Remember my 2005 Mazda 6 wagon thread? Now it's repair old or buy used

The vehicles I listed do. CUV is compact utility vehicle, a subclass of SUVs.

My daughter has a 2020 2WD Honda CRV EX and loves it.

I have no idea what you are talking about . Wagons are almost a thing of the past and the ones being sold now are expensive aimed at high income buyers.

You need to be more open minded because there are many smaller SUV type vehicles that have plenty of space .

If you are still doing this Remodeling business why you don’t want a truck or service van is really hard to understand.

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I had wonderful experiences with my 3 Outbacks, which were the most trouble-free cars I ever owned. However, I bought them as new vehicles. As much as I like Subarus, I would not buy a used one, nor would I buy any other used AWD vehicle.

If you do want to find an Outback that seems to be a good candidate for purchase, I suggest that you look for one with the optional 6-cylinder engine. Unlike earlier Outbacks with the standard 4-cylinder engine, the six cylinder engine uses a timing chain instead of a timing belt, and it doesn’t have the potential for head gasket problems that the 4 cylinder engines have.

If you really think a SUV, ie Suburban or Expedition does not have enough cargo room, you will need a truck. A lot of the lawn care businesses where I live use COE Isuzu box trucks with lift gates.

That 2007 post - sorry about that. That was my son posting under my “banner”? He is now 41 and doesn’t need anymore help, though he still doesn’t have a truck. However, I am far from my 40s and am just looking to get a used “car” on the order of a station wagon - not an SUV - that I hopefully willbe relatively happy with.

Apologize again for that 2007 post. Maybe should have specified it was my son asking for advice, to avoid this confusion.

Why wouldn’t you buy a used AWD vehicle? And specifically not a Subaru/Outback? I am actually looking at this one (link below) but then in research found a whole lot of stuff about that vehicle that makes me think more than twice about it. Here’s the link to it, if anyone has an opinion about whether I can consider it. 2017 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited for sale in Orchard Park, NY - CARFAX

I’m trying to stay under $20k with mileage under 60k. That mileage number being picked randomly because I figure it’s kinda in the middle - not low enough to be priced way over $20k but also low enough to be under the 100k and over that I’m finding. Like WAY over 100k miles. Seems any make I look at I’m told it isn’t a good one, so what do I get???

I would then start going to the websites of dealers in your area and clicking on used car inventory.
I happen to prefer domestic brands, but generally Japanese cars are considered best quality, but any used vehicle depends on maintenance performed by prior owner.

@remodeler Ok , time to start all over . Explain why you think you need this space ? Why have you not looked at the manufactures web sites for prices and specs. A new Chevrolet Trax is not much over 20000 and the seats fold down to give space. Plus full warranty and lower loan rates.

As for the Subaru we have a new one but I also knew going in that we may have to buy 4 new tire if one is ruined because the AWD requires tread depth on all tire be within a certain range.

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See my post down there somewhere that starts “Well, my post is moot.” I’m now in the market for something else. For those asking why I don’t like SUVs it’s because I’m short - they’re too high to get into and out of. EVERY ONE I’ve looked at, when I swing my legs to get out, I’m like close to a foot off the ground, so I like dump out. My Mazda was much closer to the ground and I had no problem getting in or out. So that, along with not enough cargo space, is why I don’t look at them anymore.

And just to clarify again, disregard anything to do with that 2007 post. I think people are replying like that’s still in play. It is not.

OK , I am out of here . Remodeler has their mind made up for something that does not exist anymore and does not seem to be willing to try something new or adjust to what might actually work for them.

He asked about a Subaru Outback, isn’t that the same vehicle you own?

Yes we do have one but I would never buy one used . Also from what OP posted it may also be to high for them .

You would have no idea whether the previous owner(s) ran the car with mismatched tires and/or failed to rotate the tires on schedule. Those factors can easily lead to expensive damage to the Center Viscous Coupler, and–possibly–also damage the transmission.

I would not buy a used AWD vehicle from any mfr because of the possible damage caused by previous owner(s). Mismatched tires/ failure to rotate tires on schedule wouldn’t lead to expensive problems with a FWD or RWD vehicle.

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No road salt in the San Jose area, but I’ve lived in salted-road states before. Very tough on cars. After you purchase your next vehicle, you could do what I did then to help forestall the rusting. It seemed to definitely help. Each time after driving in snow, within 24 hours, hose down the underside of the car as best you can, especially all four wheel wells. Can be done in your driveway, but I used coin operated diy’er power spray-wand car-wash establishments. At the time, 3 minutes for 25 cents. Probably $5 for 3 minutes now … but still better than a rusting car. Best of luck and I hope you enjoy your new ride :slight_smile:

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One option would be a 1st gen Toyota Venza which was made up to 2015 and you can find ones with 50K on them around the country but they’d be closer to $20K. Cargo room with the back seat folded is more than your Mazda. It was compared to the Camry wagons sold in the past even though it’s based on the same bones as the Camry and Highlander of the same era.

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I’d suggest buying the newest vehicle you can afford, not something several years old

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+1
If the OP wants a vehicle that will “last” for possibly another 10 years, he should aim for the newest vehicle that is w/in his budget. Yes, virtually any vehicle can be kept running, but if he wants to do that with the least chance of catastrophic repair costs, a “newer” vehicle should be his goal, and he should probably aim for a “newer” Toyota.

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Ok, First of all, those who wonder why I’m not looking at specific cars - I’ve had my Mazda for 19 years. I have NO idea what kind of cars there are out there anymore. I’ve JUST started to look at things online. Never heard of the Chevy Trax. Just in talking to people I know, or looking at reviews online, I get steered to a particular brand like Subaru, and told/read to stay away from others, like VWs. Seems every mfr has their problems in some way - Volvo too expensive. Ford not reliable (even though I see A TON of wagons on the road from the aught 2000s. Same with Subarus). I’d like to go to a bunch of places and look at different cars - Honda. Hyundai. Nissan. Ford. Chevy. GMC, is it? Or just GM? Definitely not Kia. And those are just ones I remember from seeing in commercials or pass a dealer’s lot on the road. Who else is out there? Mazda doesn’t have anything that suits me. Can’t afford Volvos or Benz or high $$ brands.

I need to find something that fits my stature and body along with things I want and don’t want. I DON’T want those huge navigation screens. Husband has one in his car. Hate it. Whole inside of the car at night is lit up. Extremely distracting and irritating. I NEED to find one that doesn’t sit me a foot above the ground, making it difficult to get in/out. I’m used to having NOTHING remotely “computerized” in my Mazda. No nav screen, no beeping for every little thing - too close to another car, not in lane, backing up, etc. No cameras. NOTHING like cars have today. Plus, 9 out of 10 seem to be SUVs, which as I’ve stated before, I don’t like, mainly because they’re too high to get in/out of or the nav screen is the size of an iPad. So be cognizant of those things. I don’t know anything about cars and which ones have issues, etc., so this will be a slog.

And in all the reviews I’ve read now about Subarus of any kind, I’ve NEVER come across the fact that you have to replace all 4 tires if one goes bad. Now I’m rethinking Subarus, because that’s an expensive proposition.

So in asking for advice, realize I know nothing about what make/model cars are out there, other than the ones I’ve listed. I’ve been out of the market of looking for a car for almost 20 years! And please don’t ask why I’m not looking at a particular car. It’s because I don’t know it’s out there! I’m sure when any of you have to look for a car, you want/don’t want specific things. And you’re knowledgeable about cars to begin with, where I am not. And I don’t know anyone I can take with me that knows cars. I ask mechanics - particularly the place I take mine to - about ones they recommend based on them working on them. So that’s the only way I get advice - other than looking at reviews online, and there you have peole who hate their car or love them. They either have lemons or they’re perfect. So basically it seems I have to just take a chance and hope nothing bad happens.

I will give up cargo space if I feel something out there has most of all the things I want, which is very basic. Problem is, they’re all far from my idea of basic. So now I have to spend hours looking online and going to dealers. Along with sticker shock, I know cars have changed tremendously in the past 20 years. And I still think the older cars without all the new gadgets were made better and were less expensive to fix. Maybe not, but that’s what I think.

I’ll stop here.

I’ve done that on a couple. Most are SUVs. Nothing that interests me.