Help Me Choose a New Car- Honda,Toyota, or VW?

Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article >,
> (Dave) wrote:
>
>> Many will warn you off the V-dub based on reliability. It's hard to
>> go against that given the Consumer Reports results and a lot of
>> word-of-mouth. But frankly, most any car today is pretty darn
>> reliable,
>
> Not the VWs.
>
> Just ask any owner.
>
any ex-owner, ya mean

when i was a watercooled vdubophile, there were a lot of people with
high mileage cars. they were extremely pampered, though. 3000 mile oil
changes with 20w50, etc.

In article >, SoCalMike > wrote:
>Dave wrote:
>> If you decide Matrix, also shop the Pontiac Vibe which is the same
>> car from the same plant with just different body style.
>
>surprisingly enough, last time i checked they were built in 2 different
>plants.
>
>vibe- NUMMI, fremont, california (same plant as tacoma)
>matrix- canada

I stand corrected by both you and Timothy J Lee. It isn't like the
old Corolla/Prism where they were both made in the Nummi (Fremont,
CA) plant. But I do think they both (Matrix/Vibe) have been
at/near the tops of the CR reliability charts.

Totally agree with the extended drive comment from another poster.

Any yeah, even with my original comments, I'm not partial to a VW,
especially in its first year.

How many of you really like the new dash layout and steering wheel
in the Civic? I can't stand either.

SoCalMike wrote:

> surprisingly enough, last time i checked they were built in 2 different
> plants.
>
> vibe- NUMMI, fremont, california (same plant as tacoma)
> matrix- canada

And the Corolla is built at both of these plants.

SoCalMike wrote:
> what were the "disastrous results"?

Everyone went out and bought hybrids. The HOV lanes in Virginia got
congested, making them just as slow as the regular lanes. Hence, there
was no incentive to carpool either. Everyone was mad: hybrids,
non-hybrids, especially carpoolers. That's why Virginia is ending the
experiment when it expires in July this year.

Because of Virginia's experience, California decided to cap the number
at 75,000 registered hybrids and required 45 mpg to qualify. I still
think it's a terrible idea. Think about this: 5 people in a Hummer
saves more gas than 5 solo hybrids, but only causes 1/5 of the
congestion.

Toyotas also are more likely to fail emission tests after you have had them
a few years. It seems as if they engineer them closer to the "edge" to
maximize performance.

Prious <sp> has a critical electrical problem, I have heard. Goes brain dead
around 50k miles.... central computer.

Yes, VWs are the plague. Have not been good for YEARS (and I currently drive
a '65 Beetle, so I am not biased against the brand... just the crappy
quality of the more recent cars).

--
KWW
"Elmo P. Shagnasty" > wrote in message
...
> In article
> outautos.com>,
> "Jazmyne" > wrote:
>
>> I'm in the market for a new car. What I'm thinking about
>> for now is a 2004-05 Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Matrix, or VW Jetta.
>
> Avoid VW like the plague.
>

Bucky wrote:
> Think about this: 5 people in a Hummer
> saves more gas than 5 solo hybrids, but only causes 1/5 of the
> congestion.

Are you proposing that Hummers be allowed on highways ONLY IF they
carry 5 people?

Seems like gas prices still aren't high enough for folks to consider
car pooling.

KWW wrote:

> Toyotas also are more likely to fail emission tests after you have had them
> a few years. It seems as if they engineer them closer to the "edge" to
> maximize performance.
>
I call bull**** on this one. Where is your proof of this?


> Prious <sp> has a critical electrical problem, I have heard. Goes brain dead
> around 50k miles.... central computer.
>
If you're talking about the sudden shutdown, they issued a recall to apply
a fix for that.

wrote:
> Are you proposing that Hummers be allowed on highways ONLY IF they
> carry 5 people?

This is my idealistic but impractical idea. Make the HOV lane
requirement to be something like 60 mpg per person. So if you're in a
30+ mpg car, then you need 2 people. If you're in a large SUV, then
you'll need 5 people. =)

> Seems like gas prices still aren't high enough for folks to consider
> car pooling.

Numerous studies have been done on how high gas prices would have to
climb before it would actually cause a change in driving habits (such
as driving slower on freeways, carpooling). I think I have read that it
would have to rise to about $5-6 for the majority of drivers to change
their habits.

When I have the time I will dig the information back up. It was a
combination of reports on recalls, settlement for Govt lawsuit, and
(undocumentable) discussions with various emissions test folks while getting
my older cars tested (non-toyota) centering around the trends noticed in
higher-emissions from older vehicles.... which, interestingly, fit well with
the EPA and recall information I came across.

Why didn't I "document it" at the time? Because I never have enjoyed the
road feel of Toyotas and thus knew it would be a long time before I would
ever consider one. To each his own. I like a firmer, more connected ride.
Just like some might go for the old Misubishi electronic shifting (still
used in Hyundai's) but it never felt "right" to me.
--
KWW

"High Tech Misfit" > wrote in message
news
> KWW wrote:
>
>> Toyotas also are more likely to fail emission tests after you have had
>> them
>> a few years. It seems as if they engineer them closer to the "edge" to
>> maximize performance.
>>
> I call bull**** on this one. Where is your proof of this?
>
>
>> Prious <sp> has a critical electrical problem, I have heard. Goes brain
>> dead
>> around 50k miles.... central computer.
>>
> If you're talking about the sudden shutdown, they issued a recall to apply
> a fix for that.
>

Good point R.E. extensive driving! Also extensively drive the one they
assign to you... not just the demo car. We drove one new car years ago and
the AC seemed to be acting oddly. Too cold, and I noticed that the
compressor sounded a bit weird. They checked it and immediately got another
car from their storage lot (across town)... seems somebody had WAY
overpressurized the AC during "prep".

Another vehicle purchase we made, one of the vehicles seemed just a little
weird when it went slowly over speedbumps at an angle. The subsequent
rocking was not symetrical between one direction and the other. We liked
the color but went with a different one instead ... this one did not have
that suspension anomaly and it has lasted great at 159k miles and still
going. (January special on previous model year "new" cars (less than 50
miles on any of them)... only 4 left.)
--
KWW

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Jazmyne wrote:
>> I am new to this community but it seems like I might be able to get some
>> decent feedback. I'm in the market for a new car. What I'm thinking about
>> for now is a 2004-05 Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Matrix, or VW Jetta. I do
>> about 50/50 city and highway driving. But the highway driving I do is
>> mostly long-distances so good gas mileage is a major plus. Basically, I
>> want something that is reliable and will last a long time with as little
>> maintenance as possible. I'm not very car savvy, so I need some help.
>
> As others have suggested the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla/Matix are
> probably your best bets. However, check with your insurance agent
> regarding premiums. We found it significantly less expensive to insure
> a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry than the smaller cars. For us the total
> cost of ownership worked out lower for the larger Accord or Camry
> (nearly new) than for the smaller Civic or Corolla (new car purchase).
>
> Before you buy any car, be sure to take long test drives on the roads
> and at the speeds you typically drive. You may find that one car has
> some annoying trait (too noisy, too rough a ride, lousy radio) as
> compared to a comparable car. A test drive at night is also helpful.
> www.edmunds.com has lots of useful info. for car buyers.
>
> Good luck.
>