Started test driving, began w/ Subaru, now to Nissan

[Castiel]

Find yourself a nice used WRX

 

[ShawnD1]

Warped calipers, lol. I think you mean warped rotors.

This is a brake caliper:

Chrysler has major problems with these things. Warped or badly positioned calipers cause the brakes to apply in an uneven way. It makes the pads wear out extremely fast and in some cases it also warps the rotors. People often complain about needing to change the brakes and rotors all the time but the reason the problem never goes away is because they never think to change the calipers.

http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Complaint/2000/Jeep/Grand+Cherokee/Brake+Caliper

Description of the Complaint:
Due to pulsing of the brake pedal and vibration in the steering wheel the dealer turned the rotors and replaced the pads around 20,000 miles (we paid the bill). The rotors and pads were replaced again around 40,000 miles by an independent mechanic. On a trip to the store the right front caliper would not totally release pulling hard to the right and heating the rotor / pads to the point of smoking. The right front aluminum wheel rim was too hot to touch; the caliper and rotor were replaced which remedied the problem.

Poor guy had to dick around with his brake pads and rotors twice before figuring out it was his calipers that were the problem.

And that's why you never buy a Chrysler. EVER.

 

[sdifox]

what is wrong with used?

 

[Bignate603]

This is a brake caliper:

Chrysler has major problems with these things. Warped or badly positioned calipers cause the brakes to apply in an uneven way. It makes the pads wear out extremely fast and in some cases it also warps the rotors. People often complain about needing to change the brakes and rotors all the time but the reason the problem never goes away is because they never think to change the calipers.

http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Complaint/2000/Jeep/Grand+Cherokee/Brake+Caliper

Poor guy had to dick around with his brake pads and rotors twice before figuring out it was his calipers that were the problem.

And that's why you never buy a Chrysler. EVER.

Yeah, the problem wasn't a "warped caliper", that was a caliper that got stuck putting quite a bit of pressure against the rotor. The guy even said that the problem was because the brake wouldn't release. I hate to break it to you (or would it be brake it to you? :sneaky: ) but a caliper sticking shut isn't due to warping, it's more likely due to crap or something getting into the parts of the brakes that slide, causing the caliper to bind up while applying pressure to the rotor. After all of that the obvious fix would have been to replace the caliper, it had been sticking and the thing had just been exposed to so much heat that it was probably destroyed.

There was an issue with the '99 to '02 grand cherokee brakes though, and it was fixed all the way back in 2002. Grand cherokees between '99 and '02 were using a brake caliper from a supplier called Teves, who also supplied brakes to BMW and Ford during this time. Jeep even sprung for Teves' twin piston design (grand cherokee was the first application of it) because of the car's weight. There was a problem with the caliper spring that caused the caliper to not center itself properly, making the pad on the side closer to the center of the car rub when your foot was off the pedal. That constant rubbing caused the brake rotor to warp. This is most likely not what happened to the guy above, he described something that was sudden and produced much more heat than you would get from a caliper not completely centering itself and rubbing a bit on the rotor. They switched brake suppliers in 2002, issued a TSB on it which said to replace both the rotors and the calipers, and tripled the warranty on the brakes.

I'm not sure why you keep griping about this. You're going back to issues that were recognized and fixed over 10 years ago. Almost any car out there has a few TSBs out about issues it can have and how to fix them. Hell, your little Toyota has a bunch out about it.
30 pages of TSBs for the Toyota Corolla

 

[TraumaRN]

It also starts at $39K

Maybe for a Limited trim, but a base model explorer starts at 28K.

A middle of the road XLT can be had for 33-36K depending on options. I know my parents have one of the new Explorers XLT fully loaded and out the door after TTL paid like 35,800 for it. And yes it's a huge vehicle to walk around, but it actually handles really nice, drives much smaller then it looks.

However it's a moot point because it might be out of the OP's price range.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Ford Escape with the 3.0L 240HP V6

Hyundai Tucson

Nissan Juke

Suzuki SX4 AWD - cheapest AWD car in america

Saab 9-3X - if you have a Saab dealer near you you may be able to get into one of these leftover 2010's for the low 30's. A great 2.0L turbo motor and Haldex AWD system.

 

[gorcorps]

Going to Nissan tomorrow. Gonna try the Murano and the Rogue. I've heard the Juke is fun but it's too small. 4 doors is a minimum.

Everybody I know has told me to get used, but there's enough deals on the new ones if I qualify that it may be worth getting new. The warranties are solid, I get dealer invoice price on new cars, and some dealers are having some decent financing deals. For example, Nissan is running a 0% for 60 months deal.

 

[Imdmn04]

why would you recommend worse cars that are more expensive?

Depending on the AWD, Torsen or Haldex, Quattro can be > Subaru's cheaper models.

But WRX hatches are mostly within your budget and will have better performance than the cheaper Quattros such as the ones on the A3.

 

[potluv]

VW Tiguan S 4motion $26.8k
Toyota Rav4 V6 4wd $25.5k
Mitsubishi Outlander SE Awd $25.3k
Chevrolet Equinox LS Awd $24.5k

 

[Jumpem]

Another vote for Subaru. I've had three so far.

If fuel economy is somewhat of a concern, I would go with an Outback 2.5i + CVT, or Forester.

 

[Zap]

So what's the opinion on the engine? I've always had a 4 cylinder and find it rather gutless, but that doesn't mean they HAVE to be gutless right?

Right! Well, kind of depends on your reference point, but my wife used to have a Mazda 3s plus we test drove a base 2010 Forester and they both were reasonably peppy. Heck, the Mazda feels peppier than my mom's 2010 Volvo V70 with V6. It also was as peppy as my previous vehicle, a Contour SVT with 24-valve V6. Even with around 40BHP less, the published 0-60 times were faster than my Contour SVT.

Of course they all feel slow these days, since our vehicles are now a WRX and MS6 with 265 and 270BHP respectively. 😀

 

[Zivic]

Going to Nissan tomorrow. Gonna try the Murano and the Rogue. I've heard the Juke is fun but it's too small. 4 doors is a minimum.

Everybody I know has told me to get used, but there's enough deals on the new ones if I qualify that it may be worth getting new. The warranties are solid, I get dealer invoice price on new cars, and some dealers are having some decent financing deals. For example, Nissan is running a 0% for 60 months deal.

My dad has a murano and it is nice. I drive it now and again when I take him to the airport.

If you go do nissan, drive an Xterra. I had one and LOVED it. milage is not so good (17-19), but it is peppy (I think the manual goes 0-60 in 7 seconds), goes anywhere and will allow you to tow with it if need be. It was a great vehicle to drive, easy to park for my wife. The motor is very reliable. I sold mine to buy a minivan for the family, and I regret it. I paid about 21k for mine brand new -> 4wd, auto, power, CD.

 

[Doppel]

Hold up. Ima let you finish but the Rav4 should be at the top of your list. The 4 cylinder can be had for less than your $25k and the V6 for a hair over. It will smoke the heck out of the others you're considering (sub 7 second 0-60) and is very reliable. A comparison I saw a year back or whatevz comparing the "mini-suvs" in this price range said that it never had any doubt about what would be in 1st place (V6 rav4), and the others were left fighting for scraps.

Friends don't let friends by Chryslers. Jeep quality is a non-starter now. it doesn't exist. The brand is rubbish, don't buy a jeep.

 

[Zivic]

Hold up. Ima let you finish but the Rav4 should be at the top of your list. The 4 cylinder can be had for less than your $25k and the V6 for a hair over. It will smoke the heck out of the others you're considering (sub 7 second 0-60) and is very reliable. A comparison I saw a year back or whatevz comparing the "mini-suvs" in this price range said that it never had any doubt about what would be in 1st place (V6 rav4), and the others were left fighting for scraps.

Friends don't let friends by Chryslers. Jeep quality is a non-starter now. it doesn't exist. The brand is rubbish, don't buy a jeep.

I agree the jeep quality is crap....

the rav4 is a decent vehicle, but it isn't real 4wd... FWD with real wheel assist. And I think they look boring as hell

I personally would get a subie over it, much more capable.

 

[Castiel]

Avoid the escape V6 is you enjoy good gas mileage.

 

[gorcorps]

Update: Went to Nissan and drove a Murano and Rogue. I really enjoyed them both, and like the look of both of them over the Subarus. I actually think I'm going to end up with a top of the line Rogue with all the navigation and fancy stuff, and it'll still be under the cheapest Murano. The Rogue felt right and had everything I needed plus more. It also looks a lot better than the Outback in my mind. I liked it enough that I might get one within the month.

 

[sdifox]

Avoid the escape V6 is you enjoy good gas mileage.

In English please.

 

[gorcorps]

In English please.

Seems pretty clear he misstyped "if" and put "is"

 

[Castiel]

In English please.

Meant "If". Posting from a Droid X isn't always perfect

 

[sdifox]

Meant "If". Posting from a Droid X isn't always perfect

I guess I should have put 🙂 at the end.

 

[gorcorps]

Things are pretty much finalized. I'm getting a top of the line, fully decked out Rogue on Thursday. With the 0% financing deal and other little incentives, I'll be paying just under 500/month with little money down.

 

[Zivic]

Things are pretty much finalized. I'm getting a top of the line, fully decked out Rogue on Thursday. With the 0% financing deal and other little incentives, I'll be paying just under 500/month with little money down.

man that seems like a high payment... what is the length of the loan?

 

[gorcorps]

man that seems like a high payment... what is the length of the loan?

60 months

It's about what I expected. My buddy in a similar position to me with a higher car payment and more student loans is doing fine financially, and I'll be doing okay myself.

 

[Zivic]

60 months

It's about what I expected. My buddy in a similar position to me with a higher car payment and more student loans is doing fine financially, and I'll be doing okay myself.

I was thinking it was a 48 month term... that's a lot of dough. I can think of a lot of cars I would rather own for 500/month. My xterra came out to like 360/month with a higher % rate and same term loan.

It's your money so do as you please. I am not doubting your ability to financially handle it. I am just speaking from experience.... I would hate to be dumping that kind of change on a monthly basis. Car payments get old fast.

 

[gorcorps]

I was thinking it was a 48 month term... that's a lot of dough. I can think of a lot of cars I would rather own for 500/month. My xterra came out to like 360/month with a higher % rate and same term loan.

It's your money so do as you please. I am not doubting your ability to financially handle it. I am just speaking from experience.... I would hate to be dumping that kind of change on a monthly basis. Car payments get old fast.

I'm sure they do. It's pricey at ~28k, but it's my first new car so I'm too excited to worry about it. Some mistakes you have to make yourself I suppose.