"Tristan" (casselts)
05/18/2018 at 01:12 • Filed to: None
1
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"Tristan" (casselts)
05/18/2018 at 01:12 • Filed to: None | 1
| 42 |
Here’s the scenario: baby number two is coming in December. The Mrs. wants to stay home for a year or two afterwards, meaning we have to wave goodbye to the company-provided RAV4 and purchase her a vehicle.
But what should I buy? She disliked the 2004 Volvo V70, and honestly it was cramped (think: rear facing car seats, 6'7" dad, 5'10" mom). My Suburban fits everyone nicely, but it’s a total gas pig, so I try to limit how much I drive it outside of the necessary evils of having to go to work every day or having to tow stuff. Not to mention, it’s yuuuge and therefore a bit “much” for her to drive and park. So, something in-between?
The criteria: reasonably reliable/easy to work on, comfortable with lots of leg/head room, preferably quiet (the RAV4 is a tin can... the amount of road noise in that thing gives me a headache), reasonably fuel-efficient, and preferably sub- $8,000. Oh, and being 6'7", I don’t really want to bend down a whole lot to put kiddos in car seats!
I hate the current RAV4, but the previous generation has aged well. Minivans are hard to find in decent nick for the price. A jeep Commander is lovely, but a bit thirsty and hard to find a good one for my price point, I know nothing about Subarus other than the newer Outbacks are super comfy... Give me ideas for a boring kid-hauling appliance!
PS9
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 01:31 |
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Big vehicle = big gas pump bill. No getting around it. Smaller vehicles will be better for that, but good luck getting dad to be comfortable in one of those. Pick one; size or economy. You gotta give something up.
The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 01:48 |
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An used Prius V. It’s noting special to look at(& drive) but had lots of room for baby things, & is good on fuel.
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Tristan
> PS9
05/18/2018 at 01:49 |
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My Suburban gets 12 MPG. I want something that gets 20. I’m not asking for Prius economy, just something that doesn’t hurt as much as my Canyonero.
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Tristan
> The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
05/18/2018 at 01:49 |
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What do these sell for on the used market?
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The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 01:56 |
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Low teens up here, so the exchange rate. Also cars generally cost more up here too, you could find an older one down your way for cheaper.
deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 02:03 |
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Back when I had just two kids, my wife drove a 2010 Mazda5 mini-minivan. For its external size, it was quite roomy inside with decent headroom even for taller folks, and still had sliding doors which made it pretty easy to put kids in their seats. Captain’s chairs in the second row so you could slide them even with car seats attached. Her main beef with it was the lack of power (153hp) compared to the (very cramped) Audi A4 we had before, but a manual transmission should help mitigate some of that. It was based on a Mazda3 and handled pretty well. Also looks pretty good when dolled up, if you’re into that (not mine):
The pre-2011 generation should be well within the $8k budget, and personally I think it looks better than the following generation with the silly grin.
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Tristan
> The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
05/18/2018 at 02:06 |
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I’ll put it on the maybe list!
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Tristan
> deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
05/18/2018 at 02:12 |
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I am definitely going to find one of these to test drive... I didn’t realize they were so cheap and plentiful. For instance: https://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/ctd/d/2007-mazda-5-mazda5-grand/6584444350.html
FLmanisback
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 02:15 |
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Even if you can find one at the price point, the Comander is really terrible for fuel mileage. My wife did 155k miles in her 06, loved it. But we never did better than 15 mpg on the highway. What about a Honda Element? I always thought these were pretty cool. 2011 was the last year they were made, I haven’t really checked prices lately, but for a bit I considered one as a surf wagon. Good gas mileage and decent interior room in a small package..
CRider
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 02:15 |
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Assuming a bro’d out, cocaine white Escalade is completely out of the question I’d suggest a early 2000s Lexus RX300. It’ll put you to sleep faster than a good anesthesiologist, but it’s big, quiet and will run until the Earth has no more oil to give it.
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Tristan
> CRider
05/18/2018 at 02:16 |
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I’ve shopped them a bit. Most are pretty used up with 200,000+ miles and lots of abuse. :/
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Tristan
> FLmanisback
05/18/2018 at 02:18 |
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I’m a fan of the Element. Were they victims of the era when Honda forgot how to make transmissions? I also fear that the back seat might be difficult to access.
I’ve always loved the Commander, and gas sucking monstrosities are kinda my thing. 10/10 would by one, but financial responsibility prevents it.
DipodomysDeserti
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 02:24 |
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No need to bend down when there is no roof.
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CRider
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 02:26 |
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SUVs hold their value pretty well, unfortunately. You could sell the Suburban and get something that’s more efficient and newer.
Future Heap Owner
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 02:35 |
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Second the Element recommendation. The transmissions seem fine according to Consumer Reports’ ratings; for the ‘09 and higher model years, CR had them neck & neck with the RAV4 on reliability. I scoped this out for my brother a month or so ago and he was looking for those years, but around here thos’re a little above budget. I could look up slightly older ones if you want
The back row might be a little tight with car seats in there. They’re everywhere around here so I’d say check one out.
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Future Heap Owner
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 02:41 |
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How do y’all feel about wagons? Not big enough for Dad?
pip bip - choose Corrour
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 04:29 |
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minivan?
Stapleface
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 07:03 |
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Maybe a Ford Flex? Seems like it would be roomy enough, and you would think would have to get better mileage than the Suburban
shop-teacher
> Stapleface
05/18/2018 at 07:18 |
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I second this. I don’t know if Flexes have gotten down to that price yet, but they are incredibly roomy. They are the spiritual successor to full size station wagon. Frankly they’re much roomier than my Roadmaster wagon was.
random001
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 07:26 |
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Just look for one of the manual trans AWD version. I think post 2007 they finally got traction control, too. A friend had one, and it was really pretty cool. There’s a lift kit out there for it, too.
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random001
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 07:35 |
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Well, take a look at the Kia Soul. They’re actually quite handy. I had one for a few years, lots of room in there.
Buick roadmaster, 1996 vintage, always the correct answer.
You can find an E-class wagon or a 5-series touring for that price if you look.
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random001
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 07:40 |
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Oh, take a serious look at the Hyundai Genesis. Hard to get that much car for less money. I owned one, it was quite nice. My FIL has one, also quite nice.
So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 09:40 |
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Since you obviously aren’t scared off by FCA quality and have mentioned mini vans I suggest the Dodge Journey. It’s literally the same chassis and drivetrain as a Caravan but with swinging doors. If you can find a newer one in your price range I’d suggest going for the 3.6L Pentastar engine. The 3.5L in the older ones is fine but I think you get better mileage and more power out of the 3.6L
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FLmanisback
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 11:03 |
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Good question. I agree with the replies below. The Element with a manual trans is the way to go, but the catch is you need to find one. Most folks who have these recognize the keeper value and hang on. The ones I drove with automatics were fine for me, but the vehicle wasn’t going to be a 500k mile car either. I wanted something that could fill up with surf wax and sand, would hold a pair of longboards and be campable.
The rear seats were good for a small car in terms of room,and access was aided by a suicide door to the rear. Honestly the only thing that kept me from getting one was finding a clean one for reasonable price. Eventually I bit the bullet and bought a new 4 door wrangler - combined surf vehicle and convertible DD, and sold my convertible.
I’m surprised you can’t find a decent Commander. They are plentiful in FL and at reasonable prices. My wife actually started looking at low mileage 2010s to replace hers, but for our 20th anniversary I bought her a Grand Cherokee trailhawk. Personally, I don’t like it as much as the Commander, it’s too car-like. I like my SUVs like my amazon prime orders. Packaged in much to big of a square box for what’s inside.
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Tristan
> FLmanisback
05/18/2018 at 12:40 |
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While the wifey is experienced in the ways of the manual transmission, I’m not sure she’s keen on having one in Portland traffic.
I sure felt like Florida was a better place to find just about anything cheaper!
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Tristan
> CRider
05/18/2018 at 12:42 |
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NO. Well, maybe... The thought has crossed my mind to sell it and use some bucks to buy her a van/suv thing and buy me an old 3/4 ton pickup for truck stuff.
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Tristan
> Stapleface
05/18/2018 at 12:43 |
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Indeed they’re nice, and quite roomy. I haven’t seen any on the cheap end of the market yet, though.
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Tristan
> DipodomysDeserti
05/18/2018 at 12:44 |
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If only it weren’t for that damn roll bar. I’d make an exception to my price rule just because Wranglers refuse to depreciate.
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Tristan
> random001
05/18/2018 at 12:48 |
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I’ve given the Soul some thought.
If it were completely up to me and my wife wasn’t biased against them, 9/10 would Roadmaster, 10/10 would Olds Custom Cruiser.
No Germans- I said reliable!
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Tristan
> So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky
05/18/2018 at 12:53 |
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Maybe I should give it an objective look... I just haven’t ever gotten the warm fuzzies for it.
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Tristan
> random001
05/18/2018 at 12:55 |
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I’m hoping for something a bit more SUV-ish. How’s the back seat room for rear-facing kiddo seats?
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Tristan
> Future Heap Owner
05/18/2018 at 12:56 |
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Dad LOVES wagons. Mom... not so much.
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Tristan
> pip bip - choose Corrour
05/18/2018 at 12:58 |
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The Odyssey has transmission issues or is way out of our price range, the Caravan is meh, GM is a solid no, Nissan Quest is hiddeous, Sienna is pricey and also meh. What else is there?
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So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 13:05 |
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Can’t say I blame you. I use to work at FCA and I have the same issues. I drive Mazda right now and would personally go for a Mazda 5, Honda Pilot, or Subaru of some kind but I am only planning for kids, don’t yet have any.
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random001
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 14:51 |
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The Genesis has oodles of room. At 6'4", I could slouch down behind myself. It’s massive. I had two rear facing car seats in there, and didn’t have to move the driver’s seat at all. Also, you can get it with a 5.0 litre V8.
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pip bip - choose Corrour
> Tristan
05/18/2018 at 19:40 |
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Kia
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CRider
> Tristan
05/19/2018 at 02:50 |
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Depending on what you need the truck for (towing?) you could probably get a newer (say 2011+) F-150 with decent mileage if you traded in the ‘Burban. Unless you really tow really heavy stuff, modern half ton trucks are catered to doing family/tow duty, assuming your wife doesn’t mind docking an aircraft carrier every day.
AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop
> Tristan
06/29/2018 at 12:38 |
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Acura MDX.
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AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop
> AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop
06/29/2018 at 12:41 |
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Tristan
> AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop
06/29/2018 at 14:23 |
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Mos def don't want a quarter million miles!
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AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop
> Tristan
06/29/2018 at 14:24 |
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Still, MDX is your best choice
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Tristan
> AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop
06/29/2018 at 14:29 |
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I do quite like it. I'll add it to the test drive list. I'm leaning towards a Taurus X or a Flex currently.