Which car should i buy?

[Q Classic]

Say what you will about Hyundais, they're still better than Trabis and Yugos.

I dunno about the cars lately, but the reviews I'm hearing about recent, post-2002 Hyundais have been positive. Apparently, there's been a huge quality boost, not unlike what Jaguar went through post-1997. (Though, Jaguar has the bonus of being a luxury car, so it got away with a lot more crap.)

[Kuciwalker]

Honda

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Originally posted by Oerdin


Your call. Maybe you like driving boring uninvolved cars which put the driver to sleep. I enjoy sportier cars which are fun t drive so I guess my tastes are different from yours.

You clearly never drove a Corolla GTI. It was a beast. Many was the corner I took on three wheels.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Asher

Isn't the hatchback a lot more practical? When you fold the rear seats down flat, you've got enormous storage capacity.

This was pretty essentially for me, 'cause I'm out here by myself without knowing people with trucks, etc.

I've been able to fit entire desks and chairs easily in the back.

Yeah, those hatchbacks do have more usable space. I guess it depends on what you need and what you like.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Richelieu
Why? I've been looking for those bad reviews for the 2004 / 2005 Elantra and i have seen more good ones than bad ones.

But then again, of course, i suck at the internet...

First of all let me point out that problems per vehicle have been rapidly decreasing over the last several years by all manufacturers. In 1998 the industry standard was 176 problems per 100 vehicles while today the industry average is 118 problems per 100 vehicles. So what was great 10 years ago is crap today and every car maker is making hugely better cars.

Now on to the details of the 2005 survey which were released last month. The big news is GM has beat out Honda for the #2 spot on the quality survey for the first time while Toyota remains the #1. Honda has been rolling out a number of new models world wide recently and has been having some quality hickups. Honda is still #3 but you'd think GM unseating Honda would be bigger news.

Hyundai, like most automakers, is doing much better then they used to. Just five years ago they were averaging around 400 defects per vehicle (which was many times the industry average) where as in the 2005 ratings they're averaging 110 which is slightly above average. Corporate stable mate Kia still have big problems with an average of 140 defects per 100 vehicles. Heck, the Hyundai Sonata even got a runner up prize (along with the VW Jetta) for best entry level midsized but lost out to the Chevrolet Maxx. So Hyundai isn't any where near as god aweful as they used to be. I'd still give them a few years to make sure their new found quality is for real.

Here's the 2005 results by nameplate (the previous numbers were by corporation (meaning GM counts for all 7 of its name brands & Toyota counts for its 3 name brands, etc). Please not that the Europeans seemed to make a big comback this year over last with BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Jaguar greatly moving up the list after quality problems over the last few years. I'm happy to see they've turned things around. Percentage wise Hummer, Nissan, and Scion had the biggest quality improvements in 2005.

Above average

Lexus 81

Jaguar 88

BMW 95

Buick 100

Cadillac 104

Mercedes-Benz 104

Toyota 105

Audi 106

Infiniti 109

Hummer 110

Hyundai 110

Honda 112

GMC 113

Lincoln 113

Acura 116

Below average

Jeep 120

Mercury 120

Nissan 120

Chrysler 121

Chevrolet 127

Ford 127

Mitsubishi 129

Pontiac 129

Dodge 130

MINI 130

Scion 134

Saab 136

Saturn 136

Subaru 138

Kia 140

Volvo 140

Porsche 147

Volkswagen 147

Land Rover 149

Mazda 149

Suzuki 151

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0505/18/0auto-186012.htm

[Dinner]

I'm very surprised at how well Hummer did. You can say you don't like them, that they're to big, and that they use to much gas but you can't claim they aren't damn well built.

The civilian ones are ace anyway while the military ones are still made by AM General (the old military arm of the American Motors Corporation) and are crap.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by nostromo
Put a couple of dead pigs in your car, seal the car tight. Then wait a month or so. Then remove the pigs. Voilà! Nobody in his right mind will try to steal your car.

I believe the answer to the original question is now "Not one previously owned by Nostromo."

[Dinner]

There are 15 above average brands with 5 Japanese, 5 American, 3 German, 1 British, and 1 Korean. Are you people surprised? You shouldn't be if you've been watching the quality studies over the last half decade. Except for Hyundai which is a new comer to the above average field.

[SlowwHand]

In spite of owning a Tacoma (assembled in USA, thank you very much), I voted Honda out of this group of rice burners.
Saturns are good.

If you're patient, might could find a Yugo.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Lazarus and the Gimp

You clearly never drove a Corolla GTI. It was a beast. Many was the corner I took on three wheels.

The problem with Toyotas is even when they build a fast car it is still boring. The steering wheel is numb and doesn't communicate like a real sports car or sports sedan, the breaks have no feel, the shifter is smooth but not very involving, and then there is Toyota's bland gets lost in any parking lot styling. They are well made if uninspiring cars.

Toyota has perfected the art of car as appliance. Some of us want more then just an appliance; we want a fun car that also gets us noticed.

[SlowwHand]

This Tacoma is a 6.

Red is the most ticketed and stolen color, so keep that in mind.

[boann]

i voted banana... don't really like any of those choices.

[Nostromo]

women and their expensive tastes

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Oerdin- your comments in favour of GM have always puzzled me. You see, over here "GM" means "Vauxhall", and they're notoriously crap. A few years ago the Vectra came rock bottom in the JD Power survey.

I notive Vauxhall/Opel doesn't feature on your list.

[Ted Striker]

Go with the Civic.


Oerdin,

Can you even fit in that S2000? I thought you were like 6'1"?