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Help me pick a car please.

K

kyutip

Golden Member
I need a car this week and have been through lots of dealers. I narrow down my choices down to 4 cars.

1. Mitsubishi Lancer OZ Racing Edition (manual, 2002) with 11k mileage and $13k list price.
pros: nice handling, sleek interior, okayish design and pretty comfy.
cons: not enough power (only 120hp), "feel" fast, kinda small.

2. Nissan Altima SE (automatic, 2001) with 26k mileage and $15k list price.
pros: good review (reliable), spacious.
cons: expensive.

3. Toyota Camry SE (manual, 2001) with 20k mileage and $13k list price.
pros: big, spacious, decent power, reliable
cons: really "old" interior design, a bit sluggish.

4. Mitsubishi Galant SE (automatic, 2002) with 11k mileage and $12k list price.
pros: Camry like, affordable, quite zippy.
cons: ugly design in and out, not sure about the reliability.

I really like 2000 Maxima's too but a bit too expensive and use premium gas 🙁
Hondas are expensive too.
I really like the Lancer but a bit underpowered. I've try the 2003 Corolla S and that car can run.
Too bad I don't have $16k for it. Can I add around 20-30 hp via minor modification ? (such as air filter, racing chip, etc?)

Anyone have any experience with Galant ? How come they are much cheaper than Camry, Accord or Maxima ?
How is the reliability ?

I know Altimas are good car, but I doubt I can get it under $11k.
Camry, everybody have one.

Any suggestions ?
 
If you think 2000 Maxima is too much, look for a 98-99 style... they are the best generation of Maxima IMHO...
either that or the Altima SE... even though the 2001 is far different from the 2002 model, I hope ya know that. 😛
 
Mitsu's don't have a stellar record for reliability. I'd say to go with the Toyota. It may not be the car you really want, but it sure looks like the best value and the least expensive in the long run.

ZV
 
Camry or Altima, either one is a good choice.
Make sure VIN starts with J however. Don't be stuck with an import made in Mexico or Canada, even worse :Q in USA 😱
 
Originally posted by: KGB
Camry or Altima, either one is a good choice.
Make sure VIN starts with J however. Don't be stuck with an import made in Mexico or Canada, even worse :Q in USA 😱
Click to expand...

some Toyotas as far as I know are made here in Ontario
the real problem is the Mexican made imports *cough* VW *cough*
 
Both my father and my brother had a Mitsubishi Galant. Both had many problems with the transmission. My dad had a 1991, my brother had a ~1995.

I'm not sure how the current models are, but I would not buy an automatic Mitsibushi.
 
Originally posted by: KGB
Camry or Altima, either one is a good choice.
Make sure VIN starts with J however. Don't be stuck with an import made in Mexico or Canada, even worse :Q in USA 😱
Click to expand...
Har de har har. My USA-built 1988 Accord would still be going if it weren't made of Japanese steel. Japanese metallurgy in the 1980's was not so good and the floorpan is rusted through in some spots after 14 years and 217,000 miles. Engine's still tight as a drum though. There's no discernable difference in build quality.

ZV
 
Originally posted by: Yield
Originally posted by: KGB
Camry or Altima, either one is a good choice.
Make sure VIN starts with J however. Don't be stuck with an import made in Mexico or Canada, even worse :Q in USA 😱
Click to expand...

some Toyotas as far as I know are made here in Ontario
the real problem is the Mexican made imports *cough* VW *cough*
Click to expand...

Nissan has a plant down in Mexico also, my sisters bf sold his 01 Sentra @70K was made in Mexico, was pretty good for him. Canadian Toyotas are quite okay I hear, while Canadian Ford's Kickass though 😀 hehe..
 
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Originally posted by: KGB
Camry or Altima, either one is a good choice.
Make sure VIN starts with J however. Don't be stuck with an import made in Mexico or Canada, even worse :Q in USA 😱
Click to expand...
Har de har har. My USA-built 1988 Accord would still be going if it weren't made of Japanese steel. Japanese metallurgy in the 1980's was not so good and the floorpan is rusted through in some spots after 14 years and 217,000 miles. Engine's still tight as a drum though. There's no discernable difference in build quality.

ZV
Click to expand...

ding ding ding ding... I didn't mention Honda's. And please lets not get into the "history" of japanese car manufacturing.
 
Originally posted by: KGB
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Originally posted by: KGB
Camry or Altima, either one is a good choice.
Make sure VIN starts with J however. Don't be stuck with an import made in Mexico or Canada, even worse :Q in USA 😱
Click to expand...
Har de har har. My USA-built 1988 Accord would still be going if it weren't made of Japanese steel. Japanese metallurgy in the 1980's was not so good and the floorpan is rusted through in some spots after 14 years and 217,000 miles. Engine's still tight as a drum though. There's no discernable difference in build quality.

ZV
Click to expand...
ding ding ding ding... I didn't mention Honda's. And please lets not get into the "history" of japanese car manufacturing.
Click to expand...
So Honda's not an "import" according to you?
rolleye.gif
Nowhere in your original post did you exclude Hondas, you just lumped all imports into one group. Don't expect me to be a mind reader.

ZV
 
i dont know about the newer galants. but my brother had a '97 galant that had transmission leaks. later, in only a few years, the transmission broke. he had to REBUILD it. a short time after, the transmission broke AGAIN. then again. thankfully the latter 2 times were covered by the company that rebuilt the transmission. still a pain in the @$$ though.

my dad's camry that he bought in '95 hasnt had any major problems so far, and its approaching 100k milage. only tire replacements, shock adjustments etc... from our experience, it was WAY more reliable. i dont know if it was just us, but it seemed like lots of mistus didnt have the greatest transmissions.

finally my brother couldnt take the galant anymore, because it was just falling apart. he sold it for 3k and bought an s2000. now we're '02 accord, '95 camry, and '02 s2000 and we couldnt be happier.
 
Camry is probably the most reliable of those, and one would assume since is a 4 door family car that the insurance would be cheaper, however it is one of the most stolen cars by statistic so who knows. None of those cars are/were intended to be fast, if you want a race car look elsewhere.
 
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Originally posted by: KGB
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Originally posted by: KGB
Camry or Altima, either one is a good choice.
Make sure VIN starts with J however. Don't be stuck with an import made in Mexico or Canada, even worse :Q in USA 😱
Click to expand...
Har de har har. My USA-built 1988 Accord would still be going if it weren't made of Japanese steel. Japanese metallurgy in the 1980's was not so good and the floorpan is rusted through in some spots after 14 years and 217,000 miles. Engine's still tight as a drum though. There's no discernable difference in build quality.

ZV
Click to expand...
ding ding ding ding... I didn't mention Honda's. And please lets not get into the "history" of japanese car manufacturing.
Click to expand...
So Honda's not an "import" according to you?
rolleye.gif
Nowhere in your original post did you exclude Hondas, you just lumped all imports into one group. Don't expect me to be a mind reader.

ZV
Click to expand...

The only reason I mentioned "import" is because my premises included the two cars mentioned. I think I made it clear that I was talking about Nissan's and Toyotas, Honda was not mentioned (nor was Fiat, Daewoo, Hyundai etc..) So to make my argument less ambigious to you;

The two IMPORT cars I would recommend are Nissans and Toyota's with VINS starting with the letter J

😉 😛
 
Thanks for the suggestion. No more Mitsu then.
I was worry about the Galant, otherwise I would have took it right there. I just got suspicious since it was so cheap (compare to other in its class).
Is that a normal price for the Camry ? is it possible for me to get it around $11k (maybe under?)

IF I can negotiate the Camry and Altima down to the same price, should I pick the Camry or Altima ?

 
Originally posted by: kyutip
Thanks for the suggestion. No more Mitsu then.
I was worry about the Galant, otherwise I would have took it right there. I just got suspicious since it was so cheap (compare to other in its class).
Is that a normal price for the Camry ? is it possible for me to get it around $11k (maybe under?)

IF I can negotiate the Camry and Altima down to the same price, should I pick the Camry or Altima ?
Click to expand...

Camry + 5 speed manual = Pure Bliss 😀

Altima is great, but leg room is kinda tight (Me 6 foot, drove 97 altima from nyc to rochester) was kind a hurting afterwards.
 
If your looking for dependability, youre not gonna beat the camry. Although the styling is a bit outdated, Toyota is hard to beat in reliability. I would avoid Mitsubishi, unless youre talking about the asphalt ripping Evolution VIII 🙂 And the altima isn't worth 2k more than the camry, especially with that extra mileage.

The Lancer OZ is a fun car though. light weight and fuel efficient. Just don't get caught with 4 people in it going up a hill.
 
Originally posted by: KGB
Originally posted by: kyutip
Thanks for the suggestion. No more Mitsu then.
I was worry about the Galant, otherwise I would have took it right there. I just got suspicious since it was so cheap (compare to other in its class).
Is that a normal price for the Camry ? is it possible for me to get it around $11k (maybe under?)

IF I can negotiate the Camry and Altima down to the same price, should I pick the Camry or Altima ?
Click to expand...

Camry + 5 speed manual = Pure Bliss 😀

Altima is great, but leg room is kinda tight (Me 6 foot, drove 97 altima from nyc to rochester) was kind a hurting afterwards.
Click to expand...

WTF are you smoking? My parents have an '01 Camry with a 5 speed and its terrible. Makes my 91 Accord feel like a Porsche. Freakin motor has no pickup at 2000 rpm or 5000 rpm. BLECH!!
 
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