Anyone got any car advice?

[elfs]

Omaha and I are thinking about buying a new car. The Ford Escort, which was 4 year old when we bought it, has been a reliable friend now for ten years, but it's time to let it go. Fuel economy is down 10%, there's a slow oil leak in the front, a worrisome rythmic sound from the bearings when turning left, and the rear defogger doesn't work. That said, it still gets 28MPG in mixed driving, the cabin is roomy and comfortable, braking and handling are excellent, the stereo sounds pretty good, and the trunk space is amazing. (A friend of mine once said that, having decided that trunk space was important, would tell salesdweebs, "Don't show me any car where the trunk can't handle two bodies." This both set his criteria and rattled the salesdweeb.)

Our current list of makes and models is:

• Subaru Outback (2008, 2009)
• Toyota Matrix (2008, 2009)
• Subaru Legacy (2009)
• Pontiac Vibe (2009) - may have road noise issues
• Subaru Forester (2009)
• Mitsubishi Outlander (2008, 2009) - may have road noise issues

The comments are there because road noise has always been an issue with the Escort. While obviously not so annoying that the car was a flop (actually, the Escort was always a best-seller, even when it morphed into the Focus line), it was the single most annoying thing about our car in all the years we had it.

Anyone out there have any experience with any of these cars? Any tips or recommendations? All of these are family-of-four-with-sporting-equipment models, station wagons and car-frame SUVs with decent mileage and excellent ratings from Consumer Reports, which is where we started.

Comments

[rick-bannerman.livejournal.com]

We recently went with the Subaru Forester, a 2005 model with under 60,000 miles on it. The dealer was the worst of the scam artists, but the car itself is wonderful. It had a nice package including heated seats, which are proving worth their weight in gold here in Alaska. The AWD is equally wonderful. We are very happy with our choice.

[edichka2.livejournal.com]

"here in Alaska" -- ?!!
- E

[rick-bannerman.livejournal.com]

I dropped you a note.

[alexrunningwolf.livejournal.com]

One of my better friends here in Ohio is the car guy for the Plain Dealer newspaper. He has sworn by outbacks and forsters and after driving them while looking a new cars myself, I can understand why. The gawd awful lake effect snow we get by the lake is little issue for either vehicle. Hope you end up happy with your choice!

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

(SCA car criteria are "Can it fit a 9-ft spear?" and "Can it fit all my stuff for Pennsic/other major camping event)

I know someone with a Matrix, someone with a Forester, someone with a Vibe, and we had a 2001 Forester until Spouse decided that he absolutely *had* to have the Prius. I do not know of any complaints about any of the above vehicles from the owners, even in MN winters. The Vibe is the Matrix repackaged, so there really isn't much difference between the two vehicles. The Forester is a bit of a cow in a strong crosswind, but other than that I had no problems driving it, and it was reasonably nimble in the snow (and got up our driveway with no problems, a claim neither the Cabrio nor the Prius can make).

www.edmunds.com is my go-to site for consumer reviews and specs. I've found it a very useful website for comparing absolute statistics.

[ladyerin.livejournal.com]

damn...sometimes I wish LJ just had a "like" button.

(SCA car criteria are "Can it fit a 9-ft spear?" and "Can it fit all my stuff for Pennsic/other major camping event)

...the 9ft spear will go on the roof rack of a Mini.



I test drove most of the subaru line when I was last car shopping, and loved them. (I just *had* to have a mini though) The friends I have that own Vibes haven't been as thrilled with them as they could be. Mostly complaining of lack of pep and the handling not being as good as they thought it would be.

Honestly, if I ever fall out of love with driving my mini, I'd probably go with the Subaru Outback.

~E

[sianmink.livejournal.com]

Road noise is mostly a tire concern, one you can take care of handily with careful review of your tire choices. Don't skimp. Tires are important!

The Subarus are great with the one caveat that maintenance and parts are expensive. On the other hand, if you keep up with routine maintenance that should be about all you need to do. My Impreza is 10 years old and still getting 25-30mpg highway and the most it's ever needed done was replacement of a bad ignition box. Outback and Legacy are basically the same car with different stance, while the Forester is more of a tall Impreza. Find the one that fits you best and go with it. I'd avoid the Mitsubishi, as it has all the drawbacks of a Japanese car with few of the benefits. Pontiac, well, I don't know if they still have the quality control problems they had through the 80's 90's and 00's, but I'd be careful.

[sianmink.livejournal.com]

also on road noise: The Bridgestones that most Subarus come with tend to be terrible. I think I got rid of mine before the nubbies were all off.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

second this idea as a general rule; our '00 Saturn was noisy as hell until we got new tires and had them siped at the tire dealer; the cut in noise was *noticeable*.

They're starting to make siped tires from the get-go now... little cuts in the tread that make the tire more "edgy" (and thus more grippy) under stress, and also allow it to flex more, run cooler, and make less noise (these three are related). Or you can have'em done; I know Discount Tire does'em. Dunno about Les Schwab. A motorcycle friend of mine runs a Finnish tire called "Hakkapeliita" ("Cavalry", literally, "Those who hack") that's pre-siped and damn near as good as studded tires on frozen surfaces while being more grippy even than unstudded regular tires in the wet and on regular dry pavement... prolly costs a fortune, but you get the idea.

[neoteny.livejournal.com]

I've been extremely pleased with my 2001 Forester, and the AWD has performed confidently in heavy rain, snow, and off-road. It is solidly built and very reliable. I would say it has a moderate road noise issue, but my sister's 2007 Forester is an improvement.

It is getting near replacement age. My front-running candidate is another Forester, followed by a Honda Element.

[xengar.livejournal.com]

Well, I have no personal experience with driving/maintaining the cars in question, but my parents have been subjecting a series of Subaru station wagons to Maine winters and springs for the past 15-20 years. Until just recently, they both had one so that's . . . five cars I think? Over maybe 35 driver-years? Which isn't too bad considering the potholes.

Actually, now that I think of it, the computer consulting firm that I worked for in Maine primarily used Subaru station wagons too. I wonder if this had more to do with the cars themselves or with the local Subaru dealer?

[sirfox.livejournal.com]

A family member had a good experience with a forester, it did well on mountain roads during Adirondack winters. I think the size of the model changed a lot over the years, just make sure you fit well in it. Hers was an early model, and a bit of a squeeze for me, they were marketed at women early on, iirc.

It's superficial, but i wish my car's music system had a direct audio input jack, so i could cable my ipod's output straight to the stereo system.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

"Don't show me any car where the trunk can't handle two bodies." This both set his criteria and rattled the salesdweeb.

SWEET!

Well, ix-nay on the Vibe. Don't care if it is a badge-engineered Toyo, you've still gotta deal with GM.

Money no object, I would lean strongly towards the Subarus. The Legacy is smaller (and cheaper), but you might have a height issue. The Outback is taller than that, has better ground clearance, and the Forester is yet higher, which means more room in which to stack the bodies. :) :) :)

The Matrix may be your best bang-for-buck; talk to codeamazon about hers. Downside, no four-wheel-mush. Upside, no four-wheel-mush maintenance and accompanying ding on the mileage.

I'm neutral on the Mitsu; I haven't driven anything Mitsu in over ten years, so I dunno. The Toyos and the Scoobies are Known Good.

If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd probably get a Forester as my return point to four-wheeled vehicles... that, or if I could come across a 4WD minivan... but barring the four-paw-mush compact bus, the Forester has the best versatility on the market. 4WD, a cavern in the back, good mileage, and it's not a boat on the outside.

runnerwolf either has or had a Forester...

[ionotter.livejournal.com]

Forester. All the way. If you can swing the payments, get a 2011 diesel, but getting an older model is an excellent choice.

Just one thing?

Good luck.

Used ones in good condition are hard to find, because the only time an owner gives one up, is when they trade in for a newer model!

I've tried the Outback, but it has no headroom for me. Great for long-distance driving, though. But for me, hauling a canoe, camping gear, groceries and 10 bags of potting soil (not all at the same time, mind you) is more important than long-distance driving.

[elgatocurioso.livejournal.com]

I would recommend the Subaru Outback 2007 or 2008. Excellent safety AND expected quality ratings. You can probably find 2008's coming off lease now. They're a great car. The outback was redesigned for 2010 I believe.... it's very sad that the panoramic moonroof is gone (not to mention the whale of a car the outback turned into).

We purchases a 2007 coming off-lease last year. it's noisier, both road and engine, than out preceding 2005 volvo, but it's a much funner AND functional family car.

A brief note on road noise...

[lisakit.livejournal.com]

My grandparents always got a special treatment for their undercarriages that really reduced noise. It was kind of an insulator spray on thing I think. Of course, they usually paid extra for it, but it's an idea.

[halloranelder.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine has a Subaru Forester (same year, I think) and swears by it. She's an archaeologist, and uses it quite a lot.

[jaqfrog.livejournal.com]

"Don't show me any car where the trunk can't handle two bodies."
- on purchasing his first car (Toyota Avensis, here in the UK some years ago), my bf got into the boot just to prove he could (and he's not a small chap!)

[amberite2112.livejournal.com]

with all due respect -
dude, you've got 3 subarus listed.
pick one. you won't regret it.

i'm on my 5th subie wagon in 30 or so years of owning nothing but subie wagons. this one has 250,000 miles on it, and is still going strong.
[ok, so i had to fix things like the clutch and the timing belt when it threw a rod, but at over 240,000 miles that is to be expected of almost any car.]

seriously, get a subaru. don't bother with the pontiac, they're not making them anymore. as for the toyota or mitsubishi with road noise issues, you're buying trouble. don't do it.

my cred? i've worked in the auto biz for 15 years. i've seen all sorts of cars in all sorts of conditions.
subies rule. hands down.