Out of these 5 cars, which would you believe is best for me?...

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: mwmorph

Originally posted by: Marlin1975


Reason why to NOT buy a NEW Camry!!!!!

The new camrys have problems. They are not like the old Camrys.

They probably used a preproduction(aka alpha version) press test car that was a) not final design in terms of refinementand b) beat up.
Funny only car.com mentions the camry interior problems.
Yahoo has build quality as one of the pluses
http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/toyota_camry_2007/4775/model_overview.html
edmunds

We tried out each of these versions during the press introduction and came away impressed by the new Camry's quiet and comfortable cabin, its high degree of interior and exterior build quality, and its overall refinement. Sound familiar?

automobile.com

The Sonata, as much as I am impressed with fit and finish and value for money, completely pales in comparison as soon as you step inside, which makes sense considering the price premium needed to move up to Camry interior quality. Truly, from a design standpoint to the materials used, its almost in a different class. I suppose, factoring in that this new Camry will also be represented as a Lexus, being the basis for the new ES 350, its interior is forced to be rise up to premium expectations, and after leaving the current ES 330 behind in design and layout, at least, the Camry trumps everything currently being sold in this class, other than VWs new Passat; which, next to the Camry, should only be compared to Audis, BMWs and Lexi.

Road & Track

Interior styling looks two parts Avalon and one part Lexus, exhibiting a definite jump in quality and a more contemporary touch.

Now comon, Automobile.com you can say is iffy, but R&T, edmunds and yahoo must know what they're talking about right? Besides Car.com seems like a ripoff of cars.com.
And if you want to jump at the camry build quality, dont even get me started about BMW, I was looking at a few Z4 3.0i the other day(a $40k car) and it dosent even have body panels with even gaps, hell the gaps between the bumpers and the fenders is about 3x as wide as on my 2002 Camry and my Camry's hood lines up fine with a even gap everywhere.

From the horses mouth.

Even Toyota admits they have problems.

Even Toyota admits they have problems.2

 

[soydios]

Just buy a 3-year-old used car. By that age, any critical defects have worked their way to the surface, so you can avoid cars afflicted with them, and you still have 3 years left on the powertrain.

I'm currently driving a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It's a good car, nothing fancy about it (only special stuff is a moderately good sound system, power windows/locks/mirrors, and air conditioning). It was my family's third car (I was the first to get my license), and I remember growing up in it, so I *REALLY* don't want to crash it!

Tip for picking: get one with plastic bumpers, or at least bumper gaurd strips. They will save you time and again when combating concrete parking garage walls and curbs.

Props on acting mature and showing more common sense than most guys our age and convincing your parents that you don't need a brand-new expensive car, too.

 

[imported_goku]

Originally posted by: soydios
Just buy a 3-year-old used car. By that age, any critical defects have worked their way to the surface, so you can avoid cars afflicted with them, and you still have 3 years left on the powertrain.

I'm currently driving a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It's a good car, nothing fancy about it (only special stuff is a moderately good sound system, power windows/locks/mirrors, and air conditioning). It was my family's third car (I was the first to get my license), and I remember growing up in it, so I *REALLY* don't want to crash it!

Tip for picking: get one with plastic bumpers, or at least bumper gaurd strips. They will save you time and again when combating concrete parking garage walls and curbs.

Props on acting mature and showing more common sense than most guys our age and convincing your parents that you don't need a brand-new expensive car, too.

Huh? You mean RUBBER bumpers? Or Steel bumpers? Plastic bumpers are on most cars and they're bad because in order to repair them you need to spend $$$ on bodywork.

 

[thescreensavers]

I am looking at the Saab 9-3 2.0t just letting you know

 

[Kirby]

I love my Jetta, but reliability and cost of maintenence is a problem. A water pump and timing belt installed was nearly $900. Jetta's are not made in Germany. The parts are made in Germany but the actual car is manufactured in Mexico. But I still love it, mainly because it's fun to drive and the gas mileage. Also, if you're over 6' tall you can't sit in the back seat comfortably.

 

[Cheex]

The Camry seems right for you.

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: Ricemarine
Oops, he hasn't bought it yet, but he's really leaning towards the car...
He drives a 2002 honda accord which before the transmission broke, so now he hates hondas. We also have a 2001 toyota corolla and a 2000 chrysler voyager.

Only certain specific designs were afflicted with weak transmissions, predominantly V6s. Even toyota now in their current design avalons and V6 camrys has documented transmission issues. For 07, honda redesigned several of their V6 model transmissions (TL, odyssey), giving them four shaft transmissions instead of the previous three.

If you buy a current I4 accord, the transmission is solid. Some of the honda forums i visit, i've seen several newbies admit to neutral drop burnouts, one guy even videotaped his and none of the transmissions have failed. The I4 accord has the extra benefit of more power over the camry and better suspension.

 

[AmdEmAll]

Originally posted by: mwmorph

Suburu Impreza, good if you need the awd, Otherwise it is a very dated design. The general underpinnings has been around since about 2000. It still drives quite nice and is a nice compromise between a 3 and a camry.

Want to explain this a little more? The whole body was redesigned for the 2002 models and then again for the 2004 models and yet again for the 2006 model. Interior has been changed a lot since pre 2002. Chassis is stiffer, car has more safety features now. Engine is still the good ol' reliable EJ25 with a little more hp now. A bit heavier now then the GC/GM/GF chassis. I'd say this is a great car for a new driver.

BTW if you get this car and you drive in snow, change the tires asap, stock bridgestone RE92's are garbage.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
From the horses mouth.

Even Toyota admits they have problems.

Even Toyota admits they have problems.2

That is a huge stretch. Toyota is concentrating to cut back no recalls not to improve panel fit or interior materials. The only recalls for 2007 camrys are for the Airbag, and about 500 Camrys with tranny problems. That is what they are focusing on fixing, not the panel fit issues you cite.

Once again, go sit in a Camry and look at the panel fit. It looks good to me with even and decently tight gaps all around, bettering that of a BMW Z4 by far.

Originally posted by: AmdEmAll

Originally posted by: mwmorph

Suburu Impreza, good if you need the awd, Otherwise it is a very dated design. The general underpinnings has been around since about 2000. It still drives quite nice and is a nice compromise between a 3 and a camry.

Want to explain this a little more? The whole body was redesigned for the 2002 models and then again for the 2004 models and yet again for the 2006 model. Interior has been changed a lot since pre 2002. Chassis is stiffer, car has more safety features now. Engine is still the good ol' reliable EJ25 with a little more hp now. A bit heavier now then the GC/GM/GF chassis. I'd say this is a great car for a new driver.

BTW if you get this car and you drive in snow, change the tires asap, stock bridgestone RE92's are garbage.

Redesigning a body does not mean anything. Sure it looks better with new sheetmetal but that does not change the vehicle dynamics. The platform has improved a bit but if you drive a impreza and then a Mazda 3 back t back you can easily tell which one is the more fun and involving exprience.

With the platform, they have made some great strides (enlarged engine, interior, exterior) but you can only do so much to the chasis and suspensino before you essentiall need a newly design body to improve any more in the chasis stiffness/ride department.

Again, I'm not saying the Impreza is bad, It is still a very nice car but it is now more pedestrian then when it came on the scene and was touted as basicalyl the most fun to drive small car. Newer platforms with even more stiff chasis and better suspensino tuning have taken the spot fro mthe impreza for the most fun to drive compact affordable car.

 

[EngenZerO]

impreza

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
What kind of wacko parent buys their kid a brand new car right after they get their driver's license? The insurance on it will be a killer, and odds are that it's going to get in an accident within 18 months.

Tell 'em that you want a used Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla to start out with, and save the difference in the cost for college.

(Didn't read the thread, so I'm sorry if I repeat anything or ask questions already answered. They're rhetorical anyway.)

Yep. Get the crappiest reliable car you can find. You'll find it easier to appreciate a better car later that way. If you start with a good car, you'll become jaded, and your expectations will be disappointingly high if your job straight out of college isn't so great.

If you ignore this advice, I'd say go with the Subaru. Even if it's not a WRX STI or even a WRX, it's still a nice platform. Keep in mind that handling isn't always a luxury for people who want to drive hard; it's also a safety feature. I don't remember which car company said this, but I've always agreed with it... "Air bags save lives. [Good handling] saves air bags." I would personally value a car's ability to get you OUT of trouble more than its ability to keep you safe IN trouble.

You weren't really specific enough, though. What are YOU looking for in a car? Would you want a peppy car, or is interior room more important to you? Personally, my ideal car would be nothing short of a Formula 1 car on the street, but other people would rather drive a land boat. I don't care what the old man says... what's YOUR desire?

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: Ricemarine

Originally posted by: quikah
Most likely he doesn't want you driving the honda since he probably thinks they are unreliable since it had problems. Also, he may want you to drive a new car since they have more safety features. Just ask him why he wants to buy you an expensive car? If he really wants you to drive a new car, suggest something cheaper, like a Yaris or maybe a Mazda 3i.

VW has had a lot of electrical problems, so not sure how reliable those are these days.

He says that he prefers the camry because its reliable and safe?...
In the end, he actually started liking mazda, but then said that "I don't know any good dealerships that have good mechanics, so I will stick with toyota."

So, I just told him straight up. Don't buy me a new car then, I'll use one of the older ones we have.

So I guess I'm done unless my dad actually goes to buy one of those other 4 cars...

Never go to a stealership for repairs...they rip you off. Find a private mechanic, and talk to him. If he treats you like a person, remembers your name, explains to you exactly what the problem is, and generally chit chats with you about your life, he's a keeper. If he's strictly business, he's not to be trusted.

Good fscking call! In the rare occasion that I can't do work myself, I know my mechanic's life story.

Dealerships don't make a whole lot of money selling cars. Ripping people off on service keeps them afloat because people think that, since they sell them, they must know the most about them. It's bullsh¡t.

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
I'd put all of those cars ABOVE the new Camry when it comes to reliability. People have a false sense of superiority when it comes to Toyotas when the fact of the matter is that they've gone to the sh!tter compared to other foreign cars in the last 2-3 years, ESPECIALLY with the latest refresh.

I'd go with the Mazda3 or the Jetta.

The new camry just came out a month ago - long term reliability is necessarily unknown. Its absurd to claim that the new models are unreliable, because that statement is based upon absolutely NOTHING. But historically, it's been one of the most reliable models ever, from one of the most historically reliable companies. You can always find people with individual stories that will disagree for ANY car, or you can call into question the legitmacy of studies, but in the end, their reputation for reliability didnt come out of nowhere.

Even if toyota is losing it a bit, they are still quite reliable. You have to maintain any car, nothing will be bulletproof automatically. You're taking a chance with any car, and a toyota will break down like any other car eventually. But it's a good bet.

Over the past 5 years, I've started to hear more good things about the other foreign car manufacturers like Honda and more bad things about Toyota. Most people automatically think "RELIABLE" when they hear Toyota, and that might've been the case through the 90s but IMO now they're 1. Overpriced and 2. Not as reliable as they used to be. I know a lot of people with 98-03 or whenever it was Siennas, my family included, and they all had tons of reliablility problems and horrible build quality on the interior, the kind of interior you'd expect from Chevy, not from a Japanese manufacturer.
My point? Buy a Honda, Mazda, Nissan, or a Subaru.

If you're an American and ever get the "support your country" talk from one of your elders, buy a Mazda. They're owned by Ford, and they're just as good as any Japanese make. The Mazda3 has some pretty nice handling considering it's FWD.

 

[Perknose]

Where's the Hyundai with a HUGE wing opton? Then you buy the stickers and quart can exhaust that scream "parformence", which is "performance" misspelled.

Your nic is Ricemarine. You must stay true to your nic.

 

[InlineFive]

Mazdaspeed3! Volvo S40 T5! Subaru WRX STI!

I :heart: boost.

 

[radioouman]

Originally posted by: BD2003


Although my recommendation outside of your list is to get an older car, and keep it for a year. Something 2000ish. In that year, you'll learn a lot about what goes wrong over time, and how to deal with it. You'll also get a good idea of what you REALLY want in a car. A year later, you'll be able to sell it for very close to what you bought it for, and know exactly what you want to get afterwards.

This is probably the best advice here.

Buy an older car so that you can learn what you have to deal with over time. There is no need to throw away money on a newer car. (Initial cost, insurance) The repairs that you will need to do on the older car won't come close to the cost of the new car.

 

[fstime]

Mazda 3, they did such an excellent job on that car....

 

[Ricemarine]

Originally posted by: Perknose
Where's the Hyundai with a HUGE wing opton? Then you buy the stickers and quart can exhaust that scream "parformence", which is "performance" misspelled.

Your nic is Ricemarine. You must stay true to your nic.

What about making a 2001 toyota corolla a ricer? ...
It'll still race like crap but at least it does something? :laugh:

 

[snoopdoug1]

Got rice?