I would suggest an Outback with the H 6 engine, very strong and gas mileage is still 25-27 mpg.
@eraser1998
"plnelson
The Ford Escape is brand new so there isn’t enough data to judge owner satisfaction or reliability but in general Ford reliability has been unimpressive"
According to whom?
According to Consumer Reports. I didn’t say they were bad; I said they were unimpressive - look at pg 89 of the April Car Buying issue - look at the New Car Prediction and Used Car Verdict sections - lots of “worse than average” or “much worse than average” summaries, lots of averages, a few “better than average” and no “much better than average” summaries.
Vompare this to Toyota or Subaru - The New car Prediction for both the Rav4 and Forester are “much better than average”
I rarely use CR’s repair records alone. They are accurate, but they divide the group poorly. Did you know that much worse than average has a 3% failure rate (or more)? To me, 3% is low. Their average rate is around 1.5%. To their credit, CR tells you this if you are willing to read through their background information. Still, the difference between much better than average and much worse than average is often a few hundred dollars in repairs over 5 years. I’ve made a point of avoiding their reliability ratings over the last 15 years and have never been disappointed. If I can save $1000 in the purchase price of a car over their top reliability picks, I am certain that I will never (ever) pay that out in repairs and even out the operating price.
@bscar2
The data collected is lumped together; mixing large problems with small ones.
Someone sending in a bad mark for engine failures at 5k miles is mixed with someone sending in a bad mark for the way the sun visor doesn’t cover enough of the side window when it’s moved there.
Are you talking about CR? You must have never read one of their reliability reports - they break it down in great detail. Engines and visors are in two different categories.
I would suggest an Outback with the H 6 engine, very strong and gas mileage is still 25-27 mpg.
Yes - that’s on my list. My current “serious contenders” list are the Outback 6 cyl, the Rav4 (haven’t decided which engine) and Forester. I’m trying to decide whether to consider the Forester Turbo as an antidote to its weak acceleration, or whether the turbo takes too much babying and worrying. Opinions, anyone?
Consider an Audi Quattro A4 or A6 - either a sedan or an Avant
"Consider an Audi Quattro A4 or A6 - either a sedan or an Avant "
Consider, yes…but do more research on their reliability and resale value. Even if Toyotas and Hondas were no more than average in reliability (which they aren’t), enough have bought into their reliability reputation to make them hold their value more than an Audi.
jt makes some very good points. Sounds like my brother who for years lived with Rangers over Toyota trucks. But, I had to live with his constant complaining about their performance compared to my Tacomas while he was saving this money.
“I had to live with his constant complaining…”
He’d have found something else to complain about if not the truck’s power.
When I made the comparisons, I always came down to 2 cars that I would be satisfied with. And I always picked the least expensive car. In 1998 it was a Buick Regal over a Honda Accord. In 2005, it was a Honda Accord over a Buick Lacrosse.
“he’d have found something else to complain about”
Jt
In general, he was not a complainer, but is a cheapskate. Great guy but still a cheapskate. He did find something else to complain about. Got a great deal on a used Audi which spent more time in the shop for electrical problems then on the road it seemed. The complaints continued. He finally bought an Accord too, and an F150. The complaints stopped. All his poor purchases were sound investments in his mind, because of the low initial price. I see this all the time.
Not that Toyota’s and Hondas are impervious to problems. My neighbor purchased a new 4Runner and hated it enough to trade it in for a GM suv a short time later. The one thing he liked? He raved about to trade in value the GM dealer gave him. That’s my point.
You kept the Regal for 7 years and are now on te 7 th year of your Accord. You will either trade again, and realize the benifit in trade in value or keep it longer and realize and appreciate the value in long term reliability. Either way, I believe the Accord was the better buy, assuming of course, you could live with them vs. Buicks.
Buying the cheapest car is not always the best long term way to either, save money or be a satisfied driver.
i am not sure about all of the details about it, but my father is a forestry consultant (drives in places not many vehicles can drive) and he just go a new Nissan Xterra Pro 4x. he really is impressed with its maneuverability and how solidly manufactured it is. i know that it is technically not all wheel drive, but it is four wheel drive. a few things i like about it is it has a 6 cd changer, rock solid roof rack with off road lights, and a cool bin in the front where you can keeps straps, chains, etc. the thing that i am most impressed with is how tight the dang thing will turn, it seems to have the tightest turning radius in its class that i have noticed. however, i can hear a bit of road noise when i drive it, but overall i wish i could buy one myself.
“You kept the Regal for 7 years…”
I still have it 14 years later. I gave it to the kids when I bought the Accord. Trade-in value is not important on this car. Nor is it important on the 9 year old Silhouette. That’s the next vehicle we replace. We want at least 2 more years out of it; until the children - adults! are all out of college. BTW, we also want to keep the Regal another 2 years.