subjective and based on my opinions/experiences and opinions I've heard from other people. It's NOT absolute in any way. There are a lot of people that would buy the Fusion in a heartbeat because it's a ton of car for the money. The same goes for the Malibu. I didn't because there were quirks about each of the vehicles/companies that I didn't like at all. Does that mean they're bad cars? Absolutely not! They just wern't right for me.
Just remember to examine ALL of your options before buying a car, not just some of them. Your opinions about the cars may change drastically after you've been behind the wheel of each of them.
I think you were "sold" on the car. That sounds like a sob story to me, to make you feel bad for him. Start playing the violin. I have been searching for a sedan for the past 3 weeks and lately I have been hearing these:
"My house is going to be forclosed on so I need to make a sale, asap."
"With less people buying cars, I will give you a great deal because I need to keep my job"
From virtually every automobile magazine and rating I have read, the Malibu measures up to the Camry, Accord, and Altima- including and certainly very importantly- reliability. I certainly agree that you have every right to choose any sedan you are going to purchase, and it sounds like you did what more people should do- a thorough comparison/contrasting of makes and models. The problem I have with your rationale for discounting the Malibu is what you have heard from others- Chevy has a reliability problem. Twenty years ago I would have agreed with some of your reasoning- but this misperception that domestics aren't as reliable as imports - this bothers me and is just not true. Maybe its because I've had 5 close relatives work in GM facilities- both in the office and on the line, and feel sick about the Moraine Facility announcing it will be closing their Mid size SUV plant by 2010- by all standards, the plant was excellent in terms of quality, and the 2007 Envoy I own has been nothing but excellent quality.
More people need to give the domestics a chance to compete on equal footing with imports, without the biased opinions based on "what you've heard', rather than facts.
And was consistently rated poor in reliability by magazines such as Consumer Reports.
Two things to be aware of:
1. Be sure that all the current recalls and TSBs are completed,
2. The power driver's seat has a tendency to develop a squirm, or shift, when taking corners or braking hard. It's a problem that's been around since the '07 re-design, and it's a common occurrence with about 75% of owners with the power drivers seat (based on other forums and owner reviews). It's happened on mine, and despite the seat rails being replaced (under warranty) a few months ago, the problem has returned. Many other owners have had their rails (and other parts) replaced, only for it to return for them as well. According to Nissan, they are well aware of the problem, and are currently working on a permanent fix.
Could you have waited and tried out the '09 Mazda6 when it hits dealers this summer? Would that have been a possibility?
I'd take issue with your ascribing reputation for reliability to the Malibu as less than good. There are flaws with the Camry and Accord that have acrued through the years but it doesn't seem to affect the cumulative reputation of relibility. People have been very forgiving of shortcomings in those cars. Malibu is considered as equals now in ratings for reliability.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Since CR is another name for the Import Buyer's Guide I'm not surprised.
Ok...
I still stand by my purchase though. In terms of a sporty and fun car to drive, the Altima is still king in my book. I really liked the way the Malibu drove, but it felt a little heavier than the Altima (the Malibu is a bigger car) None the less, for the price listed on the Altima 2.5 SL I got, I could have gotten a V6 LTZ Malibu... and even though the Altima only came with a 4-cyl, the CVT and handling of the Altima more than make up for the loss of power. I also think the Altima's interior is more on the sporty side rather than the side of luxury exhibited by the Malibu. I'm absolutely in love with the orange LCD displays and the white & orange guages seen on the Altima. It reminds me more of an upscale modern German car at night.
I really liked the Malibu, but I liked the Altima more.
I was already sold on the car long before I stepped in the finance office. I was an easy customer for all involved at the dealership that day actually since I fell in love with car the moment I test drove it. No selling involved, the car sold itself. The Finance Manager had zero reason to share that story with me to get my business because the paperwork was all signed and I was getting ready to leave. It was genuine, and don't think he's the only one. Lots of people driving more car than they can afford in image conscious America. He showed me the car before I drove off, and it was great looking, no doubt. But he learned a hard lesson about keeping up with the Joneses. He's lucky too, because lots of people in situation don't ever get help from their relatives to bail them out of trouble.
A lot of opinions in Edmunds are based on old info on GM cars, for example. And that's what I was pointing out.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The #1 rated car in the subcompact category was the Honda Fit
The #1 rated car in the compact category was the Honda Civic
The #1 rated car in the compact SUV category was the Honda CRV
Overall, as a brand, Honda ranked "about average" or "better than most" for most of the categories.
http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings/quality-ratings-by-category/midsize-car
http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings/quality-ratings-by-brand
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/autos/0806/gallery.jd_power_iqs/2.html
Why is that? I also noticed the Avenger and Sebring, which share a platform and assembly line but have major interior and exterior differences (moreso than the Fusion and Milan), have identical scores.
And while I'm at it... don't the Aura and Malibu share the same powertrains? Yet the Malibu scored 5 on Powertrain Quality and the Aura only 3.
OK, one more... there were some differences in scoring between the Legacy and Outback. One was on overall quality. Yet they are just different versions of the same car, built on the same assembly line.
Strange.
.... and also why I don't put much faith in JD Power rankings.
It all has to do with the persective & opinions of the car owners.
Hypothetical: What if a bigger % of Fusion owners were conquest sales from former Accord/Camry/Altima owners, and if typical Milan owners were elderly folks whose past car experiences were a series of older Detroit iron.
(just a hypothetical, mind you )
Would that cloud their opinions about their current (mechanically identical) cars?
But notice the ratings at the right somewhat track the JD Power IQS ratings. Malibu on top, Accord and Mazda6 down the list, and Altima, Aura, Camry, Sonata in between.
Then a Malibu owner has the exact same thing happen, except he was on vacation two states away from home. He spends two or three days of his vacation trying to get his car back on the road.
Ok, the Aura owner had this happen to him 6 months before the survey, and the (exact same) problem happened to the Malibu owner only 2 weeks before the survey. Which vehicle do you think would get the least favorable marks?
One man's small problem, can be another man's nightmare. Both cars had the same problem, but the survey will likely not show it that way. I only find survey results reliable, if they show consistent results over many years. And still, they are questionable.
Note that the sample sizes on the right are pretty small, the largest being for the Accord with only 331 responses as of this posting. And in a way, those are like the IQS because the reviews tend to be written early on in the car's life.
Also as a former subscriber and responder to CR and its surveys, I used to believe their stats. But ever since James Guest, formerly of Handgun Control Inc. became CR's President-CEO, I haven't believed a lying word CR has to offer. I immediately noticed a difference of opinion of products CR reviewed versus what the owners of those products I knew had to say. Then CR made public its rubber stamping of quality reviews, particularly Toyota's, and the rest is history. The reviews were also slanted toward anything 'green', despite no history to back it up. This never occurred before James Guest.
So if JD Power initial surveys report Honda quality below a Ford, I believe it. Long term surveys may yield a different result, but until JD Power gets caught stuffing the ballot box of public opinion, I'll believe it. OTOH I'll probably never own another Ford as mine saw a lot of shop time, and JD Power got that in their surveys too.
Also as a former subscriber and responder to CR and its surveys, I used to believe their stats.
We got a JD Power IQS survey in 2005, threw it out as it was way to long and involved, I can't imagine who would bother with all their inanane questions, so I give litte creedance to that survey. I also was a CR subscriber long ago and after getting their survey, I began discounting the results as too subjective.
I've not yet experienced a JD Power 3 year dependability survey, but I take that one with a grain of salt as well.
I think this is an offensive and unfair statement that borders on defamation of the organization’s integrity and character. Perhaps you have not perused the J.D. Power questionnaire. If you did you would not have made this malicious remark. It is a well constructed and nuanced instrument that captures almost every aspect of the ownership experience.
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f106481/556
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef16b02/202
Very insightful (and helpful) review Backy. Thanks. Boz
Given that you like the Optima more, would you be willing to hunt down an Optima LX with the ABS/SAB and Appearance pkg over the Sonata GLS or would you just upgrade to the Optima EX (if ABS is easier to find on that model?)
Seems you like the Optima more...and from your post safety features seem to be very important, so what would you do?
Regi G
If that doesn't work out (SEs are pretty rare right now), or if Elantra SEs/Tourings are going for premium prices this fall, then I go in search for the Optima LX with ABS/ESC and Appearence packages. At least one local dealer near me is willing to do a regional search-and-get if needed. And I am willing to travel a reasonable distance if necessary, e.g. Chicago. The EX would be a possibility as long as it's the I4 and I can stay within my budget, which is under $15k + T&L.
I haven't ruled out the Sonata GLS, especially since there's a history of big rebates on the Sonata and if there's a loyalty rebate, I'd qualify for it. But I prefer the Elantra and Optima ahead of it, for what I'm looking for in my next car.
BTW-Chicago is not a bad idea to look for good prices on new rigs. My wife's family is from Chicago, and I have gone there several times on vacation. Whilst watching TV there on vacation I have paid generous attention to their car ads(pick a brand, doesn't matter)and each time I heard these prices my ears perked up. Great deals can be had there. Each time my wife and I were set with the vehicle we wanted, so we were not in the market at that time for a new car. But I remember those good prices, and if it might work out for you that is a great idea to nip and tuck and dicker there and get the right car at the right price for you.
Besides, right in the Minneapolis/St.Paul to Chicago flying hub thing, so even your flight shouldn't cost very much.
Plus, those Chicago Vienna Beef hot dogs and sandwiches! If I lived in Chicago I would pop from all of that cheap, but fattening food!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Since I frequently travel to Chicago on business, getting a car from there may not cost me anything at all, except a few hours of my time.
Isn't that the color you're looking for, too? It looks great! Earthtones are still fairly hot.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
At least CR, for what 'green' biases they do have is NOT on Toyota's (or anybody else's) payroll??? The same can not be said for JDP which has a history of magically championing those vehicles that need it the most - you think that's coincidence? Or maybe we should invent another JDP award for the best 4 door sedan costing the most Americans jobs and that will further display such an award in advertising campaigns - for a fee, of course?????
PLEASE don't spoil the ending! My magazine hasn't arrived yet!