Thursday, September 13, 2012
We’re Thinking about a New Car
We’ll have had our Corolla for 9 years come October. It’s been incredibly reliable and hassle free and gets fabulous gas mileage (35 to 41 on the interstate).
However.
Since we only have the one car, we’re thinking it’s time for a new car. (We have no interest in having two cars.)
Our top two are the Corolla and the Jetta: Standard transmission (5 or 6 speed)
We’re considering doing a lot of traveling in the future, so comfort and reliability are extremely important.
One major disadvantage of the Jetta is that the closest dealer is almost an hour away, which makes those free maintenance checks a PITA, especially since we’ll have only the one car.
Disadvantage of the Corolla–it’s getting harder and harder to find manual transmission engines on Toyotas.
Any comments or suggestions?
(Don’t even suggest a Ford or Chevy–we want something that will be reliable AND worth something for trade in later–our 9 year old Corolla is still worth $3 to 6k according to the blue book.)
September 13th, 2012 at 9:47 am
I just got a 2011 Corolla, but I can’t say too much about it since I’ve only had it since Monday night. The color’s nice. I think they call it Magnetic Gray. I call it charcoal-ish. The guys at our local shop suggested Toyota or Honda when it was too expensive to fix my piece-of-shit Saturn.
September 13th, 2012 at 9:59 am
See, the fact that it’s been 9 years and I still like our Corolla is an important consideration. :)
Hope your new-to-you car treats you well Matt.
September 13th, 2012 at 10:08 am
RED JEEP!
September 13th, 2012 at 10:15 am
Andrew, I am NOT an asshole.
September 13th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Since having the passat for a couple years. It is a great car, but repairs are expensive because the part are foreign. We will probably pick a car who has more “generic” parts for our next purchase.
September 13th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Hey, now – I drive an ORANGE JEEP.
And we’re Toyota and/or Honda fans for the type of vehicle you describe.
September 13th, 2012 at 1:18 pm
Thank you Jana! That was one of our considerations, although if we only keep the car for four years instead of nine, it’s not as much of an issue. :)
Janiece, it’s specifically RED jeeps that are the problem. Red Jeeps of the kind driven in the past by Andrew.
September 13th, 2012 at 5:22 pm
I am a fan of Nissan. My Murano held up well for the 7 years/120 miles I put on it. My Rogue is great and gets better gas mileage. My mom has had her Nissan Sentra since around 99 I think and has hardly had any issues with it (other than some unnamed person backing into it). LOL!
September 13th, 2012 at 5:22 pm
I meant 120K miles. I drove more than 120 miles in 7 years. Jeesh!
September 13th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Found one!
September 13th, 2012 at 6:16 pm
Who could have smashed into Gina’s mom’s car while it was sitting empty in a parking lot.
My! What lovely weather we’re having!
September 13th, 2012 at 6:17 pm
Eric, if we were going that route I’d totally get a old beetle.
Unfortunately, reliable is important.
Also, I have doubts as to whether that could drive in the snow.
September 13th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Note: we’ve also ruled out a mini, which is what I really really want.
September 14th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
Why have you ruled out a Mini (they have an all wheel drive one – I checked for my own purposes)?
Cost is my issue with it.
September 14th, 2012 at 2:14 pm
Anne, it’s cost and the fact that the lot where Michael parks is HARD on cards.
I don’t want to get a Mini and then have it banged up in a week.
Well, size is also an issue. We’d HAVE to get the 4-door one, or else we’d never be able to drive visitors around.
September 14th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Michelle my silence can be bought for some of your delicious baked goods.
Good luck on the car search.