Buying a New Car

[NETWizz]

Well, it's that time of decade...

I am in the market for a new car. I want a four door sedan, with a decent size trunk (boot).

Don't want a wagon, hatchback, SUV, nor a pick-up/truck.


Any ideas?

Here is what I want:
Reliable, Great Warranty, Sporty/fun to Drive


Thus far, I have looked at the Nissan Altima, Infiniti G Sedan, Honda Accord, and a Cevrolet Malibu.

I want right around 300 HorsePower, so naturally I need a V6 or TurboCharged 4 cylinder...

That said, I actually prefer a sporty V6 as it has a nice growl and no turbo lag. Hence, I have already eliminated the Malibu.

 

[Vicenarian]

The new 2014 Impreza WRX?

 

[cypress]

Honestly, I would choose between the KIA Optima or Honda Accord.

KIA has the long warranty, but Hondas just seem to last alot longer. For the under dog I would look into Hyundai Sonata.

 

[Mokester]

Sedan

Well we define sporty different...think the only car that meets that requirement that is see so far is the WRX...but I'd rather go for a used Audi S4...or an Caddy ATS...used, the prices are not that bad...don't look like a teenage ricer hotrod...and trust me, the comfort is ohhhh so good lol

 

[mr m]

Thus far, I have looked at the Nissan Altima, Infiniti G Sedan, Honda Accord, and a Cevrolet Malibu.

I want right around 300 HorsePower, so naturally I need a V6 or TurboCharged 4 cylinder...

That said, I actually prefer a sporty V6 as it has a nice growl and no turbo lag. Hence, I have already eliminated the Malibu.

Yeah, go with a normally aspirated V6. Turbo's are cool if you can spin your own wrenches or can afford to pay the man to do it for you. They have improved their reliability over the years but will eventually fail. They are spun by hot exhaust gas at over 100,000 RPM and are not known for their longevity.

My wife drives a V6 Accord and loves it. She broke down a while back 3 hours from home. This was the first time the car let her down in 130,000 miles.

The V6 Accord Coupe with a six speed is a real sleeper. 0-60 in about 5.5 seconds. About a second faster than the 4 door automatic. Are you sure you want 4 doors!

 

[AndyM]

I'd put a bit of class into it.. How about one of these?

Andy

 

[Paul Rodgers]

The new 2014 Impreza WRX?

I have a 2013 Outback (yes I know) and I love it. I'd recommend an Impreza based on how much I like my Outback.

 

[Markverhyden]

Thus far, I have looked at the Nissan Altima, Infiniti G Sedan, Honda Accord, and a Cevrolet Malibu.

How many miles do you put on in a year? Are you a very "demanding" driver? Meaning the car has an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal and no constant velocity pedal.

If so I would strongly recommend doing some serious research before buying anything with a CVT.

Back in '07 I bought a new 2.5 S Altima. I made it very clear to the sales person that I was a high mileage (50k/year), demanding driver. He assured me the CVT was every bit as reliable as the regular ones and, in his option, even better. What bull!!

First transmission failure was at 27k miles, around 6 months. Ended up with 4 transmission failures, including the first one, within 137k miles, 2.6 years. In fact I received a notice from Nissan during that time that they had retroactively doubled the transmission warranty to 120k miles due to "a concern about a small number of transmission failures". Marketing speak that they have a lousy product. At least I got re-reimbursed for the repair I had to pay out of my pocket.

Oh, and another problem with that car. It sat very low to the ground so I had to be careful where I drove.

 

[NETWizz]

I should probably clarify I am going to avoid Hyundai and Kia like the plague.

Never had a Subaru, but I am going to avoid it and other little known brands.

I totally agree with avoiding a turbo because other than needing constant oil changes with synthetic oil, eventually the bearings start leaking oil, which gets into the hot impeller assembly and forced directly into the engine causing smoking, carbon build up, and low-oil... ultimately, when this happens you need a new/rebuilt turbo not to mention some minor, downstream degradation of oxygen sensors and possibly even the catalytic converter.

Also, it just doesn't seem smart to squeeze a 2.0 L 4 cylinder for 259 Horsepower... That is roughly twice what an engine that size would ordinarily put out. It is bad enough on an engine revving it to 6000+ RPM. Doing it with twice the fuel/air is just asking for increased wear and decreased engine life/longevity.

If I EVER have an engine problem that causes it to run unbalanced or miss, I would prefer it be a fuel delivery or ignition problem that can be corrected with cleaning, replacing injectors, new plugs, coil packs, etc... vs. Loss of Compression, which cannot generally be fixed.

 

[NETWizz]

How many miles do you put on in a year? Are you a very "demanding" driver? Meaning the car has an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal and no constant velocity pedal.

If so I would strongly recommend doing some serious research before buying anything with a CVT.

Back in '07 I bought a new 2.5 S Altima. I made it very clear to the sales person that I was a high mileage (50k/year), demanding driver. He assured me the CVT was every bit as reliable as the regular ones and, in his option, even better. What bull!!

First transmission failure was at 27k miles, around 6 months. Ended up with 4 transmission failures, including the first one, within 137k miles, 2.6 years. In fact I received a notice from Nissan during that time that they had retroactively doubled the transmission warranty to 120k miles due to "a concern about a small number of transmission failures". Marketing speak that they have a lousy product. At least I got re-reimbursed for the repair I had to pay out of my pocket.

Oh, and another problem with that car. It sat very low to the ground so I had to be careful where I drove.

I do about 18,000 miles per year, but I am planning on perhaps keeping my current car to keep the millage down to about 10,000/year on the new vehicle.

Honestly, it depends on what I am driving. When I am in an economy/compact car, I am a VERY "demanding" driver. When in a midsize, not so much, and when driving something with a lot of Horse Power not nearly as "demanding." I mean, take something like a Chevrolet Cobat or Sonic... they just don't go!!! Driving down the road at constant speed the engine is turning at 3,000 RPM to maintain 50 MPH... Then you encounter a "small" hill takes 4,500 RPM to 5,500 RPM to climb without loosing speed... It is like the car is giving its all to crest a hill and can barely hold its speed. They simply do NOT have enough torque or horsepower. In contrast a car with 180+ horsepower will comfortably put around at 1,500 RPM and crest a hill at <3,000 RPM.

Basically, what I am saying is I down't want a car that constantly goes gear hunting. Instead, I want something that can climb a 6% grade without a gear change.

I DO want a tried/true automatic transmission with 6 or more speeds. My current vehicle is a 5 speed automatic, and it is WAY better than the last one that was a 4 speed automatic. Simply put, if it does have to shift, I would rather the gear ratio change be minimal.

I will NOT buy a CVT. They are still "experimental" in my mind. I don't want to be the beta tester for a transmission. Moreover, a CVT is a HORRIBLE idea on anything with >150 HorsePower; hence, you really don't see them except on 4 cylinder, economy cars that lack HorsePower. The internal parts are just not up to the rigor of everyday driving with a bigger engine nor "demand" driving with a smaller engine.


***************************

Thanks for the Heads-Up about the Altima. Their 4 Cylinder has a CVT, but their 3.5L V6 SV has a regular 6-speed Automatic (as far as I can tell). The salesman kept referring to it as a 6 speed CVT, which makes NO sense whatsoever being a CVT does NOT have fixed speeds but rather a constantly changing gear ratio.

Personally, I HATE driving CVTs. To me they feel like they are constantly slipping. It is the ONLY car I know where the RPM can remain constant and the car slowly speed up. It just doesn't feel right. I want quick, quiet, and smooth ... but affirmative shifts.


What do CVTs feel like when they fail? A regular automatic will feel like it is slipping, lurching where it saves up all this kinetic energy then all of the sudden drops it to the road like there is a giant rubber band under your car that got stretched and released... Other times they will act like they shift over/around a bad gear, stall out at stop lights like someone forgot to press in the non-existent clutch, get extremely laggy and NOT want to shift. Then of course, there is the "rough" shift, where it feels like you get hit by a "sonic-boom" each time it changes gears.

^^^ How do I know this? I once drove a Hyundai and experienced ALL of these failures. Never in my life have I had ANY other car that exhibited all these. I have seen minor roughness and slight shift lag in some cars, but only in a Hyundai have I ever experienced the above... ^^^^

What do CVTs feel like when they fail?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I wouldn't call Subaru a "little known brand"....they've been strong sellers in the US, especially up north in the snow belt areas.

VERY freaking durable cars.
When I was young and learning to drive, my parents bought 2x of them. My dad, with his mechanical engineering mind, knew to purchase 2x durable cars for my first years of driving, since he knew I would beat the living sh|te out of those cars. And I did....I treated them like offroad dune buggies, race cars, I'd get them airborn, I'd do 30 mph backwards and slam them into first gear, redline the engine, drop the clutch..and do long J-hook burnouts. Almost every time I drove them I'd bury the 85mph speedo.

I have since owned 2x Subaru's myself.....(well, wife did)...a sedan back in the 90s, and an Impreza RS about 10 years ago. Awesome cars. Snow? who cares..they get through it. Subaru's are also built in the United States....employing US workers.

Netwizz...I dunno where you are....what continent...but Subaru's are far from little know here in the US. Maybe where you are if you're across the pond somewhere.

Over to the Kia brand...a few decades ago, Hyundai built disposable super cheap cars that died within 50k miles. But they redid their whole approach around 10 years ago, and decided to build really good cars. They then hatched their sister company, Kia. And Kia took the approach of building EXCELLENT cars. 10 year/100k mile warranty...hard to beat! Built in a plant outside Atlanta Georgia...employing US workers, building the US economy. (important to me). The Kias are more "American made" than my Dodge RAM truck (which was built in Mexico). My wife has had 2x Kias (still has her second one)..and let me tell you, for $30,000.00...you get a heck of a lot more car than you do with many Japanese brands, and mainstream US brands. The feel and quality of components you get for that price just stands above the others. We love them. Fanatical service behind them too.

 

[angry_geek]

Subaru has been making cars for decades. Most often referred to as the most dependable, reliable, and long lasting out there. Definitely not little known. They use cvts in most models, but I encourage you to research Subaru cvts. They're not "experimental" or new fir Subaru. The mechanics behind them make for a superior and more reliable transmission for most uses. Nissan overt complicated theirs and created a mess. The recommended maintenance on a Subaru cvt is to have it inspected at 100k miles. I know because I own an impreza. Subaru is not known for bells and whistles; they're known for the best all wheel drive system out there, go anywhere capabilities, and the ability to get your car filthy dirty and keep it til 500k miles.

Sporty? Wrx.

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

I did the research back in sept based on safety ratings, complaints, bulletins, the best choice was the mazda3 though its not a v6...and dont get manual transmission.

Edit: 2013

 

[PC-MOT]

I wouldn't call Subaru a "little known brand"....they've been strong sellers in the US, especially up north in the snow belt areas.

And in the UK.
Their WRC pedigree speaks for itself!
(19-year WRC run, during which it claimed three manufacturer’s and three driver’s championships )

 

[HFultzjr]

Depending on your price range, check the following:

http://www.edmunds.com/sedan/2013/buying-guide.html

 

[aweston]

I will NOT buy a CVT. They are still "experimental" in my mind. I don't want to be the beta tester for a transmission. Moreover, a CVT is a HORRIBLE idea on anything with >150 HorsePower; hence, you really don't see them except on 4 cylinder, economy cars that lack HorsePower. The internal parts are just not up to the rigor of everyday driving with a bigger engine nor "demand" driving with a smaller engine.


***************************

Thanks for the Heads-Up about the Altima. Their 4 Cylinder has a CVT, but their 3.5L V6 SV has a regular 6-speed Automatic (as far as I can tell). The salesman kept referring to it as a 6 speed CVT, which makes NO sense whatsoever being a CVT does NOT have fixed speeds but rather a constantly changing gear ratio.

Personally, I HATE driving CVTs. To me they feel like they are constantly slipping. It is the ONLY car I know where the RPM can remain constant and the car slowly speed up. It just doesn't feel right. I want quick, quiet, and smooth ... but affirmative shifts.


What do CVTs feel like when they fail?

I've had two Nissans in the last three years, a Nissan Altima 3.5SE and a Nissan Maxima. I'm not sure I'd rule them out completely.

Both of them are incredible to drive, although the Maxima was definitely superior. Almost 260HP V6 and yes, it had a CVT. The neat thing about CVT in the Maxima is that it generates all it's HP at about 6000 RPM, so when you're accelerating you floor it and pin it at the 6K. The engine will stay there and the car just keeps getting faster and faster (and in a quick hurry). It has tons of top end to rapidly accelerate while cruising at about 70 MP/h. There's a few times I jumped from the on ramp into a thruway lane doing well over 100MP/h, quite by accident. It's smooth, quiet and extremely fast. You do have to be careful with them but they drive like a dream.

I loved that car. The CVT just went in it on Monday. It would rev up to 4500 RPM but wouldn't maintain a speed of even 50MP/h. Going up hills it would drop considerably lower. Then all of a sudden the CVT would kick in again and the car would rocket to 90MP/h in an instant. Yes, that is every bit as scary as it sounds when you're driving down a snow covered road.

The engineering of the Maxima is fantastic, it's comfortable, handled quite well, is unstoppable with good snows on (I use Goodyear UltraGrip Ice WRT) and very nicely equipped. It's a pig on gas though. I was lucky to do 23MPG.

I might recommend a lease so you can enjoy it under warranty, write it off and hand it back after you had your fun.

They call it a six speed because it has 5 bands plus the equivalent of an "over drive"

 

[aweston]

Over to the Kia brand...a few decades ago, Hyundai built disposable super cheap cars that died within 50k miles. But they redid their whole approach around 10 years ago, and decided to build really good cars. They then hatched their sister company, Kia. And Kia took the approach of building EXCELLENT cars. 10 year/100k mile warranty...hard to beat! Built in a plant outside Atlanta Georgia...employing US workers, building the US economy. (important to me). The Kias are more "American made" than my Dodge RAM truck (which was built in Mexico). My wife has had 2x Kias (still has her second one)..and let me tell you, for $30,000.00...you get a heck of a lot more car than you do with many Japanese brands, and mainstream US brands. The feel and quality of components you get for that price just stands above the others. We love them. Fanatical service behind them too.

Glad to hear you like it. I looked at a Kia once at a Hyundai dealership. The dealer told me straight up "don't buy it". His reasoning was that they are unrefined and not near as well engineered as the Hyundai. No idea if that has changed since then. I do recall the same thing happening when Datsun arrived on the North American scene too. Look where they are now.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Glad to hear you like it. I looked at a Kia once at a Hyundai dealership. The dealer told me straight up "don't buy it". His reasoning was that they are unrefined and not near as well engineered as the Hyundai.

I'm guessing his statement was based on financial motivation, as in...he would have gotten a bigger spiff for his dealership from another brand, than Kia was doing that month.

They should be equal in engineering, I'd guess equal in quality. While they are sister companies and share many of the same components "under the skin", I like the styling of Kias over Hyundai.

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

I dont think you guys are doing the proper research here, its make, model, and year. Nissan Altima is a good example, for reliability 2011 is great, 2012 is great, 2013 not near as good....though it has better safety ratings. Also when looking at bulletins and complaints I consider how many of the car they sold.

 

[aweston]

I like the styling of Kias over Hyundai.

I agree. I like the look of most of the Kia stuff better myself (except their low end stuff..don't like it at all). I have to admit, though, that the Hyundai Genesis just oozes awesome from a looks point of view.

Well, as it ended up I didn't buy either the Hyundai or the Kia. lol. No spiffs for him.