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Bob R said:
Thanks, Patsfan09:

That's why we want to drive them before we decide.


As Camry & Collora owners, we want to drive them to see what is better.

Bob
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My wife and I test-drove the best Camry and Accords out there, and then drove the Altima.

The Altima is much smoother, has a lot more pick-up, and is a safer car with its body/airbags. Yes, it's a little bit more expensive, but completely worth it.
 
Bob R said:
Any suggestions?
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DONT sign papers if you feel like you need a shower.
I spent a week or so looking and then spent time at dealers Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
I left one dealer because I felt like I needed a bath and spent $500 more for the same truck because it felt like that dealer GAVE me a bath
 
Don't buy anything without driving the comparable Subaru model. In your case, I'd say go drive a Legacy.

You're doing yourself a disservice leaving Subie out of the equation. GREAT cars. I've got a 2006 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The GT turbo models are very quick, and very agile.
 
Nomadic Logic said:
Don't buy anything without driving the comparable Subaru model. In your case, I'd say go drive a Legacy.

You're doing yourself a disservice leaving Subie out of the equation. GREAT cars. I've got a 2006 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The GT turbo models are very quick, and very agile.
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I'm actually a Subaru driver; I own a 2007 Legacy GT. I love the all-wheel drive, I love the pick-up, etc.

I'd put an Altima up there, though, especially with the CVT transmission. It picks up faster than the Legacy thanks to that transmission, and it's roomier, with a better safety system.
 
We are a VW family as of a month ago. We now own an '06 Passat (great car) and an '09 Tiguan (so far, so good). I'm also a big fan of the Accord. I drove an '04 up until last October before giving it to my daughter. I would have gone back to another Accord, but I wanted something just a bit more functional so I researched the mini-SUV's.

I decided on the Tiguan over the CR-V and RAV-4 for a few reasons:

- I eliminated the RAV-4 because I don't like the side hinged tailgate (and I couldn't get a salesman to pay attention to me).
- I got a great deal on the VW (along with a loyalty rebate). CR-V's are selling so strong that there's not much room for bargaining.
- There's few Tigs on the road and I like being a bit different.
- The Tig has the Audi 2.0T engine, the same as our Passat. It's been a solid engine on the Passat (so far...it's at 55K miles).
- I really like the service dept. we're we bought it. The Passat has been going there for most if it's life, but it wasn't where we bought it. That dealer's service dept. sucked and they lost us permanently.
 
bideau said:
We are a VW family as of a month ago. We now own an '06 Passat (great car) and an '09 Tiguan (so far, so good). I'm also a big fan of the Accord. I drove an '04 up until last October before giving it to my daughter. I would have gone back to another Accord, but I wanted something just a bit more functional so I researched the mini-SUV's.

I decided on the Tiguan over the CR-V and RAV-4 for a few reasons:

- I eliminated the RAV-4 because I don't like the side hinged tailgate (and I couldn't get a salesman to pay attention to me).
- I got a great deal on the VW (along with a loyalty rebate). CR-V's are selling so strong that there's not much room for bargaining.
- There's few Tigs on the road and I like being a bit different.
- The Tig has the Audi 2.0T engine, the same as our Passat. It's been a solid engine on the Passat (so far...it's at 55K miles).
- I really like the service dept. we're we bought it. The Passat has been going there for most if it's life, but it wasn't where we bought it. That dealer's service dept. sucked and they lost us permanently.
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You have to be very careful with VWs, especially first model year. My wife and I had a 2004 Tuareg that was absolutely riddled with electrical problems. Thankfully, I had the warranty extended out to 100k - it paid for itself very quickly. Routine maintenance on VWs (at least Tuaregs) is oddly expensive, as well. On par with my 97 BMW M3.

I do love the look of the Tiguan, though. That and the new Passat CC are fantastic looking.
 
I have a 07 Altima and no problems at all since I got it. It rides nice and $20 fills up the gas tank lol not too bad. Now I do like the new Maxima, it is niiice! I am ready for something different though. The Altima is a good dependable car. No complaints.
 
Nomadic Logic said:
You have to be very careful with VWs, especially first model year. My wife and I had a 2004 Tuareg that was absolutely riddled with electrical problems. Thankfully, I had the warranty extended out to 100k - it paid for itself very quickly. Routine maintenance on VWs (at least Tuaregs) is oddly expensive, as well. On par with my 97 BMW M3.

I do love the look of the Tiguan, though. That and the new Passat CC are fantastic looking.
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There were a few minor glitches with the Passat (1st year for the B6 model), but all of them quickly taken care of and no issues in awhile. The Tiguan is actually in it's 2nd year. And I came damned close to taking a CC out for a drive. That is a great looking car. But I resisted because I really wanted something a bit more practical.
 
TomWaits & you said:
I've never leased a car, honestly. Though, it doesn't sound like your experience was a real winner.

TBL: I'm a total snob, before I get into it. That said, I'm not saying this to be a caxk. It's that they sucker you into buying a car that you want but can't afford. I hate that. But I don't just hate them, I hate that people allow it to happen: I hate thatfolks want things that they can't have. It's not hate. That's WAY too strong. But you get the idea, i hope?
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Well I leased it so you are saying I got suckered and now you hate me? LOL Thing is I knew what price I could afford and that one I can. And technically you are not buying it. At the end of the lease if you want to buy it you can or you can just give it back.

Like I said not sure how I feel about leasing but I don't think it was a bad experience that would make me not wanna do it again. But right now I would like to own my own vehicle.
 
TBrownslady said:
I will say because of the mishap with my car last weekend I am driving a rental right now. They gave me an 09 Hyundai Sonata. This car rides SO nice. Tap on the gas you are gone, you barely feel the bumps, and it's roomy. I am thinking of pricing out one of those possibly and maybe a Civic. Also gotta do my research cause I don't know much about Hyundais. I know Hondas are great cars that will last you a very long time.
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Hyundai makes a nice product. The thing about the lower-end companies is this: the price is lower, but so is the resale value. You drive a Hyundai off the lot, it depreciates by about $5,000 probably. So make sure you actually like the car and want the car and plan on keeping the car. You can get a Honda or Nissan or Toyota, and those cars will cost you much more, but you'll also get much more in resale.
 
Right; a high-end Altima will sell for about $28k these days, and it depreciates about $5-6k; not too bad, especially since it keeps its value so well. I bought my wife an '08 for $20k, fully loaded.
 
Nomadic Logic said:
You have to be very careful with VWs, especially first model year. My wife and I had a 2004 Tuareg that was absolutely riddled with electrical problems. Thankfully, I had the warranty extended out to 100k - it paid for itself very quickly. Routine maintenance on VWs (at least Tuaregs) is oddly expensive, as well. On par with my 97 BMW M3.

I do love the look of the Tiguan, though. That and the new Passat CC are fantastic looking.
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i'd concur
i have a VW now, the electrical is so screwed i can't even sell it, i will never buy another VW
 
We've had no electrical glitches at all with the Passat :shrug:
 
To chime in here regarding VW and electricial problems. I bought my wife an 09 Rabbit late last year and so far there's been zero issues with it and customer service has been very high.
 
This can easily degenerate into a "this car sucks, no that car sucks" argument. Bottom line is that every car ever made has a few bad apples from the production line. Best thing to do is look at a vehicle's history (if it has one) and what the previous owners say about it to get the overall idea. (Don't just go by what the "experts" say, either. Consumer Reports, for example, often has an agenda. They don't like cars like the Yaris and Smart, but if you look at the ratings for those cars the owners of those cars rate them highly.)
 
Thanks for all your advice.

Today was a very fine day to shop for cars, I managed to drive the Accord, Altima, and Camry in that order. Each car was a winner, as I drove it.

The Accord was slightly sportier in feel but had more wind/road noise. Not much, but noticeable. The dash board was a little “busy” in that there a lot of buttons to play with. It’s also highly rated in Consumer Reports.

The Altima had the best interior and exterior looks and the CVT transmission is what they say, smooth and no feeling of gear change through out the drive. Is this great, or boring? I don’t know at this stage.

The Camry was just as quiet as the Altima and seemed to have pretty good acceleration for a 2.4L. A few other surprises were the alarm system and powered drivers seat in this trim level.

They all seemed eager to deal, the $22K MSRP came down to $19K when asked for their best offer.

It might all come down to my butt deciding, the Camry has the powered drivers seat and good lumbar support. That, and I pass by them on my way to work when service is needed. The downside is that this would be my third Toyota in a row - kinda the same.

Tough to decide at this point.
 
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