Car Advice

[Astral Avenger]

I was recently involved in a car crash that totaled the family car (fortunately no one was hurt). We are now in the market for a new (probably used) car, and I thought that I would attempt to plumb the depths of the playgrounds knowledge to see if there were suggestions for what the new car should be. The totaled car was a 2003 Toyota Matrix, and we're looking to get something similarly sized.

Ideally, the new car will seat five people, have decent gas millage (I believe our ideal is 25 mpg+) and have a roof rack (we are avid cyclists and occasionally transport a canoe, but this part is optional as we can get a removable one if the one we had for the Matrix doesn't fit). We live in Minnesota, so the car has to deal with just about every road condition out there, in the last week alone, I've driven on fresh snow, slush, ice (all types you get on pavement) and dry road conditions.

We are already looking at both Pontiac Vibes and Toyota Matrices (Matrixes?), so no need to tell me to look at those two cars, although if you have comments on individual years of each of those, they would not go unappreciated.

So, any suggestions for makes and/or models and/or years for various models?
Thanks in advance :)

[korvanos]

My wife and I own a TDI Golf, and we love it. Gets 45 mpg, has 600+ mile range. We have the roof rack kit, which is a breeze to add or remove, and I added a hidden hitch to the back for 50 bucks to help us carry bicycles. I highly recommend the vehicle. We've taken ours through mountain passes in WA with no trouble. The car has a surprising amount of power, and is full of numerous lovely features. We like it so much we're just putting it in storage while we move to Japan for the next three years, rather than sell it.

My wife initially wanted the mazda hatchback, and we ended up test driving every hatchback brand we could think of before she settled on the Golf. It was one of the first ones we test drove, and nothing ever compared to it (in its price range). We got ours in 2012 for $25k, and its already up to 47,000 miles, and not a problem with it so far.

Highly recommend! We went with the four door, and its worth the small additional cost over a two door hatchback.

[Bulldog Psion]

I'll always vote for a Pontiac. In my experience, at least, the only way to get the engine to quit is to blow it to pieces with an RPG-7.

[EmeraldRose]

When in doubt, consult Consumer Reports. I have used them before every major purchase I've made (including both of our vehicles, tablets, washer and dryer), and find their advice to be incredibly useful.

[Astral Avenger]

My wife and I own a TDI Golf, and we love it. *Snip*

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll be looking into it. *5 minutes of googling later* Do you have the dieselversion of the car? (The VW website lists that one as 45 mpg highway, while the gas version is 36 mpg highway.)

I'll always vote for a Pontiac. In my experience, at least, the only way to get the engine to quit is to blow it to pieces with an RPG-7.

I gotta ask, did you make the engine quit in such a manner at some point?

When in doubt, consult Consumer Reports. I have used them before every major purchase I've made (including both of our vehicles, tablets, washer and dryer), and find their advice to be incredibly useful.

Great site for research, I've looked at a few cars on it already. Thanks for pointing it out, would have been a pain to try and research cars as in depth if I hadn't already known about it. Anyone who ends up in this thread looking for cars should check out that link.

[factotum]

Do you have the dieselversion of the car?

Yes, he does--that's what TDi means for Volkswagen group cars (including Skodas, SEATs and Audis, which all use the same basic platform and oily bits with different bodywork).

[Astral Avenger]

Yes, he does--that's what TDi means for Volkswagen group cars (including Skodas, SEATs and Audis, which all use the same basic platform and oily bits with different bodywork).

Ah, you learn something new every day. Thanks a bunch

[Bulldog Psion]

I gotta ask, did you make the engine quit in such a manner at some point?

I can see why you're wondering -- but no, I didn't. The engine on my Pontiac is still running beyond all expectations.

[Erloas]

Yeah, TDI the T stands for turbocharged and all of their diesels are. I thought the D stood for Diesel too, but not according to the internet, but that is how I remember it.

I bought a new hatchback about 3 years ago at this point. I went with the Mazda 3, though that is probably a bit small for 5 people, unless most or all of the ones in the back are kids. My mileage is normally in the 36 range but I've seen anything from about 30 to 42 depending on the situation.
For me gas mileage was a big consideration since I commute 25 miles each way every day.

I had really thought about the TDI Golf or more likely the Jetta Sportswagon. While I thought the Jetta was a more comfortable ride than the Mazda but it cost more and with the extra cost of diesel the mileage per dollar wasn't likely to be any better.

I have a roof rack on my Mazda and I know both the Volkswagens have the points to mount them.


I do all of my car research with Edmunds.com, I find them a lot more usable than KBB and consumer reports wants money to tell you the same thing other places tell you for free.

[The_Ditto]

I'll always vote for a Pontiac. In my experience, at least, the only way to get the engine to quit is to blow it to pieces with an RPG-7.

Going to be hard to buy a new Pontiac :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac

They don't make 'em anymore

Also, having owned both Pontiac and a Toyota ... I'd definitely recommend Toyota over GM .. sorry *shrug* ..

1) generally better gas mileage
2) generally less expensive.
3) repairs / maintenance generally less expensive.
4) repairs / maintenance generally less often required.

My wife had a Toyota Echo that went about 15 years easy, and still had more in it, when she "upgraded" to a Yaris (wait, is that a upgrade? )

I liked my Pontiac, don't get me wrong, but it's maintenance costs and such were definitely higher than Toyota (ie basic oil changes, brakes, etc.) [edit] at 10 years, the transmission was slipping more than it should [/edit]

[Bulldog Psion]

Going to be hard to buy a new Pontiac :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac

They don't make 'em anymore

What is this thing called a "new car" you speak of?

Honestly, though, I've been driving used cars held together with baling wire and duct tape for so long that my mind doesn't even bother considering whether a car is still in production. I actually knew Pontiacs are OOP, it's just that my mind reflexively parses "what new car should I buy?" to "what car manufactured since 1955 should I buy?"

[Erloas]

Also, having owned both Pontiac and a Toyota ... I'd definitely recommend Toyota over GM .. sorry *shrug* ..

1) generally better gas mileage
2) generally less expensive.
3) repairs / maintenance generally less expensive.
4) repairs / maintenance generally less often required.

I tend to really dislike these sorts of statements because they are so very conditional. Even from the same manufacturer there can be one line of cars that has amazing reliability and another with very poor reliability.

Toyota is also generally not less expensive, one of the big selling points for their new cars is the fact that they have higher long-term resale value, which means buying one used is going to cost more.

It also changes depending on when the last major overhauls of a car design happened. A car that only gets minor changes from one year to the next is generally going to have a lot better reliability than one that just had some major changes. So one specific model with great reliability numbers can tank pretty hard the next year when they changed a lot of thing.

Which is why I always did a lot of research on the sites like Edmunds before I bought.

Most of the "general wisdom" I've heard about car companies are woefully out of date. Which isn't too surprising because most people only buy 1-2 cars and do so so very infrequently that there is no possible way to have an actual comparison to what is on the market now. The fact that your uncle had an X that he has loved and never had any problems with in the 12 years he owned it is not that relevant when every single part in that car has changed twice since the year he bought it and what the new cars have.

So really the only valuable information is from research you do yourself or from other people who have done the same research recently.

Also depending how late model a late model used car is you might very well be able to buy a new car for practically the same price. Especially when you consider that you almost always get better financing with a new car and a few percentage points difference in the loan could easily make up for several thousand in starting price.

Along those lines, a general price range would help give advice. After all, the best car for your needs is going to look a lot different at $5k, compared to $12k, compared to $25k.

[tomandtish]

So really the only valuable information is from research you do yourself or from other people who have done the same research recently.

Also depending how late model a late model used car is you might very well be able to buy a new car for practically the same price. Especially when you consider that you almost always get better financing with a new car and a few percentage points difference in the loan could easily make up for several thousand in starting price.

Along those lines, a general price range would help give advice. After all, the best car for your needs is going to look a lot different at $5k, compared to $12k, compared to $25k.

Also important to pay attention to outside costs. Others have mentioned maintenance. But insurance can be an issue. For example, "Turbo" is a loaded word with insurance companies that may add a few buck to your insurance costs. Turbo diesel verson of a car might still be less powerful than the gas version, but cost more in insurance because of the word turbo. So when you have your choices down to one or two cars, call your insurance company and see what each does to your rates.

And although I'm sure you know this, have a reliable mechanic check out any used car you buy. You can avoid a lot of issues that way. And if the person or company selling the car won't allow it, don't buy from them.