Colin writes:

Sajeev and Steve: I’m a Brit currently on expat in the US. For several years now I’d loved the idea of buying a cool American only car and taking it back with me, have something fun to drive for a while and then selling it in the UK (or Europe) for more than its total cost. I have 18 months left before my return, however to avoid import duties and VAT I need to own the car for a minimum 12 months in the US and 6 months in the UK.

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Longtime TTAC Commentator Educatordan writes:

Okay Mr. Mehta and Lang: Currently my fleet consists of a 2004 F150 Heritage and a 2008 Roketa (Chinese) 150cc scooter.  My current commute is about 8 miles one way each day and the miles are town and metro area where the speed limit never tops 50mph, I occasionally drive that with my scooter (top speed 60mph) but usually my girlfriend and we commute together in her 2005 Pontiac Vibe.  My problem is this, I’m a teacher, soon to be administrator, and I anticipate a big change in my career next year with a new masters degree and new license.  I currently work for the largest (geographically speaking) school district in the United States and my new administrative position will likely involve a commute of 40 to 90 miles round trip everyday.  As an administrator I’ll be required to report to work as close to 7am as possible, come hell or high snow, teachers/students get canceled days, I will not. I’m in the mountain west (Northwest New Mexico) at an elevation of 6,500ft with parts of the county hitting 8,000ft.

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Kevin Writes:

My sister’s current car, ’98 Nissan Altima A/T 180k Miles, recently came back from the mechanic where she received the unfortunate news that expensive repairs were in her near to immediate future. She’s been toying with the idea of purchasing a new car for the past year or so, and the recent news of dropping 2k into a car of such age and mileage finally has made her expedite her search. As such, she came to the knowledgeable “car guy” in the family… yours truly. She is looking for something reasonably inexpensive (roughly 25k max), automatic, four-door sedan, decent m.p.g., and most importantly excellent reliability with the intention of keeping the car for 10 or so years. Together we have narrowed down the choices to the following: Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, VW Jetta, and the Ford Fusion. I’m personally leaning towards the Altima, but am unsure of the long-term reliability and cost of replacing/repairing the CVT. She liked the Fusion as well, but is being cautious on the reliability of a car on a newer platform.

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Sunil Shah writes:

I am wondering if you can give me some advice as I search for a used car. By way of background, I previously had an E46 330i w/sport package and manual transmission (purchased used at 35K miles and sold at 89K miles). It was a great car, but I sold a while back as I moved into a city and had a short walk to work. Now, I’m back in the suburbs and am looking for something that may or may not exist.

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TTAC Commentator MontanaVista writes:

Sajeev and Steve, I have a good one for you guys. I currently own a 2007 VW Rabbit 2dr Automatic. On average I put about 23,000+ miles on my car a year due to my commute to work. This car has given me no problems at all, however my commute often includes a lot of stop and go traffic and shotty road conditions, which I fear has aged some of the components. I drive ~25 miles to JFK and back everyday. I have exceeded the manufacturers warranty (50k) and extending my warranty is out of the question for me. The VW warranty will only extend it another 28,000 miles which will be a little over a years worth of driving for me. And people I know have had bad experiences with third party warranties, and I’m not sure I want to get myself stuck in something like that. I financed the VW for 72 months, I owe around $8000 on it but it is definitely worth around $10000 (craigslist and Autotrader).

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TTAC contributor jrominski writes:

My close relative is professional engineer, leaving his posting in the rust belt at a soon-to-closed, Tier 1, UAW supplier factory. Not wanting to move to Detroit, he accepts a promotion out of the quickly settling debris implosion, to run engineering in a component plant in Saltillo. Which was formerly the Athens of Mexico, but is now the Detroit of Mexico. So he stays employed. But wait, it gets better: a car allowance, 45k USD. He loves RWD and AWD in that order. Had plenty of FWD. He is an AWD drivetrain engineer. Taste runs to BMW and Audi.

What to buy? Cars there are 30% more than in US for comparable. Not quite the same lineup. Below are his first thoughts and my responses.

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David Holme writes in:

The GM subsidized gravy train has ended and I no longer have access to employee priced leases so I will be replacing a Saab 97 and a Saab 93, numbers 11 and 12 in a long line of Saabs over the years.

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TTAC Commentator Toyondai92 writes:

Mr Mehta and Lang, I’m writing in for my non-tech savvy parents who are starting to look for a “new” car. I say new with quotes because only one of the choices is actually a brand new car. Background wise it’s simple, my parents are in their 50s and I am 17, both of my parents work, typical stuff etc. We have three cars, a 2000 Hyundai Elantra Wagon, which despite my mother driving it like an Integra- yes it’s a five speed- has been bulletproof to us, a 1989 GMC pickup and a 1999 Chevy Metro whose auto trans is starting to clunk out. Thus, the need for another car. I should add that I, the 17 year old, will most likely NOT be driving said new car, as I have my eyes set on an 80s Acura Legend. This is an import-biased comparison, helped by the fact that GM and Chrysler don’t offer manual transmissions in their family sedans and you can’t say the F(ord) word near either of my parents. (Don’t tell me to try and break that grip, I already tried!) Toyota’s declining quality and recalls have scared them away from that brand, hence no Camrys or used Lexus in this list. The main choices we’ve been looking at are:

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Marc writes:

My wife and I have a 6-month-old girl. Hurray, she’s a joy! While all is cool with my wife’s 2006 Accord V6, my 2004 Scion xB just does not seem, well, safe anymore. I love the small-on-the-outside-yet-cavernous-on-the-inside quality of this car (I’m 6’4″), but feel it would not bode well for my daughter if there were a bad accident. Plus, the 108hp engine is getting boring.

I want something safe and fun to drive. By “safe” I mean solid and meaty, and AWD would be nice too (we live in eastern Massachusetts); by “fun to drive” I mean quick and with a manual transmission, or at least a manumatic. We have lots of stuff to cart on weekend trips to the in-laws, but I like wagons (hence the Scion). And we definitely don’t need/want two sedans.

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JM writes:

So, I am sitting in two feet of snow in DC with another foot to come this week. This, of course, means that I am thinking about the next vehicle to buy in the spring. I need to buy a first class, E ticket rocket for cheap $. I have decided that the next vehicle needs 400HP from the factory. Because I am not a big wig banker, looks like I am going to have to buy used. So here is the thing on which I am hoping to get some insight. What is the least expensive vehicle I can buy that has in excess of 400HP? I have been using KBB’s good trade in ratings, assuming around 10,000 miles/year. So far it looks like a 2000-2002 BMW M5 (around $14K) may fit the bill. It doesn’t have to be a sedan (would love a porsche turbo, but I’m afraid 50K+ is out o’ my league). Are there any 400+HP from the factory cars on which I should focus for less than $14K?

Thanks for your help

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Rich writes:

I drive a 1999 Nissan Altima SE equipped with a manual transmission and ABS. The Altima has only 89K miles and is in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition. I purchased it new and have followed a rigorous maintenance schedule. The car has excellent fuel economy, very good handling and braking and adequate acceleration. It is comfortable and has sufficient cargo capacity for me, my wife and infant son. I enjoy driving the Altima, and gladly would run it well over 100K miles, as I have done with each of my previous cars.

So what brings me into the market for another car? Newer autos have vastly improved passive safety features and crash test scores. While I place a premium on active safety, I cannot ignore the value of crashworthiness. Twice in the past few years, I have been hit by red light runners, barely evading serious injury. Most of my daily commute is on two lane secondary roads. Oncoming cars drift over the double yellow line and into my lane with alarming frequency. My Altima’s ability to turn on a dime will do little good when my choices are limited to slamming head-on into a minivan piloted by a cell-phone addled driver or wrapping myself around a telephone pole. Since it is impossible to upgrade my Altima’s crash safety, purchasing a car with modern safety features is the only alternative.
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craigotron writes:

Sajeev and Steve, I love the idea of your new column. Love it. I made an appearance in Piston Slap with my flash welded PCV valve on my Lexus but actually have been playing with the idea of buying a car for almost a year. I’m a serial test driver (I’ve been on 20+) and have found myself in this scenario which might be a good one for your new feature.

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Anonymous writes:

I’m in my early twenties, and I’m looking for a car that I can efficiently commute in (about 20 miles round trip) but also take to skiing and camping on the weekend. Efficiency is more important than price, but AWD is a must because I hate messing with chains. Also, I only need room for two people and gear, so no need for a big SUV.

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Doug writes:

I currently lease a 2008 Ford Fusion SEL 5 speed, loaded with heated leather, sunroof, SYNC. It has under 20,000 miles with 2 payments left. The lease end buyout is $14,100. I am debating whether to buy out my lease for cash, or just by a beater – I was thinking of a 1998 Ford Contour SVT in the $2500 range. I am about to start a 5 year sprint to pay off my mortgage, so I don’t want endless repair bills during this time. Buy the lease, or buy the beater?

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