I'm looking to buy a car soon...

Frankthetank

Frankthetank

Joined
Sep 1, 2007
Messages
98
I've been looking at the Toyota Highlander, Toyota Rav-4, Ford Edge, and other small SUV type cars.

Do you guys have reccomendations?
 
Let’s see if we can find the right forum …
attachment.php
 
ask the guys that have to fix/ service them. I know a quick lube guy that can tell you the exact needs of any diesel pickup by sound, cuz he works on 15 a day, and talks to the drivers. the other reason is to see which vehicles are easier to work on. odds are that if a car bites a guy every time he touches it, things might not get done as they should. (case in point, Dodge Nitro. wouldn't be surprised if lots of them blow engines. the oil filter is nearly impossible for a tech standing in a work pit to get a good grip on, never test a guys dedication to his job, you'll loose). Plus. if you find a guy who doesn't need to work there (just likes playing with cars) they are a wealth of info on common problems. I see stuff the mechanics don't because they don't screw up nearly as often. Every week we get an update on what someone else broke, screwed up of destroyed.
In your list the Toys are both pretty easy to work on, depending on engine, but not painful, except for some of the skid plates. haven't worked on an Edge yet but if its like any other ford smaller than an F150, it'll be a burn fest. Dodge calibers are very easy, if your looking that small. people whine lots about imports being hard to work on, maybe for the real mechanic thats true, but I find that most small domestic vehicles (1/2ton and smaller) are far harder for the grease monkey that has to see it every 3000 miles. Just the humble opinion of a humble oil goon. Any vehicle that you can take care of (weather you do the work yourself or not) will take care of you, and cause you less problems down the road.
 
and other small SUV type cars.
Click to expand...

Those are nice cars for a suburban lady. My wife has a Lexus RX300 and likes it very much, especially the all-wheel-drive. I think the RX instrument layout and ergonomics are a disaster, but the newer RX330 is greatly improved. Brother's wife has a similar Hyundai (Tucson or Santa Fe, I forget) and it seems to be an excellent vehicle for hauling their small children. Wife's sister has an Excursion for their kids, and it's a grotesque monstrosity.

My own taste is somewhat different:

Let's say my current vehicles explode tonight, so tomorrow I have to buy replacements quickly with no time for extensive test driving or researching beyond my current knowledge. The vehicles would both have to be practical, affordable, readily available, and dependable. I would buy the Honda S2000CR and a Ford F150 Supercab 4x4.

Good Luck!
-Bob
 
What kind of area are you driving in? City traffic, suburban commuting, rural country roads, it will make a difference as will climate. Lots of snow up north or very little if any down south.

Get the annual car issue of Consumers Guide and look up the reliability ratings of the ones you are interested in. After the warenttee is up this will be important. Also keep in mind that the price for a barrel of oil is at record high and gas is going to go over 3.00 dollars a gallon and won't be commin back down. How much of your monthly budjet is going to go for fuel.

All that said, we have been extremly happy with our Honda Element since 2003. Zero problems in 68,000 miles, very good gas milage in the upper 20's per gallon, tons of room inside for people or cargo. Back seats come out in 30 seconds leaving a big empty box like a small van. Doors open clamshell style with no pillar so large objects can be loaded from the side as well as rear. Was comfortable for 4 adults and bagage on a 12 hour strait thru drive from Washinton D.C. area to Atlanta Goergia.

the interior of the Element is designed for easy up keep and cleaning. We do hiking, bicycling, kayaking, and sometimes things are a bit muddy or dirty. No problem, the Honda has a non carpeted floor than can be wiped up with a wet rag. It's some sort of poly-ethaline, very rugged and easy to clean, as is the upholstry.

In spite of its weird looks, it handles very car like on curvy roads. Very short turning circle and exellent manouverbility.

Great car, and won't break the bank. You can get it in 4-wheel drive but we got the two wheel. With the front wheel drive it's been great in snow. We get alot of ice with our winter snows, so the roads get really slick. The Element does great, haven't got stuck once.

Don't let the boxy looks fool you, the Element is worth a look.
 
I'd go with a Subaru. I don't think there's any way I would get a Ford...most of the recent (last 20 years) production models seem to have a 100k mile limit basically. They aren't worth keeping after that.

The others are cool and all, that you selected, but every Subaru is basically a small SUV. I can power through stuff in my 2000 Outback Sedan (http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/images/00outback_sedan.jpg) that lots of SUVs can't.

Also, the WRX STi would be irresistable for me if I could afford it. It is all wheel drive, so awesome for winter, and FAST. It basically comes with custom suspension, so you will be able to handle all types of driving. Needless to say the Subas have great crash test ratings.
 
Japanese yes, Germans...completely overrated in my experience:barf:

Bear in mind here in the EU we pay a 1.88 dollars a LITRE for petrol, not sure how big that US gallon is but the UK one is 4.54 litres/gallon so fuel costs for petrol and diesel are important. But, reliability is even more so and in Europe, Toyota, Mazda, Honda and Nissan are always top or near top of the tree for that. I'd have a Nissan Patrol, can't beat that for 4x4 ruggedness and reliability in diesel :thumbup: My Mazda 6 (Japanese built one) has only needed a headlamp bulb in 2 years 45k kilometres,faultless!
 
I have a 2006 Rav-4, V6 AWD sport trim. It is a nice car with a little better vantage point. The ground clearance is no good and it sucks down the gas. I have not checked the exact mpg because it doest really matter to me...when it is empty i put gas in. However, I have to put 30-40 dollars in every week. I only drive about 200mi a week.

I have the towing package on mine. After paying for the tow-prep package i had to buy a tow bar0 ($125.00), Hitch ($25.00) and a wiring harness...from the dealer ($150.00). Now I can tow things but because the springs are little soft in the back it puts a bind on the trailer and hitch if there is too much tongue weight.

It has pretty bad blind spots too. When sitting in the drivers seat and looking left or right over your shoulder it is very hard to get a clear view if the rear headrests are up.

I do like the leg room in the back seat i am 6'4" tall and with the drivers seat all the way back my knees barely touch the back of the seat. The rear seats do slide back and forth, recline and fold flat from a lever near the back door (this is a great feature. It is super nice to be putting something large in the back and not have to go to the front and put the seats down.) The interior room is good too. It is only like 1" or 2” smaller than the 4-runner.

The reason I went with the rav-4 is I could get all the whistles and bells for the same price as the base model of the highlander.

I would not get a hybrid just yet either. Well, let me preface that with if you live in the city with lots of stop and go traffic it might be ok, but it will not save that much gas if you are a heavy-footed driver. My wife drives a 2005 Prius and we only get about 35-40 mpg not anywhere near the advertised 60mpg. I think this is because we live in a place with urban sprawl and it is always switching to the engine rather than taking advantage of the motor.

My out the door price was in the 26-28k range I cannot remember exactly. I paid 4% over invoice. Don’t get me wrong, I love my car but I thought you might want to know some of my gripes rather than just praise.

Oh and before I had this I had a VW 2005 GLI I loved that car with all my heart but it just didn't fit my lifestyle...have you ever tried to go down a levee road after a hard rain with low profile tires and 4" of ground clearance...

billyp
 
Buy a Honda or Toyota. The american car companies are in trouble, and you can look for them to reduce costs, which could mean even worst quality. I have two Honda's since my last '90 Ford and am not looking back. This is a shame, because the U.S. automakers COULD make better cars.
 
american cars = poor resale value
hybrids = waste of money. if your really worried about saving money on gas the most economical car on the market is the toyota yaris 2 door, 11k and 45mpg.
Go with something asian for an suv, new hyundai veracruz or santa fe, honda crv, subaru forester(my next car), or rav4
 
i have a honda element and love it. mine is the AWD and i get between 20-25 mpg depending on my right foot. i haven't had any trouble with it. it drives more like a car than an suv. i recommend them to everyone who is looking for a new car. the inside is bigger than the inside of any vehicle i've owned. i feel cramped when sitting in tahoes compared to my element.
i also think that police ignore honda elements. i've been speeding (i mean really speeding, +15mph over the posted speed limit) past many police cars and have never been pulled over in it, knock on wood. i think they say to themselves, "there's no way that box is going 85 mph, it's impossible. my radar gun must be broken." seriously, i'd have 10 tickets if i were in a civic.

if i were doing it all over again i'd probably opt for a 5 speed and fwd for the better mpg and more pep. i love my auto/awd, but i don't really need the awd and i kind of miss driving a stick.
 
bennyG19 said:
i also think that police ignore honda elements. i've been speeding (i mean really speeding, +15mph over the posted speed limit) past many police cars and have never been pulled over in it, knock on wood. i think they say to themselves, "there's no way that box is going 85 mph, it's impossible. my radar gun must be broken." seriously, i'd have 10 tickets if i were in a civic.
Click to expand...

I think you're on to something there, benny. Karen drives the Element like a bootleger with the revenours after her and she has'nt got nailed yet.
 
Get whatever you think is best. These darn vehicle debates could go on for eternity and never get anywhere. Everyones got a different opinion. Even so i must say, Subaru, Honda and Toyota.........All the way:thumbup:
 
Want a small SUV? Go look at the Subarus. If you want reasonable roominess with 4X4 traction but you don't need the ground clearance of a truck, a Subaru might fit your needs well. They seem to have a good reputation, but check Consumer Reports.
 
the great thing about Subarus is that they run pretty much the same powerplant/ driveline (even underhood arrangements) for all of the legacy based models (impreza, outback, baja) if you do your own work, they are very nice for most if not all maintenance (still need a shop for auto trans service) but the design features bode well for longevity, early foresters had some rear axle problems, probably related to a much bigger body on the same size suspension. but I think that has been worked out. and no useless plastic engine covers! love being able to look at an engine, not a second hood.
I'd shy away form the hyundi/ kia if you do any kind of dirt/ gravel/ rural road driving. they seem to start to leak. the smaller nissan SUVs seem to do well, and they are built very well.
 
My family has had about 5 subarus, ranging from an older model sedan that you had to put manually into AWD to my sister's newer Eddie Bauer Outback. They were all very reliable and great in the snow. I have heard that they have head gasket problems, but, knock on wood, none of ours have.

They aren't really good on gas compared to a similar car, but they are good on gas compared to other SUVs. I just bought my son a 1998 Legacy.

My wife also has a Honda Pilot that she loves. It drives very well too. It has more headroom but less leg room than the Legacy. It feels much bigger but the Subaru has as much space as you really need.

Mileage? 20 for the Pilot, 25 for the Legacy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top