and decent mpg's too?
My Jetta wagon is starting to feel old. It also lacks AWD. This past week was something of a last-straw for me: I got stuck on a driveway that, after getting pushed out of the way, I watched my friends in their (AWD) Volvo, Subaru, Ridgeline, Highlander Hybrid take with no problem. And back down again. I have a set of Nordman 2 snow (winter?) tires, rather new, so it's not for lack of tires--it's for lack of weight on the drive wheels while going uphill. Seems like I run into this "stuck" problem once/year--not enough to really "justify" but it sure would be nice. I'm also a bit tired of yearly repairs.
So, I have been thinking of a RAV4, maybe 2-3 years old. Just get it serviced at the same dealer that does the Camry. It sounds like 30mpg isn’t unheard of on the I4, for gentle drivers.
CRV sounds interesting; but I don’t like bling—I’d prefer a more conservative design. I’m not sure how good our Subaru dealers are; and right now I “trust” my local Toyota dealer (and if I didn’t, there’s others around to switch to). Subaru would at least get me a stickshift. Mazda5 sounds nice, but no AWD, and they aren’t that common in stick either. Kinda apprehensive about domestic; fast depreciation and shoddy reliability past 100k. [Shoddy or hit-or-miss, not sure which.] Most anyplace can service these makes, I guess, unlike my diesel VW. Hyundia/Kia, can’t quite say no, but low mpg and spotty long(er) term reliability it seems when I read about those.
Background stuff: 90mile/day roundtrip commute, 75+% is highway, I’d say 90% is at 50mph or better. Little weekend driving. I’m guessing about 25k/year total mileage. Semi-rural is where I live, in central NH (so we get snow and ice for several months of the year). Not particularly hilly here. I do have 2-3 of those 45 gallon Rubbermaid trashcans to take to the transfer station on the weekends (2 per week, plus a third if I miss a weekend), so, I’d like to have a larger opening than my Jetta has, and seats that fold easier (have to remove headrests on the Jetta, after removing kiddie seats, to fit all three trashcans—and really should drop for when I move just two). Two small kids, in booster seats; haven’t ruled out a third (but wife would likely have a minivan at that point). Wife and I are average sized (5’8”, well below 200lb). Not sure I would own such a vehicle past 125-150k, likely to trade out of at that time.
I've thought about having 3 vehicles (hers, mine, spare AWD) but that seems just as pricey in the end (own two old vehicles?). My VW is looking at like 2 weeks in the shop this year, along with at least $1500 in repairs I think.
My Jetta wagon is starting to feel old. It also lacks AWD. This past week was something of a last-straw for me: I got stuck on a driveway that, after getting pushed out of the way, I watched my friends in their (AWD) Volvo, Subaru, Ridgeline, Highlander Hybrid take with no problem. And back down again. I have a set of Nordman 2 snow (winter?) tires, rather new, so it's not for lack of tires--it's for lack of weight on the drive wheels while going uphill. Seems like I run into this "stuck" problem once/year--not enough to really "justify" but it sure would be nice. I'm also a bit tired of yearly repairs.
So, I have been thinking of a RAV4, maybe 2-3 years old. Just get it serviced at the same dealer that does the Camry. It sounds like 30mpg isn’t unheard of on the I4, for gentle drivers.
CRV sounds interesting; but I don’t like bling—I’d prefer a more conservative design. I’m not sure how good our Subaru dealers are; and right now I “trust” my local Toyota dealer (and if I didn’t, there’s others around to switch to). Subaru would at least get me a stickshift. Mazda5 sounds nice, but no AWD, and they aren’t that common in stick either. Kinda apprehensive about domestic; fast depreciation and shoddy reliability past 100k. [Shoddy or hit-or-miss, not sure which.] Most anyplace can service these makes, I guess, unlike my diesel VW. Hyundia/Kia, can’t quite say no, but low mpg and spotty long(er) term reliability it seems when I read about those.
Background stuff: 90mile/day roundtrip commute, 75+% is highway, I’d say 90% is at 50mph or better. Little weekend driving. I’m guessing about 25k/year total mileage. Semi-rural is where I live, in central NH (so we get snow and ice for several months of the year). Not particularly hilly here. I do have 2-3 of those 45 gallon Rubbermaid trashcans to take to the transfer station on the weekends (2 per week, plus a third if I miss a weekend), so, I’d like to have a larger opening than my Jetta has, and seats that fold easier (have to remove headrests on the Jetta, after removing kiddie seats, to fit all three trashcans—and really should drop for when I move just two). Two small kids, in booster seats; haven’t ruled out a third (but wife would likely have a minivan at that point). Wife and I are average sized (5’8”, well below 200lb). Not sure I would own such a vehicle past 125-150k, likely to trade out of at that time.
I've thought about having 3 vehicles (hers, mine, spare AWD) but that seems just as pricey in the end (own two old vehicles?). My VW is looking at like 2 weeks in the shop this year, along with at least $1500 in repairs I think.
