Have your say on our new....

[alison]

CAR.

Here are the guidelines:
must be good in extreme weather (we're in Chicago--we'd prefer 4wd); safe; be able to take a good beating in the city; lots of room (dh is 6'3"); get good mileage in the city (by this, I mean above 12mpg which is what we're getting right now with our Jeep!).

I like SUVs because I come from a family who likes to go up to the mountains to ski, but they get awful mileage in the city--are there any alternatives with good trunk space? I don't want a mini-van(yet).

[SuzySunshine]

Alison, are you looking for a car or an SUV? We live in Minnesota so we love our 4wd vehicles. My husband has the Infiniti G35 and even when we got 24" in one day he was able to get to work, he LOVES the all-wheel drive option. He is 6'4" and fits very comfortably. It has a spacious back seat and a good sized trunk. We've now had it for two years and haven't had any problems with it and I like it as well, its fun to drive. It is a V6.

I have a Hyundai Santa Fe which I hear they are remodeling with the '07 model but I too love it. DH sits comfortably in it as well. Also has heated seats and 4WD with PLENTY of room for car seats and stuff in the "trunk" area. My biggest complaint when we were looking for SUVs was that there was no room in the back if there was a comfortable back seat - this one has both and with Hyundai's warranty you can't beat it. I have the V6.

Both of them get around 24 mpg probably b/c they are V6's.

Good luck - I love doing the car research but hate doing the actual haggling.

[alison]

Thanks for the tips, Cheri. I'm doing some searches on the cars you two have. I think I'd prefer an SUV, but deep down I know it's pretty impractical for city driving. I feel much safer and less bullied around in our Jeep than in some of the smaller cars I've rented. But really, I'm open to anything right now. Any experience with station wagons? What about the Subaru Outback? Volvo?

[SuzySunshine]

I have a friend that had an Outback and LOVED it - she was single but very active with her big golden retriever. I also have a friend that has the VW station wagon, also loves it. I think its based off of the Jetta?

[alison]

Why did your friend give up her Outback? Any problems with it? Or did it just not fit her needs anymore? Sorry to be so nosy!

Is the VW station wagon a Passat?

We've been happy with both of our Volvo wagons. Nice to drive, roomier than a sedan, useful hatch space to haul stuf around.

I think there are some 4 wheel drive Volvos out there. I drove in Colorado (and lived in the mountains part of that) for years without 4x4 but just a good set of tires. I feel ok without it but can understand why people like it. It can add to expense for the car and maintenance too.

[alison]

What's the FJ at the end of Toyota?

Alison, I totally see your point about maintenance. The more bells and whistles, the more (and expensive) repairs need to go into the car. I want this to be something we can use if we potentially move back to Seattle. They don't salt streets out there, but really, is a move in 4-5 years something we should consider in a car we purchase now?

What are your feelings about buying new? Buying used? If used, how old?

Could you get by with good tires or studded snows in Seattle? Does it really snow that much? When we get ice storms here, it doesn't matter what you have, an AWD slides off the road just as easily as any other car.

I think a couple of years used is a good way to go. Probably the only thing I would have a strong opinion on bying new is a minivan. I've seen the abuse they get!

[alison]

Yeah, you're right Nellie... When it snows in Seattle, which is rare, NO ONE goes out. Everything is cancelled, shut down, dead quiet. But what about the skiing? Will snow tires and/or chains be sufficient?

Dh and I were joking about minivans last night. I would drive and he ask for me to pop in dvds for him while he lounges in the backseat. What would a couple sans children do with all that extra seating? And where in Chicago would we park a big hurkin' machine like that?

I'm pretty sure we'll narrow it down to a small SUV or station wagon (we'll look at both AWD and front-wheel).

Any opinion about Hybrids?

Will snow tires and/or chains be sufficient?

Chains should be sufficient. My friend in Alaska says everyone uses chains or studded tires b/c they don't salt up there. I honestly don't think 4WD is helpful for bad weather in the city (like Chicago).

[SuzySunshine]

Why did your friend give up her Outback? Any problems with it? Or did it just not fit her needs anymore? Sorry to be so nosy!

Is the VW station wagon a Passat?

She gave up on her outback because it had been wrecked and she didn't know it when she got it. She was so ticked at how the particular dealer handled it she went back to a Honda.

I think you are correct, I think it is on the Passat frame.

I did fine in Colorado with studded snow tires. It snowed a lot more and the roads were icier (except ice storms) than here or Seattle so it was worth it to have studs. If we start doing more skiing here, I would probably go with a good snow tire and just carry chains with me so that I wouldn't have the rattle-y studs in town.

I agree with Alison that four wheel drive adds little to handling and stopping. The thing that held me back the most in an Acura was the clearance more than the actual road conditions. When we had a huge blizzard in Denver, the only reason I couldn't get out of the garage with a Volvo was the snow height, not the snow.

I like your DHs idea of luxury minivan transportation.

[SuzySunshine]

What are your feelings about buying new? Buying used? If used, how old?

I've only owned used cars and I don't think that will change. The Outback was 5 years old when we bought it, with about 60K miles.

I think with "certified used cars" you can get great deals. Do those come with warranties? That is my biggest thing my car is covered for pretty much everything for 10 years or 100,000 miles. DH's is 8 years or 60,000 miles and he gets new brakes at 30K. Those are big for us because we don't have to worry about big unplanned car expenses on a tight residency budget.

With our next cars if we don't buy new we'll probably buy program cars or cars just coming off of leases, they tend to be in great shape.

Good luck!

[alison]

Cheri, what are "program cars?"

[SuzySunshine]

They are cars that dealers use for promotional purposes and that their employees drive. Therefore they are usually VERY low mileage and only a year or two old because they're always trading them out for the new models. I'm not sure how you find them, but I know a few friends who have gotten really good deals on them.