Aanandtech, I need to buy a car, help me pick.

[Zeze]

I'm in the market to buy a car. What do you guys recommend? Here are my criteria:

+ Spacious and value oriented, a family car for 2 kids
+ Reliability & safety
+ Utility & convenience
+ Reasonable gas mileage
+ Resale value

Things I don't care about:

- Performance and V6/turbo/etc (My 6i stick shift was more than peppy, very agile on the road)
- Premium spent on brand
- Extraneous gadgetry (A mounted smartphone trumps most and never gets outdated)
- Unlikely to buy a new car (value)
- No minivans

This is in the very early stages of research, even the budget is very rough, I'm thinking $10K to $15K. I'm currently eyeing Honda CR-V and going from there.

 

[Wingznut]

The CR-V is an excellent vehicle.

But this question is more suited for The Garage forum.

 

[lxskllr]

Kia Soul's on my short list if I were to buy a car today. I like Jeeps, but don't like feeding them.

 

[manimal]

since this is atot I vote Pontiac Aztec


If it gets moved to garage get a 2007-2008 g35X with higher mileage. Three car seats fit i the back, huge trunk and looks great. The 4wd will be nice in winter.


If you need better mileage the crv is ok but very appliance like. I would also consider if you want something like a subaru outback. Even high mileage ones are very reliable.

A wrx would be fun and do what you want as well.


I still would get the aztec though

 

[Zeze]

since this is atot I vote Pontiac Aztec


If it gets moved to garage get a 2007-2008 g35X with higher mileage. Three car seats fit i the back, huge trunk and looks great. The 4wd will be nice in winter.


If you need better mileage the crv is ok but very appliance like. I would also consider if you want something like a subaru outback. Even high mileage ones are very reliable.

A wrx would be fun and do what you want as well.


I still would get the aztec though

Infinity G35x? That's some crazy premium repair cost for little things like doorknob breaking.

 

[manimal]

Infinity G35x? That's some crazy premium repair cost for little things like doorknob breaking.

Nah its a nissan. Most parts cost half what they do for a similar german sedan. The engine is the same as half the nissans made and parts are plentiful. The interior other than some scratching has held up incredibly well considering I put my four year old triplets in there a ton. We also have a Sienna but the kids prefer the zoomyness the of G.

Gas mileage isnt the greatest though but its such a nice car.

 

[thedarkwolf]

since this is atot I vote Pontiac Aztec

I know that is a joke but their values have crashed so much I've been temped a time or two when I've seen them pop up on craigslist. I've seen a few where people were almost giving them away. The things are about a fugly as a car can be but if you can get over that they are extremely practical. Gas mileage isn't super and resale is horrible but that is good if you buy one cheap enough, can't loose that much more lol. Would make a great beater.


Now for another suggestion. VW Jetta wagon TDI. They have insane resale value even more so if you opt for a manual trans.

 

[dbk]

Honda Fit, ultimate city commuter
Or
A used Hyundai or Kia? With the depreciation you could prob get something decent and recent for the price..Santa Fe? Sorrento? Sonata? Elantra GT?

 

[mnewsham]

Ford Fiesta or Focus.

Just did a test drive in the Fiesta hatchback, drives surprisingly well. (at least the manual did, didn't drive an auto)

 

[_Rick_]

How about a used Volvo V50 or even V70?

If you consider their gas mileage to be reasonable, then they pretty much check all your requirements, unless you get too much baby barf on the rear seats, which has an impact on resale value

 

[Demo24]

Mazda 5

 

[Zeze]

What are your thoughts on Subaru? What's the CR-V equivalent- is it Outback Wagon?

 

[Yuriman]

Used Prius, late model Corolla or Civic. Plenty of room for 2 kids, great resale value, cheap and abundant parts, best in class gas mileage, safe and reliable. I'd also give consideration to any Ford compact cars with the Ecoboost motors, I've been reading reports of 50MPG with (careful) mixed driving.

If Fiesta/Corolla/Civic are too small for your kids, I'm sure a Prius would be comfortable. When I was little I thought a Civic was huge, though.

 

[mnewsham]

What are your thoughts on Subaru? What's the CR-V equivalent- is it Outback Wagon?

Learned to drive on a Subaru outback wagon. Not particularly a fan of the car but it's decent sized and has room for kids and dogs. And it's reliable.

 

[madoka]

It sounds like you want to keep the car a while, so resale value shouldn't be too much of a concern. I generally keep the cars I buy for several years, which is probably the best thing financially speaking.

The RAV4 and the CR-V are good choices. The Kia Sportage is something I'd at least test drive, since dealers will heavily discount them.

But personally, I'd up the budget and get a Honda Accord Hybrid.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Most important thing - price range?

I would probably opt for a wagon of some sort.

Aztek isn't a bad recommendation if you're looking for under $10k

Is lease an option?

What sort of range do you need? There are some really interesting electric lease options out there.

Any needs at all for 4wd?

 

[someone16]

What are your thoughts on Subaru? What's the CR-V equivalent- is it Outback Wagon?

I think the CRV equiv is the Forester? If you're getting a Subaru watch out for head gasket leaks.

IMO Crv's are the most reliable out of all the smaller SUVs. I'd give it a serious look at it.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

OP sort of insinuated he was on a budget.

CRV resale, like most honda, is absolutely insane.

It makes sense when you're buying new... But if you're looking for a budget used car honda/toyota is not what you should buy.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

What are your thoughts on Subaru? What's the CR-V equivalent- is it Outback Wagon?

Subaru makes sense if you need 4wd for snow. Otherwise they're overpriced compared to other options.

You say you're concerned about resale value.. Something to consider is that american/korean family cars have terrible resale.

This means you can buy them 2-3 years old at 1/2 or less the value. If you drive them until the wheels fall off that is a GREAT value compared to "good resale" value vehicles.

 

[Zeze]

OP sort of insinuated he was on a budget.

CRV resale, like most honda, is absolutely insane.

It makes sense when you're buying new... But if you're looking for a budget used car honda/toyota is not what you should buy.

Excellent point. This makes me want to look into Hyundai & Mazda.

 

[toronado97]

Go find a used Mazda CX-5. Absolutely perfect vehicle for what you want.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Subaru if you want AWD, Mazda if you don't. Seems like a Mazda 6 would suit you well here.

 

[Midwayman]

FWIW my wife gets pretty awful mileage in her CRV. Its not exactly uncommon. Apparently they are very sensitive to driving style.

 

[BurnItDwn]

If you want to check Subaru, you probably want only to look at CVT since the 4 speed auto or 5 speed manual don't do to well with fuel economy. I've got an 08 forester with the 4 speed auto, and I average around 24mpg mixed city/highway, and get around 25-26mpg on the interstate/road trips. 08 forester doesn't have much legroom in the back, newer years do have significantly more legroom.

My sister's got 2 kids, and she loves her Ford Focus. They have a Ford 500 as well which is a bit bigger (Taurus sized), they use that for all their long distance driving. It's got lots of room and is very comfortable.

Ford Flex is essentially a minivan, but it's not a minivan in the eyes of some people who don't like minivans.... Should be worth taking a look, but might be too much $$$.

 

[z1ggy]

If you need AWD I second Subaru. I had one for 7 years and only had to bring it for repairs once. Everything else was preventative maint. They just are fugly as heck, and have meh interiors. MPG is also meh, but they are reliable and safe, and one of the best AWD systems.

If you don't..Why not another Mazda 6/Accord? Since you didn't really say if you preferred sedan or SUV it's hard to really pinpoint a select few vehicles. There's a lot of good choices out there now a days.