Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Comments
Cheers.
i figuring that perhaps a different design in skins may alleviate the problem so i won't have to ditch it and take the big hit.
Either that or let the wife drive all the time, as its less noticeable when you do not have your hands on the wheel. I'm not sure which is worse.
Any other ways to reduce the harsh ride?
The Michelin harmonys will help some but not a lot.
Dindak :: You are going to love these next couple of paragraphs. Go easy on me buddy.
So at almost 3-years and 36k miles, my CL was due for another oil-change and tires rotate and balance, get the driver’s seat tighten down, and get the.rotors turned [again]. I jokily stated to the service rep that Acura/Honda needed to extend the warranty, on the brakes & rotors just like their problematic transmission(s). Then I kid you NOT, just four hours later after picking up my car that same very day my transmission failed, slipped & skip between 2 & 3rd [Someone must have jinxed it].
Yes, yes, my supposedly bulletproof Acura suffer the same fate as so many other Acura have over last 3 years –or- more in some cases. The good part is that, it failed on Thursday before Memorial Day my service dept. order the parts and I was back on the road by Wednesday even with Monday being a holiday. They Honda must have packages ready to go on short notices, but I was very impress with the turn-around, plus I had a loaner car with NO real big in inconveniences.
OK, so the fix included a new ECU which basicly means they have geared every thing down. To me they simply just put a governor on my car, causing it no longer have the same get up and go as before. Well maybe it is time to consider a different ride. Since the CL is being dropped from Acura line-up prices on both new and used are dropping like a rock. Maybe it is time to cut my loses.
In the SUV category, I test drove the Murano/Tribute/Highlander. I really wanted to like the Tribute, since Mazda was running 0%/60-months specials. The ride was just NOT car-like enough for my taste. The Murano & Highlander simply get too expensive too quickly. I love the looks of the new RX-330 but we’re talking 40 large ones, and I can buy 2 cars for that price.
Four door sedans [preferable sport sedans]. The lineup Camry, Altima, Maxima, Accord, Mazda-6. Both Camry & Accords are a dime a dozen, the Camry’s interior seems real cheap, the Accord’s very top notch. I could not really warm up to the looks of Accord’s body style, plus I decided to avoid Honda products for now, and maybe even scratch them from my list permanently [who knows]. Nissan’s Altima & Max both are real lookers depending on your taste. The Altima’s interior is real cheap, and the Max gets expensive real quick. Both Nissan cars have terrible torque steer problems, Nissan needs to do some work in this area. Plus I think Nissan has release way too many cars too quickly, it is bound to come back to haunt them we shall have to wait and see.
Which leaves me the Mazda-6, after test-driving the Tribute I was warming up to the idea of sticking to a sedan. The first 6 I drove, was a Black Sport package with the smaller 2.3 i4. Simply put I was very impressed with the ride and the overall handling, not too soft like the Camry, and not too hard like the Altima & Maxima. The brakes are outstanding, the best I’ve driven to date. During the test drive I had a lot of smiles & grins on my face, thinking yes this is real nice, Zoom Zoom baby.
I waited a couple of days to think about it, and then took the wife back to the dealer to test both the Tribute and the 6. She was very impress with the 6 as well, normally for her a car is just car no big deal, but she really likes getting back to a stick, plus the looks of the Sport package and the 17" wheels. I also test drove both the 4-cyl & 6, I really preferred the 6-cyl. The 4-cyl really needs to be a stick, as the automatic is was too slow and boring. Plus the 4 is just a bit noiser than a 6-cyl, not unbearable just not as quiet as the 6-cyl. I found the 6-cyl to be quieter than my CL. Both the 4 & 6-cyl handled much better than my CL, it may also help that they both are 200-500 pound lighter. Mazda just got it right, or at least better.
The overall quality of all the 6's on the were excellent, I could not find any on the lot with any glaring faults. As with any car, there are going to be things that people like or dislike ie. looks and setup. One will have to decide what things are of importance, in most cases it just minor adjustments. For example the sun-visors are lacking extenders, plus feel a bit below par as compared the rest of the interior. The floor mats are a bit like, but I do have all-weather mats coming to help protect the flooring. For some the inside may NOT be Americono enough [too small]. However there are a lot nice standard features.
Mazda biggest problem right now with the 6's is their selection, not enough 6-cyl with the right packages and color combo. Anyway I traded/dumped my CL [still had 2k equity, plus sales tax savings] for a black on black 6i Sport package w/ cloth [NO leather ones in sight]. Unfortunately the Sport models are the hottest, with little room to negotiate, so I was forced to pay the MSRP of $20.7 –or- I can look at is as breaking even on my trade and getting 2k off the 6. I'm not sure if Mazda will hold it value enough to stay on the positive side of the equity game, only time will tell.
Plus another bonus is my insurance & property tax is a lot less, and I no longer require premium fuel. Who knows, if this 6 turns out to be a winner I may just buy another. We'll see what the hatch & wagon look like next year.
The Mazda 6 is a very nice car, it would be on my sedan shop list if I was buying today. That said, I am generally a little weary of Mazdas as I have heard mixed things about them. I read recently that Mazda goofed on their 6 cyl production and could be selling more if they allocated better.
I was on the Mazda 6 thread alot when they first came out and no one could figure out why the options are bundled the way they are.
Mazda 6 is a nice little package. Unfortunately it may be too little for me.
I think the sedan buying public has been cheated by all of the money that has been spent on SUVs.
Keep in mind that this is the wifey car, so I'm really still in the looking mode. As I would have gotten the 6-cyl, but the gas mileage is nice. However, I scored major POINTS with her, which allows me a lot of freedom to look around. I really like the looks of the Mazda RX8, & it is not as expensive as I thought it would be.
I think the CL would have been fine for another 2-3 years, I just did not want to hold on to a lost cause.
After taking a 3 hours road trip, I very impress with how quiet the 6 is. The CL was quieter than my Intrigue was, & the 6 is better than the CL. Plus it flat out handles my CL, hard to believe that a $21k Mazda can out handle a $28k Acura JMHO [go figure].
I feel that the 6 is kind of like the Intrigue was in that, NO one really knows much about them. My wife has told me that several people that she had just purchased a BMW, she got a real kick out of that.
Except for the Caddy CTS which is 35K properly optioned.
i was at my local Chevy dealership last week getting my oil changed and as far as I am concerned Chevrolet needs to change their name to TRUCK CITY.
b4z, I'd be happy with a base model CTS. It lacks a few things but pretty much has everything and then some that an Intrigue has(other than PCS if your one of the few Intrigue owners who has that). As for midsize sedans in the mid 20s range, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, Mitsu, and Nissan have nothing that appeals to me.
Well, my Intrigue has its first problem, but its entirely of my own making and believe me I feel awful. I was trying to maneuver out of a tight parking space in the Senate garage where I park for work, and I had an 8 ft bed extended cab F150 next to me on the left and a nice big support beam on my right, and a very short distance in front of me as there was another car there. Well, I missed the F-150 but caught the beam. It scratched the paint on the lower rear portion of the rear door, and then basically scraped down right alongside the molding into the wheel well. Right above the tire was rubbed raw. Ouch. Sickening sound, believe me.
Anyway, it really doesn't look THAT bad. Paint is scratched, and the molding basically has been pushed in. I knew it might be a pricey fix, but I took it in to a GM auto body shop and had it looked it. The verdict was even more sickening: $800 to fix! Repaint the rear 3/4 panel, repaint the door, and then fix the sheetmetal at the wheel well and then fix the molding. The customer service rep said that the I need to have the sheetmetal fixed even though its not that noticeable rather than simply painting over it. He suggested I make an insurance claim. Well, since I have a $500 deductable, that doesn't make much sense, so I guess I'm going to have to pay it if I want it fixed.
I also had a paint shop look at it and they offered to buff out the scratches but they didn't want to touch the wheel well. Anyway, obviously I'm sick about this since I can't afford $800 to fix this car and I can't believe I hurt my baby! For reference, its a 2002 Ruby Red GL w/PCS and Sun and Sound, and now has 6600 miles.
So, anyone have any thoughts on this? Anyone ever have any bodywork done on their Intrigue?
On another note, as to what the best post-Intrigue car is for Intrigue owners, I'd be at a loss myself if I was in that situation because the Mazda6 AND the Passat just don't fit me. I'm pretty tall and my legs get put an an uncomfortable angle in both those cars. I'd probably get a Trailblazer or Envoy, or check out the new Malibu.
Any way, i not sure what goes where you are, but normally when you do not go through insurance, it becomes cheaper. Not sure why, nudge nudge, wink wink. Probably do to the paper work , yeah right.
Try another shop and tell him its not insurance. If your deductible is 500 then the insurance will pay you 300 and charge you at least 500 a year for 5 years in higher premiums.
Have a ruby red as well. 800 us is like 1100 Canadian and that seems like a lot of loot for a scratch and some paint and a few screws for re aligning trim. But then again its amazing how these guys can get the cost up there pretty quick on almost invisible scratches and buckling.
Always get at least three estimates from shops that are referred by people who have had good luck, with the job and the cost.
good luck
ian : Passat is way too pricey IMO. Add a few options and the price balloons. Not impressed with the reliability of VWs either.
mfletouva : OUCH. Sorry to hear the news.
Would I be taking a risk by not having a dealer do the body work? I'm thinking since I will have the car a long time I don't want to take a chance with shoddy work that will start to look like it in a few years. I've been asking around but so far nobody has any good recommendations. I'm going to get a few more estimates though.
Every now and then I pop on here and defend the RSA's, so what the heck here it goes. Granted, I don't have many miles on them, but the traction is great! The RSA's are on the CTS as well. I'm not quite sure what some folks expect out of tires, but I really don't see whats wrong with the RSAs...
htwired: stick to your guns on the Michelin thing. I love it. I've done the same thing with other products. I suppose our friends from the north on the board will probably think we're being silly, but sometimes there's just things you gotta do.
We keep in regular contact.
He now owns a 2002 Intrigue. So that makes 3 Intrigues.
The 2002 has a slight vibration that he has been unable to get rid of with several sets of tires and not much cooperation from his selling dealer and GM.
Due to an illness in the family he maybe moving closer to his kids in Sarasota.
Because it's too small. The Passat is more comparable in size to the Alero, not the Intrigue. And when you compare the pricing of an Alero to a Passat there is a HUGE difference.
1) The Passat price is definitely higher, perhaps by about 3K , although it was not possible to price out a 2003 Intrigue (sigh). I paid 28K for the top-of -the-line V6 without 4Motion. The quality of pretty much everything seems to be one step above the Intrigue. Another price factor to consider is the total ownership cost. I know from looking at used Passats they hold their value ridiculously well. On the other hand, having a chance to buy a used CTS in a few years at a hefty discount is a good thing!
2) Size is about the same as an Intrigue. I have both in my garage and can assure you that interior room is about the same for both cars. I do wish it was a little wider (like the Intrigue) but the difference is not much. I would certainly not put it into the Alero class. If you want to equate size with price then don't ever consider a BMW 3 or 5 series.
Anyway, as is the Intrigue board (and I do love my Intrigue!) this is my last comment on the Passat. I have made my opinion known, everyone else can and should formulate their own.
One more little beef... I'm sure that the Passat is built at the highest quality, but... how the H E double hockey sticks does VW get away with a base price of over 17K for a Jetta? I mean, 115hp, no more room than a Civic? The bigger question is, why do people pay that money? Honda has a much better reputation for quality and can sell virtually the same specs for at least 2k less. Also, I'm convinced that buying a VW (Jetta, specifically) is the "in" thing to do. All the DC yuppies have one.
That was my two cents from out of the blue...
As far as VWs, buyers of those will quickly learn the importance of a reliable car. When I had my Jetta, all I can say is thank goodness the service department waiting area had free donuts and beverages.
Sorry, I'm still not convinced on this one. Having been in all 3 vehicles and seen their trunks, the Passat is much closer to the Alero in terms of overall size, leg room, and trunk space. Check the specs if you don't believe this. The Passat is actually shorter and more narrow than the Alero, but not by much. The Passat and Alero are too small for me, just my opinion.
My experience is that the passat offers a huge amount of front legroom. And a lot of front headroom.
Because it offers so much front legroom the driver can pull the seat up and still be comfortable thereby giving the rear seat pasengers much needed room.
The alero is a tighter package. It might have similiar measurements but I think the overall room is greater in the passat.
The passat also has a larger greenhouse giving it a more open feeling.
Passat seems to have a big slope at back, which cuts into rear headroom.
But the station wagon doesn't have that issue.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
Any trouble codes?
Definitely a crankshaft sensor. There are 2.
They did replace the battery twice the ignition, the fuel regulator, etc, etc.
None of which solved the problem.
After 2 years of talking about the CTS here on Townhall I finally drove one today.
This is one buttoned down sedan.
Stiff body structure, tight steering tight body motions. Everything the Intrigue was supposed to be plus a whole lot more.
The 5 speed shifts into second early but the sport button solves that.
I would have to say the 0-60 time is about 7.8 secs. Pretty much identical to the Intrigue.
The Cadillac has a quality feel.
Something my Intrigue didn't.
It is also a bunch quieter and refined.
Should be my next car.
1. Hiding the Olds name, so nobody knew where to buy one.
2. The Olds brand name (a catch 22, once people knew it was an Olds, they said no way)
3. Continued poor quality as shown in Edmund's long term test car.
Too bad the car wasn't made in an all new plant like the CTS.
Car failed because of poor marketing and Oldsmobile name hiding. Quality issues were there initially but they weren't so bad that the car got any bad reputation. GM never put enough effort for long enough to get Olds moving and killed it before the second generations got off the ground. I still have people ask me who makes the Intrigue.
You could tell that it had a sport suspension, that it was built to carve up corners, but there wsn't a hint of harshness.
I think the Olds engineers really did us a disfavor by making the jounce on the Intrigue so hard.
And it didn't have the body roll that the Intrigue has.
The CTS was completley buttoned down but was unaffected by expansion strips, botts dots and the occassional dip in the road.
The car I drove was a lux version without the Sport package.
Maybe the Sport is harder riding but this car was about as perfect as I could hope for.