I need a new car: crowd sourcing JFC for recommendations and warnings

[Deleted member 848]

That's not really true. I have barely touched my Toyota in the 10 years that I've owned it, and I barely had any problems. My dad is on his 3rd BMW 5-series in 8 years, and he spends at least a couple of thousand dollars a year in maintenance (fixing problems) just to keep them running. And what does my dad do? Drive to work and back, and drive around town.

Of course if you do think that spending thousands of dollars a year is a reasonable definition of "maintenance", then yes, you're right. But most people think of reliability as not having to worry about anything other than oil changes and other low-cost maintenance.

And it's not just personal experience. You should read car reddits. Thousands upon thousands of luxury German car owners say the same thing (that it's very costly to own one).

Since 2010, across a 1994 and a 2003 Mercedes C-class, I have *maybe* spent $800 in repairs across both cars. First car never had a single problem (despite 270K), 2nd one had a suspension problem after I accidentally hit a hidden pothole.

Benzs from the 90s are notoriously well-made.

 

[str8line]

VW GTI

Arguably the best all-around car made. Incredible performance for the money, super versatile utility, great in snow even with 2WD. There's a reason it is a favorite among automotive journalists.

From Car And Driver:

"What can we say about the Volkswagen GTI that we haven’t said before? After subjecting the perennial 10Best winner to innumerable reviews, it’s hard to come up with any praise or criticism that hasn’t already been heard."

"Handsome, versatile, swift, nimble, and as nearly perfect as always."

 

[Gameface]

I know it's not as cool as the 4 runner, but one vehicle I was impressed with is the 4 door suzuki sidekick or samurai or whatever it is. The square ones before the gran vitara style. They can go anywhere. And fit in a lot of places that jeeps and 4 runners can't.

Those are exactly the cars I'm thinking of when I think about my wife's rollover accident and how I'm pretty sure my wife son and mother in law would all be dead if they were in one.

 

[VINYLONE]

Lot's of good reco's in this thread. I currently have a Mazda and will prolly get a Subie once the Mazda 3 is donezo. It sounds like OP wants a vehicle that is about to navigate somewhat rough terrain and has decent gas mileage. I think most Toyota pickups fit that bill.

 

[str8line]

Lot's of good reco's in this thread. I currently have a Mazda and will prolly get a Subie once the Mazda 3 is donezo. It sounds like OP wants a vehicle that is about to navigate somewhat rough terrain and has decent gas mileage. I think most Toyota pickups fit that bill.

The new Chevy Colorado is getting rave reviews. A quick search of comparisons with the Toyota Tacoma shows that it comprehensively beats the Toyota and they all put it at a better value to boot. Nice to see such great vehicles coming out of the U.S. lately.

 

[b_line]

The new Chevy Colorado is getting rave reviews. A quick search of comparisons with the Toyota Tacoma shows that it comprehensively beats the Toyota and they all put it at a better value to boot. Nice to see such great vehicles coming out of the U.S. lately.

Aren't tundra and Tacoma us made as well?

 

[str8line]

Aren't tundra and Tacoma us made as well?

The Tundra is made in San Antonio. Tacoma not sure, but the engineering of Japanese cars is Japanese usually and American companies have improved to the point where they can compete with even the German cars in driving dynamics. Love the new Mustang GT350 and Caddy CTS-V and of course the illest, the ZO6 Vette.

 

[JAZZGASM]

The new Chevy Colorado is getting rave reviews. A quick search of comparisons with the Toyota Tacoma shows that it comprehensively beats the Toyota and they all put it at a better value to boot. Nice to see such great vehicles coming out of the U.S. lately.

The Tacoma and Tundra are built in the U.S. Ignore anything that says the Chevy is a better value unless you never plan to resell. I have owned three Tacomas, and the resell is crazy. I purchased each one new and kept for 4 to 5 years and sold for 2500 to 3000 less than I paid new. Until this trend changes, I will only buy new Toyotas. I have started buying 4runners and they are awesome. Fully buily in Japan plants that always win awards for best quality in the world. Just look at all the high mileage 4runners available for sale. They just keep going.

When I bought my first Tacoma I could have bought a full loaded ext cab v6 ranger for the same price as my 4 cyl regular cab tacoma. When I sold my book value was $3000 higher.

My first truck was a Silverado, had so many problems I sold quickly. Took a huge loss.

 

[str8line]

The Tacoma and Tundra are built in the U.S. Ignore anything that says the Chevy is a better value unless you never plan to resell. I have owned three Tacomas, and the resell is crazy. I purchased each one new and kept for 4 to 5 years and sold for 2500 to 3000 less than I paid new. Until this trend changes, I will only buy new Toyotas. I have started buying 4runners and they are awesome. Fully buily in Japan plants that always win awards for best quality in the world. Just look at all the high mileage 4runners available for sale. They just keep going.

When I bought my first Tacoma I could have bought a full loaded ext cab v6 ranger for the same price as my 4 cyl regular cab tacoma. When I sold my book value was $3000 higher.

My first truck was a Silverado, had so many problems I sold quickly. Took a huge loss.

True on resale but this truck could be different. Look at resale on the full sized trucks from the U.S. It's really good. Japanese quality is excellent for sure. But all car companies are becoming very good on quality, the market perception is a little slow to react though.

 

[JAZZGASM]

True on resale but this truck could be different. Look at resale on the full sized trucks from the U.S. It's really good. Japanese quality is excellent for sure. But all car companies are becoming very good on quality, the market perception is a little slow to react though.

US quality has been up for quite a while, but public perception is VERY slow to react. I personally wouldn't touch a Chevy or Dodge again based on family and personal experience, but I like Ford trucks, and their full size resale is good. The Tacoma has owned the market for so longx and the quality has been consistently good.

Toyota also does an amazing job (comparatively) standing behind their products. My 03 4runner has a free dash replacement due to excessive cracking. Plenty of other examples of amazing service post warranty. No car is perfect, but I have see Toyota do a lot to keep customers happy.

 

[b_line]

US quality has been up for quite a while, but public perception is VERY slow to react. I personally wouldn't touch a Chevy or Dodge again based on family and personal experience, but I like Ford trucks, and their full size resale is good. The Tacoma has owned the market for so longx and the quality has been consistently good.

Toyota also does an amazing job (comparatively) standing behind their products. My 03 4runner has a free dash replacement due to excessive cracking. Plenty of other examples of amazing service post warranty. No car is perfect, but I have see Toyota do a lot to keep customers happy.

This all changes when you start talking about diesel trucks. Tacoma is a great vehicle, but the ram diesels hold their value just as well. I bought a 2007 ram 2500 diesel in 2008 for $29,000 and it is still worth Ober $20,000 7 years later.

 

[b_line]

The Colorado is supposed to have a small diesel engine for 2016, that is the only reason I would buy that truck over the Tacoma right now.