My son is about to graduate college and has a job that will entail a great deal of travel. He expects to log 25,000 miles per year with no permanent home base. We live in Florida where the driving is easy. We don’t know where he will be traveling as of yet. He needs to buy a new/newer car to eliminate any real worries. He needs good mileage. I’d like to see him in a safe car. Someone recommended a small SUV if he will be in the mountains or driving in the winter. Others that have had the job recommend a Camry or Honda. Any suggestions out there?
Something like a Crown Victoria or Impala or any Buick would do the trick. When one spends most of their day in their vehicle, comfort is a bit more important than fuel mileage.
The claim to fame for the SUV concerns off-road driving. There is a growing myth that the SUV is the choice vehicle for inclement weather conditions. Any (full) 4-wheel drive vehicle can handle this. As a recent college grad driving mostly on paved roads with minimal cargo, the focus should be on mileage. Hopefully, he will not be living in the vehicle! I would recommend either a Honda Civic Hybrid if driving is mostly highway or the Toyota Prius if the driving is mostly city.
If he’s going to log a lot of miles and wants to do it in comfort safety and economically, do what more people have done in the last ten years than for any other models. Buy a Camry or Accord by personal preference. Get one new enough to have traction control/stability control with good tires, and he should be fine.
If he will be driving a lot on the highway, then a diesel vehicle should be the best. Hybrids do the best only in the city, when their engines shut off.
2- 3 year old Hyundai Sonata. If he is unsure where he will be going, no need to spend unnecessary money on an SUV if he won’t need it. Get a small sedan (Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, etc.). If he finds himself going to snowy climates next winter, he can put on four real winter tires. Four real tires on a FWD sedan will do better on snow and ice than AWD with four (read three) season tires.
Twotone