I am thinking of moving to a say 2006 CRV.
Currently drive a compact sedan.
Are there any expenses I should be aware of ?
CRV was chosen since could not think of a station wagon/hatch. Are there alternatives in 4-6 yr old cars?
There are many alternatives. Subaru has the Outback. While many companies dropped their full-size station wagons, Mazda and VW offer them with the 6 and Passat. Chevy and Dodge offered Malibu and Magnum wagons, but they (especially the Magnum) may not be as reliable. There are smaller ones such as the Jetta Sport wagon, Toyota Matrix, and Honda Fit.
Thank you
I am trying to avoid VW due to reliability concern - also AWD (Outback)
That leaves me with Mazda 6 - it seems no much different in fuel efficiency compared with CRV - so inclined to get the CRV.
AWD can become expensive with tire restrictions (you might have to change all 4) - I don’t do off-road.
Well, you should be aware of a regular expense that is claimed by Honda not to be needed and that is valve lash inspection. This should be done every 30k miles even though Honda Motor Co. makes the ridiculous assertion that it only needs to be inspected at 100k+ miles, and with an even more ridiculous assertion that this should be checked by “listening for noise”. The quiet ones are the ones you really have to worry about.
Do a net search about the end results of the unlucky percentage of CR-V owners who have adhered to the factory recommendations about this procedure. Try “CR-V valve lash problems” or something to that effect.
There’s nothing wrong with VW other than the continued belief of people to rely on what their in-laws say or what outfits like Consumer Reports or J.D. Power report.
Every car complaint has a story behind it and the entire story is seldom ever reported or heard.
If you are looking for a more roomy car with storage, look at the Pontiac Vibe / Toyota Matrix. I currently have a 2004 Pontiac Vibe with 143,000 miles and still running strong. Im 6’4" and 300 lbs…this car is very comfortable for me and plenty of storage. The Vibe has the toyota 1.8 liter motor so its bulletproof. I suggest the Pontiac because of cheap prices to buy one.
Tarus wagon, Chevy HHR, PT Cruiser, Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix ( available in 2 and 4 wheel drive ) Dodge Caliber, Volvo (several models) and lots more. The Hondas and Toyotas are highly valued as used cars and are overpriced. If you want one of them ,buy new and take advantage of the low depreciation, otherwise buy used American cars and take advantage of the depreciation.
I know people who have CRVs and enjoy everything about them except the gas mileage.
Thanks all - appreciate it.
Just a spin question - If I were getting about 4yr old SUV, is there another better option than CR-V? I see Lexsus … there may be others.
I feel 4 yr old Ford, Chevy … might not be that reliable compared to Japanese.
Thanks for your tip.
It appears that this issue is present in 97-2001 models.
If you’re looking at a 4 year old CR-V, the other one to look at would be a Rav4. Both are available in fwd if you don’t need awd.
The Lexus would be more expensive than either of the other 2.
The CRV is a good choice. Your problem will be locating a FWD CRV. The vast majority come in 4WD or AWD. If you live in a big enough city you should be able to find a few to choose from.
You’ll experience a feeling of inside a huge open space compared to what you drive now. It may be a bit hard to get used to parking it as the seats are up higher than your current ride. Lower fuel economy is pretty much a given. More safety equipment, depending on the age of your current vehicle.
Also, you’ll be able to see over/around more vehicles than in your little car.