car possibilities

[cellio]

Dani's been shopping for a new car, and one of the ones I suggested he look at (based on my search last year) was the Ford Focus. He seems to like it, though he hasn't made any decisions yet.

But he came back from the dealership with some information about current pricing. He suggested that I might be able to make close to an even trade. And while I enjoy driving the Golf, I really haven't been happy with its reliability so far. And my mechanic (who did the inspection) warned me that I am far from alone in that experience; he sees his Golf-owning customers a lot more than he sees most of the others. So I decided to pay a visit to the Ford dealer tonight after class.

They didn't have a Focus with manual transmission for me to drive tonight, but they will tomorrow. I sat in the Focus they had on the showroom floor and it feels comfortable and has good visibility. Unlike last year, I can see everything I care about on the dash without the steering wheel getting in the way. The interior seems better-done than last year's model (which felt a little chintzy to me).

According to Edmunds, I can't quite make an even trade but I can get pretty close. Since I don't need to buy a new car at all right now, I might be able to bargain. And yes, I confirmed that I would pay sales tax only on the transaction amount, not on the price of the new car. I'm not so disgusted with my Golf that I want to plunk down another $1k+ in sales tax alone, after all.

I was pretty straightforward with the sales guy: I said that last year I'd had it down to the Focus and one other car and I ended up going with the other, but I was having some regrets and I was interested in seeing what they could do for me while acknowledging that I'd shot my financial wad last year.

So we'll see how things look after I've driven one.

Comments

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

I know it's not what you want to hear right now, but I repeat:

Found On Road Dead.
Fixed Or Repaired Daily.

I dislike Fords intensely. They have not treated my friends well. Perhaps brand-new ones are different ... but perhaps they are not. :(

[cellio]

I initially shied away from the Focus for that reason, but a couple things changed my mind: a redesign in (IIRC) 2000 (or 1999?), friends with a problem-free 2001, and Consumer Reports finally recommending the car after advising against it for many years. Oh, and my current car, a 2005 Golf, has already been found on the road dead once and failed inspection once.

I haven't made any decisions yet, but I'm at least willing to take a closer look at last year's second-place winner now that the first-place winner turned out to be not so great after all.

Otherwise, the plan is still to trade the Golf in on something else the day the warranty expires. :-)

[cellio]

Err, 2004 Golf.

[cellio]

Oh, and after the abusive way in which the VW dealership has treated me, you better believe that I'm going to grill the Ford guys on the warranty and service angles. :-)

[cahwyguy.livejournal.com]

We had horrid experiences with our Mercury Sable many years ago.

Suggestion: Explore the low end Honda Civic stick (http://automobiles.honda.com/models/specifications_descriptions.asp?ModelName=Civic+Sedan&Category=DX). Good car. Highly reliable.

[cellio]

Hondas are nice cars, but they don't make a hatchback and the visibility in the sedan is not up to my requirements. Poor visibility is a show-stopper for me no matter what other properties the car has.

[cahwyguy.livejournal.com]

Ummm, they are making the Civic Hatchback again (it is the Civic Si (http://automobiles.honda.com/models/model_overview.asp?ModelName=Civic+Si&bhcp=1&BrowserDetected=True) model). They just don't make the older CX/DX Civic Hatchback like they used to.

If you're into Hatchbacks, also consider the Toyota Matrix. I'd say look at the Mazda 3 (which is also a hatch... they are coming back into style again), but Mazda is owned by Ford.

[cellio]

Ummm, they are making the Civic Hatchback again

Hmm, hadn't noticed that. I wasn't looking at the "sports car" niche (who this seems to be aimed at). Looks a little rich for my blood this time around, but certainly worth paying attention to. Maybe in a few years they'll move the hatchback down into the non-high-end models.

I looked at the Matrix and Mazda 3 last year. The Mazda 3 is on Dani's short list this time, by the way. Last year I went in predisposed to like that car (I was driving a Mazda at the time and quite happy with it other than that being-15-years-old thing), but it didn't do much for me on the test drive. (Shifting was kind of rough, which wouldn't bother Dani because he's looking for an automatic.)

[cahwyguy.livejournal.com]

I'll note the Matrix is the same thing as the Pontiac Vibe: It is a product of NUMMI: The joint GM/Toyota joint venture.

I like Hatchbacks as well, but then I spent a lot of time driving a 1981 Nissan Stanza hatchback that wouldn't die (I know, I tried to kill it).

The Prius also seems to have a hatch model this year.

I know Consumers has said good things about the Focus, but they also said good things about the Taurus/Sable. It wasn't until 5 years in that the transmissions started dropping out on the road while driving (that's what happened to us... 1500$ cash later for a 90-day warrented used transmission, we vowed to get rid of that car ASAP and never to buy a Ford again). ... Of course, there's the old Jewish connection as well: My grandfather would never buy a Ford because of Henry's antisemitism (http://history.hanover.edu/hhr/99/hhr99_2.html).

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

I have trouble with the idea that I shouldn't buy a car based on past actions of a company or founder. Yeah, 60 years ago Volkswagon used Jewish slave labor. Yes, they are now paying reparations for said actions (which, by the way, I don't think they should be responsible for paying anyway, but that's another story). Is the same leadership at VW anymore? No. Are the same policies in place? No. Have they repented? Seems that way. Therefore, I don't have an issue with the fact that Seth has a VW. Same for Ford. Sure, Henry was an antisemitic lout. He's dead. The company doesn't carry his antisemitic philosophies as policy on the books. Are some people antisemitic? Yes. But in the end, the guy's dead, someone else runs the company now, so it's not going to stop me from buying the car. There are plenty of other good reasons I don't want a Ford, anyway.

[cahwyguy.livejournal.com]

I certainly agree. I have plenty of reasons to not buy a Ford without even bringing history into it. Yet, there's still a little part of me that cringed when I did, just as I internally cringed watching the animated movie Anastasia with my daughter, knowing that relatives of mine were kicked out of Russia due to the programs started by the last Tzar.

[cellio]

I have trouble with the idea that I shouldn't buy a car based on past actions of a company or founder.

So do I. But that attitude is still out there, sadly; my father-in-law was horrified that I bought a VW. (I did a better job of socially-appropriate behavior: I concealed my horror at his reaction.)

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

I had a Ford Tempo for years (used) and loved it. In fact, when the first one was totalled (rear-ended at a red light), I replaced it with another.

I was happy with it, and my Dad (who fixed it, but not daily) was happy too. I don't think my cars needed more work than any other car of a similar age that was subjected to the abuses of a high-use job (I drove a lot as a social worker).

[kyleri]

We've had a Ford (admittedly, a van big enough to put a Focus into, probably) for over a year, and have worked it pretty hard, filling it with people and things and driving it all the heck over the place. It's been _very_ reliable.

[anniemal.livejournal.com]

I still miss my Saturn that got totaled in a snowstorm because the rear tires were inadequate, and the roads worse than I'd thought. But it was a great car, and if they make something that meets your needs in term of size and shpe, I'll commend it. My little red wagon did a good yeoman's job of everything I threw at it.

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

What year was your Saturn? I don't know ANYONE who's been happy in the long term with a 1996 or later Saturn. Myself included. I now have a Honda.

[anniemal.livejournal.com]

It was made in 1994, but was a 1995 model. I had to order it and wait. I think I passed it on the highway coming home from a visit with some friends. I buy cars new when possible and drive them into the ground. My specifications are picky. Manual trasmission, cruise control, and a radio.

Honda quit making wagons just before I went out for a new car. Doubt I'll forgive them unless they reinstate a small wagon. The Chevy had 125,000 miles on it, and the dog was getting too old to make it into the hatchback. So I hunted down something affordable that sounded promising. It ran well. Minimal breakdowns, none of them the car's fault. No complaints.

The dogs loved it. I loved it. Easy access, a good bed, and they've got cool space. Both beasties and I were content.

We needed something to accommodate big bikes. So we got a van. It sits in the driveway,serving as a shed. When we need to go somewhere big, we activate it. It is a chevy. Gets respect. Can serve as a second/backup means of transport. Hey, Leviathan did Pennsic and cross country.

So I don't know what to consider here.

[cellio]

Dani has a 1999 Saturn that he expected to own for much longer, but it's given him so much trouble (all after the warranty expired, natch) that I don't think either of us will be buying a Saturn any time soon.

(I also find his Saturn incredibly uncomfortable to drive, though I haven't tried newer models.)

Saturns used to be good, from all I've heard, but something seems to have happened to them in the last several years.

I don't know now

[anniemal.livejournal.com]

I only went for the van for bike transport. And I like the room to load big things. Ooof. We heave. I'd rather not have to rent it

Re: I don't know now

[cellio]

Yeah, if you need to move big/bulky things then that implies a different set of requirements. For me, the vast majority of car usage is futzing around town (commuting, grocery shopping, etc), with the annual trip to Pennsic and occasional other road trips. So I want something small and non-gas-guzzling that I can, infrequently, shove lots of stuff into. Since it's infrequent, I can tolerate some inconvenience there that would be unacceptable for you.

I don't know now

[anniemal.livejournal.com]

I only went for the van for bike transport. And I like the room to load big things. Ooof. We heave. I'd rather not have to rent it.

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

Don't know if either you or Dani have considered a Subaru. Dora Sue, my primary car, is a 1995 Legacy wagon and I'm very happy with her (despite my unhappy adventures in car repair (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dr_zrfq/20719.html) which may have been an isolated problem). All Subarus since the mid-90s have all-wheel-drive, which I consider a plus for driving in Pittsburgh.

[cellio]

Last year I checked Subaru for hatchbacks and came up empty. I don't think Dani checked them, so I'll pass the suggestion on. (He wants a sedan.)