Penguin Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 (edited) I have to buy a car, and it has to be a used car for affordability reasons. I do not care about style. I want a car that : Is small enough to parallel park easily on city streets Has four doors Performs well in snow Gets good gas mileage Any leads? Feel free to define small enough, performs well, and good gas mileage however you prefer :) UPDATE: I got a 2014 Subaru Impreza, and it is perfect for me! Thanks so much for your help. You saved me a lot of research time. Edited November 3, 2016 by Penguin 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 Dh drives a 2002 Subaru Forester. That sort of meets your criteria. Newer Foresters are a little bigger. I'd feel comfortable with another model Subaru as well. Be sure to look up the make and model history for the year you think you want to purchase. The Forester has a few years to avoid -- 2009-2012 I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 My Subaru was the best in the snow. The Best! The only reason I switched was because our family outgrew it. When I am an empty nester I fully intend to buy another small Subaru. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 Another vote for Subaru in snowy climates. Mine is a 1998 and still going strong. Unfortunately the gas mileage is pretty sorry, but that's not the case for newer models. FWIW if you want AWD, only Subarus have it all the time. So you can get a Honda CRV with AWD, but it will only "turn on" when it senses the need. From my understanding, that helps fuel efficiency but I have no experience with the real life performance difference, if there is one. I am curious, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I'll add another vote for Subaru. :-) The Impreza is a smaller model, has 4 doors and is great in the snow. I had a 1998 legacy and that car ran like a champ until 2012 when I finally moved to a forester. I adore my forester and can parallel park it no problem, but it is a bit bigger. The ones prior to 2012 are smaller and might work really well too. They'll have more storage space in the back too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 (edited) Subaru eta: I've a friend who just moved to a rural snowy area. we bought her camry for ds, and she bought a Subaru. where she moved, people drive either a 4wd truck - or a Subaru. Edited September 9, 2016 by gardenmom5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 We like our new to us 2005 Prius. I like it even more than I expected! The person we bought it from was selling because they bought a 2015 Prius. We did have it last winter but I don't really remember how it did in snow. We get a decent amount of snow but streets get plowed quickly. Not sure if that counts as performing well in snow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I don't drive in snow, but my Camry meets your other criteria. Handles well, parks easily, and gets good gas mileage. The bonus is the back seat is one of the roomiest in a car that size I've seen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 (edited) nm Edited November 3, 2016 by 1' n'ye 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I love Honda. I will never buy anything except a Honda in the future. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted September 9, 2016 Author Share Posted September 9, 2016 You guys are awesome. Truly, I had no idea where to begin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 We like our new to us 2005 Prius. I like it even more than I expected! The person we bought it from was selling because they bought a 2015 Prius. We did have it last winter but I don't really remember how it did in snow. We get a decent amount of snow but streets get plowed quickly. Not sure if that counts as performing well in snow. my new car is a 2006 Prius. I love that car, but in winter I drive the 2002 Subaru. In fact dh trades with me in winter because he wants me to have what he perceives as the safer vehicle for winter driving. Note: his commute is less than 5 miles and if rode conditions are bad he will put on boots and walk. My work is further and I do more kid taxi driving. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acadie Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 A Subaru would be better in snow, but our Camry does very well with snow tires. They make a huge difference. Minor inconvenience to get them put on and taken off every year, but the vastly improved performance and peace of mind is well worth it. We bought separate rims so it's cheap and easy to switch them. I'd love a Subaru but I think they're more expensive to buy and repair than a Toyota or Honda. Amy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 I have always had the best luck with Cadillacs. I just bought DD16 a Cadillac ATS. It drives and maneuvers great. I also bought myself the Cadillac XT5. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 I have always had the best luck with Cadillacs. I just bought DD16 a Cadillac ATS. It drives and maneuvers great. I also bought myself the Cadillac XT5. I'm trying to figure out where this fits in with "small" and "affordable" when I look at the OP. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 my new car is a 2006 Prius. I love that car, but in winter I drive the 2002 Subaru. In fact dh trades with me in winter because he wants me to have what he perceives as the safer vehicle for winter driving. Note: his commute is less than 5 miles and if rode conditions are bad he will put on boots and walk. My work is further and I do more kid taxi driving. We do the same thing in reverse during storms. DH has a new Jetta but takes the Subaru to work in nasty weather. He has a long commute, and anything I might need to do is here in town. We put snow tires on the Subaru as well. Those are essential where we live. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 (edited) I'm trying to figure out where this fits in with "small" and "affordable" when I look at the OP. I'm trying to figure out where it fits with "performs well in snow." I could be way off, but my memory is telling me that the poster lives in . . . Florida. :lol: Edited September 10, 2016 by Pawz4me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 (edited) A Subaru would be better in snow, but our Camry does very well with snow tires. They make a huge difference. Minor inconvenience to get them put on and taken off every year, but the vastly improved performance and peace of mind is well worth it. We bought separate rims so it's cheap and easy to switch them. I'd love a Subaru but I think they're more expensive to buy and repair than a Toyota or Honda. Amy Idk. New, comparible models are essentially identical in price right now, and service on my ancient Subaru is minimal. I haven't had to replace anything other than simply due to age (it's a '98 and has spent its entire life in the snowy, salty north). Repairs haven't been any higher than they were on our old Mazda. I am pre-shopping, and I've been surprised that the CRV and the Mazda CX-5 have similar price tags. I think the Rav does as well, though I've ruled it out. Volvo, alas, comes in quite a bit higher. Edited September 10, 2016 by MEmama 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acadie Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Idk. New, comparible models are essentially identical in price right now, and service on my ancient Subaru is minimal. I haven't had to replace anything other than simply due to age (it's a '98 and has spent its entire life in the snowy, salty north). Repairs haven't been any higher than they were on our old Mazda. I am pre-shopping, and I've been surprised that the CRV and the Mazda CX-5 have similar price tags. I think the Rav does as well, though I've ruled it out. Volvo, alas, comes in quite a bit higher. Good to know! We need a new (used) car in a few months, and you've convinced me to look again at a Subaru. Thanks, Amy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 I will definitely be looking st Subarus! We relocate in October and it might be November before I buy something. I will try to remember to update and let you know what I get. Thanks! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Subaru or Volvo, used. If you get a used V70, get either the XC or one with AWD. I loved that car. My son is despairing of it now...will this thing never die????? He wants a non-mom car. LOL. Anyway, we went skiing every week, and never had a bit of trouble in the snow. Lots of cross-country trips. You can get a really decent mid-2000s S80 (which was their high end car at the time) for around $8000. How do I know this? Because that is what my dh is looking at. :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Subaru or Volvo, used. If you get a used V70, get either the XC or one with AWD. I loved that car. My son is despairing of it now...will this thing never die????? He wants a non-mom car. LOL. Anyway, we went skiing every week, and never had a bit of trouble in the snow. Lots of cross-country trips. You can get a really decent mid-2000s S80 (which was their high end car at the time) for around $8000. How do I know this? Because that is what my dh is looking at. :0) dont' know about the newer ones, but I had an old 71 wagon (this was in the 80s.) most of it was beat to death - but the engine wasn't going to die anytime soon. we actually sold it for only $100 less than we paid for it. . also keep in mind - Volvo's tend to have higher maintenance costs. I had my mom's for kids for awhile. I had to put her in something that would keep her safe - it had some many dents . . . . dd had really wanted newer one, so we did some looking into things. she bought a house instead. she will need to buy another car in a few years though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Our Honda Fit meets your needs except we live in SoCal so heck if I know about snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 (edited) bumping for the update in post #1 2014 Subara Impreza. Woot!! Edited November 3, 2016 by Penguin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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