OT: Car buying comparison tool?

[massimoManca II]

Re: MM, I am interested in how you find the ride between the two.


I can compare Impreza vs. Legacy... but I guess there would be transitive comparisons to the Forester and Outback... there's probably not another car-maker, with the possible exception of Mazda's 3/6, where the compact and mid-size platforms are so similar.

Impreza and Legacy both very "Subaru-ey" (not essentially a bad thing unless you're not used to the flavor)... the past few generations of both platforms have become even more symbiotic since the early nineties... I have driven a Gen1 Forester... likewise the current gen as my best friend bought one on my recommendation 16mos ago to replace their tired and mistreated '04 Legacy GT wagon I recommended to them 10yrs ago

the differences you might detect could be explained by simple wheel/tire combinations and subltle differences in suspension geometry in conjunction with (substantial) wheelbase and track, and to a lesser-extent curb weight and center-of-gravity differences. Steering ratios could be different (believe both feature electric power steering now vs old fashioned hydraulic) ... I'd argue other than that they're very much the same car as I'd be willing to bet they're sharing dampers and bushings... just packaged to look like different cars for different customers

 

[massimoManca II]

"Solid Feel" and how this plays in the Subaru vs Mazda argument

sounds like you've made several great choices SATlionman... and you bring up an interesting point about the Mazda being "maybe not as solid" as an Outback

Mazda's goodness, be it a Miata, 3, 6, minivan whatever, is attributable to their corporate "zoom-zoom" mantra and is borne from LIGHTNESS... reduce weight and responsiveness tends to happen... that's why we should always root for Mazda...

Subaru has been known to deviate from better ideas for the sake of appearances ... no better example than their abandonment of frame-less doors... Subaru knows that a doorframe (side window surround) does essentially nothing for cabin strength and crashworthiness... it's simply a waste of metal and weight and chose instead to engineer greater strength into the superior side/roofrail stampings that made earlier generation Imprezas unique... saving weight w/o sacrificing rigidity... unfortunately - dopey car buyers (and lazy salespeople) thought that the wobbly window meant that the car was shaky when in fact the shell was stronger in side-impact tests than other larger cars... thus another element of Subaru weirdness went away...

Colin Chapman once said: "Simplify and add lightness" and good things will happen

 

[thecoolestfish]

Hahaha -- Yeah I didn't understand that either. ***

nm

 

[CappyToCJF]

Bullshit. Just because u don't like it ? There's a reason it's the best

Selling SUV. And many are repeat buyers.

And yes CR is an excellent source for evaluating reliable and function vehicles. Any of the other sites can compare physical attributes, which doesn't require testing or data gathering.

 

[GregInPitt]

I know a number of people that own them and all put lots of miles on them

with little trouble. Most put 200K on them before buying another one. I've been thinking of test driving that new sports car they have and potentially replacing my RSX with it. My son wants a WRX....

 

[massimoManca II]

same reason the Camry and Corolla are best sellers

many of these are mere assembly-line shoppers who want to minimize the car-shopping process/trauma.... for the same reason Olive Garden and Applebees have full parking lots... many consumers simply don't allocate alot of brain-wattage to the shopping process nor do they really demand much more than a low-risk, reliable, inoffensive purchase - then purchase-remorse is minimized/ decision reinforced by seeing the exact same model/color/trim on the roads all of the time throughout their neighborhoods ...

yeah yeah yeah - they heard it's got solid resale... they put alot of faith into the Brand equity basket ( which Honda has been milking for too long)

With the possible exception of Mark1 and MarkIII, CR-V has never been acknowledged for good-looking sheetmetal... Current iteration has awkward front and rear clips to say the least... almost makes the Crosstour look attractive by comparison ... Alas sexy doesn't always do well with mainstream car buyers... Honda knows this
This post was edited on 3/20 10:22 AM by massimoManca II

 

[CappyToCJF]

Good reasons to buy. Value. Dependability. Resale value. Consistent

Buyer Satisfaction.

Most agree those are reasons to buy, as opposed to sheet metal design....





This post was edited on 3/20 10:26 AM by CappyToCJF

 

[massimoManca II]

Hey, I'm a Honda guy - but I'll call a pig a pig when I sees one


and the CR-V sells well despite how it looks - and it's as pretty as Joann Worley in a swimsuit.

Honda stylists certainly don't crap gold deblumes with every model anymore... current underwhelmers include CR-V, Crosstour, current GF Fit is a mess compared to the GD and GE versions... pretty sad when the minivan is the best model on your floor... and don't even get me started with Acura