Need some car input--do you drive any of these vehicles?

[ame]

So we got official word that the car is a total loss last night. We went back and got my plates and the last of the important stuff out, and I still forgot the damn garage door opener so the body shop pulled that out for me. I am awaiting instruction in signing over my title to the insurance company and how to proceed.

Based on my initial research through consumer reports, speaking with friends who have these, and my internal personal threshold budget of around 38K max fully loaded out, these are on my shortlist for the new car.

--Subaru Forester (maybe too low)
--Honda CR-V (possibly too small)
--Toyota Highlander (though I think this might get removed bec it's too high in price for the loaded model and might be a bit large)
--Totota Rav-4 (possibly too small)
--Ford Edge
--Ford Escape
--GMC Terrain

Do any of you have any of these? What do you like or dislike about them?

We are in the position where we can buy cash for them if we can't get 0% financing, though I personally do not want to do that because I don't want to crush my savings that way. We get the payout from the insurance plus we have a healthy savings, but I want to use the payout and then finance the rest with whatever 0% offer they may have. I have not test driven anything, I've just done consumer reports research.

I am planning to start test driving maybe tomorrow if I am not still absolutely terrified.

 

[movie zombie]

no input on the vehicles you mentioned but I was in a wreck on 9/8 and they declared my car totaled on 9/11....I feel your pain, especially about still not being terrified. I did buy a replacement vehicle yesterday but none of the ones you mentioned.

good luck: it does get better.

 

[MMtwo]

I had a Honda CRV (1999) and never had a moment's trouble out of it. I sold it a few years ago and miss it terribly. I am not a fan of the newer models (look more like cars now). The older model had great people space...It even had a little removable yard sale table in the back. What's not to love?

In the next couple of years I am going to buy a smaller SUV and am considering an older body type CRV, a RAV-4 or a Subaru Outback. The Subaru have amazing 4 wheel drive trains and are known for being very safe and reliable. My car loving fiance and his friend who sells cars loves the Subarus.

Good luck with your choices!

 

[ame]

no input on the vehicles you mentioned but I was in a wreck on 9/8 and they declared my car totaled on 9/11....I feel your pain, especially about still not being terrified. I did buy a replacement vehicle yesterday but none of the ones you mentioned.

good luck: it does get better.

Yea mine was 9/12 and declared last night. I finally started driving Wednesday in my husband's car and nearly got taken out by a semi who decided to go across four lanes of highway traffic, and almost took all of us with him. I had to pull over and I was sobbing. Then two hours after that my boss caught someone trying to pop the lock on that car in our work parking lot. I think I've had about enough!

We can afford more than that, I don't want to pay more than that. I had a Nissan Rogue for the last 6 years, longer than I've ever kept a car. It was fine but I don't want another Nissan. I don't feel it held up as well as it should've.

 

[movie zombie]

I replaced my 2005 Honda with a 2009...
I've had a Honda since December 1996 when I bought a 1997 Prelude.
this latest purchase is my 4th...yes, I've turned into a Honda loyalist and i'd recommend giving it a consideration.

I feel like I've become a bad driver magnet.....much like you. let us both hope we're not on the same road at the same time....[trying to be humorous but failing miserably].

we too had the $ to go ahead with the purchase as the insurance check is about a week out yet.....

again, it will get better............

 

[TooPatient]

Big hugs Ame!

I was in a bad car accident in 2004 and it took a long time to get past. I am still not comfortable driving on freeways, but it is better than it had been.

I haven't driven any of those on your list, but my grandparents have a Forester and like it. They got that one after the seatbelt malfunctioned in their Outback (during an accident!).

We have the Mazda CX5. Not sure if you looked at it or not, but it is great and may be worth considering. It had the highest safety rating the year we bought it and is still well rated that way. It is high enough that I feel comfortable but small enough that I don't feel uncomfortable. I like that I'm up high enough to be visible and safer in an accident.

 

[ame]

I was a Honda loyalist til my last Civic, because it was nothing but issues. I got rid of that one and got my nissan and that was ok til the last two years and I relied heavily on the extended warranty to fix those issues. I normally am not a fan of domestics, but given my last two usually reliable products being not so reliable, I am opening up to others. My in-laws are normally all Toyota but they've had TONS of issues with their latest as well, and that's been eye opening to see how poorly that's been handled.

 

[movie zombie]

i used to be a Ford woman...........
and still have a 1995 F-150 that really has been problem free......

unfortunately, in this day and age i'd almost rather have an older vehicle because i just think the more mechanical they are the better they are. now they're computers on wheels.

sigh.

do you have a trusted mechanic you could have check out a car for you prior to purchase?

 

[Tanzigrrl]

I was loyal to Nissan forever until my 2008 Frontier (truck) was a complete awful, terrible, horrible lemon.

I switched to Buick. <-- There's a sentence that still shocks me daily. I have a 2013 Encore (small SUV) and I LOVE it. Perfect car, nimble (I drive fwys daily), priced well below your budget, and a lot of bang for your buck. My husband drives a 2011 Buick Regal. Surprisingly wonderful cars, I'd recommend one to anyone!

 

[ame]

i used to be a Ford woman...........
and still have a 1995 F-150 that really has been problem free......

unfortunately, in this day and age i'd almost rather have an older vehicle because i just think the more mechanical they are the better they are. now they're computers on wheels.

sigh.

do you have a trusted mechanic you could have check out a car for you prior to purchase?

I don't buy preowned because I don't trust that a car hasn't been in a collision. But all my work usually goes through the dealership.

 

[blackprophet]

--Subaru Forester (maybe too low)
--Honda CR-V (possibly too small)
--Toyota Highlander (though I think this might get removed bec it's too high in price for the loaded model and might be a bit large)
--Totota Rav-4 (possibly too small)
--Ford Edge
--Ford Escape
--GMC Terrain

Sorry to hear about your accident. If you buy a used car from a dealership that is the same brand as the car, chances are you wont get a car with an accident on it. The dealership model ensures they only take the best cars that will bring them the most profits.

Forester: I have a Impreza, and I have driven the forester. Love Subarus so I'm biased. I will say the Edge is Lower than the forester (even if it is taller) so if the Edge is high enough, the Forester is too.
CR-V: FMIL and FSIL own one. Can't go wrong with a Honda. Nice driving and feels like driving a car.
Highlander: Don't know much, but again if the Edge is ok, its as big as the Highlander.
Rav-4: basically Toyota's version of the CR-V
Edge: Brother owns one. Feels much bigger than it looks. Nice Quality. The Engine is very strong (you'll think you are doing 60 when you are doing 100)
Escape: Don't know much about it.
Terrain: Don't know much about it.

 

[ame]

--Subaru Forester (maybe too low)
--Honda CR-V (possibly too small)
--Toyota Highlander (though I think this might get removed bec it's too high in price for the loaded model and might be a bit large)
--Totota Rav-4 (possibly too small)
--Ford Edge
--Ford Escape
--GMC Terrain

Sorry to hear about your accident. If you buy a used car from a dealership that is the same brand as the car, chances are you wont get a car with an accident on it. The dealership model ensures they only take the best cars that will bring them the most profits.

Forester: I have a Impreza, and I have driven the forester. Love Subarus so I'm biased. I will say the Edge is Lower than the forester (even if it is taller) so if the Edge is high enough, the Forester is too.
CR-V: FMIL and FSIL own one. Can't go wrong with a Honda. Nice driving and feels like driving a car.
Highlander: Don't know much, but again if the Edge is ok, its as big as the Highlander.
Rav-4: basically Toyota's version of the CR-V
Edge: Brother owns one. Feels much bigger than it looks. Nice Quality. The Engine is very strong (you'll think you are doing 60 when you are doing 100)
Escape: Don't know much about it.
Terrain: Don't know much about it.

Cue my next post where I have 10 speeding tickets.

Thank you!!!

 

[baby monster]

We have 2013 Highlander SE. It's under your budget but the next level didn't have anything we absolutely had to have like souped up entertainment system. No complaints or issues so far. It handles very well, has nice interior finishes, awd is tremendous, lots of space inside. Dashboard is nicely laid out and it accelerates quickly. We test drove rav4, crv, forester, outback, escape and mdx before choosing highlander. The others either didn't handle well or accelerated poorly or had huge blind spots or badly finished interiors.

My gf has 2013 rav4 . We recently had to be in it for a long road trip. I was a passenger in back and driver for a part of the drive. IMHO it's the worst car I've ever driven. Sluggish, lots of engine and road noise, uncomfortable seats.

 

[iLander]

We have a RAV 4 and love it. We bought it new through the Costco car buying program and saved $2000 off the "Tent sale" low price, which came to about $21K. I recommend the Costco program, the dealers are held to a tight price standard and Costco follows up to make sure everything went well.

It is very comfortable, especially the back seats, which have plenty of leg room and can tilt back. It's very peppy and feels like a big car inside. There is lots of cargo area, and it has an AMAZINGLY tight turning radius. It handles quite nicely. Consumer Reports rated it as a 200K miles car. Ours came with bluetooth, which is nice to listen to iTunes with. You can skip through iPhone songs using the buttons on the steering wheel. Mileage is pretty good, about 27 mpg. We've had it about 3 years, and use it for long road trips often. Stupid thing to like - but it has a ton of cup holders, which comes in handy. It came with 5 years of free maintenance (oil/rotate tires/etc).

I will buy this car again (if/when it wears out), and I recommend it.

 

[DNB]

Love my 2014 Highlander. I had a 2007 Honda Pilot before and the Highlander is just an overall better vehicle. It drives so much better, more like a car than a truck, which the Pilot was like. The Highlander actually has less cargo room and ours only sits 7 since we got the Limited which has the captain's chairs, but I love it and I don't find it large at all. It's also peppy and very responsive. It came loaded (basically a computer you drive) with bluetooth, gps, back up camera, etc. I also use Pandora radio and have Sirius/XM.

RAV-4 and CRV are the same size. My parents have both and my son has a CRV. To me, they're too small.

 

[D&T]

I have the new subie forester limited (not with the Eyesight or Turbo). This is my 3rd Subaru and LOVE them, First was a 2005 Forester, traded in for the Tribeca (more seats and thought I needed it back then) 6 Cylinder- heavier, not as zippy, glass visibility was standard and hated the small tank- but finally traded that and went back to the new forester (more zippy feel, fantastic visibility wished it had the two memory seat buttons like my Tribeca - do I miss that ). My SIL had an Outback and didn't really care for the sedan feel (small visibility on the back window) . I love love the Forester, Its not low at all great clearance. Great visibility, love my humungous moonroof, fantastic turning radius( I did a lot of U-turns), great performance in rain and snow of course, and not too tall for me to reach up to my roof rack for ski/snowboard or my carrier. I actually really love the turbo more, but I like the having the extra mpg. Had a CRV rental last year for a few days, I didn't really like the feel of it. My Sister had an Escape, she didn't care for it much.. but ok for driving, I travel long distance visiting family four/five times a year and this has been really nice to have. the back seat reclines minimally but enoug for the kiddos. Only thing is the leather is pretty cheap feeling.

The old Forester was not very comfy for DH as he is 6'2" tall, and my Tribeca had the console in the middle that stuck out where DH's legs were uncomfortable next to, but the new forester has more leg room and DH says of all of the subies I had, this is the most comfortable for his legs, even the back seats he can sit in just fine.

Honestly, if I didn't drive as much as I do, or cared about any extra future cost of possibly fixing the turbo down the road I would definitely opt for the turbo. When you test drive both, you’ll notice the difference pretty quickly.

 

[ame]

We have a RAV 4 and love it. We bought it new through the Costco car buying program and saved $2000 off the "Tent sale" low price, which came to about $21K. I recommend the Costco program, the dealers are held to a tight price standard and Costco follows up to make sure everything went well.

It is very comfortable, especially the back seats, which have plenty of leg room and can tilt back. It's very peppy and feels like a big car inside. There is lots of cargo area, and it has an AMAZINGLY tight turning radius. It handles quite nicely. Consumer Reports rated it as a 200K miles car. Ours came with bluetooth, which is nice to listen to iTunes with. You can skip through iPhone songs using the buttons on the steering wheel. Mileage is pretty good, about 27 mpg. We've had it about 3 years, and use it for long road trips often. Stupid thing to like - but it has a ton of cup holders, which comes in handy. It came with 5 years of free maintenance (oil/rotate tires/etc).

I will buy this car again (if/when it wears out), and I recommend it.

Was you Rav-4 New? Ive never done Costco for cars before. How does it work?

 

[ame]

I have the new subie forester limited (not with the Eyesight or Turbo). This is my 3rd Subaru and LOVE them, First was a 2005 Forester, traded in for the Tribeca (more seats and thought I needed it back then) 6 Cylinder- heavier, not as zippy, glass visibility was standard and hated the small tank- but finally traded that and went back to the new forester (more zippy feel, fantastic visibility wished it had the two memory seat buttons like my Tribeca - do I miss that ). My SIL had an Outback and didn't really care for the sedan feel (small visibility on the back window) . I love love the Forester, Its not low at all great clearance. Great visibility, love my humungous moonroof, fantastic turning radius( I did a lot of U-turns), great performance in rain and snow of course, and not too tall for me to reach up to my roof rack for ski/snowboard or my carrier. I actually really love the turbo more, but I like the having the extra mpg. Had a CRV rental last year for a few days, I didn't really like the feel of it. My Sister had an Escape, she didn't care for it much.. but ok for driving, I travel long distance visiting family four/five times a year and this has been really nice to have. the back seat reclines minimally but enoug for the kiddos. Only thing is the leather is pretty cheap feeling.

The old Forester was not very comfy for DH as he is 6'2" tall, and my Tribeca had the console in the middle that stuck out where DH's legs were uncomfortable next to, but the new forester has more leg room and DH says of all of the subies I had, this is the most comfortable for his legs, even the back seats he can sit in just fine.

Honestly, if I didn't drive as much as I do, or cared about any extra future cost of possibly fixing the turbo down the road I would definitely opt for the turbo. When you test drive both, you’ll notice the difference pretty quickly.

That's good to know. I have the Forester without the Turbo on my list, mostly bec a friend WITH a turbo has complained about long term work. I usually do buy the extended warranties due to the fact that I do want the ability to keep them for a long time and not have out of pocket issues.

DH is 6 ft 4 and a big guy so the ability for him to fit is vital.

 

[iLander]

We have a RAV 4 and love it. We bought it new through the Costco car buying program and saved $2000 off the "Tent sale" low price, which came to about $21K. I recommend the Costco program, the dealers are held to a tight price standard and Costco follows up to make sure everything went well.

It is very comfortable, especially the back seats, which have plenty of leg room and can tilt back. It's very peppy and feels like a big car inside. There is lots of cargo area, and it has an AMAZINGLY tight turning radius. It handles quite nicely. Consumer Reports rated it as a 200K miles car. Ours came with bluetooth, which is nice to listen to iTunes with. You can skip through iPhone songs using the buttons on the steering wheel. Mileage is pretty good, about 27 mpg. We've had it about 3 years, and use it for long road trips often. Stupid thing to like - but it has a ton of cup holders, which comes in handy. It came with 5 years of free maintenance (oil/rotate tires/etc).

I will buy this car again (if/when it wears out), and I recommend it.

Was you Rav-4 New? Ive never done Costco for cars before. How does it work?

Yes, it was brand new. If you have a costco membership, you have the free service automatically. Here's the website http://www.costcoauto.com/enterzipcode.aspx?gotourl=%2fdefault.aspx

We just went to the website above, picked a few cars, it gave us the dealers contact guy (there's a non-commision sales guy especially for this, usually) and we made an appointment. We looked through a bunch of cars, drove some, he was very helpful, then we'd ask the price. He has to show you the dealer's invoice and that's what you pay. We decided on the RAV and that was it. No haggling or anything, just they charge you the invoice price, minus any factory rebates, etc. It was factory rebate time when we got ours, so we were even below invoice. Prior to that, we had considered a deal on a Nissan Altima, and their Costco sale guy had us down to $16K on a car that was $25K on the sticker.

So, yeah, no fee or charge for it, just free with your Costco membership and we saved thousands.

 

[D&T]

I would recommend checking the forester out, Because of the openness and the way the dashboard and glass is situated, it feels very open and not confining for a compact SUV. DH wears size 13 shoes, and no problems with the pedal area

 

[decodelighted]

Very sorry to hear about the accident! Yikes! Are *you* okay? I think I have psychosomatic back pains FOR you!

Re: the car sitch.... I have a 2005 RAV4 approaching 100K miles (that I bought slightly used w/9K miles on it in 2006). I love this car. It's the last year of that body style (smaller) but I prefer it that way vs. the next gen & NEW gen just this past year. Now I don't like the looks of them so much, but haven't test driven any. Also heard, like you, that more recent Toyotas (& Hondas) have had some problems. Especially w/air bags - so check that out if you buy used. My plan currently is to drive this into the ground and enjoy no payments for as long as possible. Especially since I haven't really found anything I prefer (even though some bells & whistles would be nice - like LOL - NAV!!!)

If I was looking at new ones (or slightly used!) right now I'd be tempted to test drive the BMW X1s (because they are so cute - but 99% sure I wouldn't spend the dough/get something so status-y) ... and the smaller Mazda mini-SUV ... maybe the Honda Crosstour? Not many have caught my eye lately - though I am irrationally attracted to NAVY cars for some reason right now. Nissan has a nice navy but I don't want a Rogue or Murano really.

Good luck w/your search. And hope you are physically okay & emotionally doing better!

 

[packrat]

I have an 04 Escape and love it. I don't care for the body style of the newer ones, after 2012. Although, JD had a 2013, a couple times for stake outs and buys, and he really liked how it felt. The newest I've driven is a 2010 when mine was in the shop...it had light up stuff inside that you could change the color on and I like to mess w/stuff. Mine is zippy, I don't feel like I'm driving a semi, but I don't feel like I'm too low on the ground either-which I never noticed until going to a bigger vehicle.

 

[rainwood]

I've had 2 Subaru Foresters, the current one is a 2007. I love a lot of the things about it, but one of the things I love most and that you'd care about is that it has REALLY responsive brakes. That car stops on a dime which has probably saved me at least 2 or 3 accidents with all the bad, distracted drivers we have around here. I've driven the 2014 Forester as a loaner car and the one thing I didn't like about it was that the interior lights for things at night were red. I don't know if that's an option or standard but I didn't care for the red. Everything else seemed familiar and good. Subaru doesn't have all the latest stuff as far as audio/digital but it's a very reliable car which I care about more.

 

[jaysonsmom]

My husband's current work vehicle is a 2013 Ford Escape. I think it's a cute little vehicle, the engine is pretty sound, although it's only 1.5 years old....but little things are falling apart already! The back covering of the right mirror just disappeared one day (nothing ever hit it to our knowledge); the handle to pull down the trunk just broke off one day. The rubber seal around the trunk is also hanging down in one area. Overall I think it's just a sloppily put together car. Would not recommend it to anyone.

Through his company, we have the option to purchase one of the work vehicles after their 3 year (or 60,000 mile) lifespan, at a great price, and I would not buy this. Hope his company will have better offerings for his next car because we will probably purchase the vehicle at the end of it's 3 year usage for my son who will be 16!

 

[movie zombie]

Carfax is your friend for buying pre-owned....
the local Honda dealership provides them w/o cost for their used inventory....
in fact, for the 2009 I just bought the Carfax was online so I saw it before seeing the car.
no accidents.
clean title.
maintenance history included as well as prior ownership, etc.
btw, my last new off the lot car was that 1997 prelude in December 1996.
I buy pre-owned because don't want to eat the cost of depreciation on a new car that happens when merely driving off the lot with it.
however, admittedly, I spent a lot of time with my dad when I was a kid and I learned a lot about how to buy used.......
it is time consuming and I can understand why many do not do it.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Ame, I am so sorry about your accident! We have traded in our honda's for subaru's. My hubby has a new impreza and I am getting a outback limited with the eyesight in about three weeks (ordered). The thing I have really enjoyed about my husband's impreza is the interior of the car. For the first time ever, we got light colored leather seats, but all the rest of the interior is black. Also, all of the interior spaces are easy to clean. Subaru uses this heavy duty plastic moldings that just wipe really clean, and the visors are not cloth so that oils from your hands eventually get them really dirty. It's the little things that I find make a difference.

Also, when we were shopping we found that the CRV's didnt get very good gas mileage. At least for us.


Ame, I would have your hubby sit in the outback. It has so much more room. My 6'2" handicapped son fits easily in the back seats, and he has a hard time getting in and out of cars.

 

[perry]

With my allergies I shifted to buying New cars in 2009. Prior to that was all "Used". But this way I know that there is not lingering smoke or cat dander in the vehicle.

I also tend to run my cars into the ground. My previous car had over 250,000 miles on it when I traded it in and was becoming expensive to maintain.

While not in your size class - I purchased a 2009 Hyundai Sonata (new).

I just rolled past 100,000 miles and have done the following maintenance to the vehicle:

Routine oil, fluids, and filter changes (I think I now average an oil change every 6000 miles
- I switched to all synthetic oil at about the 6000 mile point and change oil when it starts to get dark).
2 sets of wiper blades
1 set of tires
This year @ 97,000 miles: Rear Brakes (calipers, pads, rotors - as I wanted a complete overhaul and not a partial that would have need rework in a year or two for another part) & New Battery

Also, I have twice replaced a plastic fender cover due to other vehicles hitting my car when parked (in very cold weather - the plastic just shatters when it is below 0F). I again need to replace the back fender cover at this time and actually do some minor metal work due to Princess backing into the side of the garage while learning to drive last year - Nothing urgent and I have other priorities to spend my money on this year).

I am looking forward to the 2nd 100,000 miles as well.

A great car.


Hope that helps,

Perry

 

[luv2sparkle]

Ame, one more thought. If you are having a hard time feeling comfortable about driving, you might look in to the models with eyesight. They have blind spot detection and the eye sight is responsive to brake lights and other vehicles encroaching on you. It might make you feel a little more comfortable to have the extra protection. Couldn't hurt to take one for a test drive and see how you like it.

 

[movie zombie]

lol, perry, I have chemical allergies and the new car smells are pretty much outsourcing allergens that I don't do well with!
sort of damned if you do and damned if you don't re allergies, isn't it?!
Hyundai does make a good car from what I understand and your experience is proving it to be so.

 

[FrekeChild]

I'm a bit of a Honda loyalist, because we own a 2001 Prelude and a 2011 CRV....but our next car will be a Toyota Prius. And the only reason for that is because of gas.

I love our CRV. It has perfect cargo space for a giant car seat, two medium-large dogs in the back, plus us and still plenty of cargo room on the sides, and it's small enough to not feel like a big truck. We have had no problems with it at all. We had traded a VW Rabbit in for it, only because we needed to get a 4 door vehicle for a car seat. I love our CRV, I just wish it came in a really good hybrid...

My dad had a Toyota Highlander, and that thing felt like you were driving a truck with how it handled. He didn't like it either, but needed a SUV with 4 wheel drive because he lives in the mountains so he now owns a Lexus LX, which it way too fancy for my tastes, but handles amazingly well.