Need car suggestions

[gardenmom5]

dh needs a new car - we buy used, as why pay for the perk of driving it off the lot?

anyway - needs good milage in a four-door sedan (no more teeny car that makes me feel like I'm sitting on the ground. a real sinking feeling after my van.) and dependable.

 

any suggestions? dh thinks a camry is too big to fit in the garage (not really, he just needs to get rid of some junk on that side.), but that's where I"m leaning.

we had a VW golf years ago we liked, but I know they haven't been made for a while.

[Random]

You could check the list of reliable used cars at Consumer Reports.

 

Or you could check out the 'Perfect Car Finder' at Kelly Blue Book's website.

 

Camrys are generally a good bet, though. Happy shopping!

[acurtis75]

We are on our second used Volvo and really like it. We bought a 1998 Volvo in 2007 and just sold it last month and bought a 2005. The 1998 had 90,000 miles on it and we added 100,000 more . It was still running but starting to need a little more work than we wanted to put in to it.

 

I love the new 2005 s80. It is the premier model and has the most comfortable seats I've ever been in. I'm 31 weeks pregnant and I sware riding in the car makes my back feel better. We took a 3 hour road trip last weekend and got 28 mpg which is nice also.

 

 

[BrookValley.]

They still make the Golf.

 

We're a VW family, so for a dependable, good gas mileage car for commuting I'd go with a Jetta or a Golf or the like. We have a Jetta TDI (diesel) that gets 40+ MPGs. Great car.

[jar7709]

Yes, they still make the Golf. We loved ours, finally sold it last summer after 11 years to upgrade to the larger Jetta wagon. If we didn't need the bigger car we would probably have just gotten a newer Golf. Look into the diesel ones for super mileage.

[Shelly in IL]

Agree about the tdi jetta! Can't beat the mileage and it is so cute!

[gardenmom5]

thanks for the suggestions. I'm suprised by how few camry's and jetta's there are for sale around here with decent mileage for a reasonable price. generally they're going above kelly blue book - and price has no connection to mileage. It's probably the time of year. I finally tossed in a few cars from dealers . . . so, we'll check them out. the jetta looks to get better mileage, but there was only ONE that was in decent shape/price. dh is concerned becasue it's a turbo - but he was happy it's a manual.

 

I had a volvo station wagon years ago - the body was falling apart, but the engine was the energizer bunny.

[Cinder]

anyway - needs good milage in a four-door sedan (no more teeny car that makes me feel like I'm sitting on the ground. a real sinking feeling after my van.) and dependable.

 

We're hoping to find a Honda Accord for our next car but would get a Civic if that's all we could find. Our most recent "new" car is a 98 Civic. It's probably smaller than you'd like but it does get good mileage and has been very dependable. Ds1 drives the Civic to and from school each day--a one-hour round trip. Yes, I feel like I'm sitting on the ground after driving my van but the mileage and dependability are worth it. And it's one of the small cars that ds1 *can* fit in--he's 6'1".

[BrookValley.]

thanks for the suggestions. I'm suprised by how few camry's and jetta's there are for sale around here with decent mileage for a reasonable price. generally they're going above kelly blue book - and price has no connection to mileage. It's probably the time of year. I finally tossed in a few cars from dealers . . . so, we'll check them out. the jetta looks to get better mileage, but there was only ONE that was in decent shape/price. dh is concerned becasue it's a turbo - but he was happy it's a manual.

 

I had a volvo station wagon years ago - the body was falling apart, but the engine was the energizer bunny.

 

My husband would say the turbo manual is the way to go, but he's a car guy and hardcore VW fan. :laugh: You may trade off some gas miles with the turbo, but you'll gain some because it's a manual. Bummer the VWs are hard to find--they're all over the place around here!

 

I really love Volvos, but if you want good gas mileage, it is not your car.

 

I've never owned a Honda, but those Accords and Civics seem to be great drive-it-till-it-dies (if it ever does!) commuter cars.

 

Fuel efficiency is my hill to die on when it comes to cars (well, within what we can afford). You've probably already checked it out, but if not, fueleconomy.gov is great to compare MPGs of different makes and models. There is also a "real-world" MPG figure, because often you can get better mileage out of a car than the average given by the manufacturer.

[delaney]

My extended family has owned a lot of nissan Altimas and have loved them all. We just got a 2013 for DH and gave DS his 2006 with 130,000 miles on it. No work has ever been needed but general maintenance. Really great cars and roomy for a smaller car. My sister has 2012 civic and the reviews were correct. Very cheap feeling and nothing like my van in quality. They really messed up there. Although safe Volvos are $$ to fix and for the past few years were not made by the original company as it was sold. I would check that out before buying one past like 2010.

[BrookValley.]

Yes, they still make the Golf. We loved ours, finally sold it last summer after 11 years to upgrade to the larger Jetta wagon. If we didn't need the bigger car we would probably have just gotten a newer Golf. Look into the diesel ones for super mileage.

 

My husband is lusting after a Jetta TDI wagon for our next car. However, we're pretty sure we're going to have an issue fitting two car seats--specifically, the one that will need to be rear facing--in the back. I see your kiddos are older than mine (in a few months we'll have a 5-year old and a newborn), but how much room do you get in the back of your wagon? We already determined that both kids will not fit in the back of my Jetta (oh my, trying to get a demo bucket carseat from babies-r-us into the back seat would have been hysterical if it wasn't so frustrating), which *I* am upset about because I looooovvveee my little TDI. *sniff* The consolation for my husband, because we are probably going to go outside of the VW family to get a bigger car that still gets decent mileage (think it's gonna be a Mazda CX-5 crossover), is that his daily commuter car will now be my little Jetta.

[happypamama]

DH was pleased with his Civic when he had it, and my mom likes her Accord a lot too. I hear they can last a long time too. DH has also been pleased with his Ford Focus, or, well, he was until its engine died -- at eight years old but with 187,000 miles on it (DH's commute is 90 miles round-trip; he puts on 30K miles a year). But until then, very nice vehicle, very comfortable to drive, even managed to get three kids (including some carseats) in the backseat without it being too tight. It was our family vehicle until baby #4 necessitated a van.

[elfgivas]

the corrolla gets great mileage, and even new its price is excellent. dh went from a camry to a corrolla, and we found the mileage significantly better, and that they felt about the same on the inside. we will do that again the next time round unless something notably better comes along. another fun site to check is the car talk site. they have a list of "the 10 cars mechanics hate the most"... because they rarely need repairs. lol.... we have found their advice to be quite sound over the years, when taken with a good dose of consumer reports.

 

hth,

ann

[jar7709]

 

My husband is lusting after a Jetta TDI wagon for our next car. However, we're pretty sure we're going to have an issue fitting two car seats--specifically, the one that will need to be rear facing--in the back. I see your kiddos are older than mine (in a few months we'll have a 5-year old and a newborn), but how much room do you get in the back of your wagon? We already determined that both kids will not fit in the back of my Jetta (oh my, trying to get a demo bucket carseat from babies-r-us into the back seat would have been hysterical if it wasn't so frustrating), which *I* am upset about because I looooovvveee my little TDI. *sniff* The consolation for my husband, because we are probably going to go outside of the VW family to get a bigger car that still gets decent mileage (think it's gonna be a Mazda CX-5 crossover), is that his daily commuter car will now be my little Jetta.

 

 

We get plenty of space in the backseat our Jetta Wagon TDI, but then we're not big people. For a long time we had two carseats (both were rear-facing for a short time) in the back of the old little Golf so the Jetta feels super roomy now. We have two low-profile booster seats in the new Jetta Wagon now, the kids are short so they'll be in those for a few years still. We hold on to cars for a long time, I expect we'll probably have this one until at least the kids are learning to drive on it. I suspect it'll seem a lot smaller when we get to that point! :)

[gardenmom5]

the corrolla gets great mileage, and even new its price is excellent. dh went from a camry to a corrolla, and we found the mileage significantly better, and that they felt about the same on the inside.

 

 

I'm thinking that's what we may end up doing. I really like the camry - but the corolla gets better mileage.

How is the leg room in the back seat of the corolla compared to the camry? occasionally we'll be mutliple people - and I have three kids about 6' tall.

[raceNzanesmom]

I'm thinking that's what we may end up doing. I really like the camry - but the corolla gets better mileage.

How is the leg room in the back seat of the corolla compared to the camry? occasionally we'll be mutliple people - and I have three kids about 6' tall.

 

I have a Corolla with 220,000 on it and it still runs like a dream. Ds has a Civic with 160,00 that drives like new. The Civic does offer a bit more leg room in the rear. The Corolla isn't bad for short trips, but if we're traveling together the Civic's backseat is more comfortable. Can't help with the Camry, sorry.

 

When buying used always check crash test ratings and get a CarFax.

[gardenmom5]

thanks for the suggestions. after looking at what is available in the used market here, we are buying a camry. . It's in almost pristine condition and low miles - plus the owner just had it detailed and bought new tires. we went to the owners home, and test drove it. dh'll will pick it up tomorrow and he won't have to rent a car.. it's a dark gray, but ces't la vie. white is easy to see in the pouring rain, and at night, so it is a safer color car to have.

dh's previous car only seated two, didn't have room for ANY luggage. (he already took the spare out of the trunk so he'd have room for his briefcase and supplies.) the van stays with dudeling (and whatever sibling is babysitting him.)

 

It was very fun - for nostalgia's sake - looking through the VW ad's. there was a "thing", several genuine bugs (unlike the fake bugs they've been selling the last 15 years or so) - even some bug convertabiles. some in pristine condition, ooh, nice. and a dune buggy. I have a vauge recollection of barbie having a dune buggy back in the 70's. It was fun. My dad and my grandfather both had bugs - ah, putt putt's. such a distinctive sound. - we also had a red microbus. someone now makes a microbus tent in several colors. oohh, nostalgia. fun, but hardly practical.