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What Kind of Car Do You Drive?

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Angel of Ioren

Angel of Ioren

Friendly Skeptic
So, this is on my mind because I just traded in my Honda Civic. I loved that car and it was running well, but it was way too small for a family of four. I bought a brand new 2014 Subaru Outback and I am really happy to have the AWD in the garbage winter weather we get here in Southern Quebec.

So, what do you guys drive?
 
There is a bit of a story behind that...When I bought it 10 years ago I was pretty much under water on the car I had at the time which was a Kia Sportage which had about 2 years of payments left on it and was fast approaching 100 k. I was driving up to ojai for p/t wilderness firefighting work and doing some work as a courier. When I decided to go with a small pickup I had to finance the truck and the old loan. Soon after, I went back to an old job that I could walk to BUT my car payments were quite high and I had to keep my courier work on top of my full time job just to squeak by. After awhile I had to give up doing both jobs because it was taking a a toll on me health-wise and emotionally. So I just tightened my belt, lived humbly , finished my payments and now have a "new" 10 year old truck
 
I decided to rust proof mine this time. Quebec has pretty harsh winters and we have to put a lot of salt on the roads, which is why you see so few old cars here. Most people are happy if you can keep a car for 10 or more years. We also have to to use winter tires by law - one of the best laws the Quebec government has ever passed. Winter tires make a HUGE difference.
 
Supposedly cars are properly rust proofed at the factory, or should be. But dealers make lots of extra profit selling add-on rust proofing. That and special paint coatings and such are considered the sort of dealer add-ons that are to be avoided as not necessary for most people. Or at least that's what consumer experts claim.
 
Subaru Forester SX here

001-16.jpg


The Outback is a nice car, but ive heard on the forester forums that buying one second hand is a dodgy proposition
The story goes that many owners treat them like an offroad 4WD and bush bash in them, but they dont have the undercar clearance for rough terrain and as a result its common to see a bit of damage underneath on the second hand ones

Be sure to check out

Subaru Outback - Subaru Outback Forums

Ive found the Forester forums really helpful for minor repairs and maintenance
 
Gene Steinberg said:
Supposedly cars are properly rust proofed at the factory, or should be. But dealers make lots of extra profit selling add-on rust proofing. That and special paint coatings and such are considered the sort of dealer add-ons that are to be avoided as not necessary for most people. Or at least that's what consumer experts claim.
Click to expand...

They can be a pain in the bum cant they, I walked out of a dealership once because after i had said yes i'll take one, the salesman passed me to another desk where two people whipped out this folder and started the hard sell.
I said you mean to tell me i need to pay for rustprofing ?
The deal is off, who wants to buy a car that by default is prone to rust.
The poor sales guy chased me all the way to the gates looking like he was going to cry
 
The Corrsion Doctor online had the best advice going regarding bogus rust roofing from the dealership. Just be observant and touch up and seal those nicks that start the oxidization process. Good regular undercarriage washing and cheap rustproofing for harsh salty winters when the vehicle gets older is all you need.

I drive a Toyota Corolla for my daily 130km round trip commute. It's for years old and the plan is to keep it alive long enough for daughter to use it as her university vehicle in 2020.
 
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Auto dealership stories. Once had a nice Toyota Corolla and had the trunk crunched in after being rear ended at an intersection. I took it by a dealership, early in the morning I think, and was approached by a salesman who looked like he had been up (way up) for days. One of the first things out of his mouth was something like--"I've sold 7 cars so far this week and you are going to be number 8 !!" Red flag #1. He kept pushing me with the question, "But are you going to buy today?" After three or four rounds of this baloney, I said not necessarily. I first wanted to know what they could give me for my Toyota. Not rocket science. I pointed out that my Toyota was still in driving condition. So help me, the guy replied with "Well hey, we can fix that!"

End of conversation and end of any business with that place. :mad:
 
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