06-21-2009, 03:26 PM | #1 (permalink) |
Warrior Smith
Location: missouri
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buying a used car- which to choose
So the wife and I are currently looking at two possible used vehicles, a 2004 chevy malibu and a 1998 subaru legacy wagon (brighton) both have less than 80 k miles on them, and are in supposedly good shape.... anyone got experience on either?
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Thought the harder, Heart the bolder, Mood the more as our might lessens |
06-21-2009, 03:41 PM | #2 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: Greater Harrisburg Area
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I couldn't tell you about the malibu, but properly maintained Subarus hit 300,000 mi every day. Also, AWD ftw! (I <3 my Impreza)
//something else: I just thought of this, if your the type who likes to do routine maintenance yourself, the Subarus (at least mine) tend to be much more user friendly than other brands. My mechanic (trusted family friend) strongly agrees. I don't even have to touch a jack to change the oil.
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The advantage law is the best law in rugby, because it lets you ignore all the others for the good of the game. Last edited by Hektore; 06-21-2009 at 03:48 PM.. |
06-21-2009, 04:40 PM | #3 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: Pats country
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Agree about the Subaru being reliable. If it has the 2.2 liter engine you should be good. I wouldn't buy it with the 2.5 liter as that year has bad head gasket problems (I don't think the Brightons have the 2.5s anyway, as they are the low end model.) AWD is awesome, loved my Impreza and my WRX!
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"Religion is the one area of our discourse in which it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about" --Sam Harris |
06-21-2009, 07:41 PM | #4 (permalink) |
Young Crumudgeon
Location: Canada
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If it were my choice, I'd take the Subaru. I don't like Malibus very much. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with them, depending on engine/trim level, but with all things being equal I like the Subaru better.
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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame |
06-22-2009, 06:29 AM | #5 (permalink) |
Crazy
Location: Kramerica
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Another vote for Subaru here. I seem to notice a trend...
But yes, it's very likely you'll see that older Subaru go much farther than the newer Malibu with the same regular maintenance. More utility too, assuming the Malibu isn't a wagon and doesn't have AWD.
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"Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!" |
06-22-2009, 07:19 AM | #6 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: Greater Harrisburg Area
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It isn't that I am a Subaru fanboy or anything like that. I genuinely don't have any experience with the Malibu, so I can't speak to it's strengths or weaknesses. It may be a great car or it may not be. The Subaru, which I do have experience with, most likely will be a great car.
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The advantage law is the best law in rugby, because it lets you ignore all the others for the good of the game. |
06-22-2009, 07:27 AM | #7 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: The Danforth
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Jusst like to make a point that the Malibu is 6 years newer than the Subaru. That's gotta factor into the situation somehow...
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You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey And I never saw someone say that before You held my hand and we walked home the long way You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I |
06-22-2009, 09:33 AM | #9 (permalink) | |
zomgomgomgomgomgomg
Location: Fauxenix, Azerona
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Quote:
+1 for the Subaru
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twisted no more |
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06-22-2009, 09:40 AM | #10 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: The Danforth
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wouldn't materials (rubber, plastics etc) just be more aged, regardless of the mileage? I'm not trying to rain on Subaru's parade, it's just that all things being equal, I would go for the new vehicle. I'm not partial to either.
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You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey And I never saw someone say that before You held my hand and we walked home the long way You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I |
06-22-2009, 10:29 AM | #11 (permalink) |
Evil Priest: The Devil Made Me Do It!
Location: Southern England
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My mother had a Legacy Outback from that era, and it was so good that after 10 years she got a new one.
I find them comfortable, reliable, good running and relatively efficient users of fuel, provided you stay out of "SPORT" mode. When you want to drive like a nutter, they perform.
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Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air, And deep beneath the rolling waves, In labyrinths of Coral Caves, The Echo of a distant time Comes willowing across the sand; And everthing is Green and Submarine ╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝ |
06-22-2009, 10:41 AM | #12 (permalink) |
Crazy
Location: Kramerica
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Well that's true, I'm sure the interior and other features are nicer on the newer Malibu. There's no guarantee that either one will last longer, but Subaru's reputation suggests that you'll get an excellent reliable vehicle. It probably just won't have as many bells and whistles on the inside.
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"Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!" |
06-22-2009, 03:55 PM | #13 (permalink) |
Wise-ass Latino
Location: Pretoria (Tshwane), RSA
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I can't vouch for the Subaru being reliable, not when my 98 Impreza spun a bearing for no apparent reason. This problem is more common than people believe with both 2.2 and 2.5L motors.
And no, I didn't run out of oil, nor did I neglect to do my regular 3,000 mi oil change.
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Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer. -From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator |
06-22-2009, 05:44 PM | #14 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Location: Greater Harrisburg Area
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Or you could just do what everyone has suggested to me - get the chain changed every 80k-100k miles. So for Fire: If you don't know when the chain was last changed, get it done just to be sure, the risk/reward for letting it go just isn't there.
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The advantage law is the best law in rugby, because it lets you ignore all the others for the good of the game. |
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06-24-2009, 05:09 PM | #17 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Location: Pats country
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Quote:
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"Religion is the one area of our discourse in which it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about" --Sam Harris |
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06-25-2009, 01:26 AM | #18 (permalink) | |
Addict
Location: Portland
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Do not buy American. Get anything else. Also, I had a '93 Subaru Legacy and it was an awesome vehicle for me. If I had been more responsible and gotten it's regular tuneup, it'd still be running today =P |
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06-25-2009, 03:48 AM | #19 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Location: Greater Harrisburg Area
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Now I realize that that one car is not is not proof of anything, but I still see this car all over the place, late 80's for the years and almost always the Mercury, sometimes the - Crown Vic. They regularly have 200,000+ on them, and they're tanks. Perhaps it's because they're so cheap and easy to work on, but that can be just as important as 'shouldn't ever break but will be really expensive when it does'. I'm just not buying the 'american cars are shitty' routine
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The advantage law is the best law in rugby, because it lets you ignore all the others for the good of the game. |
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06-25-2009, 07:41 AM | #20 (permalink) |
Young Crumudgeon
Location: Canada
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Yeah, the whole American cars = crap is a reactionary thing and completely untrue. I've seen an S-10 run to 700 000 km. I've seen a 1990 Bonneville keep running after two days without any oil in the pan. Not scientific, sure, but still kind of compelling.
Here's a pretty chart, comparing reliability scores from the top nameplates: Turn out that according to JD Power the Chev is less likely to die on you.
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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame |
06-25-2009, 12:07 PM | #22 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Location: Pats country
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Quote:
Survey 2006: Best Worst manufacturers - Manufacturer positions - Top Gear The problem with consumer ratings is that there is a inherent bias to justify your own choice and expense and it always seems like every rating company has an axe to grind (in the Top Gear one it's an English company giving it to the French, although probably deservedly). To each his own, really. I've had 3 chevy's (only one of which ran any kind of well ('88 Beretta) and 2 Subarus (one i sold, running fine with 195,000 on the clock and my current '04 with 125,000 with nothing but routine maintenance done). And don't get me going about which was better in the snow...
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"Religion is the one area of our discourse in which it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about" --Sam Harris |
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06-25-2009, 01:37 PM | #23 (permalink) | |
Addict
Location: Portland
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Consumer Reports is a better reference point. |
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06-26-2009, 03:24 PM | #24 (permalink) |
Psycho
Location: Western New York
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One thing to keep in mind is that after ten years the manufacturer no longer has to make replacement parts for the vehicle. I currently drive an Impreza and have had four other Subaru's but an eleven year old car is worth a couple grand at most.
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The Man in Black fled across the desert and the Gunslinger followed. |
06-28-2009, 09:42 AM | #25 (permalink) | |
Her Jay
Location: Ontario for now....
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Quote:
Oh yeah, another vote for the Subaru.
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Absence makes the heart grow fonder |
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06-28-2009, 03:59 PM | #27 (permalink) |
Young Crumudgeon
Location: Canada
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There are a lot of factors that led to the downfall of the North American auto industry. Saying that it was entirely a quality issue is a bit disingenuous.
The JD Power chart was simply the first one I found on Google. The point is that making a sweeping generalization about an entire industry segment is stupid.
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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame |
06-28-2009, 04:06 PM | #28 (permalink) |
warrior bodhisattva
Super Moderator
Location: East-central Canada
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Here is a laundry list of other factors that would explain problems in the North American auto industry:
Regardless, I'd vote for Subaru.
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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot |
06-28-2009, 05:08 PM | #29 (permalink) | |||
Her Jay
Location: Ontario for now....
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Absence makes the heart grow fonder Last edited by silent_jay; 06-28-2009 at 05:37 PM.. |
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07-01-2009, 06:00 PM | #31 (permalink) |
Her Jay
Location: Ontario for now....
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There isn't any need to respond to insults. Let's get this thread back on track before it gets closed.
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Absence makes the heart grow fonder Last edited by shakran; 07-01-2009 at 06:54 PM.. Reason: decided to type something else |
07-01-2009, 08:14 PM | #32 (permalink) | |
Wise-ass Latino
Location: Pretoria (Tshwane), RSA
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Quote:
Nope, castrol 10W-30
__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer. -From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator |
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07-15-2009, 07:29 PM | #34 (permalink) |
Upright
Location: west michigan
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Keep in mind that the maintenance schedule for the subie is pretty involved. I had a 97 Legacy gt and the manufacturer's little chart said i was supposed to be changing the tranny fluid every 30,000 miles. I found the hard way that they mean it and it's the key to longevity in the trans.
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buying, car, choose |
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