Havo @ 25/6/2018 20:56

I owned and operated an auto maintenance shop for 13 years. So take this for what it’s worth. Honda, Toyota and Nissan are usually good options. When you narrow it down to 2 or 3, test drive each and run the car by a reputable fast oil change place. (Yes, there’s a few out there). Ask them to look it over for you. Check the oil and transmission fluids especially to see if it looks or smells burnt. Ask them to look the bottom side over for leaks. ESPECIALLY look for a rear main engine seal leak. Anything more than sweat here is a no go. Have check CV joints for torn rubber. That’s another bad sign. Tell them you’re considering buying it and ask their opinion. Most places will be happy to look it over quickly for free. I used to do this all the time. Only takes a few minutes. Avoid Volvos, Saab’s, Chrysler’s, pre 2010 Jeeps, and NEVER, EVER buy a Volkswagen. Ever. Just don’t.

I'll start this with: I'm sure you ran a great maintenance shop.

That said, after being screwed over by 3 or 4 different fast oil change places in college, I refuse to go to one ever again. I get my maintenance done at the dealership, where I know the person working on it, and I know they'll do quality work (plus, they have a vested interest in keeping me happy, so I buy more cars from them in the future).

Spin @ 25/6/2018 20:52

Havo @ 25/6/2018 20:56 I owned and operated an auto maintenance shop for 13 years. So take this for what it’s worth. Honda, Toyota and Nissan are usually good options. When you narrow it down to 2 or 3, test drive each and run the car by a reputable fast oil change place. (Yes, there’s a few out there). Ask them to look it over for you. Check the oil and transmission fluids especially to see if it looks or smells burnt. Ask them to look the bottom side over for leaks. ESPECIALLY look for a rear main engine seal leak. Anything more than sweat here is a no go. Have check CV joints for torn rubber. That’s another bad sign. Tell them you’re considering buying it and ask their opinion. Most places will be happy to look it over quickly for free. I used to do this all the time. Only takes a few minutes. Avoid Volvos, Saab’s, Chrysler’s, pre 2010 Jeeps, and NEVER, EVER buy a Volkswagen. Ever. Just don’t. I'll start this with: I'm sure you ran a great maintenance shop. That said, after being screwed over by 3 or 4 different fast oil change places in college, I refuse to go to one ever again. I get my maintenance done at the dealership, where I know the person working on it, and I know they'll do quality work (plus, they have a vested interest in keeping me happy, so I buy more cars from them in the future).

Yes I ran a great shop. But I was the owner and I was on the floor 80% of the time the doors were open. I didn’t turn it over to a manager and stop by once a week. I trained all my techs and my guys never worked on any kind of commission. We never sold a customer something they didn’t need. There was simply no incentive to do so.

But I know more than anyone the reputation of these kind of shops. You simply have to find a good one. There are some terrible ones and there are some good ones.

But I would highly recommend taking your vehicle to a place you are most comfortable.
I know a lot of dealerships that are just as bad if not worse than fast lube shops. But it’s your car and your dollar so yes, find a place you can trust.

I picked the 3 SUV's because we only have a small car now and we'll need a bigger one when we move in a few months.

thisisbad @ 25/6/2018 23:40

I picked the 3 SUV's because we only have a small car now and we'll need a bigger one when we move in a few months.

this is for ME tib!!!

unless I was included in the 'we'. as...a family member..

Yes you are included as a family member and now you are obligated to help me move

i can't picture you driving any of these cars

Josh @ 25/6/2018 23:51

i can't picture you driving any of these cars

what do you picture joshua

Curtis @ 25/6/2018 23:29

Josh @ 25/6/2018 23:51 i can't picture you driving any of these cars what do you picture joshua

Curtis @ 25/6/2018 18:14

which one does Volvo fall under

My mother in law bought a brand new Volvo about 6 years ago and it has been in the shop a ton since day 1. It was the suv model and it was also the most uncomfortable ride I have eve been in or driven. I do not recommend them at all


She bought a highlander a couple years ago and she loves it and raves about.

Sounds like you want a beater/commuter car. You should look at Honda accords or pilots. Toyota’s and nissans will work as well. I’d stay away from expensive things or gas guzzlers

Vance @ 25/6/2018 17:08

I voted for the 2010 Ford Fusion. But most cars by Ford are ??? at best.

I'm not sure what the hate on this site is for Ford, but I've owned several through the years and had good luck with all of them.

I grew up a Chevy guy living close to Lansing and a ton of guys working for GM in the area. But when I got married, my sister in law worked for Ford and we were able to get the family discount for new vehicles. While I haven't bought a new vehicle in a while, cause I enjoy not having a car payment. I currently have the following.

2009 Ford Fusion with a 4 cylinder, it had 38,000 miles on it when I bought it and all I have ever done is normal maintenance on it. Oil changes, brakes, tires and a new starter once. It now has 205,000 miles on it.

2008 Ford Exporer, this is the last vehicle we bought new. I originally leased it for 2 years and didn't put many miles on it then paid the residual costs and bought it out right. It now has 162,000 miles on it and again I haven't really done much to it other than normal maintenance other than replace the wheel bearings, and spark plugs (which were a bitch)

2007 Chevy Silverado, bought this 2 years ago, cause it was a good deal with 158,000 miles on it for 5 grand. It now has 243,000 miles on it and I just had the transmission replaced a month ago. Other than that it's been a good truck for what I use it for.

But through the years I've owned only GM and Ford and by in large had decent success with all of them. The only one that I didn't care for was a Mercury Sable that I owned and the engine seized up with around 148,000 miles on it.

But general rules of thumb for me Curtis when looking for a vehicle. I always try and have someone take a look with me, that knows cars. They always see something or notice something that will either help you get it for a lower price and will likely have a better idea of cost if something looks like it needs to be fixed and the ease or difficulty of the repair.

I also, try and stay away from a new body style unless the engine and drive train aren't new, just the body style. Lot's of time new transmissions, and engines have issues for a year or two until they get the bugs worked out. For the years that you are looking at there should be lots of information out there about reliability and potential maintenance costs.

Also, if you do know someone that knows cars, I wouldn't be hooked into using a car dealer, unless there is someone there that you know that's working with you. I've always gotten more for my money from buying from an individual than a dealer. And again, as long as you know what you looking for the warranties that a dealer gives you on a used car generally don't last long anyways, if that's what you are looking at.

No Ford hate here. Our Mustang ran awesome forever until it threw the clutch after 200K+ miles. Having kids kind of killed the desire to keep a Mustang convertible around, especially since we'd be driving it next to nothing and yet still paying personal property tax on it, so we sold it off.

Our Jeep Cherokee also ran great for 100k+ miles- only ever had to change a battery out of it. Turning radius on that fucker was fantastic. It wasn't any of the fancy Grand Cherokees or bullshit like that, which I understand have way more issues. My sister also had a Wrangler for a long period of time too.

Our Chevy van was a piece of shit. I don't think we got more the 64K miles on it before we kicked it to the curb. That thing had electrical issues- like you'd be driving and the car would start up, but console and radio wouldn't activate. The power slide doors died but the alarm would keep going off until I pulled the fuse associated with it. The hydraulics for the lift gate went out and the dealership wanted $700 to replace and then they said that might not fix it; investigated and found they were simple hydraulics and nothing special (unlike what I was lead to believe by the dealership) and replaced them for like $40 myself. It also had its engine go out when it had maybe 60k miles on it; we had the engine rebuilt and it decided to die when we were starting a vacation south- died on the freeway at full speed near the N/S Carolina border. Luckily we coasted to a safe stop and a friendly trooper helped us out, because there wasn't shit for miles around that was open at that time. Fuck Chevy forever.

Our Honda CRV has been great. Nothing super fancy, decent turning radius, and compact enough to fit in a lot of spots.

My Ford hate comes from personal experience and has stuck around due to the horrible reliability ratings. That and the fact, that they know about recurring issues, and don't bother to improve on them from one year to the next. I had a Ford guy tell me that all the issues I had with my explorer were a bad example because it was 20+ year old technology in a 5 year old body. He said it like it was a viable excuse instead of an indictment.

Like I said, though, they do trucks pretty well. F150's and rangers are both pretty bombproof. Their duallies are fantastic, too.

Curtis, buy the Acura. It's basically a Honda, just a step up. Or, second, I would go Toyota. Volvo's are safe cars but... idk. Look at how much repairs will cost you - again go Acura or Toyota.

DO NOT BUY A FORD!