car totaled, need replacement suggestion

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: AZjeff
Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
Then I'd fly to LA,Vegas, or Phoenix and find one used and drive it home. No rust, prolly have service records, you'd know if it was a real fit by the time you got there. If you don't like it, flip it for a profit and do it again.


The only way I'd fly in to buy a car over 5 years old in Arizona is with assurance it spent it's life in a garage. No rust is true but so is sunburnt paint and interiors.


Yeah, everyone thinks this is a haven for cars but they're sorely mistaken, after a few years everything painted, plastic or rubber is shot. I think FL or the PNW is probably the best.

 

[Andrew1972]

Acura TL Is ugly but very reliable, comfortable, decent to drive and great MPG highway(low 30's with easy driving according to my neighbor who commutes 50 mins each way). RL worth a peek and AWD but thirsty with 3.7 and SH-AWD.

Also they depreciate like rocks.

 

[dishdude]

It's nice to have a few different models on your list when buying used, it greatly expands your chance of finding something in good condition and at the right price. The narrower your choices, the more difficult buying is.

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: Gebo
And if you want to really trip your trigger, do a you tube search and find where they compared actual 4WD capabilities with Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Chevy, Ford, Dodge, etc. You'll be amazed at what you see. There is only one brand of vehicle that will pull with just one wheel. Hmmm...I wonder which one beat Toyota, Honda, Chevy , Ford, Dodge, etc?

It's a truly amazing video. It's the one using rollers on an incline. They put a solid piece of metal over the rollers and under only one tire at a time.

On the road though, they all work well enough. We are probably going to get an Outback soon, but I'd be perfectly happy if the AWD worked the same as our CRV. I guess I'd be sorry if I get stuck on a set of rollers someone left on a trail in the woods, but that doesn't seem to happen too often!


My sister misses the pseudo 4wd mode(software based <25MPH) of her former 2008 Rav4 in tough conditions. Her 2017 CRV has fits in the deep and icy conditions she hits in her driveway and travels as a nurse required to show up at work no matter what.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: madRiver
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: Gebo
And if you want to really trip your trigger, do a you tube search and find where they compared actual 4WD capabilities with Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Chevy, Ford, Dodge, etc. You'll be amazed at what you see. There is only one brand of vehicle that will pull with just one wheel. Hmmm...I wonder which one beat Toyota, Honda, Chevy , Ford, Dodge, etc?

It's a truly amazing video. It's the one using rollers on an incline. They put a solid piece of metal over the rollers and under only one tire at a time.

On the road though, they all work well enough. We are probably going to get an Outback soon, but I'd be perfectly happy if the AWD worked the same as our CRV. I guess I'd be sorry if I get stuck on a set of rollers someone left on a trail in the woods, but that doesn't seem to happen too often!


My sister misses the pseudo 4wd mode(software based div>

She hasn't managed to get actually stuck though has she? I suppose with 3 season tires and all the nannies on, you could polish up some patches and just sit there, but with snows and some throttle there hasn't been any public road that's been a challenge at all. I guess for some cautious drivers the CRV system isn't the greatest. If you shut off the stability/traction control it works better in the deep stuff. I actually like the front wheel spin to engage the rears for hooning around as the rear end kicks out and its easy to start controlled drifting from a dead stop.
Probably the CRV is one of the worst AWD systems but its still many times better than 2wd starting off in deep snow or going up a hill.

 

[Chris B.]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Get the newest GTI you can afford.

The Subaru is junk and the TL is hideous.


It is a fact(look up reliability ratings) that VW is one of the most problematic brands out there. Subaru and Acura are much better vehicles in every way.

 

[Delta]

Originally Posted By: Chris B.
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Get the newest GTI you can afford.

The Subaru is junk and the TL is hideous.


It is a fact(look up reliability ratings) that VW is one of the most problematic brands out there. Subaru and Acura are much better vehicles in every way.


Thanks for the laugh, I enjoyed that!

Reliability ratings are a joke.

 

[SatinSilver]

An 08 TL would be a good choice, be careful with other years esp the newer ones.

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Acura/TL/2008/

A 2010 GTI would be a better choice than a 2012 as far as issues go:

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Volkswagen/GTI/

 

[dareo]

Honestly if your at 10-12k budget for a car with 80k miles or so i would consider a 2016+ golf sport wagen, brand new even. They have such good discounts and long warranties (2018). AWD or FWD. I run FWD on snow tires and its a total beast in any snow so i can't really say you have to get AWD.

I look at used cars as if they will last 10 years and 200k miles. So if it already has 80k miles your only buying like 60% of a car. Any longer service than 10 year 200k is free bonus.

I think you can still get a new sportwagen for like $18k

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
The day finally has come where I need to find a replacement car for my daily driver, 2005 Infinti G35 AWD sedan. Car is a total lost and I need a replacement soon. I want to spend about $10-12k on the said replacement. Hopefully I can get something with 80k and it must be AUTO.

A big part of the reason why I haven’t jump into anything is because I really don’t love anything out on the market. When I bought the car, I was looking for a sporty sedan, IS350,CTS, A4 and Legacy GT. Now I’m looking for a sedan/wagon/hatch that can be sporty.

Things I like about my car was everything was cheap on it, cheap to own, operate and repair. It had 127k, 100k driven by me. Only needed to replace like 2 cam sensors, 1 crank sensor, 1 wheel bearing. Everything else is normal fluids/belts/tires. The car is AWD with snow tires, I loved going out in the snow. I live in the Chicago, so we get snow but not as much as NY people. It was slightly modified and tracked a few times. Car stopped on a dime thanks to the brembo upgrade.

Things I didn’t like, MPG was horrible!!! It was premium only car, mixed driving I get 19mpg. Updated window sticker government has it at 18 combined. When driving hard, you felt the weight of the 4000lb car. Lastly, it was useless for carrying things around. Seats don’t fold, smallish trunk and backseat. Heated seats got warm at best.

So I need some help with possible replacements, naturally getting the same car or the newer version comes to mind. I want to try something else, plus the new ones will have the same issues.
2010-2012 VW GTI 4 door – not awd but will get snow tires. Should have a lot of help for them forums. Car is easily tuned to get good power. Maybe some reliability issues but I don’t mind doing some work, just not every day.
2008ish Subaru Outback – I think this hits everything on the head minus the power. They have turbo models but I rather have the MPG. These cars hold so much value, I don’t think it’s a good bang for the buck.
2010ish Acura TL – FWD, Similar to my G35, I’ve heard FWD models can get close to 30mpg on the highway.

Anything else out there that I might not noticed or overlooked?

TL/DR; Need a car to replace my G35 sedan for 12k


Try a Charger or 300. With the V6 and 8-speed, they can top 30MPG even in AWD trim.

 

[shokhead]

Chargers or 300 may need to be in the shop more often then a used Acura, Lexus or infiniti

 

[fdcg27]

If you're willing to stretch a little on price, there are many leftover '17 MY cars of a number of models to choose from.
For real money, and anything over $10K is real money, a new car is always a safer bet than a used one.
You really have no way of knowing the complete history of any used car sitting on a lot or in a driveway.

 

[shokhead]

OTOH, you buy a good used CPO car and save a lot of money. Someone else already bought it new and lost all the depreciation value for you. CPO's are gone over with a fine tooth comb.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: Pike51
Get a classic restomod and be done with it. All the cars today look the same. Don't be a lemming! Find a nicely built 40's or 50's car on a modern chassis. Have something you really can work on yourself AND that you can really enjoy!

You can fine good ones at fair prices at places like Streetsideclassics.com or Gatewayclassics.com... or run over to Barrett Jackson or Mecum and do a little bidding. Keep an eye on local ads as well. Plenty of places to find nice, well built, won't break the budget classics to meet any taste.

Just sayin'


While I love antique cars the safety just isn't there like it is in modern vehicles. Something that isn't so much of an issue for a weekend short distance cruiser, but as a daily driver it might be concerning. Too many idiots driving around not paying attention.