I second that... Saturn is a pretty good alternative I am currentl looking at the following Pontiac Vibe, Toyata Matrix, Toyota Rav4
Well, for starters, take a look at the engine in a Mitusbishi/Hyundai - it's the same one. Every 3.0 V6 Mitsubishi I every saw smoked like a chimney! And they all had less than 100K on the clock. A Mitsubishi Eclipse 2.0 DOHC crank/cam sensor lists for about $535 from the dealer. On the other hand, a GM crank sensor for most of their cars is less than $100. And the list goes on. Over the 30+ years that I've been a mechanic, I've seen certain trends show up in cars and the aforementioned cars top the list. Let me finish by saying I LOVE CARS, especially NEW ones, but a car is a major investment, second only to a home. Choose carefully and consider all aspects of the transaction: initial cost, increased registration costs, increased insurance costs, increased fuel and maintenance costs, etc. Why anyone would purchase a Cadillac Escalade to commute 150 miles round-trip daily as opposed to say, a Toyota Corolla, I'll never know! I suppose it has something to do with the size of your ego or genitals, but I think I'll let Doc address that issue. Afterall, my specialty is auto repair not pyschology. LOL! Anyway, that's just my .02. I'm always available to answer your car questions if you need it. smogtek
Mechanically speaking, all of the one's I've seen have been in pretty decent condition. They almost always pass their smog check and if they don't, the repair cost is usually minimal. I prefer the 4.0L inline 6 over the 2.5 4 cylinder. The 4.0 is a proven, dependable engine and relatively easy to work on, even if you're a do-it-yourself type. That said, I would not own one because I feel they are an unstable vehicle and the potential for rollover is higher than other vehicles. Of course, this potential is increased (or decreased) depending on your driving habits. It really is an off-road, hill-climber kind of vehicle and it does the job well if used properly. I see a problem when people try use it for that purpose on city streets and freeways.
A Mitsubishi will depreciate rapidly. Plus, they have some models made by Hyundi which is pure junk. I bought a Mitsubishi made by Hyundi and could not get rid of it at a decent price. Fell apart quickly. The Galant has serious problems with depreciation. Look up the values of one and two year old models. They have lost half their value. Compare that with comparables such as Toyota and Honda and Nissan.
Personally I used to drive a Mazda and the car was hearty. Took a lot of abuse and continued to perform. My car now is a volkswagen and driving it and maintaing it has been a dream. Plus the resale value seems to stay intact.
Well I told my mom the info I got about about Kias from this board and she decieded to go to Gmc/chevy and look at the suvs they have to offer. Does anyone know of a good one at a decent price?
teesha, I don't know what your Mom needs in the way of a car or how she is set to pay for it, but I am seriously looking at buying my next car through Hertz Car Sales. They have 1 year-old former rental cars with an average of 25K miles on them. The prices are pretty good and if you are a member of AAA, you get an additional discount. They have Accords, Malibus, Camrys, Grand Ams, etc. Do a Google search for Hertz Car Sales and check it out.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a similar program. However, do be careful when checking out a rental car. They may look great on the outside and inside, but you'll need to get someone you trust to find any potential 'hidden damage' with rentals. Unfortunately, people who drive rentals don't treat them like the cars are their own, so they do tend to get abused on the road. Just make sure you have a trusted mechanic check it out before making your final decision.
I'd be so scared to depend on a former rental car. My sis' was looking for a new(er) car, and one of the places we checked was Enterprise and Hertz car sales. They do have warranties on the cars (I think it was 1yr/12000 mi), and they will give you a sales pitch that they only sell the "better" of the rental cars on their own lots, while they wholesale the rest, but you have to remember--these are *rental* cars! They have been run hard & put away wet, period. At the time, my company car was a Chevy Impala LS, so I knew exactly how the car should feel. Enterprise car sales had two Impalas for sale, I drove both of them--about the same miles as mine--and neither of them were right. Just little things, but little things that weren't present mine, or in the one-owner cars we drove. Also, the title history SHOWS that these are former rentals, so if you do buy it, you better like it b/c you aren't going to re-sell it. And in our shopping, the prices weren't nearly low enough to offset the car's history. Looking at 4door cars around 13k-16k, their best price was exactly the same you could get a one-owner car for out of the newspaper. (which we did, a 2000 Accord well optioned & super low miles, $14,700--this was last summer) $.02 dep
Jeep Liberty is priced reasonably. about 22K fully loaded. With the end of year rapidly approaching one could probably make a good deal on an '02 model. Gib
