Reply #43: Buy a used Honda- built in Ohio or Canada

[Earl from Ohio]

We've found that taking the "big picture" view is the best way to deal with the quagmire that is car ownership/transportation in this country.

How much will you spend in total on the car, upkeep, repairs and gas over the life of the car (or for however long you own it?)

This might sound like I'm working backwards but stay with me...

First, we found an excellent repair shop for foreign cars. These guys are awesome. They're like "Click and Clack" (The Tappet Brothers) on the NPR radio show "Car Talk." In fact, "Car Talk" has a section of their website where people can recommend repair shops and the shop that we use is very well regarded.

What makes it such a great shop?

1. Records. they keep a file on our cars and can see in a flash, if, for example, the brakes are due for replacement. And,when it's time to sell the car, just being able to say "all the records and repair work are at Lyric Auto" adds 10% to the selling price.

2. Trust. Over the years, we have a simple arrangement: Having found this place, we don't go anywhere else and they take the best care of us that they can.

3. Planning. Every time we go in for an oil change or whatever, they remind us of upcoming needs "Those brakes are OK now but will need to be redone in ten or fifteen thousand miles." We PLAN on maintenance work and avoid those expensive "boo-boos'.

Usually... (sigh)

And we have had the best luck with Hondas built by UAW workers in either Canada or Ohio. Higher cost of acquisition and repairs, lower operating costs, longer life, higher reliability. Better cars. lower costs over the long run.

Every year Consumer Reports come out with a big report on auto reliability.

Every year the quality of American cars is "improved."

And every year the brands from Japan are better.

But the Hondas are the pick of the litter.