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Seeking input for Car purchase

amarius · · Nowhere, OK · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 20

Can't really discuss which car is best suited for your needs, but if the TV commercials are to be trusted, you MUST take a look at Subaru Outback ;)

Anyways, good place to get some idea of sort of mpgs people are getting is to browse Fuelly.com

DannyUncanny · · Vancouver · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 100

I can just barely sleep in the back of my 91 Civic hatchback. It cost me $1000, has great mileage and never dies.

David Appelhans · · Broomfield, CO · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 410

Prius? TDI Jetta? The OP did say his number one priority was cost, right? Seems everyone is focusing on sleep ability even though that was only 15%.

DannyUncanny wrote:I can just barely sleep in the back of my 91 Civic hatchback. It cost me $1000, has great mileage and never dies.
I have a manual 93 civic that I got for $1000 also. I get 42 mpg around town and on trips, it has 200K miles runs perfect and costs $20 for oil changes. My girlfriend has a 2003 TDI Jetta. Oil change is around $70, everything is premium and expensive on it ($25 antifreeze), $400 to change transmission fluid.

Get an inexpensive high mileage honda civic and pitch a tent or bivy under the stars. You will save so much money over the long run.
J TMan · · San Diego · Joined May 2013 · Points: 120

I would highly recommend a Prius. I regularly take mine out with my climbing partner (hes 6', I am 5'9"). We fold the rear seats down and throw our packets etc in the front seats or behind the front seats. Plenty of space with 45mpg. Cannot beat that.

Craig Childre · · Lubbock, TX · Joined Aug 2006 · Points: 4,860

If you take your VW to the stealership, then you'll pay a premium price for service.

The new models include a service package with their warranty, so oil change is $0/20K.

Still you pay $20 per oil change every 5K, I get a $60 change every 20k? ($30 turning my own wrenches) I do employ a bypass oil filter to achieve the 20K.

$400 for a transmission... your stealership is criminal.... it's just as easy as changing the engine oil, only one must measure the replacement fluid like one does for a motorcycle, no dip stick. I think their price considers that it can be done incorrectly which would result in rather costly repair bill.

The 2003 TDI is one of the favored models, though it suffers from the weak motor mount that's an easy $50 fix. One can install the EGR delete/race pipe, lowering service cost (no more $300 intake flush), lowers intake temperature, and maintains performance.

Another ride that I loved. The Suzuki Sidekick was a beast. 30+mpg, seats 4, sleeps 2, 4WD, it was a beast!

Phil Esra · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 100
GhaMby wrote:I also have a 2005 Pontiac Vibe, paid 7k for it in 2009 and it now just went over 200,000 miles. I haven't done more than oil changes and spark plug changes. Not the sexiest, or most powerful car, but it is a great car. Just make sure you get one with the automatic trans (the manual trans had plastic parts that supposedly break!), and stay away from the All Wheel Drive models.
What's the deal with the AWD ones?

The Vibe and the older Geo/Chevy Prizm are great ways to get stealth Toyota reliability without paying the used Toyota premium. Our '03 Corolla has been amazing--160k miles including some mild Moab-style jeeping and a lot of neglected maintenance (just noticed it's been 13k since the last oil change). The only unscheduled cost was a $600 catalytic converter (parts and labor; was triggering a CEL), and that has been paid for easily by all the scheduled costs we have ignored or forgotten about : )

People love their VWs, but it's a population that doesn't seem to mind spending a little money and time taking care of their vehicles. Over all, they're just not as reliable as a Honda/Toyota. And watch out for that oil pan, it's a killer.
Phil Esra · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 100

Craig Childre said:
....The hybrids are effective in town, but on the highway not as much. .....

..... I rather like this fellows unique setup... facebook.com/photo.php?v=12…

.............................................................................

Very true about hybrids. Anybody know how they do (efficiency-wise, compared with non-hybrid) on hilly terrain?

And I *love* that old Bug as 5th wheel. I wonder if the handling was really sketchy in the turns with that tongue weight up on the roof.

[edited to add attribution--not sure how I made it go away]

cfuttner · · Chicago, IL · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 5

Our Prius just took a crap. $4600 to replace the hybrid battery and its electronic control unit.......at 104,000 miles. Never again. Used to have a 2003 Mazda Protege 5 door. Gas mileage in the 30's, fun to drive and the seats folded down flat for very comfortable sleeping. Surprised that car never comes up recommended. Loved it for about 80K problem free miles until some air-headed sorority girl rear ended me at full speed at a traffic light while talking on her cell phone. Totaled the car. Replaced it with a new Mazda 3 (2006 equivalent to the protege 5). Love that car too, however the rear seats don't fold flat.

mark felber · · Wheat Ridge, CO · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 41
Phil Esra wrote:....The hybrids are effective in town, but on the highway not as much. ..... ..... I rather like this fellows unique setup... facebook.com/photo.php?v=12… Very true about hybrids. Anybody know how they do (efficiency-wise, compared with non-hybrid) on hilly terrain? And I *love* that old Bug as 5th wheel. I wonder if the handling was really sketchy in the turns with that tongue weight up on the roof.
That setup looks like it would be really scary in a cross wind.
wankel7 · · Indiana · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 10
David Appelhans wrote:My girlfriend has a 2003 TDI Jetta. Oil change is around $70, everything is premium and expensive on it ($25 antifreeze), $400 to change transmission fluid.
A gallon of Rotella T6 oil is $22 and the filter is $6. $28 for an oil change every 10,000 miles.

The filter for that transmission is $40 and the fluid should be about $50.

I think you need to steer her away from what ever shop she is taking her TDI to.
Check out this thread for trusted TDI mechanics around the country.
forums.tdiclub.com/showthre…
wankel7 · · Indiana · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 10
cfuttner wrote:Our Prius just took a crap. $4600 to replace the hybrid battery and its electronic control unit.......at 104,000 miles. Never again.
Whoa. Did you find a cheaper alternative ?
cfuttner · · Chicago, IL · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 5

Yeah, we sold it to the dealer for $2000 and walked away. We were planning on downsizing to one car anyway. This just made the choice easier. For what it's worth I couldn't stand driving that car. Such a slug. The gas mileage is the only thing that makes that car palatable. Now the Mazda....Zoom-Zoom.

David Appelhans · · Broomfield, CO · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 410
wankel7 wrote: A gallon of Rotella T6 oil is $22 and the filter is $6. $28 for an oil change every 10,000 miles. The filter for that transmission is $40 and the fluid should be about $50. I think you need to steer her away from what ever shop she is taking her TDI to. Check out this thread for trusted TDI mechanics around the country. forums.tdiclub.com/showthre…
Hey, thanks a lot for the info. Do you have a TDI? I change my own oil on my civic so when I heard she had been paying $60 for oil changes and got a quote for $400 for an oil change and transmission fluid change I was certainly suspicious. But then I've helped her buy coolant before and we had to buy special pink stuff that was way more expensive than normal antifreeze, so I figured all the fluids must be very premium and ridiculously priced.

Is that Rotella T6 accepted for use by a lot of people with TDI engines? I mean we could have put in cheap antifreeze too, but several forums warned against that.
20 kN · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 1,346
wankel7 wrote: A gallon of Rotella T6 oil is $22 and the filter is $6. $28 for an oil change every 10,000 miles. The filter for that transmission is $40 and the fluid should be about $50. I think you need to steer her away from what ever shop she is taking her TDI to. Check out this thread for trusted TDI mechanics around the country. forums.tdiclub.com/showthre…
I dont know anything about the 2003 TDI, but I suspect it's not that different from the 2009 in that it requires VW507.00 certified oil, which the Rotella T6 is not. Failure to use 507 oil in my Jetta will result in excess soot buildup in the diesel particular filter, which will necessitate an early replacement. So something worth checking. 507 oil is special in that it is designed to produce very low soot, which is why it costs a ton.
20 kN · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 1,346
David Appelhans wrote: $400 for an oil change and transmission fluid change I was certainly suspicious.
$400 for an oil change AND tranny change? The tranny change alone is typically $400. The full 50k service is normally around $1200 if you have the dealer do everything. In reality, it costs them more like $200 and it takes less than a day to do.
Mathias · · Loveland, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 306

I like Subaru. Got mine at 62K, now at 183K. Two accidents, a lot of abuse. Still running. But I do maintain it very regularly. I'll get another when this one finally dies even though Subaru is now Toyota in pretty much all but name.

Phil Esra · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 100
Mathias wrote:I'll get another when this one finally dies even though Subaru is now Toyota in pretty much all but name.
Only if you buy a BRZ.
Alexander Blum · · Livermore, CA · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 143
wankel7 wrote: Whoa. Did you find a cheaper alternative ?
Reconditioned Prius batteries can be found for under $1,000, installed. If you're willing to install it yourself (which isn't difficult, there are YouTube videos), the cost is reduced even farther.

forbes.com/sites/tonybradle…
jmeizis · · Colorado Springs, CO · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 230

I have a Hyundai Elantra Touring. Gets over 30 mpg. I can sleep in the back with some moving and stacking (would be easier if I came up with a system but I only sleep in there every once and a while). I paid 15.4 for a brand new one two years ago. Has a 100k warranty on drivetrain, it's gotten over 50k miles in the two years I've owned it. Only problem was the hand brake button broke (replaced under warranty) and then some lady slammed into me which was fixed under insurance (surprisingly little damage to us or the car considering she didn't even try to stop). It's a hatchback/wagon. It fits gear for skiing and climbing (better if I would get a roof rack). It's sort of euro styling but I don't really care. My wife calls it my dad wagon. I can get up most "4wd" roads in CO, places like Turkey Rocks, 14ers, that sort of thing. I have some tall friends and they can handle being in the back for a few hours. It's not a van but it's relatively comfortable for a vehicle with a 4 banger getting over 30 mpg.

Cocoapuffs 1000 · · Columbus, OH · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 50
Mathias wrote:Subaru is now Toyota in pretty much all but name.
Yeah, that is wrong. Even the BRZ/FRS is mostly Subaru under the bodywork
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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