I'd have a Korean car before a Toyota or Honda. You look at who fights recalls
and who doesn't.
Actually my top five favorite rental cars go from most favorite down:#1. Mazda
6 - would have been a 2004 or 2005, had it in Halifax, NS. Fun car in a fun
place to drive#2. Hyundai Elantra - 2009ish - fun little car weighted down
slightly by the Microsoft entertainment system#3. Nissan Altima - everything I
liked about the Mazda almost.#4. Dodge Challenger - mine had a v6 and highway
gears but it was comfortable and fun to thrash through the Angeles National
Forest#5. Kia Soul - this one shocked me but I have had 2 of them now, they're
spacious, zippy, have good sight lines, easy to park, easy to reverse and well
designed ergonomically.
Least favorite was the Dodge PT Cruiser, what a crappy little car. Close runner
up is the boring as sin Camry. I actually lost one in a parking lot. Couldn't
be bothered to remember what it looked like.
-Curt
From: Karl Wittnebel via Mercedes <mercedes@okiebenz.com>
To: "mercedes@okiebenz com" <mercedes@okiebenz.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 7, 2015 3:32 AM
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Running Older vehicles
I agree if you want to source cruise control amplifiers nearby wherever you
go then driving 30 year old iron seems oddly optimistic. Go buy a late
model Camry, Accord or maybe a Hyundai.
On Jan 5, 2015 10:01 AM, "Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes" <
mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:
> Nothing wrong with used Mercedes parts - just buy two at a time.
>
> On Mon, Jan 5, 2015 at 12:42 PM, Randy Bennell via Mercedes <
> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:
>
> > The bottom line on running older vehicles, whether MB or not, is that you
> > cannot count on parts after about 10 years.
> > Sometimes it is difficult to get parts for new vehicles too as there is
> > little need and thus little production and no stock on hand.
> > If you want to be certain you can get parts, then I suggest you need to
> > always drive a car between about 3 years old and 10 years old and very
> > common on the streets.
> >
> > You also need to be wary of oddball vehicles. I am always amazed at the
> > ads that offer "rare" vehicles. Rare is the last thing I want in a
> vehicle.
> > I want the most common thing out there with parts all over the place.
> > Unfortunately, that is sometime hard to predict.
> > For example, my brother-in-law is a mechanic and he commented on the
> > difficulty getting parts for a Ford Ranger truck. A fuel line part was
> not
> > available. The part had only been used for 1 or maybe 2 years and then
> Ford
> > changed the whole thing. They were finally able to get something made up
> by
> > a shop that makes hydraulic hoses but it proved to be difficult and time
> > consuming as they looked far and wide for new, oem, aftermarket, and then
> > for used before giving up and looking for someone to make something. In
> the
> > interim the truck was not usable as it leaked badly.
> > Another Ford example related to an ABS brake part in a Lincoln Mark ??.
> > The car was not all that old and looked beautiful but had issues with the
> > brakes and no parts were available. Again, something that was only used 1
> > year or maybe 2 and was thus, pretty rare. I know the owner but I don't
> > recall what the ultimate resolution was. I think they maybe found a used
> > one and once repaired, he swapped cars and got out of it.
> >
> > Not picking on Ford as I am a fan of Fords. These are just examples of
> > issues that are all too common.
> >
> > So the fact that all parts are not readily available for a MB that is 35+
> > years old should not surprise anyone.
> > If you cannot live with that possibility, then you need to move on and
> buy
> > a 2 year old Camry and swap again within 5 years. They you will be fairly
> > well assured that your car will be reliable and parts will be available.
> >
> > RB
> >
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