Have I been driving crappy cars for so long I don't know what a good one is, anymore?

"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon)
10/07/2015 at 11:57 • Filed to: None

I’ve been trying to decide which car I should get to replace my loathsome CRV with something of generally equal value ($10,000-13,000), 7 or 8 years old and under 100k miles... and with an automatic transmission (my wife’s sole requirement).

I’ve driven Lexus IS300’s, Acura TL’s, Acura TSX’s, Ford Fusions, Volvo V50’s, Mazda6’s, Accords, etc. I really want to check out a Legacy GT but can’t find one within 1,000 miles that’s anywhere near my price range.

Admission - I actually quite liked the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Wert rather famously bashed the crap out of the car on this site back in the day, and I’ve yet to find a positive review by anyone. Most writers say it’s a pale facsimile of the Integra, the steering sucks, it’s underpowered.

And I sorta liked it. NO, it’s not urgent like my old Integra GSR. It’s not especially alive. But it’s pretty damned comfortable and efficient. Has lots of stuff to make the time spent inside it more enjoyable. It’s also ridiculously reliable, aside from some known oil consumption issues.

Same with the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . That’s a VERY nice place to spend rush hour, which is where most of my driving time is spent. A year older and with more miles than the TSX, but eminently comfortable, feels larger and more spacious than the actual dimensions, quick when it needs to be, and a solid handling car if not necessarily true blue sport sedan.

The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was the greatest surprise. The materials and build quality aren’t up to Acura standards of course, and it’s not exactly the most beautiful car ever penned, but it’s also a couple thousand less on the used market and is at least one year newer with fewer miles than either of the Acuras. The six speed autobox changes when you want it to and does so with a quickness, the 3.5L V6 is beastly for a car in this segment, and the handling is sharp, planted, and firm. For the record, the Fusion Sport is a car that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen favored over a Mazda6 V6 or Accord V6 in any comparison test, but having driven all three of those within days of one another, I like it best of that bunch.

Everything else... I can’t find a clean IS, Volvo reliability frightens me - same for any German car - and the Mazda’s interior quality is severely lacking.

So, have I been driving shitty cars for so long that I’m favoring this bunch over a 328i or a G35? Because honestly, every one of those I’ve driven have been pretty beat and/or come with a train of repair and maintenance receipts that would have tripped Princess Diana.

DISCUSSION (15)

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Chairman Kaga
10/07/2015 at 12:09

Cars in general are better. The TSX is a well-built car - the Euro-and-Japanese market Accord. The Fusion is a surprise, too, because it’s just better than it had a right to be. It’s worlds beyond its Contour predecessor. My sister-in-law has a TL that she hasn’t maintained and it still runs OK.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Chairman Kaga
10/07/2015 at 12:10

I don’t think you’re wrong in what you’re favoring. You want a car that is going to be reliable and just work for you. Nothing wrong with that. And if I had to be looking in your price range, the TSX/TLX are pretty nice choices. Haven’t spent any time in a Fusion Sport, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it wasn’t quite peppy.

Only cars I might add to the list are the Toyota Avalon and maybe the Suzuki Kizashi (if you can even find one)

OPPOsaurus WRX > Chairman Kaga
10/07/2015 at 12:20

WRX, its time for the wife to learn something new

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Chairman Kaga
10/07/2015 at 12:29

“and with an automatic transmission (my wife’s sole requirement).”

Ah yes... Makes me think of when I got married and also one woman I’ve dated seriously since I got divorced.

Only in my case, I basically said ‘if you want to drive my car, you’re learning stick shift. No, I’m not replacing my car with an automatic one just because you don’t want to learn... unless of course you’re paying for it with your own money.’

My Ex-wife learned and became good at it. The girl I dated never learned because she was the type who had trouble with taking advice/instruction from men... or at least me (yep... she considered herself a feminist).

I have never owned a car with an automatic transmission.

Of course you’re the one who is *still* married... LOL

Chairman Kaga > OPPOsaurus WRX
10/07/2015 at 12:37

I’ve tried many, many times to teach her. She can do it, but it terrifies her and she flat refuses with kids in the car.

I still have my Alfa though.

Chairman Kaga > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
10/07/2015 at 12:42

We tried that. She’d never driven a manual. I put her in my beat olf ‘91 Pathfinder, which had mi;e-long clutch travel and was virtually impossible to stall. She was able to drive it without too much difficulty, but when I got my Fit it all fell apart. On/Off clutch and zero torque. She couldn’t even get it out of the driveway. She’s terrified that she might have to drive the car with the kids on board, and not be able to. Hence an autobox.

And to be fair, almost every mile I drive these days is in bumper to bumper gridlock. Austin traffic is horrible. I honestly don’t think I want a manual anymore.

I still have my ‘82 Alfa GTV6 for fun though. When it runs, of course.

Rico > Chairman Kaga
10/07/2015 at 12:45

Definitely like the TL over the TSX. Any thoughts on an old Lexus ES? Those are pretty comfy even if they are lux’d Camry’s. Older Lexus RX’s are miles ahead of a CRV in comfort and features same goes for the MDX.

G35x Sedan an option? Those and older M35s are pretty nice places to be even if the interior seems a bit long in the tooth.

911e46z06 > Chairman Kaga
10/07/2015 at 12:47

E39 bruh

duurtlang > Chairman Kaga
10/07/2015 at 13:31

It’s because cars nowadays aren’t bad anymore. They’re all decent . Some a bit more so than others, sure, but that’s it. They’re especially great at being generic. When I get to select a new company car I’ll pick the one with the best seats and the best dashboard. That’s about it. Fun is had in an old car. Or in a modern day unicorn, like a Fiesta ST or Mazda Miata. Not in a rational commuter or luxury car, they’re rather interchangeable.

Chairman Kaga > Rico
10/07/2015 at 14:10

All of the Infinitis I’ve looked at have not held up particularly well. They honestly remind me more of a GM product than a Japanese semi-luxury car.

If I got an ES my wife would laugh at me. I used to rag her about her old lady Camry all the time. A GS would be acceptable but I kind of hate the pimptastic interiors.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Chairman Kaga
10/07/2015 at 14:32

Why not just have a manual car for you and automatic car for her? I see no problem with that setup. I don’t think I could ever go back to an automatic. I would rather take the bus or walk at that point haha.

Chairman Kaga > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
10/07/2015 at 14:50

We often have to drive each other’s cars. And honestly, traffic in Austin is so horrible that driving a manual is actually a fairly painful exercise. Truthfully I can’t wait for autonomous cars, at least for my commute. http://kxan.com/2014/03/04/aus…

wiffleballtony > Chairman Kaga
10/07/2015 at 14:58

Can you get an Abarth in that range?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Chairman Kaga
10/07/2015 at 15:13

Yeah, the way I look at it is I would rather have a manual or a fully autonomous car. Nothing in between. That "have to" part is the perplexing part to me. But I can't really understand the having kids determine my priorities thing though either lol.

Dunnik > Chairman Kaga
10/13/2015 at 03:12

Baised opinion, but TL. TL all day long. It is a nice place to spend rush hour.

Be sure to get an 07-08 if you must get an autobox.