Seeking CAR thoughts

[decodelighted]

My husband and I just bought a 2010 Forester and we love it. The 2014 model is even better with improved MPG and great performance in crash tests.

Another vote for Subaru! Thanks, Zappy. I just finished up a gig where I worked a bit with the Subaru folks so it's great to hear how passionate owners are about their rides! (I can tell you THEY are certainly very passionate about their cars/image/safety/etc).

 

[decodelighted]

It hasn't been mentioned yet but meets all your critera and yes I'm little biased as I LOVE my car. It is a Volvo XC60 which is there crossover SUV. I love my car and wouldn't trade it for the world. Get avg of 23mpg- and I also have back problems. The seats are very comfortable and offer great support.

Thanks SB621. My sister can afford whatever car she wants & chose this also. You're right - it's super comfy. She needs the space for two kids but it seems a bit bigger than what I'd prefer.

 

[decodelighted]

Decodelighted, My Jeep Grand Cherokee is my favorite car of all time--I've had it about 2 years, I think its the 2011, the new body style.

Hey sarahb! My DH was super burned by a Jeep Liberty and has a "thing" against the brand. However my BIL has loved a series of Jeeps -- so rock on w/your uber pimped dream car! Sounds fantastic to me! Thanks!

 

[decodelighted]

Decodelighted, My Jeep Grand Cherokee is my favorite car of all time--I've had it about 2 years, I think its the 2011, the new body style.

Hey sarahb! My DH was super burned by a Jeep Liberty and has a "thing" against the brand. However my BIL has loved a series of Jeeps -- so rock on w/your uber pimped dream car! Sounds fantastic to me! Thanks!

 

[decodelighted]

We love our Tesla Model S, deco, so if you ever DO find yourself looking at it or the Model X (crossover debuting in early 2014) in your upcoming search, I'm happy to answer any questions about our 2300 miles of experiences so far! (Same goes for you, asscher_girl!)Aside from that, my DH and I have ever only owned small, low-end sedans...and the Mustang. So not much help!

Thanks vc10um! You're a transpo pioneer! So cool!

 

[decodelighted]

I love my new Honda CR-V. The car colors are meh, but its a relatively inexpensive car to purchase and for gas mileage..it fits all my family members and dog with plenty of room. Its still a SUV, albeit a small one, but its big enough. I like the shape of them..and the middle range CRV includes a moon roof, and all of them have the rear video monitoring so you can back up into small spaces without freaking out. With gas being at a premium, there is no way I would buy a gas guzzler..Im too cheap.
The new Subarus are cute too.

I kinda like that new medium blue/green color. (But not as much as I like my current hue: icy green grape-ish.) Glad to hear you love the CR-V. Thanks!

 

[decodelighted]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Chevy Equinox. It's great! It has a higher clearance, good fuel economy, fits the 5 of us pretty well. We originally bought it because DH had hurt his back and needed more support. Now DH has suggested that we get something else (say when we win the lotto) but I love my Equinox.

I have an Equinox also and love it!! My mother just got a 2013 Honda CRV and is in LOVE with it!

Hey Orbaya - thanks! I saw a really old lady getting out of my exact current car today. Afraid it's popular with that set because its easy in/easy out & high riding. When did I become a Senior!?! GAH! Now I want to rush into the sinewy arms of that Nissan Z roadster. LOL

 

[decodelighted]

Hey! no time no see!!!!

double air es **hug**

 

[decodelighted]

Just off the top of my head:
Hyundai Tuscon
Nissan Murano
Kia Sportage or Sorrento
Toyota Venza
Subaru TriBeCa
Ford Edge
Mazda CX5
Volvo XC 90
VW Tiguan or Touareg
Acura MDX or RDX

Hey Dani! Thanks! I've been cursing those Tiguans & Touarags on the road lately because they are ADORBS and make me want them SO MUCH but Consumer Reports has some not great ratings for them in terms of ownership reliability. If I was going to LEASE - I'd be ALL ABOUT THEM.

 

[decodelighted]

Okay I'm gonna go against the grain and say KEEP YOUR CAR! A Toyota you LOVE with only 89k miles? Brakes and tires aren't that much money! That thing will go for another 100k! But I hate having cars and car payments, so I'm biased. I totally know what you mean about the new snarly looking cars. I think it's the shape of the headlights, they look like mean squinted eyes or something. That said, we have a 2007 Subaru Outback that we love. Smooth ride, super reliable, and AWD. However, we're about to sell it and go fully carless because we just don't use it enough. (We live in a city with public transport and can walk/bike/transit to work.)

HA!!! Of course it WOULD BE YOU, Thing2. Honestly, I tend to agree with you. Tomorrow's the day I find out how big a bill fixing the current sitch will be. And I TOTALLY AGREE about the great feeling of NO PAYMENTS. And I read somewhere than the RAVs are one of the top 5 (10?) cars most likely to make 250K. I'm KICKING myself for getting too wrapped up in DH's fun new car that we totally stopped driving mine & f'd it up accidentally. GACK! I do really love it. DH has been through FOUR cars in the time I've had this. And each time I get a little jealous for awhile & ponder a new one but have previously always come back to -- I don't really like anything THAT much more than this one. Not $400/month more! So maybe you know me best of all?

 

[decodelighted]

Thing, thanks for pointing out that Deco's car only has 89K miles on it. I missed that when I originally read the thread. Deco, my Corolla is a 2005 and it has about 116K miles on it. I am planning on trading it in for something else at some point but I love not having car payments and my car is running great. If it's a normal wear and tear issue, I'd keep on top of getting it serviced when needed (tires rotated, oil changes, tire pressure check, etc.). Granted, every car is different and it sounds like your RAV-4 might have rust issues, while others with the same car might not have. I'd hang onto your car as long as possible and only buy something else when the service station recommends doing so or if you determine that you really need to.

Hey Zoe! Congrats on keeping yr. Corolla kicking! That was always my plan until this "forgot to drive it for 3 months" hiccup happened. Will report back the findings from it's "check up" at the car hospital tomorrow. Maybe she just needs some Spa treatments & not Surgery. Thanks for yr. thoughts!

 

[zoebartlett]

I know every car's different, or as Kenny might say, cars vary, so people can have very different experience with the same model car built in the same year. I will admit to asking every time I bring my car in for routine check ups whether I should start looking for a new car, and the guy assures me it's not time yet. A part of me hopes he says yes so I can buy something new, but I'm too cheap. I can't say I've forgotten to drive my car so I've never had that hiccup, but my husband has. He now works from home so he rarely uses his car during the day.

 

[NashvilleNights]

delete-double post

 

[NashvilleNights]

im looking at the new tahoe hybrid. the interior is very nice, has a third row bench that you can collapse when you don't need it...

i've drove everything from vettes to jeeps. ive had 7 or more jeeps. i just prefer the tahoe pkg... http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2014-chevrolet-tahoe-gmc-yukon-spy-photos-news

 

[baby monster]

My car died an untimely death late last year so I test drove a bunch of 2012/2013 small and midsize suvs. Here are my notes (YMMV):

Rav4 - cheap interior, poor acceleration, lots of road noise.
CRV - HUGE blindspots
Rogue & Murano - terrible handling, cramped back seat.
Forester - nice and zippy, extremely bumpy ride in back seat.
Outback - very cramped, odd driver's seat - my back started to hurt 5 min into test drive.
Venza - nice interior, HUGE blindspots.
RDX & MDX - handles like a boat.
Escape - lots of sharp-edged plastic parts that are poorly fitted together.


Ended up buying Toyota Highlander Sport - Consumer Reports top rated midsize suv. Plush ride, great acceleration, handling, visibility, quiet, nice interior, nav & sunroof.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Any reason you must have a moon roof? My car has one and two downsides are a) if you open it and the sun is shining, you'll have to close it to avoid having the sun in your eyes, and b) if it cracks, it might cost a lot to replace. Mine is going to cost over $700! The good part is you can open it and keep your car cool while running errands. Also, one time I opened my roof all the way and accidently locked my keys in my car and was able to climb up in through my moon roof and unlock my car! Mine is a Forester and the moon roof is large...a smaller one would cost less to replace.

ETA - we have a Forester and plan to keep that and we are looking to buy a new vehicle and test drove a Volvo XC90 the other day. It has pretty much every feature we want but I found there is a huge blind spot from the driver's side and it bugged me but not my Dh, but he's a lot taller than me. We're going to try out a couple other vehicles now. IF we didn't have two growing boys, I'd get another Forester, but we need a larger car b/c the boys are becoming taller by the day and we want to be able to fit friends in too. Just a thought...Foresters are AWESOME for AWD vehicles. I'd be buzzing right by cars stuck on the side of the road when it was snowing out w/out hesitation.

 

[iheartscience]

Okay I'm gonna go against the grain and say KEEP YOUR CAR! A Toyota you LOVE with only 89k miles? Brakes and tires aren't that much money! That thing will go for another 100k! But I hate having cars and car payments, so I'm biased. I totally know what you mean about the new snarly looking cars. I think it's the shape of the headlights, they look like mean squinted eyes or something. That said, we have a 2007 Subaru Outback that we love. Smooth ride, super reliable, and AWD. However, we're about to sell it and go fully carless because we just don't use it enough. (We live in a city with public transport and can walk/bike/transit to work.)

HA!!! Of course it WOULD BE YOU, Thing2. Honestly, I tend to agree with you. Tomorrow's the day I find out how big a bill fixing the current sitch will be. And I TOTALLY AGREE about the great feeling of NO PAYMENTS. And I read somewhere than the RAVs are one of the top 5 (10?) cars most likely to make 250K. I'm KICKING myself for getting too wrapped up in DH's fun new car that we totally stopped driving mine & f'd it up accidentally. GACK! I do really love it. DH has been through FOUR cars in the time I've had this. And each time I get a little jealous for awhile & ponder a new one but have previously always come back to -- I don't really like anything THAT much more than this one. Not $400/month more! So maybe you know me best of all?

Yeah if you don't even have a burning desire for a new car, I would def keep the RAV4! Fingers crossed the spa day isn't too expensive and fixes all the issues. Because $400 a month is a lotta jewels/food/savings (if you believe in actually keeping some money each month )!

 

[DiamondBrokersofFlorida]

I've had the Buick Enclave for 5 years and love it. If you want smaller they have a new Encore this year. Very comfortable car.

 

[mercoledi]

First of all, hi there

Second of all, you asked for car love stories, so here goes. After 12 years of urban living without a car, DH and bought one this spring. We've used Zipcar for ages and so had driven pretty much everything we might be interested in. I assumed we'd get something smallish and zippy for city driving and parking, and the Mazda 3, Toyota Matrix and VW hybrids were at the top of that list. So what did we buy?

A Honda Crosstour. And it's awesome.

The professional reviewers panned this car, it's basically an accord on steroids. It gets classed as a sedan, a wagon, a crossover or a SUV depending upon what you're reading. It's larger than a standard Accord and has the same interior storage as a CRV but is way smaller than say the new Outbacks. The interior is huge and cushy and reminds me far more of an Acura than the standard Honda interiors. It also has AWD which was on my list of nice-to-have-but-dont-want-to-pay-extra-for (also the leather interior, moon roof, programmable seats...).

I don't know if it'll be high enough given your back problems, but it's been a great car and since not that many were made and they never got popular, they're pretty cheap used (but painfully overpriced new). Our was certified pre-owned and had clearly been babied by the leasee so it feels like a new car, it just doesn't hurt as much to pay for each month!

Good luck with whatever your decide!

 

[decodelighted]

My car died an untimely death late last year so I test drove a bunch of 2012/2013 small and midsize suvs. Here are my notes (YMMV):

Rav4 - cheap interior, poor acceleration, lots of road noise.
CRV - HUGE blindspots
Rogue & Murano - terrible handling, cramped back seat.
Forester - nice and zippy, extremely bumpy ride in back seat.
Outback - very cramped, odd driver's seat - my back started to hurt 5 min into test drive.
Venza - nice interior, HUGE blindspots.
RDX & MDX - handles like a boat.
Escape - lots of sharp-edged plastic parts that are poorly fitted together.

Ended up buying Toyota Highlander Sport - Consumer Reports top rated midsize suv. Plush ride, great acceleration, handling, visibility, quiet, nice interior, nav & sunroof.

W O W. That's impressive! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your carefully gathered intel!

 

[decodelighted]

Any reason you must have a moon roof?

Hey MC,
I think habit more than anything. I've really enjoyed them on my last three cars & felt so claustrophobic in DH's cars that *didn't* have them. We went "open air" overboard recently & he leased an VW EOS that has a sunroof AND is a hard top convertible. It's a crazy Transformer-like thing that is bound to break down: which is why we only committed for 3 yrs. He'll probably save a bit more & get his lusted for BMW after that ... or something "fun", as that is his main criteria. Which leaves ME (!!) in the position of having to have the "practical", snow-hearty, purchased, drive it into the ground reliable mobile.

 

[decodelighted]

I've had the Buick Enclave for 5 years and love it. If you want smaller they have a new Encore this year. Very comfortable car.

Thanks DBOF. I'll look that up online. Could swear I saw a magazine ad for them recently.

 

[decodelighted]

First of all, hi there

Second of all, you asked for car love stories, so here goes. After 12 years of urban living without a car, DH and bought one this spring. We've used Zipcar for ages and so had driven pretty much everything we might be interested in. I assumed we'd get something smallish and zippy for city driving and parking, and the Mazda 3, Toyota Matrix and VW hybrids were at the top of that list. So what did we buy?

A Honda Crosstour. And it's awesome.

The professional reviewers panned this car, it's basically an accord on steroids. It gets classed as a sedan, a wagon, a crossover or a SUV depending upon what you're reading. It's larger than a standard Accord and has the same interior storage as a CRV but is way smaller than say the new Outbacks. The interior is huge and cushy and reminds me far more of an Acura than the standard Honda interiors. It also has AWD which was on my list of nice-to-have-but-dont-want-to-pay-extra-for (also the leather interior, moon roof, programmable seats...).

I don't know if it'll be high enough given your back problems, but it's been a great car and since not that many were made and they never got popular, they're pretty cheap used (but painfully overpriced new). Our was certified pre-owned and had clearly been babied by the leasee so it feels like a new car, it just doesn't hurt as much to pay for each month!

Good luck with whatever your decide!

Hey mercoledi! That's a GREAT story. So glad you love your new wheels! I've seen them around and always thought they were pretty sharp - but haven't yet experienced the plushness. You've piqued my curiosity so I'll check one out when I test drive the CR-V. My RAV4 was a certified pre-owned w/super low miles (8K) and it was a great way to make the most pimped model more affordable! Thanks for sharing.

 

[DiamondBrokersofFlorida]

Your welcome. Once you ride in one it will be over and they also get really decent gas mileage.

 

[decodelighted]

Yeah if you don't even have a burning desire for a new car, I would def keep the RAV4! Fingers crossed the spa day isn't too expensive and fixes all the issues. Because $400 a month is a lotta jewels/food/savings (if you believe in actually keeping some money each month )!

Welllllllll.... I really do have an ITCH for a new car. But I don't think it's quite yet outweighing my love for the RAV (combined with the benefits of no payments of course!)

******** AND THE RAV DAMAGE IS *********

$809. So - not great, but not terrible. I told DH ... "well, i have to drive it two more months at least" (since a new car would run us $400ish/month)

- new battery
- sparkplugs
- front & rear brake work (mostly rust from sitting)
- fixing some rattle somewhere (Free!)

And they said the tires seem fine & are working out their "flat spots" where they literally sunk into our asphalt driveway. THAT's how neglected my poor car was.


I think I am going to go ahead & test drive a few cars to see what I'm missing out on in a few of these Next Gen models. So if y'all have any more suggestions/stories: SUPER! If not, thanks so much for y'all's help. It's been so fun riding shotgun!

 

[zoebartlett]

Deco, I really like the CR-V, but I did notice when driving my mom's recently that the pick up isn't the greatest. I kind of expected that because it's a much bigger car than mine, but I was surprised at how slow it actually was when going uphill. I don't think that's a deal breaker but you might if you live in a particularly hilly area.

I've heard that road noise has been as issue for RAV-4s (not sure if you notice it in yours) but I've also heard that Toyota has improved that in the newest model.

ETA: Have fun when you test drive new cars! Let us know what happens.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Any reason you must have a moon roof?

Hey MC,
I think habit more than anything. I've really enjoyed them on my last three cars & felt so claustrophobic in DH's cars that *didn't* have them. We went "open air" overboard recently & he leased an VW EOS that has a sunroof AND is a hard top convertible. It's a crazy Transformer-like thing that is bound to break down: which is why we only committed for 3 yrs. He'll probably save a bit more & get his lusted for BMW after that ... or something "fun", as that is his main criteria. Which leaves ME (!!) in the position of having to have the "practical", snow-hearty, purchased, drive it into the ground reliable mobile.

Ah, yeah, I can see that if you're always had and loved moon roofs/plus the claustraphobia aspect, then for sure stick with them. Just check the size of the moon roof. The Forester one is just SO big and having it cracked looks horrible, but I've had to replace my windshield twice (and it AGAIN has a nick in it, so it will have to be replaced again) and we found "a guy" who replaces those for cheap (and does a good job) but he doesn't do the moon roofs, so no special deal on fixing that. lol

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Yeah if you don't even have a burning desire for a new car, I would def keep the RAV4! Fingers crossed the spa day isn't too expensive and fixes all the issues. Because $400 a month is a lotta jewels/food/savings (if you believe in actually keeping some money each month )!

Welllllllll.... I really do have an ITCH for a new car. But I don't think it's quite yet outweighing my love for the RAV (combined with the benefits of no payments of course!)

******** AND THE RAV DAMAGE IS *********

$809. So - not great, but not terrible. I told DH ... "well, i have to drive it two more months at least" (since a new car would run us $400ish/month)

- new battery
- sparkplugs
- front & rear brake work (mostly rust from sitting)
- fixing some rattle somewhere (Free!)

And they said the tires seem fine & are working out their "flat spots" where they literally sunk into our asphalt driveway. THAT's how neglected my poor car was.


I think I am going to go ahead & test drive a few cars to see what I'm missing out on in a few of these Next Gen models. So if y'all have any more suggestions/stories: SUPER! If not, thanks so much for y'all's help. It's been so fun riding shotgun!

Are you doing the regular tire rotations? I had to replace my tires because I skipped a rotation and with AWD, you have to rotate them every so many miles...3 or 5K (whatever the manual says...the tire place said to rotate them every time milage reaches another oil change).

Be sure to post what vehicles you test drive. I've been so stuck in the mindset of having certain manufactures, but today saw a cute mid-size SUV that wasn't one I'd normally consider, but if I looked beyond the brand, it was perfect!

There is only one I won't buy, though, and that is Ford. Reason being I took my (years-ago-owned) Explorer in for a check-up and my mechanic said get rid of this ASAP, it is about to die. We traded it right away. Then, the same thing happened with my husband's truck. The engine started making banging noises and we had a different mechanic check it (a friend) and he said it was going to keel over and to trade it in right away.