What are you driving.....and do you like it?

We are now a one car family. I sold my 2016 Hyundai because we no longer need it. I used the money to pay for our granddaughter's tuition in nursing school.
Our one car is a 2017 Mazda CX-5 with about 20K miles on it.
 

I still have my '17 Audi A4 as indicated in an earlier post. Hubby is on his third Mazda. First was a '17 CX-5, second was a '20 CX-30. Now he has a '23 CX-30. They have been bulletproof up to now. We got in the car on Saturday. He stepped on the brake and pushed the Start button. The dash lit up but the engine never came on. We think it has something to do with the electronics. Mazda Roadside Assistance towed it to the dealership on Saturday. Their first available appointment was this coming Friday but we're hoping they get to it before that. Just glad it refused to start in our garage!
 
This seems like a good place to post a few car acronyms. No offense intended as to anyone's choice of brand, I just thought these are funny.
Mopar
Move Over Pontiacs Are Racing
Miscellaneous Obsolete Parts Assembled Recklessly
Ferrari:
Fragile, Expensive Rides Repel All Reasonable Individuals
Saab:
Sadly Absent, Always Broken
Tesla:
Technology Excesses Seem Lame, Actually
Hyundai
However, you understand nothing's drivable AND inexpensive.
Chevrolet
Can Hear Every Valve Rattle On Extended Trips
Dodge
Damn Old Dirty Gas Eater
Dead On Day Guarantee Expires
Drips Oil Dirt Grease Everywhere
BMW
Big Money Wasted
GMC
Gotta Mechanic Coming
Ferrari:
Fragile Expensive Rides Repel All Reasonable Individuals
Jeep
Just Expect Expensive Problems
Just empty every pocket
Jaguar
Jesus Another Ghastly Unbelievably Annoying Repair
Audi
An Undoubtedly Dubious Investment
Fiat
Fix It Again Tony
Failure In Automotive Technology
Ford
Fixed Or Repaired Daily
Forced On Reluctant Drivers
Volvo
Very Odd Looking Vehicular Object
 

What are you driving.....and do you like it?​

Right now a black Honda Odyssey minivan. I like minivans. I can haul a lot of stuff in it.
Im old and tall. I prefer a taller vehicle.
But not too tall. Dont want to need a ladder to get in like some of those jacked up ones. :D
 
Well……..I should never be left alone too long. Bought myself a third (gulp) car. I bought a car retired fleet car. 2012 ford escape. I simply LOVE the ford escape prior to 2013. It has 150000 miles on it…but it will last much longer. Now i need to sell something…
 
2016 Dodge Grand Caravan, bought new in December 2015. As of December 2022, it had 13,500 miles on it. Now after a year and a half of living in Edison, on the outskirts of Bakersfield, California, a city of 400,00 plus, that is about 150 square miles (as compared to Eureka, California, where we lived until March of 2023) that is about 15 square miles, the car has 24,800 miles on it.

Edison is about the same size and population as Eureka, but anything and everything you need to, such as grocery shopping, seeing a Doctor, if you ever need a hospital, etc., is a minimum 20 mile round trip drive. Fortunately, there are country roads on the edge of Bakersfield that are good for that "nice drive in the country" feeling, but if I m in a hurry, there's a freeway that if you don't get on it during rush hours, I can get all the way across the city in 15 minutes. I've left my house at 8:00p and taken the freeway to Costco, 12 miles away, and got there and was in and out before they closed at 8:30p.
 
2014 Chrysler Town and Country (their version of the Dodge Grand Caravan). Bought used in 2015 with 20,000+/- miles on it. Now has 107,000 miles, only repair has been the thermostat. Replaced battery and tires, etc., standard stuff. Oh! And the windshield when it was cracked by a passing stone.

Of all the vehicles I have owned in my lifetime, this one is my favorite. I originally bought it to carry grandkids; one feature that was really attractive is that the seats easily fold down into the floor creating a flat surface for camping, traveling and hauling stuff, all three of which I have done. The flat floor is exactly 4'x8', plywood size! I have hauled furniture, building materials, all kinds of stuff and it just keeps on going! Will drive this till the wheels fall off, then just put new wheels on it.
 
Every car I have ever owned was a Dodge. Starting at 14 in 1970, I bought a 1970 Dodge Challenger for $2000 cash. Since I wasn't old enough to drive it, I made a deal with my brother to drive me to guitar gigs in exchange for his use of the car. That turned out to be a very bad deal, as he wrecked it. I never got to drive it legally.

Then I never bought another car until Cindy and I needed one to drive to San Francisco to take our son to UCSF Medical center. It was a 1995 Caravan that only lasted us a few years. Even I could tell it's days were numbered as you could clearly hear the piston rods knocking. It sounded like a windup toy. Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick...

Later we traded it in on a 2004 Caravan that was an Enterprise rental with just under 50k miles on it. They sell all of their cars around that time. It was very well maintained we put about 15k miles on it in 11 years.

Then we bought this 2016 Grand Caravan new, sans the useless roof rack you can't tie anything to and the black faring on the hood.

dodge-2016-grand-caravan.png


I guess we're happy with it. We've had it nine years and only had to do minor maintenance.
 
My old hooptie will become a teenager next month!

I drive a little 2012 Chevrolet Colorado work truck with 45,000 miles on it that I purchased new to haul my flea market treasures.

It was inexpensive at the time, around $19,000.00.

I like it but my caution is that sometimes inexpensive can be more expensive in the long run.

Like the old story about cheap printers requiring expensive ink cartridges and the expensive printers using cheap ink cartridges.

All of the repairs on this little truck have required more expensive parts and labor costs than its beefed up, more expensive, big brothers.

Sometimes it’s better to spend a bit more upfront! 😉🤭😂
 
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Aunt Bea said:
My old hooptie will become a teenager next month!

I drive a little 2012 Chevrolet Colorado work truck with 45,000 miles on it that I purchased new to haul my flea market treasures.
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Doesn't that have a five cylinder engine? I seem to remember those having issues, and the trucks being prone to rust.

Buying any vehicle can be a gamble, almost every manufacturer has dealt with recalls or other issues.
 
C50 said:
Doesn't that have a five cylinder engine? I seem to remember those having issues, and the trucks being prone to rust.

Buying any vehicle can be a gamble, almost every manufacturer has dealt with recalls or other issues.
Click to expand...
Mine is a four cylinder.

Rust to the undercarriage has been an issue but I attribute it to the fact that the car is stored in a heated underground garage.

The moisture, road salt and heat is a bad combination but I would hate to give up the luxury of the garage.

My repairs and maintenance have been wheel bearings, fuel pump, two sets of brake pads, transmission cooling lines, half exhaust system.

The most frustrating has been the sensor for the vehicles stabilitrak system. The cost to replace the sensor was quoted at $1,100.00 so it has been winking at me for several years.

It’s all small beans in the grand scheme of things but I think I should have spent a bit more upfront for a better quality vehicle.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
- Benjamin Franklin
 
I only drive F150's. The ride height, the Aluminum makes it light and handle like a sports car.
Of course, the reverse rims and tires increase the wheelbase and are a great addition. I set
above most all vehicles "not trucks" on the Boulevards and is safer that a way is my belief.
+ it stops on a dime, very maneuverable too. So many 80 mph crazies + crotch rockets now.
 
My original plan was to keep driving my 17 year old Toyota Corolla until it needed repairs. However, since car prices are going to increase by 3-5k per car I bought a new Subaru Impreza and I absolutely love it. All the safety features are great and it’s a pleasure to drive.
 

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Mini-vans work for me, but I've only ever owned two Toyota Siennas. The others from Chrysler, Honda, Nissan, etc., I have no personal experience with.

I schlep around a lot of pet stuff (up to 5 dogs' worth at one point and at least one parrot) and definitely a lot of low brass instruments (tuba, euphonium, bass and tenor trombones) and the extra room comes in handy.

Great gas mileage as well -- I routinely get ~24 mpg in the city, 28 or more on the highway with A/C. Both Toyotas have been supremely reliable. My 2004 Sienna ran for ~280,000 miles or so before I traded it in on my 2018. The 2004 suffered from a bad high pressure fuel pump at one point, and I had to have the side door cable replaced as well (dusty roads apparently will hastened the life of said cables). And since that engine was an interference engine, meaning if the timing belt ever broke, the engine would be lunched. Replacement encouraged every 100,000 miles, to which I was faithful.

The 2018 model has no interference engine (meaning it has a metal timing belt rather than a rubber one) and I have had no issues whatsoever with it at almost 75,000 miles. I changed the plugs myself at 60,000 miles (also recommended by Toyota) and oil/filter changes every 5,000 miles. Even my front brakes are still in good shape, though I will have to replace the pads and rotors soon. The Sienna is hard on tires due to weight, however, and I'm on my third set with maybe 15,000 miles left on them.

Based on what I'm reading about the later models of the Sienna, I'm unsure about them. Toyota seems googly-eyed about hybrids and EVs and I'm just not on board with those. I'm hopeful my 2018 can last at least as long as my 2004, which was 14 years. That brings me up to 2032 and by that point. . .
 
Michael Z said:
I like the older cars, as I have previously posted. Truthfully, I fear the day when I will have to drive a present day vehicle with all of the crazy features that fail a lot. I watch these car guys on YouTube and they tell endless horror stories of nearly brand new cars failing. So I am trying to keep up these old vehicles.
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I agree with this. It's not so much the frequency of the failures, although that can be an issue, but the cost of repairs for all of the computers, touch screens, sensors, airbags, etc. I'm worried to have a car that's out of warranty simply due to the cost of repairs these days. It's not like you can diagnose a problem and fix it on your own any longer; too many specialized tools are required.
 
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