Kepler
Cornell Big Red
Jesus. Put a ring on it.
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Cars: 2015
- Thread starter goldy_331
- Start date
Jesus. Put a ring on it.
MissThundercat
Are the cis okay?
She's pretty much told me that if I butter her up enough, she'll take care of my suspension.
MissThundercat
Are the cis okay?
And my partner, along with several others, have told me unless it's the engine or transmission, I don't need to replace the vehicle anytime soon.
That said, I'm looking at a compact SUV or minivan soon.
That said, I'm looking at a compact SUV or minivan soon.
Kepler
Cornell Big Red
My car is gradually committing suicide. The registration on the touch screen is off so the buttons on the bottom quarter of the screen are inaccessible, making the nav system unusable. The spinny dial on the AC broke so now figuring out where the dial is positioned, and getting it to change relative position, has become an adventure. Somebody side swiped me in the hospital parking lot when I was visiting my Mom and left a lovely wave scrape all the down the passenger's side of the vehicle (this happened 3 months after I bought it -- my previous vehicle was caught in a hail storm and hammered into a golf ball three months after I bought it). I am at 7 years (2016 Camry) 67k miles.
So for the first time in my life I am going to get a new vehicle without putting at least 100k on my prior one, which kills my soul.
Front runner for the new baby: a Subaru Forester subcompact SUV. It is Consumer Reports' #1 for reliability, customer satisfaction, and retaining value. I am that guy -- I don't care about style or trim at all and in fact become irate when marketing stresses those things because I Am Not Stupid You Vampire Muthaf-ckas.
We've had a Forester before, way back and loved it -- the visibility was great and the interior space was well-arranged. The goal here is space to transport several mid-sized telescopes to viewing locations once we move West. (I could also use some advice about a hammock or other method to keep them from rattling around and getting damaged or out of true). I also want all the safety crap I can get a hold of. rear camera, side view cameras for turn signals, lane retention, maybe auto stop? (not sure if this is good or bad). I am willing to pay a premium on useful comfort stuff (I guess cooled seats is probably important) because why not we have the money.
So, some questions because literally every person reading this cares more about cars than I, as I actively despise the whole culture:
1. What are some of the latest geegaws that actually have value?
2. What should I care about in electronics?
3. What is complete BS and I should avoid it?
4. How do I keep from getting trapped into a vehicle which will fail because of some inane choice (the touch screen buttons with no analog backup comes to mind)?
5. What do you like?
6. If price were no object and you were looking for what I noted as goals, what would be a dream vehicle for reliability and safety and good driver experience?
Thank you, all. I cannot stress how little I am looking forward to the car buying experience. I would much prefer a root canal.
So for the first time in my life I am going to get a new vehicle without putting at least 100k on my prior one, which kills my soul.
Front runner for the new baby: a Subaru Forester subcompact SUV. It is Consumer Reports' #1 for reliability, customer satisfaction, and retaining value. I am that guy -- I don't care about style or trim at all and in fact become irate when marketing stresses those things because I Am Not Stupid You Vampire Muthaf-ckas.
We've had a Forester before, way back and loved it -- the visibility was great and the interior space was well-arranged. The goal here is space to transport several mid-sized telescopes to viewing locations once we move West. (I could also use some advice about a hammock or other method to keep them from rattling around and getting damaged or out of true). I also want all the safety crap I can get a hold of. rear camera, side view cameras for turn signals, lane retention, maybe auto stop? (not sure if this is good or bad). I am willing to pay a premium on useful comfort stuff (I guess cooled seats is probably important) because why not we have the money.
So, some questions because literally every person reading this cares more about cars than I, as I actively despise the whole culture:
1. What are some of the latest geegaws that actually have value?
2. What should I care about in electronics?
3. What is complete BS and I should avoid it?
4. How do I keep from getting trapped into a vehicle which will fail because of some inane choice (the touch screen buttons with no analog backup comes to mind)?
5. What do you like?
6. If price were no object and you were looking for what I noted as goals, what would be a dream vehicle for reliability and safety and good driver experience?
Thank you, all. I cannot stress how little I am looking forward to the car buying experience. I would much prefer a root canal.
dxmnkd316
Lucia Apologist
1. Autostop and lane keeping assist are musts. I'm a big fan of some of the newer designs that have wireless phone chargers, but not a dealbreaker. Must have two USBs up front. CarPlay is a must and a total dealbreaker if it doesn't have it.
ventilated seats are nothing short of proof of god.
test the automatic cruise control. Mine sucks fucking donkey balls. I didn't try it. It's almost unusable. There was no subtlety to the PID controller. It's all gas or all brake.
steering wheel controls are a dealbreaker. They've got to be good.
2. For me, less is more. I don't want electronic hvac controls.
3. Anything Tesla pioneered. Full electronic controls. Cars without at least one exterior key entry. Cars without door handles.
4. Rent one. I've been talked out of and into considering cars because of it. If it's annoying the first time, it will be annoying forever. Sit in a parking lot and go through using voice commands to do various things. Navigate home, find nearest gas station, etc. if you have CarPlay, these are negotiable. If not, they must work near flawlessly.
for the love of god and all that is holy. Ask for prices and frequency of differential and transmission flushes from the dealership you're buying it from. Ask for a full maintenance schedule and see if there are any other major maintenance milestones and get prices. I assumed a tranny flush was about $200 and 100k miles like my old car. It was not.
play a song you hate. Does it sound good? Play a song you love. Does it sound good? Check.
5. Agree on Toyota and Lexus. They're going to be my next car. Acura is fine. I just don't LOVE it. A third row doesn't seem necessary until it is.
6. Probably a four-door Lexus for my wife when her car dies (otherwise a Subaru for AWD). I'd probably get a Lexus RX350. Not sure the trim. Otherwise if I didn't want a third row, a Lexus nx200 (or whatever that line is called)
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All 3rd party (independent) mechanics I know will tell you to buy either Toyota or Honda for cars that work as designed and last a long time. Subaru would be a tier 2 brand in that regard. Most years they’re fine, but they will have the occasional WT F years, like the 2013 model I had until earlier this year. Subaru’s quality that year was questionable at best, and their tech had weird quirks, like I could connect my phone via Bluetooth using the stereo button interface, but deleting the phone from the system had to be done using the voice command system. A voice command system that wouldn’t complete my delete instructions. I hope they fixed that.
Slap Shot
I got nothing
Kepler
Cornell Big Red
That is good to know. We have been a Toyota / Honda family forever, because we ride or die Consumers. The only bad vehicle of theirs I ever had was a 2015 Fit, which was a POS but fooled me because it has the best sight lines of any car ever made.
I just can't with hybrids yet. I am an Old. I am a settler, not a pioneer.
I agree on backing away from electronic-only UI as much as possible. I love physical dials and buttons despite their tendency to break off in my fat awkward fingers. If the digital fad has run its course that's fine with me.
Never use cruise control. It makes me lazy and I love driving, not riding.
The iPacifier* won't determine my choice but I do need it for Waze. I don't like the idea of a built-in nav system, it's just asking to immediately go out of date and if the vampires want to charge me a subscription I will drive my vehicle through their CEO's picture window at dinner time.
* Speaking of which, my smart phone -- the first I have ever owned -- is likewise falling to pieces in my hands. This one I have put the equivalent of 200k phone miles on it. I'm in the market. Any strong feelings?
Android, not Apple. I finished high school.
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MichVandal
Well-known member
Fwiw, I would be weary of CR anymore. They gave Tesla a perfect score when the car’s build quality is horrific. And Subaru is a brand that I see has a lot of engine failures on the car board I’m part of. Maybe if you baby it, but they have oiling issues if you drive them hard. Kinda running the Subaru/Toyota coupe out there.
Jimjamesak
Already insane, UAA making it worse
Maybe Alaska has better Subaru mechanics (which wouldn’t surprise me) but engine failures on Subarus are almost unheard of up here, and Alaska has a ton of Subarus.
dxmnkd316
Lucia Apologist
This hasn't been true for years. Tesla has been near the bottom for a while. In fact, they gave the Model 3 a 58 for reliability, the Model Y a 38, and the Model S a 25!! That puts the Model S on part with most Jeeps.
[TABLE="width: 296"]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl79"]Rank[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80"]Change[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80"]Make[/TD]
[TD="class: xl81"]Score[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl66"]1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67"]+ 2[/TD]
[TD="class: xl68"]Toyota[/TD]
[TD="class: xl69, bgcolor: #63be7b"]72[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]2[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Lexus[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #63be7b"]72[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]3[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]+ 10[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]BMW[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #93cc7e"]65[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]4[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 2[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Mazda[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #93cc7e"]65[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]5[/TD]
[TD="class: xl74"]-[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Honda[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #a7d27f"]62[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]6[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]+ 5[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Audi[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #b5d680"]60[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]7[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Subaru[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #bcd881"]59[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]8[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Acura[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #c9dc81"]57[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]9[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]+ 6[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Kia[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #dee283"]54[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]10[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]+ 14[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Lincoln[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #dee283"]54[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]11[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 7[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Buick[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #dee283"]54[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]12[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]+ 9[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Genesis[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #ebe683"]52[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]13[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 4[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Hyundai[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #feda80"]46[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]14[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]+ 2[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Volvo[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #fdd47f"]45[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]15[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 7[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Nissan[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #fdce7e"]44[/TD]
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[TD="class: xl70"]16[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]+ 1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Ram[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #fcc37c"]42[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]17[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 5[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Cadillac[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #fcc37c"]42[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]18[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 4[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Ford[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #fcbd7b"]41[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]19[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]+ 4[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Tesla[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #fcb87a"]40[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]20[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 10[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Chevrolet[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #fcb87a"]40[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]21[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 3[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]GMC[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #fba175"]36[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]22[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 2[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Volkswagen[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #f98570"]31[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"]23[/TD]
[TD="class: xl71"]- 1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Jeep[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73, bgcolor: #f97f6f"]30[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl75"]24[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]- 5[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]Mercedes-Benz[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78, bgcolor: #f8696b"]26[/TD]
[/TR]
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MichVandal
Well-known member
Well, there’s a long discussion about the BRZ twins blowing up, which was originally blamed on too much RTV during assembly. But that has recently been debunked and is now suggested that the boxer has an inherent oiling issue. Not seen on the Porsches because they use a dry sump system.
dxmnkd316
Lucia Apologist
In fact, looking at the Model S, here's the year-to-year reliability:
2012: NA
2013: 1
2014: 2
2015: 3
2016: 3
2017: 4
2018: 3
2019: 4
2020: 1
2021: 2
2022: 3
2023: 2
The problem is, they're basically using past data to predict reliability. When Teslas had very little long-term data, it was a guess based on 1-2 years of owner-reported data. Now they have a long line of data and it's been pretty brutal. I believe at least one or two of their cars were given the "Not Recommended" status for a few years.
2012: NA
2013: 1
2014: 2
2015: 3
2016: 3
2017: 4
2018: 3
2019: 4
2020: 1
2021: 2
2022: 3
2023: 2
The problem is, they're basically using past data to predict reliability. When Teslas had very little long-term data, it was a guess based on 1-2 years of owner-reported data. Now they have a long line of data and it's been pretty brutal. I believe at least one or two of their cars were given the "Not Recommended" status for a few years.
MichVandal
Well-known member
I’m not saying they are crap, or useless. Just get multiple sources is you can.
Kepler
Cornell Big Red
Jesus Christ, Mercedes!
dxmnkd316
Lucia Apologist
Mercedes have been garbage for as long as I can remember. There are no consistently reliable European (or American) cars. Only the Japanese (and to some extent, the Korean) car companies have figured this out. BMW being near the top is a development for them. That said, even if they were near the top consistently, I wouldn't own any European brand. They're nightmarishly expensive to maintain.
dxmnkd316
Lucia Apologist
The biggest problem with CR is that their ratings model doesn't account for cults.
Jimjamesak
Already insane, UAA making it worse
Boxers have always had oiling issues but as long as you keep on top of it you should be fine. Subarus are darn near bullet proof as long as you keep your regular maintenance up.