Honda vs. Nissan vs. Toyota (vehicles, coupe, engine, replacing)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I agree about VW. When I valeted cars I always wanted to hop on the the dubs. The feel, suspension, and sporty feel was always above the Japanese appliances. I still want a VW Golf someday.
Try driving a used one well outside of warranty. The Germans are still trying to figure out making rubber and plastics that last.
Back in the 80s and 90s, Nissan was right up there with Honda and Toyota regarding reliability (remember the Stanza?), but in the early 2000's they went downhill fast. One of the biggest problems is that they keep insisting on forcing those awful Jatco CVTs on everyone, despite consumer complaints, and unfortunately Honda is following in their footsteps lately.
Back in the 80s and 90s, Nissan was right up there with Honda and Toyota regarding reliability (remember the Stanza?), but in the early 2000's they went downhill fast. One of the biggest problems is that they keep insisting on forcing those awful Jatco CVTs on everyone, despite consumer complaints, and unfortunately Honda is following in their footsteps lately.
I've got an '07 Altima with a CVT and love the transmission part. They may have fixed the issues -- at least on the '07s, they extended the warranty to 100K on the transmission. Had a '92 Stanza after an '88 Pulsar. I think the Altima is my least favorite of the three.
Have owned two Sentras and you couldn't kill those things if you tried. Bought a Murano last summer, it's been great. Drove the Alcan with it this summer and it rode beautifully over the good roads and the bad and the gas mileage on the trip was ridiculously good. I'd fill up once a day. I think at one point on the best section I had just over 600 miles for my range after filling up. Son just bought a Frontier and he loves it.
I did buy a CRV almost three years ago. Gave that thing to my youngest once he got his license. Had to drop over $1000 to replace the a/c system a year into ownership. It was a used vehicle I'd bought as a commuter and while it does the job, it doesn't do it comfortably. The road noise is annoying and the interior is not at all enjoyable. I was unimpressed with Honda after our experience with the CRV. You can get dependability in other brands, no need to get a vehicle that isn't comfortable to ride in.
One of my other sons got a RAV 4 used. It's not been a great experience either. He's had to dump a lot of money into mechanical issues.
So there's our experience FWIW. I think Toyotas are generally on par with Nissan, but I'd steer away from Honda just because I think they don't do a good enough job on the whole package. I think son's RAV was just not treated well before he bought it used. But if I had to choose between a Nissan or a Toyota I'd go with Nissan because we've had great experiences with Nissan.
We tried to be a Nissan family. I bought an Altima and my husband bought a Frontier. In both, if you hit a bump in the road, you could feel it in your teeth. Neither was that comfortable to either of us. We became a Toyota family.
Interestingly enough, we both recently purchased Subarus. My husband's works for him just fine. I'm not nearly as happy with mine, not for any real reason. It drives fine and has more bells and whistles that I could ever imagine wanting (too many in my opinion). But we have to drive up a gravel/dirt road for about 1.5 miles when we get home and in my Subaru, I feel every single bump. When we moved here, I was driving a Toyota and that wasn't an issue. I'll be going back to a Toyota gal when my lease is up.
So here's my take on this question.
Reminds me of the worst driver on the road - no, not aggressive. Indecisive. That is actually worse.
Here's what they say about Americans. American has to, every seven years, change a wife, a house and a car.
That said, OP, if you want your car new so that you can baby it, it's basically like getting married.
Did you ask anyone who to marry out of 13 candidates? As, personally, I am actually spending more time with my car, than with my wife.
That said, I did MY research, to suite MY needs. Pointed it down, checked a few vehicle specific forums to see how much trouble it is - went and bought it. She got mad>calmed down> back normal relationship in a week. As I didn't ask "her opinion". But, as I said - it is MY life in that vehicle. Happy owner thereafter.
So why exactly are you asking the world about their opinions on YOUR life preferences? As I guarantee you, should you follow someone else's lead - you WILL regret is badly.
As a Prius owner, I can tell you that it would be hard to find a car more economical to operate. I drive the dickens out of mine, 80 mph on the interstate and about 72 mph on most secondary roads. I often let it idle as I work in it, both to charge my phone and for heat or A.C. I still average 45 mpg over the long haul, and that's burning cheap 87 octane gas. I drive on all kinds of surfaces in addition to asphalt -- crushed rock, gravel and dirt. I traded my F250 4x4 for it, and for the most part, I drive it where and how I drove my truck, not counting, of course, over curbs, through ditches, deep snow and on 4x4 trails.
Other than blowing a 10A fuse when nearly new from using a 25A inverter (replaced for free by my dealer), I've spent zero on that car other than replacing tires, wipers, filters, oil and fuel. I bought it new nearly 3 years ago and have 74K miles on it.
I use the car for my work, so it's usually just me. I'd prefer an AWD with a little more ground clearance, but I LOVE the economy of the Prius. However, on a rough road you won't miss a bump. It feels a little like a (gutless) sports car -- responds well to driver input and hugs the road well, although I was surprised at how much a little wind gust affects it.
Overall, I like the car fine, mostly for its low operating costs, but if you're looking for something that'll absorb the bumps on a rough road, the Prius probably won't thrill you. I run 32 lbs. of pressure in my tires, so you could run 28 lbs. for a smoother ride, but I think the tires are about right for wear and road contact at 32-35 lbs.
I had a Honda Accord and it was very noisy. Lot's fo wind noise and uncomfortable seats. Like the Toyota Avalon or it's twin the Lexus ES.
We kept Honda Accords from the mid 80s clear through 2008. The first one, a DX 4 cyl, 4 spd, was probably the best one (tho no AC), sold it at 230K miles. The 2004 LX 4 cyl 4 spd had a lot of road noise but was comfortable and got really good gas mileage. It was totaled by a red light runner.
The 2008 EXL V6 auto had all the things you could want and was very quick but once it reached about 60K miles the engine started to suck oil at the rate of 1 qt. every 750 miles. Found well documented references about the problem on the internet, but the Honda dealer down on S. Broadway in Denver denied any knowledge of the problem... in fact that dealership overfilled the crankcase by a quart and told us to bring it back in 1,000 miles to see where the oil line was. My spouse, a mechanic was smart enough to check the dip stick before we took the car off the lot and we made them drain the oil completely and replace it right there.
Wrote about what happened to American Honda, they completely ignored what the dealer had done. I used to love Honda cars, but will never buy one again. Never. Drive a Toyota now.
When I was out walking my dog recently, I asked a woman getting into her Prius if she liked it. She said it's the only car her family drives--both she and her husband have one. Her husband, a mechanical engineer, believes it is the best-built car on the road in its class.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
