**update, proud owner of a new Odyssey!**

[Rallispec]

okay... so my family is getting a new car.. our budget is right around 28-30k.
2 kids, a dog, and a 2000 pound boat to haul occasionaly. These are the 3 we've narrowed it down too.

the outback is nice, a little small... and the 3.0 liter engine may get a workout pulling the boat.

pathfinder... decent, not the greatest ride.. no real luxarys included. i really like the body style though. plenty of power to pull the boat, and plenty of room. terrible gas mileage.

oddessy... great safety, lots of extra features, 27mpg highway, great reviews... however- its a minivan.. who wants to drive a minivan?

safety is an issue, reliability, insurance and cost are also important.

so what do you all think? any of these stand out?
anyboyd have one of these that can offer any input? or another possible choice?

thanks !

~rallispec


post 1001... do i get a cookie?



update**** we did it, we bought the oddessy.. update below

 

[RossMAN]

Here's my choices listed in order:
1) Honda Odyssey
2) Subaru Outback
3) Nissan Xterra
4) Nissan Pathfinder

If you read the major car magazines such as Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Road & Track and the online review sites (ePinions.com & Edmunds.com) --- I think they'll all concur that the Honda is the perfect choice.

Good luck in finding one and good luck on not paying sticker.

 

[antos351]

did anyone try priceline for new car you selected bunch of dealers in areas near you and one of them might accept your offer below dealers invoice price

 

[Rallispec]

Nissan Xterra is terrible.. test drove that and hated it. Its underpowerd and uncomfortable to drive.

yes.. read through edmunds.. and thats how we chose the oddessy.. i still cant get past that whole "minivan' thing.

i'm looking for personal experiences and opinions now though...
anybody else have any comments?

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Be careful towing your boat in those rides. Their subframes may not be built to handle towing any real weight.

Edit: The pathfinder would handle it fine, though.

 

[tm37]

I have an outback for work, I have never towed anything with it but it is really nimble and accelerated well. If you live where it snows the AWD is Awesome. I really like my subaru and am planning to buy it from the company when the lease comes due. The seats are comfy and I regularly take long drive 2+ hours and it is a really nice rise. I have had it since May of last year and put about 11,000 miles on it. I like driving my truck more, I have a dakota that is my car, mainly because it sits lower than I like but all in all I love the outback.

As far as reliblity I sold subarus about 7 years ago and the customers we got in that had cars with 200K on them loved them alot, Very minor problems, I met a lady who had 300K on her JUSTY, and the only thing ever to break was her alternator, the car was like 12 years old and It still ran perfectly.

 

[teriba]

Definitely the Odyssey or Subaru. I like both of those a lot. My friend has an identical Subaru and it's great.

 

[teriba]

My personal vote would be for a Passat wagon though, can't beat VW!

 

[Rallispec]

I live in Virginia, snow isnt really that much a problem, we dont get enough for all wheel drive to be a necessity. The oddessy has a 250hp engine, and should tow fine.. the 220hp subaru is rated to pull 2000 pounds i think, so it would close.


out of curiousity... i know the oddessy wont really go offroad at all.. but has anybody taken the outback or pathfinder offroad..? i've never had a 4wd vehicle before.. so im not sure what kind of conditions they can handle.

 

[luckydragon]

while the subaru is nice, i doubt it can tow your boat. so i would get the pathfinder

 

[vi edit]

Out of those, I'd say the pathfinder. Buy a year old a save a bundle.

Depending on how often you pull the boat, I would imagine the Pathfinder would hold up longer. The minivan would struggle a little bit as FWD isn't the optimal platform for towing.

As for the outback, I just don't think that it offers near enough back seat space for a family of 4 adults/teens.

 

[Rallispec]

<< My personal vote would be for a Passat wagon though, can't beat VW! >>



havent looked at those.. my mom has a VW new beetle.. I HATE IT. i'm very against VW's.. but might look into these... what do they cost?

 

[Spendthrift]

i have no idea how the outback will perform while towing a boat but id go for it out of the three. honda oddessys are nice minivans, a bunch of my friends here in japan drive them. theyre quite popular among the 20somethings.

dont like pathfinders. they look cool but are way too light in the back end. unless the newer models have fixed that. out of the three its gonna be the best for towing though.

 

[Rallispec]

Vi_edit, we take the boat out at least once a week.. usually more.

are the 2001 pathfinders any different than the 2002? i wasnt able to find any differences other than some trim changes. That is a really good idea.

 

[RossMAN]

I doubt you can find a loaded one but what about a Ford Explorer or Toyota Highlander?

 

[Spendthrift]

have you thought about a chevy blazer or the ford escape or a toyota 4runner? gas mileage is crappy for all three, escape is the best (epa 23/27), but good for everything else.

 

[vi edit]

Yeah, look into a 2001. The 2001 got the engine upgrade. The '02 just got some cosmetic changes IIRC. You could pick up a used certified '01 and get a longer warranty than you would with a brand new '02.

If you bought certifed year old, you'd get remaining Bumper to bumper + 6 year/100,000 drivetrain warranty. Factor that in, plus at least a $3,000 discount off of a brand new one, and that's one heck of a deal.

 

[Rallispec]

Looked at Explorers, didnt like them at all...
for some reason we passed up the toyotas, might take another look though.

also looked at the Dodge durango... really nice, exactly what we wanted, excpet its a gas hog, and a little to pricey.

 

[Rallispec]

yeah... the 2001 pathfinder is a great idea
should i look for a used one? or see if the dealers still have any left on the lot?


oh yeah, looked at blazers too.. hated them also.. i have never felt so unsafe in a vehicle before.

 

[vi edit]

It's up to you. I'd look for a certified used one if it was my money. The SUV resale market has taken a nosedive over the last 12 months, so that's working in your favor.

Factor that in with incredibly low financing rates (assuming you are financing), and the fact that dealers are having troubles getting rid of used vehicles, and you've got some great bargaining power on your side.

 

[pecel]

go with Honda Oddessy

 

[cavingjan]

With the exception of the towing issue, the subaru would be your better ride and there is room in the back for adults with no problems.
In regard to the towing issue, the subaru is rated at 2000 lb towing but if that is close to what your boat weighs and you would have to pull it out, that would be bad news. You must decide how much the occasional towing means, if its once a year, I'd consider it. You could always borrow a car for that weekend to tow with if it doesn't work out. If its once a month, consider something more designed for towing. And what kind of terrain would you be towing through? Mountains, hills, or the flat lands of Kansas?

 

[CraigRT]

I love the new Supercharged Xterra, and while the 3.5 Pathfinder has low gas mileage, it has 250 horsepower! - if I was going to pull anything, i would get the Pathfinder, but the Odyssey is probably the nicest minivan on the market, and it would probably be good too, I don't think the Outback is all that practical in that situation, although it's a good, reliable car too.

 

[BigSmooth]

If you're going to be towing a boat once a week or more, definitely go with the Pathfinder.

vi_edit had some good advice, the used car market is a buyer's market right now. An '01 Pathfinder could be a great deal.

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

Nah, the car you want is:

2002 Toyota 4Runner 4x4 SR5 V6.

The 4Runner engine is a 3.4L 183hp V6. I believe it's rated to haul 5000lbs.

Also, there's a $1000 customer rebate if you take delivery before 1/7/02. According to
Cars Direct, you can get a 4Runner for under invoice.

I spec'd out an SR5 4Runner with these options:
Sports Edition Package (includes the bad-ass hood scoop)
Power Tilt & Slide Sunroof
Towing Receiver Hitch
Roof Rack
Rear Heater
Rear Wind Deflector

CarsDirect.com Price: $28,703
MSRP: $32,691
Invoice: $29,103

What I like about the 4Runner:
Awesome ground clearance. Probably the highest in its class.
The electronic rear-window can't be beat.
4Runners *really* hold their value. Depreciation rate is very low.
Only 183hp means the fuel economy is pretty good.
*very* roomy backseats. This is one of the biggest selling points for my parents when they bought their 'Runner.
Nice 4WD System. It has a separate gear box that allows you to select High 4WD, Low 4WD, High 2WD, or AWD.

Now I'm going to sum up my parents' experience with buying their 4Runner. My parents bought a brand new '98 model in the Spring of 1998. They went to two dealers. The first dealer was a real jerk. He didn't want to drop the price much below MSRP. In fact, he said my parents should expect to pay about $500 more for the Desert Dune Pearl color because it's in "high demand". Even though half the 4Runners on the lot were Desert Dune Pearl. So, my parents walked. They went to another, smaller, Toyota dealership about 30 miles away. Over there they got the exact 4Runner they wanted and actually paid the exact invoice. Yeah, so your dealer experience with Toyota will very from place to place.

Oh, and Toyota has 0% APR on the 4Runner. You can't get the customer rebate if you get the 0% though.