I loved my 1991 Accord but had to abandon it when I just moved to Florida. I tried to sell it but ran out of time and donated it to a charity.
But I know a lot of folks here think that current Honda's aren't made that well anymore. I'm thinking of spending around 15k for a few year old model - Civic or maybe a Fit. Maybe a new Fit? They're small but supposedly fun to drive.
Or a Hundai or Kia? Or maybe a Ford? I don't need an SUV. Whatever I buy will need to be able to have a longboard on top of the car once in a while. That makes it tough for a Fit because of that antenna in the middle of the top. I'll have to see if there's any way a board can, well, Fit there.
That's the only real requirement. It needs to hold four or five adults but mostly it will just need to hold me.
A colleague of mine has a Kia, and his wife has a Honda. Both bought a couple years ago. He says, the Kia has a longer warranty, but we both know who has the better car.
Buy a used Acura. They're what Honda used to sell, while Honda has gone downmarket to compete with Kia.
Check to see if the Fit antenna can be unscrewed for when you might have something on top. You can plug in something like an iPod if you need audio while carrying the longboard.
I think he was saying that the warranty on the Kia doesn't matter because it isn't going to transfer to me anyway. But you're right, it's the better car that matters, particularly if the warranty is void.
I will look at a used Acura. But I've noticed that premium brands require premium prices for the parts.
nah. Some DEALERS may charge premium prices for the parts; but since they're the same parts as an Accord or Civic or Pilot, Acura parts are extremely easy to come by--especially in the aftermarket or online.
Sort of. However, since I don't own a Fit, I can't give a personal recommendation. All I can say is that it would have been near the top of my choices if I was not so hooked on hybrids. I settled on a Prius C back in Feb when my
I had an 03 Civic Hybrid with manual transmission. Loved the car, even put a new big battery in it at 107K miles. Sold it recently. I also have an 07 Prius since new; love it.
That all being said, I also recently acquired a significantly different car: Acura ILX 2.4--which is Acura's version of the Civic Si, manual transmission and all.
I love finally having some power available to me on demand. But what strikes me is where technology has put us today. If I drive the ILX like I drive my Prius--which is very easy to do, it has plenty of torque available so I can shift early and keep it in 6th gear even around town--then it gets great gas mileage.
Even around town, with mixed easy and spirited driving, it's no less than 27mpg. And on the highway, driving level and 65mph, it gets 40mpg.
Even driving it spiritedly on the highway, it goes down no lower than 36.
I can only imagine what a pedestrian 1.5-2.0 liter gas engine tuned for efficiency can give, something like what's in a modern Civic or Corolla or whatnot.
My point is, as much as I loved my hybrids for all the right reasons at the time, technology is catching up. The argument for a hybrid is harder now that gasoline tech is moving forward very fast. The problem is the hybrid's battery. It costs money to put in there, and for those who keep cars a long time it's a significant replacement cost that's inevitable. And let's face it, the true economy comes in keeping the car and not trading it in every few years.
When cars were getting 20-24mpg (not too long ago, back when they were busy building heavy safety features into cars and not paying as much attention to fuel efficiency), 45-50 was--in my mind--a great reason to get a hybrid (although my Prius is now down to 40-45). Now that cars are getting 30-40mpg, the hybrid is losing its luster. Even the 2016 Prius, which Toyota is very weirdly holding very close to its chest, is rumored to move from the previous 50 up to only 55mpg on paper--and I know the reality of it, having had my Prius for 8+ years now, the reality that says real world mileage will in fact be lower.
If you can get a midsize gas car up to 40mpg today, then 50mpg with the battery just stops being as amazing and attractive as it once was.
And just like safety technology, efficiency technology means that those who are inclined to move up in cars even every 8 years are probably better off doing it every 4 years or so--they'll gain huge amounts of efficiency by doing so. And with gas engine tech moving ahead much faster than hybrid tech, gas engine is a much cheaper way to gain that extra efficiency.
I know Toyota is feeling the effects of all of this.
That's traditionally how it works with mainstream family cars. You buy Japanese new for exactly the reasons you outline, and you buy American cars 2 years used because they take a big hit in depreciation.
My Acura, though, being a "premium" brand, also took a big hit in depreciation.
If you can't find a 2-3 year old ILX for cheap, you're not trying. It's nothing more than the Civic with the Acura logo and a finer suit of clothes, not to mention the longer factory warranty--which is another reason to look for something like that.
But you won't have a big-ass rear spoiler then! ;-)
No doubt.
The bit about the diff got my attention, as on my 99 Si the helical LSD from the Integra Type R is a direct bolt-in, and those who have done it swear that it results in a huge improvement in handling. I've been tempted to try it, but as my car is very well-preserved and there are so few left out there that are unmodified, I hate to start making changes from stock. If I still have the car when it comes time to rebuild the engine, I may reconsider the upgrade then.
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