Looking for a replacement car

[AHarris]

TDI Tourag AWD loaded

Test driving one on the Autobahn (V10 TDI) in Germany at 200 km/h put a huge smile on my face! What a rocket ship!!

Even better was the Audi A6 TDI at 240 km/h!!

 

[AKetay]

Ever thing about looking at a VW Jetta TDI? Safe 40+ mpg car. I am on my 4th one now looking to get the newer one soon. My wife goes about 600 miles per tank (13 gallons).

 

[GHarman]

Thanks for the replies! Mom and I took a day and looked at several Subarus. I have owned 2 Subarus in the past as well as a VW Rabbit Diesel, 2 Fords, one Dodge and my wife has a 2007 Toyota Highlander. I personally dont like the Toyota, however, she does and If you drove one like she does, you can understand why she needs a stoutly built "car" (Mario Andretti comes to mind:-laf). My experience with VW's is not good and we have rough mountain roads to contend with. There is no price incentive difference for a TDI Jetta and a Subaru, for initial purchase, used or new. 40 MPG Diesel at the Diesel premium is more expensive than 27MPG gasser, per mile and you only have a 2WD!

The Subarus were the most reliable vehicles, in my experience and most models are assembled in the USA.

Mom really liked the rides and the ease of getting seated (She is 96 years young, and going strong!). We have not found THE car, but are more closely focused on what we want. However, I would like to take a test drive in a new/used early 2007 Dodge/Cummins crew Cab:-laf. Jest fer grinsOo. . GregH

 

[GHarman]

BTW, Quality increase, notwithstanding, a newer Ford Taurus/Ford 500 is more expensive to insure than the Subaru's. Cost of repair is the issue here. I priced all of them with State Farm. GregH



PS. Did you know that Subaru is the only car company that posted a profit, last year?



Subaru Reports Record Breaking Sales for August 2008 – PRNewswire – Entrepreneur.com

 

[MFalkinham]

Maybe check out a 2003-2008 Pontiac Vibe? You get a reliable Toyota drivetrain (same as the Corolla/Matrix) in either FWD or AWD, and the ability to be serviced at any GM dealer, plus they are built in California. I have an '08 Vibe and it's great! Pontiac redesigned the Vibe for 2009 but they are now too "street racer" looking for my taste.

 

[Dieselnut59]

BMW's new 535D is out. 40 mpg in real world driving is what the sales guy said and I would not be surprised. Sticker says 38mpg (the highway number) and the sucker has 429 food pounds of freaking torque! It would be a fun and economical car to have! I would still rather have the SUV @ 30ish MPG with the same (3 liter, dual turbo inline 6) engine.

They are assembled in Gaffney, South Carolina with non union labor!

 

[AMcCormick]

"96 and going strong" thats awesome

 

[Gene Arnold]

Greg,

We are not wealthy, by any stretch of the imagination.

I relate well to that statement! You live in the Colorado high country and mentioned that you live on a rough road where it sounds like a 4X4 is necessary. Is that also true of ninety-six year old (WOW!) mom? If she doesn't need to go over the rough stuff maybe another FWD fits the bill. I bought a '95 Continental in 2001 and it is everything I need and more. I live on the side of a mountain but we have paved streets in our sub-division. When I moved here in '91 I thought I'd need a 4X4 or an AWD but I put off buying one and kept my old Town Car until it was pretty well used up and then replaced it with the Continental.



I wouldn't necessarily recommend a car like mine for mom, but another Taurus might be the ticket. My very poor (actually, nearly destitute) daughter in Nebraska has a 2000 Taurus that has been grossly neglected for more than five years except for some significant maintenance that I did a couple of times. The car just keeps on going and still drives pretty well in spite of the neglect. I think since they've never been highly desired the older ones (2003-2005) go pretty cheap and would give a lot of service for the money.



I like your signature verses from Isaiah!



Gene

 

[GHarman]

Thanks Gene! Mom lives in town. I just need to get there in all kinds of weather and transport her where she needs to go. I have about 10 miles total of dirt road with a 9500' pass to navigate. It is maintained somewhat. I prefer an AWD over a FWD because of the surefootedness on icy roads. I must do the driving and maintain the vehicle. In my experience with the Taurus, for the miles driven, they are poorly set up in the brake department and mileage is no better than a AWD Subaru. They are difficult to maintain and are an electronic nightmare. I have had no electrical problems with a 1996 Outback with 223,000 miles. The Taurus, has had complete outages of electrical circuts with only 104,000 miles. The brakes are really bad and I downshift the auto transmission! The door gaskets are a poor fit and leaked from day one. Mileage wise, I am looking at long term, not just a few years. I have bought new and drive em into the ground. Going used car shopping every 3 or 4 years is not my cup of tea. Trading one unknown money pit for another is not my idea of a wise investment. Some of the maintainence, I can do but that is slowly going away as I get older and find it more difficult to crawl under vehicles and hang over fenders. Thanks again for your input. GregH