Originally Posted By: Bhoppy1216
Hi everyone!
Been lurking for awhile and gotten great info, but I needed to ask a very specific question, so figured I would join up. I am in the market for a new to me car, as I usually always buy used, and I am just running into an issue that I am sure is just me mind screwing it to death. I started my journey by picking a few cars and then going onto carcomplaints.com, and boy was that a mistake. It seems like everywhere you turn every modern car model has some serious issue like consuming all the oil, total transmission failure, or blown head gaskets. I was seriously considering a 2009 Camry because they seem dependable, but then found out their condensers collect mold and smell the car up, and there seems to be no permanent fix. I hate to use the phrase "they dont make them like they used to" but it just seems to apply! I know not everyone is experiencing these issues, but it makes you think twice before throwing 5-10K at something that might just bust a 2K transmission bill on you. Advice, suggestions, reassurances?
While carcomplaints does have some useful info (like how my model year Focus and prior ones can to eat thru alternators), not everything can be taken as an absolute.
When I purchased this Focus 4 years ago at 60k miles, I was ready to be replacing the battery and alternator ASAP from personal experience and online reviews. Sure, the battery did fail shortly after purchase, but now at 100k miles I'm still on the OEM alternator. My guess is that the battery failure was from the car sitting on the dealer lot for a very long time, thereby killing it (lot rot).
In terms of the alternator issues after further research I discovered that those with electrical problems also seemed to have hatchbacks (mine is a sedan). The problem with the hatchback, is the wiring harness leading into the rear tail gate tends to break the wires inside, leading to all sorts of shorts and electrical glitches. Personally I believe it compromises the health of the electrical system in general.
Overall it's a hit or miss game. All manufacturers have their issues. It's up to you, the informed consumer to choose the issues your comfortable working through.
Hi everyone!
Been lurking for awhile and gotten great info, but I needed to ask a very specific question, so figured I would join up. I am in the market for a new to me car, as I usually always buy used, and I am just running into an issue that I am sure is just me mind screwing it to death. I started my journey by picking a few cars and then going onto carcomplaints.com, and boy was that a mistake. It seems like everywhere you turn every modern car model has some serious issue like consuming all the oil, total transmission failure, or blown head gaskets. I was seriously considering a 2009 Camry because they seem dependable, but then found out their condensers collect mold and smell the car up, and there seems to be no permanent fix. I hate to use the phrase "they dont make them like they used to" but it just seems to apply! I know not everyone is experiencing these issues, but it makes you think twice before throwing 5-10K at something that might just bust a 2K transmission bill on you. Advice, suggestions, reassurances?
While carcomplaints does have some useful info (like how my model year Focus and prior ones can to eat thru alternators), not everything can be taken as an absolute.
When I purchased this Focus 4 years ago at 60k miles, I was ready to be replacing the battery and alternator ASAP from personal experience and online reviews. Sure, the battery did fail shortly after purchase, but now at 100k miles I'm still on the OEM alternator. My guess is that the battery failure was from the car sitting on the dealer lot for a very long time, thereby killing it (lot rot).
In terms of the alternator issues after further research I discovered that those with electrical problems also seemed to have hatchbacks (mine is a sedan). The problem with the hatchback, is the wiring harness leading into the rear tail gate tends to break the wires inside, leading to all sorts of shorts and electrical glitches. Personally I believe it compromises the health of the electrical system in general.
Overall it's a hit or miss game. All manufacturers have their issues. It's up to you, the informed consumer to choose the issues your comfortable working through.