[Racer X 69]

Last spring gas jumped from $2.40 ish to over $3.50.

Today I filled up on the way to NAS Whidbey for $3.14/gallon.

[DW58]

We are a one vehicle family. V-8 Chevy 1/2 ton pick up. We need something to haul dirt, gravel, hay, manure, lumber etc. Prius ain't gonna cut it.

[ChrisPlatt]

I have Ford Edge 2015 SEL from lease...

In my experience many dealer service departments provide poor service.
Whatever you do don't use them for your next vehicle lease or purchase.
Suggest you take into account reviews of dealers and service departments.

We have been driving Mazda vehicles for the last fifteen years mostly
because of the exceptional quality of the service at our local dealer.
Wantagh Mazda has the only 5-star rated service department in our area,
of any brand. They always fix it right the first time, on time and on budget.

Now that we have moved they are no longer convenient to us; in fact
it's 2 hours (2 buses and a train) each way if we leave it there overnight.
But we still use them because they are the only ones I trust with my car.

BTW I chose Pentax and have stayed with their film cameras primarily
due in large part to Eric Hendrickson's reliable and fair-priced service.

Chris

[wtlwdwgn]

They're not called "stealerships" for no reason!

[monochrome]

They're not called "stealerships" for no reason!

Many of the dealerships in my area have transferred from founding father (or a father who inherited his father’s values) to a child or partnership of children. Immediately upon this change the service quality declines, bait-and-switch sales tactics and finance manager shenanigans increase, and the relationship between buyer and seller, built over years or decades, is destroyed in one transaction.

The main reason I lease new cars and then buy them at the end of the lease (direct from the finance arm with no dealer intervention) is a lease is straightforward because it is controlled by the Finance arm. They have an interest in the vehicle and impose rules and reporting requirements on the dealers. A sale is from Dealer inventory and the car manufacturer has already sold the vehicle - so what do they care?

AFA service departments, I select my brand of vehicle by seeking which dealer has a high service rating, and I’m religious about maintenance. I’m down to Honda, BMW and Mini. Subaru was ruined when a massive, multi-state chain that’s all about turn and add-ons bought both dealers in our area.

[lesmore49]

We have been using the same dealer for over 20 years, because of one service writer. He's honest, straightforward, knowledgeable and a car enthusiast. He was at a different dealer before this dealer, and we bought from that dealer because of him. Before him, we used the same dealership for years, because of another service writer who was also exceptional.

It is not about the salesman at a dealer, it's about the service dept. IMHO.

As far as car makes go, we have stuck mostly with one manufacturer. The cars have generally been reliable, durable and comfortable. I'm on the big and tall side ...with a 'hockey' knee. I'm not huge...just a little taller and bigger than average. As a result, I need leg room, shoulder room, head room and generally only one manufacturer has provided enough of those things that allow me to be comfortable. The cars we get are big, wide, etc.

I have had others say to me, why do you get such a large car...even some who imply that I'm not doing all I can do for the planet, etc...by purchasing what I get. I respond by saying I need to be able to fit comfortably in a vehicle.

BTW, you can't judge a book by it's cover. The sedans maybe XL , but they get pretty fair MPG on the highway, even with a 300 hp + V6. They're slippery from a low drag coefficient , high geared both from a final drive gear ratio and internal transmission...top drive... gears (overdrive) and the engine is barely turning over at highway speeds...due to a powerband with strong low and mid range torque. MPG involves more factors than just a small physical size.

[pepperberry farm]

We are a one vehicle family. V-8 Chevy 1/2 ton pick up. We need something to haul dirt, gravel, hay, manure, lumber etc. Prius ain't gonna cut it.

we are a two-car family; the other vehicle is a 2004 F-150 that just had new brakes and alternator installed.... should be good for another 175k.....

[cooltouch]

Of the six Volvos we've owned over the past 22 years or so, we've always bought used, never new. We also never had a strong relationship with a dealer, preferring independents -- and myself -- for repairs.

I agree with the folks who remark that it is a dealer's service facility that is most important. But it doesn't have to be a dealer's service facility. We had an independent mechanic we used to take our Volvos to until he retired a few years ago, and we really liked him. He was a big, tall Swede, trained as a Volvo mechanic in Sweden, and had years of experience as a top Volvo tech. He was very successful as an independent, and it's no wonder why. He was fast, economical, and he fixed your problem right. We took our cars to him whenever I ran into an issue I didn't want to mess with.

I handled the other repairs and over 20 years ago, established a relationship with a fellow, who back then, just sold discount Volvo parts -- and other Euro brands too, but mostly Volvo. I always bought my parts from him. As the years passed, and I got older, I became less enthusiastic about working on our cars, mostly for two reasons: I just don't like crawling around under cars anymore, and my back problems have grown worse as I've gotten older. Bending over an engine is an exercise in pain for me now,. and I just don't like to do it. After Nils retired, we cast about for a while, looking for another good Volvo shop and finally found one, but they weren't at all convenient. Nonetheless we used them for a while. In the meantime, my Volvo parts guy had been expanding his business. He moved to a larger shop and started doing some repair work. Business was good, so he sucked it up and moved to a much larger facility with about a half dozen bays and a few lifts. That's where he is now, and they're staying very busy. Well, needless to say, once he opened his new facility, we started taking our cars to him for repairs. He has good techs working for him and we've had no complaints. Their prices are competitive and they are fast.

So, what I'm getting at simply is this -- if you don't like your dealer's service shop, don't use them! There are many independents around who offer service that is just as good as a good dealer shop, and some that are even better.

Oh, and we filled up our XC90 a couple days ago: $2.55 at Costco.

[Canada_Rockies]

Too many dealerships don't realize that it is the service department that sells the new vehicles ... the 2nd and 3rd and ...

[beno]

Would love to have a Volvo someday, got a rental V50 once it was nice although under powered with a small 1.6l diesel engine

I ride a 2010 Mazda3, celestial blue you cant miss it on the park, it smooth to drive and have a very good handling. It is confortable enough to me but the wife dont like the seats she finds too stiff. I bought it used with 44k on the odometer for less than 10k USD equivalent because its not diesel and its an automatic so people here dont rush to such a car, people find me weird but I love it

Having owned Toyotas before I'm not certain it will age this well but for now I cant complain too much on the maintenance and my local Mazda dealer is honest and works fine.

2.55$ for Gallon would craze any european car driver, currently premium gas in France is over $1.80, per litre (or $6.81 per gallon) :/

[ThorSanchez]

My son just told me his wife’s GMC Acadia is FWD. That’s Front Wheel Drive. It is an Impala with a big body on top.

Customer: "I just drove the Impala and it was fine, but it was too quick, the gas mileage was too high, it felt way too light and responsive, I desperately need 5% more cargo space, and I really prefer the feeling of driving from a tall bar stool."

Car salesman: "Have you seen our Acadia?"

[redbusa]

i bought and drive "the worst car in the world " according to Clarkson et al on Top Gear when they reviewed it (1st Gen). i have 2nd Gen Facelift, the best colour, a metallic type Purple, the build quality is fantastic, 0-60 a fraction over 5 seconds, 22mpg around town with over 30 seen by some owners on long motorway journeys, luxury cabin and a fold away roof. i know it is not a back road scratcher but think what you are doing and it will corner fast enough to frighten you if thats your bag, will hit 150 without batting an eyelid. oh and all this is 12 years old now, it puts a big smile on my face every time i fire it up with the sound that only a big V8 can give (after having an SS exhaust fitted) . all this lovelyness is wrapped up in a Lexus SC430 ))

[Just1MoreDave]

Did they improve the speed of the roof going up and down? I thought that was a legitimate criticism of the Top Gear show. It seems like a small point, but 20+ seconds is often annoying. I know I could be killed if the top took 5 seconds but I am willing to take that risk.

[redbusa]

pretty sad if that was thought to be a problem for anyone. from what i have seen it was driveability which led to a change in suspension, a 6 speed box instead of 5 in the facelift in 2005/06. to me it was in the same position as the Suzuki Hayabusa(fastest bike on the road straight out of the crate at the time) was in when it came out, all the R1, GSXR1000, FIREBLADE people slammed it for being ugly , no good on corners etc. i had one of those as well and i found that knee sliders could be worn out, you juust had to think a bit more , it was a sport cruiser not a sport bike. the SC430 is the same not an out and out sport car but a sport cruiser. i am not saying it is perfect , they could have given it coil overs and 19 or 20 inch wheels but it is certainly not the worst car by any stretch of the imagination as all i get is compliments for it when i park up even from Merc, Range Rover and Beemer drivers.

[stillshot2]

I drive a 2003 Acura CL Type S with a 3.2 liter V6 engine now with 194,000 miles. What I love about it? it only cost me $4000 when I got it about 3 years ago, has that lovely old school VTEC that kicks in strong, and is the 2nd fastest model of Acura ever made only second to the NSX The interior still holds its own against modern cars and the HID headlights are beautiful at night. What I don't like about it? Wish the brakes were a little stronger to better handle this car's acceleration capabilities, wish it had 4 doors (basically a TL Type S haha), and wish it was the 6 speed manual version!