Car Shopping Time- anyone have any of these?
 

So i'm starting to think about cars, I'm planning on buying one before the end of November probably. Does anybody have any of the following:

Hyundai Tiburon
Hyundai Sante Fe
Acura RSX
Subaru Impreza
VW Jetta

If you have one of these (recent models- i'll buy either a 2005 or 2006), please share your experiences!

Thanks!

I haven't heard very many good things about the Jetta. Friends of mine who have one have had all kinds of mechanical issues with their car within the first year. Also, the car looks roomier on the outside than it really is. Not sure if this is the case with the '05 Jetta but I know this holds true for the '99-'04 Jettas.

I haven't heard anything about the Acura RSX but I have friends with TSX. Now that's a sweet car.

I purchased a car back in July and I was between the Toyota Highlander, Honda CRV, Honda Accord, Mazda 6, and Nissan Altima. Safety was my #1 concern with reliability being 2nd. I ultimately went with the Honda CRV and I definitely don't regret my decision. I love my car!

we just purchased a diesel 2006 jetta and a diesel 2006 golf. we love both of them, the gas mileage is unbelievable(vs. my tahoe) and they handle great on the interstate. the 2006 jetta is rated tops by consumer reports and car and driver, among others. the safety is the highest rating. you might also want to look at the audi a4. good luck.

also, we were told at the vw dealership that sometime this fall, there will be a diesel passat-it may already be out now. it has been in europe for years.

My dad has an 05 Sante Fe. He's been extremely happy with it so far. It has lots of room and handles really well. I've driven it a few times and my only thing is the gas pedal acceleration differs from my own car (an Xterra) so that was a bit to get used to.

I have also heard bad things about the VW, esp with the electrical systems. Mostly, if you're paying that much for a car, it shouldn't break down. They may have fixed it recently and also i'm not familiar with the diesel versions. One person i know even went so far as to sell her car after less than a year b/c of all the probems.

My sister has an 03 Jetta. She loves her car and wouldn't trade it for anything. Hers is the turbo edition so the mileage isn't as good as the normal kind, but the car handles well and has never had any problems. It's a comfortable car to ride in, too. The diesel version, as said above, gets amazing mileage, too.

I have a Subaru Impreza Outback Sport, which I think of as a cross between the regular Impreza and the Outback. I LOVE IT. If you have to drive in the snow, it is AMAZING, and I think it's cute.

I would avoid a VW at ALL costs. My brother has a Jetta and has SOOOO many problems with it, as well as my roommate who has a Cabrio. Also, your insurance will go up because it's difficult to fix and can only be fixed at certains places with certain parts. And lots of little things have gone wrong like the windows and random buttons on the dash. Definitely not worth it. My brother is going to trade it in as soon as possible.

I had a Hyundai and the warrantly is tough to beat.

I just got a 2005 Ford Escape and I LOVE it! It's perfect because it has the safety of an SUV but didn't cost as much as a typical SUV. With everything I wanted, it was about 23,000, but you can get one cheaper. And the gas is about the same that you would spend for a small car.

Good Luck and have fun shopping!

I was always under the impression that the diesel VWs were ok but the others weren't. I have an older one, and it's been pretty good.

As for Subaru, they are truly unbelievable in the snow like
valkyrie said. I eventually decided on the Forrester, but I've never felt so safe before when driving.

avoid VW's like they are a fat guy at a bar hitting on you.


Acura RSX... my one friend has it and she likes it alot. Seems to get pretty good gas mileage. Problem is that a bunch of teenage kids always stare at her and try to race her.

I am not familiar with the other cars except I have heard that Hyundais are disposable cars

I've yet to hear much good about the Jetta, but in my immediate (and small!) family, we've had 11 Subarus - and I think you'd have a hard time convincing me to buy anything else. Right now, I have a Legacy, but have been driving my mother's Outback Legacy.

The Impreza Outback is really cute - I've been eyeing that for my next car.

I've had an 88 Jetta, a 96 Jetta, an 00 Jetta and an 03 Jetta.

I loved my 88, 96 and 00. Trading the 00 in was a mistake.

I HATE my 03 Jetta. It drives like a dream, don't get me wrong. But the gas mileage is AWFUL. I have the 6 cyl, GLX Jetta and I get 10-12 mpg. And there are weird electrical problems left and right and yet the dealership can't find a thing wrong with it.

6 months more of payments and I am selling it. (I will owe less than its worth at that point) Otherwise I'd have 18 mos left on my lease, and I cannot bear that thought, the car is breaking me w the gas.

In addition to my 4 Jettas I've had a GTI and a Cabiolet. Loved those too. But this Jetta has completely soured me on VW.

I went car shopping last summer and originally wanted a Jetta. I test drove an 01 and loved it but my parents talked to our mechanic and he warned us against Jettas, saying they have A LOT of mechanical problems.
I ended up getting an 02 Toyota Celica, which I absolutely LOVE. I saw you have a Tiburon on your list, and I know a lot of people who looked at both Celicas and Tiburons, so that could be something you might want to look into.

Thanks all for your advice, keep it coming :)

I think i'm going to take the Jetta off my list. I've heard way too many bad things about it since i've started asking around.

ZTAngel- one of my good friends/recent roommate had the CRV. It was okay, but I wasn't a fan of it. I personally didn't like the way it handled.

I'm only considering the Santa Fe because I am sorta worried about driving in the winter b/c with my job I may have to drive a lot, to WV and such. But then it has kinda not so great gas mileage so i'm not sure.

I'm not sure if i'm an Outback sorta girl... not my style. I like the sporty imprezas, and my parents have had fabulous luck with their Subarus (2 Forresters and an older Impreza).

So I guess at the top of my list right now is the Tiburon and the RSX. I want to test drive stuff soon, but I also need to figure out what I can afford.

WVU Alpha Phi- I don't think Toyota's making Celicas this year... there's none on their website.

My friend just got a Subaru Outback. She loves it and her insurance is pretty low... and she's a 19 year old female. She seems to think it's because they are safer. It's nice and seems to run well. I assume all Sub's are of same/similar quality.

From what I hear, the newer RSX's have the same gas mileage issues as my Jetta. My mechanic drives one, complains about it every time I bring my car in complaining./