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What car would you buy?
We are 95% sure we'll be car shopping soon. DH's Mini Cooper is having more and more issues and he wants to get rid of it before it completely bites the dust. Budget will be 5K-8K ish.
Our requirements:
1. Excellent in snow.
2. Big enough for both dogs to ride comfortably but not so big that it's a gas guzzling road hog. (It's a tight squeeze in my Saturn Ion right now.)
3. Easy to clean up dog hair and dog foot prints.
What would you buy? We have no idea...
eta: We want a reliable used car we can pay off quickly so we can save up and replace my car in a couple of years...
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Re: What car would you buy?
If you want easy to clean up hair, prints, etc, I would opt in for leather.
It seems backwards, getting the nicer stuff, but it wipes clean....no fabric cleaner or hair in the cloth, etc. (It still gets everywhere else, but at least you dont' have to sit on it.)
Good in the snow = all wheel drive.
my dad and BIL have had really good luck with Jeep Grand Cherokees. My dad & BIL both put 200k miles on theirs and then bought another - and we ended up buying one about a year ago. I guess the "in line 6" or "straight 6" engine is really good.
We've been driving SUVs for a while so my gas guzzling threshold might be different than yours, but I've been really happy with everything so far. You need to buy an older Jeep (2005ish or earlier) in order to get the straight 6 engine so that would fit well with your price range.
I have a PT Cruiser and I love it. FWIW, I was not AT ALL interested in these cars when I was car shopping. Not even on the radar. Prior to 2008 they didn't get super great marks on consumer reports, but 2008 got excellent reviews. They aren't the most attractive cars, but it totally meets my needs. I can put down the back seats and have plenty of room for both dogs, without having so much room that they are bouncing around back there. I get about 24 mpg which isn't too bad I don't think. I haven't gotten it stuck yet in the snow this winter, so while it doesn't have 4WD, it has worked just fine for me. Runs well, and really affordable. I was in the same price range as you, and I got a Touring edition with all the bells and whistles for about $8,500. It is a 2008, and had 32,000 miles when I bought it.
Again, I realize that most people don't look at these cars and think "OMG, I want one!!"....I was the same way. But now I am glad I have it, and am actually really sad to have to sell it when we move.
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There are actually quite a few of them on carsoup for less than 10K.
DH and I don't care for the look of them though... we're trying not to be too "car snobby" since our budget limits the selection but the Santa Fe was vetoed.
margaritas in mexico
We are going through the same thing. I need a new car soon. We want to keep it under 10k (less if possible), I want AWD or 4WD, I want a V6, I want a sun roof and I want heated seats. I'm not that picky really, but I'm not finding anything I like/want. It doesn't have to be big enough for our dogs because we use DH's Tahoe for that. Part of my problem is that I want something new and shiny. I don't WANT a used car, but that is what we can afford (at least in a make/model that is DH approved). DH is kind of a car geek and VERY picky about what he'll let me buy, even though I am the one who has to drive it everyday. Actually, this is a point of contention between us at the moment. I won't get started, because I'll never stop.
Anyway, for something that does well in the snow, you'll want to get something AWD or 4 WD as pp said. Another thing you can do is get snow tires. This makes a HUGE difference. I will never drive in the snow without snow tires again. It means having an "extra" set of tires around, but it makes all the difference driving in the snow.
I also agree with the leather suggestion. I have cloth and DH has leather and I refuse to take the dogs in my car because cleaning up the mud and hair is a nightmare. It all wipes off of DH's leather very easily.
Some of the things we've considered are - RAV 4, CRX, Tribute, Escape...
Good luck. Let us know what you end up with. Maybe I'll copycat you and get the same thing. lol. Just kidding.
What about a Subaru Impreza? They come in a sport wagon version, I think it's called the Impreza Outback Sport, it's like a smaller version of a Subaru Outback. Better gas mileage than the Outback. It's more like a car than an SUV, though.
I looked at the Impreza when I bought last summer, and didn't end up getting it based on mpg, price, and a few other features. I ended up with a Mazda3 hatchback instead, which I really love and fits your criteria 2 and 3. But - the one thing the Subaru had over my Mazda is AWD. I wouldn't say my Mazda is excellent in snow, it's not bad for a small car, but not as good as a AWD or 4WD vehicle.
In any case, it looks like you could get a used Subaru Impreza wagon within your budget. Here's an example.
The Ford Escape is rated pretty well by Consumer Reports ... and it comes in a hybrid version if you're really concerned about mpg.
Mr. Sammy Dog
There is a history between DH's dad and PT Cruisers so they are automatically out for many reasons. It's a long story...one that involves DH's dad putting FLAMES on his last Cruiser... *shakes head*
I think they are pretty good in snow - but I would highly recommend the Toyota Rav4. If you can the newer style I would recommend that. I was quite surprised with the amount of room in (we had one for a rental). Freeway they get 30 mpg. I agree with leather if you can - would be much easier to clean. Just use leather cleaner protector a few times a year and that should help!
Another car I had that was pretty spacious and was good in snow (not excellent, but for a car it was fine) is a crysler 300. I had the old style and was very roomy! Gas mileage isn't that great at 22 mpg and I think I needed premium. But you could probably find one pretty cheap.
The Impreza looks way too wagon-y for my taste. :-/
For some reason my brain has a bias against Escapes and Explorers.
Well their really ugly but a Pontiac Aztec would work too, they were marketed towards people with pets and kids because you just hose down the interior.
My vote though is a Jeep Grand Cherokeey 99-2004 with the Inline 6 (or straight 6). they get about 16-18 on the road so not great but not horrible either. We have a '99 with 176,000 miles on it and that sucker still kicks off even on the coldest morning. Those inline 6's were diehards in the jeep family, I have no doubt our's will go over 300,000 miles as my cousin is still driving her's and its got over 300,000...
I think we're leaning towards a small SUV but I do like the look of Camrys...
Gah, this is so tough.
I really wanted an SUV as well but my car died before we expected it to and didn't have the money for one. The Camry has good trade in value so we rationalized that we could trade up once I had a job.
My parents also have a Camry and expect it to last 300,000 miles. Plus, everyone I talked to who owned a Camry had only good things to say. So although it definitely was not my first choice, I felt really good about our purchase.
Good luck!
We bought a Rav-4 in September (to replace my Saturn Ion, funnily) because we wanted the same things as you (only one dog, but we foster too) and we got a non-AWD with traction control and I think it's better in the snow than an AWD vehicle. I LOVE it like I've loved no other car. I get 27-28 on the highways (I think 30 is pushing it, honestly).
I spun out/crashed 3 times last winter so snow was a big deal for me when we bought this car, and the Rav has no disappointed. I was convinced I wanted a CD-V, but for the price and benefits we ended up with the Rav and I have no regrets.
I'm having jealousy issues with a friend's Subaru Forrester right now.
It's a few years old - NO PROBLEMS whatsoever. They also run a rescue and can get 3 crates in the back with the seat down.
I think they paid about $3000 for it, but I'm not nosy enough to ask the actual price. I bet you could get a newer one for your price range.
DH and I are looking at Toyota 4 Runners right now. We need a tow vehicle, SUV, dog-hauler and something that will last.
I drive a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited edition and love it. Handles great in the snow (I just got new all season tires in September, thank goodness), V8 engine, AWD. I have just over 150K on it and it requires little fixes here and there, but nothing that my H can't handle.
Mileage is standard for a Jeep: 15-17 mpg. Not great, but alas, I wanted a SUV and love Jeeps. I have the limited edition, so leather, sunroof, premium sound, heated seats, etc. love love love - I'm sure I'll be super picky if I ever decide to venture past a Jeep.
If you do decide the Jeep route, I would check a couple Jeep car forums for problem lists. The '01 is known (and happened to me) to have heating issues, where the heat just doesn't work....and was a $2000 fix. The '01 is also known to have a front axle that catches and needs replacing after about 150K miles, also, which I have just done. Just a heads up - but I still love my SUV.
I would say what Lucky says above or the Highlander. With baby on the way, we needed to replace DH's 2-door. He's a mechanic and was really picky about what we would look at (even avoiding certain model years). He considered what he doesn't see on a regular basis with big problems in his shop, among other things. We were looking at Highlanders, RAV4 (I didn't like the size, though), Escapes and whatever the Honda and Mazda SUVs are.
We got a Toyota Highlander and I absolutely love it (it was great today!). The seats fold down, which would be great for the pups. But we don't have dogs so I can't attest to cleaning, but leather makes sense.
Funny thing: when I first saw the Highlander, I couldn't find the cupholders in the front seat and I was furious (I chalk it up to pregnancy hormones...). He looked into it and found the removable part for one piece of the center console that creates two cupholders. Shows what my priorities were. DH actually says that in surveys, one of the main features female car shoppers look for is the cupholders.
Let me know if you have any questions you want me to run past DH, all the searching is still fresh in his mind!
We did a bunch of research and chose a Chevy Equinox in December. Love it! It has AWD which makes such a huge difference in the snow. I was driving a Corolla around before, which I like in the summer, but in the snow it's like a Barbie car.
We had our friend at a dealership watch out for one in our price range and got lucky that way. It has leather seats, which as PP mentioned is awesome for dogs, heated front seats, a sunroof, etc. I think it was about $11k for a 2005 but you might find one for less.
The gas mileage isn't horrible but isn't great either. In that sense the Corolla is much better... but what I'm sacrificing in gas mileage I'm making up for in a much safer commute!
We bought a Honda CR-V for the dogs. There is a lot of space and it's probably more than we need with two dogs. The back seats fold forward to create more trunk space. It does awesome in the snow. We get over 33 mpg on the highway but not very good mpg in town. However, it wasn't very cheap, but the resale is pretty good.
I know you're looking at SUV or crossovers but we really like taking the dogs in the Jetta because it has leather seats so it's easier to clean. It also gets waaay better gas mileage. It has a huge trunk and the dogs fit very nicely.
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I'll come out of lurking to say you should look at the Ford Escape. You should be able to find a used one in your price range. I have a 2004 and really wanted a car that would handle the snow. I absolutely love it and have never had any problems with it. We've done so well with that one that when my husband needed a new car a couple of months ago, we bought another!
We have the same exact specifications that you have. We have two yellow labs and they both fit well into the back of the car. The seats are easy to put down if you want to give them a little more room, too. We do have leather seats in both so they've also been easy to maintain/clean.
GL with your search!
This, we just bought one and LOVE it
Nicole and Sam 10/3/09
Andy has a 4Runner (2007). It's a great vehicle, we really like it. I didn't mention that option for Kiz because it seemed she might be thinking about a smaller size SUV, but it is a good choice if a full-size SUV would be under consideration. Definitely room for 2 dog crates in the back :-)
It has plenty of space, and the gas mileage is better than many comparable vehicles. Andy gets 18-20 mpg in his 4Runner - definitely not as good as a car, but not bad for a full-size SUV. The 4Runner was NOT included in the big Toyota recall, and it gets great ratings by Consumer Reports for reliability.
My in-laws just bought a new 2011 4Runner, they needed something that could pull a fishing boat. They also looked at the Hyundai, Honda, Chevy and Ford equivalents, and they thought the 4Runner had the most features for the price. They also liked that it had some of the best reliability ratings as they will plan to drive it for a long time - the new 4Runner replaced a 15-year old Blazer - they don't replace cars often.
Anyway, the 4Runner is definitely worth looking into ...
Mr. Sammy Dog
My parents have two Honda CR-V and they've had almost no issues with either of them.
Maybe check out the Honda Fit too. With the backseat folded down, I would think it would work pretty well for the dogs. We get about 33 mpg normally with mostly city driving.