[H3rmit]

Anyone here have any favourite practical vehicles of the past 10 years, or any pet hates? I am researching cars because I need to replace my antique. Well, it would be an antique if it were in better shape. I wasn't even aware of car models til last week when I got out the Lemon-Aid book from the library. I will buy a used car. I want to be able to carry a canoe on it. What problems have you had with cars or what have you been very happy with? And why?

[eskielover]

I love my Dodge 1500 truck.....I bought it used....but even that was fairly expensive but it was only 2 years old at the time.

Not good with the gas mileage but better when the tires are kept at their proper inflation level. I finally bought a new compressor as my other one broke. I use it to haul a horse trailer so I needed something powerful enough.

I loved the Jeep SUV we had before....but don't know how they have evolved over the years...that was a long time ago....& like everything other car we owned, H ended up totaling it in the rain....but it was old at the time & didn't take much damage to total it.

Can't imagine hauling a canoe with the Supra sports car I used to own...it was really FUN....but definitely NOT PRACTICAL.

[RedBarchetta]

Well, me personally - the fact is I would rather take a car/truck that is 20 years old - completely disassemble it, and put it all back together with all the rust sanded off, new bolts, exc. then get ANYTHING newer. (actually even 20 years may be too new)

For one thing I like things that seem like if there is an accident, no matter whos fault it is, the other guy looses, also since I do a lot of my own work - I look for lots of room to remove/install parts when needed - preferable without having to remove 5 parts with nothing wrong to get to what is bad.

[Yoda]

Subaru makes good cars with all wheel drive and each of the two I drove lasted 200K+ miles.

I agree Subaru is good. The Ford Escape rocks, especially the V6. Peppy, reliable, and relatively good on gas. One I'd definitely stay away from is the Chevy Equinox... unless you are good with making lemonade. Sorry if anyone here owns one.
I've owned 3 Jeep Cherokees and loved every one of them, especially the GC.
You can carry a canoe on any car... I carried a 16' jon boat and motor back and forth to the lake on a Toyota Celica one summer
Good luck!

[shezbut]

I have a 99 Saab wagon. It's in great shape and is pretty fuel efficient. I do take it to a mechanic that specializes in Saab's and other European cars, as they are different than American and Japanese vehicles.

I have known a few people who drive Subaru's and those are decent vehicles. Wagons and coupes (sp?) are all 4-wheel drive ~ which comes in handy out here! They last for many, many miles and also get decent mileage.

I recommend avoiding most 80's American cars though ~ they were very rough years, as American car companies worked to make cars economical and easier on fuel intake. I've had several different ones, and all struggled. The 70's were great for American cars though, imho. Powerful, strong engines and bodies. I miss that!

Good luck to you!

[Timgt5]

Originally Posted by H3rmit

Anyone here have any favourite practical vehicles of the past 10 years, or any pet hates? I am researching cars because I need to replace my antique. Well, it would be an antique if it were in better shape. I wasn't even aware of car models til last week when I got out the Lemon-Aid book from the library. I will buy a used car. I want to be able to carry a canoe on it. What problems have you had with cars or what have you been very happy with? And why?

There are a lot of vehicles to choose from in the used market.

Consumer reports has extensive research on the long term reliability of vehicles, as part of their annual car guide they include a section about what used vehicles to avoid due to maintenance issues.

I would recommend starting with a budget, determine how much first you want to actually spend on a car.

Then make a list of priorities to yourself

Fuel Economy
Comfort
Style
Performance
Handling

etc...

Then rank those in importance to yourself.

From there I would go to Edmunds.com, a very useful site that compiles a lot of research and comparison tools in one place.

Once you find some models you are interested in, go to Autotrader,com to see what these used cars sell for in your area and beyond.

Whatever you seriously plan to be buy be sure to look it over carefully, and always get a carfax on any used car to see if any insurance claims have been reported against the vehicle. Also look under the floor mats and trunk liner for signs of flood damage.

It is also important to take a thorough test drive at least a good thirty minutes over a variety of roads, to see how well everything works.

Also I would not recommend buying a car from a defunct manufacturer there is too much risk there. Used late model Saturns are not bad though as they were just rebadged versions of other GM cars and if there was any warranty left GM will honor it at one of its other facilities.

Good luck with your purchase, taking the extra time will be worth doing.

[IchbinkeinTeufel]

Not sure about past 10 years, but I love the Volvo 240; that car in brown has personal meaning to me, so I'd happily buy that, if I could drive.

[H3rmit]

Well, I'm still shopping around, learning about cars. I should say I'm in Canada, so the market is slightly different as some cars are made here in great numbers and those should be cheaper to buy and repair. I checked out Edmunds.com, but it seems to require a US zipcode, which of course I could just put in a Seattle one, but it's odd that it is tying to dealers in that area or whatever. Lemon-Aid is the used car "bible" in Canada, but I wish there were a nice review and comparison site like there is for digital cameras, dpreview.com. The autotrader site was helpful, so thanks for that. Better than craigslist for multiple results output, even if I'd probably end up going with a private seller on craigslist.

A lot of the newer small cars I see don't seem to have the same kind of roof rack attachment grooves that my truck and a lot of older cars have. Do they even take roof racks? I want one for my canoe, definitely.

One type of car that I don't think can take a canoe is a smart car. Too short. Imagining it with a canoe on top makes me think of Mary Poppins, up, up and away.

[spondiferous]

My dream car would be something like this:



Or this:



But I'd want to convert the engine so it ran on vegetable oil or water or something like that. Which of course would make it a bit pointless.

[Timgt5]

Originally Posted by H3rmit

Well, I'm still shopping around, learning about cars. I should say I'm in Canada, so the market is slightly different as some cars are made here in great numbers and those should be cheaper to buy and repair. I checked out Edmunds.com, but it seems to require a US zipcode, which of course I could just put in a Seattle one, but it's odd that it is tying to dealers in that area or whatever. Lemon-Aid is the used car "bible" in Canada, but I wish there were a nice review and comparison site like there is for digital cameras, dpreview.com. The autotrader site was helpful, so thanks for that. Better than craigslist for multiple results output, even if I'd probably end up going with a private seller on craigslist.

A lot of the newer small cars I see don't seem to have the same kind of roof rack attachment grooves that my truck and a lot of older cars have. Do they even take roof racks? I want one for my canoe, definitely.

One type of car that I don't think can take a canoe is a smart car. Too short. Imagining it with a canoe on top makes me think of Mary Poppins, up, up and away.

you may want to look into a late model VW Jetta wagon, (I have its bigger brother the Passat) It is relatively compact, has a long roof and most will have the hardware in place for a luggage rack, so your canoe would not be a problem. The Diesel version, although a little more rare and expensive gets over 40MPG.



The previous gen Subaru Legacy wagon, is also pretty affordable at this point:



Again this should easily accommodate you canoe

The last year for this style is 2009, after that it was dropped in favor of a redesigned Outback. These have standard All Wheel Drive, useful in the winter.

Other choices maybe a small crossover, The Toyota RAV and Honda CRV are both sold in Canada, and there should be plenty of used ones on the market to buy.


You should be able to find both there in Canada.

[H3rmit]

Sure, most cars will take a canoe, agreed. VW is not a good choice up here, because of difficulty and cost in repairs. Depending on what small town I move to, it could be a huge problem. Less so in the city, but I don't want to stay here. I want generic.

Thanks for reply.

Is 4wd hard to learn to drive? Keeping in mind I can drive a standard transmission and a motorcycle. Oh, and 4WD is probably standard trans - which means I won't get one because my husband is a beginning driver and scary enough in an automatic. We don't want more than one vehicle.

[Timgt5]

Originally Posted by H3rmit

Sure, most cars will take a canoe, agreed. VW is not a good choice up here, because of difficulty and cost in repairs. Depending on what small town I move to, it could be a huge problem. Less so in the city, but I don't want to stay here. I want generic.

Thanks for reply.

Is 4wd hard to learn to drive? Keeping in mind I can drive a standard transmission and a motorcycle. Oh, and 4WD is probably standard trans - which means I won't get one because my husband is a beginning driver and scary enough in an automatic. We don't want more than one vehicle.

The AWD in the Subaru is fully automatic and you do not have to do anything to engage it at all. The Legacy comes in both manual and auto gear boxes.

Another economical choice, the Honda Fit/Jazz



Its small, so it is easy to park, its a Honda so expect good reliability and good mileage and it is very efficiently packaged, lots of room for your gear in the boot.

A much better value than a Smart.

[SOTO]

1. Find a car you like.
2. Take it to a mechanic you trust; tell him how you plan to use it and pay him to check it out.
3. If the mechanic says it's good, buy it.

[DenisDonnacha]

You can never go wrong with a Subaru, a Legacy like Tim said sounds like it'd suit you great

[H3rmit]

Funny, no one has recommended the vehicles rated recommended (top rating) by Lemon-Aid Used Cars and Trucks 2012-2013 edition, which I took some notes from last night. I'm interested in smaller cars that sip gas, so the ones I noted were:

Mazda 3 2006-10
Hyundai Elantra 2007-10, above average 1999-2006,
Toyota Echo 2000-2005

I drove an Echo recently. It feels like one of the original econoboxes I remember when they first came out in the late 70s. Not sporty handling, but very cheap to buy, run, and repair.

Another one of interest to me is the Acura EL, because it is fully made in Canada, which makes it cheap to buy and repair.

Thanks for all replies. I'll check out the Subaru Legacy when I have a chance.

[shezbut]

Safety is a huge factor in my book ~ that's why I lean towards Saab, Subaru, and larger model cars. For me, safety is more important than cost. And cost is very important!! I do recommend taking the safety factor into account as well. Best wishes to you and your hub!

[H3rmit]

Originally Posted by shezbut

Safety is a huge factor in my book ~ that's why I lean towards Saab, Subaru, and larger model cars. For me, safety is more important than cost. And cost is very important!! I do recommend taking the safety factor into account as well. Best wishes to you and your hub!

Well, I guess that's part of why I like driving my pickup truck. An old one made of real metal. Safety is part of the recommendations/ratings in the book. It's broken down in detail. Of course if you get hit, a small car is not the best. Then there's defensive driving. I have a horror of accidents, having dealt with the grisly details of incident and injury information in my work in the past.

PS to my previous post. 2011/2012 LemonAid, which I just got from the library, says the Subaru Legacy is overpriced but above average in quality. Better on difficult terrain than highways. How can that be? I actually don't plan on traversing logging roads. That's a bit scary for me, though I suppose I should get used to it in order to get to the best canoeing locations. This is alogging province and there are a lot of logging roads. Says fuel consumption is about 15% more than the stated 11/8 L/100 km (city/highway). Unfortunately it seems to have higher than average repair costs. I dislike that quite a bit.

I have owned several Subaru's and have been happy with all of them. They are outstanding for Winter driving. I transport my 17' canoe on top with no problems.

[tohelpafriend]

Originally Posted by roxiesmom333

I have owned several Subaru's and have been happy with all of them. They are outstanding for Winter driving. I transport my 17' canoe on top with no problems.

I worked at a Subaru dealer; their parts and service are expensive; if one tire goes, you need 4 new ones.

[tohelpafriend]

Originally Posted by H3rmit

Funny, no one has recommended the vehicles rated recommended (top rating) by Lemon-Aid Used Cars and Trucks 2012-2013 edition, which I took some notes from last night. I'm interested in smaller cars that sip gas, so the ones I noted were:

Mazda 3 2006-10
Hyundai Elantra 2007-10, above average 1999-2006,
Toyota Echo 2000-2005

I drove an Echo recently. It feels like one of the original econoboxes I remember when they first came out in the late 70s. Not sporty handling, but very cheap to buy, run, and repair.

Another one of interest to me is the Acura EL, because it is fully made in Canada, which makes it cheap to buy and repair.

Thanks for all replies. I'll check out the Subaru Legacy when I have a chance.

Yay my Hyundai Elantra '04 is so in demand around here, I got an offer in writing from a dealer. However, they are not perfect. About one year after I bought it used, the thermostat blew, then the engine smoking with me on the highway with my dog. We coasted off an exit. Had to buy a rebuilt "black box" engine and just found out the 2 weeks ago, the alternator which stopped was not part of the new engine deal. All in all, my older cars, Fords and Mercurys, never stalled or stopped or burned on the road; which makes me want to sell this Hyundai. It handles well, though, I just wonder what will go next. My fav car was my Cadillac Eldorado...so much of a boat I never worried about getting hit..now that was a cruising machine! Oh, and yes, the mpg is excellent.

[goodneighbor]

jaguar!..like those got jaguar on hood.

[Rose76]

I think that "station wagons" were the best things ever invented. In the past, I owned two. In a pinch, you can always make a decent bed in the back of a wagon. Also, that back window allows for good air flow through the vehicle in warm weather. Cuts down on need to use A/C.

I don't like SUV's (whose invention led to the demise of station wagons.) I don't like sitting so high up. Those things always feel to me like they could tip over easy.

If you get a sedan, know that 4 door cars can take side impact better than 2 door cars. Also V-6's are safer in a jam than V-4's, like if you have to accelerate quickly to get out of a tight spot.

[H3rmit]

Originally Posted by Rose76

Also V-6's are safer in a jam than V-4's, like if you have to accelerate quickly to get out of a tight spot.

A lot of helpful tips there. Thanks. But is there really such a thing as a V-4? There are v-6 engines, but my truck is a straight-6, and every 4-cylinder engine I've seen is straight, too. That is, the cylinders are in a straight line, not a V.

Holy cow, there really is a V-4 engine:

V4 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Rose76]

I misspoke because I had no idea what the "v" stood for. Now I understand better. I meant to say that 6 cylinders gives you more power (generally) than 4 cylinders. I think that more power is better.