Iam currently in the hunt for a new car. Not necessarily BRAND new because the minute you drive it off the lot, you lose value. However it’ll be fairly new…maybe 10,000K or less. So my question is this… which MAKE of car do you think is the best? I have it narrowed down to FORD: Escape, F-150, Edge. HONDA: Element, Ridgeline. DODGE: Nitro. Basically I don’t like GM or TOYOTA. So out of these MAKES…not necessarily the models…which is the overall BEST in: re-sell value, durability, bang for my buck, reliability, etc… FORD, DODGE, or HONDA?
Personally I believe they are all good. If you were old enough to know what kind of cars were being sold in the late 60’s and early 70’s you would feel the same way too.
The differences in quality between brands is not nearly as large as most people think. While you may look at the available information and you may find that brand B has almost twice the number of engine failures than brand A, you would think that is a good reason to avoid brand B. But when you find out that the number of engine failures are 2 per 100,000 for brand A and 4 for brand B it means if you buy a car every two years for 50 years you have only one chance out of 1,000 of having an engine failure with brand B.
Resale value etc is likewise difficult to predict. If the price of oil goes back up. and I believe it will, an SUV resale value will be very low. Right now I would guess that Hummer resale values are tanking.
There are far too many factors and too many that you can't predict to get all worried about such things. Pick a car that you can find at a good price and that you really like and fits your needs. Take good care of it, making sure it gets all the prescribed maintenance and you will be making good decisions in car choices.Any of your choices except the Dodge. Stay away from that one.
I would also advise that you stay away from the Dodge.
Why buy a sinking ship?
If you really want it, wait until the investors who own Chrysler pull the plug and Chrysler’s “ship” actually hits bottom. At that point, prices should be even lower than they are now.
Same here. I can’t give you a good reason to consider the Nitro, and I can think of several good reasons not to. I just bought a Ford, and Hondas are fine, too.
Depending on how fancy you wanna get, an F-150 would probably be the best choice, if you don’t mind the large 30+ gallon fuel tank. $10k should buy a fairly decent used one, perhaps even an off lease vehicle. Also, if you’re considering the Ridgeline, consider the Ford Sport Trac, similar in design(sport utility truck). Depending on where you live, the optional heated front windshield would be ideal.
Resale, reliability,durability, resale value…all Honda in selected models.
But I bet you’d get arguments for Fords in others.
The real sleeper in all of these is the Ridgeline…behaves like a truck in the ways that most need and drives like a car…
How can you argue against a company who’s engines so many brag about being powered by. From lawn mowers to race cars, it’s a Honda. Does anyone make as many ICEs as they ?
just a hunch…Do you own a honda yourself? I like honda and ford. My pick is between Honda Element and Ridgeline OR Ford Fusion or Escape.
The Mercury Mariner and the Mazda Tribute are The same base truck as the Escape. You may prefer the way they are done up beter than the Escape. This also offers you a better chance to find a good deal if there are 3 times as many (well, maybe twice as many) trucks available.