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Toyota vs. Subaru vs. Hyundai, I am buying two new cars and so many choice!
Talonrazor
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey all.
So I have come into some money and I am looking at buying new cars for my wife and I. Here's a quick synopsis on what I want to do and where I need advice. Skip to bottom for TL;DR:
I love Toyota. My family has a garage and a fleet of cars that are all Toyota. '98 Toyota Truck, '94 Toyota Truck, '96 Camry and '03 Sequoia. The Sequoia and Camry I am driving now and I love the Sequoia. Toyota engines are simple and clean to work on. However, I want to buy two new, either a '13 or '12, cars for around $50,000. I can get them knocked down pretty good due to paying in cash. We want something safe, good to drive in winter (live in Alaska), plenty of room for future kids and good fuel economy.
Right now I am liking the idea of a Highlander or FourRunner but it would leave little money for second car. We looked at RX350 but same problem, plus it is pretty small. We could afford getting like a Forester and a base model of a Tacoma, as I would like a truck, but I am concerned about room size in those vehicles. My wife likes the Forester when it comes to size but isn't a fan of driving the Outback, she likes more of an SUV when it comes to handling. I would love just to get a new Sequoia but our fuel costs are killing me. I'd like something at least 20 MPG. What do you recommend? We are also looking at some Hyundai vehicles since my buddy sells them and my mother-in-law is also looking at getting one, so picking up three cars from a dealership in one go will land us some serious wiggle room.
TL:DR
Looking at a Highlander or Forester or possibly a Santa Fe / Veracruz. What do you think in terms of room size, handling, safety, fuel economy and winter driving?
So I have come into some money and I am looking at buying new cars for my wife and I. Here's a quick synopsis on what I want to do and where I need advice. Skip to bottom for TL;DR:
I love Toyota. My family has a garage and a fleet of cars that are all Toyota. '98 Toyota Truck, '94 Toyota Truck, '96 Camry and '03 Sequoia. The Sequoia and Camry I am driving now and I love the Sequoia. Toyota engines are simple and clean to work on. However, I want to buy two new, either a '13 or '12, cars for around $50,000. I can get them knocked down pretty good due to paying in cash. We want something safe, good to drive in winter (live in Alaska), plenty of room for future kids and good fuel economy.
Right now I am liking the idea of a Highlander or FourRunner but it would leave little money for second car. We looked at RX350 but same problem, plus it is pretty small. We could afford getting like a Forester and a base model of a Tacoma, as I would like a truck, but I am concerned about room size in those vehicles. My wife likes the Forester when it comes to size but isn't a fan of driving the Outback, she likes more of an SUV when it comes to handling. I would love just to get a new Sequoia but our fuel costs are killing me. I'd like something at least 20 MPG. What do you recommend? We are also looking at some Hyundai vehicles since my buddy sells them and my mother-in-law is also looking at getting one, so picking up three cars from a dealership in one go will land us some serious wiggle room.
TL:DR
Looking at a Highlander or Forester or possibly a Santa Fe / Veracruz. What do you think in terms of room size, handling, safety, fuel economy and winter driving?
Talonrazor on
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Who LIKES the way suvs handle?
I host a podcast about movies.
In terms of size, you really have to think of it as a sedan with a big open trunk (it also handles like a Sedan because it basically is one). In terms of carrying capacity if you don't have more than 2 people in the car, you can fit much more than a sedan because of the layout and the way the seats go down but it's probably the same as another similarly sized hatchback.
Overall I'd say I recommend it but if you're looking for something that handles like an SUV, this is not it, though I'm honestly not sure why you would want that.
We are also looking at some Hyundai's, like the Santa Fe or Veracruz. Seem pretty good fuel economy for the money and I know the later models are getting better in reliability. I tried getting in the Forester and the damn thing is pretty small. I feel like if I am going to get a sedan, I would rather get a luxury RX350 or something. We tried the 2012 Outback and I like the longer size but headroom was an issue. She doesn't like the way the Outback drives, she does not like the sedan feeling very much.
As someone who spent 27 years in Alaska, let me admonish your wife. You both should know by now that having a big truck means nothing up there. You can do just about anything you want with a Subaru or smaller SUV unless you're going to be hauling a boat or trying to cross Jims Creek and the like. The big truck will provide you no advantage in the winter unless you intend to do snowplowing, and even then you should be buying used for that. One of the more annoying parts of winter was seeing the big 4x4's off the road or sliding around like crazy because they felt invincibe. Subaru's are reliable, and very widespread up there. I'm also unsure how headroom is an issue with the Outback. I am 6' 4" with plenty of headroom in our new Outback. Maybe you're much taller. The Forester has better approach and departure angles on it than the Outback, but that's it. We run around with two kids in our Outback with plenty of room left over. The Hyundais I cannot speak on, but our friends who have them seem to enjoy them and they seem roomy enough, and as for a Lexus why take the chances with all the gravel they throw down up there?
I find it hard to believe that headroom was a big issue in the Outback unless you're Andre the Giant. If nothing else, the seats do move up and down (or at least mine do).
Other possible options that you aren't considering are the Chevy Equinox (GMC Terrain) and Nissan Rogue. GM's quality is dramatically improved from just a few years ago, and Nissan makes a pretty good SUV too.
I have a 2010 Xterra off-road (I think that model is the pro-x4 now or something stupid). I love it. I do a bit of camping (which really requires the off-road to get to the site) and it has some excellent storage capacity without being overly massive. Still gets 20-22 MPG when fully loaded.
If not, i'd recommend a fwd toyota minivan (base Sienna) for family transport, size, comfort, and fuel economy, and then a small toyota truck for you for whatever reasons you like trucks.
And dont be afraid to get financing. APR on new vehicles can be ridiculously low (0-1%) and you can do something elese with your windfall in the meantime. I can guarantee that you wont get much or any leverage buying with cash. That was the case in the olden times - now dealers make money on financing as well as the cars.
I totally agree with the truck sentiment. They are hard to drive in the winter, which is why I want a good AWD with some studded Blizzaks. We are actually looking at now a Limited '12 Veracruz AWD or the new Santa Fe '13 AWD or a 4WD Toyota FourRunner. I am leaning to just get the Limited Veracruz because I am debating buying one good, luxury car for family purposes and buying another used Toyota Tacoma as a back-up later on.
I just don't fit into Subaru all that well. I know they are great cars but my wife and I so far have been impressed with the Hyundai and they seem like a great bang for the buck. Fully loaded Veracruz for $35,000 is pretty nice. Fuel economy isn't exactly what I want...
Same, word for word here. I've got the 2010 model as well, and I love it. I wish the gas mileage was slightly better...it's not bad on the highway, but yeah...in traffic it sucks.
I drove it from Austin to Denver during a very bad snow storm last year. I never felt any kind of slippage or the wheels spinning out. I'd see big trucks and SUVs all over the sides of the highway (especially in southern Colorado), but never had issues with the Forrester.
I used it this summer when I was up in the mountains for a week. It did a great job on the 4x4 trails. I'm sold on Subarus for live now.