Car stolen last night...help me to replace it!

Wow - great suggestions all. Today I went to look at the Honda Accord and checked out the Pilot & Odyssey too (I know, I know, it's a minivan, but it's trick - and it can carry 4x8 sheets of plywood with the back door closed).

Tomorrow I'm heading out to look at the Tundra, Camry, & Subarus.

Keep posting - need to hear your thoughts!
 
...28 if you count my wife's car's too...

For us, the best part about driving Toyota's is that they're reliable, and inexpensive too.

I paid off my 1st Toyota truck after 3 years, and drove it for 5 more payment/maintenence free years before I traded it in on this one...which I paid off after two, and have been driving for 8 years since...same story as the 1st one, no payments, no repairs...400,000+ miles between the two, and this one drives 'good as new'...and cheap too! :)

My wife's story with her Corolla LX's is similar...I think only Honda comes in with a better track record for maintenence costs, and then only by <2% a year, or less IIRC. (<2% of nothing is a really small amount...lol)

Sorry to hear about your loss, hope you make a wise replacement decision... ;)

Mel

p.s. All of our Toyota's have been five speed's...the way to go!
 
my wife has had a subaru impreza since 97 and it is really tough and handles like a dream.they are really sure footed bastards.
 
Although I almost never say the words car and resale value in the same sentence, VWs tend to hold their value. Also, Comfortable, and fun to drive. It gets My vote. However, A crown Vic is a great idea, although I'd go with the Chevy impala When I get a new car-all the same reasons, I had one for 3 mos., when my car was in the shop, and I was very happy.-Joe
 
Originally posted by Dijos
However, A crown Vic is a great idea, although I'd go with the Chevy impala When I get a new car-all the same reasons, I had one for 3 mos., when my car was in the shop, and I was very happy.
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I'm a big fan of the 94-97 Impalas which were essentially a Caprice with the 'Vette LT1. They are hard to find and rather expensive considering the age, but the current prices are probably as low as they will ever go unless you wreck it.

I'm ambivalent about the modern Impalas. Everybody I know who has one loves theirs, and apparently it recently beat out many of the popular Japanese sedans in the J.D. Power quality surveys.

But a front wheel drive 6 cylinder Impala? There is just something wrong with that.
 
I had an Impreza 4dr wagon in the 2.5TS version and it was great. It got totaled out by a hail storm and not I am in a 2.5RS version and it is a torquey little sh!t. It handles great and rides great as well. The wagon will have pleanty of room for the car seat and the various baby sundries that will definately come along with your daughter. The AWD drive is great in the snow and ice and it will not break you either.


Cerberus
 
I think I would avoid anything the "ricers" would want to steal, maximas, etc.
 
Originally posted by Skyline
No disagreements with your recommendations. However, I don't think you are correct about the maintenance costs. The reliable four are Toyota, Subaru, Honda, and Nissan, and they should have similar maintenance costs.
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Thanks for being civil. However, the maintenance costs on an AWD are higher than with a 2 wheel drive. granted, there is a performance advantage, but you'll pay for it with these extra costs. check out Consumer Reports for more info.
As i said, i recommend any of the four you listed.

BTW, the toyota sienna and honda odossey (sp?) are highly rated minivans. if we were a one car family that's how i'd go.
 
Originally posted by DaveH
I think I would avoid anything the "ricers" would want to steal, maximas, etc.
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Maximas and ricers dont belong in the same sentence.
 
Originally posted by notos&w
Thanks for being civil. However, the maintenance costs on an AWD are higher than with a 2 wheel drive. granted, there is a performance advantage, but you'll pay for it with these extra costs. check out Consumer Reports for more info.
As i said, i recommend any of the four you listed.

BTW, the toyota sienna and honda odossey (sp?) are highly rated minivans. if we were a one car family that's how i'd go.
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I know a few people who have the Honda Odyssey and it's a very nice mini van. I recommend it if one needs the space.

I haven't read the CR report yet, only heard about what it said. CR is a pretty good resource for a non-automobile specific publication. I don't see what additional AWD maintenance CR would refer to though.

Here's the maintenance schedule from my Owner's Manual. About the only AWD specific thing I see is inspection for front/rear differential oil every 30K miles. Perhaps AWD causes additional tire wear, but I'm willing to bet that's minimal. The only maintenance costs I've had to pay are oil changes, wiper blades, etc.

maint01.gif
 
Good Evening All-

6530, for anyone to give you truly beneficial advice, you'll have to advise us of your storage capacity needs, typical driving distances and/or commute, hobbies (e.g. Do you need to haul kayaks to the river? Skiing? Trailers for quadrunners?), and possibility of increasing the size of your family or not.

For example, an Audi S4 might be a great car for a single, twentysomething guy into competitive chess matches, but not so great for a small family into mountain biking. You see, great car...but not so great in all situations. A new Hummer H1 would be a horrible choice for this same ficticious person, too.

Tell us more about what you need and I'm sure more than a few enthusiasts and experts will be available to provide insights.

Regards,

~ Blue Jays ~
 
whatever you choose, make shure it stays put so maybe think about installing something like a Lojack? or alarm? even a very basic alarm is enough to deture thieves to moving to the next car.
 
took a test drive of the Forester XT today... Damn did that thing move, very quick, and nicely balanced. It has a huge moonroof, it's practically like a convertible. I was really impressed, I think that's what my next vehicle will be.

Props to Skyline for bringing up the Forester XT.
 
Originally posted by Blue Jays
Tell us more about what you need and I'm sure more than a few enthusiasts and experts will be available to provide insights.

Regards,

~ Blue Jays ~ [/B]
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OK, good point. Right now we are a family of 3 (me, wife, 9 month old daughter) but will hopefully be 4 or more before we need another car. My wife already has an Acura 3.2TL, which has served as the babymobile since my car was a 2-door and it was tough with the baby seat. Plus, in my wife's car, there's no way we can fit two rear-facing carseats in the back - we may be able to fit one front facing and one rear facing, but we'd have to try it out first. Given the above, our real choices are this: a small car (Impreza, etc.), a 4-door sedan (Passat, Accord, etc.), or a larger vehicle (truck, minivan).

I think we've ruled out a small car because, well, they're small. The Impreza WRX STi would be nice, but from a practicality standpoint it ain't gonna happen. Can't fit a carseat comfortably or conveniently, and too small for 4 real passengers.

That leaves us with either another 4-door midsize sedan or a larger vehicle. Let's take the larger vehicle first.

I have been interested in a pickup for some time, and Toyota finally came out with a true 4-door Tundra - the Double Cab. Last weekend I went to a local dealer and looked at one - these things seem huge inside. I think we could probably fit three carseats across, though I'd have to verify. In the Tundra the rear seats are split and fold forward, so if we only have one carseat we can fold the other seat down for in-cab cargo space. Of course, that doesn't count the bed. Then, with the truck, the mileage is relatively less than with a car, which adds up in the long run. Plus I'm not sure I want to drive a truck every day.

The other larger vehicle is a minivan - either the Odyssey or the Sienna. These are marvels of efficiency but, as we all know, they're not the most attractive of vehicles; that's the reason neither of us really wants a minivan.

So that leaves us with a midsize 4-door, which would most likely end up with the same challenges as my wife's car - no two rear-facing in back, etc.

Then there's the small matter of cost. It seems any new truck or minivan with all the latest safety features will be $30k+. The 4-door sedans can be had for less than $25, less for a 2003.

Aaarrrrggghhh, decisions, decisions.
 
I'm 6'5" 285 lbs and my wife is exactly 6 feet we both have plenty of room up front in my passat (if I have the drivers seat all the way back I can't depress the clutch fully) the passat handles 2 rear facing car seats easily, (not much room left, but enough). And can also handle a rear facing car seat and two adult's in the back seat.
 
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