[redfire]

Consider, one can live with two main factors of low mpg and poor resale of american cars, are they too impractial to drive and maintain? For example a decent low milege new gen (post 2005) Ford Mustang V6 can be get for 10K in excelent condition (making sure carfax, firestone etc) now. How good it will be in the long run for average mile munching?

[paharino1]

Originally Posted by Saurabh M

I would tend to agree with Sudipto-S-Team and its very rare to find an immigrant Indian (not planning to stay for more than a couple of years) driving cars other than a used Corolla/Camry/Civic/Accord. There is absolutely no problems in buying these cars as they are the most reliable ones and do not depreciate as fast as others.
Having said all these, I myself bought a new Mazda3 for me, which I knew I would sell off after 1 year. Thats because I wanted a fun to drive car that would be reliable for my weekend long drives and I wont have to rent a car frequently. I know that I am putting on a lot of miles on it (7400 miles in 5 months) and I wont get a good resale value. But thats the way it is.

End of the day, its an individual's choice on how they would like to save up.

Coming back to winter driving, I have spent 2 winters in Toronto (2004-05). I used to rent cars from Hertz (company policy and tie up) and kept changing brands/models every month. I have seen that Camry does not handle well in snow, so is Corolla or a Malibu. Surprisingly, I was very impressed with the Buick Century and the Pontiac Grand Prix GT. This is however, my personal experience. I agree to Mohit's decision of getting the Civic and it probably make better sense given the situation.

I owned a Used Honda Civic Manual 2 door Coupe (2002 model)for 2 years (2006-2008) - when I had bought it it had done 90k miles - when i sold it - it had done 110k miles - loved the experience of owning it - lost only $700 in depreciation after 2 yrs

Had no problem selling the stick shift - after putting an ad in Craigslist - i had loads of youngsters with their parents coming in to check the car out - apparantly a 2 door honda civic coupe with stick shift is a 1st choice of car fo r many youngsters in USA

[deep_bang]

Originally Posted by redfire

Consider, one can live with two main factors of low mpg and poor resale of american cars, are they too impractial to drive and maintain? For example a decent low milege new gen (post 2005) Ford Mustang V6 can be get for 10K in excelent condition (making sure carfax, firestone etc) now. How good it will be in the long run for average mile munching?

To be frank, i think a 2005 car with say 20 to 30k miles should be pretty good on the maintenance side. I don't have it myself, but a few of my friends do have newer American cars and they are doing pretty good. So, i feel, on the newer cars, perception plays a big role - perception that American cars are not that good. This is one reason why the resale value may be so low.

In the current situation, the other factor to think about is "what if Ford goes out of business...?".

Well, unless i see a really big reason to buy an American car, i would still put my money on the jap cars (if i am planning to keep the car for a 1 to 2 year term).

PS: I had a 1995 Taurus a few years back, and it was a real lemon.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by Saurabh M

Thanks for the comments.

Sorry for veering OT here, but the Mazda3 has the Japanese reliability going with it along with the fun to drive factor, which is very rare in a car in this segment. It is a popular brand is US and has good resale value as well. However, I might find it a tad difficult to sell, as its a stick shift. However, I plan to prepare early and avoid last minute selling.

Every morning when I take it out, it never fails to put a smile on my face. Just love it.

Dude I thought mazda is owned by ford and they makes mazda's in the US??

And coming to winter driving... A stick shift is much better in snow than any automatic, The 2008 altima which I rented slid much more than the 91 Accord (manual) which I drove to pick up the car. Also i've seen manuls quite much over here. There is a Subaru Impreza manual which is being sold by a friend for 4K

[Saurabh M]

Dude I thought mazda is owned by ford and they makes mazda's in the US??

Mazda is owned by Ford but manufactured in Japan. The good thing is, it has not lost its Japanese roots and the reliability factor is quite high.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by Saurabh M

Mazda is owned by Ford but manufactured in Japan. The good thing is, it has not lost its Japanese roots and the reliability factor is quite high.

I'm not sure..

the following link says they have lot of manufacturing and R & D in the US

MAZDA HISTORY | MazdaUSAMedia

And I've seen lots honda's and toyota's crossed 200,000 mark but not any Mitsubishi or Mazda.. I won't trust made in japan blindly..

[Samir Taheer]

Mazda... Is no more under Ford ownership.

Ford sold its majority stake back to Mazda... so its back to being a Jap car.

[mohit]

Originally Posted by Jomz

I'm not sure..

the following link says they have lot of manufacturing and R & D in the US

MAZDA HISTORY | MazdaUSAMedia

And I've seen lots honda's and toyota's crossed 200,000 mark but not any Mitsubishi or Mazda.. I won't trust made in japan blindly..

Mazda3 is made in Japan. 6 and tribute are US.

Well obviously even Honda and Toyota are not the holy grails. Honda had major issues with automatic transmissions on their V6 engines. Toyota quality as seen in the new Camry is much lower than the quality of yesteryears.

[Jomz]

Well let me rephrase myself.

I've seen a lot of honda's and toyota's and some Nissan's who have crossed 200000. Not all the honda's and toyota's i've seen have crossed that mark. But i'm yet to see a mazda or Mitsu crossing that mark.

And I drive a honda who has crossed 291000 and starts every day in -15 deg c. it was not a made in japan, it was a made in US honda.

One more testimony to that is those toyota qualises in india which are made there and keep crossing the 4L kms mark. those are made in india.

my point is.. it is the ownership of the company that matters. honda and toyota have better systems in place for better quality and all. 5s and all are examples. the ameriacan shareholders would be interested in short term goals which would result in cost cutting and thereby reduction in quality of the product.

Btw my engine lab has a Mazda engine.. and it is not the coolest engine in the lab. And yes it was submitted to our college by Ford.

yes.. issues do crop up - but that was a design issue, i never heard of anybodt getting a lemon hoyota

[lamborghini]

Hey guys,
time for me to do some research. I am currently in RI, which gets pretty snowy during winters.
I plan on buying a car soon. Budget is not fixed but estimate it to be lower than $20,000 for sure.
It is mostly going to be used as I don't have a S.S. number and only require on for 2.5 years.
Now priorities:
- It has to be practical and will mostly seat between 2-5 people.
- Gas - 20mpg will do. Not lower. Running won't be a lot but I may go on a few long driving holidays.
- Space - I am 6'1" so I need the space for myself and someone behind me.
- Performance - I would really like something that is decently fast. I am not the type to race, but would like more than adequate performance. Don't know when I would be able to buy myself my own little sports car.
- Comfort - It has to be comfortable in terms of ride and support
- Uniqueness - I am bored of the usual japs and german. I want to experience another type of car while I can.
- Maintainance cost - It has to be decent. Not too expensive and I need relatively cheap insurance too! Also, at times my friends might use her and if something happens, I don't want to be killed when they pay the bills or I pay the bills.
- Reliability - I am looking for cars done around 30K miles. But I would want something reliable as I dont want to be stranded on long trips.

Now looking at the requirements, sports cars and American SUV's are ruled out. Also, I don't like minivans or station wagons (I am in college!). Also, entry level sedans such as the Civic and Corolla are out as I need the extra space. I have difficulty getting comfortable in the Civic and Octavia and Corolla in India when I know someone is going to be sitting behind me.
I was thinking of something like the Chrager RT. But looking at the financial crisis the big 3 are facing, I don't know if it will be such a good idea.

Opinions and options please! This is going to be my very own car and I am pretty excited!

[NRIturbo]

The financial crisis of the Big 3 has very little to do with you purchasing a Charger. If it does go bankrupt, you will lose your warranty, but lets face it. Manufacturers warranties aren't very good, at 30K miles, most important internal parts are already not warrantied. The Charger R/T is a great car, but will not suit your needs. The car is RWD and powerful which can be tricky in snowy areas. The car has a large displacement engine which will result in poor gas mileage. Tires will be larger and wider, so more expensive when things need to be replaced. The car although will be reliable and have sufficient power.
In the end however I would suggest a Mazda SPEED6. They are rare powerful with 300HP and AWD perfect for winter conditions. Nice interior, warrantied, fast and looks nice. Fits your budget aswell.

[tsk1979]

Avoid anything from Dodge stable. I drove a relatively new Challenger, and though being an automatic she stalled once I stopped a little quickly(no skid, just a slightly quick stop).
The challenger gave me 23mpg, and its a low displacement engine. In comparison even the cobalt gave me 30mpg. The only cars below this were mustang and the Jeep.
A charger has a larger displacement engine, and real world you can expect 17-20mpg.

[GTO]

Lambo, since you need the car only for 2 odd years, why don't you lease a brand new car? @ $300 - 400 a month, you will get some pretty neat machines. Of course, you will need someone to co-sign you due to the lack of credit history / SSN.

[Nitin]

The problem of leasing a car is the loss in equity.At the end of 2 years,you'll get noting out of the car. And if you aren't careful,you could end up in trouble for not reading the fine print that most dealers don't stress upon.

[Saurabh M]

Lambo: With a budget of around 20K, I would suggest that you take a look at Subaru as well. They are surely fun to drive and the AWD will help in snow. I am not sure, how much they hold their value in 2-3 yrs time.