I'm currently researching my next car.....there is an issue with my Saturn which is probably going to cost me tons of money because of course we are pretty sure it's got something to do with the center dash control module and only the local Chevy dealer can fix it. Lights come on at random times like the ABS and my parking brake light.....they stay on for a little while then they shut themselves off. I don't think this is going to be pretty in the end....I have to get an emissions test done here soon and in the State of Maryland this car will fail if ANY of the dash lights come on during the test.


So if it comes right to it I may be getting rid of the old girl soon. Need something that gets good gas mileage, is family friendly but isn't a mini-van.

I need the cargo room because of the jogging stroller. It barely fits in the Saturn (the wheels have to be flat in order for the trunk to close.) and I need something that will fit at least two car seats comfortably since we might eventually have another child.

I've thought about the Prius because it does have Cargo space and it eco friendly But I'm thinking it may be out of my price range especially since I'll have to trade in my Saturn that I still owe on.


I was thinking about one of the Subaru's after a mechanic friend recommended one. Either the Outback or Forester.

I like the fact that they have a very good safety rating, get decent gas mileage (although not as good as my Saturn. ) are AWD which is a plus in the winter here, plus decent Cargo space. Some of the models have the Partial Zero Emission spec which meets California's Super-Ultra-Low-Emission standard. They also have plants that commit to zero landfill waste which I thought was pretty cool.

Anyone have a Subaru? How do you like it? Pros? Cons?



So any other recommendations? I'm open to suggestions.

Believe it or not, you might want to look into a BMW. I'm not kidding.

When you consider the total cost of a vehicle, I've found that most of them come down to about the same dollar amount per year.

Years ago I had a Safari/Astro van (actually, I had several of them while my kids were still at home) and in the end, the cost of a Chevy, over 4 years, was the same per year as a BMW, because the BMW holds it's value so well and I drive a ton of miles. In the end, the $30,000. van was only worth $3,000 at trade in, where the $45,000. BMW was worth $9,500. and almost all of the service was covered under the warranty, and over the life of the car, it didn't require as much service in the "high mileage days" as the Chevy did.

Right now, the economy is so bad, the higher end cars are selling at a greater mark down than the more reasonable cars.

My son has been a VW fan for years, but when he just went to lease a new one, he found that the BMW was much cheaper per month because of the way they hold their value.

The warranty on some of the less expensive cars also make them money suckers in my estimation. The cars with the bumper to bumper warranty often include brakes which most cars don't, and often are 50,000 miles instead of 36,000.

Good luck to you. I think car shopping is more difficult than it looks, and much more stressful when you consider how much responsibility goes with the purchase.

Here is a link you might find interesting. It actually contradicts my own experience with BMW, but I think that all of these things have to be determined on a case by case personal basis.

www.getrichslowly.org . . .

xoxo

Keep On Dancing*

I'm loyal to my gas guzzlers, but I'd totally suggest a Subaru! I have a couple of friends who own Subarus (WRXs, though) and love them! They have won several AWD system trials, which I think is pretty neat, being an offroad junkie.

Chevy, GMC, and Ford are all making crossovers that are family friendly and easier on the gas than a full blown SUV. GMCs are pricey, but a Ford Edge, Ford Escape, or Chevy Equinox may be a little more your speed. Toyota's Rav4 and Honda's CRV could be a good match for you, too if the aforementioned vehicles are too big.

If you decide to stay with a sedan, Nissan Maximas are awesome. Not great on gas, but super fun to drive and very roomy.

Ahhh, I love cars

I like the Subaru idea and also the CR-V and Rav4 that Sara mentioned above. I rented a CR-V once and the trunk was huge, an overall more economical use of space than the huge x5 SUV that I drive. I always recommend hondas or toyotas because they are incredibly reliable and overall great cars to own.

I have to disagree with the poster above who suggested a BMW ... Luxury cars come with a lot of hidden costs; besides being totally unreliable they have higher insurance and expensive parts and maintenance. It's all good until the warranty expires ... Although if you want to check out BMW, any of the 3 series autos would be an excellent choice.

My boyfriend and I just bought a Mazda2 and we adore it. There is a surprising amount of cargo space in it due to the hatchbacks and 60/40 fold-down seats. The first day we had it we went out of town and fit 2 sets of golf clubs in gold backs, two large backpacks, and several other bags and items. I think it will definetly fit a stroller. We were amazed. Mileage is excellent which is awesome in my city where gas is $1.20/L at the very least. We bought the nicest trim level which has a lot of very nice bells and whistles like steering wheel mounted controls, auto windshield wipers, cruise control, nice seats, etc. It was 0% financing which was a very nice perk, some financing these days is out of control.

I'm not sure how big jogging strollers are when folded or what the going rate is now, but I really loved by Honda Civic. The gas mileage was great and I think the trunk should be big enough. When I go home I miss not having my car.

^ Yeah.....I thought about the Civic because it does get awesome gas mileage....and honestly if I didn't have space concerns with car seats and a PITA jogging stroller I'd probably get one. Sadly I think the trunk space is about what I have with my Saturn which doesn't do me much good.

Keep the ideas coming guys!

I still have my first car, which is a Civic...it's an amazing car. Since it was my first car it was all I knew for a long time...it wasn't until later that I learned not all cars have fold down back seats, haha. I told a friend of mine how I drove my twin sized mattress home from college in my Civic and he was confused...then I was confused as to why he was confused...yeah, great times.

But yeah...I could fit a stroller in my car no problem. My boyfriend used to have a Civic and he said that when he was on solo road trips and got tired he would fold down the back seats, throw down a sleeping bag/blanket, and stretch out for a nap.

Also, I know a few Subaru owners and they all LOVE their cars...the aforementioned boyfriend has the Subaru on his list of potential cars to buy in the somewhat near future.

Could you take the stroller with you when you look at cars to see if it fits? They might look at you funny but it's better then guestimating and I doubt they would object, as long as its clean, if they know that fitting the stroller is a selling point for you.

We have a Subaru Forester, and it's pretty awesome. It's not a new one: I'd hazard a guess and say it's about a 2001 model (but not certain off the top of my head.) We got it after we wrote off a different SUV on a slick road, and needed something that would stick to the road like glue.

Engine-wise, it's brilliant. I've got a mechanic friend who is known to really thrash cars, and the only ones he can't kill are the Subarus. He rates them very highly. Ours is also pretty good fuel-wise, and the hill-assist feature is simply awesome. (My little Hyundai requires handbrake starts on hills. I hate handbrake starts.)

The cargo area in the back is HUGE. It fits a ton of dive gear, plus all my stuff when we travel (and I don't travel light). The height of the floor in the back is perfect for ease of loading and unloading. You'd fit a stroller in there without any issues.

We have changed the suspension in it, because the ones that came with it when we bought it were rock hard, but it depends on the type of driving you do and the roads you travel.

It's a really good car. Because it was a used car it was relatively cheap - less than 10k, if I recall correctly - which was good for us because we can't afford new. It does feel a bit weird transitioning from a smaller, lower car (my Hyundai) to the Forester, but it doesn't take long to get used to it.

I honestly can't think of any cons. The one thing I'm not sure about is whether there is an anchor point for a car seat for little M. (There'd have to be one, but I can't say where it is.)

Since you have some attention on the Prius, keep one thing in mind - low road clearance. Will you always be driving on smooth roads?

I love my Toyota Camry. When I am ready for a new car, it's probably going to be a Camry. Good gas mileage, utter dependability, really low maintenance costs. Best car I've ever owned.

Close friends own 2 Subarus and love them. Everyone I know who lives in the mountains of Vermont drives Subarus exclusively. They are great on snowy or rain-slicked roads.

Before I switched to Camrys I owned 3 BMWs; two 5-series and one 6-series. Although a lot is covered by warranties these days (not the case when I was buying mine), I found owning them pretty expensive. Anything not under warranty comes with exhorbitant costs for labor and parts.

My best friend is the same age as me (26) and she has had her Subaru Outback since she was 17/18. She drove it to and from college all the time (an hour-long trip), and she's driven it long distances several times (12-16 hours away). She absolutely loves it, and has never had any problems with it.

Personally, I've been looking at the Kia Soul. Kia is not usually my first choice, but the price is really great and the gas mileage is good.

Munkenstein wrote:



But yeah...I could fit a stroller in my car no problem. My boyfriend used to have a Civic and he said that when he was on solo road trips and got tired he would fold down the back seats, throw down a sleeping bag/blanket, and stretch out for a nap.

The problem is that this isn't a regular stroller (A regular one fits in my trunk just fine.....which is why this is so frustrating! lol) The jogging stroller is a tri wheeled stroller....and that front wheel just doesn't collapse down far enough to fit in the trunk. It will if the wheels are flat.....but that doesn't do me any good! lol I'm not sure if it's this stroller or if it's all jogging strollers.

My rear seats do fold down and if I didn't have a car seat to worry about I would just do that......unfortunately because of her seat I can't. And actually part of the reason this stroller doesn't fit is because of the release levers for the back seats......they are in the way of that front tire and it seems no amount of maneuvering gets that tire to fit.... if I am by some miracle (aka flat tires!) are able to get it they get stuck in that tire and I'm concerned I may break them trying to get the stroller out!


I've tried everything short of just tying the trunk lid down to get this darn thing in the car. Hence the reason I'm thinking it would be better to get a car with an open cargo area.

^ So, a hatchback seems like your best bet than! One that has 60/40 folding seats will allow you to slide the stroller down one side of the car and still fit baby in the remaining seat that is still up.

Moonlitefairy06 wrote:

Could you take the stroller with you when you look at cars to see if it fits? They might look at you funny but it's better then guestimating and I doubt they would object, as long as its clean, if they know that fitting the stroller is a selling point for you.

This is an excellent suggestion. In fact, the sales person will most likely lift it in and out to make sure it looks easy to do. Give it a try.

Keep On Dancing*

I love the hatchback Civic but they don't make those anymore. Not sure if anybody who has one would be willing to sell it either, haha.

Based on everything that's been said, you should totally check out a Subaru lot to scout around.

I've heard positive things from VW owners...I have seen a hatchback Jetta, I think, and I nearly got a Golf back when I was car shopping. I'm in no way up to date on VW models or anything, as I was car shopping so long ago, haha.

I don't know much about cars, last car I test drove was the new model of the Hyundai Sonata and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but probably not good for your needs.

I would recommend just reading down these lists: best in class family friendly - www.consumerreports.org . . . best in class cargo/mpg - www.consumerreports.org . . .

I just got a Hyundai Elantra Touring (the-grayline.com . . . and images02.olx.com . . .) because my brother loved his Hyundai Sonata so much. It was really affordable, it does really great on gas, and the best part is the 10 year/100 thousand mile warranty. The hatchbach is awesome to have and could fit a stroller no problem, and the back seats fold down really easily. It's such a cute car, and really fun to drive. I can't recommend it enough.

^ my other car is a Hyundai Lantra (pre-dating yours), and while it is a fantastic little wagon and I love it, the Subaru is probably a better, more durable car.

(I also find that driving my Hyundai for longer than about 30 minutes at a stretch leaves my knee/ankle really sore, because I can't adjust my steering wheel height).

Ive just bought a Mazda 3. There is a new model available which features a Skyactiv engine which does about 6.1L/100km (sorry not sure about miles to the gallon since I'm in Australia). That's less than my little 2006 Holden Barina did! I didn't buy that model as we barely drive 10,000km in a year (only drive on weekends pretty much) and the sales guy said it's really only worth it if you do about twice that since it's about an extra $2000 for the Skyactiv model. I'm very impressed with the room especially in the boot of our Mazda 3. We have a sedan, but the hatch would have more height. The other car we were looking at when buying was the Hyundai Elantra. It's really really roomy and is very fuel efficient for its size, about 7.1L/100km for the automatic. The boot was enormous!

I have a 2006 Baja and my dad has a 2011 Impreza, and we love them. Mine still had the original battery when we bought it--just had to replace it like 2 weeks ago because I drained it by mistake and it wouldn't recharge. I love my car--handles well in the snow, can take a beating, and I've put almost 20,000 miles on it in less than a year and a half (grand total of about 61,500 miles at the moment). Great car--eh gas mileage.

My dad likes his Impreza Outback Sport--his only complaint is that it doesn't have a sunroof. His gets really good gas mileage (well, compared to my car and my mom's Sienna, so not the best comparison, but still), the car has worn great (It turned a year and a half on Sept. 17th), and it handles wonderfully in any weather. I took my driver's test in that car, so I have a special affinity for it.

My mom's friend just got a brand new, fully loaded Outback (downgraded from an Escalade) and absolutely adores it. They redesigned the seats a bit so they're more comfortable--the ones in the Impreza and the Baja are a little firm. It drives nice and has a smooth ride. One thing I've noticed about Subaru's is the road noise is rather loud, but that might have been fixed when they redesigned everything.

Some warnings about other brands, and some likes: Get a four wheel drive. That eliminates: BMWs (rear wheel drive--avoid RWD if you have any other option), VW (eliminate them anyway--great cars, don't get me wrong, but maintenance gets really expensive because you can only get replacement parts from them), Mazdas (except the CX-9 and 7, I believe), and various models from other ones. I love Audi, Toyota, and Subaru. Honda's pretty good (they seem to be good cars, although I haven't had any personal experience driving one) too. I personally like the new Ford Focus hatchback, although I'm not sure it comes in all wheel drive--it drives nice. Not sure about road wear though.

Hope this helps!!! Like I said, love Subaru. I wouldn't trade mine for anything (with the exception of an Audi R8, but that's beside the point). I was in an accident in it--the other girl's car was almost totaled, and mine had like $200 worth of scratches on it and that was it.

My parents just got a gently used 2011 Outback Forrester and LOVE it to pieces. Roomy, good on gas, easy to drive

Had a Subaru. Loved it!! Finally I had to get rid of it, when I bought a new station wagaon to replace it as a second vehicle. I had a Subaru Loyale Wagon , w/true on-command FWD. The car was awsome. It was a '90, w/ @48K on it when I bought new-used in '93. I sold it in '07 w/216+K on it and the motor was still as strong as ever. The car's terminal rust was another story however. (There was a lot of cheap metal on the market in the early '90's and almost all Subarus from that era rusted out in the same areas.)

Once I could afford to buy new cars, the only reason I did not buy an OutBack each time was that I was able to get my SAAB's at bargain basement prices overseas. If you are decididing between a OutBack Wagon and the Forester, my advice is go with the OutBack, it actually has more cubic feet of cargo room than the Forester and looks a whole hell of a lot nicer. Buy a Subaru, you will not be disappointed.