What car should I buy?

[Lola Bunny]

My 20 yrs. old car is really creaky, and I'm afraid it'll fall apart soon. So, I'm looking around for a new car. When it breaks down, I'd know what I want and go out to get it. Rather than asking only Jim, trusting he knows a lot about cars , I thought I'll put it here to see what everyone else thinks.

I'm thinking between the Camry or the Altima. As for the Camry, I'm looking at the LE or SE. What one do you think is better? As for the Altima, I'm looking at the 2.5S. I'm looking for another dependable, stable car that'll last me for 20+ years. If you want to suggest another car, I'm willing to spend around the price range of a Camry or Altima.

[AmandaH&K]

The camry & altima are both very good cars & i dont think you'd go wrong with either of them. I'd suggest that whatever you get, get the best you can reasonably afford. Sounds like you'll hold on to the car for many, many years & you want something that has all the bells & whistles that you would want. I've had my car for 7 years now & i wish i had gotten all the bells & whistles i could've. Jim & i have actually had this discussion as i've been dreaming of my next brand new car.

To add another option to the camry or altima, have you looked at a subaru legacy? Comparable in size & price as both camry & altima. I own an impreza & i still love it 7 years later! Ask jim, he says i should be working for subaru since i can't say enough good things about them! They're extremely reliable & dependable & hold their value well. They're all wheel drive all the time so you have more control & really feel the tires gripping the road. You know when you drive through a puddle on a highway & you feel the tire slip? Doesn't happen in a subaru! They use boxer engines, which means it's horizontally opposed so the center of gravity is lower than most other vehicles. This makes going around turns so much fun! I'm at 105,000 miles & (knock on wood) haven't had any issues at all. Just regular maintenance. Ok, i could really go on forever but i'll spare you... I'd highly suggest taking a subaru out for a test drive & see what you think! Good luck!

[glatt]

In the 2014 Consumer Reports buyers guide, the Camry LE scores better than the Altima 2.5, but both are recommended cars. Consumer Reports also loves Subaru as a brand.

Here's the pages for mid sized sedans. They think the $29k Camry hybrid XLE is best overall in that class.

[Undertoad]

Consumer Reports gives the Legacy an average owner satisfaction rating Amanda so stop being so satisfied with it…! ‼

[xoxoxoBruce]

But UT, Amanda is above average.

[Gravdigr]

I know an Altima owner who absolutely loves her Altima. Over 200,000 miles and as reliable as the sunrise.

She's been looking for a year for another Altima the right color/price/mileage, and swears she'll have nothing else.

ETA: She's keeping the old one, too.

[Sundae]

Buy a white one, Lola.
You'll look cute in it.

[Gravdigr]

She'd look cute driving a pile of dogshit.

[Lola Bunny]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

She'd look cute driving a pile of dogshit.

Ewww...I don't think anyone would look cute in dogshit. :-/

[Lola Bunny]

Originally Posted by Sundae

Buy a white one, Lola.
You'll look cute in it.

I probably will buy a white car. My current one is white too.

[Lola Bunny]

There's this lady who's been telling me to buy a new car and sell the current one to her.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Lola Bunny

I'm thinking between the Camry or the Altima. As for the Camry, I'm looking at the LE or SE. What one do you think is better? As for the Altima, I'm looking at the 2.5S.

SE and LE is mostly about peripherals and colors. How much do you want to spend on the stereo, GPS map system, fancier floor mats, etc.

As others demonstrate, start with Consumer Reports. Then what others are saying will not be overlooked or misunderstood.

Do not waste money on a six cylinder engine or turbo. Those are mostly for the naive who drove, for example, GM (Chevy) cars. And then suffered obsolete technology and balky engines. Better quality and engineering goes into the automaker's benchmark engines - the four cylinder.

View Consumer Report's recommendations and previous year history for each cars. Important facts are in every April issue. All discussed models have a reliable history. But again, never take anyone's word for it. Read it yourself to learn what details are more important.

Also read Consumer Report's page entitled "Used Cars to Avoid". That further illustrates which cars have had 'lesser' histories.

Also view history for the many Chevy models. To appreciate why your considerations are superior and what some consumers (and reporters) foolishly called reliable.

Do not get deceived by an all-wheel drive myth. All wheel drive means getting started easier. To do that, all wheels must fight each other once you get moving; resulting in less stability and control at higher speeds. That means increased tire wear, less gas mileage, and higher costs. Some all-wheel drive models add expensive computers to reduce those problems. If working the farm, then you might need all-wheel drive for the driveway. But all-wheel drive only increases safety and handling in advertising myths.

Why do rental fleets buy white cars? They are statistically safest. The car hardest to see in inclement weather is red. Another critically important feature is orange (not red) rear turn signals. Cars with red rear signals are more often hit because red cannot be easily seen in snow, sleet, heavy rain, fog, etc. Orange cuts through bad weather resulting in increased safety.

[Undertoad]

Originally Posted by tw

Do not get deceived by an all-wheel drive myth. All wheel drive means getting started easier.

Or additional traction any time you notice slipping happening in a two-wheel-drive system. Or even if you don't notice it even though it's happening all the time.

Meanwhile you may notice that in your standard 2wd car there are often times you have to "get started". You may in fact notice that you have to stop all the freakin time. Stop signs, red lights, traffic, infant in the middle of the road. Remember, infant blood is more slippery than freezing rain. And evil states apply infant blood to finished roads to dedicate them to Satan.

To do that, all wheels must fight each other once you get moving; resulting in less stability and control at higher speeds. That means increased tire wear, less gas mileage, and higher costs.

Uh-oh, the 2014 Subarus get MPG in the 30s highway if they have CVT.

Some all-wheel drive models add expensive computers to reduce those problems.

ALL 2WD, 4WD and AWD cars have computers. It's 2013.

But mostly AWD reduces those problems through a gearing system called a center differential. If you've had 4WD without center diff, you know what it means. Without center diff you can't even turn the vehicle while in 4WD in dry conditions. With it, all tires can turn at different speeds, and turning is normal.

Marketing? Every FWD car since the late 80s has been marketed as having "traction control" to prevent slippage. Traction control is really a computer. (Not an *expensive* computer. Again, it's 2013.)

And traction control prevents torque steer, where the car actually turns when only one front tire has traction. In my 1985 VW, front wheel drive, the steering wheel once jerked right out of my hands when hitting a bad pothole in wet conditions. By 1988, veedubs had computers, and would apply ABS to individual wheels to avoid that problem. They still do. It's kind of barbaric to have your car hit the breaks on the wheels that are spinning harder, to avoid problems while you accelerate, but that's what all 2WD cars do these days.

If working the farm, then you might need all-wheel drive for the driveway. But all-wheel drive only increases safety and handling in advertising myths.

Mysteriously, these things apply to farm driveways if you're working the farm, OR if you're just visiting one.

A farm driveway, or really, any stretch of road that has mud, snow, ice, wet leaves, heavy rain, damp grass, sand, large potholes, or gravel. If you don't encounter those, feel free to avoid AWD. Perhaps you live in southern California, or maybe you only drive 2 miles from your garaged home to your garaged office, or maybe you got all your facts in the 80s and stick to them like a religion.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

But mostly AWD reduces those problems through a gearing system called a center differential.

Center differential is also where problems are created. If all wheels run independently (as in other cars to have better safety), then four wheel drive does not get you started. That center differential must have what was called positrack. It intentionally causes wheels to fight for control at higher speeds so that four wheel drive can get you started. It also reduces traction and stability on the highway.

Stability control computer is an expensive solution not found in saver cars. Required to monitor those wheels fighting each other. It even applies brakes to one wheel to keep the four wheel drive from doing what is too common - a roll over. That computer is not found and not needed on a 'safer' car. Although GM did try to promote that expensive computer system using expressions such as anti-lock brakes.

All-wheel drive only provides one useful function - to get you started. It does not provide more safety once moving and does not provide better vehicle stability. It means braking may not be as good. Many four wheel drives add that expensive stability control computer and other expensive hardware because four wheel drive can even mean less effective braking. Because so many all-wheel drive vehicles flip or more easily lose control on highways.

Spend more to have less safety? The advertising forgets to mention why these vehicles are more dangerous to people inside and outside. It contradicts to requirements defined by Lola Bunny.

The car guys noted a better vehicles for Alaska. The caller was considering a Jeep. A vehicles better described as barbaric; is that technically obsolete. They recommended something more reliable and better for Alaska's roads - a Subaru. But that is not the relevant venue. Relevant are facts introduced in every April issue of Consumer Reports.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by tw

Center differential is also where problems are created. If all wheels run independently (as in other cars to have better safety), then four wheel drive does not get you started. That center differential must have what was called positrack. It intentionally causes wheels to fight for control at higher speeds so that four wheel drive can get you started. It also reduces traction and stability on the highway.

No no no, Positraction was GM's name for their limited slip differential, other companies had other names. The limited slip differential was in the center of the axle, usually rear, to feed power to the wheel with the most traction. Without it, if the right rear was on ice you were going nowhere because only one wheel was driven out of four.
The center differential is a whole different animal, splitting the power between the front and rear axles.

Stability control computer is an expensive solution not found in saver cars. Required to monitor those wheels fighting each other. It even applies brakes to one wheel to keep the four wheel drive from doing what is too common - a roll over. That computer is not found and not needed on a 'safer' car.

The NHTSA seems to disagree with your opinion.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems As part of a comprehensive plan for reducing the serious risk of rollover crashes and the risk of death and serious injury in those crashes, this rule establishes Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 126 to require electronic stability control (ESC) systems on passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 Kg (10,000 pounds) or less. ESC systems use automatic computer-controlled braking of individual wheels to assist the driver in maintaining control in critical driving situations. NHTSA estimates ESC will reduce single-vehicle crashes of passenger cars by 34% and single vehicle crashes of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) by 59%, with a much greater reduction of rollover crashes. NHTSA estimates ESC would save 5,300 to 9,600 lives and prevent 156,000 to 238,000 injuries in all types of crashes annually once all light vehicles on the road are equipped with ESC.

You do realize stability control systems originated on high end European cars, especially high performance models, don't you? Didn't think so.

Although GM did try to promote that expensive computer system using expressions such as anti-lock brakes.

Anti-lock brakes are on ALL cars since 2007. It's the law.

All-wheel drive only provides one useful function - to get you started. It does not provide more safety once moving and does not provide better vehicle stability.

With one wheel driving, you'll be in for a lot of fun in slippery going.

It means braking may not be as good.

May? May, from the fountain of truth?

Many four wheel drives add that expensive stability control computer and other expensive hardware because four wheel drive can even mean less effective braking. Because so many all-wheel drive vehicles flip or more easily lose control on highways.

We, along with the NHTSA, already debunked that shit.

The car guys noted a better vehicles for Alaska. The caller was considering a Jeep. A vehicles better described as barbaric; is that technically obsolete. They recommended something more reliable and better for Alaska's roads - a Subaru.

Talk radio? ADAK, is that you?