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SUV or Wagon Advice Needed. RAV4? Subaru?

M

MarionC

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 9, 2013
Messages
6,244
I'm trading in my SUV while still under warranty and looking for a very reliable and safe SUV or station wagon.
I had a Toyota farm truck with zero problems in over 100,000 miles, so I'm looking at the RAV4,
and my friends love their Subaru.
Any other suggestions?
I've been doing a lot of research, but wanted to get the opinions and/or experience of PSers.
Nothing too fancy, just good solid transportation big enough to carry a couple of dogs in the back seat and a hatch back for horse feed.

Thanks in advance!
Jimiianne
 
Jimmianne, do you have the Car issue from Consumer Reports? I don't have it but it would be an invaluable resource. Kristie has it so email her and ask her to text you the relevant pages regarding the cars you are considering. If you want me to do it let me know but I think you have her email.
 
Thanks, Missy. That helps. I'll contact her.
 
Do you get snow where you live Jimmianne? We have had mostly Honda's ( Pilot and 2 accords and several civics, and an Odessey) over the years and now we own 3 Subaru's. They handle snow better than any vehicle we have ever had. The biggest is the Outback. Leg room is ok in the back. I love driving it, we got all the bells and whistles but to tell you the truth, for carrying passengers as well as stuff, I sometimes wish I still have my mini van.
 
If you live in an area with snow, go with a subaru. Aside from AWD, heated seats are standard :)
 
Thanks! Only one or two snows a year here.
Subaru has the top safety rating [5/5], which is good.
 
Subaru cars are good quality. Forester would be my choice but if don't need that much space, look at cross-trek. I've driven Rav4 and it's not my cup of tea, as popular as it is.
 
I forgot to say which we had. All three are 2015 models. An Outback, and Impreza hatchback and a Impreza sedan.
 
Subaru's are so popular in Oregon, it's often joked that it should be on the State flag. My husband has owned Subaru's for more than 20 years. He currently has a Forrester. It performs very well on snow and we've even taken it off-road successfully. Not extreme off-roading, but through some rough rocky environments and loose sand too.
 
baby monster|1485296055|4119238 said:
Subaru cars are good quality. Forester would be my choice but if don't need that much space, look at cross-trek. I've driven Rav4 and it's not my cup of tea, as popular as it is.
Click to expand...
Could you elaborate on why the Rav4 didn't ring any bells for you?
The Forester does look good - had not heard of the cross trek and will check it out. I'm glad I posted here and you are all very kind to pitch in!
 
Jimmianne, I've had 2 Subaru Foresters that I loved and now have a Subaru Outback which I also love. They are good solid cars and all of mine have been really reliable. And like Matata said, Subaru should be the state car here too. They are everywhere.
 
We have a 2007 Toyota Highlander with almost 200,000 miles on it. We have just recently put money in to replace all the belts and hoses, water pump etc as a precaution otherwise we have only had to replace the alternator.

About three months after we bought it we were in an accident where a Jeep literally hit us from the left and our car didn't even move while the Jeep did two 360's down the road after hitting us. Thankfully no injuries but just reinforced in my mind how solid the car is.

I would buy another Toyota again no hesitation.
 
rainwood|1485300455|4119276 said:
Jimmianne, I've had 2 Subaru Foresters that I loved and now have a Subaru Outback which I also love. They are good solid cars and all of mine have been really reliable. And like Matata said, Subaru should be the state car here too. They are everywhere.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Rainwood. Your input means a lot.
 
StephanieLynn|1485300789|4119278 said:
We have a 2007 Toyota Highlander with almost 200,000 miles on it. We have just recently put money in to replace all the belts and hoses, water pump etc as a precaution otherwise we have only had to replace the alternator.

About three months after we bought it we were in an accident where a Jeep literally hit us from the left and our car didn't even move while the Jeep did two 360's down the road after hitting us. Thankfully no injuries but just reinforced in my mind how solid the car is.

I would buy another Toyota again no hesitation.
Click to expand...

Wow, that vehicle is your very good friend!
My young friends who live on the farm bought my Tundra, so I get to see it every day.
I think it will serve them well. I had it for 16 years and never had a problem. I think they had to put about 2k into it at 125,000 miles---proactively as you said.


Probably a test drive will help me decide. I am so not ready to go through a new car "event", but I want to get out of my current vehicle before the warranty is up in April, and thanks to being able to get support here I may actually get enthused about the process.
PSers are such a great group of helpers when it comes to large purchases LOL
 
I've been driving subarus for 13 years and can't recommend them enough. Safety is most important to me and it doesn't get any better than a subaru. My husband really, really wanted a Toyota Tacoma last year and ended up getting a subaru outback because the tacoma safety features were so poor in comparison. This despite the fact that we have a good friend who works for toyota and we would've gotten the friends and family discount. If you look be sure to try the adaptive cruise control, I LOVE this. When my husband bought there was one safety feature the outback had that the forester didnt so ask if there are still any differences. I think you might find the crosstrek too small to haul dogs, but it is the sportiest looking of the 3. The outback has an option for plastic covers that attach with velcro to the back of the backseat and trunk. Love this for the dogs. Really makes it easy to clean after my lab sheds everywhere.
 
I'll put in a good word for the Outback too. I have a 2015. I have mobility issues, plus I'm only 5' 2", so a really tall vehicle is not for me. This one is comfy for both me and my 5' 11" husband, and we've hauled our lab in it comfortably (like he's ever uncomfortable :rolleyes: ) all the way to Santa Fe and back.

Great vehicle. :love:
 
I think a test drive will help you decide. I thought for YEARS I wanted a Honda CR-V. When I was looking for a small SUV I test drove a ton of options. I hated driving the CR-V. Go figure. You should look at the Tucson. They have A/C seats now (previous only on luxury cars). :love: If I haven't bought a new car recently, I would seriously consider one.
 
Jimmianne, how exciting! I am loving my SUV! I agree it's a good idea to go test drive the ones you are interested in to see which one you like the best. I know many happy Subaru and Toyota owners. We had a Honda Ridgeline for a few years and we liked it. I will be anxious to see what you get.
 
Jimmianne|1485297618|4119258 said:
baby monster|1485296055|4119238 said:
Subaru cars are good quality. Forester would be my choice but if don't need that much space, look at cross-trek. I've driven Rav4 and it's not my cup of tea, as popular as it is.
Click to expand...
Could you elaborate on why the Rav4 didn't ring any bells for you?
The Forester does look good - had not heard of the cross trek and will check it out. I'm glad I posted here and you are all very kind to pitch in!
Click to expand...
Rav4 had poor acceleration and I'm not someone to peel off a dead start or gun the engine but that car couldn't accelerate fast enough to merge on highway off ramp. I would press gas pedal and the car would speed up at the count of ten. Also, the cabin was very loud with road and engine noise.

I drive a Toyota Highlander and Rav4 is no comparison in quality.
 
We have a Subaru Outback and a Honda Odyssey minivan...the Outback was my first love for ease of parking, winter driving, heated seats, and overall driving feel (grips the road, very stable)...but the minivan wins hands down as all-around vehicle. It holds so much, and then more. We just went skiing/snowboarding and everything fit inside with tons of room to spare, and could even make a "wet zone" for all the muddy gear. Removable seats allow us to carry large items (bigger than the Subaru could hold) even construction materials. Has better pick up than the Outback (Odyssey is a V6) and smoother ride. I love that each person has their own "space", it never feels cramped. Lots of legroom and headroom. I never thought of myself as a minivan person, always liked SUVs, but I am now a convert. We go on camping trips, road trips, ski trips (with mostly clear roads), everything we can with the minivan.
 
I forgot to mention, I've also driven the CRV and Rav4, and they don't hold a candle to the Subaru. CRV felt like a tin can. Rav felt like it could tip over easily. Neither has the quality of a Subaru.
 
I'm from Washington state, where everyone LOVES their subarus. I've heard nothing but great things about them in terms of reliability, long-lasting, and don't need tons of fixing/maintenance. My friend had a forrester forever and adored it, another had a hatchback WRX (I think), and had great experiences.
 
StephanieLynn|1485300789|4119278 said:
We have a 2007 Toyota Highlander with almost 200,000 miles on it. We have just recently put money in to replace all the belts and hoses, water pump etc as a precaution otherwise we have only had to replace the alternator.

About three months after we bought it we were in an accident where a Jeep literally hit us from the left and our car didn't even move while the Jeep did two 360's down the road after hitting us. Thankfully no injuries but just reinforced in my mind how solid the car is.

I would buy another Toyota again no hesitation.
Click to expand...

:sun: I have an '06 with 50k on it--I know Toyotas last forever but I'm glad to hear your report! I inherited it from my mother last year--they didn't like the trade-in offer for their new Highlander so they gave it to me. I was in an Avalon before that, have owned two Corollas in the past. Huge fan of Toyota.

Jimianne, you can't go wrong with either Subaru or Toyota. I think for you it comes down to which functions better for your particular needs.
 
Today I test drove the Subaru Crosstrek 2.0i premium and was surprised at how nice the interior was.
It seemed peppy until I got out of traffic onto an empty highway and accelerated. I would not want to have to pass a car in a hurry or get out of someone's way. This made me think that the very cute Crosstrek would be better with a manual transmission. A search through reviews confirmed my opinion.

The only problem is that with a manual transmission, you can't get the "EyeSight", which sees the blind spots and also will brake the car if there is something directly ahead, BUT it has all the other high tech things.

I also looked at the Outback and the Forester, but didn't test drive them. I was taken by the look & size of the Crosstrek. Definitely a Jimmimoble.
The dealer is getting in 2 of the manual transmission Crosstreks next week with all the bells & whistles, except "EyeSight". One is putty color and the other is a very bright bright blue and looks like a toy. I like it : )

thank you for all the input so far!
 
Sounds promising. Love "Jimmimobile". I hope those cars get there soon.
 
I would be lost without blind spot monitor but my SUV probably has bigger blind spots than the Subaru. LOVE that putty color. I have honestly done a double take before.
 
Both my Foresters were manuals and for that very reason. Subaru has something called Hillholder so you never get that rollback on a hill. I miss driving a stick, but traffic is so bad here that it became exhausting. In a typical commute home, I was probably shifting 100 times.
 
A Subaru Crosstrek is a Impreza with a raised suspension to make it more SUV like (It is literally the same car). If you like it and it works for you I would just get an Impreza because I think it would work out to be cheaper for very little difference. Otherwise I would go up to the forester or outback. But I agree that you can't really go wrong and get the one that fits your needs and you like driving the best.

I drive an Impreza and love it. Mine is manual and: Manual + Snow Tires + AWD = laughing at even the largest snowfalls.
I will probably be selling it this year cause we are going down to one car, so it will be sad to see it go.
 
I prefer and recommend Crosstrek over Impreza even though it's basically the same car because Crosstrek sits 3-4 inches higher which gives it better visibility on the road and makes it easier to get in and out of the car. Once I started driving SUVs, getting in and out sedans is such a PITA.
 
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