car shopping

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m car shopping. My current car is a 2004 Dodge Intrepid. It’s 9 years old and I just rolled 100,000 miles, and it is starting to have some real problems. There’s the flaky brake issue where the pedal goes soft/hard inconsistently, and then the string of sensor failures flaking out and making the car not want to start/run. I’m tired of dumping money into it, and am looking for a new ride.

First thing I notice it has been a while since I’ve paid attention to car designs, so most models have had major revamps and are visually and functionally different vehicles.

Second thing I notice is that they all seem to look alike… mostly ugly.

I also notice that most sedans now seem to be smaller than my car. I have activities giving me reason to haul around stuff several times a month, where I fill my trunk and most of the back seat. I did some estimates with a tape measure and calculate about 21 cubic feet (cu ft) of trunk space, and that’s conservative as I didn’t get every nook and cranny. Meanwhile, reading up online on car specs, I’m finding the largest trunk is on the Ford Taurus, at 18 cu ft, and that’s probably liberal, as it’s a car ad spec. And most have less than 16 cu ft, some as low as about 13 cu ft.

Even if all of that space is accessible through the increasingly small trunk lid, that’s still a significant chunk of trunk that I would no longer have. And since I mostly haul [del]crap[/del] stuff rather than people, I find myself being driven to a small SUV.

My other concern is gas mileage. With fuel prices as they are, I’d like the best I can get. I’d rather avoid the mileage on, say, a full sized pickup or large SUV. So I’m hunting in the small SUV/Crossover range. I may also consider any station wagons out there, if they have better fuel economy and meet my needs.

I’ve been doing some trade studies online, trying to narrow down what vehicles to go test drive. I will probably try out a sedan or two just for the fun, if not realistically going to take them. But my main issue is picking a vehicle that will provide reasonable as mileage while appropriate space, be very reliable, and not be butt ugly.

So the Scion and PT Cruiser are Right Out!

I know right now there are some great deals on 2013 models and there are a lot of incentives, so I will have to find out how that affects real costs vs MSRPs.

A buddy at work happened to be car shopping and mentioned that Hyundai has some great deals, with their mini SUV MSRP running around $23,000 but the dealer saying he could buy in for $16,000. That’s 16 grand for new car! How long has it been for that price?

Hyundai and Kia are also offering the best warranty plans, with a 10yr/100,000 mi coverage. Nobody else is close.

Toyota’s Rav4 is high on my list, as well as the Honda CR-V. My sister has one of those.

I’m probably going to have to do some in person shopping and test drives. I’m curious what other people think.

Suggestions, ideas, comments on particular cars or makes? Any advice to avoid headaches and get the best price? I am going to have to be comfortable in the car, and am trying to figure the best way to assure I really get a good feel.

Thanks.

2

I’d go Hyundai (and if my car is a write-off, I probably will!). My sister just bought a Hyundai Sante Fe and she loves it. They got it loaded to the max with everything you can get on a vehicle. My preference is the Elantra, but I don’t haul stuff too often.

3

Too bad you think Scions are ugly. But for that, the Scion xB sounds like it is made for you.

4

You might take a look at the Honda Crosstour or the Toyota Venza. They’re called “crossover SUVs” but they look like tall station wagons to me. I think they’ll have enough cargo room for you, if you like the look of them.

5

Honda Crosstours look like Azteks Lite.

I have waited for an opportunity to say that. Carry on.

6

VW SportWagon TDi.

7

I always say the same thing, Honda Fit. Ugly is subjective, cargo space and mpg aren’t. Personally I do not give a hang what my car looks like, I’m always inside it looking out.

8

Yeah but if you have to avert your eyes when approaching it in a parking lot, or pretending you’re unlocking the car next to it until people pass by, it’s a problem. :wink:

9

Hmmm. The Honda Fit is a little smaller than the other vehicles on my list, but at ~$16,000 MSRP it’s economical, and the gas mileage is the best on anything similar.

The Honda Crosstour starts at a higher MSRP for an even smaller amount of space, and doesn’t get as good of gas mileage as others on the list.

The VW sportwagen TDI is in consideration. The space is reaonsable, and the mileage on diesel is 30 city/42 highway. Diesel cost is about 22% higher, but the mileage is at best 36% better, based on stated mileages. Without actual numbers, that’s what I have to work with, and I’m not sure the mileage increase is worth the hassle of change from gasoline to diesel.

Scion doesn’t have advantages over other vehicles in consideration, and is butt ugly.

Toyota Venza seems to have lower gas mileage and higher MSRP.

Haven’t managed any real test drives yet. :frowning: Life intervenes. Gotta get over the hump and get to it.

10

We’ve had an 06’ Rav4 and just recently traded it for the redesigned 13’ Rav4. Great vehicles. The new ones can get pricey topping out at over 30K for the loaded Limited but if you can still find a 12’ it’s a bullet proof SUV. Decent gas mileage and the cargo space is huge for a small SUV.

11

If you’re looking to make a decent deal for a vehicle, I’d avoid Honda. They’re too proud of their sticker price and seldom vary much from it. MSRP is bullshit. Check Edmunds or a like service to see what the car should cost you.

12

This never happens to me. But then, I think ALL cars are ugly. There aren’t any pretty machines, in my world.

13

Too true. But you can get a deal on a newish used one from a private party.

14

In my experience, the discount on newer used Hondas is so slight that it’s not worth it to buy a late-model used Honda. So the last time I bought a car, I bought a brand-new Honda Fit from the dealer.

15

And their price doesn’t seem to go down much in resale, either, which is great if you’re selling, less great if you’re trying to buy.

16

I tried to trade in my 2003 CRV for a 2006 Acura RDX. I also brought in a colleague who was going to buy one too. So two buyers with cash, standing in the showroom ready to plunk down some money, and they wouldn’t budge a nickel on MSRP. The salesman had the balls to tell me “Well, they’re selling for more than MSRP in Seattle.” I told him, not so politely, that we weren’t in Seattle, and that he just lost two sales commissions. I went and bought a Chrysler, and will never enter a Honda dealership again.

17

How sad. :frowning:

18

I have a 2010 Rav4 Sport V6. It is a great car that is like the Swiss Army Knife of vehicles. It can do anything I ask of it. However, the thing I like most about mine is that it is a V6 with 269 HP in a reasonably light vehicle so the performance is incredible with almost no hit to the gas mileage. It is funny to see me challenge people in a 60’s or 70’s muscle car to a drag race. With that much power and all wheel drive, none of them have ever stood a chance. For some reason, Toyota stopped offering the V6 in the new RAV4’s and I don’t like that.

I will be getting another car in another year or so while mine still has great trade-in value but I think I am going with something else this time. My top pick at the moment is a Mazda CX5 Touring model (it is a new model that is fairly head turning when you first see it in person) but I also like the new Ford Escapes as well. I highly recommend the small SUV class in general though. It is a competitive market so most of the top ones are well-built, reliable and deliver good value.

19

We had a somewhat similar experience with our local Hyundai dealership - we tried on two separate occasions to buy a brand-new Elantra, and two times they dicked us around so much that we just walked out and took our business elsewhere (ended up with a Corolla). I love the cars, but I hate the bullshit runaround.

20

Not at all. The world is full of beauty and there are many clever and beautiful useful objects. I just don’t have affinity for machines; the more complex they are the less I like them. I understand fountain pens and toasters and plumbing, but more complex inventions like telephones, cars, chainsaws, I view with great ambivalence. There are many worse insufficiencies, in my opinion.