I've got to get a new battery for the wife's '96 Mystique - been through 2 Motorcrafts that only last 4 years. I suppose 4 years is okay, but I want 5+. What's a good brand to get? I see some Diehards at KMart now; that's tempting.

 

They aren't any better than any other store brand battery.

Go to a Stand alone Battery Place.

Make sure you get one with high a CCA rating

 

The only battery I'll buy anymore is an Optima. They're worth every penny and will never leave you stranded. For a "standard" type battery, I've used the Diehard Gold series batteries in the past and got some decent life out of them, 6-7 years. But they're close enough to the price of an Optima to just pay the extra $$ for the sealed spiral design. The regular Diehard batteries are nothing special.

 

I've still got the original Motorcraft in my 1999 Ranger. I've heard good things about Interstate batteries.

 

Said it before and will say it again. There is one battery manufacture in the US, and thats Johnson Controls www.johnsoncontrols.com So the best bet is to price shop and get the most CCA for your bucks. The thing that makes a big difference in battery life is the how the initial 24 hour charge is done. Was it for the full time, was the equipment in good shape, were the charger clamps clean, etc. ?

 

I think Optima makes really good batteries.

 

I have Optima's in 3 of my vehicles. One is going on 11 years old in a Fiero GT, one is going on 10 years old in a 78 Ramcharger (440) and one going on 9 years old in my truck. The single Optima in my truck has never failed to start. It has gotten down to 0 degrees (with windchill) the last few days here and the truck still starts without plugging in.

My sister and mother in law both have Dodge cars (Stratus) one 96 the other 97 and both still have the original battery.

 

I've never seen an Optima in person, only in the Summit Racing catalogs. If I got 10 years out of one, that would prorate the initial cost down nicely. And I'm likely to hang on to the car for that long too.

 

The diehard is a good battery. I've used them over the years. The main thing is to get one with a lot of cold cranking amps (like 700-800 or so). I always do that and it seems that the batteries last longer.

 

for a standard lead acid battery, I have done well with the Wal Mart Everstart, in the yellow case. 3 year free replacement warranty, 9 year prorated warranty, $60.

 

After my original battery conked out a few months ago, I replaced it with a Wal Mart Everstart Maxx. I looked around and this one has the highest CCAs and the longest warrenty, besides Optima.

 

I don't think everyone got that- but it's fact. No matter what you buy, or who you buy it from- if it's made in the US, they built it (including the Optima).

 

Not to sound ignorant but how would a Optima compare to a Interstate, thats what I have generally used.

reason for asking is I will need to replace the 8 yr old Interstate in my non Ford soon and have been trying to decide between the 2 brands

 

optima makes good batteries, 2 years free replacement (not that prorated bs)

any battery with gell inside lasts alot longer and is deeper cycling then acid batteries

Matt

 

On the Optima site, it doesn't list a direct replacement for her car. I find it hard to believe that only a Motorcraft battery (40R) is available.