Need your opinions on new cars please.

[kai2k1 0]

Since my car has been totalled, I'm looking at buying a new one. The auto show was in town this weekend and I looked at a myriad of vehicles and I'm no closer to making a decision. Does anyone have one of these that I looked at and could give me an informed opinion? All are new models in the '05 model year.

So far Ive looked at the Honda Element, Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab. Saturn VUE redline, New Mustang GT, Toyota Tacoma, and the Jeep Liberty.

I'm totally into the new mustang GT, but i'm not thinking its real practical for me at the present time.


Any feedback will be greatly appreciated

There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan

[mx757 4]

I just bought a 2005 VW jetta TDI 5 speed Turbo diesel.
I't's every bit as fast as the gasoline engines, lots of low end torque. it gets a consent 45 mpg easy all the time and I have a lead foot. I fill it up about every 3 weeks...another guy I work with bought one too.. he lives farther away than me and does lot of highway driving.. he said he gets 48 mpg with it on the long highway trips mine in combiation of city / highway. I've never had mine on any long highway drives yet.. for those long trips I fly. AA

[ccowden 0]

Holy crap! Narrow it down a bit!

Mustang, Full-size Dodge, Jeep Liberty.........Throw a motorcycle and a van in there too and you will just about have it covered!

[Floats18 0]

NO HONDA ELEMENT

NO NO NO!!!!

It is impossible to look like a badass when your car looks like a cake box.

Mustang GT all the way, space for four and a pretty substantial trunk... its as practical as you need it to be, and if you ever need a van you can just trade for the weekend. Who the hell wouldn't accept that trade?!

For the love of god do not get the element

--- and give them wings so they may fly free forever

DiverDriver in Training

[DeNReN 0]

Go Toyota....best damn vehicles on the road.

[livendive 8]

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So far Ive looked at the Honda Element, Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab. Saturn VUE redline, New Mustang GT, Toyota Tacoma, and the Jeep Liberty.

LOL! First off, what KIND of vehicle do you want? Car? Truck? SUV? Sporty? Economical? Right now you're all over the map.

Edit to add: Given that you listed two trucks and two SUVs...I think the new Honda Ridgeline looks kind of cool for a hybrid between the two. Might be worth checking out.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[dan_iv 0]

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It is impossible to look like a badass when your car looks like a cake box.

go with the Mustang GT or the pickup...

cake box!

[DrunkMonkey 0]

Buying NEW cars is a waste of money. BUy 1-2 year old cars. The 25% "drive-it-off-the-lot" depreciation is endured by someone else, not you.

Jeep Liberty will soon be made with a higher MPG diesel engine...

Take it from a Mustang owner--DON'T. They're fun in good weather, but you cannot store much, and they suck giraffe nuts in foul weather.

My next car will be something convertible, perhaps a jeep.

[skycat 0]

What are your needs in a car?

In my 97 mustang I could hold 2 peoples worth of camping gear, rock climbing gear, skydiving gear, clothes, and a dog for 8 days of the holiday boogie.

True you can't just toss your crap in the back you have to plan what bags and where they go, but once you get used to it, it's no big deal.

Fly it like you stole it!

[skycat 0]

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Take it from a Mustang owner--DON'T. They're fun in good weather, but you cannot store much, and they suck giraffe nuts in foul weather.

Hmmm...I took it snowboarding every weekend 2 years in a row and 80% of the time the 1st year it was snowing and icy. I think you just can't drive.

Kidding....I grew up in ND and learned to drive in a rear wheel drive truck in the winter, the Mustang was a piece of cake compared to that.

Fly it like you stole it!

[Zep 0]

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I just bought a 2005 VW jetta TDI 5 speed Turbo diesel.
I't's every bit as fast as the gasoline engines, lots of low end torque. it gets a consent 45 mpg easy all the time and I have a lead foot. I fill it up about every 3 weeks...another guy I work with bought one too.. he lives farther away than me and does lot of highway driving.. he said he gets 48 mpg with it on the long highway trips mine in combiation of city / highway. I've never had mine on any long highway drives yet.. for those long trips I fly. AA

Small turbo diesels are great fun as long as they are hire cars
The problem with the turbo is that people don't let it warm up before driving off
or let it cool down before shutting off the motor so after
30-40000k's the turbo is shot

Buy a Chevy Trans Sport or a Kia Carnival deisel

Gone fishing

[skydiverbc 0]

i just cruised in a mazda rx-8.... nice ride...
i am a jeep girl for life though.... my wrangler has lasted me already to 170,000 miles. although my brother had a jeep liberty , it was ecoomical for him and his family. and its very dependable

[Amanduh 0]

I have a new '04 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8L Turbo..it's SO MUCH FUN! I love this freaking car!!!! They are great little cars...get awesome gas mileage..not as many mpg than the diesel mentioned above, but definately awesome! I have no complaints :-)

[TALONSKY 0]

Something to think about is how many miles do you plan on driving each week. The mustang may be a great ride but if your sticking $80 or more a week in the tank it might not look so appealing. I personally live 40 miles from my job one way and put between 360 to 500 miles a week on my car. I drove my 70 Cuda one week and spent $90.00 in one week driving it. I soon realized I needed a car that got great gas mileage.
Kirk

[Pawel 0]

Buy a Hyundai. 10 year warranty on powertrain. Why pay more for a car because it's a Toyota or Honda.
yes cars were crapy in the 80's early 90's but now they are as good as any other car and less with more warranty. Yes I work for Hyundai. not for a dealer.

[DrunkMonkey 0]

AHEM...

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Buying NEW cars is a waste of money. BUy 1-2 year old cars. The 25% "drive-it-off-the-lot" depreciation is endured by someone else, not you.

[AndyMan 7]

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Honda Element, Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab. Saturn VUE redline, New Mustang GT, Toyota Tacoma, and the Jeep Liberty.

This is a very odd collection of cars to consider!

Craichead and I bought an Element last year.... And we love it.

It may look kinda funny, but it suits our needs perfectly.

1) It's got tons of storage space for hauling cargo - which we do a lot of. When we pack up all our camping gear, then add all of our skydiving gear, we've still got lots of room for passengers.

2) The "Suicide" side doors, and tailgate make loading that cargo very easy.

3) The vinyl floor makes cleanup quick and easy. We often end up tracking in mud, which just wipes off with a wet sponge. The upholstry also cleans easily, and repels spills.

4) Great gas millage for an "SUV". 25MPG on the highway make it affordable to do a lot of highway driving.

5) 4WD has been very handy several times. It's fantastic in snow and deep mud.

6) Very affordable. The "high end" model comes in under $20,000 - so if you don't want to spend too much money, it's really ideal.

ANd finally....

7) A truely kickin stereo... complete with 7 speakers and a built-in sub woofer comes stock. 'Nuff said.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[AggieDave 6]

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I think the new Honda Ridgeline looks kind of cool for a hybrid between the two. Might be worth checking out.

No, no no. Although the frame and the features with the bed seem nice, that truck is ugly as sin! I'd rather drive a dodge then that (which says a LOT since I'm a Chevy man).


Honda Element:

Not bad, not much power, shitty 4-wheel drive and its ugly as sin.

Dodge Ram 1500:

Not a bad truck, although for a gas 1/2 ton I would personally buy a Chevy over a dodge, they are well built, they don't look too bad and Dodge has a long history of making decent trucks. The transfer case (if you get 4wd) is fairly strong as is their transmissions (for the 1/2 ton class). The Hemi engine seems nice, but I'm wondering about the the strength of the heads and possible cracking issues at the spart plug point in the long term.

Saturn VUE:

Saturns as a whole have serious problems with maintance after about 2-3 years of ownership. They fall apart.

Mustang GT:

Nice car, that's the first Mustang I would own since the '73 model. Doesn't seem to meet your list, though for need and use.

Jeep Liberty:

Its an "ok" SUV type vehicle. They are a bit under powered, but the 4wd is solid. The downside is they're ugly as sin and they have nearly no real ground clearance, so if you do need to go down a tore up dirt road, you'll end up banging up a lot of plastic and sheet metal.


A couple of trucks that aren't on your list I thought should be mentioned:

Chevy 1500:

Good truck, I've got about 120,000 miles on mine and its still going strong. Those have been tough miles on that truck too. Hard to go wrong with Chevy when buying a 1/2 ton gas truck. Get the Z71 package and the towing package if you're wanting 4wd, the truck has decent ground clearance and some skid plates protecting some things (such as your transfer case and oil pan).

Ford F150:

The frame is really good on the newer F150s, but the ground clearance, even on the 4wd, isn't too great. The engines are fairly underpowered for my liking, but you can get a larger engine now, which helps (needless to say you can make some changes to help that too...intake, exhaust and reprogramming).



That's my opinion, take it or leave it...

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[flyingferret 0]

agreed! VW. it WILL be my next car. Jetta GLI or GTI or R32

--
All the flaming and trolls of wreck dot with a pretty GUI.

[Viking 0]

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agreed! VW. it WILL be my next car. Jetta GLI or GTI or R32

got alot of money or credit huh?

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin

[flyingferret 0]

No...unfortunately But I can dream....
I want one so bad....
If I was nto paying off a harley I would have one.

--
All the flaming and trolls of wreck dot with a pretty GUI.

[billvon 3,120]

Well, first off, decide what your needs are. Off roading/storage space? You can't beat the Subaru Outback - more clearance and more storage space than most SUV's, and better gas mileage than most cars. Truck for hauling lots of stuff? I'd recommend a diesel, since they last forever and have a lot of torque for pulling things. Something to just haul you to work and the DZ? The Toyota Prius will insulate you from gas price increases, and has a _lot_ of space inside (four people and all the gear for a boogie.)

In terms of the ones you listed - I took a pretty close look at the Element, and other than it being butt-ugly it looks like a very useful vehicle. Decent mileage, lots of room inside (and useful room that's easy to get to.) I've had poor luck with Jeeps. I had a friend with a Wagoneer years back that had no end of trouble, but they may have improved.

[freeflycracker 0]

Ask anyone at Archway what I thought of my Mustang. .Before you buy, Try one of the german cars. Ask Carrie or Phil what they think of their new(used) BMW. I got a 99 328is about a year ago. Since it was a 'certified' vehicle, it still has a 40k warranty and cost less than you would spend on any of the ones you looked at. I can honestly say I dont think Ill ever buy another brand.

[kai2k1 0]

Papke also has an element. Besides it being butt ugly, it resonates with me the most. Since, I camp, hunt, fish and go to a few boogies, i think this is the best suited for me.

I've had mustangs pretty much on and off all of my life. I've had an '65, 85GT, 95GT, and a 97GT convertible and have extremely good luck with them.

I looked at the VUE purely based on insurance since according to my agent it would be the cheapest, but
the price on the ins. doesnt vary a whole lot, except on the new mustang. which isnt much of factor in my decision.


Conversely, We've had a dakota for 4 years now and have only had to put about $85 into it for a new resistor switch. Overall its been totally reliable.


I pretty much narrowing it down the Element and the Ram 1500 quad cab. without the hemi. the 4.7 liter V8 has been very reliable. overall.


But the teenager inside me is screaming at me to buy the new GT. I think i need to tell him to shut up lol.

Thanks for all the help.

There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan

[doddy 0]

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Go Toyota....best damn vehicles on the road.

Got to agree there, but the mustang is tempting!!