You’re stating all the reasons for a CRV except looks…“since I have kids, I need a reliable car” means you’ll have to pay a little more for that reliability. Even for more money, the smartest buy of a CRV (or RAV, we love our 05) is tough to argue against. Try to get it in the color you want if you don’t like the looks. If you want something cheap but vulnerable…get another Chrysler product.
Take a look at the Dodge Caliber SXT (or R/T) and Dodge Journey SXT. Both have $3500 rebates and decent reliability records. You can expect to pay about 13% more for repairs than for a Honda CR-V. The source for this information is edmunds.com True Cost to Own. Edmunds extracts their information from extended warranty cost. Who would know better than actuaries that look at actual repair data? This is supported by industry experts (not associated with auto companies) who say that the quality gap between traditionally Asian cars and traditionally American cars has shrunk dramatically. You can get a lot more stuff on your truck for the money, or just save it. Test drive them and see if you like them. The Caliber is FWD and the Journey can be AWD for $2500 more.
BTW, Escape has a $2500 rebate and CR-V has none.
Glad you like your CRV and your RAV. My dad has a RAV and it’s doing great for him.
I know I could spend more and get a better car. Hell, I could get a Lexus if I could spend more. But the fact is I can’t spend more. I’ll probably end up spending something like $17,000 for a 2007 Ford/Subaru/Honda, and even that is really, really stretching our budget.
Speaking of Hondas, I really like the Element, but I’m not sure the backseat is usable? Those suicide doors seem like a problem for getting in and out. Plus a friend of mine said she’d never speak to me again if I got an Element. People hate them for some reason.
This post seems very similar to what I just recently went through. After researching for several weeks and driving many car/suv’s. I finally have a “new” used vehicle. I too drove a 2007& 2008 Ford Escape,2007 Mercury Millian. 2005 Volvo S50 wagon, 2007 Forester and Chrysler Pacifica. AWD was a big consideration for this car and I really only limited my choices to vehicles with it. After driving all of those cars I was even more confused. I would have to say that the 2008 Escape drove the best and offered the best room, however this is a second car for us so price was a consideration. After doing all the research I deceided on the Subaru. I was lucky enough to find a 2007 Forester Sports X with 23,000 miles. I was able to purchase the car for $13,200
While it is true that there is alot of road noise and the back seat is a little cramped I am very happy with my choice. My kids, 10 & 8 seem to fit Ok in the back. Not as much room as my Explorer but decent.
I plan on using the car for winter hockey trips in the heart of the snowbelt of NY. I have heard nothing but good things about the performance of the Subaru in the winter and I am sure I will experience it first hand in a few short months.
I feel that the Subaru is a solid choice for a second car.
Our other car is a Corolla, so I think what I’m looking for is a “first” car. LOL! Thanks for the story–that’s strikingly similar to what I’m going thru. I’m used to the road noise from a Subaru–the 1996 I had was incredibly noisy, apparently from a defect in the rubber seal (?) where the driver’s side door met the frame. My Subaru was great in any kind of wet or snowy weather.
This week I’m going to hit car lots again. I’ll drive the cars and see what kind of prices I can get. It’s not easy where I am to find used Foresters, either because people keep them forever or perhaps because not as many are on the roads down here? So if I can get a decent price on a 2009 I just might go for it. The 2007 Ford Escape I drove still on my mind… Hmm. I’m still confused.
Did I mention that my husband is afraid I’ll complain with bitter regret for years if I buy anything other than the Subaru? He’s thinking I won’t be able to regret not buying the Escape since I’ve never had one.
Check out owner satisfaction ratings of cars you’re looking at in CU. They aren’t you, but it does give an idea of long term satisfaction others have had. I feel it’s as valuable a rating as any other.
So repairs on a Dodge are more expensive than repairs on a Honda? I wouldn’t have guessed that.
What is CU?
We have a 1999 forester and enjoy it. 24 mpg mixed driving. Handles like a car. Good room and can pull a -light- trailer if needed.
I would love to have a 1999 Forester. That’s when they really looked cool.
Dagosa meant to use the term CR, meaning Consumer Reports.
CR is published by Consumers Union (CU).
I believe I did already check CR for the Escape and the Forester, and they get almost identical ratings.
Alas the old gal is getting a bit long in the tooth at 140K + last I looked. Probably need to replace her in 2-5 years.
I believe I did already check CR for the Escape and the Forester, and they get almost identical ratings.
I guess we are looking at two different versions of CR. April 09 auto issue that I have has the overall repair rating of both as average but the itemized ratings look much more consistent over time for Forester then the Escape. Customer satisfaction that I referred to is below average for Escape and above average for the Forester. Neither comes close to the repair record of the CRV (or RAV) excellent, and each of whom have above average customer satisfaction ratings. There in the reason for the cheaper used Escape. Buy it because it’s initially less expensive or you personally like it, but CR DOES NOT recommend the Escape over the Forester, CRV or RAV and neither would I. You often have to pay more money for “better” cars a reason.
“So repairs on a Dodge are more expensive than repairs on a Honda? I wouldn’t have guessed that.”
Of course you would, everyone does. The point is that the Dodge repair cost is not much more than the Honda. The average for the Dodges is less than $900 during the first 5 years. Would you have guessed that? Really?
You should use CR in conjunction with Edmunds and JD Power. Used together, they give you a better picture. CR tells you which has the best reliability, but they don’t put numbers to the rankings. Edmunds adds that. JD Power gives you additional ranking information.
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OK. Here?s my last question and then I?ll go away.
If you were me (low on money, needing a decent family car) and had to choose between these, which would you pick:
2004 Forester 49K miles $14,000 (great color)
2006 Forester 31K miles $16,200 (not so great color)
2007 Escape 30K miles $17,000 (good color plus leather seats)
You didn’t tell us what the trim levels are. There can be a lot of difference in cost between the lowest and highest trim levels within a model. I’ll assume that the Escape is a high trim level because it has leather seats. That would make the value even better, if the Subie’s are lower trim level. I’d go for the Escape. Unless you live in the Appalachians, you don’t need AWD. I’d guess from your description of little to no snow and no mention of ice that you probably live close to Norfolk. Even DC gets a fair amount of ice each year.