Wife wants a new car

[Tony Tice]

This is a pretty diverse crowd over here and a lot of good people from what I can tell so far. My wife has a 98 LHS that has 145,000 miles on it. Small stuff is starting to break, she wants a new car. I HATE buying cars, I'd rather go to the dentist and have my teeth drilled w/o novacane.

Arighty then. My criteria: Used preferably, low mileage, new could be OK for the right unit. $25K or less is best (for a freaking cage). All Wheel Drive would be best. Automatic. The highest possible fuel economy. Has to hold at least 4 people. No HONDAs!!!! We have had zero luck in the 3 cars we have owned, they don't hold up on gravel roads.

Want list: Leather, air, tilt, cruise, windows and locks.

My first choices so far: 2001-2003 for all of these, Audi A4 1.8T, Audi A6 3.0 V6, Toyota Rav 4, Jaguar X Type, VW Passat 4 Motion, Volvo S60, Subaru Forester, Ford Escape.

Secondary Choices: Chrysler 300 (new, 2 wheel drive), Chrysler Pacifica (new, 22 mpg not high enough, more expensive than I would like to spend but, oh so nice), Toyota Land Cruiser (poor fuel economy), newer year LHS (front drive only), Cadillac Seville STS or SLS (front drive only, poor fuel economy), Pontiac Bonneville SSEI (front drive only).

What am I missing AWD wise? Anyone with any personal experience with any of these?

Tony

 

[pyrofreak]

I think that all of the Subaru's are AWD. Check out the new WRX.

 

[nephron]

You mentioned fuel economy, and I'd bet your wife is no horsepower junky....I think Ford and others will have a hybrid SUV next year. I wouldn't want one, but it's an idea if you're concerned about fuel economy. I'd consider one of those things to be the ideal momma with kids car. It really would be nice to get 80mpg, wouldn't it?

 

[xTYBALTx]

Not on your list, I know, but I'd look at new-body Hondas over any Audi or VW. The Japanese make finer, more fuel efficient, more reliable cars than the Europeans in the same class.

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

VW Jetta has awesome mileage ..but im not sure whether they have all wheel drive.

 

[Tony Tice]

No Hondas

They don't hold up very well on gravel surfaces from my past experience. I've had three and they just don't stay together. My brother-in-law just bought a new Honda van a year ago and he's having the same stuff happen to his that all mine did. I want to buy something that weighs a little more than an Accord, or TL, or Integra, like I have had in the past.

The roads here are horrible and chopped up all the time so the roads are pretty rough. It needs to have AWD so that she can get thru the drifts easier in the winter time. Anbd since it will be heavier, it'll get down to the gravel a little better. Her LHS works pretty good but, it gets fairly poor fuel economy.

Tony

 

[tnrider]

I suggest the subaru wrx and if you really want it to "handle" gravel roads - check out www.vtcar.com for the required parts.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Subaru WRX or maybe an Audi. Supposedly all Audis have AWD, but I'm not sure on this. My friend has a WRX, very nice car!

 

[XRpredator]

while I'm not a fan of the furrin rigs, I know a gal who has an Audi, and she drives a 2 mile gravel driveway before she gets to a gravel county road and they hold up quite well.

As to the ecomicalness (wha?) of the hybrid rigs, from what I've read and seen, the initial cost of the rig will never be recouped by the savings in fuel costs. I guess they're supposed to make you feel better, though ;)

 

[skipro3]

My subaru forester, outfitted with a yakama rocket box and pulling a 3 rail trailer is my main hiway transport. It is one of the safest vehicles out there according to consumer reports magazine. Clearance is a problem in heavy snow and mud. I usually rent the escape when on Maui, Hawaii and it can take any of the back roads I've driven it on without any problems. I even take it where there are no roads to get to some shoreline fishing spots. My best 4-WD to date has been a Ford 2 door sport explorer. I used it for 10 years in some awful snow conditions around here and NEVER got stuck. Even used it to pull others out of the snow and out of the ditches.

 

[zio]

For AWD, another option would be a Mitsubishi Montero Sport. Discontinued, I think, in 2003? Replaced by the Endeavor (car platform).

We bought a used 2002 (lease return) with under 10k miles on it last year. It's an XLS model, with everything but leather. Has full-time AWD. We've gone through a lot of cars in the last 10 years - 89 VW Jetta, 89 Toyota pickup, 94 Infiniti Q45, 93 Pathfinder, 97 Integra, 02 Honda Odyssey, and finally the Montero Sport.

This wasn't my first choice to replace the minivan. But the price was right, and zia liked it a lot. We've since put 25k miles on it. Not one single problem, and we average 16mpg or so in town (lots of stoplights), 20mpg on trips. It's very comfy. I like it a lot, actually. Of all the SUV's I've driven extensively (my Pathfinder, my dad's '02 Tahoe, my sister's '99 Expedition and her '97 Rodeo, all 4wd) this is my favorite. Really. I'm surprised, actually. It drives & handles very nicely. It doesn't have a lot of body roll, doesn't feel heavy, and isn't noisy. The chassis feels very solid. It's not a rocket, but the motor has enough torque that it doesn't feel at all sluggish.

If you consider one, make sure you at least go for the XLS. They have more HP/torque than the lower models. While I've not driven any other model, I've read a lot that the smaller motor doesn't have enough grunt.

 

[zio]

And re: fuel economy, make sure you take into consideration the cost of the vehicle. This is what bugs me most when reading the truck debates (i.e. Ford v10 versus the diesel). Is 10 mpg for the v10 and 20mpg for the diesel about right? Or at least close enough for an illustration? And you pay about $4000 more for the diesel?

Over 20k miles, you'd burn 2k gallons of gas in the v10, at lets say $2.30/gallon = $4600. 20k miles in the diesel at 20mpg, at say $2.30/gallon (they're roughly the same price here where I live right now, may be different where you are) = $2300 for fuel.

Based on my numbers, which are just guestimates, you'd have to drive 40k miles to break even. Yeah, the diesel has higher resale value, and will probably last longer... blah blah. I'm just talking fuel economy. If all else were equal, I'd rather keep the $4k in my pocket up front.

 

[BadgerMan]

My better half drives a 2000 Subaru Outback wagon. We have owned it since it was new and we could not ask for a better car. It has 50,000 miles now and it has been perfect. Not a single problem. It has the four cylinder (160hp) with automatic transmission and it has a surprising amount of zip.

When we bought it, I was comparing specs with the Ford Explorer and was surprised to see the Outback had more ground clearance than the Explorer AND more head room inside. At six foot tall, I am still very comfortable driving or riding.

Good quality car.......built in southern Indiana.

 

[TheGrinch]

The Toyota RAV 4's are very popular in Australia. I've owned two Toyota Corollas and found them to be very reliable and economical. The RAV 4 is next on my list.

 

[motometal]

My thought process: whoa, Tony has a post on DRN! Small world...about cars! He hates Hondas...I'd better get in there and recommend a Honda just to get him going...

...well, someone beat me to to it.


Tony, i'll assume you've given good thought on whether she really NEEDS AWD. In my opinion, considering the average climate in central Iowa, it's not a good trade off.

Negatives:
1. initial expense
2. greater interest in the long run, if you finance
3. heavier vehicle-less nimble
4. potentially higher licence and insurance
5. lower fuel mileage
6. more complicated drive train, more parts that could break
7. certain AWD vehicles have a higher center of gravity and roll rather than slide

positives:
1. on the 2.3 days a year that the roads are really bad, she can drive to town, work etc. (as opposed to you giving her a ride)
2. resale value

...that's just my take on it, whether or not AWD is "worth it" for you and your wife is a decision only you and your wife can make.

Speaking of your favorite brand...Honda...tonight I rotated the tires on my wife's Honda Accord. She wanted me to check the brake pads. They look like new at 65,000 miles...i'm impressed!

Are you coming to battletrax sunday?

 

[Tony Tice]

The Battletraxx is Sunday?

Motometal, DAMN it!!! I'd like to come up there and kick your butt just for the sake of doing it but, I have 3 grad parties to go to. You're killin me Smalls! Is there another one before year's end?

How's your finger doing by the way?

I wouldn't need AWD if it weren't for this road that we live on. When it snows the two high points have fence rows that run up to the edge of the road and the snow drifts get pretty tall sometimes. We had no accumulated snow in the field but there was a 5' drift running across the road! Now the left headlight points down on my van too, blowing so hard I couldn't see the drift until I hit it.

Then there is the low spots that get VERY soft after a rain and if you don't hit it fast enough, you don't make it through. Stuck there twice last year, daughter totalled her car once and I've been sideways more times than I care to mention. Feel like a rally driver at times. I need a dual purpose bike to ride back and forth on less than perfect days so I can wheelie across the one soft spot.

I've got it narrowed down to an Audi A4 1.8T, RAV4, or one of the Subarus right now. I'm kind of leaning toward the RAV4. Yamaha motor, ya know.

Thanks for all the input, you guys are great.

Tony

 

[motometal]

Motometal, DAMN it!!! I'd like to come up there and kick your butt just for the sake of doing it but, I have 3 grad parties to go to. You're killin me Smalls! Is there another one before year's end?

How's your finger doing by the way?

I wouldn't need AWD if it weren't for this road that we live on. When it snows the two high points have fence rows that run up to the edge of the road and the snow drifts get pretty tall sometimes. We had no accumulated snow in the field but there was a 5' drift running across the road! Now the left headlight points down on my van too, blowing so hard I couldn't see the drift until I hit it.

Then there is the low spots that get VERY soft after a rain and if you don't hit it fast enough, you don't make it through. Stuck there twice last year, daughter totalled her car once and I've been sideways more times than I care to mention. Feel like a rally driver at times. I need a dual purpose bike to ride back and forth on less than perfect days so I can wheelie across the one soft spot.

I've got it narrowed down to an Audi A4 1.8T, RAV4, or one of the Subarus right now. I'm kind of leaning toward the RAV4. Yamaha motor, ya know.

Thanks for all the input, you guys are great.

Tony

Yes, it's Sunday Sunday Sunday
sorry you can't make it. Hope to see you at Marshalltown soon, I haven't made it there yet this year.

There is one more B.T., in August, I believe it's the 3rd week?
The main promoter, Dave Stueve, is gone-took a job at another dealership, so it's a bit different but was still pretty fun last time.

sounds like you ARE a good candidate for AWD, most Iowans that think they must have it just because the neighbors do.

regards,
-Scot

 

[DoubleTrouble]

Jeep Librty CDi - Has the world renowned Mercedes-Benz common-rail turbo-diesel engine, 4 wheel drive, and gets great gas mileage.

Check it out.

 

[trout]

Dont discount the lexus..the RX300 or RX330. My wife loves hers. Its very smooth and does pretty good on gas, reliability, etc. Great little SUV.

 

[Patman]

Funny, I live down a "road" that most folks would call a goat path. (Tony Eeds as few others have been out to my place to confirm this.) Any way my wife needed a new vehicle as her drive got bumped from 22 miles each way to 42 miles each way and the big Bronco was getting a lot of miles on it. So we went looking... Rav4, 4 Runner, Escape, Liberty, Freelander, Discovery, M350, XC90, you name it, if it was a small to mid-size SUV we looked at them, drove them, and compared them. We spent the better part of 4 months and a car show weekend investigating all of her options. In the end the big Bronco stayed because she didn't want to get rid of it and added a HONDA CR-V to a space in the garage. After 18 months and about 40K miles this little thing still amazes me with how tight it is, the good mileage and comfortable ride and all the freakin' features it has. She loves that little rig and to be honest I really like it myself for what it's purpose is. Basically I'm looking at it as a Bic lighter vehicle, use it until it's done then get another. At the rate it's going I suspect it's going to be 150K to 200K when that time comes.

 

[Ol'89r]

Dont discount the lexus..the RX300 or RX330. My wife loves hers. Its very smooth and does pretty good on gas, reliability, etc. Great little SUV.

Tony.

My Daughter has one of those. Excellent vehicle. Has never given her one bit of trouble. They hold their value very well. She goes through brakes and rotors on it but, I think it is more the way she drives it.

Terry.

 

[trout]

Interseting...We talk about the lexus RX300 and the adds below the post are for rx300. Targeted advertising at its finest!

 

[Tony Tice]

Ended up getting

a '03 RAV4. Had quotes on a '02 RX300, '02 A4 1.8T, '03 Benz C230 4Matic, and a '04 CR-V. Insurance was fairly high on the Lexus and the Benz, the A4, CR-V and RAV4 were fairly close. It came down to the deal on the LHS that was the breaker. The Toy dealer gave us $300 more than the others would. So, either they're blind or they just really wanted the business. Insurance was exactly the same too.

I was really hoping to get her the A4, that was one nice car, heated and air conditioned leather seats, heated mirrors, 1500 watt custom installed Pioneer sound system with 100 disc CD player and in dash DVD player, they wanted 22K for this car and it was worth every penny. Unbelievably clean too, 18" Momo wheels.

The RAV is loaded with every option except alloy wheels. Oh well.

Picked it up Friday afternoon, so far the mileage is beyond what we were hoping for. Sure is fun to drive on the twisty parts of the gravel road!

Tony

 

[motometal]

congrats on the new vehicle! I hear that there is an open practice next Saturday at Marshalltown, I hope to be there with a bike or three! See you there?? I'll be your friend even if you show up with a qua aaad.... :)

 

[Tony Tice]

I plan on being there.

I doubt I'll be able to ride though. This arthritis thing is kicking my butt (actually my knees). I'll let you take the YSR453F out for a few laps, if'n you want to.

Tony