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NBR: New Used Car
I'm looking to buy a new used car here in the next couple of months. At first I was looking to spend about $20K on some type of SUV. Now, I'm thinking something around 10-15K car or suv. I want something that has good gas mileage, good saftey ratings and decent cost of repair. Any ideas?
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Re: NBR: New Used Car
I have an 05 Toyota 4Runner and it rocks my world. We've had it since new, and it has 78K miles on it and has never needed any work. The gas mileage is decent for a full sized SUV-- I fill up about every 10 days and use the car to commute to work and to run errands. Every time someone drives my car they comment on what a smooth ride it is and how it feels very solid, but very easy to drive.
I am tickled by how many of the new mommies-to-be go through this. We are in the same boat and have been looking for a small SUV too! The 4Runner & Pilot felt huge to me. Even with all the baby equipment, I don't see why if it's usually just the mom and one little baby inside, such a honker vehicle is needed.
We have access to the online Consumer Reports stuff, so I've been able to look at all the ratings for individual year models of used cars..I recommend doing that at the library or such if you find one that interests you. For instance, the '08 CRV is good, but the '06 and '07 both had major drive system issues.
Anyway, we have been looking and test-drivin' a lot. I thought I wanted a CR-V and was feeling anti-Toyota lately. However, on Sat. I drove the CR-V and didn't much care for how it felt, but loved the Rav 4. (I have a Rav 4 now, but it is very old.) My recommendation is to study the ratings, see what's in your price range out of what rates best, then test drive to see what fits you best. I didn't realize how the feel of a car can be quite personal vs. what's popular. The Rav 4 did rate as the best small used SUV overall by CR though! Hope you find a very safe car you love!
I would definitely look through Consumer Reports. It has all the info you are looking for and rates cars by category - and will give you estimated cost over the lifetime of the car for repairs, etc.
Another good one to consider is the Subaru Forrester. Ranked really well when we were looking and it's in the small SUV category.
The Blog
<P>I used to feel this way until we bought the CRV and had our baby. Now I wish I had a Pilot or bigger SUV. It is hard for us to fit all of our stuff with baby's stuff when we go somewhere for a night or more stay. And now with his new carseat we cannot move back one of the seats enough for a person with longer legs. Even though I am very short, I would like to be able to move the passenger seat back more, expecially on longer trips. And my husband could not drive if we put the seat behind the driver's seat. If we put it in the middle, neither seat could recline and you really don't have much room at all if someone wants to sit in the back seat. Another reason it is nice to have more room is if you are changing baby on the go. Sometimes we change baby in the back of the car- but with much in there, like grocery bags or a stroller for example, there is no extra room. If you are trying to do anything in the back seat with baby like feeding or changing, any extra room would be nice.</P>
Ours is '07. I think '07 is the first year of the new body style. Knocking on wood about the drive train issues.
My Dh took over my mazda m3 a couple of years ago when he changed jobs. We bought an old toyota avalon from my aunt for me to drive. It's been a great car, but too old lady for me. We are finally paying off his car in May and I get to buy a new car!
Because that one little baby comes with some very big equipment. The convertible seats are huge, the strollers are bulky, etc. A simple road trip to Houston with just DS required about 500 items.
I had a Toyota Highlander when we had DS, it was fine, but imo much too small for two kids. The double stroller would have taken up all my cargo space and there was no room for an adult between two car seats in the back (necessary sometimes to feed baby while DH drives). We went with the Toyota Sequoia and I LOVE it. Plenty of cargo space, roomy removable 3rd row, and very pretty.
(read it. you know you want to.)
anderson . september 2008
vivian . february 2010
mabel . august 2012
I went from a civic to a CRV and absolutely LOVE IT!! I got the mid-level one, and it was just over $20K brand new. I bet you could buy a used one for somewhere in the 15K range. They are great long term. When I bought my at the Round Rock honda, the guy even took me across the street to see some of the used ones and they were in good shape.
I dealt with Brian Vinegar and I really like him, he gave me a great deal. He is a real family guy.
mlf & KittyFX, thanks for explaining that to me. What you said really does make sense. I am used to throwing bags and stuff in the backseat of my Rav, which would leave the back cargo area available or vice versa. However, we'll see how it goes when I actually have all the baby gear. 500 items..haha! Maybe a Rav would continue to work for one child, but I can see the need to upgrade once we have 2.
It's also tough for me because being eco-conscious is super important to me, and the hybrid versions aren't affordable for us. Even though the larger SUVs still get good gas mileage, it seems like they'd make a bigger footprint (tire print?!) than a smaller one.
Don't forget to check the recall list if you choose Toyota. There are some older models on there too.
https://www.toyota.com/recall/
Just another option:
We replaced my old car a few months ago with a "new" used minivan. Now, I have always (or had always) been vehemently anti-minivan, but for us it was just the best option: Better gas mileage than comparably-sized SUVs, more flexibility, and *much* less expensive. We got a loaded 2006 Chrysler Town & Country for $17000. (Those are DC dollars, BTW; it would have been a good bit less in Texas.)
Even though I was totally against being a minivan mom (I cried the day we drove it off the lot -- melodrama much?), I absolutely love it now. I wouldn't trade it. The sliding doors are awesome. It sits lower than an SUV -- more like a car -- so I don't have to lift the baby carrier as far to get it into the vehicle. We can fold down the back seats to reconfigure the interior as necessary. It seats six very comfortably, even when two of those six are in bulky carseats. And it still has plenty of room for baby gear.
We especially like that part about the completely stowable seats. We have ongoing reno projects in our house and gardening projects in our yard, and if we have something really big to carry home from Lowe's we can take the boys' seats out and fold down all of the back seats. They fold completely into the floor, so it's like having a passenger vehicle and a panel van in one.
BTW, ours was a vehicle from a lease program, and it's like new. Regardless of what you buy, if you can find a lease vehicle that's been turned in, then you'll get a really nice car for your money.
Good luck! Hope you find just the right vehicle for you and your growing family.