To answer the reason I was shopping those 3 is primarily price. I would probably have to get a much older Civic/corolla in order to hit the price point I am aiming for.
Neon Vs Focus vs Cavalier
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Originally Posted By: Nick R
To answer the reason I was shopping those 3 is primarily price. I would probably have to get a much older Civic/corolla in order to hit the price point I am aiming for.
Good man for being realistic
In Ontario it is very hard to find anything with Honda or Toyota badge that is priced reasonably because most people have this assumption that, even though these Hondas and Toyotas are much older with more miles on them, they will outlast a comparable, price wise, domestic.
I would still be on the look out for Japanese brands, as good deals are out there, but generally speaking you can get newer and less mileage domestic cars for the same price as older Hondas/Toyotas. I guess it is a good thing for people with open minds, as they can get better car for the money.
Also, I would look into Hyundai Elantra as they are reasonably priced as well, at least here.
To answer the reason I was shopping those 3 is primarily price. I would probably have to get a much older Civic/corolla in order to hit the price point I am aiming for.
Good man for being realistic
In Ontario it is very hard to find anything with Honda or Toyota badge that is priced reasonably because most people have this assumption that, even though these Hondas and Toyotas are much older with more miles on them, they will outlast a comparable, price wise, domestic.
I would still be on the look out for Japanese brands, as good deals are out there, but generally speaking you can get newer and less mileage domestic cars for the same price as older Hondas/Toyotas. I guess it is a good thing for people with open minds, as they can get better car for the money.
Also, I would look into Hyundai Elantra as they are reasonably priced as well, at least here.
I would shop these 3 as well -- in that price range. The Civics/Corollas in that range will be junk (200K mis, rusted, etc).
There were no electrical gremlins that I recall in the Neon. There's not much "electrical" -- even in the top SXT model. The rear windows are crank. The front are electric. There are a couple of good (large) forums. Check them out before buying. I remember many installing catch-cans to prevent the oil from spilling into the intake mani from pcv (when making hard right turns?).
For something larger and less sporty, you could step up to midsize Malibu or Taurus (vulcan). Of course MPG would take a hit.
There were no electrical gremlins that I recall in the Neon. There's not much "electrical" -- even in the top SXT model. The rear windows are crank. The front are electric. There are a couple of good (large) forums. Check them out before buying. I remember many installing catch-cans to prevent the oil from spilling into the intake mani from pcv (when making hard right turns?).
For something larger and less sporty, you could step up to midsize Malibu or Taurus (vulcan). Of course MPG would take a hit.
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Also, I would look into Hyundai Elantra as they are reasonably priced as well, at least here.
The 2006 was the last good Elantra, IMO. After that, they turned into blandmobiles, with noticeable degradation in the ride and handling. The 2007-2010's are completely different cars than the 2001-2006 cars. They tried hard to copy the Corolla with that generation, and finally out-applianced the Corolla with the 2011-current cars.
Also, I would look into Hyundai Elantra as they are reasonably priced as well, at least here.
The 2006 was the last good Elantra, IMO. After that, they turned into blandmobiles, with noticeable degradation in the ride and handling. The 2007-2010's are completely different cars than the 2001-2006 cars. They tried hard to copy the Corolla with that generation, and finally out-applianced the Corolla with the 2011-current cars.
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Also, I would look into Hyundai Elantra as they are reasonably priced as well, at least here.
The 2006 was the last good Elantra, IMO. After that, they turned into blandmobiles, with noticeable degradation in the ride and handling. The 2007-2010's are completely different cars than the 2001-2006 cars. They tried hard to copy the Corolla with that generation, and finally out-applianced the Corolla with the 2011-current cars.
I should've been more specific, but it's the 2006 and earlier model I was thinking of. The exterior is not exactly my coup of tee, but it is a sound car otherwise.
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Also, I would look into Hyundai Elantra as they are reasonably priced as well, at least here.
The 2006 was the last good Elantra, IMO. After that, they turned into blandmobiles, with noticeable degradation in the ride and handling. The 2007-2010's are completely different cars than the 2001-2006 cars. They tried hard to copy the Corolla with that generation, and finally out-applianced the Corolla with the 2011-current cars.
I should've been more specific, but it's the 2006 and earlier model I was thinking of. The exterior is not exactly my coup of tee, but it is a sound car otherwise.
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Originally Posted By: Spazdog
I was with you all the way until you mentioned the Neon having the nicest interior.
Honestly I thought the interior was the nicest in the class back then, and I still do... BUT... My 2001 R/T had soft touch material on the door skins, nicer looking door pulls, rear seat headrests, etc. It had a nicer overall appointment than virtually any other Neon of any years (the 01 R/T specifically)
I still do like the Neon though and will always have a soft spot for it. My car had 128,000KM when I traded it in and I never had a single powertrain related issue, the thing was just rock solid, and I used to burn the tires and drag race it at the track. Never any trouble. I really never should have traded that car in as early as I did. Whoever got it, got a great car.
I was with you all the way until you mentioned the Neon having the nicest interior.
Honestly I thought the interior was the nicest in the class back then, and I still do... BUT... My 2001 R/T had soft touch material on the door skins, nicer looking door pulls, rear seat headrests, etc. It had a nicer overall appointment than virtually any other Neon of any years (the 01 R/T specifically)
I still do like the Neon though and will always have a soft spot for it. My car had 128,000KM when I traded it in and I never had a single powertrain related issue, the thing was just rock solid, and I used to burn the tires and drag race it at the track. Never any trouble. I really never should have traded that car in as early as I did. Whoever got it, got a great car.
Originally Posted By: Nick R
To answer the reason I was shopping those 3 is primarily price. I would probably have to get a much older Civic/corolla in order to hit the price point I am aiming for.
Sometimes deals arise. My brother in law was able to acquire a 90k 2008 Toyota Corolla S for $8.5k in perfect condition two years ago. I think its downfall in market was 5 speed manual.
To answer the reason I was shopping those 3 is primarily price. I would probably have to get a much older Civic/corolla in order to hit the price point I am aiming for.
Sometimes deals arise. My brother in law was able to acquire a 90k 2008 Toyota Corolla S for $8.5k in perfect condition two years ago. I think its downfall in market was 5 speed manual.
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Come on, you know how ridiculous that sounds when you are planning to purchase your next used car in a year or so!
Look who's talking. I remember you asking about various potential used cars to buy over the past year, long before you ended up buying something.. 5-series, E-class, RX... did I miss any others?
IMO, there is nothing wrong with doing a little research, even if it's 9 months away.
In Nick's defense, I window shopped for 5 years before purchasing a Mazda CX-5 last week (not Nick's!). Plenty of posts in my wake about the "next car".
It's OK to have the bug, just don't scratch.
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Come on, you know how ridiculous that sounds when you are planning to purchase your next used car in a year or so!
Look who's talking. I remember you asking about various potential used cars to buy over the past year, long before you ended up buying something.. 5-series, E-class, RX... did I miss any others?
IMO, there is nothing wrong with doing a little research, even if it's 9 months away.
In Nick's defense, I window shopped for 5 years before purchasing a Mazda CX-5 last week (not Nick's!). Plenty of posts in my wake about the "next car".
It's OK to have the bug, just don't scratch.
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Originally Posted By: 2002 Maxima SE
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Come on, you know how ridiculous that sounds when you are planning to purchase your next used car in a year or so!
Look who's talking. I remember you asking about various potential used cars to buy over the past year, long before you ended up buying something.. 5-series, E-class, RX... did I miss any others?
IMO, there is nothing wrong with doing a little research, even if it's 9 months away.
In Nick's defense, I window shopped for 5 years before purchasing a Mazda CX-5 last week (not Nick's!). Plenty of posts in my wake about the "next car".
It's OK to have the bug, just don't scratch.
Tsk you should have bought mine off me! lol
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Come on, you know how ridiculous that sounds when you are planning to purchase your next used car in a year or so!
Look who's talking. I remember you asking about various potential used cars to buy over the past year, long before you ended up buying something.. 5-series, E-class, RX... did I miss any others?
IMO, there is nothing wrong with doing a little research, even if it's 9 months away.
In Nick's defense, I window shopped for 5 years before purchasing a Mazda CX-5 last week (not Nick's!). Plenty of posts in my wake about the "next car".
It's OK to have the bug, just don't scratch.
Tsk you should have bought mine off me! lol
Touche!
But in my (somewhat weak!) defense, my last used car was purchased five years ago and my last new car was purchased twelve years ago. I think I buy cars little less often than Nick
Did I really start shopping a year ago though? I thought it was only last couple of months when I got serious about buying a vehicle. Yes, I was all over the map and I blew my budget. But at least I can blame it all on the boss; Nick only has himself to blame
But in my (somewhat weak!) defense, my last used car was purchased five years ago and my last new car was purchased twelve years ago. I think I buy cars little less often than Nick
Did I really start shopping a year ago though? I thought it was only last couple of months when I got serious about buying a vehicle. Yes, I was all over the map and I blew my budget. But at least I can blame it all on the boss; Nick only has himself to blame
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Did I really start shopping a year ago though? I thought it was only last couple of months when I got serious about buying a vehicle.
Sorry, but I couldn't tell which ones of your car research posts were serious and which ones were just trolling.
Your 5-series thread was started in September of last year. I'm no better by the way. I've asked about various cars over the years, but ended up buying none.
Anyway, as you may have noticed, I've got too much time on my hands and am just busting your balls.
Hope no hard feelings.
Hope the TL is treating you well.
Did I really start shopping a year ago though? I thought it was only last couple of months when I got serious about buying a vehicle.
Sorry, but I couldn't tell which ones of your car research posts were serious and which ones were just trolling.
Anyway, as you may have noticed, I've got too much time on my hands and am just busting your balls.
Hope the TL is treating you well.
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I would shop these 3 as well -- in that price range. The Civics/Corollas in that range will be junk (200K mis, rusted, etc).
I disagree. Even older and higher mileage Corollas and Civics would be a better choice than these 3 because they're built better and are more reliable to begin with. My '99 Corolla has 293K and is still going strong...I doubt you're gonna see many Caviliers, Neons, or Focus' with that many miles, and if you do, THEY would be junk...
I would shop these 3 as well -- in that price range. The Civics/Corollas in that range will be junk (200K mis, rusted, etc).
I disagree. Even older and higher mileage Corollas and Civics would be a better choice than these 3 because they're built better and are more reliable to begin with. My '99 Corolla has 293K and is still going strong...I doubt you're gonna see many Caviliers, Neons, or Focus' with that many miles, and if you do, THEY would be junk...
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I would shop these 3 as well -- in that price range. The Civics/Corollas in that range will be junk (200K mis, rusted, etc).
I disagree. Even older and higher mileage Corollas and Civics would be a better choice than these 3 because they're built better and are more reliable to begin with. My '99 Corolla has 293K and is still going strong...I doubt you're gonna see many Caviliers, Neons, or Focus' with that many miles, and if you do, THEY would be junk...
Most of the D3 I've seen are around 60-80k miles, which is a good place imo, as long as they were well taken care of. I'm not afraid of the timing belt on the Neon/Focus.
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I would shop these 3 as well -- in that price range. The Civics/Corollas in that range will be junk (200K mis, rusted, etc).
I disagree. Even older and higher mileage Corollas and Civics would be a better choice than these 3 because they're built better and are more reliable to begin with. My '99 Corolla has 293K and is still going strong...I doubt you're gonna see many Caviliers, Neons, or Focus' with that many miles, and if you do, THEY would be junk...
Most of the D3 I've seen are around 60-80k miles, which is a good place imo, as long as they were well taken care of. I'm not afraid of the timing belt on the Neon/Focus.
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I would shop these 3 as well -- in that price range. The Civics/Corollas in that range will be junk (200K mis, rusted, etc).
I disagree. Even older and higher mileage Corollas and Civics would be a better choice than these 3 because they're built better and are more reliable to begin with. My '99 Corolla has 293K and is still going strong...I doubt you're gonna see many Caviliers, Neons, or Focus' with that many miles, and if you do, THEY would be junk...
Part of the reason you don't see domestics with that kind of miles is because people get to a repair and think "Well, its just not worth that much" because in reality, a Neon with 200K miles is worth about $150 unless its only a few years old. A Corolla or Civic with that kind of miles is considerably higher in resale value, which is the entire reason I went with a Civic this time around, as opposed to something I actually wanted. (The car is fine)
I don't know as much about the Focus or Cav, but a Neon could easily rack up a [censored] ton of miles with routine maintenance. They are great vehicles and get a totally bad rap maybe because of the mid 90's head gasket problems, I'm not really sure. If I were to buy one again, I would go anywhere in it and not worry.
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I would shop these 3 as well -- in that price range. The Civics/Corollas in that range will be junk (200K mis, rusted, etc).
I disagree. Even older and higher mileage Corollas and Civics would be a better choice than these 3 because they're built better and are more reliable to begin with. My '99 Corolla has 293K and is still going strong...I doubt you're gonna see many Caviliers, Neons, or Focus' with that many miles, and if you do, THEY would be junk...
Part of the reason you don't see domestics with that kind of miles is because people get to a repair and think "Well, its just not worth that much" because in reality, a Neon with 200K miles is worth about $150 unless its only a few years old. A Corolla or Civic with that kind of miles is considerably higher in resale value, which is the entire reason I went with a Civic this time around, as opposed to something I actually wanted. (The car is fine)
I don't know as much about the Focus or Cav, but a Neon could easily rack up a [censored] ton of miles with routine maintenance. They are great vehicles and get a totally bad rap maybe because of the mid 90's head gasket problems, I'm not really sure. If I were to buy one again, I would go anywhere in it and not worry.
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I would shop these 3 as well -- in that price range. The Civics/Corollas in that range will be junk (200K mis, rusted, etc).
I disagree. Even older and higher mileage Corollas and Civics would be a better choice than these 3 because they're built better and are more reliable to begin with. My '99 Corolla has 293K and is still going strong...I doubt you're gonna see many Caviliers, Neons, or Focus' with that many miles, and if you do, THEY would be junk...
Part of the reason you don't see domestics with that kind of miles is because people get to a repair and think "Well, its just not worth that much" because in reality, a Neon with 200K miles is worth about $150 unless its only a few years old. A Corolla or Civic with that kind of miles is considerably higher in resale value, which is the entire reason I went with a Civic this time around, as opposed to something I actually wanted. (The car is fine)
I don't know as much about the Focus or Cav, but a Neon could easily rack up a [censored] ton of miles with routine maintenance. They are great vehicles and get a totally bad rap maybe because of the mid 90's head gasket problems, I'm not really sure. If I were to buy one again, I would go anywhere in it and not worry.
And a big reason you see so many high milage Corollas and Civics is because they normally don't require repairs at 200K like the domestics do...I have no doubt my Corolla will do 400K, piece of cake!
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I would shop these 3 as well -- in that price range. The Civics/Corollas in that range will be junk (200K mis, rusted, etc).
I disagree. Even older and higher mileage Corollas and Civics would be a better choice than these 3 because they're built better and are more reliable to begin with. My '99 Corolla has 293K and is still going strong...I doubt you're gonna see many Caviliers, Neons, or Focus' with that many miles, and if you do, THEY would be junk...
Part of the reason you don't see domestics with that kind of miles is because people get to a repair and think "Well, its just not worth that much" because in reality, a Neon with 200K miles is worth about $150 unless its only a few years old. A Corolla or Civic with that kind of miles is considerably higher in resale value, which is the entire reason I went with a Civic this time around, as opposed to something I actually wanted. (The car is fine)
I don't know as much about the Focus or Cav, but a Neon could easily rack up a [censored] ton of miles with routine maintenance. They are great vehicles and get a totally bad rap maybe because of the mid 90's head gasket problems, I'm not really sure. If I were to buy one again, I would go anywhere in it and not worry.
And a big reason you see so many high milage Corollas and Civics is because they normally don't require repairs at 200K like the domestics do...I have no doubt my Corolla will do 400K, piece of cake!
is the neon the one you have to take the wheel off to change the battery?
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Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I would shop these 3 as well -- in that price range. The Civics/Corollas in that range will be junk (200K mis, rusted, etc).
I disagree. Even older and higher mileage Corollas and Civics would be a better choice than these 3 because they're built better and are more reliable to begin with. My '99 Corolla has 293K and is still going strong...I doubt you're gonna see many Caviliers, Neons, or Focus' with that many miles, and if you do, THEY would be junk...
Part of the reason you don't see domestics with that kind of miles is because people get to a repair and think "Well, its just not worth that much" because in reality, a Neon with 200K miles is worth about $150 unless its only a few years old. A Corolla or Civic with that kind of miles is considerably higher in resale value, which is the entire reason I went with a Civic this time around, as opposed to something I actually wanted. (The car is fine)
I don't know as much about the Focus or Cav, but a Neon could easily rack up a [censored] ton of miles with routine maintenance. They are great vehicles and get a totally bad rap maybe because of the mid 90's head gasket problems, I'm not really sure. If I were to buy one again, I would go anywhere in it and not worry.
And a big reason you see so many high milage Corollas and Civics is because they normally don't require repairs at 200K like the domestics do...I have no doubt my Corolla will do 400K, piece of cake!
Yeah right.
Certain generations of Corolla's loved to use oil. My buddy had a Corolla "S" that drank 1L every 5K (Km). VERY common issue.
The seventh generation Civic's love to eat front end parts. They were also known for lunching transmissions (though nowhere near as common as the Accord or Odyssey).
Simply being a product of one of the Nippon juggernauts does not make these products immune to failure and defect. They DO however hold their value better than the domestic marques (as do German cars, which, I think we can all agree, can have FAR more costly repairs if you deal with the stealership than either domestic or Asian nameplates) which makes them more "worth it" for people to sink money into. There's a reason I was able to purchase my wife's old Focus for $500.00 and this is it. Even though the repairs the car needed at 160,000 miles were very minor (the "big problem" was a massive vacuum leak fixed for like 50 cents) the owner thought the car was junk. It ended up being great, reliable transportation for my wife for very little money, even though the car had been obviously neglected.
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I would shop these 3 as well -- in that price range. The Civics/Corollas in that range will be junk (200K mis, rusted, etc).
I disagree. Even older and higher mileage Corollas and Civics would be a better choice than these 3 because they're built better and are more reliable to begin with. My '99 Corolla has 293K and is still going strong...I doubt you're gonna see many Caviliers, Neons, or Focus' with that many miles, and if you do, THEY would be junk...
Part of the reason you don't see domestics with that kind of miles is because people get to a repair and think "Well, its just not worth that much" because in reality, a Neon with 200K miles is worth about $150 unless its only a few years old. A Corolla or Civic with that kind of miles is considerably higher in resale value, which is the entire reason I went with a Civic this time around, as opposed to something I actually wanted. (The car is fine)
I don't know as much about the Focus or Cav, but a Neon could easily rack up a [censored] ton of miles with routine maintenance. They are great vehicles and get a totally bad rap maybe because of the mid 90's head gasket problems, I'm not really sure. If I were to buy one again, I would go anywhere in it and not worry.
And a big reason you see so many high milage Corollas and Civics is because they normally don't require repairs at 200K like the domestics do...I have no doubt my Corolla will do 400K, piece of cake!
Yeah right.
Certain generations of Corolla's loved to use oil. My buddy had a Corolla "S" that drank 1L every 5K (Km). VERY common issue.
The seventh generation Civic's love to eat front end parts. They were also known for lunching transmissions (though nowhere near as common as the Accord or Odyssey).
Simply being a product of one of the Nippon juggernauts does not make these products immune to failure and defect. They DO however hold their value better than the domestic marques (as do German cars, which, I think we can all agree, can have FAR more costly repairs if you deal with the stealership than either domestic or Asian nameplates) which makes them more "worth it" for people to sink money into. There's a reason I was able to purchase my wife's old Focus for $500.00 and this is it. Even though the repairs the car needed at 160,000 miles were very minor (the "big problem" was a massive vacuum leak fixed for like 50 cents) the owner thought the car was junk. It ended up being great, reliable transportation for my wife for very little money, even though the car had been obviously neglected.
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