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Comments
Is there a solution -- Toyota, aftermarket or otherwise?
I plan on doing the same to my Passat, so I know it will last a lot more than I plan on keeping her.
As far as the Hondas and Toyotas, I can't say much about them. Their fit and finish were not the same quality as the Passat. The dash plastics seemed cheap and flimsy. Plus their handling and driving "fun" were not even close to the Passat. I may have paid more, but I'm enjoying it a whole lot more! If I couldn't have afforded the Passat, I would have probably gone with a Taurus. They are nicer and seem like a better build quality than the others.
So, when you're looking, get something that will appease you. Just don't buy what everyone else is buying. You've got to enjoy the thing.
I just happen to love the "fun" driving factor that VW's are known. Forget the cup holders!!
#440 of 445: Toyota melting rear door gaskets (farafalla) Sun 02 Jul '00 (06:00 AM)
I had the same problem on mt 93 Camry. No idea why. I used Goop tp remove it and since it has been fine - 2 years now
I must say I'm looking for an Accord though. I miss the sporty feel and great gas mileage!
And I don't have to justify anything about my Passat, unless it's to myself. Fortunately, I am confident in myself to stick with my own decisions and not be bothered by others. And no I don't "keep up with the Joneses", they usually try to keep up with me. But I don't have an ego problem either.
My points were just to make sure that you see my opinions. So we'll just leave it at that.
They say it is protecting the fabric (it does not get stained), and the paint (it does not faint).
Anybody has experience with this and/or recommends this for this price?
sacma:
Get couple of cans of 'upholstery protector', for under $10, and that should take care of the fabric for a year. Paint does not need protection the way they dub it. Do they think the paint will fade? Save the $$$.
Vachataboon:
I can understand your liking of Passat. Personally I too think it is a good car, just that I wouldn't buy it over Accord (as I did about three years ago). But when you come to speak of Taurus, it just amazes me, a person with taste in car like Passat, and prefers Taurus as well. Yes, I've driven one of the new models.
Forget the $299 for the paint. I have a dark red Honda that I've owned since 1991 and I'd say in the past year, the paint started fading. I have 169,000 miles on it and in the past 5 years, it has sat outside in the hot South FL sun. So now that it is a little faded, well, no surprise there - esp. since it is a reddish color (I forget the actual name of the color). Dealer just wants to make extra $$$$$.
recent positive experience w/ my dealer, Kelly
Honda in historic Salem, MA. I bought my Accord
2.5 years ago. I maintain my car well, using the
dealer for major services and myself for oil
changes and other minor issues. I just turned
37500 on the odometer and I brought it in for this
relatively minor scheduled service. While there,
I asked them to check the squeaky clutch pedal.
This has been squeaking for over a year, but I
never did much about it. Well, they came back and
told me that the clutch master cylinder was
leaking. Parts and labor 360 bucks. I was pretty
shocked initially that this car should exhibit a
problem of this magnitude. The 2 Accords I owned
previous to this one never had this type of an
issue at that low milage, both went 10 years and 120k
miles. Well, I bitched because I just turned the
odometer past the warranty limit a couple of weeks
ago (I had put 1500 miles on it during a trip to
D.C. 2 weeks prior) and they had been servicing it
regularly prior to that.
Well, I gotta hand it to them, they decided to
cover this problem under warranty. So chock up one for the dealer. Kudos to them. They deserve a pat on the back.
If a dealer's used car lot has two Camrys, similarly equipped and similar mileage, and price difference is noticeable, it is quite possible that the lower priced Camry just came off a fleet. Not sure about it, but lot of people I know don't seem to prefer cars returning from a fleet. An individual often takes care of his/her car better than somebody renting one for couple of days, be it the way it is used, maintained, or even fed (grade of gasoline).
Honda's financial report (1998 perhaps) mentioned that Honda wants to keep fleet sales to under 2%. The 1999 financial report also mentions that Accord continues to be the best selling car to 'individuals' in America.
liufei makes a good point from marketing stand point. Honda too could make its theme "best selling car to individuals in America for x number of years in a row". That could help them get some waitlisting on Accord LX too, like it helps Toyota sell Camrys.
BTW, using 92 octane over 87 (or 88 in Bay Area I guess?) is simply a waste of money on either I-4 or V6 Accord. The engines are designed to use 86+ octane and do not require premium fuel. the only time I've used anything better than 87 is in Arizona/Utah/Colorado where it might be difficult to get 87.
Thanks for your input.
Tom
Thanks for the advise. Your opinions are similar to mine. I think the Camry XLE is a neat well appointed car but the price seems higher than it should be. The Accord EX V-6 is I think a little less well appointed but the cost differential is substantial. Maybe that's because I remember the line "good reliable transportation for under $2000". Of course that was selling the Ford Pinto and it was a great line if not a great car! As for Acura, I obviously am partial to it given my experience with my Legend but the close to $6000 differential over the Accord just doesn't seem justifiable unless the car is substantially better that the Accord. Admittedly it is a little plusher than the Accord and the name denotes quality/luxury as the Honda name cannot; also it may be a little quieter than the Accord.
Since you drive a TL I have two questions. Are the seats more comfortable, better support, etc. in the TL and is there less road noise, wind noise? Both seat comfort and noise seem to be a recurring theme on these postings and I am use to good seats and low noise in my Legend -- except when the sunroof is open, then all bets are off.
Thanks again. Please feel free to respond on the bulletin board or e-mail at sbgat23@yahoo.com.
Thanks
Steve
Indeed there is a small difference in the seats of the Accord and TL. First of all the TL has a softer bottom cushion in the front seats than the Accord so that I sink in a little more when I get in. This extra cushiness IMO makes the seats a little more comfortable - yet still pretty supportive- than the Accord's. Secondly, the TL hits my lower back a bit different in the lumbar area. The lumbar area in the TL must be a little higher than the Accord's because I have heard a few complaints about the TL's seats hitting some people in the back in an uncomfortable way. It probably hits them too high because it is not natural to have lumbar support in the middle of your back rather than the lower back where it is supposed to provide support. I'm 6'2" with a long torso and the TL's seats are very comfortable to me. In fact the only car in this class that seems to hit my back awkwardly is the '00 Passat. I drove my mom's around her neighborhood the last time I visited her and came back with my back hurting. The Passat's seats hit my back too hard and high up even with the lumbar support at it's lowest setting.
As far as interior noise, the Accord is slightly louder at highway speeds than the TL. Wind noise is about the same but the difference is in the road noise and engine noise. The Accord isn't quite as isolated from the road as you would expect especially compared to a Camry. The TL is a couple of decibels quieter (about the same as the Camry) at highway speeds due to the tall 5th gear and a slightly stiffer chassis. Around town, though, the difference is less noticeable. To me, the difference is still too small to justify $6000 more for the TL.
If you drive a long way each day on the highway (which I kind of doubt seeing as you only have 125,000 miles on your Legend) then IMO you would probably be more comfortable in a TL. If you drive around town more often than on the highway I think you would be just as satisfied with the Accord.
I hope I have answered your questions and feel free to ask more if you need to.
Having owned both, the Accord is a better car. Great reliability, solidly built, bigger, and a peppier engine.
The one that's "mine" is a 1990 Camry 4cyl 5-spd with over 200k miles on it. We've hardly had any problems with it and it's been a great car, and because of this I'd consider buying one myself. The car is reasonably peppy with the 5-sped and 4cyl, but now lets move on to my parent's newer Camry's.
They have a 1998 Camry LE (4, auto), and a 2000 Camry XLE (4, auto). Let me tell you, these are the SLOWEST cars I have EVER driven! ZERO off the line acceleration. ZERO low-end torque. At highway speeds the car is MISERABLE.
The 2.2L 4 has an extremely narrow power band. There's little to no power before 3500 rpm, and none whatsoever after 5000rpm. This is compounded by the fact that the transmission is geared for 100% economy and 0% performance. When you're on the highway running about 70 mph the engine turns about 2500rpm. If you need some passing power it'll kick down out of overdrive only after "encouragement" (firewalling), or the OD defeat switch. So then it hits about 3500 rpm which is the base of the power band, but not in it. No deal. If you completely floor it it'll downshift to 2nd gear (at 70+ mph), at which point it hits over 5000rpm...and there's STILL no power because now it's PAST the power band. There's no way to hit that sweet spot of peak torque at 4400 rpm at crusing speeds.
The Camry can't even get out of its own way, and has ZERO power for emergency situations where you need to move fast (like when you pulled out in front of that moron with the silver car in the rain that you didn't see because they're too boneheaded to turn their lights on!)
In defense of the slow Camry's, they're not really targeted towards younger people, so it's not really for me anyways.
I'm considering a Jetta (1.8T or VR6), a Passat (1.8T/5spd or V6), and Accord (4cyl/5spd or V6/auto), or a Camry (V6 auto or manual ONLY...no 4)
I'm used to Japanese reliability, so that rules out ALL AMERICAN CARS, and I'm not sure about the Volkswagons. I don't fit in a Maxima (6'3"), so my options are limited ;-)
$0.02
Steve
I've been quoted $18,800 for a 2000
Camry LE 4 (auto) with Value Pkg. 3 (ABS,
daytime running lights, remote keyless
entry, power driver's seat, and (of course!)
floor mats). Is this reasonable, or is there
room for me to negotiate? If so, how much?
Thanks!
are selling a 93 Corolla in near perfect condition and the dealer said try 6900 I think 5000 is more like it. Also what about leases?
on an LE with value package and mudguards is $19278. There is a $500 rebate (at least in VA)thru the end of the month to bring the dealers cost down to $18778, so you are doing good.Make sure the destination is included in this price, (you are on a new car right?). Also see if the discount in your area is more than $500. If everything checks out and you like the car you, will know have found a good deal.
So, here're my questions:
What's the difference b/w 87 vs. 92 octane? And why use 92 octain (more expensive) when the manual says, it's ok to use 87?
What's the difference b/w Arco's vs. Chevron's gasoline or Shell's vs. 76's?
I appreciate if you are well knowledge on this area and be able to help me on on this info.
lngo4