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http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/TireTestServlet?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Sol- us+KH16&partnum=055HR6KH16V2&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&place=62
It is an all season tire = compromise and balance. They are made to perform average in all conditions. You might need a snow tire in your climate. And SOME all season tires do have more aggressive tread patterns for more winter driving. Check it out.
I like the Honda and my husband likes the Camry. He is not real crazy about the racket pinion steering on the Honda, I love it.
Trying to get an out the door price on a Honda Accord. Can anyone give me what they have paid recently. How about a Toyota Camry. Looking at the basic model, no extras?
Has anyone compared the two?
Any thoughts on this?
Thanks
* Try the Camry SE, which has sharper handling than the other trims.
* Try the Fusion or Milan, which have a nice blend of ride and handling that many people like. Also the Fusion/Milan are rated above Accord and Camry in predicted reliability by Consumer Reports, and they cost quite a bit less in real-world pricing than the Camcord. If you can wait a few weeks, the 2010 Fulan will be out with many updates including more powerful engines and higher fuel economy.
* A couple other cars you might check are the 2009 Optima, which also has a nice blend of ride and handling and has excellent predicted reliability, and the Malibu, which has a good ride/handling balance and is rated close to Accord and above Camry in predicted reliability (assumes you don't mind taking a chance on GM at this point).
If you will both regularly drive the car, it's important you both like how it drives, for the sake of continued domestic bliss.
I am new to this. I want to buy an accord for my mom. She probably isnt into high performance or gadgets, but can anyone recommend which one to buy to get nice seats for her? If you dont get leather what are the seats like? Do all come with lumbar supports? Some people dont like the lumbar supports.
Many thanks, we want to buy car tonigh.
This is my first post here. i'm a 25 year old guy who is looking to buy my first car (when i say my first, i mean i will be paying for it, been driving for years). There are soo many choices out there that i have no clue what i want. here is a list of cars that i have thought about over the past year.
Jetta
GTI
GLI
Audio A4
Challenger
G37 (sedan)
C300 sport
I'm trying to get something sporty but something practical as well.
In this recession, i am not sure if i want to spend a whole lot of money on a car, so now I'm trying to get the most for the buck.
any ideas? maybe something else that's not listed?
I'd prefer to lease, but i know a whole lot of people who tell me to buy, any ideas on this as well?
Thanks,
Have you thought about something like a Mazda 6? Mazdaspeed 3? Honda Civic Si?
Personally, I put more than 12,000 miles a year on a car so leasing is out of the question. But, I feel like at the end of paying on a car for X number of years, I'd like to have something to show for it. Leasing feels like renting, to me. You pay and pay, and when the lease is up, you give it back. Not a big fan, personally. Id rather buy something, finance for 4 or so years, and then have no payment for 3 or 4 years and keep the car. By then I'll have 150k-200k miles, and be ready to upgrade.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Check Consumer Reports, J.D. Powers, the posts at Edmunds & you'll see that the VW/Audi product is near the bottom of everyone's list when it comes to reliability.
I'm not a VW hater. I drove over 40,000 miles last year & would love to be able to justify the purchase of a TDI; but compared to just about any Japanese brand, the maintenance costs alone more than wipe out the fuel savings.
CR recommends the Jetta and Rabbit (i.e. the VWs we are discussing here). They don't recommend cars that have poor reliability as determined by their surveys.
Also we aren't talking about the TDI here. And $450 is not unusual for a major service interval done by a dealership these days... sad but true. Another way to state your friend's experience is that he paid $450 for maintenance over the first 40k miles. I don't think that's bad at all.
Hardly out of the ordinary and hardly a measure of a car's maintenance costs. Problem is that alot of folks fall for the "scheduled maintenance" chart provided by the dealer rather than the manufacturer. You would be shocked if you saw the chart provided me by my Honda dealer. If I followed it, I would have been out somewhere around $750 before hitting 40k miles.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
The Mazda 3 price is through their S-Plan Pricing, so I'm assuming it can't go much lower. Is $16,500 + taxes and fees a good price on a VW Jetta S (the sticker price was $18,400.)
Any input or suggestions?
But that being said, the Altima is worth a look... as long as ESC is not important to you.
As for what constitutes reasonable maintenance costs we'll just have to respectfully disagree. In the first 40,000 miles on my 06 Avalon total routine maintenance was approximately $265.00 (8 oil/filter changes & an air filter.) Recently had the 120,000 mile maintenance done & it came to $495.00. Compare that to the 110,000 mile maintenance cost on a TDI or Jetta.
Anywho we have been setting aside money to go towards a minivan for a little since it is something we knew we wanted to get at some point. basically since both out current cars are paid off we been putting aside $300 a month to "pretend" we have a payment and eventually use to go towards a down payment.
So I suppose the first question I have is when to buy? DH gave me the ability to be able to buy without him and all trusting my judgement and all. I'm okay with that but i prefer not to. Or do I wait till he get back and we try to do it during the two we have in atlanta before we actually move? or do we suck it up and just wait till we get to seattle... or do we just flat out don't get a mini van?
The next question is if we get one which one? Our biggest thing is Safety. but after that we don't really know. I suppose cost would be next. we are looking at $300 a month payment... $350 if we really really had to... We are leaning towards new and perhaps a Toyota, Honda, Kia, Hyuandai or Nissian. I'd like some comforts: power seat controls, tinted back windows, nothing too fancy. We aren't really fans of the wood looking stuff and prefer cloths seats to what ever the other thing is lol.
hmmms not sure what else i can add... but yelp!
Reviewing the maintenance schedule for my Jetta 2.0 (gas), I don't see much in the way of pricey maintenance needed for well past 50k miles. For example, only one oil change is spec'd every 10k miles. Even if it's synthetic (not required for my car but a good idea), it's not much money. I plan on changing the oil on mine every 5k miles because I put less than 10k miles a year on the car. And I see inspections but not a lot of parts replacements. If a VW dealer charges too much for such basic maintenance, do it yourself (e.g. oil changes and filters) if so inclined, or find some other place to get the work done.
The Chrysler/Dodge minivans are also available at excellent prices now, but I see two big problems with them: 1) a question of how long Chrysler will be around, and 2) IMO the interiors have a cheap appearance, especially on base models. Also I hate the exterior of the 2008+ Chrysler/Dodge vans, and much prefer the previous generation inside and out (in fact I own a 2007 Town & Country LX, bought used last year for $11k). The Chrysler/Dodge vans have Stow-n-Go, but that's about it.
As for used... that is another option to consider if you really want to save money. With minivans falling out of favor for many people today, there are excellent deals on slightly-used minivans, which can be had with a Certified warranty.
Why not take a look at a Kia Rondo & see if it works for you? It makes a great vehicle as a family carrier.
Yes, they probably do. Kids may be small now but they will grow, and you also wind up transporting their friends . . .Toyota Sienna is very easy to drive and park.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
Altima 2.5 SL
Acura TSX
Audio A4 2.0 Quattro
Mercedes C300
I know that they are in different price ranges so it's a bit hard to compare... I'd like something practical but also enjoyable to drive. Any suggestions on these four or another model? Any help would be much appreciated!
Do you place more emphasis on brand name, or on features? Engine power? Room?
Have you checked out the Mazda 6 Grand Touring?
I'd write more, but we're about to get a big thunderstorm, so laptop is getting unplugged!
Night all!
TG
Anyway, it's about the same size outside as the Altima (but bigger and much more luxurious inside), just a bit more $ than a loaded Altima 3.5, and in the same price ballpark as other cars being considered--but a LOT more power. So many choices!
P.S. try putting a battery pack in your laptop... then you can carry it around, and use it during a thunderstorm.
Haha, well, if you want to fit the bill for the $173 battery that Sony wants for this Vaio's new battery (it lasts about 30 minutes now that its worn out) I'll be happy to let you. Otherwise, I'll just use this bad boy when its plugged in! :P
I vote for the 2008 because it had warranty left on it and comes with lots of airbags and ABS. Some of the 2006's have ABS, but not side airbags. He is 19 and could care less about safety.
He will (without a doubt) be putting bigger rims on it, I've herad him mention 20's, 18's minimum. He WILL be putting in a sub, amp and head unit (wants some DVD thing). So there is no point in getting one with upgraded sound and steering wheel controls.
This stuff will void out parts of his warranty, right? Making the warranty on the '08 less of an issue.
Altima redesigned in 2007? Is that year one to stay away from? I had told him re-design years are usually bad. I have an 06 Murano that is great (really low miles though) and read horror stories on the early model years, that is why I am afraid of the 2007. SHould we be afraid of the '07? 2007 would give him a little warranty...I like the idea of him getting the "newer" design for value, but the '06 has a nice price! (most of the cars with good prices are fleet or rentals)
OR, he hasn't looked at the Accord. HOw does that compare safety wise, price wise?
It received 5-star frontal crash test ratings from the NHTSA (an admirable 4-stars on the side crash test), and a "Good" rating on frontal and side crash tests from the IIHS.
The fact that this Accord is from the previous generation means it should be somewhat cheaper than if it were a current-generation model.
According to Kelley Blue Book, you should be able to get a 2006 Accord LX (4-cylinder, 5-speed Automatic) for $10k-$13k, assuming 60,000 miles.
A 2007 Accord LX (4-cylinder, 5-speed Automatic) with 30,000 miles should be in the $13k-$15k range.
The 2007 is identical to the 2006.
LX models come with the power amenities expected in this price class (PW, PDL, A/C, Auto Up/Down driver's window, keyless entry with remote roll-down windows, 6-speaker CD, Cruise Ctrl, lighted vainity mirrors and glovebox, etc). You aren't paying for the alloy wheels that come on the uplevel EX trim level cars though, something to consider since he'll be getting larger wheels.
Hope this helps!
According to Consumer Reports, the '07 Altima is more reliable than the '06, despite being the first year for the redesigned model. The '06/'07 Accord have the highest CR Rating for Reliability (Much Better than Average) and the Altima is 'Better Than Average'.
I definitely suggest taking a serious look at the Accord. For '06, they added the 'LX
Special Edition' model which adds EX's alloy wheels, 6-CD changer and a few misc trim changes. Those SE models and the EX 4-cylinder are the best of the bunch. An LX V6 could also be had for under $15k, if you can find one.
I just bought an '07 LX V6 with 22k miles for only $16k. It's a Honda Certified Used Car, so that includes powertrain coverage to 7yrs/100k miles!
A lot of late-model Altima 2.5S models are former rental/fleet cars. You don't want to end up with one that's been abused, so it's best to steer clear of them. Honda doesn't sell to rental fleets, but it's still a good idea to pull a Carfax on any car before you buy it!
Besides the Altima and Accord, have you (or your son) considered the Ford Fusion? A 2007 (or 2008) model with V6 is well under your $15k budget. They also have a 5-star frontal impact rating and have been very reliable. The V6 isn't quite as powerful as the Altima or Accord's V6, but that could be a very good thing for a 19-yr old.
The audio modifications (especially a new head unit) may be an issue. The Altima and Accord have non-standard 'head units' that are integrated into the center control stack. See below-
Therefore, do you think the '07 will be reliable? I guess I should ask on a Nissan specific board. Always leery of new model year.
I'd prefer the Honda for the safety rating, but at least I am pushing him toward the '07 and '08 Altima which have more safety features than the '06.
Hubby and I just saw the Ford Fusion yesterday in a parking lot and liked it too. Problem is that he has a Taurus that he is dying to get rid of and I don't know if Ford has the image he wants. He wants to get rid of the Taurus because it has integrated climate control and he cannot change the head unit. It CANNOT be done. I'll have to look at the Fusion some more and point it out to him. What year did that come out? Long term reliability is a big question on new designs, isn't it?
I know there are smaller cars out there, like the Fit, but I grew up in a bigger is safer household and still hold that belief. I wish he could afford a Maxima! (so does he)
We paid half on his very used Taurus and will throw him about $2k toward this one. He is footing the bill for the rest. He goes to college and works A LOT. He will be paying for all his upgrades too, and any increase in insurance.
The Fusion made its debut in 2006, and according to Consumer Reports, has better reliability than the Accord, Camry, or Altima. Class-leading in quality and reliability, and not bad to drive either. Plus, it looks distinctive and sharp, unlike the big-butt Altima, and relaitve yawns of the Accord and Camry (I'm 21 years old and like the Fusion exterior better than that of my 2006 Accord). The Accord's interior from 2006-2007, however, is as good as any in my opinion.
Trust me, the Fusion "ain't no Taurus."