Thinking of trading in the 350Z...

[Sage]

There aren't very many Subarus on the road around here, but they get the "most satisfactory / most durable" award by the public here most of the years, with Toyota often coming second. The most popular cars (status, brand and / or sales) aren't even in the top 5 most of the time.

Interesting, isn't it? Marketing and looks do seem to work as advertized. ;-)

something i learned from a fashion major the other day- cars are considered fashion. that should explain a lot...

 

[Sxotty]

Ford reaching Jap levels of quality? Maybe mitsubishi quality levels(more like misti diesel quality levels rofl), but certainly not anywhere near Toyota or Honda.
Ford and GM based cars still have the highest rate of breakdowns and defects in my country, above all other brands including the euros.

Maybe whereever you live that is true, but overall Fords were closer in quality to japanese cars than GM cars. At least that should give you an indication of how terrible GM cars were at the time. Now things are a bit different though.

Now it says Toyota and GM are actually the best two in quality/reliability read it there
http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0506/29/0auto-232163.htm
This is the break down and GM has entries all over the map so the average must be what they are talking about.
Problems per 100 vehicles 3 years old
Lexus 139
Porsche 149
Lincoln 151
Buick 163
Cadillac 175
Infiniti 178
Toyota 194
Mercury 195
Honda 201
Acura 203
BMW 225
Ford 231
Chevrolet 232
Chrysler 235
INDUSTRY AVERAGE 237
Saturn 240
Oldsmobile 242
GMC 245
Pontiac 245
Mazda 252
Hyundai 260
Subaru 260
Volvo 266
Jaguar 268
Dodge 273
Nissan 275
Mitsubishi 278
Mercedes-Benz 283
Saab 286
Jeep 289
Suzuki 292
Audi 312
Daewoo 318
Isuzu 331
Volkswagen 335
Mini 383
Land Rover 395
Kia 397

http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.aspx?contentid=4023544&src=LP Passenger Another list this time by model instead of company and it paints a very different picture, basically Toyota and Honda kill everyone

For the first time in 24 years of comparison, the average domestic car is more reliable than the average — and often more expensive — European car, according to the Consumer Reports...

 

[Frank]

Do any of those lists also make a difference between a flat tire / battery and things like replacing the engine?

And I think there might be a large difference in how that is preceived: if you've got a relatively cheap car, that drives really nice and is alltogether very satisfactory, you don't mind if you have to change your battery a bit more often than when you have a comparable, but very expensive car from a prestegious brand that should be damn well top of the bill and near indestructible for that price.

Just my 2c.

 

[suryad]

I would go with the Lamborghini Murcielago all wheel drive. i hear it is a hoot to drive in the snow! Apparently that car is quite safe cause I read of an article in Evo I believe of a couple editors driving across the Alps in winter time....no drama no nothing!!

 

[nelg]

I was at the Subaru dealer this morning and I must say the Tribeca was very impressive. The front end styling is a little weird but it is growing on me. The side and rear profiles are very nice and the interior was very fantastic. The third row seats were even somewhat useful.

 

[Sxotty]

Ugh, my wife was actually considering one of those behemoths....but I did something weird and put my foot down and nixxed it.

I don't want a vehicle that takes up an entire parking space, it just is un-neccessary and IMHO total overkill for just silly reasons.

Hummers are nice for what they're intended, but day to day commuting in an urban environment is NOT what they were intended for.

An H2 is not a mil grade hummer digi it is just a yukon that gets worse mileage

 

[digitalwanderer]

An H2 is not a mil grade hummer digi it is just a yukon that gets worse mileage

True, but the H3's are kind of cute...like baby hummers or something.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Digi, go give the Mitsubishi Airtrek 2.0turbo AWD a blast at a dealer

 

[Sazar]

Right now I'm leaning towards the Xterra or trying to talk my wife into an Altima SE-R. I know the Altima isn't all-wheel drive, but I loved our '93 and think it would make a great car for us.

The all-wheel drive, while good, is not a necessity IMO.

I have the 3.5 SE altima with all upgrades (cept the slightly more HP and the stick) and its a bloody dream. Turning radius is wider than my maxima which is a little annoying when trying to park in downtown austin but otherwise its pretty nice. Power is very good and the interior is comfortable. I would probably move to the regular SE rather than the SE-R unless you don't mind the extra bumps and grinds (and effectively, since the interior uses a few plastic components, rattles a lot sooner than with slightly softer suspension).

Personally I would recommend going for the Acura TL or the G-35. Infiniti gives an excellent after-sale service. My brother just bought the Acura TL to replace his LS400 and he loves it. Its slower than the altima but its quieter and plusher on the inside He took a g-35 sedan out for a spin but it simply didn't add up.

He wanted the coupe but, decided for the sake of his family it was best to get a sedan lol.

The fuel economy btw on my Altima is about 23-25 mpg, city/hwy driving split from my place to round rock every day basically. The maxima gives almost the same. If you are driving a long distance, the car has a gigantic gas tank and will keep you going forever.

Again, warranty and service are why I would recommend Infiniti, Acura. Not to say Nissan doesn't cover you, and that their engines are not good (they are) but you get better with infiniti and acura for after-sale care.

Plus, I don't know if you are paying outright or what you or your wife's credit history is like, but infiniti has a ridiculously low APR offer at the moment.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Plus, I don't know if you are paying outright or what you or your wife's credit history is like, but infiniti has a ridiculously low APR offer at the moment.

We would not be paying outright, we'd be financing....and my wife's credit rating is freaking gold. (Hers is as good as mine is bad. )

Last night she told me she's now thinking it might be best just to rent a vehicle for three months and keep the Z, she really doesn't want to get rid of it!

Work is about to pull a "surprise" change on her. "Surprise" in quotes because the news has been all over the work grapevine for over a month, it's just that management hasn't had the balls to officially tell her yet.

They're going to have to soon, supposedly they have her working in a different store next week yet they haven't approached her about it yet. She's decided she may just do it, but she's going to make them pay for her ride to get there...

 

[Mize]

I didn't read the whole thread (sorry), but the new AWD Lexus IS is the shit.

Edit: just read that it's underpowered - never mind.

 

[digitalwanderer]

I'm about all clueless now about which way this is going to go, the whole job/raise thing changed everything about a bit as well as the "just rent one for 3 months".

Between me, you, and a couple of other people who are reading this thread I'm kind of glad we're keeping the Z. No matter what else I say about it, it is the finest ride I've ever had the pleasure of driving and I still get a shit-eater grin every single time I get behind the wheel.

Next step for me is to clean out enough room in the garage to store it for the winter.....

 

[JBark]

It's too bad you weren't looking a couple months ago, the Saab 9-2x Aero might have been worth looking at. Based on the wrx wagon, but with lots of little upgrades you couldn't get with the wrx. And with the GM employee pricing and Saab discounts, the 5 speed Aero was only $20k. Not bad for a 230HP AWD vehicle.




It's not 350z fast, but it gets you were you need to go quick enough.

 

[nelg]

Ooooo! A Saabaru. Cool.

 

[digitalwanderer]

I'm starting to think we should just buy a used car and keep three. Screw trying to find a rental for three months, get me something I can have some fun playing with.

/me runs off to check carmax!

 

[Frank]

http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.aspx?contentid=4023544&src=LP Passenger Another list this time by model instead of company and it paints a very different picture, basically Toyota and Honda kill everyone

Yes, that is more in line with the consumer ratings in Europe, but there is a serious difference in the amounts and models of the different cars on the roads around here and in the States, and so it's weighted differently by the people who participated.

 

[_xxx_]

Get yourself a sub-500$ car to get you through the winter and be done with it?

 

[Sage]

a sub-500 car!? a sub-500 car is NOT something that you would want to put anyone you remotely cared about into... those kinds of cars have wheels fly off while going down the highway...


have you ever driven a mini? they aren't all that fast but hella fun to drive! (maybe an S would be faster, I've only driven a non-S with a CVT)

 

[digitalwanderer]

Get yourself a sub-500$ car to get you through the winter and be done with it?

No! More like a sub-$5,000 car to get us thru winter.

Sub-$500 would be more of a mill car/beater for just me, but this will either have to carry my wife or my kids so it's gotta be safe.

 

[_xxx_]

a sub-500 car!? a sub-500 car is NOT something that you would want to put anyone you remotely cared about into... those kinds of cars have wheels fly off while going down the highway...


have you ever driven a mini? they aren't all that fast but hella fun to drive! (maybe an S would be faster, I've only driven a non-S with a CVT)

Oh well, here you can get a "acceptible" car for $500-1000. Nothing "good", of course, but it won't let them drive fast anyway, thus less problems with slipping etc.

Mini is a cult, regardless of technical specs or whatever else, just for its looks. I never drove the newer ones, just the classic. Know "The italian job"? The old one, not the remake. There you can see some _real_ fun with Minis!