Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with automobiles

Which of These Cars is Best for Me?

batmonkey — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:47:15 -0800

The batmonkeymobile was in an accident today (everyone's ok) and will be totaled. My last car-buying attempt worked out splendidly and I want to repeat it, but I'm having a harder time figuring out which makes/models will best fulfill my desire to have car happiness many years into the future. Can you help? batmonkeymobile is was an '02 Hyundai Accent 4dr GLS (basic sedan) with a manual transmission. Other than idle pondering, it wasn't my intention to replace her anytime soon. Now I have to, but I don't want to give up the things that made me love her. I did a ton of research today and think I have my candidates.

These are the cars I have it narrowed down to:
Honda Fit
Toyota Yaris
Hyundai Elantra GLS

I'll mostly use the car for errands, monthly trips to nearby cities and the occasional distant spot, like NOLA or Las Vegas (admittedly, at some point in the future, I may be using it for commuting but currently work at home). I also sometimes go camping and driving in less urban areas, so anything addressing that would be helpful.

My two questions:
Which of those three would you/did you choose?
If you already have/had one of these cars, what year is it and what is your experience with it so far?

Cars I've ruled out:
Scions, Kias, Mazdas, Mitsubishis, Nissans, Fords, Suzuki, Subaru

Weird automotive electrical issues.

kingbenny — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:35:32 -0800

I'm looking for some ideas on the numerous weird electrical issues with my car. My 2003 Chevrolet Impala has begun to show some odd behavior. The most troubling seems to be that the dashboard lighting never works. When the light sensor detects darkness and thus tries to turn on the dashboard lights, the gearshift indicator and radio LCD dim, and the dashboard lights do not come on. Manually turning on and off the interior lights doesn't seem to do anything, nor does dimming them. The interior cab lights do work, however.

Another odd symptom seems to be that when I roll the windows up or down, the voltage seems to drop way down (while the window motor is on).

Add to this the fact that sometimes when I start the car, the clock has been reset to 12:00, but not always.

Also, the check engine indicator has come and gone for quite awhile now (perhaps entirely unrelated).

I have checked all of the fuses, and they seem fine. I appreciate any suggestions!

Cheap and cheerful fixes for a sideswiped car

micawber — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 09:28:41 -0800

Car filter: my car got sideswiped on New Year's Eve. Need some direction on what types of places can fix what's broken and/or suggestions on ways to do so. Despite moving the car deliberately out of what we thought was harm's way, some idiot sideswiped my car overnight on New Year's Eve.

Disclaimer: I am a car idiot. We have a good mechanic and a good exhaust person and a good body work person (it's a city car that's 10 years old) but I am never sure who to take the car to for what and taking my car to the garage always involves having to come in late/leave early from work so I'd like to know where to go instead of guessing.

1) The driver's side mirror was smashed. The mirror is gone but the casing holding the mirror is still attached, but the attachment area has broken. It is still in place on the car at the same level that it would be normally but pushed all the way back. Does this make sense? It is NOT a power mirror.

a) do I need to replace the whole thing or is it repairable?
b) what kind of place would I take this to? our mechanic or the body shop?
c) Can we source the mirror ourselves and bring it to someone to install?
d) ballpark on what this would cost? It is a 1999 Pontiac vehicle.

2) They also scraped the panel just above the rear wheel on the driver's side. The scrape is not that bad and the dent is not worth fixing. However, there is a scrape and I was always taught the issue with scrapes is that it removes paint and leaves the body susceptible to rust. I've put a lot of work into keeping my car maintained and want it to last me as long as possible.

a) is the 'susceptible to rust' thing true, and if so, how true
b) is there some way I can make the scraped areas (mostly along the rim above the wheel) less susceptible to rust, without having to pay someone to do it? It doesn't have to be pretty.
c) if not, what can i tell a body shop i want them to do and what should it cost?

It's nice to be wanted, just not all at once

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:29:42 -0800

It's MBA hiring season. I have been selected to attend second round interviews with three different companies in three different cities on three consecutive days. This is the schedule:

City 1: 9:00am - 4:00pm Eastern on a Wednesday
City 2: 6:00pm Wed. evening and 8:00am - 4:00pm Central on Thursday
City 3: 4:00pm Thursday Evening and 8:00am - 3:00pm on Friday

Each city is separated by a 2 hour flight, not including extra time to get to and from the airport. I have committed to attend the interview in City 3 since they notified me first and it is my first choice job. There isn't much of a conflict with the interview in City 1, but it would be nice to leave early to get to City 2. City 2 and City 3 were originally scheduled for the same days at the same times, but City 2 agreed to move back a day, but not enough to prevent overlapping with Thursday evening in City 3.

If I am unable to make it to City 2, they have indicated that they will "see if any positions remain" after interviewing the candidates who are able to make it. I interpret that to mean there's not much of a chance of getting another opportunity if I can't make it for the interview.

Short of chartering a private jet, should I tell City 2 "thanks, but no thanks?" I would prefer not to in this economy, but the timing of these interviews is so tight that a simple flight delay could ruin my chances at two companies.

Any other additional thoughts or approaches would be appreciated.

Anon email: itsnicetobewanted@gmail.com

Help me see some of Europe!

bDiddy — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:07:06 -0800

I need advice for planning a trip to Europe next summer. The wife and I are looking to see some of Europe next summer. Neither of us have ever gone. She wants to see Prague and I want to drink beer in Brussels. So, here's what I think is the best plan, but I don't know. This is where I need advice.

Fly into Prague and spend a few days there. Take the train through Germany, spending a night in some of the cities the train goes through. (Berlin, maybe Koln?) Then continue on to Brussels for a few days there. Then, if time permits maybe continue on to France.

So, as I've never planned a trip like this ever, I have a few questions.

Is it easier to fly in and out of the same city or can I land in one city and depart from another? Would it be significantly cheaper to do it one way vs the other?

Should I book train tickets in advance or when we're there? I've seen the seat61.com site so I know the Eurail pass isn't always the best bet, but maybe it will be for us.

Is it worth renting a car in Belgium? I want to see more than just Brussels. I'd LOOOOOVE to see some of the abbeys and some of the smaller breweries there. And getting up to the coast would be nice too.

How early should I be looking at booking this? And would a travel agent be any help to me? I've used a travel agent twice and I find them somewhat helpful, but not sure if it would be worth it for a trip like this.

Any other advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.

Looking for an antique automobile renter/dealer in Florida panhandle, South Alabama, or South Mississippi?

bamassippi — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:52:34 -0800

Looking for an antique automobile renter/dealer in Florida panhandle, South Alabama, or South Mississippi? I'm getting married in October and my fiance and I want to drive away in an antique Cadillac.

Does anyone know of any antique dealers, renters, shop in the Florida panhandle or South Alabama?

It has to be a Cadillac... her father's a dealer for GM. We really don't care which model... but preferably something older than 1950 (something along the lines of 1931 Fleetwood or
1941 Series 60 Special).

Help me identify a classic car by this limited description.

gummo — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:24:27 -0800

Help me identify a classic car by this limited description. I saw a very brief image of a car on a tv show (Future Cars: The Body, the segment with Dr Mitchel Joachim if that should help you). I'm trying to figure out what it is.

It was probably a late 50s early 60s car, but that is a guess. I only say that because it was slightly reminiscent of a late 50s Corvette. The car was a convertible with only two small individual windshields. Similar to this.

http://right-thoughts.us/images/uploads/red_barchetta.jpg

Only the car I saw had smaller windshields, with a larger gap between them. In this gap was the rear view mirror, mounted directly to the body of the car. The hood was quite long, with two depressions that ran front to rear almost the complete length of the hood. Those depressions were dark (the car was silver I think) and perhaps were actually vents of some kind or something similar. Sort of like the two stripes that run up the hood of a viper, only vents or whatever.

That's all I've got. I know it's not much. Maybe if anyone just knows of some more cars that have that two windshield thing, that would be enough. I would definitely recognize the car if I saw it.

Thanks.

On your bumper and accelerating

quin — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:35:23 -0800

Why to people tailgate on the interstate? Specifically, why do people drive at unsafe distances from other people's cars? It's not uncommon for me to see a line of more than a dozen automobiles all driving within a car length of one another at 65+ miles per hour. What's even more odd to me, is that I will frequently see cars race up to a line of people doing this, and take their spot at the back of the pack for no apparent reason.

My first thought was that it was an aggression: "I'm on your bumper so move over" thing, but when confronted with a dozen or so cars (and sometimes semis) in front of you, that doesn't make sense. I also thought it might be an effort to draft to improve gas efficiency, but considering how many of them are driving otherwise, that seems unlikely as well.

What's worse is that if one person hits their brakes, the entire line is forced to rapidly slow down, which inevitably leads to traffic congestion as people jump into a different lane, making everyone behind them slow down as well, and when traffic resumes, these cars inevitably go right back to driving with very little space in front of them.

Is it just that people are inattentive and don't realize how close they are, or is there some kind of other mechanism at work here that I am not understanding.

Do women sing about cars?

GrammarMoses — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:23:23 -0800

Do women sing about cars? Just now I heard Margo Thunder's cover of "Expressway to Your Heart" and it made me realize that I almost never hear women singing automobile-themed songs. I have easily heard hundreds of car songs during my life - of which two were performed by women. (The other one: Lucinda Williams' "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.") I think there's an essay in this, maybe, if the thesis holds up. So I'm asking you for additional examples: If I get lots, the theory goes out the window; if indeed there are very few, that'll help me prove my point.

Would it be absolutely ludicrous to look into buying a car that takes premium fuel in this day and age?

decrescendo — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 08:02:56 -0800

Would it be absolutely ludicrous to look into buying a car that takes premium fuel in this day and age? I am a 23 year-old aerospace engineer, one year out of college, and making a decent and average starting salary with the job I've been in since graduating. It has come the time to buy a new car since I'm driving a 2004 Cavalier that feels like it's going to fall apart when it approaches 60 mph.

I'd love to buy a used BMW 3-series, Audi A4, Infiniti G-coupe, or maybe even a Mercedes-Benz C-Class. All take premium fuel. The only regular-guzzling car I really would like is a Mazda 3.

Am I out of my mind to consider these more-expensive ones considering the state of the economy and fuel prices?

I keep bouncing back and forth and I'd love to get some advice from you fine people.

How to cross an ocean

Galen — Sat, 17 May 2008 05:25:43 -0800

I want to travel from Wroclaw, Poland to my family in Seattle, with less than 1000USD, without flying, within five weeks. I'm studying in Wroclaw, Poland, almost half way around the world from my home (I remember as a kid looking at the globe and Ukraine is exactly on the other side of the northern Hemisphere from Seattle).

I'm finished June 23. I intended to stay away from the US for as long as possible, but that whole human heart and loving friends thing urges me to return. That being, I didn't buy a return plane ticket.

My only obligation after June 23 is to see my cousin and uncle in Brighton for a week or so. After that it's time to go.

Perhaps the first question is, "Which direction: East or West?"

The criteria for this choice, in order to provide some constraints are:
1. I have less than 1000USD so the cheaper the better.
2. The five week time frame: the point is to return to my loved ones, so I don't want to be on the road for a year.
3. I've flown probably 200 times in my life and I'm over the airports, the turbulence and the rapid descents at the end. So we've ships, trains, autos, horses, bikes and my feet to work with.

And that's where all the questions I browsed on metafilter haven't answered my question, and why I'm asking you now:

I know how to buy a plane ticket, and I'm accustomed to train travel and I've hitchhiked a few hundred miles before (so the continental portion of travel doesn't bother me) but how do I cross the oceans?

I've researched tramp steamers a bit but the interactive map doesn't show any available ships!

Does anyone have experience hitching rides on ships? Are there other ways to cross oceans (crew on a yacht, tall ship or canoe?)

Is the Bering straight potentially crossable? I'm aware the north pole is melting so that's not really transgressable.

What's the least expensive way to [not fly across] an ocean? And which ocean should I cross?

A slightly larger, small used car for $15k or less

codger — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:57:23 -0800

Buying a slightly larger, small used car for $15k or less, big enough for a growing family. We live in suburban Ohio, driving a 1998 Mitsubishi Galant that just turned 100k miles. This is also the year that the air conditioning decided to crap out.

While the lack of A/C is annoying, that's not the reason we're looking for another car. We've got an 18-month-old, and hauling her around (or even just having her car seat in the back) seems to have shrunk the backseat significantly.

We're not thinking SUV or mini-van yet, nor are we intending to add any other children to the family at the moment. However that said, we'll likely still be driving any car we buy now when we do have additional children (well, maybe one, I say) in the next 2-5 years.

Safety considerations may figure into this, but we haven't specifically discussed those yet.

So here's what I want: a 4-door sedan or wagon (though I won't rule out the Fit and its ilk until I've actually driven one) that's bigger, mainly in the backseat, than what I've got, for around $15,000. I've even gone as far as starting a spreadsheet with all of the specified numbers for the cars we're looking at, which unfortunately would rule out the Honda Civic which is smaller in every dimension but front head room. I realize that actually sitting in the cars will likely give me more feel for the size than just numbers alone, but it's a start.

I would also love to get better mileage - I've been hovering around the very low 20s in the city and know I can do better. To do so I think I need to stick with a 4-cylinder engine, but that's not set in stone. For me and my wife to both drive it, we're looking at an automatic transmission.

I prefer to drive cars until they die, and moreover would like cars that die later, so this does tend to rule out most American makes. If I'm wrong, please, let me know! I'm thinking that I'm going to look around 2-4 years old, with 20-40k miles on it.

Back to size, though, since not that many people have probably sat in a Galant, that Civic is probably a fine baseline.

If it matters, I'm 6' and broad-shouldered, and my wife is average height and build. Right now our (3' tall) daughter can kick the back of the passenger seat sitting in her car seat.

So, what can I find that's bigger than a Honda Civic with comfortable room for a child seat + assorted stuff reachable from the front seats, with good mileage, reliability and longevity, for under $15,000?

Why replace a cracked windshield immediately?

sacre_bleu — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:01:03 -0800

Please help me decide whether a cracked auto windshield ought to be replaced quickly, and not simply endured. I have a 2000 Honda Accord whose windshield I've replaced twice because of cracks from pebbles spit up by trucks on the highway.
The latest pebble pit took six months to strerch from side to side across the top quarter of the windshield. (Impact crater near center.)

I have the money to replace it, but I'm dawdling. Part of me hesitates because I had a new winshield for less than a month between cracks last time. The cracked windshield currently in the car has withstood a couple of half-inch pebble assaults, so it's not super-fragile.

How far, or how long, have you driven with a cracked windshield without incident? Or, what happened to your cracked windshield that made you wish you'd swapped it out sooner?

Please contribute experiences or insights to help me decide whether I'm being a stingy fool.

Why aren't there more pink cars?

ThePinkSuperhero — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:03:34 -0800

Why don't car manufacturers make pink cars? They make cars in lots of other colors (ROYGBIV, brown, black, gray, beige). And pink is an awfully popular color for gadgets these days- pink mp3 players, pink phones, pink laptops. So why aren't there more pink cars? I don't know that I've ever seen a pink car that wasn't custom painted. Is this simply an issue of there not being a market for pink cars, or are there other factors involved?

Help me remember the name of this movie about a new breed of carmaker who was shut down by the Big Three

J Parker — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:29:14 -0800

Someone told me about a movie that tells the story of someone who starts making really different and cool cars. He starts a small company with the intention of selling them on a small scale. However, the "Big 3" learn about his company and set out to shut him down. I can't for the life of me remember what the name of that movie is. Does anyone know?

Can you convince me NOT to buy a hybrid?

kyleg — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:39:24 -0800

What are the downsides to owning a hybrid? In the market for a new car, and wondering about the cost/benefit ratio, among other things. Hoping that hybrid owners can help out here. Concerns are mostly economic. Are there unexpected or hidden costs that pop up that you wouldn't have with the standard model? For someone with a fairly short daily commute in highway traffic, is the gas savings lessened? Is the initial cost premium worth it?

What about consumer choice? Is there a difference in the benefits provided by hybrid models when comparing sedans vs. SUVs? Does it make sense to restrict yourself to looking for hybrid models rather than all available automobiles, in terms of available features? Are there safety concerns not associated with standard models?

If you have answers, or any other valid concerns about hybrid ownership that should be considered, please post them here. Alternately, if you would like to make the argument that buying a hybrid is always the best option, feel free to state your case.

where can cars be sold parts only

srrh — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:12:09 -0800

Is there a place on the internet with a list of every state and whether not it is legal to sell cars there as "Parts Only" (i.e., without a title)? If not, does anyone happen to know this information off-hand?

Tips on driving standard?

patr1ck — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:18:44 -0800

I've recently purchased a standard because I used to drive one and loved it, but I've never really been properly trained in how to drive one. The car I bought is much more powerful than the one I've learned on, and I'd appreciate some answers to a few questions and any general tips you've got to help me get the most of out my new clutch (and car). Here are the extra questions:

Are any of the following considered bad practice? (Bonus points for why)
1. Skipping a gear when down shifting. If I'm in 4th and start slowing down, but slow down quick enough it makes more sense to shift into 2nd than 3rd.
2. When in 1st, I sometimes never totally let the clutch out before pressing it back in and shifting to second (to avoid a jerky shift).
3. When slowing down, not downshifting at all and just putting the car in neutral and using only the brakes/wind resistance to slow down.
4. When at a stop on a reverse slope (where there would be roll-back if you weren't holding the brake), giving a little bit of gas and letting the clutch out just a little, to hold the cars position without using the brake.

Thanks!

What Unmarked Black Helicopter Pilots drive on their days off?

univac — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 21:57:15 -0800

The unmarked black cars cars: why is their existence a secret? A couple weeks ago I was at a gas station in Flagstaff & noticed about six cars that were completely covered with some sort of black material. At first glance, the cars (sort of Scion-shaped, I guess) looked like they were painted black, but they were actually covered with a bunch of panels of black stuff that was criss-crossed with some sort of black tape. The black material stuck out over the edges of the doors to form "flaps" of about six inches. There were no other markings, period. Oh, except for the plates. They all had Kentucky dealer plates. The drivers were men of varied ages & ethnicities. Some of them carried 3-ring binders. I approached one of the drivers & asked him why all the cars were wrapped up like that, & he refused to say. Wikipedia tells me that there's a Toyota plant in Kentucky, so I'm thinking this was some sort of top-secret long-distance driving test of some sort of car of the (near) future.

Just curious if anyone knows what was going on here.

Help a hick drive out of the sticks.

barchan — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 15:01:59 -0800

What are your best tips and techniques for driving in a big city? I'm moving to Houston from a very rural area. Everything I know about driving is geared toward rural conditions. While I have been in lots of cities, I've only driven through them rarely and mostly at odd hours. I've heard lots about the driving conditions in Houston and I'm a tad anxious.

While there are lots of sites on the internet about driving in a city, most of them deal with choosing an automatic, staying in one lane, know your navigation, etc., things that seem like common sense. I also found this AskMe thread.

However, what I'm looking for are tips on how to merge, should I go the speed limit or follow the flow of traffic, etc, the kind of things that tend to be instinctive to people who drive in heavy or *any* traffic all the time. Tips on Houston driving would be a bonus.

FWIW, I am a very defensive driver (probably too defensive), and pretty good at dealing with all types of weather. I also understand that I'm not the greatest driver ever.

My baby (car) has a secret (compartment)

xo — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 15:47:36 -0800

My hatchback car (Honda Fit) doesn't have a separately-locking trunk or glovebox. Can I add a lock-box or secret compartment somewhere inside the car for stashing a few items, for those times I must turn over my keys (parking garage, valet)? Ideally I'd only be securing/concealing 3 deck-of-cards-sized items: iPod, GPS, EZPass. There are no official Honda accessories that do this, nor can I find any Fit-fanatic mods that have addressed it.

I have a car! But it smells funny. How can I fix it?

MadamM — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 22:19:18 -0800

How can I make my car smell better? I have recently been passed partial stewardship of a family car and I want to fix it up. It's a good car, but recently it's had some window issues that have, in turn, led to some smell issues. Basically the windows wouldn't stay up, so a certain amount of water would get inside it when it rained (especially because we park it outside, uncovered, sometimes). Not a lot of water, because the windows were never stuck more than an inch or two open, but over the course of a few months I think it's made the car smell sort of... funny. Add to that the fact that my father smoked in it when he was the primary driver, and you get a car that smells somewhat unpleasant- not awful, but it definitely has a musty funk that I would like to keep from getting any worse. The windows are fixed now, which should help, but I'm worried about mildew.

I'm going to have access to the car this week because my brother, the other driver of the car, will be out of town. I have plenty of time and effort to devote to this project, but unfortunately not much money or other resources (including any knowledge of cars or how they're made). I can maybe spend/convince my mom to spend about 30 bucks on supplies beyond what we already possess, but not much beyond that. I want to make this thing smell good. What do I need to do? What parts can I easily clean without having to dismantle the car beyond what I'm comfortable with? I want to do the best job I can.

(I did search for and find other questions about wet cars, but they didn't really apply to this situation because most of them dealt with soaked cars. This is more a matter of dampness.)

Wheels on 1963 Ranchero

drleary — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 20:29:56 -0800

What was the original size wheels/tires that came on the 1963 Ford Ranchero? Thanks in advance!

What happened with my brakes?

skallas — Mon, 15 May 2006 15:57:46 -0800

What happened to my brakes? I got new front pads and rotors a little while ago and after about three weeks of normal use they started squeeling extremely loudly. It was almost defeaning if I was driving next to a barricade or a tall curb. They were still under warranty so I took the car in and was told the "rear brakes needed cleaning." Is this common? The guy was hesitant to answer some of my questions and I was in a hurry to get my car back. Now the brakes don't make any noise but I feel a noticable grind when braking. Does this situation sound fishy? Is a grinding "feeling" normal?

Cars sold in US?

The Confessor — Tue, 09 May 2006 17:10:02 -0800

Looking for car *brands* currently sold at dealerships in the United States. I've got a 40+ member list (after the jump) that strikes me as fairly exhaustive but I also have this nagging feeling that I'm missing one or more "niche" brands. Acura
Aston Martin
Audi
Bentley
BMW
Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Dodge
Ford
GMC
Honda
Hummer
Hyundai
Infiniti
Jaguar
Jeep
Kia
Land Rover
Lexus
Lincoln
Mazda
Mercedes-Benz
Mercury
Nissan
Pontiac
Porsche
SAAB
Saturn
Scion
Toyota
Volkswagon
Volvo