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Car Suggestions?
ToddJewell
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I got a new job so I will be looking for a new car to replace my 9 year old Civic, it isn't the most ideal car for Colorado.
Want:
Sub 30k give or take -- cheaper the better
4 doors
Leather
Average to Above Average gas mileage
ipod / nice functionality inside
trunk to fit at least two sets of golf clubs easily
quiet
all wheel drive preferably
reliable
looks nice/sporty
decent acceleration
good warranty
Want:
Sub 30k give or take -- cheaper the better
4 doors
Leather
Average to Above Average gas mileage
ipod / nice functionality inside
trunk to fit at least two sets of golf clubs easily
quiet
all wheel drive preferably
reliable
looks nice/sporty
decent acceleration
good warranty
ToddJewell on
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Edit: if used, the model goes by the name "outback sport," if memory serves.
All my relatives in backwoods Maine swear by theirs, it's a Subaru or some kind of work truck (Ford usually).
another thing with the WRX subis is that having the turbo might help with the thinner air, but I really don't know enough about tunning to say one way or the other.
The golf club issue though...My wife and I can fit our clubs in the hatch, however I wouldn't be calling it easily comfortable. The back seats flip down super easy though which makes for great increase in storage.
I think the sedan version has a bit more trunk space to start so if you go that way then the clubs should just slide right in without any tight squeezing that I'm doing now with the hatchback.
Also, at the top end of your budget sits a year old STI if you can find one. Everything the WRX has plus more HP at 305 and an improved suspension and interior.
edit: By the way, I'm in Laramie, WY, elevation 7220 ft. The car works great in the thin air and nasty weathers.
I bought a legacy after a long search for an economical all weather commuter car that would accommodate my height and weight, and this is a "not enough lime" statement.
I am a little over 6'4" and have as much or more room in the legacy than I do in a ford f250 pickup. It's got a pretty big trunk, it's a 4 door, it drives well, although I might steer you toward the six cylinder (I have the four, I soak up the 34 mpg and use the savings to rent a track car once a year if I start feeling froggy) A brand new legacy in their best trim should still be under 30. I got a mid-trim one (no nav or color dash screen, but a decent stock stereo and a nice cloth/leather interior), certified pre-owned, with 16k miles on it for 19,5. I like the styling on it - it has the sort of exterior that would have been after market a few years ago, but toned down just enough that it doesn't look like a kid's tuner car right off the lot.
Subarus are great value holders, too, with very strong used reputations and low second owner depreciation, and their warranties are pretty much gold standard. I got a huge discount on an extended warranty because mine was a certified pre-owned. (like 1200 off of a 1500 warranty), and the car had plenty of factory warranty left - which is transferable, and is a decent warranty all on its own.
If you want a little more acceleration, you could fish around for a legacy GT - but you have to be careful with your foot while driving, if you routinely engage the turbos, your economy is going to go splat. They are also an older body style that is a little smaller, but you didn't mention that as a concern.
Outbacks are basically the same car but you pay a bit more for a bit of ground clearance and a little more glass and cargo room
One option you might look at is the Tribeca - it's kind of an oddball, I don't know what they were thinking...performance minivan? But they have decent handling for their class (large crossover) and a very, very nice leather trim and nav package (probably because it's a one-off body style and doesn't share parts with their other cars and trims)
You might also look at an audi a4 or a6 or an infiniti g37 or 35 for that higher trim, although then you're looking at an older car to stay in budget. Audis in particular are very, very quiet, whereas infinitis still ride pretty quiet but have a bit of engine bass by design. Not to get all MTV cribs here, but infintis are kinda dope. Stay away from the bigger engine trims in the luxury sedans - some of them are almost as fast or faster than many things marketed as sports cars, and there's a tradeoff for that, especially in a biggish 4 door car. DO test drive an audi A8 or a BMW 5 while you're shopping. Hey, you might as well.
You would be making a mistake to not at least glance at recent domestic cars - ford in particular is really pushing interior amenities right now and are packing some kinda neat stuff into their cars.
One thing you might want to specifically look for if a subaru doesn't quite trip your trigger on the interior (leather and such) is a used infiniti EX crossover - your budget will get you a 2 year old one, maybe a one year old one if you really dig, and it meets ALL of your criteria. Very fun to drive, very nice, and not at all impractical, although the mileage is a bit low (again, you pay for a peppy car)
If you get a use car with a lot of trim features, that is one of the few situations when I'd actually strongly consider an extended warranty. Also keep in mind the more acceleration it has, the harder it will have been driven per mile. People don't buy sporty cars just to know they can go fast if they want to.
You might also see if your golf clubs fit in a mini s works because they're a fucking ball but I don't recall if they're awd
I host a podcast about movies.
Good snow handling is more a function of the driver than the car, to be honest. I grew up in the Finger Lakes region of New York and then moved to Minnesota, so my formative driving years were all in the Twin Cities area.
I drove a terrible manual transmission Ford pickup for a year and then bought a $900 '84 Honda Wagovan. One day, while driving through the city on an expressway after a major snowstorm, I ran out of washer fluid, resulting in my windshield turning into a gray blur. My solution was to stay behind big semis because they kicked up enough moisture from the road that I could wipe the windshield.
Do I recommend that? No! But my sister, who still lives in Minnesota, has totaled 3 cars because she's a bad driver -- jackrabbit starts and stops, oversteering, etc. She now drives a Subaru Impreza and loves it, mostly because her bad driving no longer turns into a totaled car. She's still an unsafe driver, though.
So, if you're an aggressive driver, you may want AWD simply because the car will have better control during snowy conditions. If the snow is so bad that the roads are unsafe, you shouldn't be out in them anyway regardless of your vehicle, and getting in a car that has AWD because "this car has AWD and I don't give a shit about the snow" is a great way to end up in a ditch.
OK, now that I've given my standard diatribe about snowy driving, I can say that you can probably get along fine with most any car if you put snow tires on them.
Do you have a particular body style you want? We don't want to recommend hatchbacks if you hate hatchbacks. I love my Hyundai Elantra Touring, and the sport models come with leather and fit all of your requirements, but *I* thing hatchbacks look sporty. Others think they look like fleas or small minivans.
If its MPG you're worried about the legacy has some of the best fuel economy of any car its size despite being AWD.
I like it.
The turbo sucks gas, and at best I get 24 MPG at best combined city/hwy, usually around 22 or so.
If you don't need the turbo, which you probably don't, I'm sure you'll get much better gas mileage.
But, as had been said, AWD isn't some sort of magic fix it. Decent driving skills and a snow tires, maybe a manual transmission, will help you out a lot. All the AWD does it help get the car moving, really.
Minus AWD, test drive a Dodge Charger. Price with options fits around 30k and it has all the features you want. Gas Mileage is....18/27, I believe, with the base engine. Looks mean as hell too. Only downside is that it's really common, so if you want a unique look you won't find it there.
Again without AWD, there's also the Hyundai Sonata, which is incredibly popular right now and can be had for well under 30k. It looks like a plain boring sedan, but you can get a turbocharged 274hp engine. That's a sleeper right there. I know someone with one and it's like "Ho hum, just a boring sed-VROOM." I believe the gas mileage on that engine is 23/35.
There's also the Ford Taurus w/ AWD that's right about 30k. It makes 19/29 on a 290hp engine. Which is pretty crazy. I have no idea how reliable the Taurus is these days, but in the 90s into the mid 00s, they were the family sedan. It's much larger than the Sonata but about the same size as the Charger.
Edit: Some quick checking says that you can get the Charger in the SXT trim with AWD.
The CVT impreza gets something like 35+MPG.
Except for sports cars, but that's all low profile.
I'd agree with this. I've been driving my '05 Mustang all year long since 2007 up here in Saskatchewan and haven't had any problems. You just drive it differently than you would a FWD or AWD vehicle.
The right tires also make all the difference. Too many people either leave summer tires or factory tires on when they buy a new sports car. You really need to make sure you buy a set of either really good all season tires (if you don't want to switch them out every year) or winter tires (if you do want to switch your tires out).
About noise -- it is the interior sound that I am trying to get to a minimum. My car, when on the highway, is extremely loud and it is a Civic. My wife drives a CR-V and it is also very loud on the highway. I have been in some that are not loud at all [a new model Jeep] and I loved the quiet.
Secondly, most Subarus are perfect. Ford Focus, Mazda 3 or CX5, pretty good too.
I have a Dodge Challenger and after test driving a lot of vehicles I can say I was most impressed by how quiet it is in the cabin when on the highway. I think this is a trend on most of the highish end Chrysler vehicles, including the 300 and Charger. Speaking of which, maybe the 300? That car is unbelievable, but may be out of your budget range.
RWD is definitely not super recommended in the snow but as said, all you need is some winter tires. I can cruise around in the snow in my Challenger when I throw on the winter tires no problem, I just don't drive like an idiot. I've never been in some insane storm though, just the usual stuff up in the mountains of Utah when I've visited.
I'd look at Subaru first... Impreza or WRX
As far as warranties go most makes offer 3 yrs/36 months bumper to bumper with extended coverage for powertrain and/or rust perforation. VW includes basic service (oil changes) over this interval (local dealerships of other makes might advertise this or throw it in to make a sale). Luxury marks (BMW, Audi, Cadillac, etc.) often kick up the basic warranty to 4 yrs/50K miles. Hyundai has 5 yr/60K miles.
What do you consider average mileage? Know that changing your driving style can give a decent bump to mileage. On my '05 Legacy GT I'd get around 19 mpg with 50/50 driving just how I felt like driving. If I drove like a granny I'd get 22, and 28 for highway only.
Generally the historically more reliable marks (Honda/Toyota) are pretty bland looking. Ford has some cool whizbangs w/r/to PMP/Phone/car head unit integration with their Sync technology.
Off the cuff I'm thinking maybe a Ford Fusion (w/AWD if you really need that, or Hybrid if you really want good mileage)? It's going to be redesigned for 2013, so I'd think you'd get a good deal, but resale will be hurt. Or perhaps a Jetta TDI which can be nicely appointed and will give you pretty great mileage (I was doing north of 40 in 50/50 driving when borrowing my dad's). Civics and CR-V's are nearer to the compact side of the continuum, so you have less sound deadening. If you moved up to the Accord (or any midsize really) you wouldn't have as much road noise; also, OEM tires, though overpriced, often have good noise ratings. I really like subies, though I felt I had to put more money into maintenance w/r/to my Legacy, less so the Forester (both turbos) than any other car I've owned; they do often have cold weather amenities though (my base Legacy GT had seat warmers), and the avid skiers I know have subies.
Are you talking wheel noise, engine noise, or both?
I host a podcast about movies.
I thought I'd better check the Volksy US website to see what the price is, and that whole model range isn't even available over there.
The fuck, America? It is the best vehicle in its class, by far. Shits all over any other small SUV you care to name, CRV, Mazda CX5, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4...
That may be just the Civic. It's been very cheap in build and feel for the past few years, with the 2012 redesign being particularly terrible.
Maintenance on my 2001 VW Golf was insane. $1,300 for a catalytic converter, $230 oil changes, $620 to repair a common issue where the windows would stop rolling up... had to do that for each of the 4 windows, do the math works out to $2,480 just to get my windows to go up. I'm very glad I didn't keep that car long because I would be bankrupt by now.
Stick with Japanese or American, anything European is just to much to maintain unless it comes with a good warranty and you don't plan on keeping it past the warranty expiration.
In my experience any job quoted under 5 hours labor can be done yourself in a day, assuming you have a 1/2" drive set, a driveway to do the work, and a service manual or chiltons/haynes or alldata. Even if you need to buy some tools you'll usually end up paying less doing it yourself (dealer for sure, independent shop maybe) and you'll net some tools.
Whether you go German or Japanese, if you don't plan to work on it yourself you should be looking out for an independent shop specializing in your general make for maintenance/repair outside of warranty work.
Yeah the only place that would service my VW was the VW dealership in Linden NJ, and for the record that place is awful and I don't recommend anyone buying anything from them... just in case the OP happens to be in my area.
That's not in the OP's price range. And if it was, he should should just get a couple of GTRs and a Land Rover or something instead.
If the OP is blind enough to like how that looks, he probably shouldn't be driving.