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Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 9/5/2008 10:51:11 PM
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Zach2008
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I was not sure where to put this post. I decided to put it here, because cars are somewhat masculine(it seems natural for us males to fantasies about cars). My parents are going to buy a used car soon, and they told me they will give me this car within ten months(about the time I graduate High School). It is not really a graduation present, because I will still be able to use it, even before they transfer the ownership to me. The cars we are considering are the BMW 3-series (a late 90's model) or a Volvo S-series( a 2001 or later model). My parents already owned some Volvos, and it seems like they are incredibly safe, but have some electrical problems. Although I'd rather get a BMW, because of there superior styling and design, I know nothing mechanical about those cars. Of course, all European Import cars are expensive to maintain, but I need to know which one would need the lease maintenance. For example, I learned that Mercedes-Benz cars have some of the worst maintenance problems, so my parents won't buy me one of those no matter how cheap or expensive they are. The Internet car reviews I find seem varied, and the people there just seem to complain about the dealerships. Perhaps you guys would know form your personal experiences which is better.
Thanks for your time,
Zach
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 9/13/2008 6:38:51 PM
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iluvatar
Posts: 2021
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quote:
ORIGINAL: APZR
My personal experience and opinion, the best used cars are:
Honda Accord or Civic.
Toyota Camry
Accura (owned by Honda)
Lexus (owned by Toyota)
Also, if you're willing to go with a Civic, Accord, or Camry, but are willing to pay for the ones you listed, consider getting a new one instead of used. These cars hold their resale values extremely well.
Or maybe a Prius and save on gas, too.
-Dan.
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 9/13/2008 11:46:33 PM
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Preludeian
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From: Portland Metro Oregon
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Between the BMW and the Volvo I'd say Volvo. You are correct in saying that BMW's are more costly in repairs. Even though Volvo is owned by Ford Motor Company they've held the test of time. Ford isn't the most reliable but they make vehicles with longevity! However, I'd just get a Honda, Scion, Acura, Lexus or Toyota... they don't win all the awards for nothing.
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 9/19/2008 4:45:46 PM
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David3078
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From: Leitchfield, Kentucky.
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I'd go with a volvo. Everyone I talk to who has one, says they seem really reliable. The place I used to work at, had a volvo that had over 300,000 miles on it, in their work vehicles. That thing was still running strong when I left that place.
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 9/26/2008 12:11:49 PM
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janidhiro
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I have had best experience with Acura, Infiniti, and Nissan;
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 9/26/2008 12:21:26 PM
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rgsoundguy
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From: Pottstown, PA
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If you are going with the Volvo S-series, I would go late 90's. At some point in this decade Ford took over and the quality and reliability went way down.
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Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That convinces me that our nation is insane because we continually elect republicans and democrats expecting change and get none.
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 10/5/2008 8:01:08 PM
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denbert
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Say, how about a Yugo?
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Denny
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 10/6/2008 5:59:01 AM
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denbert
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I'm surprised I didn't own stock in that company.
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Denny
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 10/14/2008 10:22:45 AM
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ffbruce
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Zach - it sounds like money is not an issue with your family.
All cars have their own quirks, and even individual vehicles within a make & model can have weird things go wrong.
That said, I'd suggest you guys just buy what you want. You'll have the money to put in whatever repairs are necessary, and probably rent a car while yours is being fixed.
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 10/14/2008 11:35:26 AM
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GroupW
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Pretty much any car of a 1999-2001/2 vintage is going to need a fair amount of maintenance. Brakes, shocks, struts, exhaust, etc all will tend to need repair or replacement around this point in time. Timing belts usually need to get done as well. That's just the normal stuff. Then add in all the other items that will wear or break unexpectedly.
Regarding Mercedes - in the late 90's, MB switched to a different design paradigm. The thought was that MB cars were engineered to a needlessly high standard. Quality was intentionally lowered a notch. That's not the biggest problem though. They're still designed quite well. The flaws are in the execution - primarily electronics. In 99 or so, MB switched their electronics vendor over to Lucas components (hint: this is the same company that supplies Land Rover with their glitches - oops I mean switches.) I think by 04/05 most of those items had been corrected.
You might actually get by cheaper in the long run with a newer but less expensive model - Honda Civic, Toyota Corola etc. The higher quality but older luxury models will always cost you more in the long run that a simpler and less flashy but newer model.
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 10/14/2008 4:03:48 PM
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rofaith
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From: rofaith, a believer
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BMW: I bought a used beemer 7 series in 2003, way inexpensive, apparently BMW's don't have good resale value.... anyway, within a month, had to have $ 3,000 of work done on the car....
Mercedes: Have a C series. So far, pretty much bulletproof....
Honda Civic(06): Shoddy workmanship and gas mileage wasn't as advertised...
Honda CRV mini SUV: Gas hungry and seats are like sitting on rocks.
Volvo: Friend had one, transmission blew at 50k miles... apparently a problem with Volvo's.
Buy Asian... There are no guarantee's...but, Toyota, Honda(Accord), Nissan etc.
rofaith
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 10/19/2008 4:29:28 AM
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Zach2008
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I am sorry I did not respond any sooner. I know these are not car forums, but I guess I was too lazy to do more research. The next time I have any car issues I will just ask on some car forum.
ffbruce said, "Zach - it sounds like money is not an issue with your family."
I am sorry for misleading you. My parents aren't wealthy, God has just blessed me with some great material possessions. Some of which I don't even deserve. Keep in mind that BMWs are not as expensive as you may think. As rofaith pointed out, BMWs don't have the best resale value. It is just the maintenance costs that will kill you. This is the biggest flaw of almost all European cars. My situation is defiantly not perfect. The car my parents ended up getting is a 1997 BMW 528i (manual). Of course, this car isn't mine until I graduate. The car is an older model, and with plenty of miles on it. I am surprised the car was purchased for so cheap in the condition that it was in(less than $5k)regardless of the high mileage. I thought of some ways to pay for any future car repairs, even if I have to get my old job back. Most of the major work was recently done on the car. I will just have to pray that the car doesn't fall apart before I get some cash flow going. I have considered what you guys have said, and thanks again for your time.
God bless you,
Zach
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 10/20/2008 7:43:10 AM
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ffbruce
Posts: 271
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Zach2008
I am sorry I did not respond any sooner. I know these are not car forums, but I guess I was too lazy to do more research. The next time I have any car issues I will just ask on some car forum.
ffbruce said, "Zach - it sounds like money is not an issue with your family."
I am sorry for misleading you. My parents aren't wealthy, God has just blessed me with some great material possessions. Some of which I don't even deserve. Keep in mind that BMWs are not as expensive as you may think. As rofaith pointed out, BMWs don't have the best resale value. It is just the maintenance costs that will kill you. This is the biggest flaw of almost all European cars. My situation is defiantly not perfect. The car my parents ended up getting is a 1997 BMW 528i (manual). Of course, this car isn't mine until I graduate. The car is an older model, and with plenty of miles on it. I am surprised the car was purchased for so cheap in the condition that it was in(less than $5k)regardless of the high mileage. I thought of some ways to pay for any future car repairs, even if I have to get my old job back. Most of the major work was recently done on the car. I will just have to pray that the car doesn't fall apart before I get some cash flow going. I have considered what you guys have said, and thanks again for your time.
God bless you,
Zach
Enjoy the car. I hope it works out well for you!
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 10/20/2008 9:18:15 AM
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faroukfarouk
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ffb: Anyway, re. cars, gas has gone down in price just lately...
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Trust the Lord.
Don't trust the appearance of things.
(I'm a guy. Some tattoo designs look nice, though...but I haven't worn my earrings lately. So, think the lady in the avatar is my sister?)
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 10/20/2008 10:38:37 AM
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rofaith
Posts: 76
Joined: 1/17/2008
From: rofaith, a believer
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quote:
The car my parents ended up getting is a 1997 BMW 528i
Enjoy your beemer, they are a lot fun to drive. Wear your seatbelt and drive safely, God has plans for you to complete while you are here on the earth..... In Christ alone...
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There is no other name....
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 10/20/2008 12:47:49 PM
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faroukfarouk
Posts: 874
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We drive Camrys, anyhow.
Take care.
quote:
ORIGINAL: rofaith
quote:
The car my parents ended up getting is a 1997 BMW 528i
Enjoy your beemer, they are a lot fun to drive. Wear your seatbelt and drive safely, God has plans for you to complete while you are here on the earth..... In Christ alone...
_____________________________
Trust the Bible.
Trust the Lord.
Don't trust the appearance of things.
(I'm a guy. Some tattoo designs look nice, though...but I haven't worn my earrings lately. So, think the lady in the avatar is my sister?)
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 11/2/2008 5:17:55 PM
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denbert
Posts: 17763
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Well, the December Consumer Reports magazine is out now. It's worth looking at.
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The solution to a problem changes the problem
Denny
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 11/13/2008 9:55:38 PM
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SlipperyWhenWet
Posts: 57
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Well, this has nothing to do with the reliability of the car, but here's a reason why you might want to consider not giving money to Ford:
http://www.boycottford.com/
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Sincerely,
Todd
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RE: Automobiles: Which car is more reliable? - 11/30/2008 3:29:36 AM
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rofaith
Posts: 76
Joined: 1/17/2008
From: rofaith, a believer
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Really not forgotten...just been disappointed so many times after spending hard earned money.... bad workmanship, poor design and awful dealers who don't back up their product. I gave up on GM in the late 70's with a Pontiac Gran Prix (awesome looking car) that lost it's motor in 12,000 miles, and in Ford in the 90's after my Ford Taurus (which I loved) went through a couple of dealership visits where in denial they wouldn't fix a stalling motor that occurred dangerously in traffic. Chrysler fell apart long time before I considered them...
So, I've owned a Honda, Toyota, BMW and Mercedes.... only the latter two have stood the test of time. The only complaint I have with them is that they cost too much to maintain @ the dealership. But once they are fixed, they stay fixed.... thus I buy and drive with confidence with them....
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i like FORDS. there motors are builtproof.
I'm about to start a fire & disagree with ALL of you!! Have you forgotten that North America sells cars???Though I hate Ford--there is Chrysler & Gm. Why do you believe all the heresay about foreign cars being ANY better?? Do you see more OLDER foreign cars on the roads?? No--because especially honda --toyota owners have an attitude problem--they THINK they have the best cars--so when something does go wrong with them--they aren't telling no one!! Likely, if much goes wrong--they will trade it in because repairs for most parts are three times that of a N. American car!! Go price a starter, alternator, radiator, etc. for a nissan, honda, or whatever--then check price against a 4 cyl. Chev--you'll see. 
