Wouldn't Be Caught Dead Driving One

michaellno · December 2005

Touche!

Actually, that Accord served me quite well, since it spent quite a bit of time in the airport parking lot.

Didn't cost me anything over and above fluids and a new set of tires in almost 60,000 miles.

Wrecked it twice within 6 months - first time was due to my inexperience with snow ($1700 in suspension damage); second time was due to inattentiveness and I rear ended someone ($4200 in body damage - $700 of it to replace the airbag!).

snakeweasel · December 2005

Oh I am sure it did serve you well, just about any car will these days. I was just commenting on you saying it only had two speakers, I just think its funny that people want these cars now to have 8 or 10 speakers which I find is over kill (along with some other stuff they are putting in cars now).

andre1969 · December 2005

I had a cheap stereo in my '68 Dart, but it had an 11 or so band equalizer/amp mounted under the dash, and two 6x9 Pioneer 100W speakers in the back.

For just having two speakers, that sucker was LOUD! One day I had the car in my Grandma's garage, which is detached and sits around 50 feet from the house, and was fooling around with it, and decided to crank up the stereo. It was a hot, summer day, and Grandma was in the house, with all the windows up and the a/c blasting. Later on, my grandma commented that, even inside the house with the air conditioner running and her soap opera on, she could hear distinctly every single word that Eazy-E was saying!

Unfortunately, that equalizer/amp eventually blew, and I took it out. It was fun while it lasted, though. I'm sure that many of the high-end sound systems these days would sound much better, and I've matured enough that I rarely crank it anymore...even my Intrepid's stock stereo is too loud for my tastes at max volume. But damn that Dart was fun!

fljoslin · December 2005

Isn' this forum about cars that you would not want to seen dead in?
Does a hearse count?

I would drive anything. Cars are transportation.
When it comes to ownership, there are vehicles that I like and ones that I don't like, but if someone gave it to me I would own anything, at least for a little while.

andre1969 · December 2005

I'm in the same boat. If someone flat out GAVE me a car, chances are I'd take it. Unless it was a family member who was going to give me something that I simply had no use for.

Last year, my Granddad, who's now 91, decided to give up driving. He had a '94 Taurus GL with around 35,000 miles on it. It looked good, but Granddad never was one to keep up on maintenance, so I'm sure it would've needed a lot of maintenance stuff. And when I drove it I swear I smelled antifreeze. It had always been carported, so the paint was still nice, although it did have one small dent on that spot between the rear door and wheel opening.

Anyway, when Granddad decided to give up driving, they gave me first dibs on the car. My Dad called me at work and asked me if I'd be interested. At first I said yeah. Hey, it's a free car! But the more I thought about it, it was just something I didn't need. Even free, it still would've cost money to put it through inspection (or have Granddad give it to Dad, and then have Dad give it to me to get around that), insure (only around $350-400 per year, but still it adds up), and it was probably near the point that it would need belts, hoses, a coolant flush, etc soon.

If I really needed a car then yeah, I would've taken it in a heartbeat. But I didn't. Even though my Intrepid had over 90,000 miles at the time, I trusted it more, and, to me at least, it was a cooler car. And I wouldn't have felt right taking it from Granddad and then turning around and selling it and making money off of it.

So in the end, one of my cousins got the car. He's not too gentle on cars, so I figured he would kill it in short order, but I saw it a few months ago, and it still seems fairly healthy.

calidave · December 2005

chances are that was not antifreeze you were smelling in grampy's car

;-)

guss · December 2005

Probably a combination of Old Spice and Red Man tobacco. At least thats what my grandfathers 76 Caprice smelled like after he passed in 91.

It was offered to any family member at market value to settle his estate. No one wanted it , even though it only had 30,000 miles , the drivers side door was rusted out due to the Red Man.

All of his trips were less than 5 miles , so that was a tough 30K an d would have needed alot of work.

ron_m · December 2005

Regarding all of the Porsche and Corvette bashing in this discussion, all I have to say is this. If a man enjoys the engineering, driving dynamics and overall performance of a sports car, what difference does it really make if he's "40-60" years of age or maybe even a little older??? There are actually people in this world that have worked really hard to educate themselves and become successful. If part of celebrating their success is to purchase, own and drive a sports car that is actually FUN to drive, what's the big deal? Many men and women just truly enjoy driving a good handling car that has a lot of power. This is really no different than continuing to surf, water ski, play basketball, tennis, or whatever after having supposedly 'aged out' of these types of activities.

Not everyone that drives a really nice, highly noticeable car is trying to be "somebody" because they may have lost some or all of their hair, let their waistline expand some over the years, or have been through a divorce and now they don't have anyone of the opposite sex in their life. There's no doubt that some of these Porsche and Vetting-driving people that are supposedly going through a mid-life crisis are highly educated, VERY successful people that just so happen to enjoy a very fun car! And to the contrary, I am sure that some people that drive these types of cars are seeking attention for whatever reasons. Who knows? But better yet, WHO CARES???!!! I'm not one bit jealous of them. Power to them. If they want to spend some of their money on a Porsche or Vette, let it roll. I'm not the one that is having to finance their vehicles.

jchan2 · December 2005

Hmmmm...

A Cadillac Escalade or Hummer H2.

For my wife? Probably a Toyota Camry. She doesn't care too much about cars, but we both agree the Camry is one boring appliance. (we prefer the Accord, which is only slightly less boring)

xkss · December 2005

yup

marika · December 2005

I think you mean self-image is important to you, because I can't imagine how having a Kia would produce any positive image to the rest of the world.

FWIW, It does to me. I think that a modest Kia projects a better image than an expensive Porsche. It does not necessarily imply money in the bank, but neither does it require flushing a lot more money down to toilet, so to speak.

jefferyg · December 2005

A car built after 1975 with an "antique" tag on it. I live in Mississippi and you would not believe how many beaters from the late 70's are running around with "antique" tags on them. IMO when you put one of those antique tags on your car, you're saying to everyone that you are proud of your "classic" car, and quite frankly it scares me to think that anyone could ever think of a Gremlin or a Pinto as a classic.

Oh, and I remembered a couple of other beauties we had when I was a kid. Both were station wagons. The first was an early 70's model Grand Torino Station wagon in Mint Green. The other was a 74 model Country Squire wagon that my dad bought used when I was a teenager. That car took the term "Land Yacht" to a whole new level. It was REALLY BIG, brown, and had the stick-on fake wood on the sides. The fake wood was fading so my dad used to rub it down with scotch guard to bring the color back. Oh man it was embarrassing, but I think if I could find one today I'd have to buy it just so I could pick up my daughter from school. She's only seven and even though she can't always match her clothes, she knows what cars are not cool. :shades:

xkss · December 2005

a porsche cayenne, the fake porsche

jefferyg · December 2005

is definitely a no no! But that pickup thingy is interesting. But before it would sell here in South Mississippi you'd have to add more chrome, a lift kit, nerf bars, 40 inch buckshot mudders, a winch, light bar, gun rack, and an "eat more possum" bumper sticker. :P

carlisimo · December 2005

I don't understand all this "mid-life crisis" stuff. I want a sports car. I'll start with a Miata. Eventually I'd like a Porsche, or an NSX, or something like that. By the time I can afford it, I'll be old enough that people will say "it's a mid-life crisis."

But it'll just be a continuation of sports car driving. Just up a level. I hope.

wave54 · December 2005

I agree -- wouldn't be caught dead in any Honda with bumblebee muffler, boombox stereo and blinged-out wheels. I'd rather walk!

I suppose the only thing that's worse is the aforementioned add-ons on a ridiculous piece of crap like an '80s Ford Tempo.

bumpy · December 2005

But before it would sell here in South Mississippi you'd have to add more chrome, a lift kit, nerf bars, 40 inch buckshot mudders, a winch, light bar, gun rack, and an "eat more possum" bumper sticker.

How about a roo bar?

harlequin1971 · December 2005

any garbage car
any SUV - the more bling, the less I want it
any car with a "No Fear" sticker on it

current cars i would never even consider:
Any Chevy, Cadillac, Hummer, Saturn, Toyota, Suzuki or Isuzu
Subaru Baja
Honda Element/Insight
Pontiac Aztek

dang, i am opinionated
but I would also avoid Nissan, Mitsubishi, most of the line from Lexus (except the IS) and I think that Mazdas are just kind of too "machismo" and over done, except the 3.

jchan2 · December 2005

I would never want to be caught dead in anything blinged out or anything with a katrillion whatt mega stereo

jefferyg · December 2005

Oh that's too funny! But I can see the practicality of it if you live in the Outback. The price is a little steep or I'd order a few to sell around here. Deer cause more wrecks than drunks so I'm sure I'd have a market. Oh, and I am surprised we haven't already been seeing them on Hummers running around Suburbia.

jsylvester · December 2005

If I got the car free, I really wouldn't care much. If I had my own money invested, there are a few I would never want to drive:

VW Beetle
Any of the penalty boxes - Elantra, Accent, Echo, etc.
Oversized big pick-up truck - have no use for them.
Full sized van - again, not a bad vehicle if you need it.
Anything over $25,000 - no car is worth paying more than $25,000 to purchase - you are buying status after that point.

jjtj · December 2005

I had a 91 Miata and I loved the car, exc. for the girl car image it had. One thing you can do to really change the appearance is to replace the bug-eye lights with the dual low-profile headlights. They still pop-up, but only maybe half the height of stock and they really give the car a much "meaner" look.

jchan2 · December 2005

Anything over $25,000 - no car is worth paying more than $25,000 to purchase - you are buying status after that point.

So I spent $800 buying the Infiniti logo.

I must have gotten one heckuva deal!

snakeweasel · December 2005

May I ask what Infinity you got for $25,800? I think the lowest priced Infinity goes for over $30k. FWIW I don't think used cars count in what jsylvester was commenting on.

bottgers · December 2005

...any Korean vehicle or any SUV. All are a complete waste of money an materials!

andre1969 · December 2005

A car built after 1975 with an "antique" tag on it. I live in Mississippi and you would not believe how many beaters from the late 70's are running around with "antique" tags on them. IMO when you put one of those antique tags on your car, you're saying to everyone that you are proud of your "classic" car, and quite frankly it scares me to think that anyone could ever think of a Gremlin or a Pinto as a classic

Uh-oh, guilty as charged!

Here's a pic of one of my infractions, with the other in the background.

snakeweasel · December 2005

why would you say that. While an SUV just for driving around may be, but some are put to uses that a normal car or van would not be advised to do. As for Korean cars most do give good value for less money.

falconone · December 2005

Foolish comment. The Koreans are now making cars as reliable as the Japanese. Furthermore, the tight tolerances on the new Azera would make a GM employee blush. They're that good.

bottgers · December 2005

I'd like to see you prove that the Koreans are now making vehicles as reliable as the Japanese. I haven't seen it and neither has anyone else. Until they've proven themselves over the long haul like the Japanese have, they haven't proved a thing.

bottgers · December 2005

90% of the SUVs on the road are owned purely as a status symbol... nothing more. Rarely do they get used for their intended purpose so 90% of the time they're just a waste. A waste of money, materilas and resources. Korean cars are throw-aways. If you're just looking for something cheap to go from point a to point b, that's about all they're good for.

harrychezt · December 2005

I sort of agree with you on the Korean cars are good for a-b, and then throw away after x-amount of years. The new Accent and Rio(along with cars like the "Chevy" Aveo) are throw aways, perhaps.

Now, for a shocking news bit.

we had a 1999 Sonata GLS-V6; everything except ABS. Got it for 150 over dealer's invoice in the summer of 1999.

The salesman was a friend of ours, plus he was quitting the saleman bit to move out of state to a new job.

Problems:
Few. Needed a new water pump at 108,000. needed a new radiator at 129,000.
Sold it last fall for 1,150 dollars, to my neighbor.They knew I did the tune-ups, took care of the car,etc.
"Extra" spent on repairs, stuff other than regular maintainence, alittle over 300(with installation) on the radiator, and 259 for water pump with service...so....say 600 to round it out over 5 years + of ownership.

Ohhh, was it JD Powers survey(some agree with it, some don't) Long term for 2002(reliability)....
Top 3 were Malibu, now defunct Alero, and Sonata.

We now own a 05 Scion tC(or my spouse does, but i ,too,kind of like driving it).

Take Care/ Not Offense.
DAV
83-94

bottgers · December 2005

....any long term testing done, let alone see a Chevy, Olds, and a Hyundai come out on top. Of the long term testing I have seen the Japanese have always come out on top and the Koreans were still in the middle of the pack. The catagory where the Korean makes usually rank high in are the intial quality ratings, which we all know doesn't tell much about long term reliability or true build quality

harrychezt · December 2005

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0506/30/B01-232784.htm
Malibu best midsized for long term 2002, and Hyundai made biggest improvements(for 02 models, but below avg, back then, 4 years ago).
I saw another version of this, but can not find it. It had Alero 2nd and Sonata 3rd place, behind 1st place Malibu, for LT(in 05 survey).

Like I said.... some people like JD Powers survey's, some don't.

2005 "Best Bets" book
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-10-200- - 5/0003161139&EDATE=

This site says Toyota is 9th in quality world wide, and hyundai is now 7th. Title of Sstory is "Hyundai rejects Toyota proposal".

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200502/01/200502012154131779900090509051.html

Don't/Do like these results, folks? I am betting that you might be able to contact someone via e-mail and voice your opinions.

Now, to be honest, we looked at the new Sonata. We won't buy it: looks like every other vehicle.. Is it a Honda, Toyota, Acura?
Sure, the 04 may not have been "sleek", but I know a guy who thought it was an Infinity!
No, not me.

Anyhow... I like 3 and 5 doors these days, except for truck-based suv's.
Now, cars we won't be seen in:

Anything over 19K msrp.
That makes it much more simple(unless there's a sale, then maybe...).

jchan2 · December 2005

I bought a Brilliant Silver/Willow Leather 2004 Infiniti I35 sedan in February of 2005 for $25,800 before taxes.

I also got great short term (36 month) financing through Infiniti Financial Services.

The car was brand new with 110 miles on it at the time of delivery and was built in July of 2004. I took delivery from Infiniti of Nashville.

You're right that the lowest priced Infiniti nowadays goes for close to $30,000,(stripped G35) but almost a year ago Infinitis could be had in the $25,000-$28,000 range.

wfb · December 2005

First of all--if you live anywhere where it snows, an SUV will be used for it's intended purpose (since that's the purpose many people buy one for). As far as Korean cars being throwaways,how long do most people keep a car anyway? For many people, 5 or 6 years is max and the Korean cars will hold up that long with no trouble. Of course, the resale value will be much lower for these cars, but then again - they cost much less to begin with so it all works out.

snakeweasel · December 2005

I will say this those I know that have Hyundais (me included) have gotten many miles (so far I have 130k on mine) with little or no problems. I would say that they are as good as any other car out there including anything from Japan.

snakeweasel · December 2005

If you read what I said if used for its purpose they are not worthless. My next daily drive might be an SUV simply because of a road trip I want to take.

As for Korean cars being cheap for going between point a to b you can make that argument for any inexpensive car. So far I have 130k on mine and its still running great, hardly a throw away car.

jimmy81 · December 2005

I would say that they are as good as any other car out there including anything from Japan.

Not me. My Hyundai was an aggrivating machine. Constant nickel dime stuff that Japanese cars don't have. Poor resale value, although it didn't cost much to buy, but I didn't get squat for it when I just sold it.

falconone · December 2005

That certainly is a generalization. I've owned cars from Japan, Korea, US and Germany. The Nissan Armada/Infinit Q56 have the worst reliability for 2005 according to CR. I would have no problem buying a Korean car. I'd buy one before I bought another Mercedes. YES... I own a Mercedes.

fintail · December 2005

I see you have a W203...I asked my MB specialist about those vs my W202...he didn't have many nice things to say. I think any MB that started production in 99/00 might be a dangerous move.

harrychezt · December 2005

http://www.uautono.com/recallsarchive2003.html

says something about the recalls , Sentra, and some other vehicles by Nissan , cetrain years, for stalling...
my car stalled in 90, and the other one in 2001...and they had recalls in 03 ?

What Gives? Ya think they could fix the issue after x-amount of time?

I just do not understand why it is an issue still, stalling, (or not running)?

Just posting this link to show I am not some "random" Nissan basher.... lot of cars have recalls, but this one issue 2 different models we had, same thing, 7 years apart, add the recalls? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---

We had 2 Nissans: 90 sentra xe, and a 97 200sx.
90 stalled out at 7000 miles, said chain slipped threw off timing, and burnt up plugs(brown) on one side.
Fixed under warranty. car did last 233,000.
97 200sx: needed iginiton coil, rebuild on starter, new timing chain gear and timing chain, and plugs, of course... why? Exact same reason for the 90 sentra stalling out, not restarting.
13 years of stalling/recalls... varying models... I do not buy 100% into this" Nissan = near perfection"(Japanese model brands, any maker).
I dunno. All makes have issues.
we have owned Chevy, Nissan, Hyundai, Scion(Toyota) , either small or large items, all have had issues.
Had one Nissan (200sx) sold at 66K miles, due to it kept acting up after repairing it. Sonata 99, nearly 138,000 miles, and 800 dollars (radiator and waterpump, local shop fixed 'em)...the 200sx was nearly 1,300, and still ran rough, and dumped it, at 66K miles.
Which was better?
We have a Scion tC, needed wiper arm fixed 2 times on passenger side this year, under warranty. Minor thing, but that is 1 thing wrong vs our 04 sonata 0items.
Who knows...may just save up and buy the new Impala that has a V8 aand gets 28MPG hwy,(maybe 30 miles by 09?).
Anyhow, take care, not offense.

jimmy81 · December 2005

we have owned Chevy, Nissan, Hyundai, Scion(Toyota) , either small or large items, all have had issues.

Shoulda bought a Honda

harrychezt · December 2005

Recalls: only a minor sampling of Honda recalls:
http://www.alldata.com/TSB/24/95241580.html
http://www.automotive.com/new-cars/recalls/01/honda/
Maybe not the worst items for recall....but recalls anyway.

No such thing as a perfect car company. None.

Take care/Not Offense
DAV
83-94

jchan2 · December 2005

I have owned 3 Hondas, 1 Infiniti, 1 Mazda, and 2 Fords.

All of them have had issues ranging from a broken clock at delivery (Infiniti) to requiring a new transmission. (Honda Odyssey)

So sometimes it's just luck.

xkss · December 2005

a bmw 1 series

jefferyg · December 2005

That's one sweet ride - and it's not the kind of car I'm talking about. The ones I'm referring to have more rust than sheetmetal and more bondo than paint. They usually smoke like a tar baby and the tail pipe is wired up with a wire coathanger, and you can never tell who's driving because the headliner hangs down to the backside of the headrest.

Your car has obviously been restored and it is something that is eye catching, not an eye-sore.

bcmalibu99ls · December 2005

Subaru Tribeca is an astoundingly ugly car. There is one parked near a home not far from where I live. Every time I bike past it, I feel serious aversion. It looks like a monster with a square mouth and square eyes. It even beats Pontiac Aztek in the ugliness department.

I wouldn't be caught dead driving Subaru B9 Tribeca, and now won't even consider buying any Subaru, as this name by itself reminds me of Tribeca

bottgers · December 2005

You already have said that Korean cars are as good as Japanese cars and according to stats, you're wrong.

snakeweasel · December 2005

Constant nickel dime stuff that Japanese cars don't have.

I am not sure about that, I have a sister that buys nothing but Toyota and hers goes into the shop very often for repairs. Plus I have never known anyone to have a Mitsubishi with over 60K who wasn't being nickeled and dimed to death.

snakeweasel · December 2005

Remember there are three types of lies, lies, damn lies and statistics.

That being said I will stand by my statement Hyundai builds them as well as anyone else including Japan. I have seen way to many Hyundais go the distance with few, if any, problems and way to many Toyotas and Hondas give their owners grief. Can you say engine sludge?

Wouldn't Be Caught Dead Driving One

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