OT - Looking for new family car - input please!

[SharkmanBMW]

This is for a woman who is 55, lives in the suburbs and it will be used for mostly short trips, work, groceries with a few road trips here and there.

Narrowed it down to 3...
Accord, Camry and Altima - but very open to suggestions.
Needs to be automatic.


Any owners with some comments?
All servicing will be done at the dealer or indy, so ease of oil changes are not an issue.
Thanks

http://www3.sympatico.ca/sharkmanedw/1.jpg

[markus]

get a 1996 honda accord. its what my dad drives and the damn thing just keeps going. 196k on his and drives it about 600 miles a week.

[Russell]

Camry is my choice. They run forever with normal care and almost forever with no care and abuse. If considering a new car, I would consider the Camry hybrid. More power than the 4 and much better real world economy from magazine feedback. Just a consideration.

[Bill R.]

I'm a big honda fan i would stay away from the 2007 accord for now. One of my customers bought one a few months back and the transmission has died twice. He said the last time it was in waiting for a new trans. there were 8 other accords waiting for one as well... the dealer finally swapped my customer out with a new CRV instead. Supposedly the 07 accord has a redesigned auto that's been giving all the problems. The CRV still uses the old Unit that it had before. If she wanted a sedan i would lean to the camry over the altima. I'm seeing more problems with the newer nissans than i did in the past.




This is for a woman who is 55, lives in the suburbs and it will be used for mostly short trips, work, groceries with a few road trips here and there.

Narrowed it down to 3...
Accord, Camry and Altima - but very open to suggestions.
Needs to be automatic.


Any owners with some comments?
All servicing will be done at the dealer or indy, so ease of oil changes are not an issue.
Thanks

http://www3.sympatico.ca/sharkmanedw/1.jpg

[Herb]

If you/she is looking for new, I would go with a Hyundi Sonata, I worked for a subaru/hyundi dealer and the Sonata SE, you also get 5yr/unlimited free roadside assistance (mentioned because of driver's age). $21-23k and better warranty.

[txp135]

If you buy brand new, go for an Accord SE 4 Cyl. If you buy used, go for the Accord EX 4cyl or 4cyl Camry. Accord is more in line with BMW as far as handling is concerned. It's hard to find them used in good condition at a good price. Might as well go brand new or look for one with low mileage (low low).

I used to sell Toyotas, owned and drove various cars. The Accord and Camry are very good as far as reliability. But I think the Honda suspension set up is better, but they were a little more noisy.

If you are close by, I have a very good condition 2000 Camry XLE V6(top of the line - aka baby lexus) you may want to take a look at. It's an extra car we've been keeping. Wasn't worth selling because everyone now a day look for a 4 cyl and the resale price was not worth our time.

[mikeythekidd]

I've owned many Toyota products:
79 Hi-lux 350,000 miles
85 Hi-lux 350,000 miles
00 Tundra 156,000 miles
03 Lexus GS300 60,000 miles
05 Lexus RX330 28,000 miles
That's nearly a million miles and I have never, ever had one single problem!
That being said they are boring, basic transportation. Me, I like a little drama and therefore choose to drive a 13-year-old BMW. If I get really bored, I'll neglect it.
PS I also owned an Altima. Good car but not as bullet-proof as the Toyotas.

[dennyg]

I rented a v6 Sonata in Florida this winter. It is very cheap in cost compared to Honda and Toyota and motor is smooth and fast. There is an ebay off lease site in Cleveland that sells them for about 12k with under 20k on them. Id is icck?........but of course all things considered the Toyota has the best rep...

[SharkmanBMW]

Thanks for the input guys, keep it comin;)

BTW - I checked the details of the Sonata... it is a 4 speed automatic and the listed fuel efficiency was quite a bit lower than the other 3.
Also, in Canada, we don't get the same great Hyundai warranty as in the USA, so it is not that appealing... virtually the same price for all of them.

A scary thing I noticed... the base model Accord still comes with DRUM brakes in rear!!:(
I was surprised by that a lot.

Thanks again.

[rickm]

My folks purchased a 2007 Camry. Nice car, smooth, quiet and will run forever. He's had Toyotas since he gave up on Dodge and his need for a dualie.

My wife had an 88 Camry that ran like a champ until she totalled it.

[brosher]

Camry out of those 3. I also recommend checking into the sonata

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Very popular, and a mechanic that I know has a 3 or so for his family, he likes them.

[Ross]

It kills me to recommend, the Toyota. Reliability on a par with the Honda but less rust. The Nissan is a shitbox. As exciting as a refrigerator but also an appliance.

[dolfan13]

I work at the camry plant in g-town, ky.Not all good, I have plenty stories to tell.Sludge motors etc.Dont over look the big three they are getting better all the time.Go ahead and laugh helping a bud I work with rebuild V6 02 highlander sludge motor at the moment.

[Zeuk in Oz]

My advice would be look at the VW Golf (do you still call them Rabbit?) or Jetta (Golf with a boot [trunk]).

The TDi diesel is especially nice when mated to the 6 speed auto.

If she wants a larger car, look at the Passat diesel auto.

For my 2c, they are much better than what you have been looking at.

Also available in 4 motion if she lives where it snows.

BTW, which Accord are you looking at - the Accord Euro is a nice bit of gear, but I suspect it is not available over there.

[ryan roopnarine]

after being utterly, utterly disappointed with a 4 cylinder altima (brake booster going at 30k miles)--admittedly not my car, i would hesitate from buying modern nissan anything. all of my nismo lovin' friends like to talk a great deal of crap about the e34, but from the issues they have with (their) cars, i don't really see the point of having a japanese marquee if it isn't even that reliable...rather have to deal with the trials and tribulations of deutchland and have something worth fixing rather than an unreliable fwd transportation appliance. get that camry--they should simultaneously have a reliable engine and transmission combo in there now. honda seems to be making utter turds of transmissions right now, and the motor in the camry should be sludge proof in the 2007 and up iteration.

if it were me, i'd buy american, but i do possess some mechanical aptitude in the event that i made a bad choice.

[BillionPa]

aside from everyones objections i would get the nissan.

CVT is awesome, and it has the best power to weight ratio (also best power and lowest weight period) out of your list, along with the best fuel econ AND the biggest gas tank!

during the winter and while i work on my 530, i drive a Murano with CVT, and its a 2 ton beast! that being said, it does rather well with the way i drive, and i have actually been pretty impressed with its reliability. no real problems, other than the hatch handle is stuck, but im sure all it needs is WD40, which fixed the sticking fuel door lock.

i would upgrade to alloy wheels though, for all the right reasons of course. and of course get the optional heated seats!

[SharkmanBMW]

A little background...
It is for my girlfriend's mother, a Chinese lady driver, 55 years old... She just wants a plank with wheels and a good warranty!
She is going to retire and get a new car, so it will be a lower model to save some $$... - no bells or whistles.

I guess she is looking for the best "appliance":p

[txp135]

I heard sludge problem starts with not changing the oil on time. Honda/Acura V6 tranny had a lot of problems too. Once in awhile you'll have a model that have very little or no design problems, but we don't find that out until much much later.



I work at the camry plant in g-town, ky.Not all good, I have plenty stories to tell.Sludge motors etc.Dont over look the big three they are getting better all the time.Go ahead and laugh helping a bud I work with rebuild V6 02 highlander sludge motor at the moment.

[Montreal525]

Hey Sharkman, I've got this sleeping in my garage.... Think about it, you'd have the fastest mother-in-law in town.... :D

Jeff

[BillionPa]

oh snap!

[e345spd]

Watch out for the new accords, I know three people that have flipped theirs in the last 8 months, (one on an onramp, went off the edge a little and flipped(40-50 MPH), the other got cut off, tried to avoid, turned to sharp and actually ended up rolling and flipping end to end (55 MPH). I don't know the details of the other.)

My real problem with these cars is that you can look at the and see they are way too high in the air. Also read up on crash tests, these cars may be safe around 35, but they are not designed for much more.

[BillionPa]

I have driven a honda pilot suv before (and the X3, and the mercedes, and some chevy's, a ford.... part of a test to find a new car) and felt very unsafe. the brakes felt.. odd, the steering was goofy, the doors felt like aluminum foil!

the nissan won that test by the way, i would consider test driving all 3 vehicles to see how they drive, because that may be the most important test of all.