Real Wheels

Warren Brown has covered the car industry for The Washington Post since 1982.

Brown test drives all types of cars, from luxury sedans to the newest minivans and hybrids. His On Wheels auto reviews are lively, detailed accounts of cars' good and bad qualities.

Brown's Car Culture column addresses the social, political and economic trends of the industry.

Brown comes online Fridays at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions on every aspect of the automotive industry -- from buying your dream car to the future of the internal combustion engine.

The transcript follows below.

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Falls Church, Va.: I love these chats -- spouse and I have a one-year-old daughter. There may be a second child in our future. We own a 2000 Altima and 2003 Civic. Spouse would like to trade in the 2000 Altima for a new CRV. The Altima is in good shape, but we could afford a CRV. Is there anything else I need to know, or should I make spouse happy, stop dithering and get the CRV?

Warren Brown: It's easier to stop dithering and get her the CR-V, which is an excellent compact wagon for a family of four. Yes, "wagon." It's time to end the pretense that models such as the CR-V, RAV-4, Buick Enclave, et cetera, most of which are very competitive, are anything more than wagons.

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Alexandria, Va.: Hello, Mr. Brown. Looking to buy an affordable used car, that can hold three kids (car seat and two boosters). We have a minivan already; looking at the third row SUVs or station wagons with a third row. Chrysler Pacifica, Volvo wagon ...

Warren Brown: The Chrysler Pacifica probably would be a better value from a purchase standpoint- less expensive than the XC90 for simple family hauling purposes. In any case, you know the routine. Get a tech check of the used vehicle before you write a purchase check.

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Keyless in Washington: I know this might not be your area, but maybe you could direct me to someone who can help me? About a year ago I bought a certified used 2001 BMW ci. The salesman told me that the person who owned the car before me had only turned it in with one key but that he would get the second key back for me and send it to me when it came in. Months went by, I left messages and heard nothing. Finally he called back and said that he had the key but that it was store policy not to send the key and that I would need to come to the dealership to pick it up. I live in the district and the dealership, which is not open on Sunday's -- my one day off -- is out near Baltimore, so the key issue lagged on longer. Finally, this week my mother came to visit and offered to pick up the key. When she arrived she was told by the sales man that the car did not originally come with two electronic keys and therefore he just had a standard cut. This is not what he told me when I first went in to buy the car, and further more I suspect that isn't true. I have been unable to find a listing of what the car came with in terms of standard keys - but the manual is clear on how you can program your keys to keep the seat and mirror settings of the different drivers. Why would they offer this and only give one key? I know I made a mistake without demanding the key before signing the papers, but now I feel like I am just being railroaded and I have no idea where I should turn. Is it impossible to get promised items once I have lost the "commision leverage"?

Warren Brown: Here's hoping that your dealer and BMW read this.

To the dealer:

You should be ashamed. You know darn well that this is no way to treat a customer. You either wanted the customer to come in to try to up-sell him or her; or, you simply are lying about the key, which means you don't have it, never had it, or that you have it and are just trying to weasel the person out of more cash. Shame on you!

To BMW: I'm sure that, with all of your company's technical know-how, someone at the company can help this customer. The customer is buying a used vehicle now. Treat this customer badly and you can kiss the purchase of any new BMW by him or her goodbye. This is simply ridiculous.

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Washington, D.C.: You have to help me! My husband is completely obsessed with getting a BMW 335i and I'd really prefer not to spend $45-50,000 on a car. I mean I'd love to have it, as long as somebody else is paying. So, can you suggest any other cars that are cheaper which might provide the supercharged driving experience he's looking for?

Warren Brown: Hello, Washington:

Tell him that you'd settle for an Infiniti G35--about $31,450 to $34,000 in base prices--but every bit as good and fun to drive as the 3-Series BMW. And if he insists on spending more money on a car, use the old Mary Anne routine: "I need a new kitchen. I want a full bedroom suite in the new addition. Ok, we can get the car if we can leave your office out of the construction plans." Try that. It works around here.

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Indianapolis, Ind.: Warren: I am looking for transportation for my teen age daughter ... and her flags. She is in Color Guard and has to haul several flags with poles up to six feet in length.

I am thinking about an Accord with a fold down opening in the middle of the rear seat to let the poles stick through from the trunk. Accord is safe, reliable, gets good mileage on today's expensive gas. What do you recommend?

Warren Brown: Hello, Indianapolis:

Get the Honda Element. It's relatively safe, fuel efficient. But, mostly, it has loads of ample space to safely flat-load those flag poles. And set some rules. To wit: She's transporting flags, not Color Guard teammates. Flags travel quietly. Teammates don't. Teammates can distract the driver and cause a crash. Flags won't. And she wears her seat belt at all times behind the wheel. And she'd better not have that beer after the game or show and drive home. Set rules. Rules save lives.

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Stupid dealer tricks: Is it any wonder that the automakers would be happier with fewer dealers? They could cull the herd and for something as big as a car, you'll travel a little for a better deal or better service.

Warren Brown: It boggles the brain. There are so many good, smart dealers. I can't figure out how the nutty ones have managed to survive thus far. But their time is marked. Toyota isn't planning to add any more dealers in the United States. Hyundai has put 76 "underperforming" dealers in the United States on probabtion. You can bet that Cerberus Capital Management, the prospective new owner of the prospective Chrysler Holdings LLC, will not keep any dealers who do dumb things like trying to force a customer to come back to the dealership to pick up a key it should have given her in the first place. And GM and Ford and other car companies all are trimming their dealership ranks. Only the smart, innovative, customer-friendly dealers will survive. And I personally have no problems with that.

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Clifton, Va.: Sorry Warren, there is nothing out there for the price or less that compares to the BMW 335i. Car is as a fast as the E46M3. Wifey should be happy hubby doesn't want the new V8 powered M3 at about $65,000. Actually the hubby should wait for the new 135. Car will be fast and about $35,000. And the Infiniti fdoes not offer the driving dynamics ie braking, handling and ride of a BMW. Nor does Infiniti have the best single marque car club out there BMW Car Club of America. We offer the best driver training programs out there!

Warren Brown: Clifton, get real.

What is the top legal speed limit in the Great State of Virginia? 70 mph? My Toyota Echo can do that. My Chevrolet S10 can do that. Any car or truck in my driveway can do that.

So, what is hubby going to do to get his speed thrills? Make frequent trips to the Virginia International Raceway or to Summit Point? Because those are the only places he'll be able to exploit all of the performance talens of a 3-Series Bimmer or an Infiniti G35, which has considerable talent, too.

All of this car-buff, boy-racer stuff is silly, outmoded, dreadfully unrealistic--the kind of stuff that American car "enthusiasts" drunk on cheap gasoline love to talk and write about.

So what if a car can go 150 mph or faster? Where in the United States, or even in Europe, is it going to go that fast? At what cost? You might've heard, Clifton, that even our dear friends in Germany are clamping down on Autobahn speeding. They say it wastes way too much fuel and causes way too many deaths.

That being the case, Wifey is right. Get the I-35. It can take you to jail or to hell just as fast as any 3-Series Bimmer...at a much lower cost.

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Canada: Hi, Warren. Thanks for taking questions. I have two I was wondering about. One, how many cars must an automaker sell in the US for that car to be considered successful? This is for the top five automakers. Two, Police cars. Why are they almost always American cars? Is there a reason for this or largely tradition?

Warren Brown: Hello, Canada:

Success per nameplate depends more on return on investment than it does on any given sales target. For example, the 3-Series BMW is wildly successful in America. But Chevrolet sells more Impala cars.

And it makes perfect sense that American law-enforcement people generally prefer dealing with American car companies. After all, most of them wear American flags somewhere on their uniforms. And I'm sure that American car companies believe that nationalism in defense of sales is no vice.

But beware of police in South Carolina, where BMW has manufacturing facilities. Lots of patrol cars with BMW badges in that state. That makes sense, too. South Carolina officials believe that using foreign-badged American law- enforcement cars in defense of jobs and a healthier state economy is no vice.

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Burke, Va.: What's your opinion of the new Kia Rondo?

Warren Brown: Hello, Burke:

Neither I nor my assistant, Ria Manglapus, liked the Rondo. It was an unadulterated disappointment--sub par build quality, whiny engines (both the 162-horsepower inline four AND the 182-hp V-6), uninspired styling. Kia generally has been doing a very good job with new product introductions. The Rondo isn't one of them.

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Penn Quarter, D.C.: Hi, Mr. Brown. My husband and I want to trade in our Accord for an AWD luxury sedan. What do you think of the Acura RL? We are gravitating towards that because we are fans of Honda. Do you think certified pre-owned is a good way to go, since new RLs are pretty pricey? Or is there anything else we should consider? Thank you!

Warren Brown: I think you'll both be happy with a certified, pre-owned Acura RL. That's a good car. Period.

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Stupid dealer tricks is right!: We bought a car three weeks ago. Terrible experience. We paid almost half in cash (could have paid the whole thing many times over) and because we look like we are under 30 (we are not) we were asked if they could cash the check that day. I am still mad about it. We also brought a check from our bank for the loan portion. Of course the borderline challenged finance guy asked if we wanted to try for his financing. Umm -- why would I want another inquiry?

We are living in a more rural area and did not have many options. We need to move back to a metro area. Yikes.

Warren Brown: It makes no sense to finance something you can pay for in cash. No one would offer financing if they didn't make loads of money lending money. If you can cut finance costs by paying cash, do it. And don't fall for that baloney that you'd make more money by keeping your cash in savings. Finance costs almost always exceed what you'll get back in interest on cash savings. The best way to save money is to avoid, as much as possible, borrowing it in the first place.

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Hot Cop Cars: On some of my longer road trips, I've seen all sorts of unexpected models with flashing lights. I read somewhere that these are often confiscated from drug dealers or other miscreants and given to troopers. Cool, actually.

Warren Brown: You never know.

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Clifton, Va.: Warren, my wife and I are considering a minivan in the near future. I like the idea of the Mazda5 -- truly a "mini" van -- but saw that it's basically a Mazda3 with more seats and more metal. How woefully underpowered is the 5?

Warren Brown: Ah, Clifton,what do you mean by "underpowered"? For many people, the 153-hp offered by the Mazda5 is quite enough. For others, it isn't. Again, you can go to hell or to jail in a 153-hp vehicle just as fast as you can get to either one of those places in something with more horsepower. My thing is this: Horsepower should be taxed. The more you get, the more you pay. That seems fair to me in a world where only a few of us, mostly in military uniform, are paying dearly to secure oil for the horsepower the rest of us want. Or, is it that you accept the myth that we're fighting for "freedom" in Iraq?

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Burke, Va.: Thanks for answering my question on the Rondo. What would be your recommendation for a similar vehicle (small crossover).

Warren Brown: Honda CR-V, Toyota Rav-4, Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox, all of which are wagons masquerading as SUVs.

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I think you'll both be happy with a certified, pre-owned Acura RL. That's a good car. Period.: Warren: Beware of certified used cars. I took one of them to my mechanic and found three bent wheels and numerous other faults. Certified is no guarantee that the car is in tip top running shape.

Warren Brown: Fair enough. You're right, of course. My answer assumed that the car would be bought from a reputable store, where "certified" means what it says.

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Gainesville, Fla.: Warren: Having worked at a dealer they will move heaven and earth to get you promised items such as extra keys and floor mats that they don't have if you don't sign for and take the car off the lot. Because they are afraid you'll find another deal elsewhere. All bets are off if you leave with the car though.

Warren Brown: Thank you, Gainesville.

But it seems that getting you the key, even after you leave the dealership, is a whole lot easier than moving heaven and earth.

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Indianola, Pa.: Warren: When will GM and Ford start to design and engineer brakes and rotors that are comparable to the foreign makers in areas such as performance and durability?

Warren Brown: Ha! Who says they aren't?

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Bowie, Md.: Warren, the warranty on my six-year old Elantra is about to expire, and I'm looking to replace with another "small but not too small" sensible car. Is it still state-of-the art in that respect? Is Sonata a worthy incremental upgrade?

Warren Brown: The Sonata, Bowie, is a worthy incremental upgrade.

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Purchase of Honda Odyssey: The MSRP on a Honda Odyssey Touring w/ DVD & Nav is $40,000 and "Invoice" (according to Edmunds.com) is $36,000. If you can purchase it for $35,500, do you think that is a good deal?

Warren Brown: Yeah, but it's even a better deal if you can get it for $33,000 or $34,000 or less. Here's why. Lots of people trading in minivans nowadays, including Honda Odyssey models. They're going to crossover utility vehicles or to sedans. Minivan sales nationwide falling, probably will remain below 1 million forever, maybe even lower. Bottom line, there isn't as much demand for minivans of any sort as existed previously. Why pay more than you have to?

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Anonymous: My ex-husband has found a Hyundai 2001 Accent with 15,000 miles on it for our daughter who will attend grad school in Nevada, a long drive from North Carolina. The care was owned by someone who was disabled, hence the low mileage. The price is right (around $6,000) but I want her to have a very reliable car during her three years there and am concerned about quality. Can you advise?

Warren Brown: Get the car checked out. It should make it to Nevada without much hassle. But It'll be a tiring ride in that one. She does no more than seven hours driving a day with breaks. The Accent, from the viewpoint of comfort, is not a round-the-clock, long-distance runner. Once on campus, it should last her for awhile.

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BMW vs G-35: I would go with BMW. Infiniti is a great value but no comparison. BMWs are true joy to drive -- ride/driving dynamics are without par.

Warren Brown: I agree that driving a BMW is a joyous experience. But joy is a lot like sex--90-percent imagination, 10-percent performance. For the money I'd save driving the very fine G35, I can afford to have a very active imagination.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi, Warren. I want to get your thoughts about the state of the American auto industry. When people from Detroit talk about what's making GMs and Fords less competitive than Toyotas and Hondas, they always talk about legacy costs -- the fact American manufacturers are burdened with paying for the health care and retirement benefits of tens or hundreds of thousands of former workers, while the Japanese manufacturers are not.

It seems to me that the American auto companies have this wrong. It's not about the cost of a car, it's the car itself. If you look at comparable models, American cars today are almost always cheaper than Japanese cars (but not as cheap as Korean ones). Yet people still buy and prefer Japanese cars, because they prefer the car -- mainly because they perceive a difference in quality.

To me, even if the American auto manufacturers never had to pay any legacy costs, they'd still be in the same market share situation, because until recently, quality wasn't as imporant to them as it was the Japanese-based companies.

Warren Brown: In terms of product competence, GM certainly is, and Ford is beginning to turn out models every bit as competent as foreign competition. I wouold challenge anybody to drive comparable GM and Ford modles versus those from Asia or Europe and show me categorically that the foreign models, across the board, are better. The claim that Americans aren't producing quality cars is an old, rusty saw and about just as useful.

But the legacy argument is real. And the Uaw is going to have to do something about it. We all are, in fact.

I've just returned from Poland's southwestern province of Lower Silesia--26 universities, 7.2 percent of the population with gollege degrees or higher, 55 percent with secondary school diplomas that rival many of our four-year degress in quality and competence, 18.5 percent unemployment rate, lots of top production and engineering talent, about $7,560 per capita income.

You do the math. Where would you be looking for skilled labor?

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Warren Brown: Okay, good folks. Gotta run. Tkank you for joining me today. See you all next week.

Eat lunch, Ria.

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