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Proposed Budget: <$80,000 New Body Style: SUV, but possibly a large sedan. How will you be using the car? This car will be used in many trips under 1 mile and a handful of trips over 200 miles. It will be used primarily in a mountainous, snowy area. It will be used by someone that wants to be able to fit a road-bike inside it without taking off the front tire of the bike. What aspects are most important to you? Quiet comfort, AWD, and xenon headlights. Edit: Rear-seat legroom. What aspects are least important to you? Gas mileage and a sunroof. What are you currently looking at? Currently I'm looking at a fully loaded VW Toureg. I'm a bit concerned about comfort, however, so I'm also looking at the Audi Q7 with an active suspension. I'm basically buying this for my dad who has zero car knowledge and wants something comfortable. He's flipped 2 Jeeps, so I'd like to steer clear of body-on-frame SUVs. He also doesn't really take care of his cars (making GBS threads up the interior). I was thinking of going the diesel route because he'd never fill up - although living in a cold area does concern me (although the car would be in a heated garage for most 'cold' starts). Aside from diesel - the BMW X5 is also being looked at. I'm also looking at an ultra-loaded Audi A6 because, well, I'm an Audi guy - and my dad's #1 complaint with cars is that, "the headlights aren't bright enough." Audi A6 LED headlights solve that problem. Still, he treats the interiors of his cars like poo poo - so maybe a Toureg is the way to go, instead of something more luxurious. The only car dealerships within 100 miles of him are Audi/VW and Ford. I don't think the new Ford Explorer (which I really like) has xenon headlights, save for aftermarket. I'm very conflicted. telarium4 fucked around with this message at 07:39 on Dec 31, 2012 |
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Dec 31, 2012 07:04
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Okay, so I am at a bit of a vehicle-purchasing crossroads here, and I'm having trouble deciding which to go with. The two main cars that I am looking at right now are a Prius and a Jetta TDI. Both are from 2006. I've done a little research on both of them, but I'm still in the process of trying to find out if either of them had any particular problems with the 06 model. So the Prius: I'm leaning toward this car because it's a hybrid, and the stickers say it should get a bit better MPG than the Jetta. My only concern is that it already has ~110,000 miles on it. Here in CA, the warranty is extended up to 150,000 miles, so at least I should have a few years to see if the battery is going to die on me. Other than that, it has the navigation screen which is always nice, and it's the cheaper option at about $12,000. The Jetta: I like this car because it's a diesel, and while I know nothing about cars, I hear that diesel engines tend to last longer than their gas counterparts. It's also manual transmission, which allegedly gets better MPG. My only problem with that is that there are an assload of hills where I live, and I hate taking off up hills because I am paranoid that I will roll back into the car behind me. It seems like a small thing but I hate it. Also my wife wouldn't be able to drive it until I teach her how to drive stick. It's more expensive at $14,000, but I will be doing a lot of highway driving, which is where I think this car would be better than a hybrid. I'd like to try to haggle the price down to the KBB price ($12,000-$13,000), but diesel's are sort of hard to find here and seem to be in pretty high demand. The only negative thing I've heard about this car so far is that the electronics like to fail on it. it's also going to come down on who's willing to finance me; the people with the Jetta seem to be optimistic about loaning the money as of right now, and I haven't heard back from the Prius dealer. If push comes to shove, though, I might be able to work through that problem with a co-signer. E: the more I read about the Jetta, the more it seems like things randomly break in it. I'm a little leery on it at this point. EE: Each car would be going roughly 40 miles every day on the highway with a couple miles of city driving. just in case anyone has a better suggestion for a car, here is a template thing: Proposed Budget: ~$15,000 max, will most likely be financing through dealership. the cheaper the better. New or Used: Used. Preferably nothing before the 2000s. Body Style: Doesn't particularly matter. I would like a sportier car but idc what it looks like at this point. I would like neato gadgets on the inside, my main priority is bluetooth or at the very least an AUX port. How will you be using the car? Commuting to and from work, almost all highway driving with a tiny bit of city driving thrown in. Shouldn't need to haul people often or anything like that. What aspects are most important to you? MPG is the most important thing. I'll be commuting about 40 miles almost every day for the next year, I want to save as much money as possible at the gas station. Something with easy maintenance would be highly preferable but not necessarily required. Redfont fucked around with this message at 09:01 on Dec 31, 2012 |
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Dec 31, 2012 08:23
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The Explorer isn't available with HIDs, but you can get it with automatic high-beams, which he might like. Plus it's cheaper than a lot of options in his price range, so your dad might be able to just get two Explorers so he could have two sets of headlights, maybe that way he could see better at night.  If he was more respectful of a nice interior I'd just keep yelling "AUDI A7" at him whenever he's around - and being a hatchback, it's probably got room for a bike.Oh, and the Audi MDX will check all your boxes, including the HIDs. It'll probably be more reliable too, just judging by Japanese reliability vs German reliability. Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 08:30 on Dec 31, 2012 |
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Dec 31, 2012 08:24
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telarium4 posted:Proposed Budget: <$80,000 Land Cruiser 13? Or Cayenne or Panamera 4? Both Porsches are very good for what they are, and should be doable within the budget. Though to be honest, considering that he knows nothing about cars and shits up the interior (hi dad!), I'd try steering him to something cheaper, like the Touareg or Explorer, or maybe even a Subaru. I'm sure there are other fun ways to spend the remaining $40k.
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Dec 31, 2012 12:34
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If it were my personal money, I don't see a ton of reasons to buy the Q7 TDI over the Touareg TDI, other than the fact that the Q7 is a bit bigger so if you really want the largest vehicle on that platform, it's the way to go.
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Dec 31, 2012 13:00
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Redfont posted:The Jetta: I like this car because it's a diesel, and while I know nothing about cars, I hear that diesel engines tend to last longer than their gas counterparts. Completely incorrect and also insane. Engines are reliable. Other things will break on the car way before the engine regardless of whether it's gas, diesel, CNG or whatever. Redfont posted:My only problem with that is that there are an assload of hills where I live, and I hate taking off up hills because I am paranoid that I will roll back into the car behind me. Literally millions of people drive a manual transmission vehicle in traffic on hills every day without rolling back in to the people behind them so unless you think you're in the third percentile in terms of "ability to use your feet" I think you should be OK on this one. Buy the Prius. If you are a self-described "not car person" who cares about reliability and fuel economy, get a Prius. What happened to that idea of changing the title thread to AI meets BFC: buy a god drat prius already?
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Dec 31, 2012 13:03
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Earth posted:What?!?! No dude, no. As an accomplished engineer... ;-) Seriously though jokes aside, I am an accomplished engineer, and I have had a lot of experience for my age. Earth posted:Wah. Wah. Wah. Earth posted:(How's this for a long post?) Earth posted:Sincerely. You are literally the biggest shitlord in the universe. Please stop posting forever.
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Dec 31, 2012 14:31
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NOTinuyasha posted:You are literally the biggest shitlord in the universe. Please stop posting forever. I'll pass, but thanks for the car advice!
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Dec 31, 2012 17:03
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mobby_6kl posted:Land Cruiser 13? Or Cayenne or Panamera 4? Both Porsches are very good for what they are, and should be doable within the budget. Though to be honest, considering that he knows nothing about cars and shits up the interior (hi dad!), I'd try steering him to something cheaper, like the Touareg or Explorer, or maybe even a Subaru. I'm sure there are other fun ways to spend the remaining $40k. Going the other direction, have you considered a new Escalade? Super comfy, big enough for a road bike and probably the rest of the family too, and available with Xenons. Edit: Apparently it's body-on-frame. I'd still take a look at it. Sits on Pilster fucked around with this message at 17:27 on Dec 31, 2012 |
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Dec 31, 2012 17:24
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The Prius it is. What's your opinion on salvage titles?
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Dec 31, 2012 17:27
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*shrug* It's a VAG, his dad won't have a chance to poo poo up the interior since it will be safely on the lift at the dealer most of the time. Seriously you can get a diesel engine on the X5 too.
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Dec 31, 2012 17:32
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Redfont posted:The Prius it is. What's your opinion on salvage titles? Unless you crashed the car and know exactly what happened, Do Not Buy A Salvage Titled Car.
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Dec 31, 2012 18:23
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Redfont posted:What's your opinion on salvage titles? "No" in large font and bold lettering
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Dec 31, 2012 18:47
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Krittick posted:Modesto, actually. Company provides the parking so I'm not worried there and I've made the trip already; wasn't terrible. The commute is actually to San Mateo and not SF proper, and there's a company shuttle from our San Mateo office directly to HQ in SF.
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Dec 31, 2012 18:49
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Bank posted:I'm about 99% sure I know what company this is (it starts with an S). Their HQ offices are pretty sweet. You're likely correct about the company.  I haven't actually been to the HQ offices yet, only walked past them once. The San Mateo office is awesome at least, but I'm sad we cancelled our plans for a Mission Bay campus. That would have been great. nm posted:Honestly, any year, but I'd generally try to avoid the first year or two. I think the 2010+ is ugly. I'd second what Kimbo is saying re: hybrid, but with the caveat that a VW of any sort, including diesel, shouldn't be on the shopping list of someone who wants reliability. Thanks, I'll take a look at these options and see what I decide on. Also yeah Modesto is pretty terrible but still better than where I was. It's a step on the way to moving to the bay area though.
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Dec 31, 2012 19:03
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telarium4 posted:I don't think the new Ford Explorer (which I really like) has xenon headlights, save for aftermarket. HID's are available on 2013 Limited models. They're an option, but they're available.
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Dec 31, 2012 19:38
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Throatwarbler posted:*shrug* It's a VAG, his dad won't have a chance to poo poo up the interior since it will be safely on the lift at the dealer most of the time. Sweet jesus your VAG rants in every post are tiresome.
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Dec 31, 2012 20:30
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My 2010 GTI hasn't given me any trouble yet.  Why did I post this?
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Dec 31, 2012 20:44
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Friar Zucchini posted:If he was more respectful of a nice interior I'd just keep yelling "AUDI A7" at him whenever he's around - and being a hatchback, it's probably got room for a bike. Boy, it never occurred to me that the A7 could check all those boxes. Audi doesn't specify dimensions with the rear seats folded down, but it does look roomy given Audi's own photos. Friar Zucchini posted:Oh, and the Audi MDX will check all your boxes, including the HIDs. It'll probably be more reliable too, just judging by Japanese reliability vs German reliability. Never though much about the Acura, I'll take a closer look. mobby_6kl posted:Land Cruiser 13? Or Cayenne or Panamera 4? Both Porsches are very good for what they are, and should be doable within the budget. Though to be honest, considering that he knows nothing about cars and shits up the interior (hi dad!), I'd try steering him to something cheaper, like the Touareg or Explorer, or maybe even a Subaru. I'm sure there are other fun ways to spend the remaining $40k. I think the Land Cruiser 13 is body-on-frame, but the price fits nicely at $78k. The Cayenne was a contender, but I think I will steer him to the Toureg. Mom has a Subaru which dad hates - so Subaru is a no-go. KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:If it were my personal money, I don't see a ton of reasons to buy the Q7 TDI over the Touareg TDI, other than the fact that the Q7 is a bit bigger so if you really want the largest vehicle on that platform, it's the way to go. Agreed - but I'm curious if the adaptive air suspension on the Q7 justifies a purchase over a Toureg. I'll be test driving both. Sits on Pilster posted:Going the other direction, have you considered a new Escalade? Super comfy, big enough for a road bike and probably the rest of the family too, and available with Xenons. I really like the Escalade - but yes, it is body-on-frame, and I also heard rumors that a redesign (and not merely facelift) is about to drop in the not-too-distant future. Throatwarbler posted:Seriously you can get a diesel engine on the X5 too. Just noticed that, thanks! Diesel is by no means a requirement, though. I'm just thinking about his long road trips... skipdogg posted:HID's are available on 2013 Limited models. They're an option, but they're available. I saw the HID availability - but unfortunately it has to be that cooler xenon (or metal-halide, I suppose) lamp. Edit: After looking carefully at the Ford website, it appears that the lamps they use are not halogen - so they may be xenon. I'll take a closer look at the color of the bulb when test driving. telarium4 fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Dec 31, 2012 |
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Dec 31, 2012 21:25
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telarium4 posted:Agreed - but I'm curious if the adaptive air suspension on the Q7 justifies a purchase over a Toureg. I'll be test driving both. Go for it, but in my experience the answer is a resounding No, and based on Audi's track record with adaptive air suspensions you could not possibly get me to purchase one.
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Dec 31, 2012 22:56
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Go for it, but in my experience the answer is a resounding No, and based on Audi's track record with adaptive air suspensions you could not possibly get me to purchase one. What 'active' suspension do you think might be good to look at? A buddy of mine suggested the RR Evoque - but I know nothing about Land Rover. Edit: Also will look at the Benz GL350/450. telarium4 fucked around with this message at 00:20 on Jan 1, 2013 |
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Dec 31, 2012 23:32
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telarium4 posted:What 'active' suspension do you think might be good to look at? A buddy of mine suggested the RR Evoque - but I know nothing about Land Rover. The Evoque doesn't have air suspension, it's also The Most Unreliable and Ugliest Ford Focus In The World so I'm not sure what reason you would have for buying one other than "Cheapest Car with a Land Rover badge". If your criterea is "fancy suspension" and "uni-body SUV" look into the new Infiniti QX56. http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2010/10/2011-infiniti-qx56-suspension-walkaround.html It has fully cross linked hydraulic dampers instead of conventional stabilizer bars, and in the rear double wishbone IRS with self leveling air, with the self leveling you still get the benefits of air suspension for trailer towing and payload without all the reliability problems of a fully height adjustable system with the pumps and all that poo poo. The downside is that the QX is really loving ugly. I don't know what colour the headlights are sorry. Maybe your dad's problem is that he's not using his hibeams enough? The newer cars all have automatic hi-beams that shut off when they detect incoming cars, so he can just flip on his hibeams and go back to sleep.
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Jan 1, 2013 05:23
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The Infiniti FX50 checks all the boxes and isn't ugly (it's subjective but I think it's pretty sexy). It doesn't have as much room as the QX obviously, but it's roomy enough and drives so much better than any vehicle that size has any right to. The price is right too. Drive one and see. The only caveat on Infiniti is that they are renaming their entire line starting with the 2014 models, so the FX will become a QX of some kind (name only), if that sort of thing matters. Even the G is becoming a "Q50/Q60". Saltin fucked around with this message at 14:12 on Jan 1, 2013 |
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Jan 1, 2013 14:09
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telarium4 posted:What 'active' suspension do you think might be good to look at? None of them with the possible exception of GM's MRC.
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Jan 1, 2013 18:46
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So a quick question for those of you that have had babies. How much space does one really require to haul them and their stuff around? I know the whole "you need an SUV if you have kids" thing is overblown, but how small is too small? My wife currently has a 2006 Jetta TDI that has served us well. The trunk has always seemed giant to me so I'm hoping that will be enough. We're going to replace my car before she gives birth as well and I want to make sure that car will have enough space as well. Additionally, it would be nice to be future proof enough to cover the likely eventuality of having a second child. The three cars at the top of my list are: Subaru Outback (Gen 4, 2003-2009) Toyota Prius (Hatchback, no V or C) Mazda 3 Hatchback (Anything up to and including the current gen Skyactiv) I imagine the Outback should be fine, but any thoughts on the other two?
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Jan 2, 2013 19:50
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my parents had a 2 seater and a normal sized sedan for my entire childhood and never had any problems. I was an only kid and never had gear intensive hobbies so maybe its different with more children or if you're hauling around bicycles or football gear but I'm always skeptical about "needing" a huge vehicle for children.
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Jan 2, 2013 20:02
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BeastOfExmoor posted:So a quick question for those of you that have had babies. How much space does one really require to haul them and their stuff around? I know the whole "you need an SUV if you have kids" thing is overblown, but how small is too small? My wife currently has a 2006 Jetta TDI that has served us well. The trunk has always seemed giant to me so I'm hoping that will be enough. We're going to replace my car before she gives birth as well and I want to make sure that car will have enough space as well. Additionally, it would be nice to be future proof enough to cover the likely eventuality of having a second child. As Xguard mentions it really depends on what you'll be doing and what you'll be hauling around. The gf and I are the active outdoor/weekend trips type and our prius v is great for the two of us and 2 more friends along with their luggage (albeit I definitely feel the added weight when driving). In terms of space, I'd pick the outback. The regular prius and mazda3 are edit: my bad - the prius and mazda3 are around the same size as your jetta. I just finished reading an IIHS report that put the outback, jetta, and prius v in mid-size class and the prius and mazda3 as a small size class, but the interior dimensions are about the same. Bangkero fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Jan 2, 2013 |
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Jan 2, 2013 20:41
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telarium4 posted:I saw the HID availability - but unfortunately it has to be that cooler xenon (or metal-halide, I suppose) lamp. Edit: After looking carefully at the Ford website, it appears that the lamps they use are not halogen - so they may be xenon. I'll take a closer look at the color of the bulb when test driving. Any HID lamps you can buy on a car will have a cool color to them. That's partially because of the technology (while you can get warm-colored arc lamps, they take a long time to start up), and partially because one of the big target markets for luxury vehicles and HID option packages is people who want to tell the world "look at my fancy, expensive headlights, which are clearly very different from your poor-people lighting."
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Jan 2, 2013 20:45
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Proposed Budget: $10,000-$15,000 New or Used: Used, mid-2000's+ Body Style: 2-Door Coupe/Hatchback How will you be using the car?: Daily driver/fun/errands. My round trip to/from work is only ~7miles and I usually take the metro bus, but I need a car to get me there in the snow/bad weather/weird hours when I cannot get there by bus(I work at a bakery, sometimes that means ~2am shifts and there are no buses running at that time). Most likely I will only be putting ~3000miles on the car per year as a high estimate and I am planning on owning this car for at least the next ~4-5 years. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?): I want something comfortable but luxary is not much of a concern at my price point, basic stuff like a sunroof and power locks/windows/mirrors/etc would be nice of course. What aspects are most important to you?: Available in a manual gearbox(6-speed if possible) is one of my top priorities and preferably the car will have good handling characteristics/be fun to drive. Since I do the majority of my families maintenance and car care, cost of ownership and reliability isn't a huge concern to me. I figure most of the cars that fit my needs in my price range are going to be relatively close in this category anyhow. At least mid 20's for MPG would be ideal and hopefully something that doesn't cost me an arm and a leg to insure as a 24 year old male with no accidents/tickets in the last 4 years. I'm not planning on buying right now, but I will be in the next few months. In the mean time I am just doing some researching and pricing stuff out, two of the cars that keep coming up in my searches that seem to tick all of my boxes are the Acura RSX Type-S('04-'06) and the Civic Si('06+). I've been lusting over some used 2.0T Genesis Coupes as well but I don't think I will be able to find one of those comfortably within my budget. The styling of the new third generation Ford Focus 4-door hatchback is actually very appealing as well even though it is not a 2-door coupe, is that a good option to explore? I'm planning on starting to go do test drives in the next few weeks, is there anything I really should check out/test drive that fits my criteria? Primarily being fun to drive, manual, 2-door coupe and mid-20's MPG? My family already owns a Honda Fit Sport and a Mazda 3 Hatchback for reference, so I won't be going with either of those two very popular suggestions. The Mazda 3 is just too soft/boring to drive in my opinion and while the Fit is much more fun to drive, its very underpowered even for the weight/size which leaves me wanting more. I tend to use the Fit for any long treks since it gets 30+MPG consistently or if I need to fit(hurr) quite a bit of stuff/people in the car. This is partly why I am leaning towards the more fun/sporty/ 2-door coupe option for myself since I don't need much cargo/storage/people space in my personal car. I don't know if it matters but I am planning on putting $3,000-$5,000 down on the car and then financing the rest over ~24months, probably through whatever dealership I end up buying the car at. What are my options if I find a very good option from a private seller, financing through a credit union or some such presumably? This will be my first time buying a car that I didn't pay 100% cash for up front from a private seller, so the whole financing thing is relatively new to me. 100% Dundee fucked around with this message at 21:21 on Jan 2, 2013 |
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Jan 2, 2013 21:16
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Xguard86 posted:my parents had a 2 seater and a normal sized sedan for my entire childhood and never had any problems. I was an only kid and never had gear intensive hobbies so maybe its different with more children or if you're hauling around bicycles or football gear but I'm always skeptical about "needing" a huge vehicle for children. My family took a Chevy Celebrity on a 3 week, ~8,000 mile trip to the east coast when I was a kid, so I totally get what you're saying. I do think times have changed a bit with all the safety stuff and what not and babies appear to be much more stuff intensive than toddlers as far as I can tell. Bangkero posted:My brother and his preggo wifey are now getting rid of their mazda3 for a larger car. My buddy has a family of 4 and traded his mazda3 for the mazda5 after finding out they needed more rear seat room. I was in the same shoes as you in terms of whether or not I should future proof and I went with the prius v. Prius V is a nice car, and if it was a few years older with used models available it and the Ford C-Max would be at the top of my list. $30k is pretty tough to stomach right now with all the other expenses of having a baby plus a refinance of our house in the works.
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Jan 2, 2013 21:56
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We also never drove more than like 3 hours and no one in my family is particularly enormous. If you've got nordic blood or plan on road tripping a lot then I could def understand needing more space even if you've got 1 child.
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Jan 2, 2013 22:11
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I just had a kid and bought a Mazda 5 -- only reason was the stroller because it takes up so much space. If I could do it over again I would keep my old car and buy a smaller stroller instead (i.e., a frame that only carries the car seat, and is not a stroller on its own), then when the kid gets older buy a cheap $20 stroller.
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Jan 2, 2013 22:16
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100% Dundee posted:Proposed Budget: $10,000-$15,000 You could get an earlier G35 for around that. I just sold one so I know they're out there. Gas mileage is... not great, but it'd fit more into the Genesis Coupe mold being rear wheel drive and sporty-er than your other options.
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Jan 2, 2013 22:55
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Space Gopher posted:Any HID lamps you can buy on a car will have a cool color to them. That's partially because of the technology (while you can get warm-colored arc lamps, they take a long time to start up), I drove opposite to some new Mustangs and Ford Fusions - and the color is what I could classify as 'blue'. For some reason, I was under the impression that halogen fell under the umbrella of HID. Space Gopher posted:
I have a feeling when you're driving around in an Audi Q7, the lights aren't 'sending the message'.
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Jan 2, 2013 23:12
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You could also find some very nice, well-kept, relatively low-miles BMW E46 330s in that price range, sedan or coupe. And finding one with a 6-speed manual isn't terribly difficult, either. Especially the last couple of production years are overall pretty dang reliable cars that are very fun to drive and even reasonably efficient. Plus with the folding rear seats it can haul a ton of stuff as the trunk is already pretty spacious. I've had my 2004 330ci 6MT for almost 2 years and I love it. I was car shopping with similar criteria as yours and to me nothing else came close. It's just all around a great driving car, and I get ~23mpg in the city and 30+ on the highway. It's my daily driver, fun car, and backpacking/climbing/skiing car. And I was able to move my entire apartment short of the couch and mattress in the car. At 25 as a single male, I pay about $1000/yr for full comp/collision and far-above-minimum liability. Also, the community support and documentation is very thorough on these cars. The handful of common problems are pretty much entirely known and understood and lots of DIY tutorials are available online. This wiki page is a pretty exhaustive overview: http://www.bimmerfest.com/wiki/index.php?title=BMW_E46 Guinness fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Jan 2, 2013 |
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Jan 2, 2013 23:17
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I would agree that an E46 fits the bill, but I could only recommend it if you have some disposable income to put towards a car fixing fund. The issue isn't working on the car, that part is easy (I'd say they're just as easy as Hondas/Toyotas), the hard part is spending the money on parts. There are just too many things that can go wrong and made my wallet cringe. Off the top of my head: Rear bushings, VANOs seals, steering line leaks, the entire cooling system, pulleys etc.. The BMW prices on parts are killer, and it didn't help that all the rubber parts seem to self destruct in less than 10 years. That said, if you can stomach saving $300 or so every 6 months just in case, it's a great car for the price range. It's a love/hate relationship, and people love driving these cars, just as long as you're willing to fix them. If you get one fully inspected by a mechanic you could definitely find a clean one that will run another 50k with just oil changes, brake pads and tire changes. Just do not buy one that has SMG. I'd recommend the RSX Type-S if you can find one that wasn't riced to death or salvage. I looked for one and everything in my area was "tastefully modified" in one way or another or just too expensive so I had to pass. Edit: Oh, and if you do consider the E46, make sure you're comfortable with jacking it up. It uses jacking pads and it's a bit of a pain to get it on jack stands. I don't think I ever had the guts to get the car off all fours. (http://m3.madrussian.net/diy_jacking.shtml) Bank fucked around with this message at 23:56 on Jan 2, 2013 |
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Jan 2, 2013 23:53
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100% Dundee posted:3000 miles a year Also, with this mileage, how many MPG the car gets isn't going to make much difference to your total cost of ownership.
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Jan 3, 2013 00:07
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Proposed Budget: $8000-$13000 New or Used: Used Body Style: Compact Hatchback/Station Wagon How will you be using the car?: General everyday use, the occasional hauling of computer equipment and trips. Also, it might default to the kid vehicle once me and the wife have a child in the future What aspects are most important to you?: 1) Comfort/Room! I'm 6'2", so some cars just aren't built for me. I want to be sure I won't lose circulation to an extremity when I drive. 2) MPG - I'm not going to sweat a little lower MPG, but I would like to get it higher if possible. 3) AWD/4WD - I don't want a rear or front wheel drive if possible. (OPTIONAL) The ability to do simple repairs myself. My last car, I couldn't change my own headlights due to the terrible construction. I'd like to avoid that IF possible, but it won't be a dealbreaker. What aspects are least important to you?: I don't need something gold plated, just want reliability. What are you currently looking at?: My previous car was a 2006 Pontiac Vibe that served me well, until it learned to roll over down a ditch. I'm currently looking at the newer Vibes, Saturn Vues, and Suburu Legacy Outbacks. I'd love it if anyone has any other ideas that would work.
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Jan 3, 2013 00:46
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appletonoutcast posted:Proposed Budget: $8000-$13000 I wish you hadn't mentioned reliability because b5/b5.5 passats are great for this (except they break all the loving time) You could get a Suzuki SX4. They're ugly and if you have to gfo to a dealer you'll hate your life, but an acquaintance of mine is a Suzuki service advisor (they also do Subarus) and he says the SX4 is pretty decent. It is built in Japan unlike the daewoo crap around. Dunno how big they are. The AWD is less useful than the Subaru's but decent for getting you unstuck. Downsides: Suzuki motor (non-motorcycle) basically doesn't exist in the US anymore so parts could be an issue at some point. Also, the badge is lower than a Yugo at this point. Why do you want AWD? Snow tires on FWD will do most everything you need. That opens up the very good Mazda6 wagon.
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Jan 3, 2013 09:10
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BeastOfExmoor posted:Prius V is a nice car, and if it was a few years older with used models available it and the Ford C-Max would be at the top of my list. $30k is pretty tough to stomach right now with all the other expenses of having a baby plus a refinance of our house in the works.
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Jan 3, 2013 18:00
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