Cross it off the list

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Ford's implementation of DCT. After driving a rental 2017 Ford Focus for two weeks I can definitely say that I will not buy a Ford with this transmission. Excessively slips the clutch, every single gear. Horrible is the best I can describe it.


This is a well known issue and is why the Focus and Festiva are not selling. Nobody else wants them either.
 
• CVT / AUTO / DCT: Want to shift on my own or have no transmission at all.
• Sunroofs: Pointless, added weight, rattle/leak potential.
• AWD: Reduced fuel economy. And unnecessary in Minneapolis - plow crews are excellent. Mountain life would be a different story.
• Center exhaust: harder to mount a trailer hitch.

Things my current Focus has that I don’t mind.
• Turbo
• 3 cylinders: the engine is excellent.
• Start/Stop: there’s a huge deactivation button right next to the shifter. Easy to use.
• Rear Drum brakes: I even bought a disc upgrade kit before I bought the car, but after 40,000 miles it’s still sitting in the box - totally unnecessary. The drums work great.
• Timing belt: Mine’s oil bathed, which concerns me less than a dry belt.
• FWD. Both my Focus and MINI are excellent driving cars. Don’t miss RWD at all.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: E365
• CVT / AUTO / DCT: Want to shift on my own or have no transmission at all.
• Sunroofs: Pointless, added weight, rattle/leak potential.
• AWD: Reduced fuel economy. And unnecessary in Minneapolis - plow crews are excellent. Mountain life would be a different story.
• Center exhaust: harder to mount a trailer hitch.

Things my current Focus has that I don’t mind.
• Turbo
• 3 cylinders: the engine is excellent.
• Start/Stop: there’s a huge deactivation button right next to the shifter. Easy to use.
• Rear Drum brakes: I even bought a disc upgrade kit before I bought the car, but after 40,000 miles it’s still sitting in the box - totally unnecessary. The drums work great.
• Timing belt: Mine’s oil bathed, which concerns me less than a dry belt.
• FWD. Both my Focus and MINI are excellent driving cars. Don’t miss RWD at all.



Yep-this was a big problem in........... the 70's-along with Disco.
 
Originally Posted By: E365
• CVT / AUTO / DCT: Want to shift on my own or have no transmission at all.
• Sunroofs: Pointless, added weight, rattle/leak potential.
• AWD: Reduced fuel economy. And unnecessary in Minneapolis - plow crews are excellent. Mountain life would be a different story.
• Center exhaust: harder to mount a trailer hitch.


Most German cars have paddle shifters so you can shift the gears manually if you want, just no clutch. I basically never use it. Sunroofs are actually pretty standard on some cars, the only option is going with a panorama sunroof which also gives you the sunroof for the rear passengers. It's a love or hate option, looks best when the car is white, then you have a black roof. Also no waxing the roof as it's basically all glass. AWD drive for certain cars are also somewhat standard, supposed to be better handling even in the dry. They do normally have a 1 or 2 mpg mileage hit though. You normally never ever spin the tires which you can do in either fwd or rwd when it's raining or if you happen to be on top of a metal manhole cover.
 
Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: E365
• CVT / AUTO / DCT: Want to shift on my own or have no transmission at all.
• Sunroofs: Pointless, added weight, rattle/leak potential.
• AWD: Reduced fuel economy. And unnecessary in Minneapolis - plow crews are excellent. Mountain life would be a different story.
• Center exhaust: harder to mount a trailer hitch.

Things my current Focus has that I don’t mind.
• Turbo
• 3 cylinders: the engine is excellent.
• Start/Stop: there’s a huge deactivation button right next to the shifter. Easy to use.
• Rear Drum brakes: I even bought a disc upgrade kit before I bought the car, but after 40,000 miles it’s still sitting in the box - totally unnecessary. The drums work great.
• Timing belt: Mine’s oil bathed, which concerns me less than a dry belt.
• FWD. Both my Focus and MINI are excellent driving cars. Don’t miss RWD at all.



Yep-this was a big problem in........... the 70's-along with Disco.


Huh? My 2008 MINI Cooper panoramic sunroof rattles and basically doesn’t work, like hundreds of others on the forums. All jammed up. Our 2006 Passat Sunroof leaked. My 2000 BMW 323i Sunroof rattled. My 1996 BMW 318ti Sunroof rattled. Leaking is very common once the drain tubes get clogged with debris.


And the wonderful benefit of putting 50+ extra pounds at the TOP of my car. No thanks.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: E365
Huh? My 2008 MINI Cooper panoramic sunroof rattles and basically doesn’t work, like hundreds of others on the forums. All jammed up. Our 2006 Passat Sunroof leaked. My 2000 BMW 323i Sunroof rattled. My 1996 BMW 318ti Sunroof rattled. Leaking is very common once the drain tubes get clogged with debris.


And the wonderful benefit of putting 50+ extra pounds at the TOP of my car. No thanks.


Panorama sunroofs seems to make more noise in general. Same on my Mercedes E-350. I still prefer it over the standard sunroof though, I usually leave the cover open and you get a lot more light in the car. The bolts holding it together get loose and need to be tightened up. Mine haven't leaked yet. You only hear it when going over certain bumps.
 
Me,I gotta have my removable tops!! I've had two t-top cars and two sunroof cars. All were tight as a drum and never leaked a single drop.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Me,I gotta have my removable tops!!

We already know you like the tops off
wink.gif
 
Wrong wheel drive, DCT, CVT, and any diesel after 2006. No leather seats if possible.

Also: sunroof is an instant, total deal-killer unless the car is FREE.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Me,I gotta have my removable tops!!

We already know you like the tops off
wink.gif



Haha right on!!
wink.gif
cheers3.gif
 
Originally Posted By: ET16
What's the aversion to turbos?


Most turbos aren't built to last forever, just built to last a decent amount of time and I rack up tons of miles before I'm done with the vehicle. They are costly to repair/replace and if I had one I would be punching the throttle all the time because I could so that would also shorten the life. So no Turbo's for me.
smile.gif
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Originally Posted By: ET16
What's the aversion to turbos?


Most turbos aren't built to last forever, just built to last a decent amount of time and I rack up tons of miles before I'm done with the vehicle. They are costly to repair/replace and if I had one I would be punching the throttle all the time because I could so that would also shorten the life. So no Turbo's for me.
smile.gif



Plus the turbo's are basically instant death. At least with a beater you know it's on it's last legs and you can hope to get a few more weeks or months out of it. But with a turbo, it's fine one day and then it's blown the next, no warning. Not really sure what happened to my last turbo car, it was fine one day after driving it to work. On the way back, it ran really rough. Head gasket was blown. Did the turbo blow it on the way to work and it didn't show up til the car cooled down? Who knows.
 
Originally Posted By: SR5
Space saver spare wheel


I would add run flats, no spare (looking at you, BMW), and flimsy jacks that can't hold the vehicle to the list.

My dad owned a 2009 Benz GL450 for a few years. It came with a 50 mph donut spare (on a "high performance" SUV) and a scissor jack. He got a flat, went to raise the vehicle, and the jack folded in half before it even lifted the car an inch off the ground.
 
Even though I like relatively old/simple trucks (compared to a new car), I can't think of any individual feature that would cross a vehicle off the list for me. If there is a specific problem with a specific model of car, that might be a reason, but otherwise I'd give anything a chance if I liked the overall vehicle.
 
Anything I havn't had before. That covers most post 70's technology, including and especially an exhaust catalyst.

Self-adjusting brakes are unfortunately no longer avoidable.
 
Originally Posted By: CKN
Why does one need to know about points and condensers these days? Boy-you are holding on to the past.....


Think you answered your own question. Holding back the years...

Holding on to the past makes perfect sense if you believe the present tends to rather suck, which seems to be the general sub-text of this thread.

I need to know about points and condensors because I have them. I don't (yet) need to know about any of the things mentioned above (except FWD unfortunately) because I don't have them.
 
CVT
FWD(Mini and Type R excluded)
sunroof(unless buying used)

Mandatory
Must be entertaining
0-60 5.0 seconds or less
decent audio
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

P
  • Locked
Ford Ecosport
2
Replies
24
Views
2K
atikovi
L
  • Locked
Newer Car Shopping List
2 3
Replies
44
Views
2K
Wolf359
S
Which Vehicles Have Simple Engines?
4 5 6
Replies
105
Views
38K
dnewton3
P
Nissan Rogue 2024
2
Replies
21
Views
6K
Quattro Pete
Fabulous50s
Looking at a 2019 Subaru Ascent 2.4t
Replies
14
Views
5K
meep
Back
Top Bottom