2005 Subaru Forester LL Bean, haven't owned it long enough to give its pros and cons. I do like the heated seats, takes next to nothing for them to heat up!

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1999 Toyota Corolla VE (Mine)
2006 Honda Odyssey (Wife's)
1979 300CD (sold)

1998 F-150.

Dislike? Road noise. Poor connection between antenna & radio. Poor mileage (5.2 L 8 cyl, 15 mpg). Seat sucks. Towing a heavy load (2.5 ton tractor on 4 wheel trailer) is a chore in hills. OK in flats. But you gotta plan ahead!

Like? It still runs reliably and predictably with no change in mileage for nearly 200K. Uses < 1 qt 10w30/four fill-ups.

"Ol' Reliable." (Apologies to Walt)

To ad a photo of what I've been driving daily the last two & 1/2 Months :

SWMBO's 1982 240D, now with 360,000 + miles and faithfully chugging along .

If I had to choose only *one* vehicle to keep it'd most likely be this faithful if slow old beast .

"up hill slow downhill fast ~ mileage first and safety last !" .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

2002 E55

Pros: Fast, Toyota reliable (very little goes wrong with this car) , pretty decent fuel mileage (I've gotten 24mpg on a run and usually average 20mpg), comfortable.

Con's: Paint seems to disintegrate on all plastic pieces, as do rubber seals on the mirror, seems to want to dump all it's wash wipe fluid overnight at random internals, but never consistently enough for me to figure out why.

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With best regards

Al

Sounds like my old C43, dead reliable no matter how hard I beat on it!

Had a W202 that did that - it was the seal between the pump and bottle. I'd hit a bump and it would "un-seal" itself. Never did take the time to try and fix it.

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

08 Subaru Forester

Likes:
Basic dependable transportation
Acceptable power
Acceptable handling
AWD
Rather low-key. After years in a loud bright yellow GTO, I'm kind of digging blending in
Really liking the utility of the wagon. Seats stay folded down 90% of the time. Easily hauls bulky items that would have required my truck in the past.

Dislikes:
The automatic transmission is atrocious. Just absolutely freaking horrible. Most autos will learn your driving habits and shift appropriately, and you can learn to control a lot of the shifting with your right foot. This makes an auto tolerable if still an annoyance. Not so with this one. This is my single biggest complaint about this vehicle and is the reason it is not going to be a long term keeper.
MPG is only in the middle 20's. AWD and my right foot contribute to this, and I knew this going in.
Old enough to still have the Subaru head gasket issue, while new enough to not yet have had the head gaskets replaced. Couple hundred in parts and an a weekend to fix if I do it myself, or $1,500 or so if I have a mechanic do it. Keeping a close eye on them and will probably be dumping the car before they let go.

My girlfriend has that same car and loves it for all those reasons. We take it camping and laugh at our friends with their jacked up 4x4's who have zero room inside - her Element is like a miniature box truck.

Make sure you keep track of the valve clearances - for some reason on that motor they go tight instead of loose. Most people think "it's not making noise, it's fine" but valve lash going too tight doesn't make tapping noises. Easy way to burn a valve.

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617 swapped Toyota Pickup, 22-24 MPG, 50k miles on swap

I had the same problem with antenna/radio connection on my 1999 Expedition. I had to replace the antenna lead which ran from the back of the radio to the base of the antenna, as the lead was badly corroded. I replaced it myself, and it was a bit of a PITA...

2015 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT 4x4

I drive close to 50,000 miles a year for work, so I had to get something new and reliable within a reasonable budget. Before this I used a 2010 Toyota Prius IV, which was the only modern car I've sat in with a seat that put my back in agony on trips for more than an hour. When I hit a dog or a coyote with it and the front clip exploded, that was enough for me. Fixed the Prius, sold it, and bought something big, comfortable and safe.

Ideally I would have bought a Yukon XL or Suburban, but those suckers are so much more expensive than the trucks. A camper shell works just fine, I've even slept in the back a hand full of times.

Great power, comfort. The ride quality of modern trucks are fantastic. Good technology, tows really well.

Parking or any tight maneuver a big PITA.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

? What happened to your W126 ? .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

bet he still has it.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

If you are driving a lot of miles each year like Tyler is. A vehicle that does not leave you in tired misery when you arrive at your destination is very important.

I drove the son in laws new car last week. Very uncomforatable seats and very little sound insulation.

We went to pick up a truck he had purchased at the regional auction. When we got home he said the older truck is a better drive and far more comforatable than their new car.

I know I am getting old but there are so many electronic features on his new car I changed nothing when driving it back home.

He got lucky as the truck was checked over and detailed for sale by a large dealer. Then for whatever reason dumped in the auction.

When really checked over later that day at home for the safety check. There was absolutely nothing to address. It even had brand new tires. He had asked his mechanic to check everything. That auction is moving so many vehicles every week now. I wondered with the low Canadian dollar if some just might be going into the states. That auction is 150 miles from the American border. Yet I saw no car transporters siting around.

He had told me what he paid for it on the trip there. I was not expecting anything that good for the money. Nice well taken care of well optioned truck. Even the back cover and a few other possible accessories. No scratches or dings on the original paint and no rust.

I had a look around at the vehicles there. My guess was a lot of bank repos. Too new and low milages. I had not been to the auction for a few years. The amount of SUV type vehicles there now in comparison surprised me especially.

I still have it, and 8 others.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

Just switched this dd to a 2012 ford escape 5 speed. Last model year in stick. Likes- combines all the boxy utility of the explorer with the driving fun of a jetta. 2wd 4cyl gets decent fuel economy. Comfort is good, i drive approximately as much or more than tyler for work.

Cons- in order to find this variant i had to settle for a former fleet vehicle with some minor interior wear issues. No utility cons so far that i dislike, im sure some may present themselves in use.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

2012 Hyundai Sonata.. does well in daily NYC Traffic but the struts are wearing at 80K miles (considering the potholes and crap I am surprised they lasted 80K)...No one has broken into it or tried to steal it...which is a good thing. room for wife, Mom in Law and groceries and on a long road trip it is comfortable.

" If you are driving a lot of miles each year like Tyler is. A vehicle that does not leave you in tired misery when you arrive at your destination is very important."

I put on a lot of miles, about 800 every seven days and I find the W123 or W126 to be *very* comfy ~ they don't beat me nor my broken back and neck up at all .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better