Car ideas?
 

Does anyone have any suggestions for a car for a 21 year old girl? I've had a tiny sports car since I was 15, and as I get older and drive back and forth between college and home (a six hour drive), I'm realizing that it is no longer an appropriate vehicle.

I'd like either a nice sedan or a small SUV. I'll be buying used, but I don't want anything extremely old or with very high mileage.

Does anyone have any opinions on the Jeep Grand Cherokee or the Ford Escape? I've been looking at those a lot.

My family has owned both, a new Escape that is less than 2 years old, and a new (at the time) Grand Cherokee that we kept for 4 years. Both have been solid cars, although we did have a few problems with the Jeep, as we've found that Chrysler-based cars traditionally have wonky transmissions. We quit buying them for that reason, although they may have changed. The Jeep will also get a little worse gas mileage than the Escape, although that will depend on the engine size (V6 Escape versus a 4-cylinder Escape)

Not sure what your price point is, but you might want to look into a midsize 4 door w/V6, like a Fusion or a Malibu, or a smaller 4-door like a Cruze (I know that's new but that's the size I'm thinking of)

Also, think about where you're going to be living post-grad. I drive a Pontiac G6, which is a very average sized 4DR and I tend to have issues parking it in the parking garage under my high-rise. Tight aisles/walled spaces means lots of scrapes. If you're looking to live in a city, think about the size and the turning radius! I'm looking to downsize to a smaller 4DR or a 2DR (think: Mini, Jetta, etc.) in a year or so for this reason!

Have you considered any VWs? I have a 2009 Tiguan and I love it (I'm also 21). It's about the size of a Honda CRV, gets 26 mpg I think and I personally think it's an incredibly good looking car, inside and out. It's also so fun and easy to drive, and everyone comments on how smooth the ride is as well as its looks.
I think the 2009 model is actually better looking than the newer ones with the "corporate grill" if you are looking for used anyway.

The Passat is also a nice sedan, and you can find them used with a lot of different options for features, engines, etc. Very spacious, and the 2006-2010 version is the most attractive one IMHO. A Passat also saved my life many years back, so I've got a soft spot for them :)

If you're looking for a smaller SUV, the Grand Cherokee seems pretty big to me, but the smaller Jeeps like the Liberty are notorious for maintenance issues. I don't know that much about American cars, but the Edge seems to be the better option of the two you named.

I'm not sure where you live, but if you go skiing/snowboarding at all Subarus are amazing. My boyfriend (25) has the Impressa which is great with gas milage and handling. It is also perfect for going up to the mountain. I also can't help but sing the praises of the Toyota Camry

This is from kelly bluebook and has helped me pick cars in the past. It lets you state your needs and then compares cars for you.
http://www.kbb.com/cars-for-sale/

This is another quiz which is slightly more comprehensive. If you ever (or more likely parents/grandparents) listened to Click and Clack on NPR, this is from their website.
http://www.myproductadvisor.com/mpa/...nputSummary.do

I like those a lot! Thank you for the suggestion, I will look into it :)

Thank you!

My dad has a Toyota Camry and he loves it, as do I. I think I'm looking more at SUVs, though.

Wow, going from a tiny sports car to a Grand Cherokee? I think that might be a difficult adjustment. Don't get me wrong, I'm on my fourth Jeep and I love them. But Grand Cherokees are big. Really big. I've had two Cherokee Laredos, one Grand Cherokee and now a Liberty. My least favorite was the Grand. It wasn't as easy to maneuver and I kind of felt like I was driving a mini van. They're big gas guzzlers too. All the Jeeps are. They have a nice solid feel though. One of my Laredos kept me real safe in a nasty accident.

I think of my Jeep as a guilty pleasure. I no longer need the space an SUV affords and the mileage sucks. But it's cute and I do feel safe in it.

Best of luck finding the right car.

I know, it will be an adjustment. I do have some experience with driving larger vehicles since my mom has an SUV that I've borrowed several times. However, I really like SUVs because of their safety and I just want something a lot bigger.

Just bought myself a nice Audi A8

So jealous! I'm looking to buy a car in the next year or so and have been drooling over some of the Audis.

What about a hatchback? Good cargo capacity (with the right car, of course. Some have horrible interior make-ups that make the interior organization really impractical.), plus passenger comfort, good gas mileage, and way easier to park than a massive SUV.

I work in arts management, and having a hatchback has been great for transporting art and installation supplies all over hill and dale.

Might I suggest a Honda Fit? I love the 2010 and newer body style, but the older models are good too. The Fit Sport is worth it for the better wheels and the nicer finishes. Plus I think they're doing 0.9% financing at the moment.

Witness: moving from Oklahoma to Pittsburgh in a Honda Fit. Got 40MPGs too!
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot..._1752965_n.jpg

Or, if you really wanted an SUV, why not find a used or end-of-model Element? The seat configurations in that thing are CRAZY. Unfortunately they killed the car, so it may be a chore to find one, but for hauling lots of stuff, can't go wrong. It's the #1 choice for triathletes.

We have 2 Escapes...one is a 2001 that is still going strong. It was my car and now our college aged daughter is driving it. It's been a very good car. I'm now driving a 2010 Escape. Again, no issues. I'd recommend the Escape. I've found them to both be surprisingly maneuverable...they have more of a "car" feel when driving, but I like being higher up in an SUV. Ford just redesigned the body, so this might be a good time to get a deal on a used one. Sometimes when the model changes, the older versions look dated, and aren't as popular. However, I did hear that the used car market is expected to be tighter, as a result of so many cars being totaled by Hurricane Sandy.

As long as you're looking at newer (read: newer than 2004 or 2005), I'd strongly consider some Hyundai options. I drive an 2008 Elantra, and I adore that car- great gas milage, has only given me two little minor hiccups in the past five years, and a fairly spacious interior for the size. The Tuscon and Santa Fe look really nice too, but I have not had personal experience with them.

I really like the Santa Fe. I think it's going to be between that and a Grand Cherokee.

I've had my 2003 PT Cruiser for 10 years now and love it. No problems. Good for passengers and for hauling stuff (flip down the seats and there's a ton of space). If you can find a good used one, I'd recommend it.

If you're looking for a new car, my husband and I just checked out a Dodge Dart. Interior and trunk were much bigger than expected - the Dart is supposed to be Chrysler's compact offering, so I was expecting dinky, but the trunk is almost cavernous. It also is supposed to get about 42 MPG.

I am a huge Honda fan. I had a Civic for nearly 10 years, and now I drive an Accord.

You might want to consider a 2008 or 2009 Saturn Vue. It's a crossover, so it has the space of an SUV but the drive of a car. I love, love, love mine. The Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix is a nice blend too. I call it both because they are pretty much identical. They have a lot of cargo space if that is the reason for wanting an SUV.

Loving my A8, it's pimpin.

I have a Subaru Outback - it's the 13th Subaru my family has owned, as we all have them. They all had well over 100,000 miles on them before we traded them in. The only other car I can truly recommend is the Volvo SUV I was given as a rental when my current Subaru had to have some body work (darn Chicago drivers!). It was such a dream, but the mileage was awful!

I've been driving the same Element since the first model year. '02? Great little car. Over 100K miles and I've only had to replace the alternator and brakes.

I'm a bit tired of it now, but it was extremely practical. I've transported everything a king sized bed, stacks of pre-hung doors, a full pallet of flooring for my house, a full-sized marimba [my wife is a band director] and when it comes to moving, that thing has ridiculous cubic footage.

You mention the Fit, my wife drives a Fit. Loves it. We drove it up to Montana a few years back and got great gas mileage, although I will say 20+ hours in that thing and you'll have a severe crick in your back.

Does anyone have an opinion on the Chevy equinox?

I will second the hatchback suggestion. We just upgraded to an SUV (baby on the way & it was time anyway) but had our hatchback for 7 years. It's small enough to be easy to park & get good gas mileage, but wow can you pack those things! Boxes & boxes of Ikea furniture, bags of dirt & bark, even a small loveseat once. We got it as our second car to a 2-door sport-style car... it felt HUGE in comparison.

As a Sedan option, I also really love my 2007 Sentra. We've had no maintenance issues with it and my favorite features are:
- intellikey: as long as the key is in your purse, you can lock/unlock & start the car
- hide-a-trunk: a removable panel that goes in the middle of the trunk. It makes your trunk smaller for normal use, like helping ensure groceries aren't sliding around too much (and you can reach everything in that part of the trunk easily). You can store miscellaneous things behind the panel like a car emergency kit, towels, reusable shopping bags, or whatever and still have your main trunk nice and usable. If you remove the panel (or just fold it down- it's a hard panel), you have a ridiculously deep trunk. It's not as tall as a hatchback obviously, but for quantity of storage it's great.

However, I still vote hatchback based on what you described! My friend loved her Nissan Versa (same intellikey feature). She actually bought it because she liked our Sentra so much but wanted a hatchback. I think hers was 2008.

Note- a lot of new cars have the intellikey type feature now, but they are harder to find on used cars if you're going back more than 2-3 years. In 2007, as far as I know the only non-luxury cars that had them were Nissan and the Toyota Prius.

I like the Equinox. It is very similar to the Saturn Vue also. I'm a GM fan though...

I think the other comparables listed are better options in terms of price, looks, specs, and features. Unless you're intent on specifically buying Chevrolet, I don't consider the Equinox to really have anything over it's competitors.

Everyone seems to be throwing out widely different ideas, so it will definitely help you to narrow it down into a model year range, size, price range, and certain features you consider important (leather seats, navigation, sunroof, only base model, etc.). It seems like you've been most interested in the small SUVs/Crossovers so far.

Hondas are super-reliable. I really like the Ford Escape and the Jeep Liberty. A Honda CR-V is the same size and very similar.

Why do you want something bigger? Is it because you need to fit more things, have more people, or just this personal preference that's been bugging you?

I recommend a hatchback: you can fit almost as many things as a SUV, and it'll handle most the use cases of SUVs while saving gas. Just don't go off-road or attempt to tow anything.

As far as a nice sedan: I have some friends that decided to go with well-maintained 15-20yo BMWs. They're probably in the price range you're looking for and age surprisingly well.

Be careful looking for a used car right now. They are charging beaucoup bucks right now because people can't get financing for new cars and the market is so strong for used. My husband bought a new, loaded Toyota FJ Cruiser a year ago and paid LESS than they were asking for a basic 2010 used FJ. seriously. Used! We were shocked, and had to really push to find out that there was a new one available on the lot. Woohoo...we'll take the new one please. BTW, they weren't negotiating on price either, bc we moved on to the new car after haggling for a while. Be ready to shop around and look for differences in prices between new in used. You may be really surprised.

Since you're buying used, I recommend either Hyundai or Honda products. I'm leaning more towards Hyundai, because of the their reliability and warranty, provided that you buy used from the dealer. You could buy one with about 50,000 miles on it, and you'll still have 50,000 miles left before the original warranty expires (conditions might apply). Honda also makes nice products -very reliable. I have an 05' S2000 that I bought new. I still have it, and I haven't had any problems with it.

ETA: It's up to you, but since you're buying used, I would stay away from American (GM and Chrysler products especially).

Hey now!

I have a 2011 Dodge Avenger and I LOVE IT! It's got great gas mileage (24 in town, 30 on the highway), great space especially in the backseat and trunk, and a killer sound system. I have no complaints with it and I love it.

I currently have a 2012 Limited Edition Jeep Liberty, which is sort of similar to the Cheroke. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my car, but I average between 9-14 mpg at my school. The Cheroke gets better gas mileage, but not much. I would strongly suggest looking at a Honda Pilot. A few of my friends had them and not a single one of them had any complaints.