Seeking input for Car purchase

Cocoapuffs 1000 wrote: Yeah, that is wrong. Even the BRZ/FRS is mostly Subaru under the bodywork

I had to edit this reply because after doing further research it has become obvious I have been mislead (yet again as it happens) by a close friend who's information I am really starting to doubt. So though I have seen Subarus apparently manufactured by Toyota (as per the data plate inside the driver's side door), I have definitely be misinformed and a stand corrected.

I think Toyota owns a large (but less than 50%) stake in Subaru? They will probably be collaborating more in the future. Like cocoapuffs says, even the BRZ is mostly a Subaru product. But yeah, your friend thought he/she knew more than he/she did. I have friends like that--everybody wants to be an expert. That's why god invented the internet. You should judge that friend for being a tool, but he/she probably wasn't intentionally trying to deceive you.

David Appelhans wrote: 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.

I have a 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon. Rotella T6 is good for her engine...the ALH. Other TDIs have sensitive camshafts and later cars had a diesel particulate filter that is sensitive to soot.

The coolant is the Audi / VW G12. It is expensive. About $12 per 1.5L but it is required stuff. Make sure she is doing the timing belt every 100k.

20 kN wrote: 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.

The ALH engine in her 2003 is very different and cheaper to operate :)

Phil Esra wrote:I think Toyota owns a large (but less than 50%) stake in Subaru? They will probably be collaborating more in the future. Like cocoapuffs says, even the BRZ is mostly a Subaru product. But yeah, your friend thought he/she knew more than he/she did. I have friends like that--everybody wants to be an expert. That's why god invented the internet. You should judge that friend for being a tool, but he/she probably wasn't intentionally trying to deceive you.

Phil, whilst my original comment was very much an exaggeration based on what I believed was true at the time, Fuji Heavy Industries and therefore Subaru is 16.5% owned by Toyota. That makes them the majority shareholder (or whatever the technical term is). Since the 2008 line of Subaru vehicles I've noticed the data plate on the vehicles I've looked at say 'Toyota' and not 'Fuji Heavy Industries' as they once did. Also I can see a Toyota influence in the newer models of Subaru. But my original statement and the information behind it is not correct.

Well, so much for my civic that I loved... Last night this happened when a drunk driver slammed into it when it was parked in a neighborhood.

Drunk driver killed my car.

Little elbow grease will buff that right out!

"I can fix it... My dad's got an AWESOME set of tools" - Spicoli

David Appelhans wrote:Is that Rotella T6 accepted for use by a lot of people with TDI engines?

It might work ok in the TDI which is a diesel, but Rotella is a truck oil. It isn't designed for use in ordinary gasoline car engines. I would advise against putting Rotella in your Civic.

I used to use Rotella in my KLR650 motorbike; it has no friction modifiers, which are in all car oils. You can't use friction modifiers in a motorbike because the clutch is bathed in the engine oil.

I think it also had a higher shear strength, which is important for diesels & motorcycle gearboxes, but not for gasoline cars.

David Appelhans wrote:Prius? TDI Jetta? The OP did say his number one priority was cost, right?

Amen. If cost is your number one priority, VW ought to be at the bottom of the list, not the top...

Thanks for all of the feedback. Most likely, what I will be looking for is something along the lines of the focus wagon and civic hatchback suggestions, something that is cheap and easy to find and maintain and has a reputation for durability, with good (doesn't have to be outstanding) gas mileage. Something that I can get the most out of for the money over the next several years. The possibility to sleep in the back on occasion is also somewhat important.

All of the discussion has definitely been informative.

mattjohnson wrote:Thanks for all of the feedback. Most likely, what I will be looking for is something along the lines of the focus wagon and civic hatchback suggestions, something that is cheap and easy to find and maintain and has a reputation for durability, with good (doesn't have to be outstanding) gas mileage. Something that I can get the most out of for the money over the next several years. The possibility to sleep in the back on occasion is also somewhat important. All of the discussion has definitely been informative.

It may be really tough to find a clean Civic hatchback. They haven't made them in forever, and they were extremely popular with teens as a car to modify (and crash). Excellent choice if you can find a good one--worth slightly overpaying for relative to some other choices. Cramped for sleeping though.

Phil Esra wrote: It may be really tough to find a clean Civic hatchback. They haven't made them in forever, and they were extremely popular with teens as a car to modify (and crash). Excellent choice if you can find a good one--worth slightly overpaying for relative to some other choices. Cramped for sleeping though.

You can cut a piece of plywood to level out the back with the seats folded down and overhang the rear footwells. With the front seats tilted forwards, This gives enough space for someone 6 ft to lay out flat

mark felber wrote: That setup looks like it would be really scary in a cross wind.

Face it... the Bug alone is scary in cross winds...

Using a trailer brake system, and how the trailer's weight shift might actually improve the effective steering capabilites of the bug with it's light front end. It might handle the road better. IMO, the reduction of cooling for an air cooled engine plus the added load of hauling that trailer would be the point of failure. A steep pass loaded with gear? No way! Clutches would get smoked regularly.