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Midsize Sedans Comparison Thread
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But it's an improvement. Maybe it will force GM and DC to improve their warranties.
I guess they figured that since they have some competitive vehicles they needed to be competitive in other areas of the sale. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Fusion sales next year now that most of the safety stuff is standard along with an aux jack, other desireable options like navi will be available, the quality seems to be there so far, AWD will be a class exclusive option, and the price is right. All in addition to the new warranty of course.
MSRP $25,145 according to sticker
Cash Price financed BEFORE TTL $22,455
Rebate of $2500
Total: $19,955
True Market Value for car according to Edmunds is $20,739
I feel I got a great deal. I paid less for my 2006 than my friend did buying a 2005.
I used Arrow Hyundai in Milwaukee, Wi. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
What do you guys think?
Sorry I meant to post this is the price comparison forum!
I LOVE THIS CAR!!!!
I think that $20,000 for a fully loaded Sonata is just about the best bang for your buck out there, not just among mainstream sedans, but among ALL cars.
Maybe for you, but most people don't want a Hyundai.
I don't have a Hyundai, btw, but that doesn't stop me from recognizing that a loaded Sonata is one of the best values out there.
I would have definitely considered one except it takes premium. I like the crash test scores and styling but I learned a VW designer lead in making of the Ford Five Hundred. It's huge interior and trunk, design, crash test scores, and takes regular gas! The only con is its HP, only 203@5750 rpm.
The 2006 SE invoice starts at $20,507. Add all options: Leather seats ($779), Power Moonroof ($779), Saftey and Security Package ($692), Traction Control ($170), Destination $700 comes to $23,627! $1,183 less than the Passat Value Edtion.
The Passat Value Edition has a turbo 4 cyl engine that does 200 Hp@5100 rpm. The Five Hundred's engine is a V6, but has a CVT which is said to help get the most out of its power. 0-60 for the Passat 2.0T rated 7.7 and the Five Hundred rated 8.7 by Consumer reports.
The ONLY con? I test drove one for about 30 seconds. That's how long it took to discover it's woeful pickup and zero feel for the front end when I took the first turn in it.
I wanted the 500 to contend for my $, but it bowed out real quick. At least the Fusion had a chance.
2006 VW Passat 3.6 w/ Sport Package #1
MSRP of $33,615
I paid $25,915 plus TTL and the dealer threw in the all weather floor matts and a VW umbrella for the door.
There is no way that I would pay over 30K for this car but for under 26K I just couldn't say no.
moral: They are convienent and irritating at the same time :mad:(parents, phones, and audio system)! on the + side, i probably saved him from an accident with the accord he was tailgating. There should be some way to fix talking and driving even it means law enforcement.
btw, he talked from wal-mart to home and that is almost 20miles.
My Mountaineer has the Steering Wheel mounted Audio and Climate controls. I'm so used to where they are that it's second nature for me to make changes without glancing down. I definitely think it is much safer and incredibly more convenient. I'll don't ever want to buy a car again without it.
All of sudden the 500 is a different animal with harder tires? Don't think so.
But there I go being a wild man taking my eyes off the road for 1 second. I like to live on the edge.
What I got out of the test is the Five Hundred is a near luxury sedan at a reasonable price. I don't mind comfort at the price of speed. I know it looks like a VW and I don't expect it to perform like one. "I'm not a smart man but I know what Ford is!"(Recognize that line?) Until VW makes a midsize sedan that uses regular gasoline, my next car will either be a Five Hundred or Sonata.
Some people catch on slowly. They will eventually!
http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=2879
thanks. pirate8
Then you can look up individual vehicle discussions using the Browse By Vehicle search on the left side of the page and you can go to http://www.edmunds.com and look up the numbers.
Good luck!!
-Loren
I've got an '05 Sonata (previous generation) and couldn't be more satisfied with the car. I saw a guy I know at the golf course today and asked how he liked his Elantra. He bought it new, a 2001 GLS sedan, has 70,000 miles and says he hasn't had to do anything except regular oil changes and replace the tires after about 45,000 miles. He didn't say, but I'm guessing he had to have done the brakes also. But the thing is, nothing has gone wrong with his car...just routine maintenance.
The Malibu, even amongst its shortcomings, is still a fairly reliable and pratical car. If it fits your needs for basic transportation, I say go for it.
However, you would really be doing yourself a disservice if you did not test drive and evaluate the Hyundai Sonata. I'm not sure if you can get a V6 GLS (or SE if it's an 07) for 16K, but the car is still worth a valid look.
I think once you drive the Sonata you just may be persuded to get one.
I've been looking around at cars lately and even though I got the offical word on my Altima's fate (it's NOT totaled...they are doing EXACTLY what Backy said they would do) I've been out looking regardless.
The new Sonata is a great car. I'm surprised each time I test drive one. It's not quite the car for me (I like a little more flair in my vehicles) I recommend it to anyone.
As far as the new Camry. It looks a LOT better than the previous model did...but it too bores me to death. Only the SE brings about passion for me (too bad I can't stand the bodykit)
So that leaves me with the Accord EXV6 6spd, another Altima or a Mazda6 S GT.
Again, at least give each car a detailed test drive and see which one you like best. Do EXTENSIVE research on pricing because great deals are available on just about every car in this segment, including the new Camry.
Good luck!
Consumer Reports gave the 2006 Chevy Malibu "Worse than Average" score for reliability.
IIHS scored the Malibu a Silver rating with optional curtain airbags. Poor rating without.
Consumer Reports.. LOL! Bias mag. Proven right here at Edmunds in a heated forums room over and over..
Go out, test drive its free. Get what you want, in your budget. Don't get pushed into paying extra $$$ for a perceived reliaiblity advantage. Across the board cars in this class are all reliable. Please come back and let us know what you choose..
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News
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Ford Motor Co.
Ford's generous warranty could boost sales and lift resale values, some analysts say. See full image
Warranties at a glance
While some warranties may vary within a company, here's a quick look at what warranties automakers are offering.
DaimlerChrysler AG
Drivetrain: 3 years/36,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles
Roadside service: 3 years/36,000 miles
Ford Motor Co.
Drivetrain: From 5 years/60,000 miles to 6 years/70,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles to 4 years/50,000 miles
Roadside service: Up to 6 years/70,000 miles
General Motors Corp.
Drivetrain: From 3 years/36,000 miles to 5 years/60,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles to 4 years/50,000 miles
Roadside service: Up to 4 years/50,000 miles
Honda Motor Co.
Drivetrain: 5 years/60,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles
Roadside service: Not offered
Nissan Motor Co.
Drivetrain: 5 years/60,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles
Roadside service: 3 years/36,000 miles
Toyota Motor Corp.
Drivetrain: 5 years/60,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles
Roadside service: Not offered
Source: Edmunds.com
Ford is increasing the warranty on all of its 2007 Ford and Mercury vehicles to five years or 60,000 miles. In addition, Ford will offer free roadside assistance for the entire warranty period. How important are these benefits when you're shopping for a car?
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Ford Motor Co., struggling to gain traction with its North American turnaround effort, announced a series of moves Thursday aimed at cutting costs and boosting sales.
Ford's Board of Directors voted to cut the company's quarterly dividend in half, from 10 cents to 5 cents a share, beginning in the third quarter. The dividend is now at its lowest point since Ford eliminated payments altogether in 1982 and mirrors a 50 percent dividend reduction at General Motors Corp. in February.
Ford's directors also cut their own $200,000-a-year compensation by half. Chairman and CEO Bill Ford Jr. said the moves were necessary to maintain strong liquidity.
Also Thursday, Ford announced that it is extending the standard powertrain warranty on all Ford and Mercury vehicles from three years or 36,000 miles to five years or 60,000 miles. Lincoln's four-year or 50,000-mile standard powertrain warranty is being extended to six years or 70,000 miles. In addition, Ford said it will offer free roadside assistance for the entire warranty period and allow customers to transfer their warranties if they sell their car or truck before the warranty expires.
That makes Ford's warranty package the most generous of any full-line automaker -- a fact it hopes will bring more customers into Ford dealerships, which have seen retail sales drop 9 percent so far this year.
"The headwinds we faced at the beginning of 2006 have only become stronger, as consistently higher gasoline prices in the U.S. have caused consumer purchase preferences to shift away from SUVs and large trucks to smaller cars and crossover vehicles," Bill Ford said in a statement issued after Thursday's board meeting. "While this shift plays positively to our new vehicle offerings, we must still get our costs in line in response to segment adjustments and higher commodity prices that are affecting the company."
But Wall Street said the decision to cut dividends signals bad news ahead as Ford prepares to release its second-quarter financial results next week.
"This certainly suggests that second-quarter earnings are going to be uglier than expected," said Bradley Rubin, vice president of credit research at BNP Paribas in New York. "People are finally realizing at Ford that this turnaround is a little more difficult than they anticipated."
Ford shares closed down 32 cents Thursday to $6.56, a 4.6 percent decline.
"The dividend cut telegraphs the board's mounting concern about the company's performance," said John Casesa of New York's Casesa Shapiro Group LLC. "It's a very pessimistic signal."
The dividend cut is expected to save Ford about $375 million annually.
"Strong liquidity is an important enabler of our ongoing turnaround efforts and this action will make an important contribution," Bill Ford said.
But credit analysts said the move will not change the company's balance sheet enough to boost Ford's weak credit ratings, which have already fallen into junk-bond territory.
"The cash savings are relatively marginal," said Robert Schulz, who follows the company for Standard & Poor's in New York.
Craig Hutson, an analyst with Gimme Credit, said he expects Ford's ratings to sink even deeper.
"It is a sign that the company is acting to shore up its liquidity amid greater headwinds in the industry than it originally anticipated," he said. "A dividend cut is never good news."
But Ford's decision to extend warranties may be good news, at least for consumers.
The five-year or 60,000-mile powertrain warranty being offered on Ford and Mercury cars and trucks is substantially better than the three-year or 36,000-mile warranty offered on all of DaimlerChrysler AG's domestic nameplates and most of General Motors Corp.'s brands. More importantly, it matches the warranties offered by Ford's leading Japanese rivals: Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., neither of which includes roadside assistance as part of their standard packages.
"Ford is setting its own path," said Cisco Codina, head of North American marketing, sales and service for Ford. "All of this is part of our strategy to become America's car company."
The new warranties, which are effective today, will be applied retroactively to customers who have already purchased 2007 cars and trucks. Moreover, the company said it will offer extended warranties to customers who buy 2006 models. The new warranties apply to all Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles, except for those like Ford's diesel pickups and hybrid SUVs that already featured more attractive terms.
"It definitely gives consumers another reason to look at Ford," said Mike Jackson, an analyst with CSM Worldwide in Farmington Hills.
Boosting warranties addresses one of Ford's biggest product problems -- the resale value of its vehicles. However, the move could increase the company's warranty costs substantially.
Ford's second quarter warranty data shows that 2006 model year per-unit warranty costs are 24 percent less than those for 2005 model vehicles.
"I'm glad that we're leading instead of following," said Kenny Shreve, owner of Kenny Shreve Ford Mercury in McLeansboro, Ill.
"I feel better about Ford today than I have in years."
That is not correct. If I recall, Camry, Accord, Sonata finished in the top three (midsize) - I don't recall the order, however.
Actually, the other poster is going for a Wrangler, if I am reading it correctly. Good luck in your searches and experience.
Seriously?
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Keep away from a car with an "8.9." Just ignore the fact that its the 2nd highest rated sedan by Consumer Reports--better than Malibu by over 15 points, even in 4 cyl form, better than Sonata, etc.
Honestly---let me give my owner review of my Camry so I can raise the average score. That's just about the least reliable way to evaluate cars as possible.
I think the other posters had it right, other than characterizing the '07 Camry as boring--its more "exciting" than everything but Accord and the V6 Altima in this segment. Not that boring is neccessarily bad. My Intrigue was exciting. Nothing more exciting than driving down a highway at 70 mph in the middle lane and losing all power and power steering! Yeehaw!
2006 Accord 9.4
2006 Sonata 9.4
2007 Camry 8.7
yeah, it was price, price, price.
did you notice the poster thought the sonata was better than the malibu by a milestone in the test drives? yet the poster was still considering the malibu - could it be because of price and not so much the merits of the car?
Consumer Reports.. LOL! Bias mag. Proven right here at Edmunds in a heated forums room over and over...
don't you know, you were on the wrong side of all those arguments i won?
I guess that means we shouldn't ever participate in forums, and shouldn't ever take anyone's experience or advice about cars, right?
In all seriousness, I think you are a little off base on that one. People will definitely sound off when they are not happy with something about their car. If you don't believe it, just visit the Camry problems forum.
Or could it be that the Malibu serves his needs and would be satisfied with the features, at a lower price than other cars? Price is certainly a big factor for many, but price for the overall package (value or bang for the buck) is what is important to most intelligent buyers.
If someone buys Brand A, is that going to impress someone? And if it does, so what?
Many Sonata owners, myself included, chose the Sonata based upon what they got for the price paid.
As for CR, I don't know that anything was proven. I have disliked CR for 30 years or so (long before Honda & Toyota became players in the market) because at the time I felt they were quite biased. I don't dwell on it...I just ignore their solicitations to join and do not subscribe. It's OK for those who like CR. I just choose to ignore anything they have to say.
CR is the least bias mag. there is. When the other mags get mega bucks from Chevrolet, for advertising, they are less likely to give them a low rating in their tests. CR accepts no advertising $$$. Why would CR be bias? Because you disagree with them.