Jano

Personally, I think reliability is becoming very comparable but until that perception changes, resale value will continue to be an issue when it comes down to the true cost to own.

I like this car. If I was in the market for a full sized car I would definitely consider it. After supplies catch up, this car will sell for upper 30's all day long and be more or less in line with what loaded Maximas or stripped TL's sell for. I love how everyone hates on it but would think nothing of paying $40K for one of those.

and on a side note, to me, anyone who isn't at least in their mid-twenties can't even have a credible opinion on reliability because they couldn't have owned enough cars for a long enough period of time to have any opinion that based on first hand experience. Most of the time they're just regurgitating what they've read or heard second hand.

JonBoy

You were bashing it, plain and simple.

I raced cars faster than my S2000 before I ever owned it (WAY before I ever owned it, in fact). I've been in cars that would blow your mind, including Mark Messier's 911 Turbo way back in the day (first car I was in that would go flat sideways if you stomped the throttle in third gear). In June I tracked a 380 rwhp Porsche 944 Turbo S widebody race car for a full session. I drove the NSX back in the 90s and had a blast. When's the last time you did anything like that? Dismissing a car because I don't own it is retarded. If I've driven it and experienced it, it's far more relevant that your "experience" (selective reading).

I've raced on ice, on asphalt, on dirt (dirtbikes), and been a car nut my entire life. I'd say I'm at least qualified to talk about cars regardless of their motor size, weight, drivetrain layout, or purpose. I've driven just about all of them. Doesn't make me the fastest but it does make me somewhat experienced compared to the average car nut.

However, I don't belong to a union and I don't read every car magazine so I'm obviously not up to your level of experience, expertise, or knowledge.

The Fusion I rented was top of the line - leather interior, heated seats, Sirius Radio, biggest alloys, etc, etc. It was a great car and it ran perfectly. That's why I liked it. Same went for the Accord - great car, great ride, very buttoned down.

I have owned small cars because:

1. I don't need a ton of power for our family car/my wife's car. We do 20K+ miles a year so fuel mileage is more important than beating the vehicle next to me to the next stop light.

2. I don't like to pay a ton of money for a depreciating asset that is purely a tool (ie, basic transportation) for my family.

3. I can use an S2000 to 80% of its capability on the street and not really break the law. It was also squarely in my preferred budget range and it was quick enough to keep me smiling. Sure, it got slow after a while but it always kept a smile on my face.

4. The VW was my college car and a gift from my Dad. It was a great car to beat on and was cheap to run (despite the exhaust flex pipe constantly breaking).

5. I have a wide group of friends and family that have all kinds of cars. I was exporting cars for a while so I got to drive a wide variety then as well. I get to try a lot of cars, plain and simple.

Let's see your car and racing resume.

ltswb

[QUOTE=NuncoStr8,Nov 20 2009, 01:40 PM] You can look up the methodology of these companies on your own.