suggest st.wagon/small suv for Mom-In-Law, please

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quote:
Originally posted by Tosh:
I know what you mean, Willy.
T-Bird: I wouldn't make a decision until you sat her in a Mazda3 hatch. A little pricey and kind of in demand right now, but it just feels like a bigger, expensive car. I still say the most bang for the buck comes from a used Vibe. In the right color, it doesn't have to look 'freakish,' and if it's out of warranty you'd never even have to set foot in a Pontiac dealership...
Hard to know how to read a person who's spent the last 25 years in a K-car (bless her heart). Seems anything nowadays might be a little freaky. How about a 97 Accord wagon?
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Tosh,

I also suggested an Accord wagon to her quite a while ago, but I guess she has her mind set on something new...can't blame her in a way, I would want a new one too, if I drove her car for the last god knows how many yrs.
She e-mailed me today, and says max limit is $20k...this helps to narrow down things somewhat. Her daughter in law has a Forrester, and she'll be getting some feedback on it.
The biggest problem is, she can't test drive anything, 'cause she won't get on the interstate to go find car dealerships in Knoxville, TN (she has never driven on interstate or at speeds above 50 mph or so..it scares her). I guess I'll have to wait until we get some free time, drive to Knoxville, and then take her around to try out all the cars that I have in mind.
As you said, it's very hard to know what style she'll like until we do some test drving with her.
 
Yeah, 50 MPH in a K-car would be scary even for me, but feel like 90 MPH in something new. I was driving my grandma somewhere, and snuck it up to 100. Nobody in the car had any idea. Nowadays I'm scared of grandmas running me off the road in their high-performance truck-wagons. If your MIL could manage 50 in a K-car, she will be a terror in her new car without even realizing it....
 
quote:
Originally posted by 97tbird:

How dependable are the Subarus?

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My family has great luck with Subaru's. There are 7 in our family however its a more common car in New England.

Subaru reliability according to Consumer Reports is above to much above average dependant on model. I would also recommend the Legacy too as a choice. Basically the Outback is a raised version of the Legacy made to look like a SUV.

If you desire AWD they are a great choice. I own the WRX wagon and my wife the even faster Legacy GT wagon (250HP
smile.gif
).
 
Tosh,

I was speaking of the bread & butter GM brands. Chevy, Pontiac, Buick, etc... It would be nice to see a real domestic wagon. I think Maxx is neat, but I think a wagon version of the Malibu would do wonders for its appearance.

Also, Saturn has killed off the wagons, for the Vue and Relay. I mean Equinox and Uplander.
wink.gif
 
Do give details on that. Are there known problems with the 2.2L Ecotec the VUE has? I couldn't find any when I looked 6 months ago, save for one reported instance of a timing chain failure on a Cavalier/J-body application. This engine has been around..in this country anyway..for about 5 years.

Are there known problems with the 4T45E 4-speed automatic that the VUE has? I couldn't find any when I looked 6 months ago, and this transmission has been around for about 10 years.

I looked into both the engine and transmission because those are what are on my mom's Malibu Classic.

As far as the rest of the Vue, I don't care
grin.gif
 
AUDI junkie calling another car unreliable?!
lol.gif


Have you compared the mpg between the Matrix/Vibe and the Vue with the Ecotec engine?

Matrix 30/36
Vue 23/29

Then you compare the interior room and they are very similar.

Then you consider the reliablity.

Hmmmm.
 
I'd suggest evaluating the Ford Focus wagon, and Mazda 6 wagon (maybe pushing the price limit) for a bit more size. I would avoid AWD, just more parts to wear and higher fuel consumption, and likely unnecessary in TN lattitudes.
 
At 3 years old and 60K, it is a little early to say too much. Runs good, and I haven't added oil between changes or any coolent. Biggest complaint on the Ecotec is the rip off pricing of the cartrige elements. I started out paying the stealer $8. I can get Purolators for $4 now.

Of course, it doesn't run like the HO Quad 4 I had in my Grand Am. It does get a little better millage.
 
AJ,

Where is your proof on the Vue's problems?

A couple people I know that have them haven't had any problems (but this IS a small sample group).

I know the 2.2 had a recall in 2003 for a fuel line, the ATs & CVTs act goofy, but i just haven't heard the of the Vue being all that bad?
 
Consumer Reports 2005 Buyer's Guide gives the VUE a black dot, the worst rating for reliability.

"Steering is too light and AWD responds slowly. Interior fit and finish are sub-par. Front seats lack support and rear bench is too low. Vehicle tips during Govt rollover tests, a cause for concern"

You're welcome.
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offtopic.gif

quote:
Consumer Reports 2005 Buyer's Guide gives the VUE a black dot, the worst rating for reliability.
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As they do for just about every horse in the Audi/VW stable, in many categories, but you never seem to remember that fact.


banghead.gif
Back to the topic...

97tbird,

Just take you MIL out this weekend for some test-drives. Don't talk money...just consider the cars and how the dealer treats you. Check out the service bay...and the parking lot at the service department (is it full of cars like you are test-driving?). If the service dept's are open, see what any consomers waiting around have to say. A car purchase is not all about the hunk of metal plastic and rubber, but also about how the dealer will act after the sale.
 
to all you guys who replied:
on behalf of my MIL, I and wifey thank all you guys again for everything. It's truly amazing how much good advice I get from this off topic forum over the past 2 yrs. I'm grateful.

Willy-G: great tips, thanks!

we live in NC, so wifey and won't be back in TN until Oct this year. When we're there, we'll try to take her around and see what she likes and help her with it. in the meantime, I plan to gather as much info/advice as I can about the few cars I have in mind for her.

Keep it coming, all this is being saved in a "car for MIL" file
smile.gif
 
quote:
Originally posted by labman:
I started out paying the stealer $8. I can get Purolators for $4 now.
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Cheapest I've found the Purolators is $4.99. Filter1 has the Wix version for $4.20 with free shipping if buying $50 worth of filters.
 
Since you have some time, shop some dealers yourself to feel them out for signs of a bad/shady dealer. Stop by some service departments adout 4 or 5 PM, when people are picking their cars up. Try to gauge their sentiment.

There are are some GM dealers franchised by the same guy in my area that hawk the showroom like a flock of Perigrines flying over a litter of kittens. And their service dept. recommends all kids of silly stuff like fuel additives, alignments every visit, and when you have a real problem, they cannot duplicate it. These are the kinds of 'signs' I am talking about.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Audi Junkie:
Consumer Reports 2005 Buyer's Guide gives the VUE a black dot, the worst rating for reliability.

"Steering is too light and AWD responds slowly. Interior fit and finish are sub-par. Front seats lack support and rear bench is too low. Vehicle tips during Govt rollover tests, a cause for concern"

You're welcome.
frown.gif

Click to expand...
I dont know that CR is the best place to get auto advice.

They seem to be VERY biased against American made auto's.

It seems that Epinions has a different
story from those that own the VUE.
 
Several people have mentioned the dealer. Could be a big difference. My father in law was a big Dodge fan. He was buying used ones in the 60's from a small town dealer that didn't have a good source of new customers and had to take of the ones he had. The first owner and the dealer did a good job of correcting the sloppy assembly work in those days, and the designs weren't that bad.

I bought a 71 Valient that I almost had to pull a gun to get that dealer to fix anything.
 
I know of one case where the local Ford dealer told a customer, who brought their car in because of a noise it was making while turning, that their 2000 Taurus needed a whole new steering rack, to the tune of over $1000.

The noise was actually due to the power steering fluid being low. Adding 50 cents of fluid fixed it.
 
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