Help a non-car dude out
I have never been a car person, I have no vision of what a “dream car” would be for me, but I do have a few very basic preferences: good gas mileage and storage space (I plan to cross country move in the next year) bluetooth/ modern radio set up back up…
I have never been a car person, I have no vision of what a “dream car” would be for me, but I do have a few very basic preferences: good gas mileage and storage space (I plan to cross country move in the next year) bluetooth/ modern radio set up back up camera I’ve had a Kia Soul for many years now and love it, but don’t love the constant maintenance it requires from either burning oil or catalytic converter issues, etc. Also it’s poor on dirt roads and in snow. Not trying to spend life savings on a car either. I can put down up to 5k. I want to prioritize finding a car that will last with me for a long time and be lower maintenance because I don’t have the mental capacity to keep up with it at least right now. Any recommendations for what to look out for? I think Toyota or Subaru will fit my needs, but I’m so overwhelmed by options and differing opinions. Should I be going hybrid?? I know at the end of the day I just need to get out to dealerships and test drive, but would really appreciate any guidance from those with more car experience. And I understand every car has maintenance, I just would appreciate no longer being constantly concerned if my car will get me from points A to B. * Thank you!
已收录讨论
New Rav4 or slightly used Rav4 Hyrbid. Plenty of room for a cross-country move, excellent mileage, AWD, and best of all it is not a Kia Soul.
If you're cross-shopping a RAV4 against a Subaru, definitely test the Forester back-to-back on the same day, the visibility difference alone is jarring.
You are right, the Subaru is such a piece of shit.
We have owned five Toyota hybrids since 2007 and they have been driven about 500,000 combined miles. Problems have been few, minor and have not involved the hybrid systems. Nobody does hybrids better than Toyota. That said, how much do you drive in a year? Mostly city or mostly highway? (Hybrids get better mileage in the city and get their best mileage in stop-and-go traffic.) What are gas prices like where you are? You can do the math to determine how long it will take to get back the hybrid premium. Or you cab decide, as we have, that you just plain like the hybrid better.
Budget is an important first step. $5K down means a maximum budget of $25,000 including taxes and fees. You could theoretically buy a pretty new car at this price point; alternatively, you can save quite a bit of money on interest by buying something cheaper and paying it down quick. I think hybrid should be the default assumption if you want good fuel economy. It does limit your options somewhat, but you save far more on fuel than you’d spend on possible future battery repairs. You do have the money to get some good hybrid options. The first thing that comes to mind is a Prius. The 2016-2022 model is pretty roomy, wouldn’t give you trouble, and obviously costs next to nothing to fuel. Because Toyotas are pretty poor value on the used market, I’d probably recommend largely filling out your budget and seeking a ~2019 model for $20K. I’ll always recommend a Ford hybrid when I can, because they’re much cheaper and about as reliable. In this case, I say the nicest, lowest-mileage 2017-2019 C-Max you can find should be on the table. I doubt you’d spend more than $15K on it. Always good to save the extra money.
2020-2025 Mazda CX-5 is a solid option too, especially with the current pricing on used Toyotas. The space might be on the smaller side compared to Rav4/Forester, but it’s still a reliable option