Did travel influence your last car purchase?
Aug 30th, 2006, 12:56 PM
#41
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LoveItaly--Ours was a lemon from day one. We spent over $7000 on repairs that never should have happened in the first place (not routine stuff). We got the run around with the lemon law because we were moving so often, so not dealing with (nagging, lol!) just one dealership. I even left it unlocked at JFK for 2 weeks hoping someone would steal it. No luck, lol!
Aug 30th, 2006, 01:04 PM
#42
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Yikes mms, I would have been furious, and am sure that you two were. I don't remember the total of what we ended up spending but we were not pleased. And didn't really care for the dealership (the dealership we purchased the Jeep from was merged with a larger dealership and I have always comapared the new one to a WalMart type service.
Aug 30th, 2006, 01:08 PM
#43
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Yes, travel influenced our car purchase. My husband was dead set on an Audi A6 after driving a second hand '86 Audi 5000S back and forth to work for 10 years.
We love the A6 for comfort, drives like a dream,large trunk and it gets decent gas mileage as well.
We love the A6 for comfort, drives like a dream,large trunk and it gets decent gas mileage as well.
Aug 30th, 2006, 01:23 PM
#44
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LoveItaly--After the last quote for repairs on that thing was over $2000, I said no more. DH was stationed at Point Loma, but we were living in WA. He drove home for a couple days, and as soon as he got in the house I handed him a beer and told him I was buying a new vehicle in the morning. I told him he could come with me and pick the color if he wanted, lol! He did, and we still joke about it all
Aug 30th, 2006, 01:41 PM
#45
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Reply to rjw_lgb_ca,
Thanks for the CRV info., we have been impressed with the ride and handling of the Saturn Vue, which we rented and put to the test on the lava fields of Hawaii, but on the other hand like the CRV's gas mileage$). One salesman indicated that the CRV "rides like a tank", and would like to hear your opinion relative to the other SUV's you've driven
Thanks for the CRV info., we have been impressed with the ride and handling of the Saturn Vue, which we rented and put to the test on the lava fields of Hawaii, but on the other hand like the CRV's gas mileage$). One salesman indicated that the CRV "rides like a tank", and would like to hear your opinion relative to the other SUV's you've driven
Aug 30th, 2006, 02:04 PM
#46
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JohnD: I don't know if saying an SUV "rides like a tank" is a slam or a compliment...!
The CR-V, like all the baby SUVs I drove, has a firm, compliant ride. Not at all rough or jarring. As far as I know, the underpinnings on all of these are car chassis, so they are tuned for road comfort above all. But they are not floaty or uncontrolled either. (To exemplify "floaty": Take an old Lincoln Town Car through a slalom at high speed, then hit on the brakes at 55 mph.)
You do get some road noise in the CR-V. But you can turn up the stereo (six-CD changer in the dash, optional XM radio, six quite-good speakers) and ignore it.
Fact is: The baby SUVs from Asia have different handling and ride characteristics from those from the US and Europe. If you like how American cars are tuned in general, the closest Asian company will probably be Toyota; I highly recommend looking at the RAV4 and (going up one size) the Highlander-- both superb SUVs.
The CR-V, like all the baby SUVs I drove, has a firm, compliant ride. Not at all rough or jarring. As far as I know, the underpinnings on all of these are car chassis, so they are tuned for road comfort above all. But they are not floaty or uncontrolled either. (To exemplify "floaty": Take an old Lincoln Town Car through a slalom at high speed, then hit on the brakes at 55 mph.)
You do get some road noise in the CR-V. But you can turn up the stereo (six-CD changer in the dash, optional XM radio, six quite-good speakers) and ignore it.
Fact is: The baby SUVs from Asia have different handling and ride characteristics from those from the US and Europe. If you like how American cars are tuned in general, the closest Asian company will probably be Toyota; I highly recommend looking at the RAV4 and (going up one size) the Highlander-- both superb SUVs.
Aug 30th, 2006, 02:32 PM
#48
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Ha-ha ! I own a RAV4 as well, and I LOVE
that car ! I have a 5-speed stick and can tell you it's a blast to travel in all over the hilly, curvy Wine Country roads as well as the Bay Area.
The roominess continues to amaze us-
we have gotten a screen security door
in it, various Christmas trees, and having moved twice since we bought it
I cannot say enough for the surprising amount of interior space.
I prefer the swing door to a split
and the spare tire location is perfect
IMHO (as you know you're only going to get a flat when you've completely loaded
the wayback AND it will be raining
when it comes time to digging out
your cargo, plopping it all in the rain to locate the spare tire-no thank you !)
I enjoy the drivers seat height as well, it's just high enough that when I cross the San Rafael or Golden Gate bridge I can see the bay, not the
the bridge railings. My RAV does quite will on the hills in SF, and is a breeze to park on the street.
I like the look of the new FJ Cruiser,
yet I remain loyal to my little
Grizzelda.
R5
that car ! I have a 5-speed stick and can tell you it's a blast to travel in all over the hilly, curvy Wine Country roads as well as the Bay Area.
The roominess continues to amaze us-
we have gotten a screen security door
in it, various Christmas trees, and having moved twice since we bought it
I cannot say enough for the surprising amount of interior space.
I prefer the swing door to a split
and the spare tire location is perfect
IMHO (as you know you're only going to get a flat when you've completely loaded
the wayback AND it will be raining
when it comes time to digging out
your cargo, plopping it all in the rain to locate the spare tire-no thank you !)
I enjoy the drivers seat height as well, it's just high enough that when I cross the San Rafael or Golden Gate bridge I can see the bay, not the
the bridge railings. My RAV does quite will on the hills in SF, and is a breeze to park on the street.
I like the look of the new FJ Cruiser,
yet I remain loyal to my little
Grizzelda.
R5
Aug 30th, 2006, 03:32 PM
#49
I spent a long time agonizing between the Rav4 abd CRV when I was buying about 1.5 years ago.
Both are very peppy, turn on a dime, sit you up high off the road and have nice seats and features. Not lux, really basic cars, but nice.
What sold me in the end:
CRV has one whole foot longer storage area in the back.
Both cars have the swinging rear door, but the CRV window can be opened separately.
The dashboard was a bit more open and the instruments a bit more readable in the CRV.
I liked the space between the two front seats and the little flip-up table there as well.
The table in the back is definitely cool, although my soccer days are done, so I've used it only once.
Honda service seemed better up front, and I am still happy with my particular dealer. They promised if I had to leave my car more than 1.5 hours they would give me a loaner or drive me across the island to my home or office.
I'm still happy with the CRV. Find it has plenty of power to drive up the hill to my house, like its "peppy-ness", gas intake, and size. I would recommend the parking sensors or video for any SUV, small or large.
When I was choosing the CRV I didn't want a minivan, as I had owned 3 over the previous 18 years (caravan, MVP, and Voyager), but you might look into one. They are all loaded with bells and whistles- lots of cup holders, lighted mirrors, flexible seating, good view channels, comfy seats with lots of good controls, etc- to appeal to the moms who need a minivan, buy want a BMW. Most of them have very good milage. The thing I miss most from my minivans is the THREE rows of seats...you can sit 7 or eight adults, and if you have two kids, you can put them in their own rows! In a mini-SUV like the RAV4 or CRV, you can basically fit two car seats in the back and two adults in the front. Think about taking your husband and kids, each with a friend, or carpooling and you might find a minivan a better choice.
Both are very peppy, turn on a dime, sit you up high off the road and have nice seats and features. Not lux, really basic cars, but nice.
What sold me in the end:
CRV has one whole foot longer storage area in the back.
Both cars have the swinging rear door, but the CRV window can be opened separately.
The dashboard was a bit more open and the instruments a bit more readable in the CRV.
I liked the space between the two front seats and the little flip-up table there as well.
The table in the back is definitely cool, although my soccer days are done, so I've used it only once.
Honda service seemed better up front, and I am still happy with my particular dealer. They promised if I had to leave my car more than 1.5 hours they would give me a loaner or drive me across the island to my home or office.
I'm still happy with the CRV. Find it has plenty of power to drive up the hill to my house, like its "peppy-ness", gas intake, and size. I would recommend the parking sensors or video for any SUV, small or large.
When I was choosing the CRV I didn't want a minivan, as I had owned 3 over the previous 18 years (caravan, MVP, and Voyager), but you might look into one. They are all loaded with bells and whistles- lots of cup holders, lighted mirrors, flexible seating, good view channels, comfy seats with lots of good controls, etc- to appeal to the moms who need a minivan, buy want a BMW. Most of them have very good milage. The thing I miss most from my minivans is the THREE rows of seats...you can sit 7 or eight adults, and if you have two kids, you can put them in their own rows! In a mini-SUV like the RAV4 or CRV, you can basically fit two car seats in the back and two adults in the front. Think about taking your husband and kids, each with a friend, or carpooling and you might find a minivan a better choice.
Aug 30th, 2006, 03:56 PM
#50
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Last summer we purchased our third minivan in 20 years. DS now uses the 96 Grand Caravan for college. We love to camp, canoe and bike. I love the space afforded by my Grand Caravan and especially love the mileage with high gas prices.
Aug 30th, 2006, 06:20 PM
#51
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Back about 20 years ago, we were trying to make up our minds about what to buy. So, we had a 10 hour trip to make. We rented a Dodge Minivan. It was a great road car. So when we got home, that's what we got. We later replaced
my car with a Plymouth Voyager. Both had close to 200,000 miles, hard, hard miles on them before we retired them. No trouble. Easy driving. You can haul a bunch of stuff in a minivan.
We now have a Chevy Venture. I don't like driving it as well as I do the Chrysler made minivans, but we got a great trade in for the Voyager. You can get it with three bench seats. That will hold a lot of kids and kid junk. I think minivans get better millage than the SUVs.
my car with a Plymouth Voyager. Both had close to 200,000 miles, hard, hard miles on them before we retired them. No trouble. Easy driving. You can haul a bunch of stuff in a minivan.
We now have a Chevy Venture. I don't like driving it as well as I do the Chrysler made minivans, but we got a great trade in for the Voyager. You can get it with three bench seats. That will hold a lot of kids and kid junk. I think minivans get better millage than the SUVs.
Aug 30th, 2006, 07:12 PM
#52
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We always buy vehicles with travel in mind. We love to camp and take long Road Trips. For us the trip itself is 50% of the fun. Love to take the back roads and meander the country side and thru the small towns of America and Canada. We are on our third full size Ford Van, the first two were E150's with a combined total mileage of 478K miles. The one we have now is an E350 Sd extended with only 62K miles on it. We just returned from a three month 11K+ mile cross country road/camping (and motels) trip. One of the hardest parts of traveling is learning a new channel line up and the operation of a different TV clicker at each place you stop for the night, seems that no two are ever the same.....
Aug 30th, 2006, 07:38 PM
#54
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Since I TRAVEL for a living, yes.
I've driven mini-vans ever since Chrysler created the Caravan in the 80's. Unfortunately, I've had to drive non-Chrysler vans for a few years, but I've been back in my Chryslers for over 10. Voyager. Caravan. I love my new Town and Country, especially the stow 'n go seats. (First time I think I've ever disagreed with LoveItaly on this board )
For fun, I bought a PT Cruiser. Mainly, because it made me smile. It is very versatile and can carry a lot more than its size would indicate. It will be my "forever" car - hauling dogs, hay, garden stuff and me all over the place. Both are great for road trips.
I've driven mini-vans ever since Chrysler created the Caravan in the 80's. Unfortunately, I've had to drive non-Chrysler vans for a few years, but I've been back in my Chryslers for over 10. Voyager. Caravan. I love my new Town and Country, especially the stow 'n go seats. (First time I think I've ever disagreed with LoveItaly on this board
)For fun, I bought a PT Cruiser. Mainly, because it made me smile. It is very versatile and can carry a lot more than its size would indicate. It will be my "forever" car - hauling dogs, hay, garden stuff and me all over the place. Both are great for road trips.
Aug 30th, 2006, 07:53 PM
#55
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At one time, 3 of 5 cars in the driveway were Chryslers. Voyager, PT Cruiser and Jeep. The other "travel" car was a Subaru Outback wagon. The non-travel vehicle is an "antique" VW convertible. It doesn't go very far at all anymore
Aug 30th, 2006, 08:41 PM
#56
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Hi starrsville, I and many other friends in my area that had Chrysler vehicles ended up with lots of problems, and one serious problem was around 50,000 miles the front of the vehicle would start being a problem, as though the vehicle was out of control (when turning corners, changing lanes etc). Maybe it was the Chryslers that were shipped to the SF/Bay Area during a period of time.
Now back to the Monaco versus the Villa Florence, lol!!!
Now back to the Monaco versus the Villa Florence, lol!!!
Aug 30th, 2006, 08:47 PM
#57
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Alternate, dear one, alternate
That's not a disagreement... I don't think, anyway
I turn my vans in shortly after 60K so I haven't had that problem. I hope the PT doesn't develop it. It's 5 years old with no problems. It absorbed a rear end collison at a very high rate of speed with almost no visible damage. I can't believe how safe I feel now in (what to me is) a little car.
That's not a disagreement... I don't think, anyway
I turn my vans in shortly after 60K so I haven't had that problem. I hope the PT doesn't develop it. It's 5 years old with no problems. It absorbed a rear end collison at a very high rate of speed with almost no visible damage. I can't believe how safe I feel now in (what to me is) a little car.
Aug 31st, 2006, 05:35 AM
#58
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Little did I know when I started this thread how much response that I would get. I appreciate the comments from those who are happy with their minivans, but I don't think I am a minivan girl. Because we keep cars for a long time and we are planning to make a few long road trips with it, I need a vehicle that will have little if any problems for at least 100K miles. So reliability for the long term is very important to me. I guess in the end it will boil down to what gives us the "best bang for the buck." We still have time for a decision but it is nice to the see the opinions of others. I just came across this link about car reliability for those who are interested.
http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.as...=4023544#below
http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.as...=4023544#below
Aug 31st, 2006, 05:57 AM
#59
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I too, ilovetulips, keep a car for way over 100,000 as a "usual". They lose too much value in their first few years for me to afford to do otherwise.
I taught my kids to understand that when you buy a new car, you lose enough "value" equity when driving it home it's as if you threw a carat or carat and a half diamond out the window on that short drive. Did that stick!
They are the best car buyers you ever saw. My daughter got her '06 CRV with 400 miles on (used for trial)for about $5000 less than brand new.
I do know you can't get fantastic "deals" on the Toyotas and Hondas, not a fraction as much as is possible off the American made cars and vans. Especially if you have employee status through friends or relatives.
But because of my travel to MI and work travel, I'll be looking for one next week when I get back home and I do think it will be my first foreign. I've made up my mind- great deal or not.
ilovetulips, if you are that preplexed, I would absolutely go to the library and get the entire latest edition of Consumers Reports for the cars. It's the item most used by the common layman in most public libraries, outside of cook books. Sometimes they even have it on reserve or attached with a chain. LOL!
But seriously, that can help you decide what factors are the most important to you. For instance I thought I needed a 6 cyl. but find I really don't. And you sound like me too in that you aren't just going to be able to change once again if something is wrong or inconvenient. Me too, I can't afford multiple vehicles either. So you do want to make the right choices. Some cars hold value and some don't. PERIOD! That's another thing to remember.
Happy driving on all your vacation trips this weekend!
I taught my kids to understand that when you buy a new car, you lose enough "value" equity when driving it home it's as if you threw a carat or carat and a half diamond out the window on that short drive. Did that stick!
They are the best car buyers you ever saw. My daughter got her '06 CRV with 400 miles on (used for trial)for about $5000 less than brand new.
I do know you can't get fantastic "deals" on the Toyotas and Hondas, not a fraction as much as is possible off the American made cars and vans. Especially if you have employee status through friends or relatives.
But because of my travel to MI and work travel, I'll be looking for one next week when I get back home and I do think it will be my first foreign. I've made up my mind- great deal or not.
ilovetulips, if you are that preplexed, I would absolutely go to the library and get the entire latest edition of Consumers Reports for the cars. It's the item most used by the common layman in most public libraries, outside of cook books. Sometimes they even have it on reserve or attached with a chain. LOL!
But seriously, that can help you decide what factors are the most important to you. For instance I thought I needed a 6 cyl. but find I really don't. And you sound like me too in that you aren't just going to be able to change once again if something is wrong or inconvenient. Me too, I can't afford multiple vehicles either. So you do want to make the right choices. Some cars hold value and some don't. PERIOD! That's another thing to remember.
Happy driving on all your vacation trips this weekend!
Aug 31st, 2006, 06:57 AM
#60
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Yes! We were driving a Ford Explorer, then went to a Lexus RX a year or so ago, which drives/rides like a car, not a truck. We do lots of long driving trips, especially now that we're retired. Even our little Trissie (our sweet old doggie who died in April ...) could ride in the back seat of the Lexus without getting carsick, unlike before. We LOVE it!
