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Originally Posted by DJDB  What kind of car are you looking for? A NEW Nissan Maxima is about $50k (taxes in, in Canada). That's a big budget. Are you wanting a luxury car, which is what I would consider a Maxima, or more of a compact car?
I suggest you get the consumer report book. I did that when purchasing my first new car and ended up getting the Mazda 3. It was the lowest price of the three imports I was looking at (Mazda 3, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla), came with the most options, and had the best consumer rating. I was so happy with it!! I drove it for 4 years without putting ONE cent into it other than oil changes. I traded it in last year for the MazdaSpeed 3 (same idea, but with a turbocharger - the car is FAST). I love it even more. My fiance has also driven Madas for the last 10 years and he loves them too. Neither of us has put any repair money into our cars. I have two friends with Mada 3s and they haven't put any money into them either.
My boss owns a Nissan Murano and he's had a lot of problems with it. Some sort of electrical issue that left him stranded many many times. He said he would never buy another one. However, another ex-boss of mine owned a Maxima and really liked it.
Do a lot of research. Consumer ratings should influence your decision. |
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Originally Posted by DJDB If you're just looking for reliability then get any of the import cars. I have heard that Ford has come far with the Fusion, but I still would not buy domestic. Just heard and experienced WAY too many bad BAD things. Don't ever buy Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Pontiac, Chev or GMC. They're all total garbage.... no offence to anyone who owns one 
Consumer reports!! Read them!! |
First off, Consumer reports is NOT a reliable way to make a car buying decision. They test like Girls. (no offence to any girls) I've been driving and maintaining myown vehicles for 30 years. Every company out there makes good and bad vehicles. I've gotten over 200K miles out of a Pontiac, Ford, Nissan, and our current Subaru. I've got an old Mazda with over 300k miles. None with any major work done on them
I can tell that a lot of Peeps THINK that domestic cars are unreliable. DJDB's statement is sooo silly. It's a sterotype that has held on with no substaciating proof. Brainwashed people giving recomendations keeps it going.
A car is the most complicated thing that most people own, keeping all those moving parts and electronics working properly and together is a complicated engineering feat. Most of the times builders get it right.
For what its worth, Toyota and Honda are ranked right up on top as far as recalls go.
Good luck with your car hunting.