I dislike buying cars

Gardenlover

Gardenlover

The world needs more love
My cars are getting old.... 2004 Camry, 2010 F150 truck and a 2017 Honda CRV.

Researching new cars is like reading the reviews on Amazon. Just when you think you've found something decent, someone raises a concern that casts suspicion on the positive information you've recently read.

I can't even use the data from my first sentence as a guideline as the manufacturing of cars has changed so much over the years.

What car do you drive? Do you love it or hate it and why?
 

I have a 99 Suzuki, 2006 Trailblazer, 2000 Camaro, 2004 Dodge 2500 (although it may be sold) and of course, the 57 Chevy. Each one serves a purpose.
I want no part of new vehicles these days. Too many gee-gaws and electronic crap that can and will (someday) give you fits. To say nothing about their ability to track your every move. If I can find one priced right, I want an all original 1930 Model A pickup.
 
I just have a 2018 Civic Hatchback right now. It has the turbo that has been problematic with oil dilution but I haven't had that problem. I put low mileage on it now anyway.

They all have their woes now, even the higher quality brands. I might try to replace it when the new Civic Hybrid comes out, but the hatchback body style will arrive later on in the year. Never hurts to skip a first model year, but every year they all add on more junk to fail in the electronics.
 

squatting dog said:
...I want no part of new vehicles these days. Too many gee-gaws and electronic crap that can and will (someday) give you fits. To say nothing about their ability to track your every move...
Click to expand...
Spot on. I wish my older cars could last another 20 years.
 
dilettante said:
They all have their woes now, even the higher quality brands. I might try to replace it when the new Civic Hybrid comes out, but the hatchback body style will arrive later on in the year. Never hurts to skip a first model year, but every year they all add on more junk to fail in the electronics.
Click to expand...
Agreed, all the new electronics are problematic.
 
I drive a 2008 Hyundia Elantra. It was purchased from my husbands aunts estate when she passed. It had 20K miles when I got it in 2009. It now has 40K miles in 2024. Needless to say I don't go far. My job was just 2 miles from home. Now, it is only driven maybe once a week to the grocery 1/2 mile away. I drive a couple of miles now and then to the doctor.

I take very good proactive care of it and hope it will last until I can no longer drive or die. I do not want to buy another car. Should something happen, I will rely on my BIL to do the shopping or if I am lucky can buy one of their cars when they upgrade. BIL takes very good care of their vehicles, I don't need anything fancy, four wheels and an air conditioner and I am good to go.
 
My Dodge Dakota is 25 years old, and the car is a 2006 Impala. Both still run good, and no damage or rust, etc. If the truck holds up, I will keep it until I can no longer drive. We may trade the Impala for a smaller sedan, later this year, that is easier to park, etc. All this Gee Whiz crap they put on today's cars is of little interest to us....a rear camera might be nice, but we don't need all the other "distractions".
 
Gardenlover said:
My cars are getting old.... 2004 Camry, 2010 F150 truck and a 2017 Honda CRV.

Researching new cars is like reading the reviews on Amazon. Just when you think you've found something decent, someone raises a concern that casts suspicion on the positive information you've recently read.

I can't even use the data from my first sentence as a guideline as the manufacturing of cars has changed so much over the years.

What car do you drive? Do you love it or hate it and why?
Click to expand...
I hate buying cars because I always know the dealership is going to offer an inflated price at the beginning and I hate haggling. As for research, I swear by Soyfan Bey at Redline Reviews and Alex Dykes at Alex On Autos on Youtube. They thoroughly cover every good and bad aspect of every vehicle.

I have a '17 Audi A4 Quattro. When my lease was up in 2020, my salesman tried to talk me into leasing or buying a new one. I had leased or bought from him every few years. I turned him down and bought it instead. It has 33k miles and is like new so no need to go through that hassle again. I love the car. It is quiet but handles well, has an exceptional interior with all the tech I need and a great Bang & Olufsen sound system. It hasn't been cheap to own vs. a Japanese car but every mile has been worth the cost.

We're on our third Mazda. We leased a '17 CX-5. It was a great car but bigger than we needed. We traded for a '20 CX30. When our lease was up on that, we insisted to the dealership that we wanted to buy it because it was a great car and the market value was higher than the residual value on the lease. However, they made us a good deal on a '23 which is upgraded and has a turbo. It is definitely a better car than the one we traded with pretty much the same payments. My partner drives the CX-30 but I love riding in it. It is quick and quiet, with comfortable seats, and also has a great Bose sound system.

I recently read a Consumer Reports review on reliability and every Mazda model had great scores. If you ever do decide to trade I would highly recommend Mazda. I may trade my A4 for a '25 Mazda6 if they ever release it.

As for technology, both cars offer wired Apple CarPlay. I never cared about it when I was working, but now I listen to music through my iPhone and I can't tell you how many times we've gone into Google Maps to find a particular location. We used it today to find a theater that we rarely visit. The directions come right up on the screen.
 
Last edited:
When I got out of the military, back in 1967, I spent 5 or 6 months as a car salesman at a Pontiac dealer....while scheduling interviews and looking for an honest job. The vast majority of buyers paid substantially more than the dealership would have taken.
 
Gardenlover said:
My cars are getting old.... 2004 Camry, 2010 F150 truck and a 2017 Honda CRV.

Researching new cars is like reading the reviews on Amazon. Just when you think you've found something decent, someone raises a concern that casts suspicion on the positive information you've recently read.

I can't even use the data from my first sentence as a guideline as the manufacturing of cars has changed so much over the years.

What car do you drive? Do you love it or hate it and why?
Click to expand...
Never make car payments so car buying is not stressful.
2023 KIA Soul. Suits our needs & so far so good. Prior to this had a Chevy Spark. Disliked that from the day we bought it. Only reason for buying that was so my wife could get back into driving & she thought a small car would be easier to start with. Prior to that was a Hyundai Elantra. Would have bought that again but we got a better deal on the KIA.

Only need one car since total mileage averages 4000 miles a year or less.
 
Knight said:
Never make car payments so car buying is not stressful.
2023 KIA Soul. Suits our needs & so far so good. Prior to this had a Chevy Spark. Disliked that from the day we bought it. Only reason for buying that was so my wife could get back into driving & she thought a small car would be easier to start with. Prior to that was a Hyundai Elantra. Would have bought that again but we got a better deal on the KIA.

Only need one car since total mileage averages 4000 miles a year or less.
Click to expand...
Kia and Hyundai are on a roll these days. Great cars!
 
Gardenlover said:
Spot on. I wish my older cars could last another 20 years.
Click to expand...
The last car we bought was a brand new VW Golf, bought it in 1998. A quarter of a million miles later and it's still going strong. Repairs and servicing are never neglected but my guess that the longevity of the car is due to the fact that when not in use it resides in the same heated garage as our 1947 vintage MG.
 
My 2021 Hyundai emails me. One email said its battery was getting low.. Today, without the owner's manual, you can't operate the heater. It's all electronics. There's no way I can get out the old Chilton green book and fix the car. And it's no longer 1957, most cars, now, require less care, and are pretty well made. Of course, anything with thousands of precision parts, things can go wrong, but most of the millions of cars keep on truckin'. I'd buy another Hyundai, but wouldn't turn down a Honda, Kia, OMG!! even a Ford!:)
 
Last edited:
horseless carriage said:
The last car we bought was a brand new VW Golf, bought it in 1998. A quarter of a million miles later and it's still going strong. Repairs and servicing are never neglected but my guess that the longevity of the car is due to the fact that when not in use it resides in the same heated garage as our 1947 vintage MG.
Click to expand...
250,000 miles ?...really, ?..I think that's the most I've ever heard of...at the average of 10 k a year, which is the average a Brit drives. doesn't sound like your Golf gets much rest... :D
 
I have a Ford fusion... it's in the garage right now ( US=shop)... read my story about it on the how was your day thread... It's been a fab car.. I bought it second hand a few years ago and it has 148 K on the clock...


my-car-ford-2022-HD.jpg
 
I bought my new GMC Terraine a year or so ago, I love the car and have slowly learned all the new gadgets on it....the buying experience from the dealership was stressful for sure but I muddled through it, I was determined to do it by myself.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top