Considering only one vehicle. What vehicle would you recommend.

[Jerry1]

This is not going to happen quickly, but DW and I are thinking about going to just one vehicle. We moved to a condo and my truck will not fit into the garage and rather than purchase a smaller vehicle, we're thinking of just going to one vehicle. We have a full size pickup (GMC Sierra 1500) and a mid-size SUV (Cadillac XT5). DW thinks the XT5 would be fine, and I basically agree, but I'm thinking if we're going to only have one vehicle, we should give thought to what might be the best to meet our needs. While I have a truck, it's rarely used for anything besides my golf clubs. My daughter uses it to tow her camper, but that's another matter. Obviously, the vehicle we retain will not be able to tow a camper. The thing I don't really like about the XT5 is that id doesn't have a trunk to carry my clubs. Not a deal breaker, but I'd prefer keeping them in an enclosed situation (like a trunk) so I don't have to take them out after every round. The other thing I don't like about the XT5 is trip related. Frankly, I can't believe how stiff the seats are after about an hour of sitting and, I didn't realize how much I like the adaptive cruise control on my truck until I drove the XT5 on a trip with regular cruise control. Way more fidgeting involved. So while it's a fine vehicle, I'm not sure it's one I want to keep if it's our only one. FWIW, the XT5 is a 2023 with 15K miles on it.

What ideas do you have about a single vehicle. Our main use would be to drive around town but I would want it to be a suitable vehicle for a trip anywhere in the continental US. We live in Michigan, so it also has to be snow worthy, but given that I don't have to go to work everyday, that's not as critical as it used to be.

 

[skyking1]

I am surprised a 2023 Cadillac lacks adaptive cruise. I agree with you, once you have had it it is hard to go back.
I would get an SUV with a good privacy screen to leave the clubs under out of sight. Ours came with this:

Put a hitch on it, still tow within the limitations, and of course do sit in it in the showroom for a full hour.
We did that before buying the 2019 Tiguan.
We tried a Rav4 hybrid. It checked all the boxes, bells whistles reliability economy.
We drove it about a half hour and both of us felt kidney-punched. UGH.
We had plenty of Mazdas in the day. Tried the CX-5 and we were done after 5 minutes of sitting in it.
The Tiguan does not injure us.

 

[braumeister]

I would make a list of my needs and wants, then go to sites like Edmunds, cars.com, car&driver, etc. and start searching on my criteria. That should narrow things down to a short list, then go sit in them and take test drives.

 

[Jerry1]

I am surprised a 2023 Cadillac lacks adaptive cruise.

I was too. Never even thought about it until we took our first trip in it. My GMC Denali truck has adaptive cruise but not a Cadillac? I don't get it.

 

[TripleLindy]

Comfort is my number 1 criteria when considering a car. It’s surprising that the caddy isn’t comfortable, as that may put you into a new car altogether since your truck is out.

We’ve considered moving to 1 vehicle, but don’t have a real need to do so since both of ours fit in the garage. And every time I think about getting something new, the $60k+ price tag for the type of vehicle we’d want keeps me from pursuing it. We could easily afford it, but spending that much on a car really grinds my gears, pun intended.

 

[Texas Proud]

I am kinda with Brau.... might as well get something that matches as much as you want... which might be a new (or slightly used) vehicle..

No reason to keep it to just the two...

BUT, you said the truck does not fit... I think that is a deal breaker...

 

[IncomeOriented]

We moved to one vehicle earlier this year. Live in a condo with one car garage. Wanted comfort safety and as small as possible because my DW likes small.

Decided on.... believe it or not, a Volvo XC40. Simplistic styling and all the safety features, included adaptive cruise and driver assist, and AWD for the snow. Now after a few months, we call it Zippy. Easy to drive, comfortable seats. Amazing on the ice and snow and great MPG around town (25-33).

 

[skyking1]

Comfort is my number 1 criteria when considering a car. It’s surprising that the caddy isn’t comfortable, as that may put you into a new car altogether since your truck is out.

We’ve considered moving to 1 vehicle, but don’t have a real need to do so since both of ours fit in the garage. And every time I think about getting something new, the $60k+ price tag for the type of vehicle we’d want keeps me from pursuing it. We could easily afford it, but spending that much on a car really grinds my gears, pun intended.

Our criteria too. My old diesel beetle is very comfortable for me, and I put 4th generation seats in my 3rd gen Ram diesel truck. I won't tolerate bad seats and the Ram seats were shot. The 4th gen seats are night and day, and the seating position in the truck can't be beat. It is the ride that it lacks

 

[skyking1]

We moved to one vehicle earlier this year. Live in a condo with one car garage. Wanted comfort safety and as small as possible because my DW likes small.

Decided on.... believe it or not, a Volvo XC40. Simplistic styling and all the safety features, included adaptive cruise and driver assist, and AWD for the snow. Now after a few months, we call it Zippy. Easy to drive, comfortable seats. Amazing on the ice and snow and great MPG around town (25-33).

Similar to the Tiguan but MPG does not exceed about 29.
We had an early Honda Pilot and loved it, but when you park Tiggy with an old pilot behind it in any direction, it easily fits inside it It does not lack the interior room that you would anticipate. Even the back seat is comfortable for a long haul.
EDIT: it helps that it is a 2 row Premium model.

 

[IncomeOriented]

Similar to the Tiguan but MPG does not exceed about 29.
We had an early Honda Pilot and loved it, but when you park Tiggy with an old pilot behind it in any direction, it easily fits inside it It does not lack the interior room that you would anticipate. Even the back seat is comfortable for a long haul.
EDIT: it helps that it is a 2 row Premium model.

Looking online, it seems the Tiguan and the Volvo XC40 are ever similar. Similar in size, engine etc. But the Tiguan seems to be a very little bit bigger than the XC40. Like you, we were looking for a small car that didn't hurt us.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Just one car means that it needs to be reliable with top safety rating. I would highly recommend a Subaru. I didn't read about the size, but I would go with an Ascend for size, comfort and its EyeSight technology (adaptive cruise control). We owned 4 Subarus (Legacy, Outback, Outback and Ascend), before then 3 BMWs, 1 Volvo, 1 lousy Lexus, 1 Honda and current a Cadillac Lyriq. Subaru wins hands down by all counts. Cadillac - rated the most unreliable car, stay away from it.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

DW bought a Mercedes 350 wagon 4 years ago.

Don't buy one.

They break down and it takes a week to get parts and a week's pay to fix it. Even if it something as small as a spark plug wire. ($600 for one,.....it's a six cylindar)

Buy a car that anyone in any town you drive throug can fix the next day.

 

[Car-Guy]

I'd stop playing golf.

 

[pb4uski]

We love our Ford Maverick hybrid 4-door pickup truck. We do a couple overnight golf trips a year with other people and it easily holds 4 sets of clubs and overnight luggage. 42 mpg in mixed driving and 36 mpg highway. Also a great road vehicle. If I were buying again I would get the Larait trim level which would include leather seats and Sirus satellite radio for about $42k MSRP and less out the door from what I read. It is our only vehicle at home, supplemented with a golf cart. It should easily fit in your garage. For 2025, they offer a AWD hybrid with 4,000 lb towing capacity.

 

[pb4uski]

Just one car means that it needs to be reliable with top safety rating. I would highly recommend a Subaru. I didn't read about the size, but I would go with an Ascend for size, comfort and its EyeSight technology (adaptive cruise control). We owned 4 Subarus (Legacy, Outback, Outback and Ascend), before then 3 BMWs, 1 Volvo, 1 lousy Lexus, 1 Honda and current a Cadillac Lyriq. Subaru wins hands down by all counts. Cadillac - rated the most unreliable car, stay away from it.

We have a 2016 Subaru Outback Limited with about 100k miles. It has been a very reliable and comfortable car.

 

[RetiredHappy]

I skipped most of the post and missed the golf part. My Subaru Ascend held 4 sets of golf clubs and 4 people. We take our car on road trips. Subaru Ascend still wins hands down.

 

[Route246]

I am surprised a 2023 Cadillac lacks adaptive cruise. I agree with you, once you have had it it is hard to go back.
I would get an SUV with a good privacy screen to leave the clubs under out of sight. Ours came with this:

Put a hitch on it, still tow within the limitations, and of course do sit in it in the showroom for a full hour.
We did that before buying the 2019 Tiguan.
We tried a Rav4 hybrid. It checked all the boxes, bells whistles reliability economy.
We drove it about a half hour and both of us felt kidney-punched. UGH.
We had plenty of Mazdas in the day. Tried the CX-5 and we were done after 5 minutes of sitting in it.
The Tiguan does not injure us.

I'm surprised about the RAV4 hurting your back. Did it have lumbar adjustment? We have a RAV4 Prime XSE which has lumbar adjustments and never had problems. Unless you are going upscale any of the high-trim levels for Toyota SUV (RAV4, Highlander, etc.) are pretty decent for hauling golf clubs.

 

[JohnnyPHX]

Just saw a Honda commercial on TV. Perhaps a Honda Ridgeline might work as the one vehicle to meet most all of your needs? It does have a locking trunk built into the bed that could probably hold your golf clubs.

https://www.napletonhondamortongrove.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-2025-ridgeline-towing-potential/

 

[pb4uski]

While I love our Maverick it isn't AWD and can only tow 2k so it can't tow our pontoon boat, so when we start flying to snowbird rather than driving, I'll likely get either a Ridgeline or a AWD hybrid Maverick with 4k towing capacity for use at our summer home

 

[Teacher Terry]

Personally, I would keep both cars and park the truck on the street. I own a condo and each person only gets one parking space so couples that have two vehicles have to park one car on the street.

Even though retired I think it would be a pain to have to coordinate schedules to share a car. There’s something to be said to have the ability to just go somewhere when you feel like it.

 

[Aerides]

My parents have done this and it's an example to me of why I will insist we keep two cars as long as we both feel ok driving. There are subtle changes in their relationship that I think result from this decision. Dad's totally fine with it, most men would be. I think Mum feels a little impinged? She drives less. She goes out by herself less.

Not just the independence, but ok the independence.... I want DH to go and do stuff. I want to go and do stuff. I need to be able to pop out when I want and pop back when I want. I go out and drive far far more than DH. "oh wait I can't to Costco this morning because he has to go get a haircut" or something silly. I know that's selfish but over a period of years I would start to resent that feeling.

I know it makes sense practically, hey and less insurance and maintenance costs. And DH goes out far less than I do. There's always Uber or a rental for any time you actually need the 2nd car. But, nope, not for me.

 

[RetiredHappy]

We have 2 golf carts and one car. Golfing is more important than running errands.

 

[JackJester]

Given that you said "We live in Michigan, so it also has to be snow worthy", then I would go with an AWD small/mid compact. The #1 vehicle in many states is either the Toyota Rav 4 or Honda CRV, with Subaru Crosstrek or Outback a good option. In my part of the country we drive lots of snowy mountain passes and the Crosstrek seems to be the vehicle of choice. We love our Crosstrek, and with snow tires it has no problem with packed powder. We drive the Canada BC 'Trans Canada Highway' often to go skiing (i.e., the "Highway from Hell" from the TV show). We have seen many SUVs and pickups in the ditch, but have never seen a Subaru.

 

[Jerry1]

As for whether or not going to a single vehicle is a good idea, DW and I are recording how often and for what reason we find ourselves using both vehicles at the same time. It’s only been a few months, but there’s only been one time where we both wanted to go in different directions at the same time.

I’m looking at about a year (before next winter) to do something with the truck. Then, we’ll decide on whether or not to get a small vehicle so we can fit both in the garage or just go to one vehicle. Right now, I’m wondering if we do go down to one vehicle what type would be best. If we keep two, I’ll get a mid-size car like a Camry. I like my truck, but most of my life I drove a sedan and actually prefer a sedan. DW prefers a suv because she likes to sit up higher (valid point).

 

[RetiredHappy]

There is always Lyft and Uber and that's our fallback plan but yet to require it ever since we went to one car 5 years ago.