NFT: Is it me or are Honda cars just plain?

I got a certified used Versa because all I wanted was a newish car that was cheap, gets excellent mileage, and has a decent warranty. All my car is for is commuting - weekends, we take my wife's car because it's cheaper to operate and plenty nice inside.

In comment 12297945 UAGiant said:

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In comment 12297897 pjcas18 said: Quote: I owned a couple fords (escort, explorer) and both not only began needing major repairs around 100,000 miles, but both looked older than comparable other cars the same age and had less value than other brands. I bought the Fords at the time because it was what I could afford and I don't regret it, but when I bought an Acura TL and Ford Explorer the same exact year and the Acura ran for 215,000 miles with only routine maintenance ans still ran 13 years after I bought it and looked modern enough vs the Explorer that legitimately needed to be replaced at around 105,000 and when you google what's wrong with the Explorer and can read that consumer after consumer has the same problems then no, I don't agree all cars are reliable. You get what you pay for in most cases, and it's not just luxury (like in the case of Honda, where Acura or Lexus (with Toyota) some of what you pay for is in fact luxury). I love America (not to sound corny) and would do just about anything I can to buy American, but I would buy a Honda over a Ford 100 times out of 100 because I see no reason to buy American when they put out crap. I do allow for the potential some quality has improved since my last Ford purchase, which I swore would be my last, in 2001. unless I wanted a Mustang (or as jcn says wants towing capacity - the American large SUV's still own towing capacity over most foreign rivals) Not to downplay what you wrote, but today's Ford is not 2001's Ford. I have two German cars in my garage currently and would likely opt for foreign over American, as well - but Ford's been improving leaps and bounds since ~2008 (as shown by industry reliability studies, etc.). There were a ton of issues prior to that, but my comment was about today's market vs. late 90s/early 00s - when I would have never stepped foot on a Ford dealership except to look at a Mustang and wonder why Ford was so stupid to put a solid live rear axle in a car like that vs. IRS. The narrative of thinking what was true 1-2 decades ago is true today is my point, though - things have changed significantly. You can buy a Hyundai without worrying about having a plastic transmission dump out at 30k (in fact, they're usually towards the top of most reliability ratings and lowest cost of ownership), VW/Audi stopped manufacturing in Mexico and now have impeccable wiring/electronics and no long double as a camp fire on the highway, etc. Perceptions remain, but reality is they're dramatically different/improved vehicles. Cars are significant investments, so people get burnt on them once and they don't forget - but the playing field is extremely level if you look at Consumer Reports, etc - there are no brands that just transcend everything else (unless you're looking at specific things, like a Tesla, etc.).

I second this. Ford today is not Ford 10-15 years ago. I mean the Explorers earned the nickname 'Exploder' for a reason back then. Today I don't think their is a nice mid-size on the market then the Fusion. I'm not talking looks, I'm talking ride, power, fuel economy, etc; the whole package. Ford's done a real nice job with the ecoboost engine.

but that's not going to stop me from checking this out
Honda HR-V - ( New Window )

But, I have read similarly good things about the newer lines and I love the design of the Edge and Escape.

On the flip side 2 different people we know have newer Hondas that they absolutely hated in terms of comfort and handling.

I understand some of the issues with Toyota, but my personal experience has been a good one with my olde Camry, family members' cars, and now my RAV4. So, I will be more than happy to stick with them. That said, if anyone wants to take a black 2014 RAV4 lease off my hands, let me know.

Plus, I believe if you buy certain foreign cars (Honda and Toyota) you are actually more likely to have one built in the US than if you purchased a car from a US manufacturer. those are more likely to be built in Mexico or Canada. And, if you are a union backer, most of those options mean they weren't built by union labor.

is outside of the F-150 line, the majority of their vehicles have sucked balls throughout the 90's and 2000's. This led people like me to go elsewhere. Now that quality has improved, I've found other brands that have proved to be more reliable.

So even with their improvement, I would be hard-pressed to go back to them as long as my Honda and Mazda keep performing in an above average way. Plus, Ford's don't have a particularly attractive selling point. They aren't a low-priced car. They don't boast having the best gas mileage or the highest safety. So in essence, they don't have anything to draw me in.

I once thought spending 12K less on a Grand Caravan was better than buying an Odyssey. Multiple headaches later, multiple repairs later showed me otherwise. And once people like me are pushed away, it is damn hard to get us back.

In comment 12297715 pinyin said:

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What a piece of garbage that car was. I don't understand why the resale value on the Subaru's are so high either. That thing would get 20mpg and it was a base model 4 cylinder. The seats and handling were atrocious, the transmission was a complete joke, and the wind noise in the cabin after 70mph was deafening.

I really think you got a lemon. I'm not a Subaru guy but my father has been driving them since '88, first one was a DL hatchback. He's never bought another brand of car since. He had a long commute (65 miles one way) and he put over 250K on every one of those cars ('88 DL, 95 Impreza and Outback Sport, 2004 Impreza). The 95 Impreza ran to 340k and the DL 410K. Only major trouble he ever had was some transmission work on the Outback, and that was my fault for taking it off road. Those cars run forever.

I personally love Ford Fusions, currently about 5 months from paying off my 09. I had no interest in them whatsoever until I let a guy talk me into a test drive. Two miles in I knew I'd be buying it. I was shocked but I loved it. Enough to buy another one when the wife needed a new car two years ago. I guess it might seem weird to have two of the same car but I've had nothing but great experience with them.

Excellent point about Ford. While their quality has improved, so have other lines, like Hyundai and Kia, for example. Then there are brands that continue to be high quality and/or reliable. They may do a better job than in the past of attracting new drivers, but, unless they have a great price point, what is the hook to get an existing driver to change?

before I bought my Mazda, I had a Kia. Got 190K out of it and sold it to CarMax before buying the Mazda for $5,500.

I've yet to have a bad experience with a foreign car maker, so in my mind, why should I change? I came from a generation of people who preached buying American, and even my Father-in-Law who screamed the loudest about that, bought a Honda.

My parents moved over to Volvo. The number of people I know buying American in my family is far less than those driving imports. It is almost the exact opposite situation now. When I start screaming to my kids, "Buy Japanese" it will have come full circle:)

Funny you mention Volvo. A co-worker of mine is looking to trade her Volvo in because it's been nothing but headaches. She was expecting a better car in terms of reliability and maintenance, but it has been a headache. I have read elsewhere a lot of dissatisfaction with Volvo. They used to be able to sit on being the safest car on the road. I don't think that is still the case and their quality went down ever since Ford bought them years ago. Instead of upping the quality of ford, the deal lowered the quality of Volvo. they have since been sold again, but I forget who owns the Volvo line now.

don't particularly like their Volvo, but I can't think of the last time they made a smart car choice. They cycled through the worst of the worst for awhile. two shitty Oldsmobiles. A complete mess of a Buick. A terrible Lincoln. A Ford that ended up costing more in repairs than they paid for it.

In comparison, although they've had issues with the Volvo, that car looks like a Mercedes compared to the other cars they've owned.

A new Mercedes Benz 2015 and a 2011 Acura TSX. My first two cars were Hondas/a curse and then I later bought the TSX when it was first introduced in 2004. After that I've owned a Honda S2000 needless to say I'm quite familiar with the Honda badge. Like many have said they are bulletproof engines and reliable cars that may not have premium parts, aren't exsctly cheap plastic inside. Leather has also been good quality in my opinion as well.

But looks are also important to me and back when I owned them I thoight their designers introduced pretty hot looking cars. The accords would stand out as sedans. The preludes (before they became ricey) were also pretty hot, Acura Integras and Legands were awesome to look at. And the s2000, I woold have people pull up and ask if I was driving a BMW or Benz (I couldn't believe what I was hearing).

Lately I've always wanted to look at Hondas or acuras but there is absolutely nothing that excites me in terms or looks. Like someone mentioned everyone else has stepped up their reliability (I owned a bullet proof Lexus as well) but Acura has gone backwards in design in my opinion and Honda has just gone blah. Maybe its getting older, but I still love a good looking sporty sedan or a flashy hatchback. The euro brands are crushing Honda in performance and looks right now

And I used to not care about features in a car until I had one with all the features. If you listen to music religiously, why wouldn't you invest the money in your cars system. I own a decent home theater but listen to it maybe a 10th of what I get out of my car.

*acuras

and the 4th is a 2013 Accura with 85k ... I fully expect to get 500,000 with my Accura and at least one of my Civics.

Lemme see ... 500,000 miles or great sound? Wonder which one I want for my CAR? duh.

In comment 12298210 AgentZero said:

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If you listen to music religiously, why wouldn't you invest the money in your cars system. I own a decent home theater but listen to it maybe a 10th of what I get out of my car.

True, but I listen to sports talk, news channels and PBS. Blasting sound system has zero value to me

the seats were the most uncomfortable ones I've ever had. I constantly had leg and back issues because of them. I don't think they have gotten any better.

In comment 12297715 pinyin said:

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What a piece of garbage that car was. I don't understand why the resale value on the Subaru's are so high either. That thing would get 20mpg and it was a base model 4 cylinder. The seats and handling were atrocious, the transmission was a complete joke, and the wind noise in the cabin after 70mph was deafening.

It sounds like she got ripped off. There's no such thing as a Subaru Highlander :)

have a 2012 SI Coupe....it's not plain and it's a blast to drive.It has a 205 HP Acura Vtech engine and maybe the best 6 speed gearbox on the market.

...but I had a Forrester and hated it. Uncomfortable to drive, handled and accelerated like I was in 9 inches of mud all the time and if I got over 12 miles to the gallon in a week I was lucky. I will never ever ever buy a Subaru again.

In comment 12299051 Hades07 said:

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...but I had a Forrester and hated it. Uncomfortable to drive, handled and accelerated like I was in 9 inches of mud all the time and if I got over 12 miles to the gallon in a week I was lucky. I will never ever ever buy a Subaru again.

What year was that one ?

for my son. Under 100k miles. He just needs something to get him to the store while he is in college. Message me if you are selling something. Prefer Honda, Toyota, etc

great cars nowadays...plus, can't beat the 10 year/100k miles warranty. Fun car. Their standard comes with all kinds of bells and whistles. Highly recommend.