The last car thread is driving me nuts

[F4mandolin]

In my near departure (at least in MY head at 15 months I hope) from working, I am driving myself nuts trying to decide on what kind of car to get (Little things like this are worse than the big decisions for me). The car thread on getting something safe and big has me double guessing myself. I kind of figured I would just buy the US version of the Honda Jazz (Fit)....it has a bigger engine than the UK version but still gets good gas mileage and once you drop those back seats...plenty of room for most things. And.... dependable as hell. So after a week or two of changing my mind (wife is fed up with me talking about it) it narrowed down to just a couple of vehicles. Honda Fit, Honda CR-V, RAV4 6cyl, and Subaru Outback/Forester. Only one of those vehicles gets decent gas mileage....all are good cars. But, the Fit can be had for around $15K and does 99% of the things that I need done. Part of being cheap is that you don't waste money on cars that are more expensive than you need...but.... I sure would like a car that is quieter than the Jazz, dang near need to yell at each other on the motorway if you want to talk. Guess I will be test driving all of them when I come back for a visit this summer. Anybody have anything nasty to say about any of them? I have seen some reviews that were not too happy with little things on the Subaru's. I haven't checked car insurance back in the Spokane area....so I don't know what kind of prices each would have. I would think the Fit would be the cheapest to run all-around by a good ways.

 

[73ss454]

I've been considering the Honda CR-V to replace my 13 year old Taurus at some point. I like the idea of the 4 cyl and lots of room for moving things. Seems gas prices are starting to climb again so it's a good choice. Biggest problem is trying to find a used one at a reasonable price. When buying used, American cars are a much better buy as they take a big price hit in the 1st few years.

 

[walkinwood]

If you want the best deal, buy a 2 year old car.
I have friends who own the CR-V and my neighbor owns the Subaru - both are very happy with their cars.

 

[F4mandolin]

I probably wouldn't buy used.....the used car market seems to have really toughened up in recent years. Seems like you only get a couple thousand off a 2 year old Honda...they just don't drop in price very much.

 

[calmloki]

After going round and round I saw a 2001 BMW 525i sedan with 49200 miles for $9500. If it was maybe $8500 it feels pretty tempting. Can buy a lot of gas for $6-7k. Could pull a small trailer. Sure to be more comfy on the road. Maintenance costs would be higher, but it's a lot of car for the money.

 

[W2R]

The Toyota Rav4 and Honda CR-V were #2 and #3 on my list (but when I took #1, the Toyota Venza for a test drive, I was completely hooked and didn't even want to try them out). So anyway, I think these are very good vehicles. The Subaru Outback/Forester is supposed to have absolutely wonderful capabilities for driving in snow.

I liked the Honda Fit for driving around town and it is a terrific choice too. For some (probably illogical) reason I wanted a larger vehicle than the Fit for long trips on the Interstate. When I see a Fit on the Interstate, I think, "gosh, I wouldn't want to be driving here in such a little car!" Totally illogical, as I said. A friend of mine has one and drives on the Interstate all the time, and it doesn't bother her.

Basically, I don't think you could go wrong with any of the vehicles on your list!

 

[Charlotte]

Thumbs up on the Honda CR-V

I bought a 2009 Honda CR-V last year, and I think I loved everything about it from the very first test drive. I still just love it, a year later.

It's fun to drive, plenty of pep, plenty of storage, five-star safety ratings, etc. I got the mid level model, (I think it is the EX?), and also got AWD. It's a great car! I know a number of people at work with either the 2008, 2009 or 2010 version of this car - and they all love it. I haven't heard anyone saying anything negative about it.


Charlotte

 

[Westernskies]

The Toyota Rav4 and Honda CR-V were #2 and #3 on my list (but when I took #1, the Toyota Venza for a test drive, I was completely hooked and didn't even want to try them out). So anyway, I think these are very good vehicles. The Subaru Outback/Forester is supposed to have absolutely wonderful capabilities for driving in snow.

Winter of 78-79 I was in Springfield MO when we had 28" of snow in 24 hours...

I'm just sayin...

 

[aaronc879]

You say you'll be driving this vehicle in Spokane,WA? The Honda Fit is one of the last vehicles i'd drive in Spokane in the winter. The 3 suv's that you mention are, IMO, the best 3 choices. You can't go wrong with any of them. I have a Subaru Forester and if I had to get a new car tomorrow it would be another Forester. I'm not aware of a better AWD vehicle under $30,000 than a Subaru.

 

[F4mandolin]

The Fit in snow......just blew all my good driving experiences in snow to death. Grew up in W.Washington...back when it actually snowed a decent amount on that side of the mtns. No problem with whatever car I had. Lived in Ellensburg for 5 years, had all kinds of cars....the old Datsun pickup (my fav.vehicle ever). Newer Nissan pickup, several other small cars.....big ol' beasty cars that I bought from relatives (Olds Cutless Supreme)...ALL of them were better in the snow than the Jazz (Fit) I have now. Just don't know why it won't go in the snow these last 2 years here in N Yorkshire. The only reason I am thinking of buying it even in Spokane is that fact that I would be retired and if the roads are terrible I wouldn't HAVE to go to work so I could just hunker down for a while until the roads clear. There wouldn't be that many days that bad anyway. I know they had a very mild winter this year, and the last couple years were very snowy. But I never had a 4x4 before....and I don't think you actually need them much now. But I have a tendency to think I might go a little nuts when I actually start test driving and I could see myself going for one the Subaru's or SUV. I have a large bicycle (recumbent)...the Jazz is a pretty big car for a small car....the bike just barely fits with one wheel off....a little more space would sure be nice.

 

[ikonomore]

The Fit in snow......just blew all my good driving experiences in snow to death.

Buy some dedicated snow tires like Bridgestone Blizzacks on steel rims for it. It'll change the way it works. I had them on my Saab and it went through 95% of the snow that my 4wd truck did.