Car shopping advice?

[SleepyatDVC]

I am on the market for a "new" car. Have a little over $30K saved up to purchase a NEW car and have looked into what I want/need but haven't bitten the bullet and committed to anything right now.

I had narrowed it down to the following features:

Good mileage (I will be driving about 90-100 miles a day)
Slightly bigger cargo space than our sedan
AWD (for snowy, rainy, twisting roads)
Under $30K
Safety features are a given

I am looking at the Hydundi Tuscon, Chevy Equinox, Honda CR-V, or VW Sportswagon. The Subarus seem out of my price range.


The VW uses diesel and gets over 40 mpg. It has everything on my list EXCEPT AWD. DH seems to think that AWD is over rated and that a good pair of snow tires are much BETTER for winter condition driving anyway. But I would hate to have buyers remorse afterward if I don't get the AWD.

What to do, what to do?

Any other models to consider?

Also considering expanding my search to "new" used cars but am clueless on what vehicles to consider (since there will be a large pool to choose from) and WHERE to look?

 

[sam_gordon]

I don't have a lot of advice, but don't forget diesel is usally more per gallon than regular gas. So the "40 mpg" may be true, but not exactly the savings you think.

IE: a 200 mile trip:
Car:
25mpg = 8 gallons @ $2.75/gallon = $22
30mpg = 6.6 gallons @ $2.75/gallon = $18.3

VW
40mpg = 5 gallons @ $3.00/gallon = $15

Granted, you get some savings, but just something to keep in mind.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

I don't have a lot of advice, but don't forget diesel is usally more per gallon than regular gas. So the "40 mpg" may be true, but not exactly the savings you think.

IE: a 200 mile trip:
Car:
25mpg = 8 gallons @ $2.75/gallon = $22
30mpg = 6.6 gallons @ $2.75/gallon = $18.3

VW
40mpg = 5 gallons @ $3.00/gallon = $15

Granted, you get some savings, but just something to keep in mind.

Thanks! We have to put in premium in our car now (specified in manual) and the diesel is about the same price of $3.19 in our neck of the woods. We do get 25-30 mpg now which I would prefer to have the same or better in our next car.

I love it when when I gas up my parents minivan with regular! Not so much with the 16-20 mpg though.

 

[mrodgers]

DH seems to think that AWD is over rated and that a good pair of snow tires are much BETTER for winter condition driving anyway. But I would hate to have buyers remorse afterward if I don't get the AWD.

Absolutely. My 94 Honda Civic had snow tires and it was the first time ever driving with snow tires. It ran MUCH better in the snow than my wife's AWD/4WD.

Driving in snow is ALL about the tires. I've always had great snow running vehicles in my Toyota pickups not because they were 4WD, but because of the tires. They ran great, my Honda ran great, the Altima, horrible because they were the cheapest tires I could get. My wife drives a Mazda Tribute which is some type of AWD. Horrible in the snow, mainly because of the tires.

Tire selection then drive selection, in that order for driving in snow.

 

[jodifla]

We just bought a used (2008) Mercury Mariner. It was listed for about half the 30K price you mention.

I love it! And I'm getting about 25 miles a gallon in mixed highway and local driving, which is great for a small truck. It's not AWD, but it has a traction control button that you push in bad weather. I haven't driven it in snow yet, but friends who have the Ford Escape twin say it's great in bad weather.

 

[mrodgers]

I haven't driven it in snow yet, but friends who have the Ford Escape twin say it's great in bad weather.

As I said, it's all about the tires. The Ford and Mercury are not twins. They are part of triplets. My wife's Mazda Tribute (AWD) is the same car. It is horrible in the snow, completely because of the tires. Like I said, my old Honda Civic did far better in the snow than the Tribute does because it had snow tires and the Tribute has cheap all-seasons (if you can call $115/tire cheap.)

 

[hambirg]

Agreed about the AWD. It won't help you drive in the snow. . .only get unstuck if you become stuck. JMHO.

My SIL just bought a new Hyundai Tuscon and so far really likes it. Sorry. . .I don't know much more other than she likes it.

 

[MAH4546]

I don't have a lot of advice, but don't forget diesel is usally more per gallon than regular gas. So the "40 mpg" may be true, but not exactly the savings you think.

IE: a 200 mile trip:
Car:
25mpg = 8 gallons @ $2.75/gallon = $22
30mpg = 6.6 gallons @ $2.75/gallon = $18.3

VW
40mpg = 5 gallons @ $3.00/gallon = $15

Granted, you get some savings, but just something to keep in mind.

But two other things to keep in mind:

1) Diesel gasoline does is not as quickly in flux. The price is more stable.
2) Because of the stupid way in which the EPA calculates, fuel estimates for diesels are far below actual, realtime use.

OP, we have a Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI that we use as a spare car and errand runner, and it frequently gets in the low 50MPG range, not the 40MPG on the window sticker. Great little car.

 

[pipervali]

Also keep in mind the long term reliability of the brand of car you're investing that large sum of money in. What's the cost going to be a couple years down the road, how often will it be in the shop, even if it is under a factory warranty, what's the resale value going to be, especially if you end up having buyer's remorse.

Every time our family has gone car shopping, once I find something I like, I look at carsurvey.org to see what other people who've already purchased that make and model are saying about it. We've bought against the popular opinion, and along it as well. With mixed results.

I will say, if you're not totally set on a BRAND new car, you can get much more bang for your buck if you buy a new used car. For example, even a 2009 model can be be thousands upon thousands of dollars cheaper than the brand new never driven off the lot car. And they're comparable in quality, with the factory warranty and in most cases, very little wear and tear. As soon as a car gets taken off the brand new lot, it's value depreciation starts.

In any case, good luck in your search!

 

[Swimalie]

We're looking to buy a Subaru Forester next year and the model we're looking in to (middle model - not the highest but not the lowest) is around $27,000 with all the accessories we want. Now that doesn't include taxes, tag, etc. But that is below your $30k price. If you have access to AAA membership or Costco, try their buying programs to get a flat, no haggle price on a new car.

The Subaru Outback is slightly larger than the Forester but it is also more expensive. But the Forester is about the same size as the CR-V.

 

[marie1203]

My step-dad drives a toyota prius and he loves it. The miles per gallon is great I think is 40 mpg. He lives in the mountains of colorado were it snows from October to April. He has really good snow tires on it and he drives over 60 miles per day and he has never had any problems in the snow.

 

[tlbwriter]

Of your choices, I'm a big fan of the CR-V. The one I had was not AWD, but it did really well in the snow.

I'd investigate reliability. We have two 2006 vehicles. Both have about 75K miles. One has had transmission work done and just needed the water pump replaced. The other has never given us a minute of trouble. One is a Chevy and one is a Honda. Guess which brand we are NEVER buying again?

 

[scrapquitler]

I'd reconsider the Subaru, given your list of features. I'm fairly certain that our Subaru Outback was well under your $30K threshold, but it is a little more than that, you might want to consider a 1 year old used Subaru...I think you would be happy with it, we LOVE ours. When we are ready to get rid of my car (the Subaru is DHs car), we are definitely going with another one, but not sure yet if it will be an Outback or a Forester.

 

[I*heart*MickeyMouse]

I bought a 2011 Hyundai Sonata in May and LOVE it! (lease, $250/month not sure what a purchase price would be... I believe $25k-ish?) I get 300-375 (mainly non-highway!) miles on a full tank of gas! I'm not sure what the feature is exactly called, but it switches to 3 cylinders when it's crusing along, saving gas. The trunk is big, though I don't know if it's any bigger than other sedans, kwim?

I looked at the Tuscon and the cargo area is non-existent. The trunk in my old hatchback ford focus could hold more stuff (no exaggeration) ... and the Santa Fe's cargo area isn't much bigger. Like I'd have trouble fitting my groceries in there (the tuscon)! It's NOT as wide as the whole vehicle, and it's only about 2' deep (from the bumper to the back of the seatback) - it's pretty tall, but who carries tall stuff often enough for that to be ok? Of course if you don't have kids using the back seat then I *believe* they fold down and you'd have more cargo space.

I would say do NOT base your "might like to buys" off of the cargo space dimensions listed on the websites, you really have to see them in person to "get" how much space there is. (or maybe that's just my own math-challenged-non-imaginative-brain issue!!)

Good luck!

 

[swilshire]

We drove Subarus for years but have been converting over to Honda. They seem to last forever.

Sheila

 

[Fyrefly]

I can't speak to the models, but make sure you haggle when you've settled on one. Go to any dealership in the area and get prices, let them know you're looking elsewhere. Lowball them on your offers and insist on knowing the "Out the door price", not "Well we'll give you xxxx off and only xxxx more in closing fees! " It will take longer, but its worth the savings.

With the economy so crappy the dealers are way more receptive to haggling right now. My dad wanted an Acura and wasn't really ready to commit, so when the dealer asked him how much he wanted it for, he quoted about 65% of the sticker price... and got it. Surprise car!

 

[amyy]

I would give the Subaru another look too. Hoping to pick up my new Legacy this weekend. The Legacy has pretty much the same room for the passengers as the Forester. I think the dealer said the Legacy has more room in the back seat. The Legacy is a tad longer then the Forester. Suprising I know. But the Forester does have a lot of cargo space but the trunk on the Legacy is pretty roomy. I am getting a deal on the Suparu through a discount program. This will be my 4th Subaru.

http://www.cars101.com/subaru_new.html

 

[brergnat]

The CR-V is a really great car. We have owned two of them (my current one is three years old, prior one was 8, and we only sold it because of the better safety features on the redesign).

Have NOTHING bad to say about the CR-V. Gas mileage is good, not great. It's pretty good for hwy commuting (gets about 28-30 mpg hwy, real use). City mpg is pretty poor. I average about 21mpg city driving.

But, my car is over three years old and I've only paid for yearly maintenance on it. Nothing else. I've only owned Hondas and Acuras during my life. They are superb cars...excellent reliability and great resale value.

 

[Fyrefly]

But, my car is over three years old and I've only paid for yearly maintenance on it. Nothing else. I've only owned Hondas and Acuras during my life. They are superb cars...excellent reliability and great resale value.

Agree. Hondas are lovely. My car is a 1991 Accord, and it's been a commuter vehicle its entire life. The Accords built between 89 and 93 or so are some of the best cars ever made. Keep up on the maintenance and you can't kill them.

Course they wouldn't make money if the ones now lasted 20 years... But I still don't think you can go wrong with a Honda.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Thanks for all the replies. I haven't made my decision yet. But I've started to get serious about the car search. I spent 1/2 day on Saturday looking at the cars in person at the dealership and test drove 4 vehicles yesterday.

I've eliminated some choices. No diesel (VW) because it was hard to find a gas station near work (city) that carries it without going out of my way.

I think I'm going to sacrifice AWD and cargo space for MPG and price.

I really liked the Outback and was reconsidering it but am opening up my search to high gas mileage vehicles.

The 2011 Outback would be around $26,152 (Costco price) + tax and fees for around just under $28,750. MPG is 22city/29hwy/24combined

I wondered into the Honda dealership and test drove a 2010 Insight (2011 is not out yet) and liked it. I really liked the price and MPG too. $20550 - $1500 (rebate) = $19,050 (w/o neg. yet which saleman indicated we could get into when I was serious) + tax and fees would make it around $21,000. MPG is 40city/43hwy/41combined. We would just need to put a good set of snow tires on it in the winter.

Even the Civic's price and MPG was appealing at this point.

The difference in monthly gas costs between the 2 would be about $100 less for the Insight.

I think I am leaning towards a purely commuting car and banking the difference in price and the monthly savings on a replacement or additional vehicle in about 5-8 years when our 2 girls become drivers. Well, they would get the older ones, I guess.

Still got to do more research. Didn't stop by the Toyota dealership yet. And may still consider a Sonata. But depending on the deal I can get on the Insight, it may be a contender.

Can't wait to get this decision settled. Would appreciated any more opinions you all have regarding a great commuter car with great MPG.

Btw, I did look at a Ford Fiesta because of the good reviews but it seemed small in the back for the price, especially, in comparison to the Insight. The hatch back was a cute car for a teenager though. Also, a deal breaker was the fact that all the doors can open from the inside even when the doors are in the locked position. One reviewer actually opened the locked door while driving on the highway and said that was possible even in the back. I didn't try it on the road but did get in the back seat and locked the doors with the fob and was able to open the locked door. A major safety concern when I have kids that will be using the back seats.