ok4450, I understand your statement regarding there’s no guarantee, even with an inspection. I had a good Mazda3, first year of production, except for an AC that never did work very well. I then buy the same car five years later and it has problem after problem, worse MPG, and they still didn’t fix the damn AC as it froze up multiple times. You’d think after five years they’d have the bugs worked out, but they didn’t. I appreciate your perspective as a mechanic.
shadowfax, I appreciate what you’re saying, and there is no guarantee for me. But, there is no guarantee for you or anyone else either. You could be in a car wreck tomorrow or get cancer or a dozen other things. I’ve tried to learn to balance what I want with what I need. I don’t want to worry about what comes tomorrow too much, as I can control so little of it. When I first got sick I had a neuro-psychologist give me tests and give me this bad news. I asked him what I could do to fix it or help it. He said become a Buddhist, as you have to learn to accept some things in life and worrying about them will drive you crazy. He had a point, as do you. I’m just trying to seek balance in the decision.
Golfdawg, my medical circumstances, age, etc. are very similar to yours, other than that I already can’t drive (and that I quite like the current Elantra.) As you’ve already no doubt learned, the standard “good” advice doesn’t always make as much sense when you don’t have years of active living ahead of you, but that doesn’t stop people from giving the advice as if it does.
I don’t see you coming out anywhere but behind financially on this trade, so the question is how much having a nicer car is worth to you? The costs of an older car without a warranty are hard to predict, but are unlikely to be as low as you expect. How much risk can you afford? And what else could you do with a few thousand that would be just as enjoyable without the risk?
There are many things I thought I’d have time and money enough for that I’ve had to give up on. Like interesting cars (or any cars at all, except the ones in magazines and online.) I don’t miss them as I’ve found new interests that better match my physical and financial circumstances and let the old dreams go.
Have you considered a year or so older Sonata?I’ve been in serious pain off and on during the last 30 yrs of my life(well actually closer to 40) ran the the gamut from a Chiropractor who about to paralyze me to the orthopedic people who wont prescribe anything but super aspirin and muscle relaxers(your muscles are tense because you are in pain) so I dont fool with practitioners who dont take me seriously now,lifes to short,Enjoy yourself-but find that inner peace and test drive till you find that level of performance and luxury you crave,good luck . PS -A a word of advice pray to Jesus.not the other deitys-Kevin
If you want to call the Focus dull as dirt, I wouldn’t disagree, particularly for the 2005-2011 models. Prior to 2005 (when they dumbed down the suspension), they were one of the best performing models in their segment, and they’ve reclaimed that for 2012 (FINALLY)…
But as for CR, again - I’m not saying that the cars that they rated well are bad. I made that perfectly clear. I’m saying that the cars that they rated below that you cannot say with any certainty are actually any worse, because clearly there is very little difference between one of the best (Mercury Mariner) and an average (Ford Escape) vehicle. And, on average, Nissan Motor vehicles as a whole have been trailing Ford Motor vehicles for several years now. I’m not saying they’re bad… but limiting yourself to Nissans, Toyotas, Hondas, and Mazdas is silly… especially when so many Mazdas actually share powertrain designs with Fords.
keep the Elantra and enjoy living with a reliable car you know. A good infiniti will cost more in upkeep because it is a luxury car.
kmccune, I actually considered a Sonata from 2008-2010. I realize many of the comments on here are well-intentioned, but the used car market has become very compressed price-wise. Even when I bought my Elantra a year ago, the sales rep was telling me that the old model, one year older, was selling for more at CarMax than what they were selling them for new the previous year! It’s all because of the gas price hike. All the Sonata’s I looked at were 14K-17K, which is only a couple of thousand less than what they sold for new. My sister was rear-ended recently and had her van totaled. I took her to look at some small SUV’s and she liked the Honda CRV. A used 2008 loaded CRV with 55,000 miles was going for $19,900. A new 2012, base model (she doesn’t need the sunroof, leather, navigation, etc.) sells for about $22,000! Some of the traditional information you could take to the bank about used cars is just not valid these days. Several of you have said I will lose money on my car should I sell it today. But I really don’t know if that is true, based on selling my Mazda3 last year. I sold it in 4 days, two years old, and the lady wrote me a check on the spot for what I was asking for. $2000 less than what I paid for it two years prior with 33,000 miles on it. I made $3500 on that car, after payoff. I’m not calling anybody out, I’m just pointing out my real life experiences and that the used car market is very compressed now.
I still think you’re making a mistake in regards to putting so much reliance on CR. They’re a tool much like Carfax or AutoCheck that may aid some in a decision but should never be taken as the Gospel truth.
Case in point and consider the link below regarding one of the vehicle possibilities that you mention. You won’t see this in CR and keep in mind that TSBs are issued by the people who manufacture the car. TSBs are created when the manufacturer sees X number of complaints and then sends out a bulletin to the dealers about that complaint. Some TSBs are related to things that are irrelevant to the car owner but many are very relevant.
Note that there is one Recall out on that year model and a Campaign. A Campaign is a voluntary Recall that has time and mileage limits and odds are the Campaign has expired; meaning that the car owner foots the bill just like they would on any other applicable TSB.
Here’s one vote for a used BMW. Something nice from 2000-2003 can be found for $7000. Just set aside $3000 for the first year, and do some research about the car, and you’ll know what to expect. I decided against another Econobox b/c a nice BMW is now the same price. Set aside $300 a year more for 93 octane, and expect 24mpg on the highway. Not terrible. If you want to splurge, here is one way to go…
ok4450, thanks for the link. I hope you understand I don’t rely solely on CarFax or CR, or I wouldn’t have come here to ask my questions. The Mazda3 I got rid of that was a lemon I suppose had a TSB on the AC that froze up. I was on an interstate and was able to GPS a dealer about 40 miles away (understand this was in the Memphis area and July, so just rolling down the car windows wasn’t helping much). I pulled right in and the Service Manager goes,“Oh yeah, we got a notice on that” and even lets me read the notice. It wasn’t a recall or even a voluntary recall, but like you said, just a notice to the dealers that this problem is happening. They had a solution written for the problem, but the guy goes “You don’t want to get it fixed. It will lower the AC temp about 2.5 degrees and it can’t be reversed. Just remember to turn off your AC about 15 minutes or so if you drive 2 hours straight and you should be fine”. This was the day I decided to sell the Mazda3 
But, playing devil’s advocate, wouldn’t any car you pulled this up for have a list of TSB, or recalls or voluntary recalls? And, even when you read something like J D Powers, there aren’t any cars with zero problems, just a list of cars with the least problems to the most. And I was disappointingly aware of the difference between two cars of the same make and model when my 2009 Mazda3 turned out to be a big disappointment compared to my 2004 Mazda3, when I made an assumption they would have worked out all the bugs in five years of the same model. I do appreciate all this extra info, sincerely. It’s a little scary the view that you won’t know what you get until you drive a car awhile, even if you inspect it and have all the records on it. Something the general public doesn’t really want to hear. But I’ll ask, what would you consider to be the best “near-luxury” car out there? Just your opinion. Or even best upscale used car?
Hmmm, my son will be trading in his 2007 G35 for a new BMW. I think he’s got about 40K on it. In Ohio but think he’s getting the Beamer in Minneapolis. Got more money than he needs.
At any rate, I think you should just hang tight and save your money. First issue is the co-signing. If you and your GF are on the note, is she also on the title? Can you get her off of it(them)? Second, I agree, these cars depreciate quite rapidly so you may be shocked at what you can get for it. Third, the cars you are talking about are not necessarily cheap to maintain, especially if not under factory warranty anymore. Fourth, 10-15K can go pretty fast so I would just stick it in a Vangard account and wait a few years.
No problem. I knew very little about you when you posted, and thought I’d share my experience. I’m glad we have this in common. Are there any support groups you could get involved in? There are great people everywhere, and I hope that you can find them in your neighborhood.
Bing this decision may be made anyway if the girlfriend makes a fuss and makes me sell the car. It could happen, as her lack of anger management is one of the reasons I plan to live by myself I could get financing, but it would be at a high interest rate, so I would be better off to pay cash for a car should that happen. So this discussion may come in handy regardless. Second, she just so happens to own a 2008 G35 that happens to be about the best car I"ve ever been around. CR gives it a higher rating than any other car they have tested. Period. The depreciation on it is amazing. Last year when I sold my car to buy the Elantra, just out of curiousity’s sake I checked the value on her car, since all cars had jumped in price due to the tsunami and the increase in gas prices. Incredibly, she could have sold her car for about $2,000 more than what she paid for it, and she had owned it for two years. I tend to agree, he must have more money than he knows what to do with, because that’s a hard car to improve upon. I’m guessing the BMW is more sporty, which is possible. The G35 has a 306HP engine, but it’s not a drag racer.
You are correct in assuming that all cars will have TSBs, recalls, or silent recalls. Many of them will have very long lists of these, yet still be very reliable vehicles.
I don’t consider recalls to be problematic at all - they rarely cover problems which affect the reliability or durability of the vehicle. Some are near pointless (such as misprints in manuals), and others simply show that the manufacturer has a good tracking on their production process. In addition, it wasn’t that many years ago that imports and domestically-produced vehicles actually had different federal laws governing recalls. As a result, you could get the false impression that an imported vehicle had fewer recall-worthy defects than a domestically produced vehicle, when in fact they simply didn’t have to report the recall the same way.
Likewise, TSBs aren’t actually indicative of reliability issues. You’ll find a good number cover mundane issues. I’ve seen a fair number simply covering improved service methods…
GD,you have found out the hard way about used vehicles,I about to have words with my Honda dealership over used CRVs,I couldnt believe how much the used ones were going for-but again,good luck on your quest .may you find the peace and serenity,that should be every Mans portion-Kevin
No one is talking which neurological disease is involved, so I am simply going to report something my son told me. He graduated from med school.
He said the wife of a vascular surgeon in UK came down with MS. After some study, he theorized the “drainage system” for her brain was clogged up, and nasty stuff built up to high levels, causing destruction of the brain. He went in and unclogged it and the MS went completely and permanently away. He has been doing surgery on other people with MS and all have completely gone into remission.
If you can wait around two thousand years, the American doctors will look over his data.
I have (or had) Lyme Disease, which is misdiagnosed quite often, as it was in my case. I lived in Texas at the time in the early 90’s and was told by countless doctors “there’s no Lyme Disease in Texas”. Someone forgot to inform the doctors that people travel (as I did quite often for business and usually played golf when I did), and that the ticks that infect you can bite you there or travel back with you on your clothes or luggage. Nowadays, most docs here and elsewhere know you can get it anywhere, though it is mostly in about ten states in the Northeast, near epidemic levels. I had the misfortune to catch it before there was more knowledge about it, and wasn’t diagnosed until about five years later. It’s a bacterial infection and it even infected my brain. Finally, it was diagnosed and I was treated with IV antibiotics which (perhaps) killed the infection, but definitely got it out of my brain. However, I’d had the infection long enough that it damaged my immune system to this day. I’m allergic to many things, both food and environmental, but fatigue is the big problem. There is no treatment at this point except to treat symptoms, though I may have some luck with the allergies by seeing an environmental doctor in Dallas.
I just felt it was time to just let you guys know what’s going on with me, so you wouldn’t have to wonder. Lyme Disease can be treated easily if you catch it early, but if you have it untreated as long as I did (perhaps five years), it can cause great damage. So be careful if you are in the woods or near woods where deer can drop off ticks. If you’re in the Northeast, they’ll treat you right away if they even think you have a tick bite, but I was unfortunate to live in the wrong part of the US too many years before it became more common knowledge.
Unrelated to the car, but there was no point letting you guys wonder and speculate any longer. I was just dealt a bad hand and got unlucky.
Thinking about your automobile situation, I thought about the time my wife and I bought a new Ford Tempo back in 1985. Ford was offereing a special price on models equipped a particular way, probably for rental fleets. The car was reliable, ran great, and had no problems. However, my wife really disliked the car. I usually run cars until the wheels fall off. However, after 36,000 miles we traded the Tempo for a 1988 Taurus and were much more satisfied. The sounds like your situation with the Elantra.
When I was growing up, money was tight. My parents finally got a little bit ahead about the time I started high school. We had always had used cars, but in 1955 my dad was thinking about a new car. He was thinking about a bottom of the line Plymouth or Chevrolet. However, a friend of the family who had retired was offered a great job in Australia. He had purchased a new Buick the year before and driven in 24,000 miles, but was not only provided a new car in Australia, but after the assignment was complete, he would be given a new car on his return. My parents bought the Buick and thought it was really great to have an upscale car. To us, upscale meant that the car had a radio and a V-8 engine. Looking back, I’m not certain that Buick was all that upscale–it had a manual transmission and no power steering or brakes, but my parents really liked that car. They kept it for years and I am sure that they wouldn’t have been as happy with an entry level Chevrolet or Plymouth.
Now my tastes in cars were always the entry level models. When I had a secure job, I bought a bottom of the line Rambler Classic 550. The next vehicle was a Ford Maverick and I was perfectly satisfied with both cars. However, I can understand the desire to have something more upscale. If I were in your situation, I would probably run the Elantra until it died. I’ve always been content to let my friends buy upscale cars and I can enjoy riding with them and not have to pay for the car. However, I’m not you. My wife likes a car with upscale features and likes modern features in a house (like central heat and air conditioning). I finally learned that I don’t have to take the most economical way out all the time.
TriedaqFunny you should say you had a 1985 Ford Tempo That was my last company car before they finally took them away. I think mine was an '86, but no difference. I got left on the side of the road in that car a couple of times LOL. Once in the middle of Baton Rouge on I-10 in the middle of the day, had to walk down an entrance ramp. Another time on I-10 outside of Lafayette LA, maybe in my first Tempo. But, when they announced they were getting rid of the company cars, they gave right of first refusal to buy to the current drivers. My Mom was looking for something, and it only had 36K miles on it at the time. She lived in a small town, and probably only drove 3K-4K miles a year. I told her it was NOT a really good car, but they offered to sell it to me for $5400. It was ridiculously cheap. I ended up buying the car and driving it to MS and taking the bus back (the bus from MS to New Orleans is a very bad idea, BTW, never do that again). Anyway, she didn’t drive it much and they kept that thing for about 15-20 years. By then, very little on the car worked. No AC, the speedometer was broken, Lord knows what else. The only thing it would do would go to town, they wouldn’t even drive it past anywhere ten miles away. My younger ne’er do well brother needed a car to get to work so they gave it to him and he blew it up in about two months. Thanks for bringing back some (somewhat painful) memories of the old Tempo:) Postponing the decision on the car anyway, will have to get the money, pay my bills. renovate townhouse (new AC unit, take out carpet, put in some laminate, maybe some appliances,etc.) then see what I have left. Also, see if the soon to be ex-girlfriend will throw a fit and make me sell the Elantra anyway and make this all a moot point, besides the type of used car I would buy. But it’s nice getting all this info anyway, helps me make a more informed decision, the emotional part of it aside.
One very basic question. Is the title individually in your name? Or is your girlfriend on it? If she is on the title and you are headed for splitsville, it is by all means not a good idea to pay it off with your own money. If you find a buyer and she is relieved of her financial accountability thereby, she should be willing to sign off on the deal. Who knows what reality will be five years from now? That issue is by itself a good enough reason to sell the car. If the title is in your own name alone, then you have to decide what you want to do. Just off the top of my head, I don’t think any of the high-end cars you listed as a potential replacement fall into the high reliability category. The Mazda Millenia is just a superannuated dog, period.
Honestly, I just have to think someone with your concerns needs a low-maintenance automotive situation. I can see the dissatisfaction with the Elantra. But how about just a larger sedan, like a Camry or whatever?