used auto choice

Hi--my husband totalled his car last week and now we have to get a new used car, trying to stay under 17k. It's amazing what that does not buy you these days in a car.
Our leading contenders are Toyota Rav4 or Subaru Forester of maybe Nissan Xterra. Downsizing from Yukon and he wants better gas mileage but he hauls a lot of stuff around and we have two large dog kennels when we travel.

We have a toyota now and it is the most reliable car I have ever owned. That makes us lean toward toyota. We had a subaru before and loved it but it wasn't as reliable and seemed more expensive to fix. But he really likes the Forester and it's big enough. The Xterra is kind of a wild card--it can tow more, so if we wanted to tow with it, it would be acceptable. Go back and forth on towing--he used to have atruck, so this is part of our downsizing efforts, but he still would like to tow a trailer for things like getting the rider mower fixed, etc.

Any ideas??

My long-time mechanic said the best bang for the buck seems to be Toyota and Honda. After trying some others, we are now back to those. Good luck with the car hunting!

I have no idea since I am only allowed to buy Ford products.

We bought a new car this week, a Ford Bronco Sport. The only reason we got rid of our 2009 Mercury SUV is because it was wobbling off and on, and neither DH or the mechanic could see anything wrong with it. It had a bit over 100,000 miles on it.

I am too old to drive a car that is unreliable, I did that in my youth.

I have lots of friends with Subarus who love them.

I just read an article about the Subaru Forester that opined that-while the author was drawn to it--it had a lackluster interior, was expensive to fix, and got poor mileage.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/reviews...foresters-now/

I've only had Toyotas for decades, but would probably be OK with a Forester, too. I don't think the Xterra gets as good gas mileage and would check consumer reports for reliability before I'd go that route.

Thank you, everyone, this is awesome input! We have eliminated the xterra because the gas mileage is so poor. I think he ought to test drive the two contenders, as I am a big believer in buying a car because you like the way it drives.

I love Toyota--I have had my Prius for 23 years now. But how about a Toyota Tacoma? It's a pick-up truck, so this might be an out-of-the-box suggestion. DH swore we needed a pick-up trick when we moved to Vermont and I thought he was just playing to stereotypes, but we love his Avalanche (Chevy). It does come in handy if you're hauling stuff around a lot.

The Tacoma is a small, lower-to-the-ground pick-up--at least they were. Trucks have been getting bigger and bigger these days. If not the pick-up, I like the idea of the RAV4 or Suburu Forester.

Yes, the Tacoma pick up is kind of a dream car someday. But with these two big dogs, we would need a cap. but that's doable--hmm, will plug that suggestion into Car Gurus, thanks.

I have a crew-cab Tacoma, and a couple of large dogs fit fine in the back seats.

I would shy away from the RAV4 if I wanted actual 4WD/AWD capability in bad weather, their system for a variety of reasons is terrible.

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Originally Posted by bae

I have a crew-cab Tacoma, and a couple of large dogs fit fine in the back seats.

I would shy away from the RAV4 if I wanted actual 4WD/AWD capability in bad weather, their system for a variety of reasons is terrible.

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Good to know.

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Originally Posted by Tybee

Thank you, everyone, this is awesome input! We have eliminated the xterra because the gas mileage is so poor. I think he ought to test drive the two contenders, as I am a big believer in buying a car because you like the way it drives.

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we didn’t even test drive this last car that we bought. I just wanted to get out of there. And then prior to this car they were two cars we bought that I did not test drive. One of those cars was my exclusive car.


With this Ford bronco it’s gonna be pretty similar to the car we gave up so I didn’t think it necessary to test drive it.

Okay----I tell you what----I'd suggest you buy an ollllld Huttson. They are VERY easy to spot in a crowded parkin' lot. Plus---they will only grow in value. YupAttachment 5440

Okay----or else you could fgo to the wreckin' yard, and get a fixer-upper. That's what I did. It was a high-mile car, but had a clean body & interior. So anyway---the original owner, used it to commute on I-44 to commute to school where she taught. But---forgot to service the timing belt, and it snapped at 137,000. Then, you gotta pull the head and rebuild it, due to bent valves. But yeah---there was another wreckin' yard up in Lebanon, that had one like mine, only a more deluxe model, andf o9nly 77,000 miles, that had been hit in the side. Soooo, I pulled all the parts off that one, including the seats for spares, and put the engine/transaxle/axles/'puter on the one I have. But yeah---the steering wheel in mine had sun dmage, so I used the (optional wrapped)steering wheel plus the entire stering column PLUS the steering rack & sway bar and 16" weelz off the wrecked one, because it had "sport suspension". See? Pulled the frame out, and painted it, too. All out in the driveway. Ha. See what a neighborhood nuisance I am, while nice people doing lawn care and grilling steaks, and I'm out there tearing apart an old, junk car? Yup. Hope that helps you kids some. Now back to my Chevy Suburban project, with the $20 junkyard hitch-mount rack on the back. Yup. Oh--BTW--try to get a used car that is already decked-out with the proper stickerage. Hope that helps you some.Attachment 5441Attachment 5442Attachment 5443

I know Subarus went from timing belt to chain in 2013 or 2014, so we'd like to stay with the chain. If we buy one older than that, we will need to replace the belt and the water pump at the same time.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

we didn’t even test drive this last car that we bought. I just wanted to get out of there. And then prior to this car they were two cars we bought that I did not test drive. One of those cars was my exclusive car.


With this Ford bronco it’s gonna be pretty similar to the car we gave up so I didn’t think it necessary to test drive it.

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We got a Bronco Sport in 2021 and we're very happy with it. I hope your experience is similar.

I've had lToyotas and now a 2014 Subaru Forester. the Forester has 114,000 miles on it. I did replace the transmission about 18 months ago, which was about $3K, i think. I enjoy driving it and won't replace it for a few years (i'm hoping). Next car will probably be a hybrid and I'm thinking Toyota Rav4, perhaps. All this is to say, I don't think you can go wrong with either the Toyota or the Subaru.

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Originally Posted by beckyliz

I've had lToyotas and now a 2014 Subaru Forester. the Forester has 114,000 miles on it. I did replace the transmission about 18 months ago, which was about $3K, i think. I enjoy driving it and won't replace it for a few years (i'm hoping). Next car will probably be a hybrid and I'm thinking Toyota Rav4, perhaps. All this is to say, I don't think you can go wrong with either the Toyota or the Subaru.

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Thank you, Beckyliz. Husband is now mad at me for doing too much research and I think I am going to tell him get whatever the hell he wants. My feelings are hurt. But I kind of agree with you on the Toyora or Subaru and at this point.

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Originally Posted by rosarugosa

We got a Bronco Sport in 2021 and we're very happy with it. I hope your experience is similar.

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Does yours have the stupid thing where when you stop, the motor turns off? Only ours seems to be doing it intermittently. Oh joy more stupid new techie stuff. Also, it’s only three cylinders and so I suppose that is an improvement but we shall see.

I have had many cars through the years and the best ones were Toyota and Honda. My Toyota Corolla is 15 years old with 68k miles and all it’s ever needed were brakes, tires and oil changes. Unless some moron totals it this will probably be my last car. I have no desire to learn all the new features on cars.

As someone who has now owned my parents’ second Honda for nine years I can testify to their reliability. They kept the first one 13 years with no repairs, only basic maintenance, until the a/c died. Because of the switch from Freon to more environmentally friendly refrigerants the repair would’ve required replacing the whole system so they got the second Honda, which I now own. It’s almost 22 years old and has never needed anything beyond routine maintenance. I did the timing belt (and water pump) 3 years ago out of an abundance of caution.

I would second the recommendation for a Tacoma, perhaps with a cap, but would suggest going with one that’s a generation or two old now as they have gotten quite a bit bigger than the early years. A friend has his second one and LOVES it. But they are popular so a good deal might be hard to find.

Regarding Subarus I’ve read on the various car forums I frequent that some people think their engines are needlessly complex. (I don’t have firsthand experience so take that comment with at least a teaspoon of salt, but perhaps that’s why repair costs are supposedly higher?)

Thinking about the reliability of Toyotas I remember this Craigslist ad that kind of summed it up.

https://www.craigslist.org/about/bes...565526716.html

It’s all funny but the last paragraph is hysterical.

“Let's face the facts, this car isn't going to win any beauty contests, but neither are you. Stop lying to yourself and stop lying to your wife. This isn't the car you want, it's the car you deserve: The ****ing 1999 Toyota Corolla.“

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

Does yours have the stupid thing where when you stop, the motor turns off? Only ours seems to be doing it intermittently. Oh joy more stupid new techie stuff. Also, it’s only three cylinders and so I suppose that is an improvement but we shall see.

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Yes, and I found it pretty disconcerting at first, but it does start right up again when you step on the gas. Traffic around here is pretty bad, so I was afraid it would hesitate when one finally has an opportunity to go, but there really isn't any hesitation. DH says the feature can be turned off pretty easily if you don't like it. You need to do it every time you start the car, but it only takes the push of a button. He also says it doesn't shut off if your a/c is on high or vehicle is in turbo mode. Hope this helps you some, lol.

Oh yes, ours has that. Very disconcerting and I can't see how it saves gas if it's always restarting...We learned how to make the phone the gps...we only have tracfone and limited data, but think for trips it will be fine and I can always get more data if needed. we have 9 gigs on one phone and 4 on the other...so I think we'll be fine. My husband was very impressed on the way home from the dealer...

We bought a 2016 Subaru forester. We actually found two identical cars, color, everything, about 10 miles apart. DH test drove them both and picked his favorite. It was so weird, it was the color we liked, and cheaper than some of the ones we saw online. We never made it to test driving the Toyota or a Honda, just jumped on this one. Very similar in mileage and price, and just brought it home. We can fit both kennels in and there is still room for luggage.

Yay! What color?

I'm not sure what it is called but it is a very nice blueish sagey green.

Very nice! I know the color you mean.

Thank you!!

Congratulations! Good choice!!

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Originally Posted by catherine

Congratulations! Good choice!!

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Thank you, I sure hope it is--we felt really fortunate that we set out to find a car and the dealer stuck it out by the road last night, and he was getting texts on it while he was filling out the paperwork.

Used cars are hot commodities around here.

Congrats, Tybee! Enjoy the new vehicle.

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Originally Posted by happystuff

Congrats, Tybee! Enjoy the new vehicle.

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Thank you!

Glad you were able to get what you needed!

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Originally Posted by Tybee

Thank you!

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I hope it goes well. Back in 2009 when we were buying a vehicle I was I wanted a small Ford station wagon and found they had stopped making them. So I considered a Subaru. But they were too expensive for me and besides DH is really all about Ford/mercury.

But I liked Subaru station wagons because our short legged dogs can ride in the back and can see out windows.

Since then I’ve become used to an SUV with 36 inch headroom height for the cargo area because I transport tall flowers to Flower shows. Flowers won out over the short legged dogs.

Okay---If I found two used subbarroos for sale that were all but identical, I know the tie-breaker would be which one had more save-the-earth & peace stickers, etc., on the back. But yeah---I'd get that one. Attachment 5457Attachment 5457

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

I hope it goes well. Back in 2009 when we were buying a vehicle I was I wanted a small Ford station wagon and found they had stopped making them. So I considered a Subaru. But they were too expensive for me and besides DH is really all about Ford/mercury.

But I liked Subaru station wagons because our short legged dogs can ride in the back and can see out windows.

Since then I’ve become used to an SUV with 36 inch headroom height for the cargo area because I transport tall flowers to Flower shows. Flowers won out over the short legged dogs.

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Yeah, the Subaru has about 30.5 inches in the back cargo area.

It was complicated--one had just come in and the mechanic had not gone over it, and the other one had some work done on it. The one that had not been evaluated had a noise my husband thought was transmission, so we got the one with the work done on it.

Okay---If anya you kids are out there, going from dealer-to-dealer, looking to "trade"(get screwed)on something newer, safer, and even more compfterbal, here's a nice truck I found online, up in IWAH, land of plenty. But yeah--it's a 2022 model with ONLY 22,000 actual miles! Musta belonged to a little old lady, who just drove it to church and on Attachment 5461drive-n-eats. Yup. But yeah--take a look.

Yay! #teamforrester

Thanks, Becky! We are taking it in next week to our local mechanic to change oil and look it over more; there is one thing that needs fixing, but we got a good price, so room to fix things.