[Ananthang]

Please help me on what is the service interval for cars in US.

I am having a 85000 mile T. Camry. The dealer recommended 3 months or 3K miles, but my friends are saying 6 months or 5K should be fine.

I bought the car in last week of Feb and have driven around 1500 miles in last 3 months.

My daily running is 20 miles per day + weekend may go to 30 miles max.

For service, Can I get it done in Dobbs or Firestone. Some friends are suggesting a local Chinese mechanic.

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by Ananthang

Please help me on what is the service interval for cars in US. .

Ananth - There was a discussion on this a few pages back. Stick with 5K.
Chev had posted a URL for checking the oil change intervals.

http://www.checkyournumber.org/

Regarding, the Servicing - Go where your desi crowd is going, they cant be wrong.

[amitoj]

My car is back to its stock tune because i had to take it to the dealer for an oil change. (Yes yes i still go to the dealership for oil change, because it costs the same)
Anyway, I hate the stock tune now. My car feels as heavy as it actually is. However, I am planning to stick to this tune for now because of the upcoming trip to NY. No point in having a 93 Octane tune when most of the driving is going to be on the highways.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by NinadJoshi

Subies may be blah to look at and as underrated as a bottle opener, but they can make the rest look silly when it matters most. I had fun watching the vids

Great Video. Thanks for sharing.

I wonder how the new Escape, CX-5 would fare now against the Subie.

If i was staying in place where it snowed a lot, i would have got a Subie too. But i don't see that happening in near future.

[mohit]

Originally Posted by chevelle

Great Video. Thanks for sharing.

I wonder how the new Escape, CX-5 would fare now against the Subie.

If i was staying in place where it snowed a lot, i would have got a Subie too. But i don't see that happening in near future.

With The forester's super show at the IIHS crash tests, it also makes for a perfect car for families looking for a safe car (read families with babies/kids) so I guess its not just for snow eh!

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by mohit

With The forester's super show at the IIHS crash tests, it also makes for a perfect car for families looking for a safe car (read families with babies/kids) so I guess its not just for snow eh!

And that is why i said, not in near future.

[mohit]

Originally Posted by chevelle

And that is why i said, not in near future.

Aren't you in the market for a small SUV now? I was just trying to put two and two together

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by mohit

Aren't you in the market for a small SUV now? I was just trying to put two and two together

First of all, near future means - a year or so in my book.

Yes, but i will start the detailed search next month end. It takes me easily 5-6 months to short list, test drive and finalize something and buy it. Last year, i started sports car search in May-June with the foundation laid in January. Ended up with a Corvette in Nov 2012.

Something similar will happen with SUV. And SUV is not my choice. I would be perfectly happy with current G35. It will just have too many miles in near future to be used reliably over long trips. And you must have guessed how i am with regards to cars. If i go crazy, i may park a S-Class instead of a SUV in my garage and i haven't even brought up the opportunity of getting a motorbike yet.

You can see now, why i mean near future and probably think i am crazy?

[VLOCT]

Originally Posted by chevelle

i may park a S-Class instead of a SUV

If you're ever in the market for a $70K plus luxury car, you would be doing a great disservice to yourself, if you don't seriously look at TESLA.

Personally, at the price point, TESLA blows everything including Mercs, Beemers and what not out of the water. Not just in some fancy fad way, but in quality, performance and the sheer offering is breathtaking. For me, if I'm in the market for such a car, (honey, exhale slowly now ) the others are not even in contention any more. That is coming from someone who owned a flawless 740iL for 11 years. That's also the reason that TESLA is outselling the premiums by quite a margin now. And I'm not even going to talk about the $7500 Federal tax rebate, free charging at the Supercharger stations for life etc. etc. With the new supercharger, the 50% battery charging 30 mins. I would get the P85 performance model though. I also love the fact that the car can update itself overnight, now how cool is that. The battery pack is guaranteed for 8 years and unlimited miles. Amazing.

Damn, why I didn't pick that stock when offered I don't know especially, knowing that you don't bet against Elon Musk. Heck, the guy resupplied the International Space Station using his own rocket. Talk about Kahoonas.

[eq24]

Hello guys,

I need your help, a cousin is going to be transferred to the South west USA, he is going to need a car as owing to harsh terrain and weather and sparse public transport, a car is a must. Now his maximum budget is around 6000 $.

Most probable place will be Tucson Arizona, so what car do you guys recommend. Also SUV or car? And should it be financed or outright purchase.

Thanks

[rajushank84]

Friends, just want to share some lazy Sunday thoughts around car-buying, a favorite obsession of mine (well technically Monday, since its the long weekend it feels sunday-ish).

I find, in my friends circle, many dudes like me coming from india and going for cars of different shapes and sizes. Petrolhead or not, everyone has a taste- and it varies from Mustangs to Siennas. The most recent two purchases in the last two weeks were a VW CC and an Accord sport. Neither buyer knows how many cylinders their car has (both of them had to look it up when I asked them). However, it strikes me that the decision is equally difficult (if not much more difficult) for slightly informed buyers as well. So (out of sheer boredom and nothing else to do), I sat down and jotted down the pros and cons of buying different types of cars, for the average dude that goes to market with a 25k to 27k-ish budget in mind. (I'm leaving SUVs/ minivans/ trucks out of this because a) I think they are pretty much like each other and b) I don't have much experience or taste for them)

So here goes..

Economy (usually Japanese) - new (like Accord, Altima, Mazda6, Passat, Camry)
+ features
+ Interior features
+ Newness
+ reliability
+ resale
- fwd
- power
- "nothing special" feeling ("it's just a car")
. driving feel (the dot here means its neither bad nor special)

Premium (European) - 4 or 5 years used (like BMW 3 series, Audi A4, Mercedes Benz C class)
+ driving feel!
+ power
+ brand prestige
+ rwd / awd
- reliability
- maintenance
- resale value
- aged interiors
- outdated electronics

Premium (Japanese) - 3 or 4 year used (like Lexus, Acura)
All the +s and -s of premium-euro, but without the reliability issues and without the brand prestige.. And with much better resale values. And I guess with much less driving feel. Sort of in-between place.

American - 1 or 2 years slightly used (Mustang, Camaro, Charger, Challenger...)
+ lots of power!
+ rwd
+ killer looks
+ low maintenance
+ reliability
+ space
+ interior features
- driving feel
- resale value

Of course these are broad generalizations but I thought it would help serve as a primer to start car-shopping, for anyone looking at the myriad choices in the market.

Some cars that break the generalizations are VW GTI (can buy new, with all the euro feel), the G37 (solid reliable, super-exciting to drive), the Subaru Impreza/Legacy (is in its own league and can't be generalized or compared).

Thoughts? :-)

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by VLOCT

If you're ever in the market for a $70K plus luxury car, you would be doing a great disservice to yourself, if you don't seriously look at TESLA.

Personally, at the price point, TESLA blows everything including Mercs, Beemers and what not out of the water. Not just in some fancy fad way, but in quality, performance and the sheer offering is breathtaking. For me, if I'm in the market for such a car, (honey, exhale slowly now ) the others are not even in contention any more. That is coming from someone who owned a flawless 740iL for 11 years. That's also the reason that TESLA is outselling the premiums by quite a margin now. And I'm not even going to talk about the $7500 Federal tax rebate, free charging at the Supercharger stations for life etc. etc. With the new supercharger, the 50% battery charging 30 mins. I would get the P85 performance model though. I also love the fact that the car can update itself overnight, now how cool is that. The battery pack is guaranteed for 8 years and unlimited miles. Amazing.

Damn, why I didn't pick that stock when offered I don't know especially, knowing that you don't bet against Elon Musk. Heck, the guy resupplied the International Space Station using his own rocket. Talk about Kahoonas.

Couldn't agree more VLOCT. Model S is an amazing car, and its so coincident you brought this. I was in Bay area last week and I saw so many of these on the road and was mighty impressed. But for some reason I don't see much as I did in LA area.
Its definitely a great car for a regular driver, 200+ on the standard battery(60kW) is mighty impressive.
Any idea how much it costs? I read its 60K or so.. and has a wait period for delivery

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

Couldn't agree more VLOCT. Model S is an amazing car, and its so coincident you brought this.
Any idea how much it costs? I read its 60K or so.. and has a wait period for delivery

The car costs about 60 k and has been rated really high by all the reviews. Jay Leno loved it too .

Have a look at the new Model X which is available for booking and will be launched in 2014. Its a SUV being offered and has something called the falcon door for the mid row seats.

Have not seen many teslas on the road here in AZ except at car shows. Guess once the infrastructure for charging stations is up we could see more of them.

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by eq24

Hello guys,

I need your help, a cousin is going to be transferred to the South west USA, he is going to need a car as owing to harsh terrain and weather and sparse public transport, a car is a must. Now his maximum budget is around 6000 $.

Most probable place will be Tucson Arizona, so what car do you guys recommend. Also SUV or car? And should it be financed or outright purchase.

Thanks

Hey,

Awesome your bro is coming to AZ. Only the weather is harsh but overall you can drive any car out here as long as the AC works!

For a budget of 6k i would suggest looking around for american or for the korean brands and craigslist and auto trader should be a good checkpoint. Stick to sedans as a SUV makes no sense unless he plans on camping out and for the occasional travel rentals are good.

As a example my friend is right now selling a 60k miles hyundai sonata which was from 04 for about 5k so your cousin will get a lot of cars in the similar territory.

I would stick to pvt sellers to save cash on the dealership fees.

Maddy

[vineeth47]

I have been reading about the small SUV comparisons mentioned in the thread. I've bought a brand new Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited (2014 model) two weeks ago and the odo reads 400 miles now. As promised before, I'm posting a short review of the 2014 Forester as people may find it useful in their car shopping.

Yes, Forester won two prestigious awards AFTER I bought the Forester. Good enough to justify my research before pinning down my first ever Subaru. The following are the recent accolades it received.

1) Consumer Reports rated Forester 2014 as the Top Rated small SUV. Subaru competed against the aggressively redesigned models in the market like Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5 and Ford Escape.

2) Already a top rated pick in IIHS crash tests, Forester aced the tough new small overlap crash test. This is the ONLY small SUV ever passed the test with 'Good' rating. Others got poor scores.

My review of the 2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i :

Moving from a 190 HP '12 model Accord coupe to a small SUV wasnt something I was looking forward to, but having a kid mandated me to better do it. Being a very satisfied past owner of a Honda Civic and then an Accord (hate driving Toyotas), my natural progression suggested me buying a CRV. But I did checkout the competition before making my decision and started hearing a lot of good things about the Forester redesign. Well, test drove Forester and instantly liked it and decided to buy it.

Positives:

-- All Wheel Drive. Subaru has the best AWD system compared to its competitors. You get an AWD almost at the price and mileage of a FWD, thats the Subaru advantage. I definitely feel planted to the roads while cornering, turning or going through a rough patch in the road.
-- All around visibility. Large windows and a huge moon roof. You feel safe because you know you are definitely in control of the vehicle and the surroundings.
-- Class best ground clearance of 8.9 inches. Best suited for off-roading, if you intend to do that.
-- Adequate power. Even though the 2.5i is 170 HP, I didnt feel it any bit sluggish than my previous Accord Sport. Forester accelerates quickly and its a pleasure merging onto highways and passing other cars.
-- Roominess. Plenty of cabin space and the class leading legroom for the rear seat.
-- Quiet drive. Subaru has improved a lot with insulating the cabin from exterior noises as I can read from other owners.
-- MPG. I am consistently getting around 27+ mpg in my city driving (My Accord was in the 23-24 range).

In addition to these, there are numerous other things which came as part of the package like the Reverse camera, Heated leather seats and vipers, Auto dimming rear view mirrors (exterior and interior), Automatic tailgate with 3 memory height presets, Voice activated blue tooth phone book integration, Automatic climate control, Separate color LCD screen for displaying trip mileage, total mileage, instantaneous mileage, miles to empty the tank, exterior temperature etc.

Negatives :

-- The biggest negative I found is the audio, especially FM. Very poor quality audio for the FM. USB and CD is way better, even then it isnt anyway near its competitors. I'm planning on an audio system upgrade soon.
-- Subaru has dramatically improved the quality of the materials used in the interior but in some places it just sticks out even now. For example, the interior roof lining and the sun glass holder appears to be made of cheap plastics/materials, if you care to notice those.

All in all, I am very happy with my purchase and hope to keep this car for a long time.