Just Curious...............

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lovinwaves

New member
groovymom2000 said:
yeah, they're still quite expensive to repair! (Don't ask me how I know...):rolleyes:

Any foreign car is going to be more pricey to fix over American. At least you don't have to repair Foreign near as much as American!
 
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Lea_Ontario

Well-known member
lovinwaves said:
I would NEVER put myself let alone my child in a Cavalier (COFFIN)!

Gee thanks. Yeah, we're intentionally driving around in a coffin without thought to our safety or that of our children. Right. That's us - the calous parents who want to put our children in harms way.

:mad:
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
lovinwaves said:
I couldn't disagree with you more. At least with Honda's your repairs would be virtually none. With a Cavalier you are almost guaranted repairs. The reason people buy Honda's is because of the low maintenance and unbelievable reliability. I have never ever ever ever had to fix one of my cars. Honda's, Toyota's, Lexus's, go FOREVER!!!! Plus my Ody has a warranty of up to 80,000 bumper to bumper. I would NEVER put myself let alone my child in a Cavalier (COFFIN)!

Well, then we must have had horrible luck because several family members have had Civics and my husband is CONSTANTLY being called to repair this or that - and the parts are expensive. We had a Cavalier, and it was by no means a coffin. It also needed VERY few repairs during the time we owned it, and when something did need repair it was cheap.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
lovinwaves said:
At least you don't have to repair Foreign near as much as American!

That's not really true. It's based on a myth perpetrated by the foriegn auto manufacturer's, not on truth.
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
I had a 98 cavalier until DH totalled it last year rearending someone...not hard to do when the value goes down so quickly. Until he totalled it, I don't think we had to repair it at all, but if we did it couldn't have been very expensive, or I would have remembered it! I also didn't feel my child was unsafe in it, because he was properly restrained in his carseat at all times. My father had previously almost totalled this same car (someone pulled out in front of him without any room) and neither he, not my husband was hurt in either accident.

My brother has a 95 cavalier, that until this past year hasn't needed any major repairs, either.
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Just wanted to comment about how distinguishing between foreign and domestic nowadays is increasingly fuzzy. Many Hondas and Toyota models sold in the U.S. are built at plants in the U.S. (including the original poster's Odyssey and my Sienna for example, as well as the Camry and Accord). ;) Some even have higher U.S. content than so-called "American" models built here or in plants in Mexico and Canada. My U.S. built Sienna has more domestic content than the '03 Saturn Vue it replaced, lol. So far my old Vue and current Sienna are tied with one recall campaign each and I personally encountered no other reliability issues over roughly the same length of ownership for either vehicle.

Toyota has also had a significantly larger number of recalls this year. :( A recent "Sienna owner heads up" thread was posted here by a WSJ subscriber when the WSJ ran an article about Toyota's recall woes and the same article hinted another Sienna recall may be in the works, sigh.

Before the Sienna, all of my previous cars have been "American," mainly '90s Saturn S-series models, but also an '81 Escort, '88 Pontiac LeMans, and '88 Grand Am before Saturns were on the market. None of the non-Saturns were statistical bastions for reliability according to Consumer Reports (neither was the Vue for that matter). But I only had mechanical/reliability issues with the LeMans, and that is putting it mildly, lol. Technically the '88 Pontiac LeMans wasn't really "American" either because it was designed by Opel in Europe and built in South Korea. I had the LeMans for 9 months and got rid of it after numerous problems, including a scary episode of sudden acceleration.

Would I buy a "domestic" again? If it had the safety equipment and crash scores I mentioned in my earlier post in this thread, if my kid's carseats installed properly in it, and if DH has adequate headroom, lol, then yes I would consider it. To me those factors are more significant than a car's origin or brand. In fact if we could swing replacing DH's car right now, we would probably go with a Chevy Malibu or Malibu Maxx as opposed to say an '07 Camry. DH's head was jammed up against the '07 Camry's ceiling when he tried it for size, and this was also true in some surprisingly larger cars like the Avalon, but he fits fine in the Malibu.
 

Lys

Senior Community Member
lovinwaves said:
I couldn't disagree with you more. At least with Honda's your repairs would be virtually none. With a Cavalier you are almost guaranted repairs. The reason people buy Honda's is because of the low maintenance and unbelievable reliability. I have never ever ever ever had to fix one of my cars. Honda's, Toyota's, Lexus's, go FOREVER!!!! Plus my Ody has a warranty of up to 80,000 bumper to bumper. I would NEVER put myself let alone my child in a Cavalier (COFFIN)!

ICAM!
Here are the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash test rating for the Chevy Cavalier and the Honda Civic.
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=294
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=300
 

Maggie

New member
lovinwaves said:
I would NEVER put myself let alone my child in a Cavalier (COFFIN)!

Our second car is a Sunfire, same as the Cavalier. In a perfect world we wouldn't own it, but since we can't afford a brand new Honda like you, I guess we are bad parents for putting our children in harm's way. :rollingmyeyes:
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Kashi said:
Gee thanks. Yeah, we're intentionally driving around in a coffin without thought to our safety or that of our children. Right. That's us - the calous parents who want to put our children in harms way.

:mad:

Awww, Kashi. I've seen your posts about your quests for uber safe seats to fit three across in your family's car in preparation for your new baby. We know you care deeply about your children's safety in the car or else you wouldn't be devoting so much time and effort to your mission to find the optimal combination of seats. I doubt the original poster realized you had a Cavalier and didn't mean to upset you so. (((((Big Hugs)))))
 

SusanMae

Senior Community Member
I have a Malibu Maxx and LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

I know I can get a snugride2 with base installed in the center, put the handle down---put the seat in my husbands position. And it doesn't touch! I like installing my best friends daughters seat in my car. Can't wait til she graduates to the MA!

Susan
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
lovinwaves said:
You could have a got a nice VW Passat for that money. But you made a very good decision!!!

Yeah, but I HATE Volkswagon. :p The only time I can see myself buying one is if it is the ONLY option for me based on available choices, finances, etc. Otherwise I wouldn't spend a dime on one. I have a personal bias against VW and just do not like them.
 
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Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
This has turned into a very "interesting" thread.


I think the bottom line is that people make the best decisions they can based on information that have at that time. While we hope that everyone will fully research the "best" car or "best" carseat for their families, that isn't always possible for every single person. People do their best with what they have.

I don't think that ANYONE would INTENTIONALLY endanger their family or friends. They may just either not know about differences in safety features OR they may have had limited options at the time that they made their decision. For example, a friend of mine had $2000 to spend on a vehicle. She did some research, looked at her options, and decided on a Ford Focus. She had limited options in her area with her budget. HOWEVER, she made the best decision she could at that time.

I don't think it is fair to attack people or point out specific cars that someone thinks are death-traps. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion (such as mine about Volkswagons. I don't like them), I don't think it is fair to belittle or bully someone because they own a certain vehicle. Again, no one is going to intentionally endanger their family or friends.

We all have different situations in which we exhist. Some of us struggle to learn how to research topics while for others, researching is second nature. Some of us understand physics on a very basic level while others could have a Ph.D. in the subject. Some of us have to work very hard to write a complete sentence while others write beautifully. Some of us have very limited funds and strict budgets while others have unlimited funds. Some of us struggle with domestic issues while others live a seemingly "perfect" life. We are all different and need to remember that.
 

Simplysomething

New member
Patriot20171 said:
This has turned into a very "interesting" thread. [...]
We are all different and need to remember that.


Exactly. I've never ever felt this way before (on this board)--but there is a certain amount of something --not quite snobbery from certain folks regarding cars and carseats. I've been registered here not long, but I lurked for a very long time, and visited off and on from the time I first discovered it (I don't know when that was. lol).

I've read hundreds of posts recommending carseats. While I get that most, if not all of the regular posters agree that a certain brand of seat is the best, it never seems to descend into this... only an uninformed idiot would by anything but X brand of seat. No they recommend brand X, explain why brand X's seats are better than Z and Y, and then they go on to concede the fact that for some, unfortunately, there is a "price" for safety. They try to make the best recommendation for the parent, the child and the budget.

I'm sort of getting that vibe from this thread, regarding cars. Which is weird, for me. At least.
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
I agree with you, simplysomething. There is sometimes a "vibe" that may not be the most positive one.

I think that most of the "regulars" have similar opinions about which carseats are preferred (if they fit your vehicle and child, of course). HOWEVER, those same "regulars" understand that those "preferred" carseats are not always the best choice for every person. If those "preferred" seats do not fit your car, fit your child, fit your budget, or fit your comfort for what you will use properly, those seats are NOT "preferred" for you. Most of the "regulars" are also not ones who will "attack" other posters. The "regulars" are generally people who want to stay informed and help other people be informed. The "regulars" are not generally interested in playing a "I'm better than you" game or in making people feel inferior for not having a certain carseat or car.

I sometimes see threads where a poster will say something to the effect of, "but your child's safety is paramount. You should be able to afford a good carseat for your child." OF COURSE people want to buy the "best" seat they can for their children. However, the "best" seat for that person may not be the most expensive one. Also, there are cases where a person has to choose between buying food for the family and buying a carseat. Does it sound like good advice to tell the person that they "should" be able to afford an expensive carseat? I don't think so.

There are cases where one of the less expensive seats really IS the "best" seat for that person. It isn't fair that some people are attacked for choosing a "cheaper" seat. They are doing their best and are making the best choice then can.
 

lovinwaves

New member
This isn't about MONEY, or how RICH or POOR you are. This is about safety. Below are two cars, almost same price but ONE car is safer than the other. Why wouldn't you pick the safer of the two? That's all I am curious about. Just wanting to know to what you think, that's all. NOTHING PERSONAL. I am only using these two cars as a comparison. Not to offend or pick on anyone that owns a Cavalier or Civic. Sorry Kashi......:)


Civic & Cavalier comparison.
 
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Dillipop

Well-known member
Look at the crash test results from NHSTA. The cavalier is 3 stars frontal driver, 4 stars passenger...civic is 4 stars driver, 4 stars passenger. Seems pretty close to me. Also, they may look to be the same price on paper, but Honda doesn't like to give incentives and Chevy does (remember employee pricing?) The cavalier could easily become thousands cheaper than the civic after negotiating a price.
 

lovinwaves

New member
Dillipop said:
Look at the crash test results from NHSTA. The cavalier is 3 stars frontal driver, 4 stars passenger...civic is 4 stars driver, 4 stars passenger. Seems pretty close to me. Also, they may look to be the same price on paper, but Honda doesn't like to give incentives and Chevy does (remember employee pricing?) The cavalier could easily become thousands cheaper than the civic after negotiating a price.


This is from the poster above. Which car would you rather be in at the end of that crash.

Also, I got great incentives from Honda. We got our van Thousands cheaper than the sticker, and a great warranty

Here are the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash test rating for the Chevy Cavalier and the Honda Civic.
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=294
[URL="http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=300"]http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=300
[/URL]__________________
 

gobsmacked

New member
Dillipop said:
Look at the crash test results from NHSTA. The cavalier is 3 stars frontal driver, 4 stars passenger...civic is 4 stars driver, 4 stars passenger. Seems pretty close to me. Also, they may look to be the same price on paper, but Honda doesn't like to give incentives and Chevy does (remember employee pricing?) The cavalier could easily become thousands cheaper than the civic after negotiating a price.


I have owned 4 Hondas, 1 new and 3 used but all bought at Honda dealerships. I have gotten GREAT incentives with each of them. My 1998 Accord was so cheap (bought new) that I could have sold it a year later and actually gotten more for it than what I paid. And, not once have I had to repair any Honda I've had, with the exception of a small dent in the car when DH lost a battle with a pole. :rolleyes:
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
lovinwaves said:
This is from the poster above. Which car would you rather be in at the end of that crash.

Also, I got great incentives from Honda. We got our van Thousands cheaper than the sticker, and a great warranty

Here are the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash test rating for the Chevy Cavalier and the Honda Civic.
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=294
[URL="http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=300"]http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=300
[/URL]__________________

Be sure to compare the same year and body style for vehicles, it can make a big difference. It is true, though. For new and used vehicles of all classes, there are significant differences from the safest models to those that are lower rated, even at the same price point. You can find a good comparison across classes for the most recent years at www.informedforlife.org . Looking at 2006 ( http://www.informedforlife.org/demos/FCKeditor/UserFiles/File/2006risk.pdf ), models on page 1 like the Hyundai Sonata, Mitsubishi Galant, Chevrolet Malibu and Honda Civic can all be had at very reasonable prices. Why would anyone concerned about safety even consider a similarly priced model like a Nissan Sentra, Mazda3, Dodge Stratus or Suzuki Verona?

It isn't a matter of money, it's a matter of research and priorities. Crash test scores and safety features like side curtain airbags and stability control have been correlated to a reduction in fatalities. On the other hand, I have not seen similar data for various child restraints when installed and used correctly. Of course, some models may be easier to install and use correctly...
 
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