off topic What make of car do you drive? Import Edition

[donteatyellowsnow]

2001 Nissan Xterra SE, still going strong.

[Sabre Dance]

I had a salesman pull that line on me in December when I was looking. I went to Honda dealership first because it was the closest one and easiest to get to. When I was ready to leave he asked me what other cars I was going look at, he pretty much used that "why, because your dad drives one" line to shoot down every other company. The guy was an absolute scumbag and I couldn't wait to get out of there. He couldn't have been any more demeaning even if he tried. I'm set for years now anyway, but I know of a certain dealership I won't go anywhere near ever again.

 

Yeesh - this breed of sales "professional" usually is employed at a Dodge dealership.

 

Frankly, these days the whole argument of "American vs. Import" doesn't hold much water anymore. Honda Accords have been built in Ohio for a couple of decades now and many GM and Ford vehicles are assembled in Canada. There are no vehicles for sale in the US with 100% US components. Every new vehicle has a decent warranty (some better than others), and if something breaks repeatedly, there is always the "lemon" law. Go out and get what you like and what works for your budget.

 

I went from a 1996 Ford Taurus SHO (my fifth Ford vehicle in a row with only one minor repair issue in the bunch) to a 1998 BMW. I have had four more BMWs since then, with three minor repair issues for the whole group. For some inexplicable reason, I decided to replace my current 328xi with a Ford F150 pickup. I don't need a truck and gas prices are frightening, but after a test drive, I was hooked. It actually has more luxury features than my current vehicle. Now, I just need to sell a kidney so I can buy gas to commute to work...

[Wyldnwoody44]

Yet another reason to buy on Ebay :thumbsup:

I bought my svx on ebay for a steal and drove to trenton nj to pick it up with a buddy, I've had it 4 years and put nearly 100k on it with no real problems, im sold on subaru and have owned 3 ....ebay does rock lol

[Mox]

Nice cars!

 

Do you track the WRX or EVO? If so, where at?

 

I'm tempted to make my Z a full time track car (autocross) but I have to convince myself to get another DD first, and the car is just too damned fun to drive full time right now... that and I haven't tracked it yet.

 

I haven't really driven the WRX hard as it has less than 1,500 miles on it. I've autocrossed the EVO exclusively since I bought it in 2009. Before that I used a Mazdaspeed3 on the autocross. I mostly hit up local autocrosses in South Florida. When I lived in California I spent a lot of time on the several road courses there. I haven't been on Sebring or Homestead yet, the hobby just gets too expensive when you start upping the speeds and laps with road course sessions.

[biodork]

The whole "drive American cars for years and then switch to import and never look back" thing seems to happen a lot.

 

Really surprised that no one has a Kia. Considering how many I see driving around. Gotta be someone out there with one.

 

My first (and thus far, only) new car purchase was a 1999 Kia Sephia. What a horrible, sing-songy name that was. I got it because it was cheap and looked alright (heck of an upgrade from a Dodge Colt, lol), but my experience with it was so bad I don't think I would ever consider another one, even if they are better now. That thing had so many problems, and every year at state inspection time there was inevitably about $300-500 worth of work to be done just to get it to pass. Battery died after 3 years or something, brakes fixed/replaced at least twice, etc, etc. And, just two weeks after I had mailed the final payment on the loan (and yet another expensive repair), I rear-ended someone after some A-hole cut in front of the guy in front of me (naturally, he wasn't involved in the accident so it became my fault), and the car was worth so little that they totaled it and I had to get a new one. Hadn't even got the title in the mail yet. :censored:

 

I have a 2002 Camry now, and I love it. It's only an LE (base model), but when I had it in the shop a while back I was renting a 2006 Ford Taurus, and I'd take my older car any day of the week. The Taurus had no cup holders (!), and the controls were in obnoxious and unhelpful places such that I kept bumping the windshield wipers when I didn't mean to. My dad has a 1995 Camry that is still going strong, so I plan to keep mine until the wheels fall off and then get a hybrid. :thumbsup:

[calti]

Alright Import drivers. Let's see it.

'97 Lexus es 300 274,000 miles...runs like a brand new car...engine so quiet can hardly tell its on.

If I splurge on some shocks and struts(little rattly over the bumpy roads) it will absolutely drive like

its brand new. Hard to give up a car like this.

[cdexchange]

'97 Lexus es 300 274,000 miles...runs like a brand new car...engine so quiet can hardly tell its on.

If I splurge on some shocks and struts(little rattly over the bumpy roads) it will absolutely drive like

its brand new. Hard to give up a car like this.

 

nice... :thumbsup:

[calti]

I love buying older Japanese cars and then driving them forever - Hondas, Toyotas, and Subarus. They simply cannot be beat for long-term reliability. I could afford to, but I've never purchased a brand new vehicle and I probably never will...let somebody else eat the majority of the depreciation. My goal is always to keep my cost of ownership under $1000/yr (not including gas and insurance). Two years ago I purchased a 2002 Subaru Forester on Ebay, it was in Florida so I had it shipped up here. Being a southern car it had never seen winter and was in mint condition. Got it for $5500 and plan to drive it for at least 10 years, so $550/year and if the repairs are under $450/yr (they almost certainly will easily be less than that) then I'll be within my goal. Also, being a Japanese car, it will still actually have some resale value when I get rid of it.

 

I love cars, I really do...but I also love never having a car payment. :thumbsup:

with the ###### cars....timing belts,fuel injectors,valve cover gasket,egr valve(just clean it out dont need a new one)..

and at 200+k invest 1500(should get you a good tranny on the internet;) for 1000 plus 500 labor).A lexus weakness(didnt havethe problem with my Camry which i ran for 264,000 miles(and sold at a good price) is the struts.

 

What do you think of the subaru? never owned one

[cdexchange]

with the ###### cars....timing belts,fuel injectors,valve cover gasket,egr valve(just clean it out dont need a new one)..

and at 200+k invest 1500(should get you a good tranny on the internet;) for 1000 plus 500 labor).A lexus weakness(didnt havethe problem with my Camry which i ran for 264,000 miles(and sold at a good price) is the struts.

 

What do you think of the subaru? never owned one

 

So far it's been fine. I've had it two years and have maybe put $50 into it if that. Had my mechanic check when I first bought it and it turns out the previous owner had already changed the timing belt so I'm good there. It only has about 100k miles on it currently (all southern until two years ago), and I only drive about 4k miles per year so the body will turn to dust and blow away before the engine ever sees 200k miles.

 

Yeah the struts always go with all this damn salt on the roads. Exhaust, break lines and fuel lines too. Still better than a monthly payment. B-)

[stenbaro]

Ive been in the Auto Industry for 20 yrs now. I served 10 yrs in the Marines before that. I started at a local Chevy dealership and I now work at a Hyundai Dealer. In my 20 yrs in the industryI have never seen a line of vehicles so tailored for safety convenience gas mileage and comfort convenience. Almost every vehicle is unique and amazing...I own 2 Hyundais and as of right now I cant see me owning anything else if all things stay equal.

[darksabre]

Interesting results from another forum that I frequent (a worldwide paintball community with a majority of members from the United States and Canada)

 

 

Note that voters could select multiple options, so some selected both domestic and import.

 

Still, nearly 80% of voters own an import, compared to about 34% that own a domestic.

 

That's an insane gap.

 

44% of the 109 votes cast were for Asian brands.

 

Only 29% of votes cast were for domestic brands, including those that no longer make passenger vehicles, such as International Harvester.

 

Very interesting. :blink:

[UncleWally]

Forgot to detail my vote:

 

'09 370Z Touring Sport 6-Spd.

'88 Alfa Romeo Milano Verde 3.0

[5th line wingnutt]

It occurred to me that the two "imports" I own were both built in the U.S. The Hyundai in Georgia and the BMW in South Carolina. My wife has a Toyota and I think that was also built in the U.S.

[shrader]

Ive been in the Auto Industry for 20 yrs now. I served 10 yrs in the Marines before that. I started at a local Chevy dealership and I now work at a Hyundai Dealer. In my 20 yrs in the industryI have never seen a line of vehicles so tailored for safety convenience gas mileage and comfort convenience. Almost every vehicle is unique and amazing...I own 2 Hyundais and as of right now I cant see me owning anything else if all things stay equal.

 

Granted it's only been 4 months, but I'm very happy with mine right now.

[nfreeman]

2008 Mazda CX-9. Just got it a few weeks ago and I'm really happy with it so far. I don't drive to work, so it's primarily used for family road trips and neighborhood kid-related short trips (school, sports practice, etc.). I hadn't really ever wanted an SUV, and my wife and I don't have a big family (2 kids), but the extra cargo space and the 3rd row of seats still makes a huge difference. For an SUV (and a family truckster), it's pretty fun to drive, and the safety features (AWD, traction control, side air bags, etc.) make me pretty comfortable.

 

We traded in a 1999 Acura TL, which had been the family car since 2005. The TL was a pretty decent car, but its reliability was, although not terrible, still not as good as I had expected. The GD "check engine" light was on probably 70% of the time we owned the car. We'd take it in, get some repairs, and then the light would come back on within a couple of weeks. Infuriating. It had 142K on it when we traded it in. I must say that compared to the TL, the 2008 CX-9 with 30K feels much newer and tighter (duh!).

 

Another great thing about having a newer car are a couple of (relatively minor) innovations -- the bluetooth cell phone interface and the auxiliary car stereo input, which lets you connect an ipod or other source directly into the car stereo. These are really convenience-enhancing items.

[korab rules]

If a US company would build an all wheel drive vehicle I might have bought American. OK, who am I kidding, after being burned by quality issues multiple times, I doubt I will. I know, I should give them another try! They are much better these days! :death:

 

I've owned the Audi since 2004 (bought it with 47k and it now has 120k) and have had it in for a repair once. Coolant was leaking into the turbo. The fix cost ~$800, but was covered by warranty. That's it.

 

I've owned the Toyota since 2005 (bought it on Ebay with 27k and it now has 135k) and have not had to repair anything. This was the first year Toyota put AWD in the Sienna, mind you. Oh, and it was built in Indiana.

 

When you say, "Buy American", I suspect you mean, buy UAW. The UAW has destroyed the "US" car makers. I will not buy any vehicle that an UAW worker has touched.

An interesting read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I once bought a Honda Prelude with 125k miles for $1650. After driving it for a year and 30k miles, it was totaled, and the insurance company paid $2500. Before I bought the Audi, I had 4 Preludes. They were great cars. 3 cost in 2k and were good for 30k, and the last was a little lower mileage, at 91k, which was good to 200k.

When I said buy american I meant buy american, not buy uaw. I think Unions are responsible for the death of america as a manufacturing nation. They served a purpose 100 years ago, but have since killed the goose that laid the golden egg. I mean buy american because it results in american jobs, and the profits stay here rather than going to China or Japan.

 

There are many AWD american made cars. A comparable car to your Audi would be a Cadillac CTS AWD. Real nice car. I believe Ford makes a Taurus in AWD. If you haven't given Ford a chance lately, you should do so - their initial quality has been outstanding lately.

 

As for preludes - I had a 1990 prelude I bought for about 9 grand in 1995. I drove it for 10 years and put another 120,000 miles for a total of 170,000 before my wife had someone whack her and it was totaled. They gave me 4,700 for it. I almost felt guilty.

[frissonic]

hope i'm not resurrecting the dead here, but my car is a 2006 honda civic. if i drive at 65-67 on the highway (which is about all i do since i live 30 miles north of work), i get about 40mpg. that's hard to beat out there these days. a few posts ago was saying how hyundai works to make their cars as gas-friendly as possible, and i believe that, but amongst my friends who have hyundais and hondas, the hondas are being the hyundais by about 7-8 MPG average. the hyundais are definitely a comfy ride, and *quiet*. there's practically no road noise at all. i'm guessing they double line the bottom with that rubber spray that's supposed to dampen road noise. it's great.

[darksabre]

hope i'm not resurrecting the dead here, but my car is a 2006 honda civic. if i drive at 65-67 on the highway (which is about all i do since i live 30 miles north of work), i get about 40mpg. that's hard to beat out there these days. a few posts ago was saying how hyundai works to make their cars as gas-friendly as possible, and i believe that, but amongst my friends who have hyundais and hondas, the hondas are being the hyundais by about 7-8 MPG average. the hyundais are definitely a comfy ride, and *quiet*. there's practically no road noise at all. i'm guessing they double line the bottom with that rubber spray that's supposed to dampen road noise. it's great.

 

And just to compare, my buddy's '06 Cobalt 5-speed coupe can get about 40mpg on the highway as well, going about 80. Oddly enough, his mileage is better at that speed than 70-75. We're not sure why.

 

Honestly, once you start getting up into the mid-30s to 40mpg, the effect of mpg is lessened. Similar can be said for the lower end of the spectrum. I get about 15mpg in my Suburban right now. To notice any realistic difference annually in fuel costs I'd have to purchase something that gets around 21mpg, or else it just doesn't matter that much. Fortunately, many newer trucks are implementing fuel management systems that increase mileage to those levels, so by the time I'm ready to buy again, I'll probably be able to get something that gets close to what a W-body Impala gets currently.

 

Nitpicking MPGs matters to a point. Do a bunch of figuring and see at what point, based on how much you drive every year, you effectively save (or begin to spend) about $1000 more (or less). I bet you'll be surprised at how bad your car's mileage can be and yet it wont cost you that much more.

[Doohickie]

2005 Hyundai Elantra. When I bought it, I think most people's perception of Hyundai were colored by the old Hyundai Excel reputation- basically junk. Starting in the early 2000s, Hyundai really pushed to catch up to the rest of the world, and the Elantra was a big part of that. I'm traditionally a Ford guy, but the Elantra was so much better than the Focus. Six years on, the Elantra is holding up great, no regrets. And Hyundais seem to be a mainstream brand now.

[Doohickie]

It occurred to me that the two "imports" I own were both built in the U.S. The Hyundai in Georgia

The Hyundai plant is in Alabama.

[Doohickie]

My first (and thus far, only) new car purchase was a 1999 Kia Sephia. What a horrible, sing-songy name that was. I got it because it was cheap and looked alright (heck of an upgrade from a Dodge Colt, lol), but my experience with it was so bad I don't think I would ever consider another one, even if they are better now.

FYI, the Sephia was prior to Hyundai's control of Kia. Basically all Kias are now slightly tweaked Hyundais.

 

Rio = Accent

Forte (and Spectra before that) = Elantra

Optima = Sonata

Sportage = Tucson

 

There are some design differences (the Rio is a little longer than the Accent, for instance), but they share drivetrains, suspensions, and most of the bedpan design.

[Iron Crotch]

I always wondered why there were so many Red Wings fans down here in Nashville. When the Preds play the Wings, about 1/3 or more of the stadium in normally rooting for Detroit. Then a friend who works for Nissan in Franklin, TN told me that the "foreign" automotive plants in Tennessee, Northern Alabama, and Kentucky overwhelmingly employ former GM, Ford, and Chrysler workers who have moved down from Michigan. Hence a stadium full of Red Wing fans (and hockey fans in general) down here. :)

 

http://www.all-about-car-selection.com/foreign-cars.html

[Sabre Dance]

Sportster 1200 custom. Though riden once in 2 years.

 

2010 CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide. Ridden just a few weeks ago (and probably again this Saturday).

 

BTW, if you are looking for a reason to ride again, Gowanda Harley-Davidson has their "Kustom Kruise-In" going on this Saturday. All kinds of hot rods, bikes, food and music. Plus, the ride out there and back is fun (and not too far). This is the third year they've done it - I've been to both previous ones and it is pretty cool.

[darksabre]

I always wondered why there were so many Red Wings fans down here in Nashville. When the Preds play the Wings, about 1/3 or more of the stadium in normally rooting for Detroit. Then a friend who works for Nissan in Franklin, TN told me that the "foreign" automotive plants in Tennessee, Northern Alabama, and Kentucky overwhelmingly employ former GM, Ford, and Chrysler workers who have moved down from Michigan. Hence a stadium full of Red Wing fans (and hockey fans in general) down here. :)

 

http://www.all-about-car-selection.com/foreign-cars.html

 

Well that's a neat little tidbit. Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:

[Barnabov]

As posted in the domestic section, we drive German diesels because of the crappy mileage from ethanol blends. I wish Detroit would get behind on board with smaller diesel engines (anywhere else in world, it's hard to find gas engines & every model sold in the US, is standard with diesel engines). For those worried about pollution, the new Bluetec engines are supposed to be huge improvements over the old smokers - just not sure how it stacks up against gas engine emmissions.

 

Good to see all the Millionaire Next Door types who buy used & drive into the ground - with you on that but we usually buy Certified Pre-Owned as the warranty for some makes is better than the original one and I hate going through the recall notices that come with a new car (another reason to adios my Chrysler minivan).