I’m not a fan at all of late model Chryslers but my son has an '07 Dodge Caliber with AWD and not only does it scoot around the snow and hills in that area very well it has been an absolute rock solid, reliable vehicle up to this point. (55k miles with nary a squeak, rattle, or hiccup)
No matter what you get be prepared to spend time in traffic. Denver and the surrounding area is an utter cesspool.
Denver has virtually no traffic problems. Take it from someone living here and who has lived and driven in Boston, NYC, Bangkok, Mexico City, London, Amsterdam, Moscow, Rome, Athens, Paris, etc., etc.
Twotone
If Denver is a cesspool, what does that make Detroit, Cleavland, Akron, St. Lewis…Miami, LA…??? What garden spot do YOU live in??
Or Boston, where one ways abound and never in the direction you want to go and traffic lights are just suggestions…Denver has to be better. They didn’t need the “Big Pig err Dig”.
I’ve been to Denver several dozen times and I’ve seen nothing but traffic jams other than the turnpike on the east side.
There’s only been several occasions out of all of those trips in which I’ve managed to cross town on the Interstate without getting tied up in traffic jams due to road construction accidents or creeping due to sheer traffic volume.
Not to mention that brown smog hanging over landscape.
I live in the middle of the Wichita/Tulsa/Oklahoma City area and all 3 of those cities are traffic cesspools also.
My vote is for Subaru, state car of CO - good balance between street/comfort/mileage and off-road/mountain handling.
They have a dog kennel thing for the back. I’d check compatibility on any roof accessories, as they changed the body style in 2005 and it screwed up the functionality of many of them (not sure about the new 2010 body-style).
Another little tidbit for you, the resale value on Subaru is higher in CO than in the midwest. (One of the few silver linings when my first Outback was totaled by a drunk driver.)
Hope that helps!
We moved here from Dallas and the first thing we did is buy an SUV with 4 wheel drive–you’ll need it if you live in the foothills or ski. The insurance for glass is also a good idea as we have had to have our windshield replaced in two cars because of the gravel.