Car totalled... YES!!

[ChadTower]

And you can get an F-150 way under MSRP right now.  Not so for the Honda.  If you read the Ridgeline's reviews they all say the same thing - good for occasional use as a truck, drives like an SUV.  The F-150 is a truck's truck while the Ridgeline is more like an ElCamino2k.

[knave]

And you can get an F-150 way under MSRP right now.  Not so for the Honda.  If you read the Ridgeline's reviews they all say the same thing - good for occasional use as a truck, drives like an SUV.  The F-150 is a truck's truck while the Ridgeline is more like an ElCamino2k.

Good analagy, My dad has a ridgeline and loves it, it's great for him.  I've driven it many times and it is nice. I like it a lot too. It has lots of innovations that are cool.  That said it is not designed to take the place of a real truck. It cannot  tow or haul anything close to what an F-150 can handle let alone a 250 or 350.

I like ford trucks, they are almost as good as Jeep trucks. 

Back to honda's.  It was pretty clear (edit*) to me at the honda delership (/edit) that you can still get a pretty good deal on a base model civic.  All dealerships are hurting nowadays.

[HaRuMaN]

If Honda would make a standard type small pickup (think Dodge Dakota), I would be all over that in a heartbeat.  I have no interest in getting a Ridgeline.

[ChadTower]

If Honda would make a standard type small pickup (think Dodge Dakota), I would be all over that in a heartbeat.

Same here.  If Honda had a Tacoma I would already own one.

[billf]

If Honda would make a standard type small pickup (think Dodge Dakota), I would be all over that in a heartbeat.

Same here.  If Honda had a Tacoma I would already own one.

Just curious, why not just get a Tacoma then?

[ChadTower]

I was actually planning to this month but changed my mind looking at the economy's current direction.  Plus the Toyota dealer nearest my house for some reason won't produce a 4cyl auto extended cab to test drive.  Still can't figure that part out.

[paigeoliver]

I still have a motorcycle and my old suburbamn sitting around, so I can handle a bit of downtime on the Benz. Plus it is so great to have a car I am not embarrassed to pick up a woman in. I am dating again and everything now.

Although I must say his current vehicle is a step in the right direction...

Although it's maybe not the most economically sensible choice.

[shardian]

Got my check today! Less than a week and everything is done.

Does anyone here have a Toyota Matrix? I'm thinking about test driving one, and was wondering if anyone here has had one for a while and could comment on it. I've noticed some reviews on line state it does not live up to the quality standard of Toyota.

Here is my current list of vehicles I plan on test driving this weekend:
Honda S2000 (purely for fun - it is my dream car!  )

Honda Civic
Ford Focus
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Matrix

[shmokes]

If you happen by a Saturn or Pontiac dealer while you're out and about, you should test drive that little convertible roadster they're selling for under $20k.  I'm just curious how the thing drives.  It looks great for such an inexpensive car.  It'd be neat to see how it stacks up to the real deal (S2000).

[ChadTower]

Mmm... Pontiac Fiero.

Finally saw a Honda Fit on the road the other day.  Too small, even for a guy who likes a Civic Sedan.

[HaRuMaN]

Mmm... Pontiac Fiero.

Finally saw a Honda Fit on the road the other day.  Too small, even for a guy who likes a Civic Sedan.

It only looks small on the outside... 

[whammoed]

It only looks small on the outside... 

That's what she said.

[HaRuMaN]

It only looks small on the outside... 

That's what she said.

Hey!  It's not how deep you fish, it's how you wiggle the worm!

[ChadTower]

Until a python comes along and does the job right.

[shardian]

Damn, finding a car with what I am wanting is not easy! Apparently prices are going thru the roof and supply is dwindling on used, good gas mileage cars.

As a side note though, I just tested out a totally badass car. The dealer I bought my Escape from just got in an Audi A4 Quattro on trade. I sat in it for the hell of it, and DAMN! I fell in love with that car that quick. I got out and had Michelle sit in it. After a few seconds, she got that lusty look on her face too and gave me the thumbs up. It was in my price range too because of the 148k miles...the Turbo's on those go out around that time. If it got better gas mileage and didn't require premium gas, I would have seriously considered it.

[shmokes]

I love Audis, but only because they're hot.  I've never actually been in one.

[patrickl]

I loved my Audi. They are a tad too expensive though.

[DrewKaree]

I just bought one of these:  http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/reliability.aspx?year=1996&make=Lexus&model=LS%20400

Note the suggested price on that car.  Figuring a low average of 10,000 miles/year on that car, note the price again.

I hadn't realized just how easy these cars are to work on.  If you're not into that, it's not a selling point, but still nice to know you can do some more involved repairs than you thought.  Mileage is pretty damn decent considering it's a V8 (I get about 25 mpg).

I tell you these things because I just bought one with 88,000 miles on it for $8k.  I fully expect to get another 100,000 miles out of it.

I also tell you this because I've since discovered something I never would have considered before this, something that I will be putting to use hopefully this summer, but earlier if a steal comes up.  Craigslist.

They're for sale all over the place there, and you might find something you're looking for if you don't like the Lexus.  I found several of my car in the $3-5k range, and will buy another to replace my wife's current car or just be a beater I use if I have to do work on either of our two cars.  I have also stumbled across a $900 sale, but that was because the front windshield had a baseball bat or something applied to it, which is a repair I am always leery about not working properly. 

The car seems damn near bulletproof, and to me, everything that tends to go wrong on them is easily fixable over a weekend of work at the most, and some common sense on checking things.

[patrickl]

I just bought one of these:  http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/reliability.aspx?year=1996&make=Lexus&model=LS%20400

That's a cool car. I was so impressed with the TV ad where they would put a coin on it's side on the (running) engine and it would just stand there. I have no idea if that really proves anything, but I thought it looked cool 

Couldn't find a safety test on this model, but it looks pretty safe. Seems that it's stolen pretty often though (5 times the average):

Injury, Collision, & Theft Indicators

Index:  Score:  Rating: 
Injury Index  53  Substantially better than average 
Collision Index  142  Substantially worse than average 
Theft Index  481  Substantially worse than average 

These scores are stated in relative terms, with 100 being the average for all cars in each category. Scores greater than 100 represent higher risk in each category. For example, an injury indicator score of 122 means that a passenger in this model is 22% more likely to be injured in an accident. The injury, collision, and theft indicators for this 1996 LEXUS LS 400 are provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute.