Pilot, highlander or Santa Fe ?

[BillM]

Replacing the timing belt is an expensive repair around 120-160K, timing chains usually last the life of the vehicle.

 

You can easily DIY this. Although $800-$1000 every 120-160k isn't a big deal. You'll spend more on tires/brakes in that time.

[16 Footer]

Replacing the timing belt is not an easy DIY job on most vehicles. Get the belt on the wrong gear teeth alignment and you can damage your engine. It can cost well over $1000 to replace it on some vehicles depending on how difficult it is to get at it. I work at a dealership and see it done all the time. Get a vehicle with a timing chain if you don't want to pay for replacing the timing belt.

[Can_38]

I have had the Outlander for exactly two years now, no issues and don't plan on any for the balance of my 10 year warranty . It pulls my 16' Legend no problem & has pulled my boat out of some gnarly boat ramps across Ontario with its 4x4 Lock feature.

 

As a daily driver the fuel economy is fantastic driving into TO 5 days a week.

[BillM]

Replacing the timing belt is not an easy DIY job on most vehicles. Get the belt on the wrong gear teeth alignment and you can damage your engine. It can cost well over $1000 to replace it on some vehicles depending on how difficult it is to get at it. I work at a dealership and see it done all the time. Get a vehicle with a timing chain if you don't want to pay for replacing the timing belt.

 

The mark and pray method doesn't work on a belt or chain, lol. You need to do it properly. Saving yourself $1000 is worth it to a lot of people.

[Mister G]

When in doubt, always pick the vehicle that bears the Sombrero on it's grill.

[rob v]

Mister G - never heard them described that way before - I assume you're referring to the Toyota brand, and that got me thinking about what that logo meant. Interesting - but I am suprised to hear it took them 5 years to get that symbol figured out

 

http://blog.toyota.co.uk/toyota-logo-download

Edited February 15, 2017 by Rob V

[Rod Caster]

don't get a Hyundai. One of my best friends is a mechanic at Hyundai and drives a Honda.

[Mister G]

Mister G - never heard them described that way before - I assume you're referring to the Toyota brand, and that got me thinking about what that logo meant. Interesting - but I am suprised to hear it took them 5 years to get that symbol figured out

 

http://blog.toyota.co.uk/toyota-logo-download

That is what the symbol looks like to me . . .

[DRIFTER_016]

Here's an interesting article on which vehicles are kept 10 years or longer.

Almost all ar Honda or Toyota.

Pilot is #5 and Highlander is #3.

No Hyundai's on the list and only one Subaru.

All others are Toyota, Honda and one high end Toyota (Lexus).

 

http://www3.forbes.com/business/10-cars-owners-keep-10-years-or-more/

Edited February 15, 2017 by DRIFTER_016

[G.mech]

I don't have any particular brand loyalty but we just got rid of our 2003 Toyota Camry and a 2007 Honda Odyssey which combined had over a million KM on them (375,000 km on the camry and 400,000 miles on the honda). Neither one of them had any major repairs just routine maintenance (and timing belts of course). I guess I can't complain about that.

[Old Ironmaker]

They say that they don't build things like they used to. Thank goodness. When I was destroying cars and trucks lucky if you ever turned over 100,000 miles and then it was a heap of scrap metal. I was floored when I was told by a car dealer that most new car loans are for 7 years.

 

Dave Drifter, those stats can be misleading as they are only for vehicles that the original owner kept for 10 years. I bought the Nissan Altima 3.5 L with 35K's on it a year old. We have had it for 9 years now with 312,000 KMS on the odometer and it purrs like a kitty, fly's like a Cheetah and hasn't a spot of rust on it. That's a number I would like to see, 2nd owners that keep a vehicle 10 years.

 

Now I have put the jinx on that car.

Edited February 15, 2017 by Old Ironmaker

[DRIFTER_016]

They say that they don't build things like they used to. Thank goodness. When I was destroying cars and trucks lucky if you ever turned over 100,000 miles and then it was a heap of scrap metal. I was floored when I was told by a car dealer that most new car loans are for 7 years.

 

Dave Drifter, those stats can be misleading as they are only for vehicles that the original owner kept for 10 years. I bought the Nissan Altima 3.5 L with 35K's on it a year old. We have had it for 9 years now with 312,000 KMS on the odometer and it purrs like a kitty, fly's like a Cheetah and hasn't a spot of rust on it. That's a number I would like to see, 2nd owners that keep a vehicle 10 years.

 

Now I have put the jinx on that car.

 

I bought my Pilot @ 3 years old with 26K on it.

It will be 12 years old in May!!!

[huzzsaba]

I am a volvo guy and have owned them since 2006. In my humble opinion, they are one of the better cars on the road (with the exception of a few years when Ford bought them). I have owned, Hondas, Mitsubishi, Toyota in the past, and while they were all good, I feel like Volvo had all the things I was looking for (safety, Comfort, Reliability, Ease of repairs and the fact that they dont rust). To each his/her own. I do most of the repairs myself so it is a little cheaper for me to own, but as long as the maintenance is done on time, which is no different any other car, they last a long time. I have owned many in the last 10 years and all of them had over 200k kms when I bought them, and they all ran super good! So if they were so reliable, why did I buy so many? basically I worked my way up by buying and selling until I bought the the most pricey volvo I bought.A 2004 volvo xc90 2.5T AWD. I bought it 5 years ago for 8k with 220k kms on it and now it sits at 355k kms. Knock on wood, its been the best car I have owned and plan on getting another 5 or more years out of it if not longer .

 

if anyone needs more info or is interested in Volvos, dont hesitate to send me a Pm. Id be glad to help out.

Edited February 15, 2017 by huzzsaba

[Old Ironmaker]

To each his own. I wouldn't drive a Volvo Huzz, just not me. To each his own. Since there is over 300KMs on the Altima I have been peeking in the used car lot out here, Haldimand Mtrs, not for a SUV or crossover. For a car I don't see anything that turns my crank. I couldn't believe the most stylish vehicles other than the luxury cars on a lot of several hundred cars are the late model Buicks, Buicks!!!!! Am I that old? I guess I am.

 

If you covered the badges on the sedans today you can't tell one from another, except for Volvo's, VW's and Chrysler 500's. I wish my wife would consider a crossover AWD like the OP is looking at, she just doesn't like the look, too Minivany Soccer mommy what ever that means. Happy wife,,,,,,,,,,. Then I could tow my boat with hers and sell my truck and buy back my 62' Healy or the 67' MGB or the 73' TR6 or the 70' T-Bird or the 69' Benz 280S, 76' L-88 Sting Ray, maybe my 83 560 SEC, 81' Eldorado Love Barge, oh my oh my too many to list I wish I had back today. One of my faves was the 68' International Harvester pick up 4X4 that was my winter beater when I had those sports cars, very rare.

 

Man I'm sorry, who asked?

Edited February 16, 2017 by Old Ironmaker

[huzzsaba]

I couldn't believe the most stylish vehicles other than the luxury cars on a lot of several hundred cars are the late model Buicks, Buicks!!!!! Am I that old? I guess I am.

 

If there is one Buick the wife and I like, its the Buick Enclave.

 

But seriously speaking, as they say old is gold. Newer cars are pretty much all the same. No charm like the cars back in the days.

[Old Ironmaker]

I hear you Huzz, They all look like eggs to me. 4 door sedans are going the way of the Dodo bird unless something changes.

[Old Ironmaker]

I was always of the understanding the Toyota logo is supposed to be a Bull and it's horns, I can't open that link.

[Mister G]

I am a volvo guy and have owned them since 2006. In my humble opinion, they are one of the better cars on the road (with the exception of a few years when Ford bought them). I have owned, Hondas, Mitsubishi, Toyota in the past, and while they were all good, I feel like Volvo had all the things I was looking for (safety, Comfort, Reliability, Ease of repairs and the fact that they dont rust). To each his/her own. I do most of the repairs myself so it is a little cheaper for me to own, but as long as the maintenance is done on time, which is no different any other car, they last a long time. I have owned many in the last 10 years and all of them had over 200k kms when I bought them, and they all ran super good! So if they were so reliable, why did I buy so many? basically I worked my way up by buying and selling until I bought the the most pricey volvo I bought.A 2004 volvo xc90 2.5T AWD. I bought it 5 years ago for 8k with 220k kms on it and now it sits at 355k kms. Knock on wood, its been the best car I have owned and plan on getting another 5 or more years out of it if not longer .

 

if anyone needs more info or is interested in Volvos, dont hesitate to send me a Pm. Id be glad to help out.

Every time I hear "Volvo" I think of the character Alan on "Two and Half Men" who drives a Volvo. Charlie Sheen always makes fun of fuddy duddy Alan and his Volvo. Charlie is always getting laid while Alan stays home and "rubs one out" . . . . LOL

 

I'll pass on the Volvo for that alone . . .

[craigdritchie]

If it makes any difference to the discussion, I just received a press release this morning announcing that Toyota won more Canadian Black Book Retained Value Awards and ALG Residual Value Awards this week than any other auto manufacturer. Canadian International Auto Show opens in Toronto this weekend, so it's award season for the car industry.

 

Sorry the attached pdf of the press release is crappy quality, I had to cut it down in size to meet the 250 kb maximum size for attachments.

Reduced-Toyota Awards.pdf

[lookinforwalleye]

One thing this thread proves is that vehicles are a very personal thing for me I have never owned a Honda or a Toyota just really never cared for them they are fine vehicles I just find the style BORING....I have been a Chrysler guy for the past 20 years with no complaints...

 

I worked at Hyundai for a year and a half and I can tell ya there was a lot of Santa Fe`s having engine work done especially the ones with the 2.0 turbo...personally I would not touch that engine without a very good extended warranty...try and find one with the V6 would be the way to go!!!

[captpierre]

 

One thing this thread proves is that vehicles are a very personal thing for me I have never owned a Honda or a Toyota just really never cared for them they are fine vehicles I just find the style BORING....I have been a Chrysler guy for the past 20 years with no complaints...

 

Boring is good unless you need a chick magnet ?

I like rock solid and reliable over looks.

Good resale important too

 

But Chrysler?????? ???

[Old Ironmaker]

You can tell a lot about someone by the vehicle they drive. I don't really have brand loyalty, I will buy the vehicle based on best value for the buck. I had a very bad experience with a 2003 Intrepid that came off a 1 year lease. I needed strait forward transportation as I was driving many K's a week, nothing fancy, no less than 3 transmission communication computers failed on it, every 80K on the button. I will never buy another Chrysler yet many rave about them. The replacement came in at $1000.00 a pop. For that reason alone I will never buy another Chrysler. The most undependable brand I did drive was Mercedes Benz. I had 3 over the years and for some reason kept buying them. Parts could be triple the price of a North American car. Vehicles are the worst financial investment by far. Unless you rode a horse, then when it wouldn't run anymore you could at least eat it.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Old Ironmaker

[BillM]

Buy used, let someone else take the 30% depreciation hit when he drives off the lot. Same goes with boats.

Edited February 16, 2017 by BillM

[rob v]

I hear you old iron maker and billm. from an investment perspective vehicles are as bad as it gets. and you certainly can't eat a car when you're done with it, that's for sure.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Rob V

[Old Ironmaker]

I agree 100% Bill, let someone else take the hit. The one and only new off the lot vehicle I bought or should say my fantastic Lady bought for me is the now 5 year old Silverado. It hasn't depreciated as much as I thought. I wouldn't have bought new if it wasn't for me getting sick then.