Buying a new car - what brands are really decent?

[Zeste]

to spur off my selling a care thread, once the car is sold, of course I'll need a new one. But I am pretty skeptical about reliability and repair. I bought this Trailblazer (2002) with 65000 miles, and the last 10,000 miles have been just endless repairs.

So, I am asking around and everyone says to go with Toyota or Nissas and it'll last "forever". But really, is Chevy a piece of shit? I mean, everyone has their anecdotes, but I had assumed this thing would have more than 75k miles in it.

So really, how does one go about judging a car that will be reliable? What are some brands to look at? I've owned a Ford and a Chevy, that's it.

Essentially, I need an SUV that can fit a carseat and tow a small camper. A truck like the Tacoma would be nice, but can't really fit a carseat and shit in the back. I think I want to avoid Ford/Chevy this time around and go with something foreign.

right now, it looks like the 4Runner or maybe a Pathfinder. I really can't spend that much money, but I think 20k is a safe range. Find a car with maybe 20,000 miles or so?

Any input from people who have a midsize SUV or experience with the Toyota and Nissan lines?

[Kilivek2.0]

if you're going to get a toyota, might as well save the money and get one with high miles since they're famous for lasting.

[Flood950]

IMO, its hard to go wrong with modern 2006+ vehicles. Over recent automotive history the US vs Imports battle for quality and reliability has been a seesaw. The US Big Four use to be the only way to go unless you were broke. Then, the foreign manufactures stepped up and ended up exceeding US brands, by a lot.

Over the past probably 2 years, most US companies have totally revamped their vehicles. As long as you go with a major company, I dont think you can go wrong, keeping in mind that model does matter. Its sketchy to go with a vehicle on a brand new platform. Bewares the brand new concept vehicles, from any company.

Chevy's are not crap, especially the new ones. They have made poor cars over the years, as have many companies, but they also have some very reliable platforms. Want a truck? Hard to go wrong with a Silverado. A car? The new Impala's have nice horsepower and good warranties.

My theory on the deal is basically the warranty battle. That is how companies are trying to sell their vehicles now. Who has a better warranty. I believe it was Hyundai that first did a 100k/10yr standard. Now almost everyone does it. Well...you cant put out a crappy model if its not going to last up to the warranty. The company would go under fast.

There are always going to be people that say dont buy this brand, or dont buy that one. My X car sucked, my Y car was fantastic..blah blah. It doesnt matter what you buy, there are bad apples in the batch. My fiancee's sister has a 2005 Accord which by all measures is a quality vehicle yet its been in the shop more times that she can count. Not for driver abuse reasons either, just flat out mechanical failures..it happens.

Overall, I think you are safe with most big companies today. Just watch the standard warranty, if you have to pay extra for a 100k/10yr stay away. Chevy has that deal so they are safe IMO.

I would avoid Kia at all costs though, unless you are really hard up for cash.

[Flood950]

I actually almost bought a brand new Trailblazer SS a few months ago. I decided to go a bit cheaper as the vehicle is my bad New England weather tank and I am hoping to end up with a C06 in 2 or 3 years. Trying to save money where I can

I had to get a new vehicle that could handle the winters though. I really like the styling on the new Trailblazers and the SS is just a powerhouse.

[Usha Starchild]

Get an old landcruiser.

My buddies landcruiser broke 1million Km's in 2004, hes still driving it.

[brekk]

SUV? Get a chrysler/dodge with the lifetime powertrain warranty.

[Camerous]

My Isuzu Rodeo has 70k miles and I have never done a single thing to it, a side from brakes and tires. I changed the oil in it at 10k and used 90% synthetic and 10% oil and I haven't changed it since. My last car before it was a Ford Ranger that I drove 140k miles doing the same thing and finally got bored with it and sold it and got the Isuzu. The Isuzu has lots of power, great handling and lots of room. My x-wife's wheel chair fits easily in the very back even with the back seats up so it has plenty of room.

[prescient63]

Originally Posted by Camerous

My Isuzu Rodeo has 70k miles and I have never done a single thing to it, a side from brakes and tires. I changed the oil in it at 10k and used 90% synthetic and 10% oil and I haven't changed it since. My last car before it was a Ford Ranger that I drove 140k miles doing the same thing and finally got bored with it and sold it and got the Isuzu. The Isuzu has lots of power, great handling and lots of room. My x-wife's wheel chair fits easily in the very back even with the back seats up so it has plenty of room.

I didn't know people existed who took worse care of their cars than I do. I'm curious have you checked your oil?

[Camerous]

Aye I check it all the time. Usually around every 15 -20k miles I have to add another quart or 2 of synthetic but besides that I don't do anything.

I know it sounds crazy but I drained my engine and had one of my father's mechanics go over the oil with a magnet to see how much wear was in the oil. There was no more metal shavings in the oil than in a regular car with that many miles that had regular oil changes. The guy couldn't believe it. He was always telling me how I was gonna lock the engine down or sling a rod or melt a piston but never even knocked or skipped the entire time i had it and neither does my Rodeo so I figure I am taking just fine care of my car. The 10k oil change cost me almost 200 bucks, I did it myself so it was all material costs, and I figure if that's all it costs me then I save in the aggravation of having to do an oil change all the time.

[BrotherWu]

No matter what you get, the quality can vary.

We own an 03 Suburban Z-71. It has by far been the nicest, most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. It has almost 100,000 miles on it and nothing, literally nothing, has ever broken on it. Knock on wood. Just towed a 25' old heavy camper with it.

I would not hesitate to buy a new one.

That said, I think that GM has a new platform Tahoe/Escalade/Suburban etc coming out for 08 or 09.

I also own a chevy Z-71 pickup 97, almost 200,000 miles on it. The oil cooler went out after 4 years, but they had problems with those. That was sort of a pain. Uhm, my turn signal stalk broke. That's about it.

The tranny is slipping and I'll probably have to spend 1500-1800 to get a rebuilt one. Big deal. That's about 3 truck payments.

My in laws have drivern multiple jeep cherokees over 200k.

[Flood950]

Originally Posted by Camerous

Aye I check it all the time. Usually around every 15 -20k miles I have to add another quart or 2 of synthetic but besides that I don't do anything.

I know it sounds crazy but I drained my engine and had one of my father's mechanics go over the oil with a magnet to see how much wear was in the oil. There was no more metal shavings in the oil than in a regular car with that many miles that had regular oil changes. The guy couldn't believe it. He was always telling me how I was gonna lock the engine down or sling a rod or melt a piston but never even knocked or skipped the entire time i had it and neither does my Rodeo so I figure I am taking just fine care of my car. The 10k oil change cost me almost 200 bucks, I did it myself so it was all material costs, and I figure if that's all it costs me then I save in the aggravation of having to do an oil change all the time.

Woah, this is one of the stranger things I have heard. Not knocking your practices at all, as obviously it worked, but damn. I do a full synthetic change about every 3.5K...lol. I have switched from a muscle/sports car to a truck for the time being and probably will drop to conventional oil though. Havnt decided yet for sure, the time for its first change hasnt come up yet..

anywho... What did you do for oil at 10k that cost $200? That seems REALLY high for a home job. So you have 60k on your current 90% blend right now and it still looks ok? I would figure it looked like mud by now. Curious what exactly you put in there that cost so much and has held up so well..wow.

Thats a V6 right?

[Flood950]

For the OP, you -supposedly- (vehix.com) can get a 2008 Trialblazer brand new for $26,800 MSRP which means you could talk them down to closer to 20k like you are looking for.

Thats going to be a stripped down ride though. 2WD, 4.2L V6.

It can tow 5000k with a dead weight hitch.

Just an idea, I am sure you could get a slightly used one for $20,000.

I personally wouldnt want a 2XRWD truck, but I live in an area with a lot of snow in the winter.

[Stroker Ace]

Get a Honda Pilot. You can import an engine for $2000-$3000 with 20k or less miles on it from Japan every 150k or so. Can even mix and match if you want. I have a Prelude VTEC engine in my Accord.

[BigMovieBuff]

I got an '07 Impala for my wife about 2 months ago. Very nice car. I drove it to Indianapolis 2 weeks ago and I got about 32mpg. It's a very comfortable ride. My legs didn't get cramped at all during the 4 hour ride.(I'm 6'2" with long legs... most cars start being uncomfortable after 2-3 hours).

The 3.5 V6 is pretty damn powerful; great HP, especially with Ethanol (E85 flex vehicle). Good sound system, tight handling, just a great car for the price, and the wife loves it.

[Eomer]

If you want the latest ratings on who's got the best quality, look up JD Power's reviews/guides/whatever. They're kind of the industry standard for determining who's making the best built vehicles. But as others have said, with most car companies these days it's fairly difficult to go too wrong. And the American car makers are practically giving them away with 0% financing and incentives out the ass, while Toyota and Honda laugh their asses off and charge full MSRP for everything.