I only compared your car to the Malibu which you mentioned initially as a good buy, as it along with the Fusion and Impala are the most widely sold fleet cars for the reasons you so well stated. Their high sales in this area indicate their economic advantage short term over an Accord but in no way indicates their preference by the buying public which in this arena, outsells the Malibu by a much wider margin. That is reflected in their resale value advantage as well. Your’s (Accord) is still the better deal for we the buying public. They have spoken…statistically.
Hey, Mike, first of all, my so-called “opinion” as you say, is based on research and personal experience. In 49 years of living, 33 of which I’ve been driving, I have owned 9 vehicles, all U.S. built. Only one was a total lemon, a 1980 Fairmont, which wasn’t even worthy of wearing the Ford badge. Some people my age have owned 15-20 vehicles already; I have kept most of mine 3 years or more, especially my 2002 Chevy Silverado, which is nearly 10 years old now and I bought it new; I’m quite satisfied with it and have no plans to let it go anytime soon. In '02, the Silverado was a top rate according to J.D. Power. Like I said, research and experience, NOT opinion. And how can you compare a Ford Escort to a Chevy Equinox? It’s not even in the same league; the Equinox vastly outclasses an Escort. I"m surprised your brother got 150k miles out of his Escort before putting it out to pasture. Just goes to prove that even cheaper U.S. cars are good if they can be stretched for that many miles. The fact that your brother got that much mileage with his tells me that he got maximum use out of it, and drove it a lot in 7 years; most folks don’t come close to that. Was he a travelling salesman, perhaps? Very few occupations require that kind of driving in their personal vehicle. Anyway, I still would recommend an Equinox, based on experience and what I’ve read, of course.
Hey, Mike, first of all, my so-called “opinion” as you say, is based on research and personal experience. In 49 years of living, 33 of which I’ve been driving, I have owned 9 vehicles, all U.S. built.
And that’s opinion…NOT FACT…My opinion of 58 years of living and over 40 years of driving and owning cars is completely different then YOURS. My last GM pickup…it was junk at about 120k miles…Since then our Honda’s and Nissan’s all gave us virtually trouble free for well over 250k miles…along with 3 of them well over 300k miles…
I wouldn’t use JD Power as a rating system. If you look at their past TOP vehicles…some of them were complete DOGS…JD Powers only shows how the vehicle is when NEW…NOT when it has 300k miles.
The fact that your brother got that much mileage with his tells me that he got maximum use out of it, and drove it a lot in 7 years;
You consider that high mileage???..Lets compare that vehicle to my wifes 96 Accord. When we gave it to our Niece with 240k miles on it…I had put a total of $4 in repairs…While my brother was putting in well over $1500 each year…And he had far fewer miles.
I guess you have a different opinion on what Reliable means!!!
O.K., Mike, first of all I should clarify: I would consider 150k miles as good for a tin-canny little Ford Escort, which I would put in the same class as a Pinto or a Chevy Vega. Given your years, I’m assuming you remember those cars better than I do, and I remember them as being junky. However, with today’s standards, I fully expect my '02 Chevy truck to get way more miles than that before I retire it. In 1991, I bought a then-6-year-old 1985 Chevy C-10; I kept it for over 5 years (before trading it on a 1987 Oldsmobile), and that truck had 153k miles on it and was still going strong, and I had used and abused it quite a bit during the time I had it. Yes, my idea of reliable, for decent well-made vehicles, is no different from yours; we just have different preferences. But, for an Escort, I would apply lower standards. And that’s my take.
I would put in the same class as a Pinto or a Chevy Vega. Given your years, I’m assuming you remember those cars better than I do, and I remember them as being junky.
Yea…I owned TWO Vega’s…and yea…they were EXTREMELY unreliable. But my brothers escort wasn’t from that era…It was built the same year as your truck (02).
Yes, my idea of reliable, for decent well-made vehicles, is no different from yours; we just have different preferences.
Yes…they are preferences…and I agree with you…I use to be a Huge Chevy fan…Owned a few from the 60’s and 70’s that I wish I still owned today. And they were very reliable…but I’ve been burned a couple times by GM and my brother by Ford and my sister-in-law by Ford in the not too distance past that I’m very gun shy of buying one again until I see drastic improvements. And I haven’t seen that yet. I’m also very leery of they way they run their companies…with huge bonuses on how well a VP or director for a specific Quarter…with no regard for any consequence on how it will effect quality 2 years later.
You bring some good conversation to the table, Mike. I still am a huge Chevy fan, but mostly for their older trucks, from the 60’s and 70’s. If I were interested in buying a new truck today, though, in this post-bail-out era, I would most likely choose a Ford F-150 or F-250 Super Duty; and, believe it or not, I Might even consider a U.S.-built Toyota Tundra; seems like those are as American as today’s “domestics”, as many of their components are U.S. made. Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Spicer make the axles for the Tundra?
I don’t know who makes the parts, but there’s a huge Tundra assembly plant here in San Antonio. they’re always in the news, doing good thing for the local economy, the number of people they employ, and just in general doing well-minded civic things.
Anyway, back to the original subject matter that NHWoman11 started out with, I’d say first be sure you want to change from a Toyota/Honda/Nissan search. I recommended the Chevy Equinox based on my experience and what I’ve read. However, I can recommend another car based on the same, and it’s a Toyota; an '07 Avalon, to be exact. That’s the kind of car my folks had before trading to their Equinox, and it was a good reliable car. The only thing I really disliked about it was that it sat low, and even I at 5’8" had to be careful not to hit my head on the top of the door opening when getting in and out. Plenty of interior room, though, for a broad-shouldered guy carrying 200+ pounds on that 5’8" frame. The Avalon is just a suggestion if you want to go with Toyota, and you may very well like it. Again, good luck with your search.
Yes - You are right that does sound a lot smarter. I would be grateful for any advice you could give - where I should post it and how I should title it.
I’m not sure how to write a post that will be clear and effective. I did my best here - and I still ended up rambling.
But I hesitated to start a new post because I’m not totally afraid to work on them but I know I’m still pretty pathetic around cars (I’ve changed tires, alternators and installed a tow hitch) . I have a scanner and got the error codes.
I live in a cabin in the mountains - where mechanics are few and far between.
And none of the mechanics Ive gone to around here have given me a straight answer (at least not as far as I could understand)
Blizzards, Sick Children & Work - I’m feeling absolutely helpless and completely at the mercy if I ever find a mechanic to fix my car - both of us knowing he can change as much as he wants - and still be doing me a favor.
sound like a stereotype of the completely clueless woman - which is stupid of me because I’d only be too happy to be taken advantage of and overcharged if a mechanic fixed my car…
My car’s a 2019 whose transmission seized up a dozen thousand miles over warranty - the car is 50-100miles from a garage - Im $12,000 under water with payments…I won’t have the $ for a new transmission until Frb…
My situation might not be as difficult as I ses. There may be mechanics in the area I don’t know - It’s only been a year since I moved to NH - barely know anyone - and am just starting to recover from culture shock.
I have no idea if - under the circumstances I should try to unload it (take z hit and use (a double ) e-vehicle creditt to get back above water. (Our minister has offered a junk car for me to make a double trade-in / purchase). - make sure I’m never in this situation again.
Your vehicle will not be worth much with a bad transmission and a junk vehicle will just annoy the dealership . Why are you not asking this Minister or people at the church for mechanic recommendations? Even if I knew of a good shop it might not even be near you .
I would say forget the Saab. They are out of business and parts are rapidly becoming difficult (or impossible) to find. Plus, they were never that great to begin with. If they were, they wouldn’t be out of business.
The person who revived this old thread was tagging-onto someone else’s post about wanting a VW or a Saab, so it has become very confusing. She later created her own thread regarding her dilemma about the transmission in her Chevy SUV.