Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Originally Posted By: smc733
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: smc733
Overall, I'm not very happy with the choices out there,
Is there some reason why you're avoiding Mazda6 that was suggested several times already?
IDK, Mazda has never done it for me, and a lot of people have told me to stay away from Mazda, including some Mazda drivers
And I bet lots of people told you to go with Toyota Corolla and look how well that worked out for you
The truth is that most mainstream non-luxury brands out there will have pretty much the same reliability and cost of ownership, which are excellent. Sure there are some unknowns like the ne CVT in the Accord, but generally speaking the odds are in your favor.
You seem to be your own enemy when it comes to making this decision. You complain about lack of choices when in fact there are tons of excellent choices out there but you have to step out of your own prejudice against brands and test drive the cars.
How can you make an informed decision when all you’re looking at is two car brands? What do you have to lose by test driving some others mentioned already or domestics? Or are you afraid you’re gonna like them more than you thought?
By the way, my perception of Mazda was the same as yours and I was also told to not buy Mazda but go with the obvious Corolla and Civic. I never had a Mazda before and I probably would not have bought it if it wasn’t for Honda and Toyota dealers making me feel as if they were doing me a favor by allowing me to buy a car from them.
My Mazda 3 is 7 years old with over 100k on the clock with only minor issues. I spent a whopping $160 so far for non-maintenance related repairs, $100 of which was actually my fault for running over a pot hole and busting the engine mount.
On top of that the car drives like a dream, with very good handling and road feel that is mostly absent in the segment. I could not be happier with my choice.
So don’t be stuck on two brands or options like Nav. or sun roofs because they do not add to the driving experience and overall feel of the car. An appliance like car will still be an appliance like car whether it has those options or not.
You’re not pressed for time as your current car is OK so take your time and test drive everything in the segment and you may be pleasantly surprised at the amount of options available that you were not aware of.
Thanks for taking the time to post that, it was super insightful and helpful. I am going to open my eyes a bit, and check out Hyundai, Mazda, Ford and Chevy tomorrow (and I'm telling the dealers up front I do not intend to make a purchase that day, this is purely to see how I feel about their product).
Nav I REALLY want, but I suspect in my 28-30k price range, I can squeeze this in almost any of the cars in this price range.
You make a good point about reliability, sometimes I think the unreliability of domestics is overblown, as is the reliability (and quality - any more plastic, Toyota?) of Japanese brands.
As for the smile on my face, the only car that has REALLY done that was the 200. POWER, a classy/clean look I can't seem to get in this class of car, and features that excited me. It was also the cheapest.
But you guys are all right, since I don't NEED a new car by tomorrow, or next week, or next month, I should have fun with it, test drive each car, get numbers, rate them, then decide.