New Car.

[glyn]

We've finally closed the deal on a new car!

gamble and I have been working on getting another vehicle, on and off again, for the past month or so. His car did us fine when our offices were so close together but, now that he's moving to a job downtown, a second car seems practical

Comments

[boar_ral]

The only reports that I have regarding the reliability of Subaru vehicles comes from friends who worked as mechanics at Subaru dealerships, so it is a biased opinion, to say the least. I do agree with your mention of Ford reliability though. I owned my Excursion for less than one year and I experienced problems ranging from mechanical to cosmetic. That was one of the reasons I switched back to General Motors. (Many would say the same about reliability of General Motors, compared to imports, but my experience with GM has been nothing short of fantastic, and when there has been a problem, it has been repaired promptly.)

I imagine that some routes can be more difficult and longer to take. You are right that where I used to live, the routes were a bit nicer. From Southgate, it is nothing to get downtown. But once you move further from transit hubs, the commute starts to grow considerably longer.

Depending on the AWD system, your cornering can become somewhat wonky, as torque is transferred to wheels that still maintain traction. And since AWD is more or less only relevant in slippery conditions, there tends to remain a lot of understeer. AWD only tends to be relevant in situations where you don't want "fun" things to occur. ;)

I need to locate the spreadsheet that contains my vehicle data. I found it a few months ago on a Canadian web site that was similar to Consumer Reports in that the fuel economy ratings were real-world, not in-lab results or 70 km/h reports, like the EPA likes to do. I know that the Pontiac Vibe has decent fuel economy for an AWD vehicle, but I do not know if it was the 35 mpg model. I know that it is one of the ones that I was looking at though, because I like the appearance, and I get a GM loyalty discount. :)

If you are purchasing your repair parts privately and having the repairs performed at another garage, then that would be a different story, and wouldn't depend much on the warranty. Which is good, since I do not think most car manufacturers would touch a vehicle for warranty purposes after a few things have been done on it by another garage. In the U.S., there is a bit more protection for this, but in Canada, not much can be done. What is it in particular that you do not like about dealerships? I would think that during a warranty period, they are the best way to go. Repairs are free, and I think most manufacturers offer free rentals. (Though I know Ford was really uncomfortable offering me one when I owned mine. GM has no problem offering, though.)

Again, I do like the Subarus, and I'm sure you'll have fun with yours. I'm still trying to find others to go offroading with me, but the only other Hummer owner is upgrading his transmission this winter, so he's out of commission for the next few weeks. Oh well! :)