Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
FWIW, it would be impossible for a car to score a perfect 100, because the categories are so varying. For instance, for a car to score a 5 in acceleration, it would probably score a 1 or 2 in fuel economy.
The Audi 5000 got mainly 4's and 5's, got rated 2 for drivability and fuel economy. It was hard to start in cold weather, and got fairly bad fuel economy. It was rated a 3 for heating/ventilation, and 3 for overall value.
It got high marks for quality, scoring a 5 for body, 5 for interior, and 4 for paint/exterior. Alas, high initial quality doesn't always make for a good, reliable, long-lasting car.
I think a lot of old Audi issues are related to dealers, both repair quality and parts stocks.
With the soon-to-be-introduced next generation CRV and Accord, we'll see whether the Civic is an aberration, or if Honda is in a funk.
We are a group of MBA students from the Boston University. Our class project requires us to pick a failed product and revitalize it through design and innovation. We have picked Delorean DMC-12 as our product. In order to gather information for our project. We have designed the following survey to understand your perception about the Delorean vehicle. The survey should take about 5 - 10 minutes to complete.
Q1 – Do you know the DeLorean DMC-12?
Q2 – Based on your understanding of the DMC-12, what are the three biggest issues from the original vehicle design?
Q3 – If the DMC-12 is to be redesigned for an all new 2012 model, what are the three most important design elements that should be retained from the original vehicle design?
Q4 – What are the three top 3 features to be added to the new design to improve your user experience?
Q5 – To position DeLorean as an elite sports car brand, how much would you pay for an all new DMC-12?
Q6 – How should the new DeLorean company keep track of customer satisfaction?
Q7 – What should the new DeLorean company to improve the service and user experience of DMC-12?
Q8 – Do you have any other recommendations to the new vehicle or the company?
We value your responses and thank you for the support of our project!
2. Underpowered in the US, Fingerprints on the stainless steel, too expensive for the delivered product.
3. Gull wing doors, distinctive design, 2 seats only
4. Move power, needs an exclusivity factor and of course a flus capacitor and fusion drive.
5. Over 100K which is still exclusive.
6. On a personal basis. NO internet. At this price level personal contact is the only way.
7. Unknown.
8. Power and looks are required for an exotic car.
Does anyone here remember the Strada?
I have a 1981 Consumer Guide, where they raved about the Strada. Maybe nice until the end of warranty.
First off they made about (roughly) 1.8 million of them, so not too shabby...
Also it may have been the first, or one of the first cars to be built almost entirely by robots!
"Ritmo" means "rhythm"......"I got ritmo, I got tow chains, I got hand tools who could ask for anything morrreeeee...."
I rented a Caliber in Idaho and drove it almost 1,000 miles, much of it on mountain roads, and I thought it was okay. I liked the styling, it had good room, and was as comfortable as anything in its class. Performance was competitive, and I didn't discover any notable negatives. Well, okay, the CVT was a little odd, but that didn't make it bad. Would I have bought one? Probably not, because I wouldn't have wanted to take the chance that all those reviews were wrong. The fact that there was no second generation Caliber suggests that mine was a minority experience.
Has anyone here owned a Caliber or know of someone who has, and, if so, what was the experience?
My only experience with them was driving one at a test drive event at one of the Carlisle Mopar shows a few years back. Didn't really do much for me, but I'm not really the target market of these things.
I like the Patriot, though. They added just enough length to it to, IMO at least, make it a nice, roomy vehicle given its size. The Compass makes me think too much of a Gremlin though, although the recent facelift at least makes it not as brutal to look at.
But, as such, I view the Caliber as more of a competitor to something like the PT Cruiser or Chevy HHR, or to a lesser degree the Matrix/Vibe or Focus wagon. And, not really a direct competitor to more mainstream sedan-type compacts like the Corolla, Civic, Neon, etc.
According to Wikipedia, even vehicles like the Dodge Journey, Avenger, Chrysler 200, and Mistubishi Lancer and Outlander are also related. So apparently, the basic platform is viable, but the Caliber version just ran its course.
I think when the Journey came out, it stole most of the Caliber's thunder, and probably served better as a crossover SUV than the Caliber did.
I don't, but I remember seeing a Caliber for the first time at the Cleveland Auto Show some years back. I told a friend that I thought it would be a big hit--utility, price, and looks. I was dead-wrong.
I saw a new one a couple years back or so at a dealer in Erie, PA, that was a base model with 5-speed. It was only $13K on the windshield. I think one could hardly go wrong with one at that price. That's the type vehicle I look for, for me...cheap, economical, and practical.
I remember renting a 1995 Maxima SE, and was very impressed with its performance, looks and value. The Maxima was on a new platform that year, and had a new 3.0 aluminum V6. My only criticism was that, in what I assumed was a cost cutting move, it had a solid rear axle, whereas the previous generation(s?) featured independent rear suspension. I drove that rental on the interstates and city streets, but didn't test it on twisty roads. Based on the two days I had it I recall that it felt very stable at high speeds on the interstate, but had a stiff ride (bordering on jarring) on rough city streets. Automotive magazine writers noted that the base and GLE models rode more smoothly, but they were somewhat critical of the handling of these trim levels.
My point, though, is that the Maxima has gone from being a winner to irrelevance since the late 1990s. Did the Altima and the other mass market models crowd the Maxima out? What happened?
I've read that the next generation Maxima will feature dramatic styling, to differentiate and distance it more from the Altima. It'll be interesting to see whether the Maxima regains relevance, or becomes another automotive casualty.
The Maxima might be getting squeezed out, as Fintail said, by the G sedan. While the Maxima is more premium than the Altima, it's also smaller inside, so that might limit its market on the Nissan sales floor. And then people figure that if they're going to buy a smaller car, they might as well go with a premium badge, and get the G. Plus, isn't the G RWD? That probably gives it more prestige, among premium cars.
One thing I just noticed...the current Altima and Maxima both have a 109.3" wheelbase. I wonder if that's coincidence, or if the two are based on the same platform?
Maxima might sell now to bargain seekers who want the engine and maybe better looks or image than an Altima. Every now and then I'll see a blowout deal on them. I think I have read it is due for update/replacement very soon, maybe it'll fit in better now that the Infiniti Q50 (G replacement) is a bit more expensive than before.
More Bang for Buick.
It seemed pretty quick too, for a 4-cyl. I just looked up a Car and Driver test of a 2013...0-60 in 7.6 seconds. It's amazing how far these cars have come, too. My Mom and stepdad had a 1999 Altima, which felt like a crap-box, although to its credit it went about 330,000 miles before they finally got rid of it. So, it was a good car. It just reeked of that "You may hate it now...just wait til you DRIVE it!" aura.
I really liked the 2002 Altima when it first came out. Enough that I briefly considered trading my 2000 Intrepid in on one...until I saw how far underwater I was with that car. I didn't like the '07-12 style as much though. My Mom has an '08, and it seemed pretty low inside, and a bit cheaper, somehow. I think the current style is a bit roomier, but I just don't care for its style.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/automobiles/fixes-came-too-late.html?hpw&rref=automobiles&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well
Didn't GM even bother to TEST these things before they built and sold them? GEESH!
Let's see---if I wanted to build the worst possible sports car for the 1980s, what qualities would I put into it? Why, I"ll imitate a 1954 MG!
I drove my brother's manual shift 1984 Fiero numerous times, and it rode okay for a small car of that period. It was also reliable over the several years and ~70,000 miles he owned it, and the engine never caught fire. I think the engines were vulnerable to catching fire if too much oil was poured into the crankcase. The crankcase of the Fiero was smaller than that of other GM cars that used the "Tech-4" engine because the car was so low to the ground. As a result, some grease
monkeys overfilled the crankcase. Also, because the crankcase had more limited capacity, the engine was more sensitive to running low on oil. As long as you didn't overfill the crankcase or let the oil run low, engine fires weren't a problem.
Handling was okay, even good, I'd say, as long as you didn't push it real hard. If pushed too hard, the back end could come around. But, isn't that an issue with other mid-engine cars? Let's remember that this was a low priced sporty car, not a high end exotic.
My main objection to the 4-cylinder Fiero was its coarse, agricultural engine. It just hated to rev. Tech-4, whew, what a misnomer!
A longtime friend of mine had an '85 four-cylinder. His only complaint was that groceries in the 'trunk' were warm by the time he'd get home.
He did say that the girls liked it. He said he wished he could have picked it up and put it under his arm when he went into a bar.
I had a remote control Fiero like this:
It wasn't an expensive toy, but is actually a real good scale model.
http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/31119/mercedes-benz/e-class/buying-2007-mercedes-e350-with-78k?new=1
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
Too bad Packard didn't make it.
Ah, well--- there were lots of very worthy cars that didn't make it. The Auto Biz is cut throat and not always based on the merits of the product. Think of Duesenberg, Peerless, Pierce Arrow--these were magnificent cars.
Sometimes car companies fail from mismanagement, from economic uncertainties, and in Packard's case, even from internal and external corruption. It was a very ugly and ignoble demise, that's for sure.
http://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/Articles/2015/02/10/Unsafe-At-Any-Speed
All the '65 Corvair needed to go from good to GREAT was better tires, better shocks, a short-shifter and a turbo that actually turboed.
Pushrod tube seals. CORSA sold, may still sell, teflon pushrod tube seals that don't harden and leak. To the end GM sold low grade short-lived rubber.
Exhaust manifold. Log manifold that was pressed against exhaust stubs that were pressed into the head. Asbestos gasket (not a problem, not particularly friable) between log and stub. Problem was, over time and many heat-cool cycles the stubs got loose in the head. Uh-oh.
Head bolts doubled as rocker studs. Ball-stud rockers, very American. But and however the head bolts also retained metal plates that held the pushrod tubes in place. All this had to be removed to replace pushrod tube seals. Would have been only a nuisance, otherwise ok, if the bolt holes in the block had been helicoiled. They weren't, and after a couple of pushrod tube seal replacements the head bolts turned in the block and couldn't be torqued properly.
Don't ask how I know all this. As far as I can tell GM still hasn't learned from the Corvair.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20150224/RETAIL03/150229935/buick-cracks-top-10-on-consumer-reports-report-card-acura-mercedes
Comments?
As for the Neon, one thing they did get right was that finally, FINALLY, someone made what I'd consider to be a useful small car...at least, a useful "modern" small car. Once upon a time, things like Darts and Novas were "small" cars...
I drove a few, both the first and second-gen Neons, and found them to be decently roomy. They fit me better than any other small car of the time. I actually considered getting a Neon, once, back before they developed their bad reputation. In retrospect, probably a good thing I didn't!
I've heard that the second-gen Neon isn't *too* bad, but by then, I think they took most of the fun out of driving it. And it just didn't stay competitive and up to date.
I liked the first-gen Neon coupe for looks, although I've never even ridden in first- or second-gen cars so I'll withhold comment on either.
I don't think the Corvair was typical of GM for that period--in actuality, it was the first GM to be controversial I think.
It does seem that the Corvair was no worse than other cars with similar engine/transaxle combinations, but that a book wasn't written about those others.
The Volkswagen Bug was also rear-engine and used those swing-axles. However, a Corvair was a lot more powerful than a Bug. Or at least, a Corvair didn't take 30 seconds to hit 60 mph And the Corvair had a sportier flair about it that no doubt encouraged more spirited driving. So drivers were probably more likely to push a Corvair to a dangerous threshold than they were a Bug.
There were two Corvairs, 1960-64 and '65-69. The first was a VW clone with more power, worse weight distribution and a better front suspension. If the rear tires weren't inflated 4-6 PSI more than the fronts they had lethal oversteer. The only car I've driven that was more spin-prone was a '55 1500N Speedster.
The '65-'69s had what was essentially the Stingray suspension and were the best-handling small cars in mass production of their time. Still badly-made and under-engineered. Typical GM cars of their time and, until well proven otherwise, now too. GM dug itself a very deep hole and has a lot of climbing out to do.
How Pontiac convinced GM brass that a mid-engined 2-seater could be marketed as an "economy" car is a fascinating story that I don't believe hasn't been told.
Just when GM was getting the issues addressed (adding a V6, updating the styling to make it look better), GM kills it.
Sigh.
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!
MODERATOR
2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2014 MINI Countryman S ALL4