tonight's car shopping (brief)
Feb. 25th, 2004 11:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cellioIt turns out that VW isn't open on Wednesday evenings, so I couldn't drive a manual there tonight. (I'm busy tomorrow, so I made an appointment for next week.) I asked the salesman where to find diesel fuel; he gave me some leads, but the ones I investigated tonight turned out to be misses. I now know the location of one source of diesel fuel within three miles of my home, but that's not good enough. I have a couple other leads I haven't investigated yet. Easy fuel availability is a hygeine issue. (For example, if the driver's seat is uncomfortable, it doesn't matter how good the car is 'cause you're not going to buy it. That's what I mean by hygeine.)
I went back to the Ford dealer to drive a Focus with a manual transmission. (I had driven an automatic before.) It took them a little while to scare one up, but they had one. (Sedan, but I assume the mechanics are exactly the same with the different body types.) The shifting was nice and smooth, I didn't have the trouble sliding into third that I did with the Civic, and the transition points were in good places. The clutch struck me as very forgiving, which will be helpful if I ever let Dani drive my car. Acceleration was good, though we didn't go onto the highway.
Both of these are good, comfortable cars with maintenance records that Consumer Reports is dubious of. Joy. Edmunds doesn't seem to have those reservations. Both cars have had recent-enough redesigns that there is no long-term data available. I have gotten no sense at all of whether failures are more tied to mileage or to age.
I'm probably going to buy one of them next week, though, and just take my chances on the maintenance issue. They're the most pleasant, comfortable cars I've driven, and that counts for a lot.
I went back to the Ford dealer to drive a Focus with a manual transmission. (I had driven an automatic before.) It took them a little while to scare one up, but they had one. (Sedan, but I assume the mechanics are exactly the same with the different body types.) The shifting was nice and smooth, I didn't have the trouble sliding into third that I did with the Civic, and the transition points were in good places. The clutch struck me as very forgiving, which will be helpful if I ever let Dani drive my car. Acceleration was good, though we didn't go onto the highway.
Both of these are good, comfortable cars with maintenance records that Consumer Reports is dubious of. Joy. Edmunds doesn't seem to have those reservations. Both cars have had recent-enough redesigns that there is no long-term data available. I have gotten no sense at all of whether failures are more tied to mileage or to age.
I'm probably going to buy one of them next week, though, and just take my chances on the maintenance issue. They're the most pleasant, comfortable cars I've driven, and that counts for a lot.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-25 08:35 pm (UTC)You do know the FORD acronyms, right? Found On Road Dead, Fixed Or Repaired Daily? Chris' car would seem to prove those true, in my limited experience.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-26 07:24 am (UTC)"Sofa on wheels" is a good description. I went on a road trip a few months ago with a friend who has a Focus, and it was very comfortable. We didn't go as far as you did, though, so we didn't rack up any warning lights etc.
Acronyms: :-)