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My opinions, plus finances Posted by Bill Homer [Email]  (#3427) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Bill Homer) on Sun, 9 May 2010 08:28:21
In Reply to: To Peter and Mark..., Noel, Sat, 8 May 2010 18:18:06 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
1. Suzukis to me are somewhat of an unknown. There are so few of them around Chicago that I had to look at their website to see that they actually have dealers here; I have driven a rental in Seattle once. FYI, there is one dealer in Farmington, NM.
2. VWs probably drive the best of the lot, this is what they are designed for. If the car is REALLY going to be a three year lease, turned in at the end of the term, it might be the best choice if driving is a primary concern. And, VW never lost sight of the advantages of the two- or four-door hatchback design that we all love. But if you are anticipating turning the lease into a long-term commitment, know upfront that VWs are much more expensive to maintain (you have read about some of my issues with my Audis), they seem to be designed to cram as much "engineering goodness" into the smallest amount of space possible, and use efficient manufacturing modules (must remove lots of stuff to get to what needs repairing), not for ease in serviceability.
3. Hondas are loved by most owners, not in the same "autobahn-worthy" league as the VW, but in my opinion the best of the lot of Japanese economy cars. On a previous Acura Integra that we owned, the only thing that went bad was an electronic ignition module (which Honda paid for years after the warranty ended), a clutch job that cost $350 at the time (easy access), but it had major RUST issues developing. In fact, most of the older Hondas/Acuras that I see around Chicago have rust issues that will probably end their lives before the mechanicals do. I believe that they have stepped up their corrosion protection since then and have a longer warranty on this - need to verify. Again, rust is not an issue if the car is really going to be turned in at the end of the lease.
On the financial side, have you added the increased insurance cost of covering a new car? Yes, you will need to cover the higher insurance premiums on what is essentially a $20K car vs. a $2-3K car. Depending on your daughter's driving record (she did have a fender bender in her 9000, right?), this could be a substantial hit. You might want to see what the difference is in both NH and NM, as there might be a large difference too. This may influence your decision on what to do.
When all is said and done, the 9000 has a known history and known issues that you can address. What will it take to fix the A/C? Going out on a limb, you could even replace all of the known-problem issues on a 9000 ahead of time, i.e. replace the fuel pump, carry a spare DIC, replace the serpentine belt and both pulleys, replace the radiator and heater hoses, the voltage regulator, and if never done, the heater core and blower motor. Other than the transmission (flush it), not too much else will render the car inoperable, and you know what this will cost.
posted by 76.223.65...
, Sat, 8 May 2010 15:02:49
, Sat, 8 May 2010 16:53:08, Sun, 9 May 2010 14:56:51, Sun, 9 May 2010 15:07:56, Sun, 9 May 2010 21:04:05, Sun, 9 May 2010 08:28:21 <-- Viewing This Message, Sun, 9 May 2010 09:33:09, Sun, 9 May 2010 11:58:04, Sun, 9 May 2010 20:51:41, Mon, 10 May 2010 06:24:32, Wed, 12 May 2010 17:15:24, Sun, 9 May 2010 12:57:01
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