Car Recommendations

[k3am]

Anyone got any good ones? I.. don't really care about cars. I have a 2013 Ford Explorer with 4WD for snow trips. I like the car but will never buy another Ford again. 

DH currently has a 2009 Altima that we're replacing. His daily round trip commute (to and from daycare) is about 15 miles. When covid isn't at play, it's about 20 miles (daycare drop off, and then to the park and ride since he takes the bus). Pretty much all of our trips as a family are done in my car.

We... don't even have a starting spot right now. We know we don't need a beast like I drive, since we've already got snow covered. We had at one point considered that our next car would be whatever came attached to a carpool sticker and I'd use it for work, but we wouldn't get much benefit out of that for the foreseeable future. 

My only requirement is that it not be domestic. DH is apparently thinking the same, but also throwing in expensive cars like Audis and BMWs. (Which.. I know it's not expensive to some people, but I'd rather not spend that much.) So budget is obviously not at play at this point. 

[mae0111]

I know many people don't like them, but I've had great luck with VWs. I'm on my 3rd one. I had a Jetta, which I loved but was too small for the ginormous stroller I was using at the time. A Passat would have been the perfect size, I think.

So then I bought a used Touareg. I drove it through 8 terrible NE winters, and then stuff started to go on it. I could have kept it longer if I made the decision to sink a few thousand into it - that would have made it last 5 more years - but it was getting a little small. I loved that car, and I'm sad that they're not importing them anymore.

Now I have an Atlas. Probably too big for you, but I really like driving it. When I'm no longer carting kids around all the time, I'd definitely look into a Tiguan or a Passat.

VWs can be expensive to fix, but they feel so solid when you're driving. My Jetta vs the Saturn I drove for years before it was like night and day - like the Saturn would just blow away in a stiff breeze.

Good luck. I hate car shopping. DH leases because he loves a new car every few years. I love to own something until it doesn't work anymore.

[mommyatty]

I drove a Volkswagen while my car was being fixed after an accident. I loved it. It was an Atlas which is ginormous. But i would look at a smaller one.

[madringal]

I think I have read your last paragraph like 5 times and don't think I am understanding if you do or don't want domestic, or budget is or isn't a consideration.

I have always been a Toyota/Honda girl, but would like to upgrade a little past that with my next car (likely not for another 3-4 years), so I have been looking at an Acura MDX. Nothing fancy obviously, but a touch nicer than I currently have (Honda Odyssey).

[k3am]

mae0111, my first car was a Saturn. I got a speeding ticket when I was 17. The officer said I was going 90 and wrote down the wrong make/model of car. The judge did not believe when I said.. I wasn't going 90! My Saturn CAN'T go 90 without shaking like crazy. Judge didn't care unfortunately. I should have brought in pics of a Saturn and the car he said it was.

[k3am]

Sept 11, 2020 15:08:36 GMT -5 madringal said:

I think I have read your last paragraph like 5 times and don't think I am understanding if you do or don't want domestic, or budget is or isn't a consideration.

I have always been a Toyota/Honda girl, but would like to upgrade a little past that with my next car (likely not for another 3-4 years), so I have been looking at an Acura MDX. Nothing fancy obviously, but a touch nicer than I currently have (Honda Odyssey).

We do NOT want a domestic car. Budget at this point isn't determined. I would prefer not to spend BMW type money, but he disagrees.

[mustardseed2007]

I think Hondas are reliable. I drive a mazda sedan and I really like it just cause its sensible but still kind of fun. If I didn't get a mazda, I would have gotten a Honda.

[sdlaura]

I'm not a European car person because I had a total lemon VW, and my friends and family have spent tons of money on repairs for European cars. That said, I have considered a hybrid Volvo.

DH has a Tesla model 3 and I love it. Super fun to drive and we have 3 carseats in the back and it still feels roomy. How does he feel about an electric car?

[rere]

I love and have had the best luck out of all things Toyota. We currently own a Camry, Tundra, and Corolla. I had another Corolla previously, and it was the best car. My next car will be another Camry or maybe a Highlander or Rav4 for the 4wheel drive.

[waverly]

I had a Toyota Prius, but they are different now and don’t look as nice. My current car is a Honda CRV.

DH would get a Tesla if I let him which I wouldn’t at that time. We were looking for a road trip car not a commuter car and I didn’t want to stop and charge on a road trip. Some of the other electric cars like Leaf were interesting but I was nervous with the 70 mile range going to and from work and extra. But if I had a shorter commute I might have gone for one. I think those require a plug in the garage. The range is actually a lot higher nowadays, then when I last looked at them. Wouldn’t it be nice to never go to the gas station?

[supertrooper1]

I drive a Jeep Cherokee and like it even though the cargo space isn't big enough sometimes. I sometimes wish I would have bought a Grand Cherokee. But that is a domestic vehicle. Although, some domestic vehicles are more foreign made than some foreign made cars. At one point, some Toyotas were made the most American made car list.

Everybody I know hates their Audi's. I loved my Volvo until I had a $6,000 repair bill for a car with less than 80,000 miles on it. Toyotas and Hondas seem to be reliable and hold their value. In my area, the two major cars are Toyota Prius' and Subaru Outbacks. My mom loves her Outback.

[sandandsea]

I love my Prius. Dh thinks it’s ugly but appreciates the 54mpg and trunk space.

Toyota also makes Lexus and we have several friends with different Lexus models and they are all happy.

ETA. Dh would highly recommend the Porsche Macan as he’s loving it but it’s BMW pricing level.

[k3am]

sandandsea, the neighbor has a new Macan... DH is besties with him and I think that's part of what's influencing him wanting a nicer car.

I selfishly don't want him to have a nice car, since I like parking in the garage.

[polecat8]

I love my 2018 Nissan Rogue.
I picked it because it has AWD, good gas mileage, and is pretty roomy so I can fit all 3 kids, if needed. Bonus is that it has a remote start and heated seats/steering wheel.
It was also a good price since it was a year old when I bought it.
I highly recommend buying a certified pre-owned car. I stalked the local dealers' websites to find a low mileage Rogue with all the features.
Also, if your DH's car can make it to trade in, see what others may give your for it. I checked Kelley Blue Book and Carvana for my crappy 2013 Ford Focus. When the Nissan dealer tried to low-ball my trade-in, I pulled up the offer from Carvana and was able to get another $2.5k for it.

[sandandsea]

Sept 11, 2020 16:13:29 GMT -5 k3am said:

sandandsea, the neighbor has a new Macan... DH is besties with him and I think that's part of what's influencing him wanting a nicer car.

I selfishly don't want him to have a nice car, since I like parking in the garage.

Yes. My poor car lost its garage space and has been getting covered in ash the past month.

[mommyatty]

We both drive Volvo XC 60s. I do love mine and we have had very good luck with them. But I don’t think I will get another one. They are all 4 cylinder cars now and we drive on highways so I want a 6 cylinder. When something breaks, they are insanely expensive to fix. We have not yet had a major repair, but I suck in my stomach and panic every time something goes wrong.

[k3am]

polecat8, I just did a Carvana estimate after reading your post.. They will hold my trade in value of $98 for seven days. Woo!

If we can't get a better trade in value, we'd probably just donate it. We did that with my old car, and it was fabulous. The tax credit we got for donating was 3x better than the trade in value the dealer was offering.

[waverly]

I mentioned wanting to get a small truck and DH was all gung ho (out if Covid boredom likely), but I nixed that idea quickly since I don’t think it would fit in the garage with our other bigger vehicle. I don’t feel like scraping windows or getting in a hot car. My garage is shaded and keeps the cars warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

[CrazyLucky]

We really like our Hyundai Sonata. We have 130k miles on it. We do all the regular maintenance, and we haven't had any issues. Since Hyundais are a little cheaper than some other brands, we were able to get a higher trim level. It gets about 33mpg.

[sdlaura]

waverly two of our three cars are electric - DH had a Nissan Leaf before his Tesla and we kept it. It is super nice to not have to go to the gas station.

[callmekd]

My H has a Subaru Impreza hatchback. We bought it as a commuter car - it’s AWD and gets really good gas mileage. He had a 1 hour 10 minute commute (each way) for 4 years.

His next vehicle will be a rav4 hybrid.

[vasc]

Sept 11, 2020 17:19:59 GMT -5 CrazyLucky said:

We really like our Hyundai Sonata. We have 130k miles on it. We do all the regular maintenance, and we haven't had any issues. Since Hyundais are a little cheaper than some other brands, we were able to get a higher trim level. It gets about 33mpg.

We are also a Hyundai family! I drive a Sonata and H drives the (older, smaller Elantra). The Sonata is spacious for the four of us (including car seats in the back). My kids are the same age as yours I believe (7 and 3).

We bought both new and they’ve run great.

[k3am]

At this point, I think he’s looking at Mercedes A class (which was his front runner), the Genesis, and the Acura TLX.

They don’t have all the features he’d want on the Mercedes available right now. I’d like to talk him out of the Genesis since it looks like an old man car (either a great or terrible reason to chose/not chose a car) and I’m ambivalent on the Acura and the Mercedes.

He used to drive a Hyundai Tiburon, which he loved, that Hyundai later morphed it into the Genesis, so he’s got some strong feelings about it.

[k3am]

So we test drove the Genesis and it's.. okay. It's an expensive car, but it feels like a Hyundai.. which it is. That's my complaint though, and DH says he doesn't really notice.

I didn't go with him to test the Mercedes, but he really liked it. But he can't get ventilated seats (which apparently is somehow a deal breaker for him?) and maintenance costs on Mercedes just sort of suck.

We went to the Acura dealership yesterday, and the guy basically said "don't buy a TLX, wait for the new model to come out at the end of the month." We went through the 2020 model and were both unimpressed. They're supposed to have a 2021 model on Friday for a few hours, so if his work schedule is free when they call, he'll go see it.

But at this point, I think he's going to end up with the Genesis G70, and I'm not super stoked. But I guess it doesn't matter much what I think since it's his car.

[k3am]

I am all in favor of DH getting the 2021 TLX. He is hesitant because it's an entirely new redesign with a
lot of changes and he's worried there will be kinks. Is this a valid worry? I honestly don't know.

ETA: We saw it at the dealership today. The price is comparable to the G70 he was looking at (sticker price is almost exactly the same), but it has everything the G70 was lacking. We weren't able to drive it, so we'd have to do that before we could make a decision. The G70 we can likely negotiate down, the TLX probably not, since it hasn't even been released yet and it's a 2021.

[waverly]

It depends. In our case we bought a brand new model never been released before -Ascent and we had no problems. But theoretically it’s possible to have problems probably, not any more than any other car. It’s just unknown.

[k3am]

He made his decision. Apparently he’s dying somewhere between 73-74 years old, because this feels like a midlife crisis car. I’m glad to be done with it. Car shopping sucks.

And they gave us $1500 for our trade in. We honestly should have paid them to take it, it’s condition was that rough.

[waverly]

I can’t tell from the pic, what did he get, the Mercedes?

[k3am]

He got the Genesis G70. Not my favorite choice, but I can’t complain. Except the color. I’m not a huge fan of the red.

[mustardseed2007]

It looks nice! I wouldn't have picked red either but meh.