Ok, I wasn't planning on doing another giveaway so soon, but I need some serious help. Or rather, my Mom needs some serious help. She is in possession of the biggest Honda lemon ever. Boo hiss! It has 120,000 miles on it and in the last year she has spent a fortune and replaced almost every piece under the hood. Today, it started smoking while she was driving. The shop said her radiator had cracked and needed to be replaced. And oh, by the way, it leaked into your engine and now you need a new engine which will only cost $4-5K by itself. Gah. Not good.
So this weekend, I'll be going to help her car shop & negotiate the best deal somewhere between all the soccer games and other kids' stuff we have going on. Thinking the cars with 10 year/100,000 mile warranties would be the best and in a budget of $15-20K. Because at this point, she's all about the warranty. She needs your suggestions, folks. What would you recommend?
Enter to win one of my worry stones (you choose the two colors!) by leaving a comment with a car recommendation and why. A random winner will be chosen next week after she gets the new/used car. I will make the worry stone after hearing color preferences from the winner and will get it shipped out within a week.
If you're commenting anonymously, please make sure your email is included, otherwise your comment will be deleted.
19 comments:
It might sound unAmerican, but I am toyota fan in spite of their latest problems.!
I still love my PT Cruiser after almost 9 years!
Dave and I have been Honda/Toyota for a long time. We had to get a bigger vehicle once we had Riley in Dec. and we went with a Chevy Traverse. So far I absolutely LOVE it. Was thinking though if I could get away with a smaller car lower cost car I would have checked out some smaller Chevy's, Subaru's, Toyota Rav-4 (had one and miss my little 'pepe, my little mule' every day), Scion, Hyundai. They all have great warranty's, lots of extras and look cool too!
I have a friend who has a Nissan Versa, and it's a great little car - and so much more room in it than you'd think :o)
I traveled a good bit last year and had numerous rental cars. The best car BY FAR was the Kia Forte. It seemed very well built. It was comfortable; and it had the most standard features of any of the other cars I had. (standard even included bluetooth and iPod integration) Fuel economy was good, power from the engine was good, handling was good. Definitely has to be the best car in its class.
I agree. Toyota is good. My mom's 1996 Toyota Corolla is running like a champ with regular maintenance and 165K miles. (Naturally hers is not the sticky gas pedal generation). And other relatives have Camry and Tundra truck, also winners for them. Maybe Camry for Mom? However, living here in the Pac NW, Subaru offers an 8yr/8,000 bumper to bumper **including drivetrain** on their Foresters and Outbacks. Do reading for yourself but that might be 1 you hadn't thought of. Me, I am a dyed in the wool Volkswagen girl. But maintenance is $$$.
Anything by Toyota. I'm still running a 15yo diesel Surf with 400,000 kilometres on the clock. Hasn't missed a beat.
Love my little Honda Civic Hatchback- 1994 and 170 K km, running like new.
Sorry your mom is having problems with her Honda. I drive a Honda CRV, had it since 2002 with 200,000 + miles on it..only once did it give us cause to worry. I will always recommend a Honda.
My Mom's Honda Accord has given her little to no problems in the 6 years she's had it... her last one lasted 10 yrs. Me... my Mitsubishi Galant is 11 years old... and I've had next to no problems with it... except for the paint flaking off these last 2 years... I'd go with Honda next time though... they normally have a wonderful repair record.
Sorry she is having so many problems with her Honda - we always had luck with them. I have a Toyota Rav and love it. Good luck
I enjoyed my Toyota Camry with no problems and over 100,000 miles.
Ah gosh, what horrible luck! cars can be such pains. I love my Sonata. I've only had it a year but no worries, runs beautifully and has all kinds of warranty. Maybe leasing would be a better option since then you're in a cycle of always driving the best new years of a car, just a thought.
I would look into a Kia or Hyundia. They come with 10 year warranties and both myself and the DH have been very pleased with ours.
We have had a great experience with two Subarus. And they have all wheel drive. Don't know where you live, but there is nothing like AWD in snow. Good luck!
# 16 comment sounds lucky to me!! ;)
I can't say it enough SUBURU SUBURU SUBURU! You can't go wrong with a Suburu. They are my favorite cars, and my little Imprezza is the best car ever.
these beads in this post are awesome. so earthy!
toyota makes very dependable cars - the body will rot off the frame before the engine dies. used toyotas (with, of course, a good inspection) are as reliable as new ones.
another option is pontiac cars - while not as amazingly dependable as toyotas, they are very common, so replacement parts are easier and cheaper to come by.
if she's comfortable driving one, look into getting a manual transmission - especially if you're looking used. most people dont know how to drive a standard, so they tend to sit on lots for a while, making dealers anxious to get rid of them. you could probably negotiate a deal on it.
good luck!
Being an Aussie I really should be recommending a Holden (which we currently own) but my hubby reckons you can't go past our previous car which was a Toyota Camry wagon. Perfect size, reliable and well he reckons it ran like a dream!
I hope your mum finds something decent at the right price!
Karyn
My mom has a Camry,it's 11 yrs old& runs like new.My daughter has a 5yr. old Kia,it 's giving her no trouble.I had a Mustang,it caught on fire after 4 yrs.Now I have a Nisson,it's o.k.I'm no expert on cars,I hate that your mom is having trouble with her car,but she's lucky to have you there to help her.Good luck!
Post a Comment