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Post by brp on Sept 17, 2024 8:42:39 GMT -5
I am agnostic as to the national origin of the cars I buy. With that said, I have owned two American cars- both Saturns. I had a Saturn SC1 back in the 90s. It was fabulous. Unibody construction with plastic side panels. When I wanted to get a convertible, I sold it to a co-worker. Not too long after, he was t-boned in an accident. Car totaled. He and his family walked away unscratched.
I still have my 2008 Saturn Sky convertible. It has had some work, but has been great.
And it is complemented by a Hyundai Kona EV.
Cheers.
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Post by dlwdwdvc on Sept 17, 2024 14:05:10 GMT -5
The October 2024 Consumer Reports Issue just hit newsstands and has most of the new cars and their safety features and pricing .
It’s an excellent Issue especially if your 2 grandkids are getting their drivers license and their parents are searching and comparing for smartest choice.
Consumer Reports
The Safest Cars You Can Buy
The Saab my daughter drove on a roundabout and crashed on icy streets in Kansas City while her parents were at WDW probably in 1988 … That front bumper was thick and she bounced off the vehicle that slid into her . I miss my Saab … and the excellent family mechanics at George’s Imports! They kept the beloved Saabs running forever!
Kids nowadays aren’t eager to drive …I think they are motivated with weeklong trip for holidays at Fort Wilderness Cabins to get insurance to drive the golf carts ! Haha
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Sept 17, 2024 15:35:40 GMT -5
As for Mazda's we had an MPV in 2004 that had to have a full engine replacement at just under 6 yrs and less than 80k miles. That is after every coil, I think that's what it was, had been replaced and that was $300-$500 per coil. After that you couldn't gift me a Mazda. Agreed, this was a bad time for Mazda. Ford and Mazda had a partnership during those years. A little research shows that the engine in the Mazda MPV at that time was provided by Ford. Ford sold all of their shares in Mazda in 2015. |
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Sept 17, 2024 15:45:22 GMT -5
I was always buy a buy "American" car guy growing up and into my 40's. But time after time, each vehicle failed to make to 100k miles before repairs and breakdowns started occurring. I started buying cars in the 90s, and they have always been $500 - which means one thing: old. It doesn't take long to figure out that all the $500 cars that keep running great, even when rusted out like crazy, all seem to come from one part of the world. Mostly. |
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Post by jedimom3 on Sept 29, 2024 13:57:03 GMT -5
Updating a little bit. Thank you all so, so much for the car recommendations, opinions, feedback. I really appreciate getting perspectives on this. I took notes! We decided to wait a little bit longer, at least not rush it before our trip. I know I'll need to revisit the dealerships and sit in them again, really give them a good look before we decide. I got to ride with a friend to Nashville, in her Toyota RAV4, and it was nice.
But for now, we just got new tires on the old tank (van) and will hold onto it a little bit longer. Also the local dealers don't have a lot of inventory, so didn't want to be too limited on that either.
Yesterday, FINALLY bought the kids' and my 2 day park hoppers for Disney. We'll have a lot to squeeze into 2 days. But they lengthened the hours that week for MK. Originally, it was closing at 9PM that Wed night, but last week, we saw it was open until 11, so we'll have a nice long day of HS, Epcot, and MK that day. I bought MPLL, starting at HS. everything was available. I chose MFSR, TSMM, ToT. Our issues are between the 4 of us, those are the 3 we all agreed on (well, I"m not riding ToT, but I'll scan in, then take whatever chicken exit I can) Like one person wanted RnRC, one wanted Slinky or MMRR, etc. so plan is to separately rope drop whatever, then all be at The Falcon after 9:15 for the LL. Then start trying to find another LL once we scan in, etc. I also hope to modify some things for earlier times, but not sure how that all works yet. Currently too much criss-crossing/steps for my liking.
I tell you, on site guests certainly have an advantage there. I could book that whole week/stay as of yesterday, since we are 7 days out from the start of our stay, Sat Oct 5 , even though our first park day isn't until Wed Oct 9. I could do Friday also, but we're not sure yet about doing another day of LLs. We probably will. Tiana, Remy, Slinky, all of the headliners available, and the HS times I ended up choosing are as early as possible. I'm still not at all sure how this works, but we're gonna give our best to try and get more for later in the day, by constantly checking/refreshing.
Small wrinkle: after I bought the tickets. MDE wasn't recognizing my DD as eligible for the LLs, so I did call the number for internet services. They fixed in like less than 2 mins, and there was no wait at all to speak with someone. yay. That was a great customer service experience.
Today I"m supposed to be gathering stuff like magic bands, lanyards, battery chargers, backpacks, rain gear, umbrellas, etc. all that sort of thing So far, have only watched Great British Baking show, picked up lunch from the Chinese buffet, took dog to the groomer..I need to get with it.
My van is usually the equivalent of my Let's Make a Deal purse. It has EVERYTHING imaginable for trips, but I'd cleaned it completely out when were going to have it appraised for trade in, and it has nothing in it now....no extra sunscreen, paper towels, maps, meds, coins, plastic utensils, all that stuff, so we need to restock, but at least we can try and be a bit more judicial in what goes back. It was a bit out of control.
Hoping the newest tropical system doesn't develop into anything, and stays further west in the gulf. I just hate driving in the rain, and worried our Sunday HHN night will be too rainy for the scare zones, etc.
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Sept 30, 2024 10:04:04 GMT -5
picked up lunch from the Chinese buffet Okay tell me about this. I've seen people on occasion walking around with some sort of container. I assumed it was to take home. So is it based on weight or do you just fill the thing up? And what are we talking for price. Usually I love the buffet because I love to get a little bit of all sorts of things, and I think if I was taking it home I'd be better off getting it at the little takeout place. So I'm genuinely curious. Also, I thought with the car, don't disregard repairing something for a thousand or two and keeping it for a few more years. Cars are damn expensive these days and if a $1000 repair gets you two more years, that's $500/year which is pretty cheap. Unless of course you just want a new car, most people do (other than me) |
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Post by jedimom3 on Oct 9, 2024 11:12:20 GMT -5
Well here we are, checking off experiencing Disney in a hurricane off the bingo card…..
When we left Saturday morning to drive, Milton was just an unnamed tropical area. Rain already forecast for Sunday . I was completely considering changing out hhn night to Thursday….so, so glad we didn’t do that
Saturday drive: lots of heavy traffic north of Marietta, typical thru Atlanta, but then a bit more later. Weird places for traffic . But Florida, and turnpike surprisingly clear.
Sunday kids and I checked into Royal Pacific at Universal. Headed to IoA. Express
passes. Rode Velocicoaster. Still best coaster I’ve been on. River Adventure, which is nostalgic every time I ride. Great memories of our first trips to IoA in the early 2000s. Tried my new favorite beer at IoA, Isla Nublar. Started raining . DS ended up riding VC agsin, front row in the rain…youch. Butterbeer time. Kids rode Forbidden Journey. I just walked the castle. Can’t do that one. Ate at three broomsticks. Decent wait in the steady rain to get in. Food is just ok, mostly typical theme park food, Leaky Cauldron has more British choices, but atmosphere nice , and inside . On to spider man. Another old time favorite. Got room ready text, after I’d sent 3 to check and see if there was any chance one was. We really wanted to unpack rest, change before hhn.
Convenient room location. Very nice, basic hotel room, comfy beds .
Off to HHN. Got in stay/scream holding pens a little before 5. Tentative plan was One a house or two standby, repeat on We decide to just start w express since the had it open. Got 3 houses done by 6:10, hhn wasn’t even open yet to general public . Express is worth every expensive penny! Overall houses all well done, but most disappointed in Insidious and Quiet Place. Neither lived up to hype. I do think Insidious was missing some scare actors. One bad thing too about only doing one night/ one walk through is you can have a bad one, where it’s understaffed or just you keep missing the scares. But still overall fun! Rain was forecast for the whole night. So made priority to see the scare zones we could when not raining . Saw 2 of the 5, abs yhuse 2 were great . Was right at opening tho, not fully staffed yet. But good interaction. Went to Diagon Alley, almost deserted. Deatheaters came marching out, and we’re everywhere. Got Florian’s with no wait , usually line is out the door, around the corner, then rain started. Drizzled abs or steady rain rest of night. Lots of water puddles. Didn’t really get to try any food or drinks, too hard to do in the rain, but that’s ok. A lot didn’t appeal to us. Did get the traditional pizza fries, yummy as always . Called it a night around 11, slogged back in steady rain to hotel. DD planned to go back around 12:30, I kinda did , just to do a few houses agsin, but my body kinda freaked out on me. Shaking, spasms. Mist likely severe dehydration.gotta stay hydrated.
Next day, Monday, finding out Milton is now a car 5, etc . Sh$$. Did a few things at the parks, left, ate at Olive Garden, gassed up, back at BWV .
Figuring out logistics. We decided to stay . My 2 cousins in this area are staying, just hunkering down, hoping no trees fall, or damage, and power not out too long. They’ve been here since the 60s, weathered lots of storms, but also know they are all different, unpredictable, and you just never know .
DH ordered Giordanos Monday night. We have that to eat on. I always bring some food, so have quick stuff like Ramen, spaghetti, etc.
kids and I only have 2 days of Disney tickets. Plan was Wed and Friday. I even bought genie for Wed, had 3 rides booked, and bought Gotg separately . Had to start rethinking . Decided to just go yesterday, use a ticket, get at least one day in, but with no lightning lanes etc. Disney did not announce closures until med afternoon yesterday. We rope dropped HS, rode several rides, kids did RNrC, tot, I got a Ronto wrap, saw Mandalorian, TSMM, did the Falcon. Waited to be pilots, then ride single rider. Missed doing runaway rr, then met DH at Epcot to use our Guardians. Finally got Conga!!!!!!! I was so beyond excited. Now have all songs! And it’s a fabulous song for guardians. How fun!!!
Enjoyed a few food booths. It was very hot and humid, sunny at times. Freshened up then off to MK to do a few things before they closed for the party. Tron, space, people mover, HM . Just missed doing Tom Sawyer Island for old times sake. I went to Epcot. Rode Soarin. A few food booths. Fireworks . A little over 30000 steps.
Wednesday: DH is currently at HS. Kids and I are in the room. Watching the weather..
We’ve had 2 messages to bring in patio chairs, and tables.
Will see what the day brings.
I’m hoping everyone who lives in the path stays safe. Maybe it’ll weaken before it hits. I sure hope so.
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Post by WDWGoof on Oct 9, 2024 13:21:03 GMT -5
Please be safe. Watching Max Velocity weather live on YouTube. Shows 15 tornado warnings as we speak all throughout central and southern FL. Stay safe!!!
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Post by cherene on Oct 9, 2024 13:31:43 GMT -5
We test drove several 2020-2022 Outbacks, nice cars. We were disappointed on how loud they were inside. By which I mean growly engine noise. We could definitely tell the difference when stepping up through trim packages so don't disregard that. My advice would be to buy a certified used one at the dealer, upgraded package, as long as they include some kind of lifetime powertrain thing because that transmission WILL go out on you. IMO. 10 years, 12 years. Not everyone keeps cars that long, I guess. Don't disregard Mazda CX-5, super nice cars, the build quality is way higher actually than RAV4 and CRV, at least that's what we felt. Getting closer to that Lexus feeling. You owe it to yourself to drive them, they are in the bracket of cars you are looking at. My DD is buying her first car. She is interested in these same vehicle's minus the Outback. We have found the Hyundai has a better warranty than any of the others. Bumper to bumper 5yrs or 60,000 miles and 10yrs or 100,00 mile power train warranty. |
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Post by annamaria on Oct 9, 2024 15:52:43 GMT -5
Be safe!!
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Post by jedimom3 on Oct 10, 2024 9:35:48 GMT -5
Thursday morning. Still sequestering in room. DH and I went to lobby last night. We each got one of the boxes lunches. Each contained sandwich, orange, chops, muffin, bottle of water. I think characters may have been out earlier , not sure. Lots, lots of CMs around, and a couple of suits looked like. Belle Vue lounge was packed.
Will go down at some point today and see what activities are going on. We still have a good amount of in room food. Tv works. We do have a very large wet patch by the patio door in the bedroom. Not really bothering us much unless we go to the window, but we should let someone know I guess.
Mousekeeping had stopped by/ knocked yesterday to see if we needed anything. I was still in jammiea, caught off guard, but got extra towels, laundry detergent, etc. nobody stopped for trash pickup tho. I will look for trash room later, anyone know where they are at Boardwalk?
Being on the 5th floor , it was very windy, noisy, rain pelts down loudly. Wish now we’d asked to move rooms/ floors, but thankfully it was not worse, and did not hit at a stronger category, and no tornadoes here.
We’d gotten a dvd player earlier in week . DS started watching the Wire , and we brought that, but la
Last night when he tried to use it, remote wouldn’t work . Will try and figure that out I today.
We watched WESH weather coverage all day. Finally took a break and watched the finale of Slow Horses. So good. Glad they’ll be a season 5.
DH just noticed the water level in the canal are way higher than when we checked in.
My cousins don’t have power. One has some roof damage, tree limbs etc.
hope everyone who lives around here are ok,
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Oct 10, 2024 11:17:12 GMT -5
My DD is buying her first car. She is interested in these same vehicle's minus the Outback. We have found the Hyundai has a better warranty than any of the others. Bumper to bumper 5yrs or 60,000 miles and 10yrs or 100,00 mile power train warranty. We ended up buying none of the above mentioned cars because we found a 1998 for $2,000 so I like that better. But, during the hunt, I said to wife "I'm going to look at Hyundai and Kia, too, just to see". I found the trim levels a lot less satisfying but that is a personal opinion. But I am the lifelong "car fixer guy" and I googled something like "hyundai repair forum" or something like that. What I saw shocked me, and that terminated my interest in those cars.
But if you plan to get rid of it before your warranty is up, then I guess you should be okay.
20-some years ago, someone on a Volvo repair group I was in had created a list of joke thread titles, since all cars seem to get the same questions. Ours was something about the overdrive I think, or perhaps the heater core. I don't remember most of them, but I still laugh to this day thinking about two of them: Toyota Camry had two - "New Camry trim, gold or silver?" and "Only 10 years old and my chrome is starting to peel!" and the Kia was "15k, time for a rebuild?" OMG I just about fell out of my chair just now typing that. I kid you not, on some Kia forum six months ago, people were talking about the need for rebuilds way under 100k. And on the Subaru forums people were bragging about how at 60k their transmission was showing no problems, one guy was proud that after having it replaced at 40k, he was having no problems since. I couldn't believe what I was reading.
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Post by Brian5581 on Oct 13, 2024 12:57:40 GMT -5
Thanks for the report, Disney definitely seems to do hurricanes right.
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Post by cherene on Nov 6, 2024 11:11:02 GMT -5
That's a deal that would be hard to pass up. LOL You're right, it's CRAZY what low quality vehicle's they are making now days. My daughter eneded up with a 2023 Hyundai Sante FE. She has a bumper to bumper untill 100,000 miles. The car had 11,000 miles on it. We shall see. I have never had them. I have Chevy and Buick.
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