Cars…since I’m now in the market for one

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

Some old guy blew a stop sign today and broadsided me(I say old because his family showed up and said they’ve taken the keys away twice, but when the police officer offered to do a driving referral the family refused and said they’d handle it). The damage is just enough to total my 2017 Traverse with 100,000 miles on it.

I think we are at the point we no longer really need a three row car.  I am driving all over the state for work so usually I am alone, or just have one kid with me on the way to sports. If we all go somewhere together I can use my husband’s truck.

I really would prefer a sedan. In all honesty, I’m not sure I can completely afford an SUV.  This vehicle was just about paid off and interest rates were very low when we bought it.

Money is an issue right now so I am looking at mid price. Anyone drive the Nissan Altima?  Thoughts on driving it with 3 kids?

[mommyoffive]

I am sorry to hear about the accident.  I hope you are ok.

 

[PeterPan]

Oh wow, I hope you feel ok!! You can do TRE to release that tension. Horrible horrible.

Yeah, any sedan sounds good for you. For the last couple years we've gotten letters from the dealer begging us to come in and sell ours for a trade in. It may be even used prices are still high, sigh.

My only tip is DARK INTERIORS. We had always had light interiors because dh had this theory on them being cooler. Well I finally got a car with dark interiors and it's SO much better for sensory, like a cocoon. My ds gets in there and it's instant peace.

[PeterPan]

16 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

his family showed up and said they’ve taken the keys away twice,

Is there civil liability for family in situations like this? 

[Faith-manor]

That stinks! 

For sedans, we are pretty fond of Toyota Camrys both for safety engineering as well as longevity. Well maintained, they go 300,000 miles without major repairs. My mom's sienna just turned 300,000 and is going strong. Our son's Camry at 165,000 is like it rolled off the lot yesterday in terms of mechanics. Given the way the people of Kalamazoo park - literally the most incompetent parking glut of drivers in one place that I have ever seen - the body is NOT pristine by any stretch. 

Would you be able to afford a moderately used one?

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

10 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Is there civil liability for family in situations like this? 

I don’t believe so. No one was hurt so probably not.  It just annoys me that the family clearly knows he is not okay to drive.

I don’t understand cars at all. The body shop told me it’s worth twice what Kelly blue book says. Even if they don’t total it, it’s probably time for a new car anyway.

[ScoutTN]

So sorry! You don’t need one more thing right now. 
 

[popmom]

I LOVED my Prius. I will own one again one day. 

[kbutton]

I think they stopped making them a couple of years ago, but if you need legroom and trunk space, Chevy Impala is great. While we were waiting to pick ours up after first buying it, we drove a Nissan that looked like nearly the same car, but it wasn’t nearly as roomy, and visibility wasn’t as good.

We have a lot of long legs in our house relative to our heights and three people on the tall side of average, so legroom is huge for us.

In general, GM cars have been a good pick for us for leg room and trunk space. We’re fond of getting them from estates if we can—they are usually babied, maintained, and low mileage because it’s the last car a person plans to own.

[prairiewindmomma]

I am team Honda or Toyota…I want something I can put 250,000 highway miles on, is reliable, and gets decent gas mileage. You can fit three people across the back of either of those sedans (Honda Accord, Toyota Camry). I can fit three across the back of a Honda civic also;  all adult body sizes of a healthy height/weight. The middle seat isnt fabulous for multi-hour car rides, but it’s workable in the civic for around the town driving.

[MercyA]

We LOVE LOVE LOVE our Toyota Camry and Toyota Hybrid Camry. Reliable, comfortable, easy to drive, nice features, plenty of room for the three of us. The Hybrid gets 75-80 miles a gallon running around our small town and around 65 miles a gallon on longer trips. 

[Bootsie]

We have had several Toyota Camrys that have been great, reliable cars.  We have been driving one that is almost 20 years old which has "totaled" by hail damage several years ago that looks awful but still runs great.  However, I have found head rest on the new Toyotas very uncomfortable.  They push my head forward unless I recline the seat so far back that my back doesn't touch the seat.  

[mominco]

I would add Subaru to your list,It does really well in snow.I was in the market for a new car last year and like Bootsie found Toyota just not comfortable. I don't know what about it was causing me discomfort. I tried all the major brands and Subaru was the winner.

[mommyoffive]

13 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

We have had several Toyota Camrys that have been great, reliable cars.  We have been driving one that is almost 20 years old which has "totaled" by hail damage several years ago that looks awful but still runs great.  However, I have found head rest on the new Toyotas very uncomfortable.  They push my head forward unless I recline the seat so far back that my back doesn't touch the seat.  

Yes.  For me this is on both Honda and Toyota.  But our Toyota is worse.

[mommyoffive]

42 minutes ago, MercyA said:

We LOVE LOVE LOVE our Toyota Camry and Toyota Hybrid Camry. Reliable, comfortable, easy to drive, nice features, plenty of room for the three of us. The Hybrid gets 75-80 miles a gallon running around our small town and around 65 miles a gallon on longer trips. 

Wow, that is way higher than what is on the Toyota website.  Awesome

[TechWife]

We absolutely love my husband’s Hyundai Ionic 6. 360 miles between charges with an MPGe of about 150. Check the charger locations for all of the EV charging networks if you travel long distance. You can include Tesla because they will have adapters for that charging network soon. Many EV’s come with a charging program for a particular network, but charging with another network is much less than a tank of gas and doesn’t take very long. 

[iamonlyone]

For a lower price sedan: We bought a new hybrid Hyundai Elantra a year and a half ago. We had never purchased a new car, but it was only a couple thousand (or the same!) as used sedan prices! So far, so good: we get 60s and 70s in town (lower in the winter: 40s-50s) and high 40s on the highway. There is lots of head room and leg room in the front and back, and we get complements on the smooth ride. Hyundai has a good warranty: https://www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/assurance/america-best-warranty

[MercyA]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Wow, that is way higher than what is on the Toyota website.  Awesome

Yes!! We were prepared to be disappointed when they said 45-ish gallons per mile (or something like that) was normal. We've been ecstatic with how it's performed. 

Granted, my DH doing everything possible to maximize our battery usage. No sudden stops, no fast accelerations, no going way over the speed limit, etc. All of those things are good practice anyway but they really help.

[mommyoffive]

3 minutes ago, MercyA said:

Yes!! We were prepared to be disappointed when they said 45-ish gallons per mile (or something like that) was normal. We've been ecstatic with how it's performed. 

Granted, my DH doing everything possible to maximize our battery usage. No sudden stops, no fast accelerations, no going way over the speed limit, etc. All of those things are good practice anyway but they really help.

Do you live somewhere that gets really cold?  I for sure notice the drop in the winter.

[Annie G]

Our Camry has 200,000+ miles on it and we’re giving it to our granddaughter because it’s been such a reliable car and still has a lot of life left in it. I love that car. 
Our replacement is a Rav 4 hybrid and the MPG estimate is 37 city/highway combined but we’re currently averaging 44.

So sorry about your car though…stinks to have to replace it when it wasn’t something you’d been planning to do!

[Amethyst]

Another vote for Team Camry! 

[Scarlett]

4 hours ago, popmom said:

I LOVED my Prius. I will own one again one day. 

I love our Prius too  It has 202k miles on it. I want another one when this one dies. 

[DawnM]

13 hours ago, MercyA said:

We LOVE LOVE LOVE our Toyota Camry and Toyota Hybrid Camry. Reliable, comfortable, easy to drive, nice features, plenty of room for the three of us. The Hybrid gets 75-80 miles a gallon running around our small town and around 65 miles a gallon on longer trips. 

Ours doesn't get that, but maybe because it is older?   It is a 2014 and rated at around 40mpg I believe.   DH gets closer to 50 because he does all the little tricks to get there, but I just drive.   

We need another car this fall and we are in discussions.   

[DawnM]

My husband is 100% sold on Toyotas.   We currently have 3 Toyotas and 1 Honda.   Our 2003 Toyota Sequoia is still running strong but it is definitely a gas guzzler.  Our other 3 cars are all 2014s.    We have a Camry Hybrid, a Prius, and our Honda is a CRV.

We will be looking at getting another car in the next year or so.   DH would really like a Toyota Highlander Hybrid.   We will see if that is even in the budget.

But I say all this to say that we are sold on Toyotas!   We looked at Hondas too and I love Hondas but for some reason Toyota is always giving better incentives and deals than Honda when we look.    In 2014 we were deciding between the Camry Hybrid and the Accord Hybrid.  The Camry was about $5k off the MSRP, whereas the Hondas were going for over MSRP, making the Accord $8k more than the Camry.   That was a no brainer for us at the time.

 

[MercyA]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

Ours doesn't get that, but maybe because it is older?   It is a 2014 and rated at around 40mpg I believe.   DH gets closer to 50 because he does all the little tricks to get there, but I just drive.   

Ours is a 2022. I think they just continue to improve.

[ScoutTN]

❤️ my Subaru. 

[Scarlett]

12 minutes ago, MercyA said:

Ours is a 2022. I think they just continue to improve.

Our Prius hybrid gets 45 mpg.  Dh and I both drive it and I especially don’t worry about maximizing. Dh drives nicer than I do.   Ours is a 2016. 
It is reassuring they are getting better all the time.

DS23 has a 2022 Toyota Corolla. Not hybrid.  I think he gets about 30 mpg. 

[klmama]

22 hours ago, Bootsie said:

We have had several Toyota Camrys that have been great, reliable However, I have found head rest on the new Toyotas very uncomfortable.  They push my head forward unless I recline the seat so far back that my back doesn't touch the seat.  

I solved this problem by adding a lumbar support pillow. When using that I can keep the seat back upright with the headrest supporting my head properly, not pushing it forward.  

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

I’m half hoping they don’t total it.  DH always handled the bills and has forgotten to pay some before we realized everything that was going on with him, and it’s really tanked my credit score.  I can tap into savings and purchase a car outright but I very much do not want to do that because I don’t know what life is bringing right now.

Ugh. 
It is literally just one more thing I don’t need.

 

[MercyA]

On 5/10/2024 at 5:10 PM, mommyoffive said:

Wow, that is way higher than what is on the Toyota website.  Awesome

On 5/10/2024 at 7:04 PM, mommyoffive said:

Do you live somewhere that gets really cold?  I for sure notice the drop in the winter.

On 5/11/2024 at 6:28 AM, DawnM said:

Ours doesn't get that, but maybe because it is older?   It is a 2014 and rated at around 40mpg I believe.   DH gets closer to 50 because he

On 5/11/2024 at 8:40 AM, Scarlett said:

Our Prius hybrid gets 45 mpg.  Dh and I both drive it and I especially don’t worry about maximizing. Dh drives nicer than I do.   Ours is a 2016. 
It is reassuring they are getting better all the time.

DH reminded me that he purposely looked for a Hybrid with LE trim because it gets an extra 7 miles a gallon compared to more expensive trim. More luxury = more weight, apparently! 

We've only driven it in warm-ish weather so far. We shall see!

ETA: MPG decreases when we add a third person to the car, but is still in the mid 50's.

Edited May 15 by MercyA

[Melanie32]

We’ve had really good luck with Chevy malibus. We just traded our old one in and managed to get a brand new one for 19,000 with a halfway decent trade in. We put a bit down on it and only financed 16,000 which we are very happy with. Honestly the Impalas don’t have much on the malibus besides costing more money. The newer malibus have roomier interiors and more trunk space than the old ones so they compete with the other mid size sedans better.  I’ve been very happy with them. They get good gas mileage as well. 
 

I would have preferred a Camry but they cost quite a bit more so we went with another Malibu. My last one went 111,000 miles before giving us any trouble. 

[regentrude]

Best car we ever had was a Honda Accord. And they rank very high in reliability. Great suspension, firmer and more sporty than the Camry.

Edited May 12 by regentrude

[DawnM]

12 hours ago, Melanie32 said:

We’ve had really good luck with Chevy malibus. We just traded our old one in and managed to get a brand new one for 19,000 with a halfway decent trade in. We put a bit down on it and only financed 16,000 which we are very happy with. Honestly the Impalas don’t have much on the malibus besides costing more money. The newer malibus have roomier interiors and more trunk space than the old ones so they compete with the other mid size sedans better.  I’ve been very happy with them. They get good gas mileage as well. 
 

I would have preferred a Camry but they cost quite a bit more so we went with another Malibu. My last one went 111,000 miles before giving us any trouble. 

Oh my goodness, not to derail this thread, but you brought back a very core memory.   My parents believed that the bigger the car, the more the protection, so my first car ever was a Chevy Caprice Classic.    That thing was a TANK!   I was 4'11" and that thing was one giant blind spot!   

But I drove it all through college and it sat 6 so we often took my car over the VW Rabbits that everyone else seemed to have.   

I learned to park that thing on a dime!   In Seattle!   I was a brand new driver (license at 18 since I lived overseas until I came for college), with a brand new to me car, in a brand new place, etc....it was crazy.   But I learned to get by.

My friends NAMED my car!   It was dubbed the Love Boat.   (and no, there was no 'lovin going on in that car, but the sheer size was so much bigger than pretty much any other car on campus!).  I was also told it looked like a rich old lady's car!  😂   It was all in good fun.

 

 

Edited May 12 by DawnM

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

Oh my goodness, not to derail this thread, but you brought back a very core memory.   My parents believed that the bigger the car, the more the protection, so my first car ever was a Chevy Caprice Classic.    That thing was a TANK!   I was 4'11" and that thing was one giant blind spot!   

But I drove it all through college and it sat 6 so we often took my car over the VW Rabbits that everyone else seemed to have.   

I learned to park that thing on a dime!   In Seattle!   I was a brand new driver (license at 18 since I lived overseas until I came for college), with a brand new to me car, in a brand new place, etc....it was crazy.   But I learned to get by.

My friends NAMED my car!   It was dubbed the Love Boat.   (and no, there was no 'lovin going on in that car, but the sheer size was so much bigger than pretty much any other car on campus!).  I was also told it looked like a rich old lady's car!  😂   It was all in good fun.

 

 

I love that story.  ❤️❤️❤️

[Melanie32]

3 hours ago, DawnM said:

Oh my goodness, not to derail this thread, but you brought back a very core memory.   My parents believed that the bigger the car, the more the protection, so my first car ever was a Chevy Caprice Classic.    That thing was a TANK!   I was 4'11" and that thing was one giant blind spot!   

But I drove it all through college and it sat 6 so we often took my car over the VW Rabbits that everyone else seemed to have.   

I learned to park that thing on a dime!   In Seattle!   I was a brand new driver (license at 18 since I lived overseas until I came for college), with a brand new to me car, in a brand new place, etc....it was crazy.   But I learned to get by.

My friends NAMED my car!   It was dubbed the Love Boat.   (and no, there was no 'lovin going on in that car, but the sheer size was so much bigger than pretty much any other car on campus!).  I was also told it looked like a rich old lady's car!  😂   It was all in good fun.

 

 

lol Well they weren’t wrong! My parents bought us a Ford Fairmont and it was a boat! 
 

What a great memory! 

[Ditto]

I love my Honda Civic!  Cute, practical, holds it value very well (per the insurance co), and just a great all around car.

[Soror]

19 hours ago, regentrude said:

Best car we ever had was a Honda Accord. And they rank very high in reliability. Great suspension, firmer and more sporty than the Camry.

My husband has an 07 Accord and I have an 18 Camry. I looked closely at the newer Accords but personally I don't care for the look of them. Both of them are great, reliable cars. His Accord has over 200k miles on it and is going strong.  I had a Civic when we first got married. We absolutely loved that car but lost it in the house fire. I also looked at those when car shopping but the newer ones were sportier than I wanted. 

[Ditto]

4 hours ago, Soror said:

My husband has an 07 Accord and I have an 18 Camry. I looked closely at the newer Accords but personally I don't care for the look of them. Both of them are great, reliable cars. His Accord has over 200k miles on it and is going strong.  I had a Civic when we first got married. We absolutely loved that car but lost it in the house fire. I also looked at those when car shopping but the newer ones were sportier than I wanted. 

That's one of the things I love about mine.

[73349]

I'm liking the Corolla hybrid. I get 50-60 mpg, and a 6' person can sit in the back seat.

My last car was a turn-of-the-century Chevy POS. Last night DH was complaining that GM is quitting the sedan market and I was like, "Good. They're bad at sedans. Remember the ignition recall?"

I don't love all the bells and whistles on new cars nowadays (I KNOW a window is open, and I know it knows I opened it 30 seconds ago using the button on the door!!) but they're on everything, and the backup camera is nice to have.

[TexasProud]

Well, I will second and third an Accord.  We had our 1990 for over 20 years and very few problems.  We just sold our 2010 Civic that replaced it to the neighbor girl across the street.  That was our "kids" car and all of them learned to drive on it, and now she will as well. Again, very few if any problems with it. j  So even a 10 year old Accord or Civid would be a safe and reliable car.