Buying a new vehicle and researching issues

[Lamb]

Before you purchase a new vehicle how much research do you do besides choosing the paint color and options? The last vehicle we bought we saw that there were some known issues but recalls had taken care of it...so we thought. I can't go into more detail at the moment on this current vehicle but now we're searching for our next one.

We settled on a Toyota Tacoma, or so we thought. We're finding out now that it has a squeaky leaf spring that Toyota knows is a known issue but has no sure fix for it! And that issue has been going on for YEARS! I don't want a squeaky truck.

Do you search out issues for your vehicles or just trust that manufacturers know what they're doing?

 

[faramir.pete]

After the VW emissions debacle we would all bevery unwise to trust any manufacturuer. I always seek independent advice and reviews, after all it is the second biggest investment most of us make.


Pete from Peterborough UK

 

[Josiah]

We just bought a 2017 Honda Pilot SUV (replacing my wife's 2003 Toyota Corolla with nearly 200K miles on it).

We mostly looked to Consumer's Reports. I've been getting that magazine for years and lean a lot on it for major purchases. Ironically, they liked the Toyota Highlander better and it rated better in most categories. But we found the Honda to be quieter, better riding and just a bit more convenient; the test drives of the two lead us to "skip" the top CR choice. But I think the Pilot was like third and only a couple of points lower, but again, we simply liked it better. We liked the dealership better, too.

I'd highly recommend using Consumer Reports. I probably have all the magazines so if you are deciding between a few, I can probably tell you how CR rated them....

Good luck



- Josiah

 

[Lamb]

After the VW emissions debacle we would all bevery unwise to trust any manufacturuer. I always seek independent advice and reviews, after all it is the second biggest investment most of us make.


Pete from Peterborough UK

I forgot about the VW issue!! When you say independent advice and reviews do you mean asking friends and family?

 

[Lamb]

We just bought a 2017 Honda Pilot SUV (replacing my wife's 2003 Toyota Corolla with nearly 200K miles on it).

We mostly looked to Consumer's Reports. I've been getting that magazine for years and lean a lot on it for major purchases. Ironically, they liked the Toyota Highlander better and it rated better in most categories. But we found the Honda to be quieter, better riding and just a bit more convenient; the test drives of the two lead us to "skip" the top CR choice. But I think the Pilot was like third and only a couple of points lower, but again, we simply liked it better. We liked the dealership better, too.

I'd highly recommend using Consumer Reports. I probably have all the magazines so if you are deciding between a few, I can probably tell you how CR rated them....

Good luck



- Josiah

My husband and I used to subscribe to Consumer Reports for years!! But that's back when we were newly married and still needed to buy things. Now that we have all that junk all we need is the occasional replacement item and we tend to buy the same brand since it did what it was supposed to. I even filled out my forms for Consumer Reports a few times giving my ratings for the things we had. It took forever to do!

The car thing though...Consumer Reports will give their findings but then vehicles have problems later on and that's what I want to know about. Our current vehicle had a major issue from day one and we don't want to live through that again. Right now I'm looking online at the Chevy Colorado. Anyone have one?

 

[Josiah]

The Chevy Colorado is a "compact pickup" - a small field without a lot of choices, only 4 now exist (2 in widely variant forms)

"Consumer Reports" has tested all of them and rates this in this order overall:

1. Honda Ridgeline 76 points overall, 80 points for road test. Has average reliability and far above average in owner satisfaction.

2. Chevy Colorado LT V6 57 points overall, 69 points for road tests. Has below average reliability and average owner satisfaction.

3. GMC Canyon SLE VY 57 points, 69 Road Test. Ditto above (essentially the same truck)

4. Chevy Colorado LT Diesel 56 points overall, 67 road test points. Below average reliability, average owner satisfaction

5. GMC Canyon SLE Diesal 56 points. 67 points for road tests. Below average reliability, average owner satifaction.

6. Toyota Tacoma SR5 41 points. 46 points for road test. Below average reliability, average owner satisfaction.


For what it's worth....



- Josiah

 

[MoreCoffee]

Before you purchase a new vehicle how much research do you do besides choosing the paint color and options? The last vehicle we bought we saw that there were some known issues but recalls had taken care of it...so we thought. I can't go into more detail at the moment on this current vehicle but now we're searching for our next one.

We settled on a Toyota Tacoma, or so we thought. We're finding out now that it has a squeaky leaf spring that Toyota knows is a known issue but has no sure fix for it! And that issue has been going on for YEARS! I don't want a squeaky truck.

Do you search out issues for your vehicles or just trust that manufacturers know what they're doing?

Buy a Mazda CX 5 or something

 

[Imalive]

I wanted to buy a bike for 50 on a Dutch ebay cuz it was cheap. Then that guy didn't want to give his address. Hello where can I pick it up then? Oh wait that's a bit too cheap for a bike. He must have stolen it. It also said it had no lock. But I got one kids bike for 10. That was a good buy. Wasn't stolen, just old.

 

[Imalive]

Lol when my brother was 18 he wanted to have a car. He bought one at the car dump for 250 euro. Nice n cheap, nice color, yellow, what else do you have to look at? It collapsed within a week.
We once bought one from a guy who had lost the book that goes w it w information. Shouldn't have trusted that. Every few months it needed a new motor. At last the thick black smoke came out of it and someone stole the radio and ruined the windows for that. Then we had enough of it.

 

[Lamb]

The Chevy Colorado is a "compact pickup" - a small field without a lot of choices, only 4 now exist (2 in widely variant forms)

"Consumer Reports" has tested all of them and rates this in this order overall:

1. Honda Ridgeline 76 points overall, 80 points for road test. Has average reliability and far above average in owner satisfaction.

2. Chevy Colorado LT V6 57 points overall, 69 points for road tests. Has below average reliability and average owner satisfaction.

3. GMC Canyon SLE VY 57 points, 69 Road Test. Ditto above (essentially the same truck)

4. Chevy Colorado LT Diesel 56 points overall, 67 road test points. Below average reliability, average owner satisfaction

5. GMC Canyon SLE Diesal 56 points. 67 points for road tests. Below average reliability, average owner satifaction.

6. Toyota Tacoma SR5 41 points. 46 points for road test. Below average reliability, average owner satisfaction.


For what it's worth....



- Josiah

Thanks. I did see that on the net which is why we're looking at the Chevy Colorado. If the Honda came in a 6 ft bed we'd look at that but they're only in the 5 ft range and if my husband wants to sleep in the back when he's out camping then he'd have to sleep diagonally and the air mattress wouldn't fit right.

 

[Lamb]

Buy a Mazda CX 5 or something

Mazdas are nice vehicles. It's just that we want a pick up truck. We used to own a Ford F-150 but that won't fit in our garage or we'd get it again.

 

[Lamb]

Lol when my brother was 18 he wanted to have a car. He bought one at the car dump for 250 euro. Nice n cheap, nice color, yellow, what else do you have to look at? It collapsed within a week.
We once bought one from a guy who had lost the book that goes w it w information. Shouldn't have trusted that. Every few months it needed a new motor. At last the thick black smoke came out of it and someone stole the radio and ruined the windows for that. Then we had enough of it.

I'll stay away from the Dutch cars then...especially ones from the dump

 

[Josiah]

Thanks. I did see that on the net which is why we're looking at the Chevy Colorado. If the Honda came in a 6 ft bed we'd look at that but they're only in the 5 ft range and if my husband wants to sleep in the back when he's out camping then he'd have to sleep diagonally and the air mattress wouldn't fit right.

Makes sense. Yup, always have to consider personal needs and tastes.... My beloved and I didn't go with the top rated mid size SUV either, but one that did score very well.

 

[Josiah]

How's your search going?

 

[Lamb]

How's your search going?

We're waiting to see how some legal issues go concerning our current car...it could take up to a year (and I can't discuss anything about it) So the search will be slow going for a new one.

 

[hotrhymez]

i dont really care..as long as it has 4 wheels and gas and can get me from point A to point B without exploding I'm happy..though some day I would love to have a Ford Mustang

 

[Josiah]

So the search will be slow going for a new one.

.... good to not have to rush.

 

[tango]

Mazdas are nice vehicles. It's just that we want a pick up truck. We used to own a Ford F-150 but that won't fit in our garage or we'd get it again.

Build a bigger garage?

 

[Imalive]

How's your search going?

 

[Imalive]

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