If you drive much during the winter months I’d recommend an AWD car.I live in Reno.
I’ve been here almost 30 years and used to have spiders which snapped onto the tires in place of chains. Your son might want to get them if he’s frequently in the mountains in winter. That’s no longer a concern for me.If you drive much during the winter months I’d recommend an AWD car.
My son lives in Reno and snow skis often. He frequently visits the Lake Tahoe area. During the winter there are times when snow chains, or AWD, is required, particularly driving over Donner Summit. It’s very convenient not having to chain up a non-AWD car.
The spiders are a good convenient solution for non-AWD cars. My son gets in 50+ days per season at the ski resorts, so he has an AWD and a 2nd set of snow tires and wheels. Therefore no need to stop and put on chains when chain requirements are in place.I’ve been here almost 30 years and used to have spiders which snapped onto the tires in place of chains. Your son might want to get them if he’s frequently in the mountains in winter. That’s no longer a concern for me.
[Mod Edit]I appreciate the ratings since I didn’t want to pay for consumer reports.
[Looking at Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic.]
I’m not open to other brands of cars
Check out Hyundai.
Good point as long as it's brief and requires less that 10 seconds to read I think you should be ok.Maybe throwing out various ideas, in a discussion forum, isn't such a bad thing after all...![]()
condescending, rude, and crass? A trifecta!@TT, did you really say this? You don't want to pay a few dollars, really a pittance, as part of a multi-thousand dollar purchase? Really? Really
Will Rogers: " There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to piss on the electric fence for themselves."
Sorry, didn't mean it that way at all. My thought was to get the OP to re-examine her decision to avoid a trivial cost when making a very non-trivial decision. Actually I think many of us cheapskates have a tendency to be a little penny wise and pound foolish.condescending, rude, and crass? A trifecta!
We bought a 2018 Subaru Impreza for our son that had been used as a loaner and had about 8k miles on it at the time. It’s still running great, though I don’t know the mileage at this point. Never heard of any problems with it.I did consider the Impreza but I don’t know anyone that has owned one long enough to know its reliability. It rates the same as the Corolla on Edmunds.
My friend has a Subaru Impreza and I had been considering it because I have rode in it but didn’t originally mention it because I saw on Edmunds that it was listed below the Corolla.Qs,
Someone else made a suggestion beyond Toyota/Honda, and the OP is now not only open to but leaning toward another brand of car (Subaru).
Maybe throwing out various ideas, in a discussion forum, isn't such a bad thing after all...![]()
People keep suggesting hybrids, electric cars, suvs, etc none of which I’m interested in if this is what you’re talking about. I hate driving SUVs.Sorry, didn't mean it that way at all. My thought was to get the OP to re-examine her decision to avoid a trivial cost when making a very non-trivial decision. Actually I think many of us cheapskates have a tendency to be a little penny wise and pound foolish.
Ditto. Buy one while it is still undervalued.Check out Hyundai. The safety features are outstanding. The warranty is double most other new car warranties (5-year, 60k mile and 10-year 100,00 mile).
Yes, when to buy a "new" car is definitely a crap shoot. I wouldn't want to deal with a totally clapped out car like your friend. I have enough money to buy just about any car I want. But as long as my car is reliable and reasonably comfortable, I'll hang onto it. It's a very personal choice - especially when money is not a huge concern. I understand about your tight parking space. One of our two spaces is a bit tight and DW dinged the fenders on our old Honda CRV (now gone) tying to park.Koolua, I have thought about your advice to keep my car and haven’t ruled it out. A friend of mine did that figuring she would be dead or not driving.
Fast forward and she’s 85 and most things are broken and she can’t roll the windows up and down and has to get into the driver’s seat from the passenger seat. So she buys a car and is still driving at 93. She is sad that she waited so long to get a newer car.
One of the negatives about waiting until my car needs a big repair to replace it is car prices are predicted to greatly increase if tariffs are installed. Also once my car has an issue I won’t be able to sell it for a decent price. These low mileage older Corollas are easily sold locally.Yes, when to buy a "new" car is definitely a crap shoot. I wouldn't want to deal with a totally clapped out car like your friend. I have enough money to buy just about any car I want. But as long as my car is reliable and reasonably comfortable, I'll hang onto it. It's a very personal choice - especially when money is not a huge concern. I understand about your tight parking space. One of our two spaces is a bit tight and DW dinged the fenders on our old Honda CRV (now gone) tying to park.
Best luck with your search. Keep us posted.
I definitely think now is a good time. No need to hurry but, as you saw with your friend, if you wait too long, you’ll need a new car in the last couple years of your driving abilities. Get one now and enjoy it.One of the negatives about waiting until my car needs a big repair to replace it is car prices are predicted to greatly increase if tariffs are installed. Also once my car has an issue I won’t be able to sell it for a decent price. These low mileage older Corollas are easily sold locally.
So I know that some Toyota dealers offer a "Try-Before-You-Buy" program where they'll let you rent one of their showroom or new loaner vehicles to see if you like it. Someone posted earlier that you're in the Las Vegas area, so I looked it up on the Toyota website and alas, there are no participating Toyota dealers in Las Vegas. However, if you're up for a little drive, Toyota claims there is a participating dealer in Lake Havasu City. Maybe they'll want to work with you on renting a Corolla.Koolua, I have thought about your advice to keep my car and haven’t ruled it out. A friend of mine did that figuring she would be dead or not driving.
Fast forward and she’s 85 and most things are broken and she can’t roll the windows up and down and has to get into the driver’s seat from the passenger seat. So she buys a car and is still driving at 93. She is sad that she waited so long to get a newer car.
Subarus’ maintenance schedule also has more items and more frequent items due to the AWD if I recall correctly. That’s additional cost and hassle.…
And this is just my 2¢ on Subarus: If you do not need AWD, I'd steer clear of it. More things to go wrong, more friction leading to less MPG, and with AWD vehicles, if you have 10K or more miles on it and you blow out a sidewall on a tire hitting a curb, you'll have to replace all 4 tires, even if the other three are still in decent shape. AWD systems prefer to have all four tires having equal wear and most manufacturers claim that replacing only one or two tires on an AWD vehicle can cause unnecessary wear and tear on your drivetrain.
Hope this helps.
We had to do this a few times. Some folks believe this isn't necessary, but it is what Subaru recommends. I loved my old Outback, which I owned for 20 years, and I love the current one (seven years and counting), but after my last four tire replacement a few years ago, I decided I wouldn't buy an AWD vehicle again since we don't need it where we live.And this is just my 2¢ on Subarus: If you do not need AWD, I'd steer clear of it. More things to go wrong, more friction leading to less MPG, and with AWD vehicles, if you have 10K or more miles on it and you blow out a sidewall on a tire hitting a curb, you'll have to replace all 4 tires, even if the other three are still in decent shape. AWD systems prefer to have all four tires having equal wear and most manufacturers claim that replacing only one or two tires on an AWD vehicle can cause unnecessary wear and tear on your drivetrain.