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Pat Barry
11-17-2014, 2:51 PM
Hi all,
My daughter is looking for a vehicle upgrade from a 1998 Nissan Altima. I was looking at possibilities : Mazda3, Chev Cruze, Chev Malibu, Nissan Sentra are a few that come to mind. Probably something in the 2009 thru 2011 range I suspect. I think the Altima's are a bit pricey for her. Anyone here have any bad experiences to share about any of these?
Thanks

Jim Becker
11-17-2014, 2:55 PM
For where you live, check out Subaru, too.

Wes Mitchell
11-17-2014, 3:33 PM
I had a 2008 Sentra that I loved. I only put 40,000 miles on it but never had any issues. I only got rid of it because I needed something to pull a boat/trailer with.

Stan Calow
11-17-2014, 6:38 PM
Ive looked at some of these recently. If I had to choose, I'd go with the Mazda 3.

Jim Matthews
11-17-2014, 6:58 PM
Mazda 3 is basically a Miata with four doors, and room for the dog.

Fun to drive, but likely pushed hard by the previous owner.
I would recommend a 4 cylinder Accord or Civic, first.

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=top&story=cartalk-cars-we-hate&subject=more

Mike Null
11-18-2014, 7:04 AM
There are no Chevys that are an upgrade from a Nissan Altima.

Rich Engelhardt
11-18-2014, 7:11 AM
2009 to 2011 - I'd look real hard at both the Kia and the Hyundai.
We just traded off my wife's 2011 Kia Forte on a 2015 Hyundai Elantra.

Both of those really take a blood bath on resale value because of the terrible reputation the Korean car companies built up for themselves 20 years ago.
Since you're looking at used, you might as well cash in on the lack of resale value.
We took a chance on the 2011 Forte and traded our 2008 Subaru (horrible car - we had 4 Subarus and the quality of that product is gone - just like Honda) on one and it ran flawlessly.
Having owned 2 Nissans, 11 Hondas, 4 Subarus and a mix of Ford, Chevy and Chrysler products since 1970 - I'd put the quality of the Korean cars today right up there with the Japanese products of the 80's and early 90's.

Bob Rufener
11-18-2014, 8:09 AM
Our daughter bought a Prius and is very happy with it but she lives in San Diego. I don't know how well they would perform in snow. I have driven a Cruze and liked it. I don't know much about its longevity. Malibu is a good choice. I don't think you would go wrong looking at Toyota or Honda as well. People I know really like their Civics and Corollas. A step up is the Accord and Camry. All good cars. We are getting overall over 32 miles per gallon on our Camry 4 cyl.

Lee Schierer
11-18-2014, 9:57 AM
I've owned 5 Mazdas and had at least 3 with over 100 K miles and never had one of them in the shop for anything other than oil changes and tune ups and occasionally for tires. There is a world of difference between a Miata and a Mazda 3. We also own a Miata and it has never been in the garage for repairs either. I currently own a 2004 Mazda 6 with 100K miles. The body is starting to show some rust, and we live in the snow belt of PA, but the engine and drive train are sound. We get 31 mpg on the highway at 65-70 mph.

Larry Edgerton
11-18-2014, 10:43 AM
I've owned 5 Mazdas and had at least 3 with over 100 K miles and never had one of them in the shop for anything other than oil changes and tune ups and occasionally for tires. There is a world of difference between a Miata and a Mazda 3. We also own a Miata and it has never been in the garage for repairs either. I currently own a 2004 Mazda 6 with 100K miles. The body is starting to show some rust, and we live in the snow belt of PA, but the engine and drive train are sound. We get 31 mpg on the highway at 65-70 mph.

Ditto. I've owned 5 Miata's and my wifes car is currently a Mazda 3, has 140K on it and has never broken. Still runs just as strong as it ever did and averages 35mpg year round. I will say that the Mazda's handle better than any budget minded cars that I have ever driven, not a bad thing when someone pulls out in front of you.

Our next car will probably be another 3, but the Mazda 6 is in the running.

On the Suburu, they are not a good car to buy used. They are hard to work on, and so the bills are always high. They tend to have a problem with bolts snapping off in areas with salt when trying to take parts off. My brother has a repair facility and now refuses to work on them for these reasons. If they are going to be mad about the bill he would rather have it be the dealer.

Larry

Pat Barry
11-18-2014, 12:15 PM
We looked briefly last night at the Mazda 3 and Nissan Sentra. It was a bit chilly though so we didn't take a test drive. My daughter did like the Mazda 3 however and we hope to try a test drive soon. We had not considered the Subaru or Kia or Hyundai however, I'll run those by my daughter and see what she thinks. To me I want her to get dependability and safety. She values gas mileage and style and some features such as heated seats (I wish I had them) and Bluetooth and auxiliary sound inputs. She liked the Mazda because it felt solid.... She isn't too high right now on either the Honda's or the Chev Cruze but she seems to like the Malibu. I'm happy that we are starting early so that she doesn't have to make a quick decision - its her first car purchase. Thanks to all for your thoughts

David Weaver
11-18-2014, 12:29 PM
I would look at used Scion XBs 2008 and after. they're basically a puffed up corolla, and they're cheap (I don't know what they're like used, though - in terms of price) and they're simply made, so any mechanic can work on them.

Chris Hachet
11-18-2014, 12:39 PM
Depending on budget, I would say Subaru....very safe and reliable.

Chris Hachet
11-18-2014, 12:40 PM
There are no Chevys that are an upgrade from a Nissan Altima.


I liked the new Imapala much better than the Altima. never been much of a Nissan guy though.

curtis rosche
11-18-2014, 3:26 PM
no matter what you pick, stay away from CarMax... I know a number of people who have had problems with them, including stupid things like they charge extra if you want the manual for the car

Erik Loza
11-18-2014, 4:28 PM
...I would recommend a 4 cylinder Accord or Civic, first...

+1 ^^^

Or perhaps a Camry or Corolla as well. Best of luck in your search.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

Wade Lippman
11-18-2014, 8:46 PM
On the Suburu, they are not a good car to buy used. They are hard to work on, and so the bills are always high. They tend to have a problem with bolts snapping off in areas with salt when trying to take parts off. My brother has a repair facility and now refuses to work on them for these reasons. If they are going to be mad about the bill he would rather have it be the dealer.

Larry

I am sure your brother knows more then I do, but Subaru sold me a 6 year warranty for $500. They can't expect many expensive repairs. Only one I ever bought, but it seemed cheap.

But now that I think about it, replacing turn signal bulb was not a DIY job; fortunately it was covered by the warranty.

David Weaver
11-18-2014, 8:51 PM
It's around the 100k mile range that they get expensive. I recall seeing an eric the car guy video where ECTG (a mechanic) said that they have a known head gasket issue or something around 100K miles and it's expected. There are a lot of vehicles like that (some of the early import minivans like hondas had door problems and they have transmission problems - both of which are expensive to fix).

Simple is good in a car that's already several years old and is on the second half of the first 100k miles.

Greg Peterson
11-18-2014, 9:08 PM
Subaru's head gaskets are pretty much a standard service procedure. Subaru is practically the state car in Oregon. We sell a lot of head gasket sets.

Jim Becker
11-19-2014, 8:55 PM
Our daughter bought a Prius and is very happy with it but she lives in San Diego. I don't know how well they would perform in snow.

Prius doesn't perform well in snow or other slippery conditions. That's why Professor Dr SWMBO now drives a Subaru Outback after two Prii...

Matt Day
11-19-2014, 10:36 PM
As you can tell you'll get a lot of opinions on which car to buy.
I love my '04 Subaru Forester XT. Bad gas mileage, but fun to drive, can carry a decent amount of stuff, and has a large DIY following. I've done all repairs (ball joints, fluids, brakes, end links, etc) with the help of the online community and they all went well.

My wife has a 2014 Forester and that gets much better gas mileage and is better laid out inside. Very happy with it.

Subaru a don't get many style points though from young ladies, except maybe the imprezas.

Jim Matthews
11-20-2014, 7:54 AM
Prius doesn't perform well in snow or other slippery conditions. That's why Professor Dr SWMBO now drives a Subaru Outback after two Prii...

Let me help you out there, before you hurt yourself.

"...after two a priori Pri-lapses in judgement..."

Michael Weber
11-20-2014, 10:40 AM
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Jim Matthews http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=2335582#post2335582)
...I would recommend a 4 cylinder Accord or Civic, first...

+1 ^^^

Or perhaps a Camry or Corolla as well. Best of luck in your search.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

+2 to Jim and +1 to Erik.

Brian Elfert
11-20-2014, 10:47 AM
Prius doesn't perform well in snow or other slippery conditions. That's why Professor Dr SWMBO now drives a Subaru Outback after two Prii...

Does the Prius perform any worse than your average front wheel drive car in the snow? Plenty of people own them here where we have a fair number of snowy/slippery days.

David Weaver
11-20-2014, 11:03 AM
There are people with them here, too (along with volts and leafs), and we add hills to the mix for an extra fun variable in the snow. I'd consider one for another car. In suburbia, though, I can afford to wait until the roads are clear because even on the worst days, it's not very long before they are, and we use so much salt here that the snow melts and there is still a lot of solid salt crystal on the road (going short on the salt mixed with the hilly terrain would be a bad idea).

That said, my parents live in central PA where it's much flatter and they have much less need for 4wd, and are retired with no need to go anywhere in any hurry, but they will not be without at least one vehicle with it.

Jim Becker
11-20-2014, 4:57 PM
Does the Prius perform any worse than your average front wheel drive car in the snow? Plenty of people own them here where we have a fair number of snowy/slippery days.
In my (and Professor Dr. SWMBO's) experience, yes. For some reason, the balance just wasn't right and traction was horrible. It may be because the weight of the batteries is in the rear of the car and the small 4-cylinder engine is, well...small...and not that heavy. Going with non-OEM tires helped a little, but it was still a "slip-sliding away" experience in snow and on ice much more than any other front drive car either of use have owned/driven. The traction issues, combined with the very dicy rear-quarter visibility made us decide to leave the Prius family. We enjoyed both vehicles, otherwise, and absolutely appreciated the fuel efficiency. That said, we get 30mpg hwy and about 26 mpg general mileage with the Outback Limited (4 cylinder). Not in Prius territory, but very acceptable considering. The Outback is also amazingly stable to drive with a great feel of the road. The boss had a Forester a number of years ago and we loved that, too. And next year, when "the younger" turns 16 and we contemplate a third vehicle for the household, first priority will likely go to a Subaru of some type.

thomas hsieh
11-20-2014, 6:49 PM
What is her budget?