[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Personally I don't get what anyone sees in Camry over Accord.

It is just the brand equity that Toyota has - they have kept their cars true to the simple formula that sells. What sold was a boring appliance with a mega reliability. If it ain't broke, why fix it, that was their approach. I think that changed in 2014 - When they tried to make the 2015 Camry sporty and put in better interiors.

That said, in the case of the person looking for the Camry/ Accord choice, he is not buying a new car, and amongst used cars, you cannot really say what is in better condition etc - so he may still choose a Camry over an Accord.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by AstaAddict

Thank you DieselAddikt. Here are the pictures for you & for everyone
A lifetime free oil change and free car washes were already a part of the deal.

Congratulations on getting the Beast!! That's quite a capable SUV from what i have heard.

Word of caution about the free washes though. The car is black. Free car washes will also give you a lot of quite visible swirl marks for free!

Originally Posted by DieselAddikt

Drive safe ! And by the way, do you still have snow ?

Just realized. You both must be wishing you had chosen less car/fuel specific handles, right?

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Personally I don't get what anyone sees in Camry over Accord.

Couple of people i know who preferred Toyota over Honda said they liked the more comfortable ride of their Toyotas compared to Hondas. They called it "like gliding" Obviously they are not into throwing their cars into corners, which you can do with a Honda but not a Toyota.

[vineeth47]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Couple of people i know who preferred Toyota over Honda said they liked the more comfortable ride of their Toyotas compared to Hondas. They called it "like gliding" Obviously they are not into throwing their cars into corners, which you can do with a Honda but not a Toyota.

Totally agree. Camry is a passenger's car, while Accord is a driver's car if you pit those two against each other.

[AstaAddict]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Congrats, @AstaAddict! Nice SUV, it has clean elegant lines.

Thank you @rajushank84. I prefer the clean lines and somewhat muscular look of the PF than the sportier & compact design of others. MDX is my favorite. Wish I had more $$ to spend

Originally Posted by amitoj

Congratulations on getting the Beast!! That's quite a capable SUV from what i have heard.

Word of caution about the free washes though. The car is black. Free car washes will also give you a lot of quite visible swirl marks for free!

Thank you @amitoj. I hope it lives up-to its reputation & expectations. I posed the same question to the dealer (about the swirls) and also visited their car wash area. No matter how sophisticated & modern their equipment is, it is bound to create some marks with repeated washes. He showed me a 2 year old black car which had done some 50+ plus washes at his dealership and had almost no marks. I hope it turns out to be the same case with my Beast if his claims are true. But its better to be safe than to be sorry. Thanks again for your advice.

[deltheking]

For sheer reliability - nothing beats Toyota. Camry would be more reliable than Accord. Plus it is a much much smoother car. The 2007-11 Camry was probably the one where they cheapened it a lot. But the 2012 redesign and the 2015 minor redesign put it right on top of the pack. The Accord is more of a drivers car and it is harsher and firmer than a Camry.

Also , new Camrys are cheaper than Accord. Honda did a very good job of not selling to fleets which helped their resale value.Toyota on the other hand is selling a lot to fleets and rental agencies now. infact 15% of Camry sales are rentals/fleets. this reduces the resale value. Si, in addition , used Camrys are much cheaper than used Accords with the same miles & features. Toyota need to cut their fleet sales to improve their brand and resale value.

But if you want a plush ride , quiet cabin with bullet proof reliability - nothing to beat the 2015 Camry !!

[DieselAddikt]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Just realized. You both must be wishing you had chosen less car/fuel specific handles, right?

Seriously !! It should have been "TurboAddikt" !

[dr.abhijeet]

Originally Posted by AstaAddict

Thank you @rajushank84. I prefer the clean lines and somewhat muscular look of the PF than the sportier & compact design of others. MDX is my favorite. Wish I had more $$ to spend



Thank you @amitoj. I hope it lives up-to its reputation & expectations. I posed the same question to the dealer (about the swirls) and also visited their car wash area. No matter how sophisticated & modern their equipment is, it is bound to create some marks with repeated washes. He showed me a 2 year old black car which had done some 50+ plus washes at his dealership and had almost no marks. I hope it turns out to be the same case with my Beast if his claims are true. But its better to be safe than to be sorry. Thanks again for your advice.

Congrats,Good to see another PathFinder owner. I have now done 48500 miles in 2 years on my 2013 white PathFinder platinum. No major troubles except wifey scraping a Kia Soul's rear bumper. I have almond interior. Will keep it till 90000 miles. Plan to reach 90000 miles in 4 years.

[AstaAddict]

Originally Posted by dr.abhijeet

Congrats,Good to see another PF owner. I have now done 48500 miles in 2 years on my 2013 white PF platinum. No major troubles except wifey scraping a Kia Soul's rear bumper. I have almond interior. Will keep it till 90000 miles. Plan to reach 90000 miles in 4 years.

That's a lot of miles in a short time. Where all has the PathFinder gone and what all has it seen? Not to scare you, but did you experience any of those dreaded shudders from the transmission? A lot of owners have posted their experience with the 2013 and the 2014 models on Nissan forums as well as on others.

[amitoj]

So, just for the sake of it, I decided to test drive a 2015 Challenger SRT with manual transmission. The nearest one was 45 minutes away in Massachusetts, but I don't really mind the long drives in my Charger.
Anyway, I couldn't get a very extensive test drive because that dealership tends to keep the miles low on their premium vehicles. But the short test drive made me realize a few things:

1. Apart from the speedometer and rpm gauge, the interior dashboard is not really much of an improvement from 2012. Besides the beige interior of my car looks better than the grey interior of SRT.

2. Rear headroom in the Challenger is more than in the Charger! That has something to do with how the roof is shaped. But the legroom at the back is definitely less.

3. The exhaust note of the 392 Hemi V8 engine is something to die for. When the car starts up, it will put a smile on your face, whether you like driving cars or not. I did not realize i was grinning ear to ear when the car started up. Just remembering those few seconds even after more than 24 hours is bringing a smile to my face.

4. The 6 speed gearbox is pretty good at putting the power to the wheels and making the car fly.

5. The 6 piston Brembo brakes are pretty effective in bringing this behemoth of a muscle car to a halt.

6. At $49K, you wont get more muscle per dollar. Except in the Hellcat version maybe.

7. I can only continue to dream about this car for the time being. Best to wait for it to either come in the used car market or save up enough down the road in a few years.

So, for the time being, Charger will get some more love soon :

[aah78]

Originally Posted by amitoj

So, just for the sake of it, I decided to test drive a 2015 Challenger SRT with manual transmission. The nearest one was 45 minutes away in Massachusetts, but I don't really mind the long drives in my Charger.
So, for the time being, Charger will get some more love soon :
Attachment 1350413

Cool, I would have seriously considered the Charger if they offered the manual transmission. I love the lines of the Challenger.

Maybe when my mid-life crisis kicks in I'll get one ... or save up for the Viper!

Coilovers! Nice! Should improve handling but ride will be harsh. How're the roads up in NH?

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by aah78

Coilovers! Nice! Should improve handling but ride will be harsh. How're the roads up in NH?

Roads in NH are worse than the ones in Mass. But even then, most of my driving is on the highways, which are pretty ok.

These coilovers come with dampness adjustment. That should help a little.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by aah78

Cool, I would have seriously considered the Charger if they offered the manual transmission. I love the lines of the Challenger.

Maybe when my mid-life crisis kicks in I'll get one ... or save up for the Viper!

Coilovers! Nice! Should improve handling but ride will be harsh. How're the roads up in NH?

The days of large comfy sedans with manual transmissions are behind us. There is no market for those anymore. You can still get manual in some midsize FWD sedans - Accord and Mazda 6? The large family sedans will only be automatics, especially considering how good the 8 speed automatic from ZF is. So yes, save up for the Viper (or the Z06 or the Ford GT).

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

The days of large comfy sedans with manual transmissions are behind us.

Sadly, you speak the truth
Chevrolet SS comes with manual transmission but I hardly see any on the road.
Also, I *think* almost all BMW sedans come with the option of choosing manual transmission. I am not sure how many of these are kept in dealer inventory though.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Sadly, you speak the truth
Chevrolet SS comes with manual transmission but I hardly see any on the road.
Also, I *think* almost all BMW sedans come with the option of choosing manual transmission. I am not sure how many of these are kept in dealer inventory though.

Well actually I forgot about the SS. Enthusiast clamoring made Chevy add the stick shift on the 2016 SS, originally it came with an automatic only.

I doubt if 5 series and up of BMW have a manual option. The 3 series definitely has a no cost manual.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Well actually I forgot about the SS. Enthusiast clamoring made Chevy add the stick shift on the 2016 SS, originally it came with an automatic only.

I doubt if 5 series and up of BMW have a manual option. The 3 series definitely has a no cost manual.

Haha. I think everybody has forgotten about the SS

A no cost manual? I thought Automatics have a slightly higher cost than manuals. Funny thing in case of the Challenger SRT is that selecting Manual reduces the price for the transmission but adds a $1000 Gas Guzzler tax Seems the Multi Displacement System with the 8 speed automatics gives enough mileage to avoid the Gas Guzzler tax.