Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with autos

Best small car.

simplesharps — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:37:43 -0800

Best second hand small car under AUD$20,000? Fuel efficient. Reliable. Low maintenance. 4 doors. No older than 4 years. Automatic. Suit young couple in Australia. My parents have been so kind to lend their EF Ford Fairmont for a couple years to use when I needed something other than my motorbike. The ford chews through the fuel (12 liters per 100kms) and the bike isn't so good for picking up groceries. It's time for something new.

We've (male 25, female 20) been looking at:
# VW Golf - Recommendation from my brother. He's got one and is very impressed with it's fuel efficiency, driveability and engineering.
# Toyota Corolla
# Hyundai Getz
# Ford Focus

We can't decide if we should spend under AUD$10,000 or take the next step and get something more luxurious under $20,000. She's just got her licence so it might be worth getting something cheap.

The commute is through a fun windy rural area into the city. We'll probably keep it for four years.

# How many kilometers should be the max?
# Should we buy something expensive that holds it's value, or get something cheap that depreciates quickly?
# Should we buy privately or through a dealer?

We're in no rush at the moment so we have plenty of time to research. Any thoughts appreciated!

Car w/column shifter?

John Borrowman — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:22:31 -0800

Do any late model American cars still come with a shifter on the column? Time to replace my 90 year-old mother's car. Needs to be late model (to minimize repairs), American (for servicing in VERY small town). She has driven a column shifter pretty much since she learned to drive. If column shifters are no longer available, any recommendations on helping her transition to a floor shift?

Why do cars have such vast wiring looms...?

twine42 — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:37:09 -0800

Why do cars have such vast wiring looms...? I tried to trace an electrical fault in my car the other day and suddenly realised just how many hundreds of meters of wire there must be inside a standard road car.

Why do cars still use so much wiring just carrying a single binary signal when (for example) a USB cable could carry so much more data down just a few wires.

What's the great appeal over so many cables as opposed to a few microprocessors and some digital connections...?

Cash for clunkers

TrashyRambo — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 07:55:47 -0800

Can I buy a old car now and then claim a credit under the (seemingly likely to pass) incentive scheme to buy a new one? Talking about the car industry on Monday, President Obama said: "Finally, several members of Congress have proposed an even more ambitious incentive program to increase car sales while modernizing our auto fleet. And such fleet modernization programs, which provide a generous credit to consumers who turn in old, less fuel-efficient cars and purchase cleaner cars, have been successful in boosting auto sales in a number of European countries. I want to work with Congress to identify parts of the Recovery Act that could be trimmed to fund such a program, and make it retroactive starting today."

I can't find any more details about this program. Can I buy a car now for a couple of hundred dollars and then turn that in for a credit to buy a new one in a couple of months? What could be the catch?

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

Can I fix a scuffed bumper?

floam — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:03:45 -0800

Somebody loaned me their car for a week. I managed to ding the bumper. Help me figure out if this is something I can fix myself or if I need to take it to a body shop. Pictures inside. I have scratched/scuffed the paint on the bumper of a burgrandy '91 Camaro. This piece appears to be PVC plastic. What's the best way to make this go away as much as it can without wasting money? A detailing shop here in the Portland area says they can fix it in a few hours by refinishing the bumper for $250, so that is the benchmark.

The car is in average condition and this doesn't need to be wonderful, we just need to get this a bit less immediately noticeable. These aren't particularly great pictures. I'm hoping that by showing how it changes when wet as opposed to dry it can make obvious what kind of damage we're talking about.

Bumper, wet
Bumper, dry

I consider myself capable of doing any sort of repair that you could expect a reasonably intelligent "handy" 21 year old to be capable of. I'm kind of hoping there's some magic way around paint. The 50% of it that disappears just because it's wet gives me hope I can at least help that part. Remember, this is plastic, not metal. At least from some cursory googling it appears I can't buff it out.

Help me solve the mystery of the brake lights.

sol — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:12:57 -0800

You are seated in a Cheverolet Celebrity, model year anywhere between 1982-1990. The engine is off, the key is not even in the ignition. You step on the brake pedal. Do the brake lights go on? Do the brake lights always go on when the pedal is pressed, no matter what? No matter what make, model, year of car? Bonus: is there some kind of federal regulation or standard such that all US cars, sold in 1982-1990, must have brake lights that illuminate whenever the pedal is pressed, no matter if the car is running, or not? Citation helpful.

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.

Older Foreign or Newer Domestic?

King Bee — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:48:18 -0800

I need help buying a used car, and I'm on a budget. My old car ('91 Buick Century) is ready to be put out to stud. As such, I've been looking at buying a new (used) car. I would prefer reliability over anything else.

I've found that in my price range (essentially less than $10,000), I have two options. I can either buy a used older foreign car with a lot of miles on it, or a newer domestic car with fewer miles on it. While I understand that Toyotas and Hondas are more reliable than Dodges and Chevys, is an '01 Toyota with 111K miles on it going to last me longer than a '05 Dodge with 50K miles on it?

I would prefer something compact or subcompact, due to rising gas prices.

I obviously have to make some kind of trade-off, so which direction do you suggest I go?

Too tall for an Altima?

Tubes — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:31:45 -0800

Tall guy + short car: I have a chance at a great deal on a like-new 2001 Nissan Altima. Trouble is, I'm a little tall for it and am not really comfortable. The seat mounts look unneccesarily high to me, but local dealers know of no seat-lowering kits. I'm having no luck on the web. I'd even consider a swap for a power seat if I knew it would lower more. Any suggestions?

Do I want a BMW or an Audi?

Peecabu — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:29:36 -0800

I want to trade in my SUV for a station wagon. I think I've narrowed it down to the BMW 328i and the Audi A4. Can those of you who've driven those cars (or anything from from a similar line; any bmw 3 series, any Audi A4 or TT) share your experiences with me? Both are incredibly safe, seem to have a fairly low depreciation, and have won various awards. They're within a few thousand dollars of each other, price wise. I like the performance of the BWM better, but I like some of the Audi features better.

I've no idea how much an Audi is to maintain, but it's my understanding that BMW is crazy expensive.

Share your experiences, give me your opinions, help me make a decision. (And yes, I realize that buying either car kicks me out of the "art" crowd into the "yuppie scum" crowd. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for a 5 star crash rating, rear airbags and a center LATCH for the kidlet seat. )

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!

Car service is too expensive!

JimN2TAW — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:14:25 -0800

Do I need to follow Chrysler's service schedule to the letter, or risk having my warranty voided? My 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a fine car, but it's quite expensive to have all the Chrysler-scheduled service items done at the designated # of miles. However, the service manager says that if I don't do all the items, Chrysler may refuse to honor my warranty. How much choice do I really have? Can I delay or ignore some of the scheduled service items?

Life span of auto parts

vizsla — Thu, 24 May 2007 17:10:12 -0800

What is the REAL life span of auto spare parts compared to what the manufacturer or the auto mechanic tells you? Is there some sort of graph showing risk of failure of parts versus time out there? Specifically I am interested in Peugeot cambelt life spans. How dead am I if it fails? (Is it something about my psychology that whenever I talk to a mechanic anywhere in the world, I feel like they are lying to my face and laughing about it later? )

Ok so my Peugeot 206 cambelt apparently is 7 years old and the manufacturer recommends replacement after 4 years. What I can't get over is how my service bill pften goes from $500 to $900 in the space of an hour. Is it something about my face?

Does gasoline burn at different rates in my car's gastank?

mathowie — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 09:35:09 -0800

In three cars I've driven, I get about 300 miles per tank of gas. But with all three cars, I can get up to 200 miles by the time I hit 1/2 tank. But invariably, by the time I near the 300 mile mark, I'm on E. Am I nuts or do gas seem to burn faster in the lower 1/2 of my tank? Is this mental or by design? I understand it could be mental, or even physical, as lots of cars can log 50 miles by the time they make it down to the F line (if topped off), but it seems weird.

Is the distance between topped off tank and 1/2 tank mark really 2/3 of the distance between 1/2 tank and the empty red zone?

Help me find my dream car

blueplasticfish — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 11:43:37 -0800

Help me find and buy my dream car. OK, so maybe not my ultimate dream car, but one within my budget constraints.

This is the car I want and far as color goes. The year doesn't much matter (2005-2006). The problem is I cannot find one for sale in my area. I've looked all the usual places online, in classifieds, and at dealerships and I cannot find one for sale!

Are there auto brokers I can tell exactly what I want and they will find it for me? I live in Salt Lake City, if that matters.

2005 or 2006 Subaru Impreza Wagon (no WRX!) exterior colored as above (Urban Gray Metallic)

Any ideas on where to look? Who to call? What to search?

What's with the "Kangaroo stops"?

twine42 — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 12:18:53 -0800

Why do American cars apparently lurch forward when the the driver gets out? Watching American films and TV shows, it looks like any time someone stops a car, kills the engine and gets out, the car lurches forward about a foot.

What gives? Are American gearboxes (automatic boxes?) crap or can actors just not drive?

It's not something I've ever seen on the roads in England or in European films and I don't think I've ever seen a European or Japanese model do it on film either.

Is there a mechanic in the house?

donpedro — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 11:14:36 -0800

I drove for about nine months on a bad oxygen sensor. Will my car suffer any long-term ill effects? The check-engine light (not the emergency one) came on in January. I called a mechanic, who said something was most likely wrong with the emissisions system, such as a bad O2 sensor, but nothing to keep me from driving it. So I didn't get it fixed, and went on my planned road trip that weekend.

Nine months later (yesterday), I finally took care of it. Yup, the O2 sensor. The car now drives noticeably better, with much improved pickup. I hadn't even realized the drop in performance, but now that it's fixed, Wow: Like night and day.

But -- and I was too ashamed to ask my mechanic this -- I'm a little worried about whether the car may have suffered any lasting damage due to my not attending to the problem for so long. I don't drive very much -- I estimate I put about 4K miles on it during the period in question. Should I worry?

Auto auction question.

NoMich — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 12:14:30 -0800

Have you ever been to an auto auction? I want to buy a used pick 'em truck and I thought maybe that the cheapest option would be an auto auction. Is that a viable option? Am I just asking to get ripped off, or to get suckered into a lemon? I live in Raleigh, NC and I have no idea where to look for them. I'm also not very proficient with a wrench. I'm not totally clueless, but I'm by no means an expert.

Used car reviews

Heatwole — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 08:28:40 -0800

We are searching for unbiased reliable reviews online for used SUV's a la Consumer Reports. Suggestions?

Necessities for a car

matildaben — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 06:57:03 -0800

What are the necessities for a person to have in their car? I am thinking about things like a car first aid kit, emergency alert kit, ice scraper, Thomas Guide for the local area, etc. This is the first time I've owned a car, so answer as though you were talking to a totally naive person.

Those with good memories may realize that this is a follow-up to this question. I bought the used car and will get the car of my dreams after I've had some time to practice.

Tax Refund?

Fupped Duck — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 08:51:41 -0800

AccountingFilter:
I purchase a car for 10,000. with a $1000 rebate
The state levies a 5% sales tax of $500 . Am I not entitled to to a tax refund of $100 ?
My good buddy Google is uncharacteristically mum about this query.

Car Deposit Trouble

burhan — Sat, 15 Jan 2005 08:49:00 -0800

I've just purchased my very first new car. However, in the process, I visited nine dealerships - 7 of them asked me for a cash deposit before they would even discuss prices with me. The one dealership that I gave a $500CDN deposit to (I later changed my mind on it) took almost 2 hours to refund my deposit. What are my rights, and what are strategies to get around this deposit requirement?

Buying a fun car

lbergstr — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 22:52:33 -0800

I would like to buy a car. Fun to drive (think handling, not necessarily pickup) is paramount, everything else is negotiable: 2-seaters are fine, I'm willing to shift for myself. My price tops out at $16k and I live in Los Angeles. Recommendations? I'm leaning towards a Porsche Boxster, which Consumer Reports says is surprisingly reliable. (more inside) I thought my criteria sufficiently different from reynoj's to warrant a new post. Basically I'm hoping that allowing 2-seaters opens up new possibilities for fun. (I've thought this through - for as often as I need more than 2 seats, I can rent a car.)

Yes, I realize manual transmissions are dumb in LA, especially since 75% of my driving is to and from work. Tiptronic would be ideal, I guess.

Thanks in advance.

Is replacing a bearing something that would be covered by my Hyundai's warranty?

TuxHeDoh — Mon, 06 Dec 2004 14:36:30 -0800

I have a 99 Hyundai Sonata, that we purchased used from a Hyundai dealer. The remainder of the manufacturers warranty remains...and we purchased the extended warranty. I Took it to my friendly neighborhood repair shop to have the rotors replaced. They mentioned to me that we also might need to have a bearing replaced. Here's the question... if I take it to the dealer they want to charge me $75 just to look at it to tell me if it's covered by warranty. Does replacing the bearing sound like something that might be covered by my warranty?