Recommend me an inexpensive, reliable AWD vehicle

[exdeath]

2005 STI with FMIC and hood scoop delete + spoiler delete.

eg: this without the spoiler or hood scoop:

I know someone who picked one up for $19k just like the one pictured, but again, with spoiler and scoop delete, blacked out intercooler, and already modded to 400 AWHP on 91 pump gas.

 

[Bignate603]

Landrover Defender! Everytime, I love them I will own one soon.

You haven't been able to buy a new defender on this side of the pond since 1997.

 

[HAL9000]

You haven't been able to buy a new defender on this side of the pond since 1997.

NO WAY! That sucks! I love them. Damn.

 

[Minjin]

He seemed to want something cheaper. That said, I love my 2010 Outback.

I see 2010s on ebay for less than 25k.

 

[power_hour]

Find a decent 3-4yr old Subaru Forrester (12-15k). Good clearance, decent reliability, nice cargo for winter fun, and an excellent AWD system.

Only thing to consider is pay to get the car inspected and be mindful of any offroading abuse and check the 2.5L engine for leaks.

Nothing special but if the job doesn't pan out, the car will be easy enough to sell if you come back and want another civic.

Cheers,

 

[jlee]

As much as I like my Forester, I honestly think a really good set of snow tires will make your Civic perfectly ok to drive in the winters up there. How often will you be driving on 12 inches of unplowed snow?

 

[lghost]

The Subaru option would be my first choice, but you could keep an eye out for a used RAV-4 as well. Faster and more efficient than most of the cute-utes, maybe one of the last Toyota's made to be appealing. The V6 model is a hot-rod and still gets Subie like mileage.

 

[alkalinetaupehat]

My vote goes for the snow tires, you'll be really surprised what a good set can do on a Civic. In fact, my buddy in college who would give me rides across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and back to the lower peninsula would push snow when he parked his car, and then just back out the next day when the plows came by. No shoveling it out, no drama. Just started the car and drove. For the record, he still drives that car, it's a '97 Civic.

I'm also going to mention that gas may be cheaper where you're going, but it's going up everywhere. I've heard from someone who works at an oil company that for Michigan it's going to hit $5/gallon this summer. Something to think about before you purchase a car which just won't sell later.

 

[exdeath]

The V6 model is a hot-rod and still gets Subie like mileage.

LOL

Yeah the 3.5L 2GR is a sweet engine. A damn shame Toyota is so conservative and doesn't tweak it year after year like Nissan did with their 3.5L VQ. Output from Toyota's new V6 hasn't changed since it's debut in the 05+ Avalon.

 

[wirednuts]

of that list, the ranger is really what you are asking for. cheap, lasts forever and will go through anything. i dont like awd systems that much anyway, too much maintenance since you really dont need awd most of the time anyway. and when you do, on rangers its just a flick of a switch.

what sucks is rangers are no longer considered fuel efficient, and its likely ford is going to end production on them soon (they might not even make a new ranger, they dont seem to think anyone wants small trucks). and especially now with the ecoboost f150, there isnt much reason to get a ranger. if you are looking that route, the 2011 f150 with ecoboost engine is hard to beat. not totally cheap though...

 

[RU482]

just a thought...take a look at what the locals are driving.
If you're in as BFE as it sounds, make sure you can get parts/service for what you buy.

 

[The-Noid]

2005 STI with FMIC and hood scoop delete + spoiler delete.

eg: this without the spoiler or hood scoop:

I know someone who picked one up for $19k just like the one pictured, but again, with spoiler and scoop delete, blacked out intercooler, and already modded to 400 AWHP on 91 pump gas.

Problem is with a 30k/year job maintenance and insurance start to be a serious concern.

For a lot of people that is a great solution.

Also remember Canada financing like the UK is generally much more expensive than the USA counterparts. New car rates are still average 7.8% on a 36 month new car loan right now in Canada and go up from there.

Canada's banking system is generally well run and companies do not provide the incentive financing. The USA/Eurozone are about creating as many auto loans as you can and then securitizing them to ABS.

 

[BassBomb]

You are in Ontario dude, just get snow tires...

I drove through terrible snow last night from Waterloo to Oakville, ~6" in some places and my car is lowered so I was plowing some of the roads with my front lip :S

I made it out alive because I had snow tires

 

[Jumpem]

You are in Ontario dude, just get snow tires...

I drove through terrible snow last night from Waterloo to Oakville, ~6" in some places and my car is lowered so I was plowing some of the roads with my front lip :S

I made it out alive because I had snow tires

Even with snow tires you can occassionally get stuck. Happened with my Fit which had snow tires. The one wheel wonder just sat there spinning one front wheel.

They could at least put some sort of traction control on front wheel drive vehicles, to keep power to both wheels.

 

[Brigandier]

Even with snow tires you can occassionally get stuck. Happened with my Fit which had snow tires. The one wheel wonder just sat there spinning one front wheel.

They could at least put some sort of traction control on front wheel drive vehicles, to keep power to both wheels.

Upgrade your dif, yo.

 

[jlee]

Even with snow tires you can occassionally get stuck. Happened with my Fit which had snow tires. The one wheel wonder just sat there spinning one front wheel.

They could at least put some sort of traction control on front wheel drive vehicles, to keep power to both wheels.

You need a center differential. 😉

 

[BassBomb]

Even with snow tires you can occassionally get stuck. Happened with my Fit which had snow tires. The one wheel wonder just sat there spinning one front wheel.

They could at least put some sort of traction control on front wheel drive vehicles, to keep power to both wheels.

8th gen Civic also has 300lb advantage over your Fit

 

[Jumpem]

You need a center differential. 😉

I got the Fit to save money on my 91 mile commute. I'm back to a Subaru now. Number three. 🙂

 

[ShawnD1]

Here's some I've been looking at
-Suzuki SX4
-Jeep Wrangler
-Ford Ranger 4.0L 4x4
-Jeep Compass
-Subaru Impreza

Suzuki and Jeep have terrible reliability records.

Also remember Canada financing like the UK is generally much more expensive than the USA counterparts. New car rates are still average 7.8% on a 36 month new car loan right now in Canada and go up from there.

Did you at least check any websites before posting this?
Subaru.ca says the 36 month rate is 2.9%
Toyota.ca says 36 months is 0%
Honda.ca says 36 months is 0.9%

American cars usually give cheaper rates, so the big 3 likely have 0% financing.

 

[Malak]

As much as I like my Forester, I honestly think a really good set of snow tires will make your Civic perfectly ok to drive in the winters up there. How often will you be driving on 12 inches of unplowed snow?

Fairly often. I would definitely not recommend sticking to the civic. My audi on all-seasons worked better than my lancer on winter tires.

 

[mmntech]

You are in Ontario dude, just get snow tires...

I drove through terrible snow last night from Waterloo to Oakville, ~6" in some places and my car is lowered so I was plowing some of the roads with my front lip :S

I made it out alive because I had snow tires

Read the first post. Said I might be moving to central Alberta. Foot of the Rockies, west of Edmonton. They get tons more snow than we do in the GTA. I may be commuting between two small towns.

Suzuki and Jeep have terrible reliability records.

We've never had any problems with the SX4s and Gr Vitaras at work. They're certainly more reliable than a lot of the other cars we have. Might be old info there.

The Subaru option would be my first choice, but you could keep an eye out for a used RAV-4 as well.

The new ones they have are good in the snow. It's another one I'm considering.

 

[Bignate603]

Suzuki and Jeep have terrible reliability records.

Car reliability is partially due to the kind of people that buy the cars too.

Wranglers are usually bought by two kinds of people:
1. People that have no clue about cars that think it looks cool
2. People that beat the snot out of them because they are a jeep

Whether they are actively trying to destroy the jeep (type 2) or doing it out of sheer stupidity (type 1) they both are going to be more likely to make the vehicle have problems.

 

[Sukhoi]

Read the first post. Said I might be moving to central Alberta. Foot of the Rockies, west of Edmonton. They get tons more snow than we do in the GTA. I may be commuting between two small towns.


We've never had any problems with the SX4s and Gr Vitaras at work. They're certainly more reliable than a lot of the other cars we have. Might be old info there.


The new ones they have are good in the snow. It's another one I'm considering.

One benefit of the RAV4 is you can lock the 4WD to 50/50 split below 25 mph. It keeps the vehicle much more stable/predictable than waiting for the AWD to kick in when you're driving through deep snow.

Remember that auto trans Subies are something like 90/10 torque split normally, so they're going to have the issue of needing rear wheel slippage before getting additional power. It's only the manual trans that are 50/50 during normal driving.

 

[Jumpem]

One benefit of the RAV4 is you can lock the 4WD to 50/50 split below 25 mph. It keeps the vehicle much more stable/predictable than waiting for the AWD to kick in when you're driving through deep snow.

Remember that auto trans Subies are something like 90/10 torque split normally, so they're going to have the issue of needing rear wheel slippage before getting additional power. It's only the manual trans that are 50/50 during normal driving.

The autos split 50:50 in the lower gears. And most of them are 60:40 by default. The five speed autos are 40:60.

 

[Sukhoi]

The autos split 50:50 in the lower gears. And most of them are 60:40 by default. The five speed autos are 40:60.

Is that something new? I did a lot of research when I was looking to buy a small SUV about 1.5 years ago (got a RAV4) and I was checking out the Forester & Outback. I'm not sure about lower gears in particular, but I remember for sure that higher gears were 90/10 or so in the autos.