Which New Car???

[mom31257]

I meant to put FORD FUSION, not Focus in the poll!!!!

 

We are going to be buying a new car within the next month. We are looking at 3 models, and would consider new or one year old with under 10K miles. Which would you prefer based mainly on performance and ability to last a long time. What ever we buy, we will want to keep 10+ years. We want good gas mileage, but can't afford a hybrid. We have 2 children and don't plan on anymore. We need to stay in the price range of the ones listed. If you know of another good choice, let me know.

 

If you own one and don't like it, please, please let me know why!

Edited August 24, 2010 by mom31257
mistake on poll

[RegGuheert]

I think they are all good cars.

 

I will point out that a Ford Focus is a smaller car than a Honda Accord or a Hyundai Sonata. It would compare more closely to a Honda Civic or a Toyota Corolla. The Ford Fusion is closer to the Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata.

 

I would probably purchase the Honda because of resale value. We have had both a Ford Fusion (company car) and a Honda Civic Hybrid and they are both fine. You may want to look at the 4-door Civic as a possible substitute for the Accord. It is not as big as the Accord, but still is quite nice and will get better mileage. Toyota Corolla is recommended for the same reasons. Camry if you want the bigger car.

 

I recommend checking out CarMax. I have purchased a used car there and was pleased with the experience. We have had it now for about seven years.

 

Good luck!

Edited August 24, 2010 by RegGuheert
I was thinking of a Ford Fusion...

[Greta]

Which would you prefer based mainly on performance and ability to last a long time. What ever we buy, we will want to keep 10+ years. We want good gas mileage, but can't afford a hybrid.

 

For the reasons I bolded above, I would go with Honda.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I'll be honest - I had a 2001 Ford Focus that I loved. It had great MPG (it once had 40 miles to the gallon) and it was roomy enough for the four of us. I have been without a car for awhile and when DH and I decided to buy a new one we looked at the 2009 & 2010 Focus. I don't like the changes they made to the car. There is less head room, cheaper construction on the interior and I didn't think it was as comfortable as older models. The new gadgets were fun and the price is decent but the interior changes made it a no-go for us.

 

We also looked at the Accord. It was one of the top choices but...

 

I decided I wanted a VW bug. I don't have little kids anymore and DD will be going to college soon so a Bug works for us.

 

Car shopping is a lot of fun. Have fun test driving!

[K&Rs Mom]

My dh has his heart set on a Focus for his next car. We rented one a couple years ago on a vacation, and he really liked it.

[BikeBookBread]

I just was loaned a Ford Focus when our Subaru was in the shop. It only had a few thousand miles on it (I am pretty sure it was a 2010), and granted it was a rental, the vehicle ran very roughly. It was also quite tight inside with only the three of us. I am not very tall (only 5' 7") so my seat was not that far back, and LLL (who is only 4), while in her booster, couldn't keep her feet away from the back of the seat. It would be very, very uncomfortable for my 6' husband. I also think it would be very uncomfortable on a long trip. However, it would probably be a great commuter. I don't know that it would last 10+ years, given my family's experiences with Ford. The other thing I noticed was that the finishes were not smooth. My leg glanced the bottom corner of the door and I got a cut. The finishes on my Subaru are not rough. You should be able to touch the edge of the door without getting a cut.

 

I have only heard great things about Hyundai these days, and as to Honda, if you maintain them, they will run and run and run and run. I voted Honda.

Edited August 24, 2010 by BikeBookBread

[oldskool]

I voted Honda because of our great experience with them lasting a very long time and not having maintenance issues. Another part of my vote though is the safety. DH was involved in a horrible crash a few years back, as a result of someone running a red light, and I swear it was the car (and God) that saved him. That crash convinced us that we will only buy Hondas. Good luck with your search, I know car buying can be stressful.

 

Lesley

[Brigitte]

I don't know if this is still the case, but the Car Talk guys really like the Hyundai Sonata. I know for a while they preferred it to the Honda and the Camry because of what you get for the money. Check out their site (http://www.CarTalk.com) and see what they are saying about it now.

 

Personally, my experience with Hondas was not very good. My mother had two and had nothing but problems with them, and the same was true for my MIL and hers. I was not overly thrilled with mine, but that was a long time ago.

 

I have also heard people say that because resale is so good for Hondas and Toyotas that you should buy them new. The price you pay for used is too high. Great if you are selling, but not so great if you are buying, I guess.

 

I voted other, but probably should have voted for the Sonata. Another car to consider would be a VW Jetta. Great gas mileage, very comfortable, peppy, and a big trunk.

[Pamela H in Texas]

The Sonata is the largest mid-size car. This can be good or bad depending on your view.

 

I LOVE mine. I have a beautiful "natural khaki" one. Only problem with it is that the dragonflies think it's water. It's hilarious, but....

[Pink Fairy]

We love our Sonata. Roomy, affordable, gets good gas mileage, and it's reliable. We drive our cars until they die, so resale value isn't something we take into consideration.

[mommaduck]

Our Fords have always been our best vehicles.

[Wheres Toto]

I would probably purchase the Honda because of resale value. You may want to look at the 4-door Civic as a possible substitute for the Accord. It is not as big as the Accord, but still is quite nice and will get better mileage.

Good luck!

:iagree: The Civic also tends to be quite a bit less expensive than the Accord. I'm on my 5th Honda Civic and they have all lasted forever. The first two (ex-husband's) lasted over 100,000 miles despite getting oil changes about once a year.

[Dana]

We have a 99 Accord (thanks to a good deal from my folks in 02 when they sold it to us; they seemed to think a 2-door Tercel was too small for their grandchild). It's got over 160,000 miles and is still doing great.

 

Be sure to get timing belts replaced! We had typical repairs as it's up there in age (new radiator last year).

 

We just bought our first EVER new car this year. (We've never had a car with under 70k miles.) Couldn't afford the Accord new and since Hondas hold their value so much, it made more sense to buy new rather than used. We looked at the Civic but ended up going with the Fit. Ds gets better AC in the back in the Fit than he does in the Accord due to seat configurations.

 

We were set on Honda and so looked at the different models.

 

Hope you get a car you'll be happy with! :auto:

[RegGuheert]

:rant:

One thing I find with the Honda dealer is that they *really* try to make a fortune off of auto maintenance. From their perspective, it is a *great* business model: SELL your customer frequent maintenance (they like to schedule maintenance every 15,000 miles) and then reap the benefits of having extremely reliable cars. Don't get me wrong: Honda's are not only more reliable because of the extra maintenance. They are extremely well-designed cars. But I find they go over the top in recommending maintenance when you visit the dealer. When I have agreed to their maintenance, I normally cross 90% of the items off the list to save money.

 

I will also say that Honda charges WAY too much for their auto parts. They wanted $7.00 for a little plastic body-panel clip. I bought a bag of 20 on eBay for $15.00. $120.00 for a *tiny* battery. $75.00 for the same battery at Wal-Mart. Oxygen sensor: Honda $450.00. Amazon.com $150.00. I could go on an on.

 

Finally, all three times when I have taken my Honda in for safety recall service, the symptoms were not resolved and the dealership claimed that they did the recall service but that there was an ADDITIONAL problem yet unresolved. Each time they wanted $700.00! Yeah, right! In all three cases? :glare: In each case I fixed the remaining symptoms for free by searching on the symptom on Google and doing it myself. It could just be my dealer, but I'm not convinced they are bad. My impression is that Honda uses safety recalls as an opportunity for their dealers to make money.

:rant:

 

I don't have any of these issues with my Ford dealer. I cannot say either way with Hyundai...

[mom31257]

I realize I made a mistake in my poll! I meant to put FORD FUSION I am going to see if I can correct it, but I don't think so.

Edited August 24, 2010 by mom31257

[May]

We have owned 3 Honda Accords. We sold two of them with over 150,000 miles and still received $2000 for the stick shift and $2400 for the automatic. I currently drive a 2002 Accord with a little over 120,000 miles. Still has the original clutch and we've had nothing but routine maintence done on it. I do get the oil changed every 3000 miles.

[RegGuheert]

...perhaps you could have them also allow for multiple answers? You would still end up with a winner even if we are allowed to vote for some or all of them.

[OnTheBrink]

EX has a Ford Fusion and has had no problems with it at all. He's had it for 4? years.

 

You could also go to Edmunds.com and read reviews.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I realize I made a mistake in my poll! I meant to put FORD FUSION I am going to see if I can correct it, but I don't think so.

 

In that case - give the Ford a chance. My DH drives a Ford F150 truck and he loves it. Our friend has a Ford 500 and loves it.

[gingersmom]

I just got a Honda CRV a month ago and I love it! I purchased it new at an amazing price (lower than a Honda Accord).

[Michelle in AL]

I'm shopping for mid size sedans too, with the same goal: longevity.

Here's what we've gotten price wise:

$16,900 Toyota Camry base model, price before doc fees, dest and tax.

$18,912 Nissan Altima: basse model. Price includes tax, doc fees and dest.

Hyundai Sonota GLS automatic: LOVE The looks of this car. Looks like a mercedes to me. Drives sporty. Price: $20,651.90 includes tax, doc fees & dest.

 

I would get the Accord if I could afford it. The Hyundai's price is my top of the line, so we didn't consider Accord which was slightly more.

[mom31257]

We test drove a low mileage use Fusion and a new Sonata tonight. We didn't get to the Honda place in time to drive an Accord. We think the Fusion drove a little rough, but it wasn't new. We want to drive a new one, too.

 

We really like the Sonata, but it was a 2011. We would like to drive a 2010, but it was late. The 2010 isn't as sporty looking, but there are rebates right now which would help the price.

 

I'm sorry about making the poll wrong. I don't know why I put Focus because that would be too small for us.

 

We will be going out again later this week!

[lisamarie]

The Sonata is the largest mid-size car. This can be good or bad depending on your view.

 

I LOVE mine. I have a beautiful "natural khaki" one. Only problem with it is that the dragonflies think it's water. It's hilarious, but....

 

Preface this with my DH is 6'7" tall, so our experience may not be typical. We just bought a used 2010 Sonata after test driving a Camry and a Fusion. DH couldn't even get behind the wheel of the Fusion. The Camry was nice, but by the time DH had the seat where he could drive, his head was in the lap of the person behind him. Not so good with 3 kids. We test drove the Sonata on a lark--we were looking for a different dealership and passed the Hyundai place and stopped just to see what they had. DH LOVED the Sonata and the backseat was much roomier. I could sit behind DH's seat and not be squished into oblivion.

 

But all 3 cars are rated really well by Consumers Reports which is what we were going off of. Our last few cars were given to us and rated really really badly in CR, so we think they know what they're talking about.:tongue_smilie:

[Denisemomof4]

if you're looking for a car that will last a long, long time, the only option I'd go with is a Honda. Toyota is good but they're not in your poll. :tongue_smilie: And they're having too many issues right now.

[Denisemomof4]

I don't know if this is still the case, but the Car Talk guys really like the Hyundai Sonata. I know for a while they preferred it to the Honda and the Camry because of what you get for the money. Check out their site (http://www.CarTalk.com) and see what they are saying about it now.

 

Personally, my experience with Hondas was not very good. My mother had two and had nothing but problems with them, and the same was true for my MIL and hers. I was not overly thrilled with mine, but that was a long time ago.

 

I have also heard people say that because resale is so good for Hondas and Toyotas that you should buy them new. The price you pay for used is too high. Great if you are selling, but not so great if you are buying, I guess.

 

I voted other, but probably should have voted for the Sonata. Another car to consider would be a VW Jetta. Great gas mileage, very comfortable, peppy, and a big trunk.

 

This SHOCKS me. I have never, EVER, heard of someone unhappy with a Honda! Honda and Toyata have always had the best reputation.

[Denisemomof4]

:rant:

One thing I find with the Honda dealer is that they *really* try to make a fortune off of auto maintenance. From their perspective, it is a *great* business model: SELL your customer frequent maintenance (they like to schedule maintenance every 15,000 miles) and then reap the benefits of having extremely reliable cars. Don't get me wrong: Honda's are not only more reliable because of the extra maintenance. They are extremely well-designed cars. But I find they go over the top in recommending maintenance when you visit the dealer. When I have agreed to their maintenance, I normally cross 90% of the items off the list to save money.

 

I will also say that Honda charges WAY too much for their auto parts. They wanted $7.00 for a little plastic body-panel clip. I bought a bag of 20 on eBay for $15.00. $120.00 for a *tiny* battery. $75.00 for the same battery at Wal-Mart. Oxygen sensor: Honda $450.00. Amazon.com $150.00. I could go on an on.

 

Finally, all three times when I have taken my Honda in for safety recall service, the symptoms were not resolved and the dealership claimed that they did the recall service but that there was an ADDITIONAL problem yet unresolved. Each time they wanted $700.00! Yeah, right! In all three cases? :glare: In each case I fixed the remaining symptoms for free by searching on the symptom on Google and doing it myself. It could just be my dealer, but I'm not convinced they are bad. My impression is that Honda uses safety recalls as an opportunity for their dealers to make money.

:rant:

 

I don't have any of these issues with my Ford dealer. I cannot say either way with Hyundai...

 

You see, I knew up front not to do all the services recommended. There are even online forums that tell you which services you need and which you don't.

 

As far as buying parts that cost too much, it's not a Honda issue, it's a DEALERSHIP issue. Dh and I have decided that once we start to need repairs, we will go to a private mechanic, NOT a dealership. ALL of them are ripoffs.

 

My experience has been that Honda is very fair when SELLING their cars while others completely try to rip you off, are dishonest, etc. My experience twice now has been that Honda is very fair when they SELL you the car. The extra maintenance - we do what we have to and forget about the rest.

[TravelingChris]

I love my Hyundai Sonata. I have a 2004 which we bought used in 2006 with only 8k miles. All my family fits in and we are five adult sized people. What is more, I love going shopping for groceries with it. It all fits easily.

 

I like my Sonata so much that I am considering giving it to my dd next year when she goes to college (depending where she goes- she may need transportation to medical appointments and it may be much cheaper than flying her home all the time). Then I will get myself a newer Hyundai.

 

We have a Toyota truck and it is great. No problems at all and we have had it since 2001. But we got a Hyundai for me since the price was lower and I got a much more comfortable ride. I have been driving rental cars recently and I have to say my Hyundai beats out the Ford Focus (a car my dd said she can't understand why anybody would buy it since it is so unfriendly) and a Nissan Maxima.

 

I don't know what it is around this area but the Honda drivers are bad drivers. Almost all the time we have a problem driver, it is a Honda.

[golfcartmama]

Honda Accord. We've had ours for 11 years. It has right under 200K miles on it. Runs and looks great STILL.