get a subaru that sits high off the ground

Probably where I'll end up, just another longhaired bearded hippie type in my station wagon that's trying to look like an 80's shuttlecraft.

at least you're accepting

phatj wrote:I've heard a lot of horror stories in recent years about VW.

I heard them too, and I was worried when I bought my first VW. The biggest problems were cars made in Mexico. Because my 2005 Passat was a diesel, it was from Germany which is the only location where diesel Passats were assembled. My new(er) CC is also assembled in Germany, I think. I haven't checked but I think now that most VW quality issues are behind them. In terms of reliability, it's surely not a Toyota or a Honda, but I bought the CC with confidence. And it is just a dream to drive.

I really wanted an Audi or a BMW, but I got all the features for about $15,000 less.

TenuredVulture wrote:It might be a piece of junk (combining the efforts of Alfa Romeo and Chrysler doesn't sound like a good idea) but the Dart II surely looks pretty snazzy.

saw a few at the made in america festival. it's a neon.

thinking about trading my prius (passed 190k miles this morning) in for a new prius c. the reviews are awful, but i test drove one the other day and didn't notice any of the things the reviews mentioned. one of my favorite lines: "prius people will love the prius c". i guess that's me.

190K? I guess you're finally due for a fillup??

WheelsFellOff wrote:Been thinking of replacing my truck lately. It's a 99 with only 130k miles. It's losing some horsepower and it's losing it's suspension from Lebanon's delightful mix of potholes, train tracks, manholes sunk 4" below road the surface, and speed bumps around my work. A car really makes the most sense for me as I'm almost exclusively driving <20 miles a day, mostly in town. Having driven this same pickup for the last 10+ years though I'm not sure I could handle going back to driving a car. Anyone who's made the transition from longtime pickup driver to small/midsize car, how did you get past the feeling that you're driving a roller skate?

A badass muscle car (Mustang, Camaro, Challenger)? What you see in the rear view mirror won't be your manhood, but the manhood of others.

(o snap!)

Why would anyone want to look at other dudes' manhoods?

phatj wrote:I've heard a lot of horror stories in recent years about VW.

My mechanic has worked for over 30 years on only Honda's, VW's, and Audi's. Asked him what I should buy. He said if I wanted to keep my money buy a Honda, but if I wanted to share my money with him, buy a VW or Audi.

I'd get a motorcycle before a muscle car. Off topic, but is it weird that my family is trying to talk me IN to getting a motorcycle?

nah, we're just all jealous.

i could see you tearing down the streets of annville on a nice cafe racer

Artist's Rendition, we'll remove the crown in post.

From a guy that did a lot of dirtbiking and a little amateur motorcross in my youth... no frikin way I would ever ride a streetbike with all the gaddam idiots on the road, cellphone in hand and the attention span of a gnat.

Went car shopping today, as my 2002 Mazda Protege5 is showing its age. The idea is to get a very economical car to be our daily commuter/weekend trip car and the Mazda5 we also own can be the hauler, with the eventual intention to replace the Mazda5 with a larger vehicle that can haul even more (my wife does a lot of wood-working stuff and wants something that can haul 2x4s and sheet plywood and stuff).

Went to a Toyota dealer first, intending to look at the Yaris as it's their econobox. They only had one new one on the lot, and one used one. The latter was a manual. I drove it and it was fine. They also had a 2009 or '10 Prius that we drove - it was a bit more than we were looking at spending, but a much nicer car than the Yaris. We also drove a Scion xD which was the slowest car I've ever driven, including the '04 Kia Rio I had as a loaner years ago. I mean, I had the pedal to the metal and it went like a grocery cart. Anyway, we both loved the Prius, it was a far more premium-feeling car than the other two and promises at least 10 MPG better in our daily use. But the dealer experience was not good. The first thing we said when we sat down with the sales rep was that we were just starting to look and weren't going to be buying today. While we were there we reiterated this and the guy looked at us and shook his head with a smirk. Before we left he got some other guy to sit down with us to try to talk us into it.

On the way home we stopped at a Kia dealer, and drove the brand-new Rio. A much (MUCH) nicer car than the loaner I had back when. It was nearly as smooth and quiet (other than under acceleration, when I actually like to hear the engine) as the Prius, with a remarkable amount of standard features. When we were done we told the dealer that we weren't interested in having them look at our current car for trade-in purposes, and he didn't push it.

Anyway, we're planning to look at the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Ford Fiesta still. Thoughts on any of this? I'm leaning towards the Prius at this time despite really not liking the dealer.

You will never regret buying a prius. I'm on my second one (by choice, not necessity).

Is there another Toyota dealer within reasonable distance? Does a Prius demand more dealer service than a non-hybrid?

I wish I had a reason to buy a new car but I just don't. 130k on my 2006 dodge charger(turns 8 this month). Just put about 2k into the suspension to get it over the 200k hump. Would love to get a car that git 40mpg highway. I it feasible until this one finally breaks down.

If I had to right now I'd got with a VW diesel. Can't beat the style and mpg it's gonna get you.

I drive a 2010 Prius and love it.

My previous car was a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport which got 15 mph on a good day. Traded it in during the "Cash for Clunkers" deal and have never looked back.

No way I'm buying that Prius from that dealer. Aside from the high-pressure sales environment, I have learned this morning that they were playing games with the price. They said it was 16,900 for the car yesterday (it was new on their lot and didn't have the price in the window) but I see it on toyotacertified.com today for 16 even.

Plus, that was a fairly bare-bones 2009 and I see a 2010 (an updated model, better all around) at another dealer for the same price.

I hate car dealers. Bunch of shady bastards.

You should check out CarMax, if there is one near you. I have heard they have a good reputation, although I have no personal experience. I think they are a no-haggle shop.