What car to buy??

[ADB]

I bought a mazda 3 GT today. Very nice handling car.

 

Hopefully you have better luck than I did with that car...

 

I've got a 2006 3GT leased, going back in July.

 

The transmission had to be replaced a after a few months (It is an automatic, so it wasn't due to abuse).

 

The sunroof had to be fixed under warranty (motor issue if I remember correctly). Now it has gone off the track and the warranty is up.

 

A few minor things as well, like the cigarette lighter no longer working at this point, and one the speakers is a bit iffy.

Edited March 27, 2010 by ADB

[Mike the Pike]

I absolutely love Hondas Had 2 civics one 1980 and one 1989 sold the 89 with 253 000kms on it the guy who bought it off me drove it well over 400 000kms What baffles me is I drove the hell out of this car and it just came back for more.

 

I own the Honda minivan very satisfied with it 10yrs old 168 000kms still going strong.

 

I was passenger in a new civic recently and was impressed so quiet and refined.

 

My choice would be Civic buy you can't beat the amount of space a Matrix or Vibe has.

 

Good Luck with your purchase!!!

Edited March 27, 2010 by Mike the Pike

[Jonny]

I drove a 2005 Matrix for 4 years without a single problem - not even a tiny one.

 

Im on a 2010 model now. Love the interior space with the back seats down, the mileage, the looks, the general comfort and utility.

[canoeing north]

I have a 2003 Matrix XR bought in Sept.2002 ,240000 km , owned for almost 7.5 years . Radio replaced under warrenty years ago , did the brakes at 100000km and havn't touch them since . This was a first year Matrix and I will admit to paint chip problems , espically around the windshied and back hatch also an ongoing rust stain running from a rear door handle . The car drives very good still , the front end still feels tight ( all original ) everything is still original other then tires and the brake job . I would recommend a matrix with 4 winter tires and wheels and your'll have a great little car for the summer and a fun little tank in the winter . Winter tires are needed as the oringinal tires are wide all seasons and will not work in slush ...at all . Also the Matrix is a little taller so the driver can see more then ie - a civic . The driving position was a little hard to get used to , which could have been corrected with telescopic steering but I don't notice it anymore .

[ecmilley]

At the end of the day pick the car you like.

I see these models everyday in the shop i can't say the dollar amount to repair is really any different between them they just arrive with different problems, havn't seen anything major with any of these cars built in the last 5 years or so. follow oem guidelines they will last for years and years

my own personal choice would be the civic as i like slightly sportier cars.

I agree with Bernie on the vw, quality issues abound but if you get a good one there great cars.

I drive a 2003 hyundai tiburon with 500000km been a great car little maintanance other than following oem guidlines actually has cost me less in repairs than my 160000km seirra

theres goods and bad one from every brand enjoy what ever you end up with

[canoeing north]

I just recently applied about owning a Matrix , which I would recommend . In Barrie there is a GM dealer , Georgian Pontiac . Every so often they will buy a couple of hundred cars at an action and sell them quite cheap . Right now they have a bunch of Cobalts for sale at $8800 each . They are a year old and have the remainder of their long GM WARRENTY remaining . As much as I recommend a matrix ( I payed around 26500 tax in , almost 8 years ago ) and feel that it could easily go 400,000km with alot of highway driving ,it is hard not to look at one of these Cobalts at $8800 that are a year old . I think that they bought 250 of them so you'll have a good pick . They have also bought Gran Prix's and Impalas in the past and they sell them for half price and they are all 1 year old with warrenty . My friend bought an impala for over $30,000 new 9 years ago and said that he got another impala a few months ago at Georgian for around $14,000 , 1 year old . Check their website . They do alot of advertising on the local radio stations in Barrie when they purchase large lots of 1 year old GM products . Doing the math they are truly deals that are hard to beat .

[Billy Bob]

Screw all this Bull and get yourself what you really want...a CHEVY Corvette and have fun while you can..

[BillM]

VW is not on the list, though the mileage of a TDI would be nice. My parents and siblings (and nephew etc.etc.) are VW fans.... I watched my dad pour a litre a week of high end "VW" synthetic into his 2007 Passat, VW insisted it was normal consumption.... the 2009 is better... not as reliable as I want unfortunately.

Scion?? Can you even buy them in Canada?

Burt

 

Find me a car more reliable then a VW TDI and I'll eat my hat

 

Goodluck with your search.

[crappieperchhunter]

Find me a car more reliable then a VW TDI and I'll eat my hat

 

Goodluck with your search.

 

I know your a fan Bill. I have owned a 86 , 98 and 2002 golf. Was a big fan of VW....BUT...every model I have owned has got more expensive and had more issues then the previous one. I will not be buying another VW. The price combined with the fact that they are not the same as they where will have me looking elsewhere next time.

[BillM]

I know your a fan Bill. I have owned a 86 , 98 and 2002 golf. Was a big fan of VW....BUT...every model I have owned has got more expensive and had more issues then the previous one. I will not be buying another VW. The price combined with the fact that they are not the same as they where will have me looking elsewhere next time.

 

Yup definitely a fan, how could you tell? lol

 

The new CR engines are real nice, no issues as of yet. Price point isn't to bad either when you consider the competition

 

If you are putting mega miles on a car, a TDI is an easy choice.

[pike n' whities]

i've always been into the civics myself. very well rounded car. thats just my opinion though.

[blue pickeral]

Have 3 Toyotas, but not a brand fanatic. A few related ideas that might be helpful:

 

-there are quite a few 'brand' specific internet forums from which you can find common problems inherent in each car. When researching a Toyota Echo back in 2004, there was so little that went wrong with the cars, some of the female members were posting racy pictures of themselves! A good forum for Toyota is www.toyotanation.com. Enabled me to download all Technical Service bulletins, and as variable speed intermittent wipers are an absolute for me, saved $1,500 learning that a snap in module could be bought for $100, which saved going to the upward 'options' package in which it was included. Also was able to keep track of major changes in models, that as being newly instituted, might not have the 'bugs' worked out yet.

 

-join the Automobile Protections Agency - www.apa.ca - their new car purchase service enables a pre-arranged no haggle price from dealers with which they have pricing agreements. Bought wife's Corolla through this, and knowing invoice price of a truck before hand enabled good price with a non-APA dealer and better trade in value. Have no experience with CarCostCanada, but many people use this as well. No pre-arrange pricing.

 

-Have heard that the Matrix/Vibe are essentially the same vehicle, so better pricing might be available by a 'go between' dealers. After purchase servicing might be easier having two brand facilities to choose from.

 

-finding a manual transmission these days might be problematic. Waited 3 months for factory order for truck as no standards on anyone's lots.

 

-as far as buying North America is concerned, despite the location of assembly - Canada, US, Mexico = most of the parts are from this continent anyway.

 

-for certain vehicles where the warranty is 'no haggle' throughout North America (check the APA web site) you may be able to buy an extended warranty from a US dealer for less than half the Canadian price at time of purchase. For Toyota/Ford owners for instance, a fellow named Troy Dietrich in Greenfield, Mass. sells the authentic (not 3rd party) warranties to Canadians after they have owned the vehicle for 1 year. Purchased a 7 year, 160K, $0 deductible, all inclusive (except for wearable parts)for $950.00 US. Simple process using mail and call in Visa number. A google will bring up the site. (not sure of forum rules with regard to commercial links)

[smally21]

not sure you can put up this list without the mazda 3. did a bunch of research and this seemed to be the best deal in its class. nice range of power options, bigger than the others, well built, 16" rims standard, blah blah all in for around 20k. good luck shop around!

[Jer]

Having driven a 2009 Civic for several months now, I have to say I'm not all that impressed.

 

It's very small and feels very cheap compared to my former company car. I never thought I would miss my '05 Malibu Maxx (it had a few of it's own issues), but I do.

 

The Chevy was much more spacious, had a much better stereo, much more fun to drive powerwise and just more luxurious all the way around.

 

The Honda is very tight for space, my buddy is rather large and can barely fit into the passenger seat, his head almost sticks out the sunroof, the factory stereo sounds like crap, the thing is a gutless wonder and sounds like a sewing machine and the car feels altogether cheaply made. Even the mileage is only slightly improved, I would have expected better since the motor is only half the size (1.8L 4 cylinder compared to 3.5L V6).

 

To be honest, I was expecting better with all the hype about the Civic...

[pikehunter]

not sure you can put up this list without the mazda 3. did a bunch of research and this seemed to be the best deal in its class. nice range of power options, bigger than the others, well built, 16" rims standard, blah blah all in for around 20k. good luck shop around!

[pikehunter]

You're probably correct about the Focus being made in Wayne. I was under the impression they were from Mexico? That is what I was told years ago, probably parts then are from there? just like many assemblies in all cars now come from China or anywhere cheap.

 

Best of luck with whichever you choose.

[hendrix]

toyotas last forever, just saying

[cityfisher]

I'd go with Honda or Toyota , wanna buy my v8 grand Cherokee I get a dismal 17 l per 100 !!!! Mix of hwy city

[doubleheader]

My wife has a 2006 Civic. She puts about 27,000 mile/year on her car, mostly highway. It is as tight today as the day she bought it. I'm sure she'll get 200,000 miles on this engine. She gets 35-40 mpg. Those are the pluses. On the negatives, I don't like sitting down so low to the ground and I hate just getting in and out. Once I'm in there is plenty of room for a 6' 200lb+ guy. It is not the most quiet cabin, especially running winter tires. Finally, while nothing of consequence has ever failed, she has had 4 or 5 minor warranty things, 2 switches, a module, a recall, and the like. Bottom line is she really likes her car even after nearly 5 years, and plans to keep it another 2 years minimum. If you put 70K/year on a car why not buy a late model used vehicle and let someone else take the depreciation hit for the first 2 years?

 

ps. With snow tires it handles amazingly well on plowed roads. Not enough weight to excel on unplowed roads.

[ehg]

The Honda, everthing else seems to be getting recalled recently.

[Billy Bob]

The Honda, everthing else seems to be getting recalled recently.

I'm pretty sure Honda just has a recall on something...BUT this stuff is sooooo over blown that it's getting ridicules.

[CLofchik]

Looking for a smaller, fuel efficient vehicle..... back to a 5 speed... I drive about 70K per year.

 

Jeez, I didn't think Dundas was THAT bad. Wasn't Solo originally from there too? Apart from chemical spills every few years is it that bad that everybody who lives there hates going home?

 

Find me a car more reliable then a VW TDI and I'll eat my hat

 

Goodluck with your search.

 

VW & Audi are the two marques I'll never own, just for reliability reasons alone (forgetting inflated prices, questionable build quality, hell even the OIL that is mandatory has a 150% markup). I still know people who keep insisting on driving them, but darned if I know why, latest is a friends GTI that was parked for 3 weeks last summer waiting for an ECU to be flown in from Wolfsburg. If you ask him he'll still tell you his VW is "pretty reliable" with a straight face. I dunno.

 

-as far as buying North America is concerned, despite the location of assembly - Canada, US, Mexico = most of the parts are from this continent anyway.

 

There were only two vehicles in the last decade that had every component manufactured in N.America, the Toyota Camry & Crown Victoria. So if you want to be a patriotic motorist, get busted for street racing in your Camry and hauled away in the back of a Crown Vic

 

Hybrid Camry's use powertrain components from Asia, but with your mileage they might be worth looking at. The newer ones are huge inside but still get great mileage if you use a light right foot.

[solopaddler]

 

Jeez, I didn't think Dundas was THAT bad. Wasn't Solo originally from there too? Apart from chemical spills every few years is it that bad that everybody who lives there hates going home?

 

 

 

Moving away from Dundas was a huge mistake. Most likely we're moving back at some point this year.

 

As far as the car goes buy the Honda.

 

We've owned 3 Hondas over the years and all have been bulletproof including our current '04 Accord.

Reliable, good on gas, and fantastic resale.

[JohnF]

Of the choices I vote Honda. We've had two of 'em, a Pilot and an Accord and both after 4 years were still tight and squeakless and running like tops. The only warranty issues we had were with the leather in the driver's seat on both cracking after 3 years and the finish on the Accord's rims oxidizing. All were replaced with no argument. I also had to replace the battery on the Pilot due to a faulty cell in the 4th year.

 

JF

[Flappn]

A Toyota Corolla should also be considered for sure...I had two and sold both around 215,000 and they ran perfect. I have a 98 4Runner with 329,000 and it runs like a top. Don't believe the media hype...Toyota is quality.