Who here drives a Japanese sedan?

[MissouriTeacher]

I'm thinking of cars like: Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Mitsubishi Galant, Hyundai Elantra (actually Korean I think), Mazda Protege, etc, etc.

I'm on the hunt, as our illiterate president would say, for a new car (or a late-model used most likely). If you have any experience with the type of cars listed, I'd appreciate your input.

Yeah, I'd like to buy American, but I really need to keep my maintenance bills as low as possible. :shrug:

[GOPisEvil]

1. Er, you can "buy American" and still get a car on your list...

...many of them are built right here in the USA.

I have an old Infiniti (made by Nissan) it's great. I love the look of the new Altima! :thumbsup:

[MissouriTeacher]

4. I never thought of that.

I guess technically a lot of those cars are American.

I drive a Jetta right now, and that "German" car was built in Mexico of all places. :D

[Kellanved]

29. "American" doesn't mean American: Chrysler

For example the "American" Chrysler Crossfire is made in Germany.

[Maple]

2. Hyundai Sonata here

Yes Korean, and leased

Great car!

[oustemnow]

3. I really like my Camry

99 model, had it about a year. Maintenance so far has been nil, as I've been told to expect, though they don't depreciate much in value, so if you're looking at a late-model, you might as well check out new.

[MissouriTeacher]

5. I hear a lot of good things about the Camry.

Especially in the reliability department, but for some reason it's one of the least appealing to me looks-wise.

I have the same problem with Hondas.

[oustemnow]

9. definitely not the flashiest vehicle going

I prolly woulda gone with the Nissan Altima or Maxima, if the funds were there.

Nonetheless, I really like it.

[MissouriTeacher]

13. Yeah, the '03 Altimas look great.

Although they are probably out of my price range.

[blondeatlast]

30. I've had both an Altima and an Infinit (both Nissan cars)

and the problems I've had with both is the power goodies (windows, antenna) are notoriously bad. If you avoid power goodies, you'' like Nissans.

My Infiniti J30 is no longer after 12 years and 160000 miles. And it was a beauty--very glam!

I'm going to sorely miss it.

[NightTrain]

6. In 1989, I bought a brand new Toyota Tercel...

...and kept it on the road until the summer of 1998. By the time I got rid of my Tercel, I had racked up 139,000 miles on it. And it was still in running order!

I simply got rid of the Toyota because my father had died and I decided to take over his minivan. I couldn't have afforded the upkeep of two vehicles even if I had wanted to!

[SmileyBoy]

7. I do. 1993 Nissan Sentra.

Runs pretty well after the shitloads of repairs I did on it. It gets 26MPG - city, 30 MPG - country.

As for a new car, I'd go with a Honda. Their cars are the most fuel-efficient. They have much longer lifespans then American models, and even most Japanese models too.

[JVS]

8. My 89 Honda Civic was made in Ohio, I think hondas are still made there

Try to find out where the car's are made while looking on the lot. I think that it says on the sticker, or just ask the dealer where it is made.

[shanti]

10. my 94 tercel

has served me well. it only has 83000 miles on it, but the sun has done a number on my upholstry (shot). i would get tinted windows next time. otherwise, it's been a great reliable little car. i would definitely buy a toyota again, but i have my eye on a 2003 accord sedan. i need more room....or a van.

[LearnedHand]

11. Toyota RAV ...

...1996 model, tight as a tick (as they say in TX). I get 26 mpg all the time, and I've never had any trouble with it. Toyotas rock in the reliability department! I'm not crazy about the Camry, either; it looks like my grandmother might have liked it. But it's a great car! And Toyotas have the highest resale value of all the other cars you mentioned.

[AndyTiedye]

18. Civic Del Sol & Toyota Rav4

Why did Honda stop making the Del Sol? It's such a wonderful little car.
Best features of hardtop and convertable.
Nice big trunk. Has to be, you put the roof in there.
I've still got my '94 with 117K on it. Almost 40 MPG (would be more if I
didn't do so much of my driving in the mountains).

When we get further out in the mountains, the "roads" good enough for
that, and we need to carry a little more stuff.
Given all the bad karma surrounding SUV's I briefly considered a pickup,
but any of those would have consumed more gas and handled worse.
The Rav4 tries to prove that not all SUVs are evil and seems to do quite well.
Mileage is in the twenties, with a lot of mountain driving.
I have the 2-door 4-wheel-drive standard, which seems a better match
for the engine size than the much more common 4-door automatic
which is most of what you will find on the dealer's lot. I had assumed
that all RAV4's had 4WD, but it turns out that most don't.

The 2-door RAV4 is really short (shorter than the Del Sol!).
It also has an excellent turning radius, so that I gotten it into truely tiny
parking spaces, including one where both bumpers were touching the
vehicles ahead and behind when I finished. (A couple of onlookers applauded).

[unblock]

12. '85 sentra, '95 maxima, '01 sentra

i don't care for the altima cockpit, but nissan makes solid cars.

comfortable, affordable, and kick when you need it. i got 10 years good use out of my '85 sentra before handing it down to my then-brother-in-law, who got another year or two out of it. and it only cost me $6700 new, including tt&l. those were the days!

my '95 maxima just rolled over 100,000 miles and no real problems. both rear window registers broke, but no big deal, really, i just wedged them closed. they rarely got used anyway.

we've been looking to replace the '95 maxima, though we still could drive it for a few more years. i want the '04 maxima, but mrs. unblock has her eye on one of those expensive german cars....

what others have said about 'made in america' is correct. foreign cars are about 40% made in usa, domestic cars are about 60% made in usa. not so much difference.

[MissouriTeacher]

14. Looks like Toyota and Nissan are gettting

the most praise right now.

[demconfive]

16. I have a small Toyota pickup.

It's almost a car. I bought it brand new in 1993. I have 235,000 miles on it with almost no problems. It doesn't leak or burn oil and gets 30 mpg on the highway. It is 'foreign' though, (made in Canada with Japanese and american parts)! I'd say Toyota or Nissan.

[11cents]

15. Mazda Protege

I have a '99 which I'm very happy with. Nothing but routine maintenance so far, and I think it's roomier than the Civic.

[Tom Kitten]

17. Still driving my '77 Celica everyday.

Maybe off topic for your needs but I love my car. Gets about 24 mpg in the city (and I live downtown)...Has 180,000 miles and I'm looking to double it, with care. An editorial point, the Japanese know they are a nation short of natural resources, so they build things that last. The hard part is trying to find replacement parts, for a car that old, it's really a search.

[no_arbusto]

19. '03 4 door Civic is that a sedan?

Gets 40 MPG on the highway. If you're talking Camry and Altima level, I'd go with the Accord. Galant and Elantra are OK but are closer to the Yugo than the others listed.

On edit: Oh yeah, I agree that most "foreign" cars are not actually foreign. My 1986 VW Golf Diesel was made in New Stanton, PA, 45 miles from my home.

[Wwagsthedog]

20. Consumer Reports

Their April Issue is usually the annual automobile issue which has lots of info about new and used cars. Frequency of repair, mileage, warrantys, etc., are mentioned too. http://www.edmunds.com/ http://autos.msn.com/ http://www.kbb.com/ are also good references. Personnaly, we own an Infinity I30 which has given us 24,000 trouble free miles at 23/28 mpg.

[Torgo]

37. We have an Acura and a Ford...

and both are great cars!

I still think the Taurus is one of the best cars ever built.

You may want to test drive one before you buy!

[TreasonousBastard]

21. '88 Toyota Corolla Wagon

210,000 miles and still burns no oil and gives 40mpg on the highway. It's a stick, and still on the original clutch.

After they age like that, though, you start to find out what struts, timing belts, vibration dampeners, starters, exhaust systems, and whatnot cost. Biggest repair I ever had was still under $400, though. (Stay away from the dealer and find a good mechanic to keep the costs down) Now, I'm looking at some front end work, and then it will run pretty much good as new.

Needless to say, the thought of a replacement, or at least a backup car, has crossed my mind. I used to always have at least two cars, and it's a long story why I don't now. (Parking has a lot to do with it.) Now, I'm on a mission to see just how long this thing will last, but who knows what could happen.

Late model Hyundai owners, I know about a half dozen or so, tell me they love their cars, and they haven't needed to use the 100,000 mile warranty. Hyundais are cheap enough new, and seem to be getting better every year. Older ones tend to end up in junkyards, though, so check the model year if going used.

I know a couple of very happy Saturn owners, and see a few mid-90's Saturns around the used car lots for $3-5,000. That could be an option.

Two things hardly anyone thinks of, though--

Lots of cars have the air intake down around the bumper, and if you go through a big enough puddle, you suck water into the engine and may need a new one. It's called hydrostatic lock and is very, very bad. Many Honda owners have found out about this the hard way.

Timing belts are rarely covered under the warranty, and have to be changed every 50-100,000 miles. Exactly when is guesswork, but if the belt blows, you rebuild the engine or get a new one. If I bought a used car with 60,000 miles on it, I'd just replace the belt to be sure.

[DoctorBombay]

22. 1997 Honda Civic

I love it, I dart through LA traffic like nothing.

I think it was made in Marysville, Ohio, too.

[LosinIt]

23. Protege 5, Zoom, Zoom, fuckin ay Zoom

I love my car. It is so much fun to drive. Very reminiscent of my old Volkswagen Scirocco. Lots of room, hatchback,split back seats, roofrack. It's a little red 5 speed. All of my kids' friends tell me I have a 'hot car'. I would very highly recommend it.

[Sinistrous]

24. Not me! Not me!

'91 Olds Ciera w/ 220K+ miles
'98 VW Beetle

No significant problems with either.

BTW, ever notice how many of the 90's vintage Ciera/Century cars are still around & going strong? No wonder Olds went belly up -- the damn thing just don't wear out.

[blondeatlast]

25. I was gonna ask about the same thing! Thanks.

[chesley]

26. O own 2 cars

One is a dreaded SUV. My wife needs that one. The other is a 1999 Toyota Corolla. I have 160,000 miles on it (I drive 75 miles to work, one way). I've never had a minute's problems. There's a guy in town with a Camry and 466,000 miles on it. Incredibel. Go Toyota!!

[MissouriTeacher]

31. 466,000 miles!!?

Holy crap!

[blondeatlast]

27. Most "American" cars are made in Mexico

so they are still, technically. "American" cars, but you are more apt to get a car built by citizens of the US if you buy Japanese.

[Sinistrous]

33. Interesting assertion; Got Stats?

No numbers here( http://www.howtobuyamerican.com/b-db-autos.shtml ), but based on models, a lot of cars are still made here.

[blondeatlast]

34. Hmmm, I checked the pub date on the book he's hawking

and an updated, revised edition was published in 2002. I'm a bit suspect of his "facts," I know GM has a huge plant just across the border (I've seen it).

The publisher is pretty much a vanity press (I do collection development at the Phoenix Public Library) and it wouldn't meet our standards (no trade reviews, vanity press). One of these does not a rejection make, but both is pretty damning.

[blondeatlast]

35. Hard to find, but here are a few links:

(snip)
According to the report, Ford produced 185,874 units in Mexico in 2002, down from 239,690 in 2001, and manufactured 57,334 vehicles in Mexico from January to May this year, a drop of 15.5% from the same period in 2002.
(snip)
http://www.automobilemag.com/news/news_03_2/

(snip)
Plants in Mexico that performed particularly well in the study include General Motors’ Silao plant (121 PP100) and DaimlerChrysler’s Saltillo (127 PP100) and Toluca plants (131 PP100). Silao produces the Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche and Suburban, and the GMC Yukon XL. In fact, the Chevrolet Suburban ranks highest among full-size SUVs in initial quality in the study, while the GMC Yukon ranks third in the segment. Saltillo produces the Dodge Ram Heavy-Duty pickup, which ranks third in the full-size pickup segment. Toluca produces the Chrysler PT Cruiser.
(snip)
http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/030513-4.htm

[JVS]

36. Canada also does some carmaking

I know that the Ford Crown Victoria/ Grand Marquis is made in canada. I think The Dodge Caravan is too.

[ronnykmarshall]

28. Honda!

2000 Honda Civic hatchback. My first brandnew car. Here's the "birth announcement" pic.

[kimchi]

32. 88 Honda Prelude, 250K miles and going strong.

86 Toyota van- 106k, not used much, runs great.
96 Toyota truck, 100k miles.

I don't think you can go wrong with Hondas, or Toyotas. Subarus are also good buys, but they aren't very pretty.