Condensing down to 1 vehicle

[krismoriah72]

I am in the thinking process of condensing down my vehicles and just ending up with 1. I have two 99 4runners. I got a good deal on one and fixed it up real nice and gave it to my wife but she doesnt drive it much, the other i bought as a flip but havent sold it yet, I have a 2000 model GMC sierra pickup that i got a good deal on and was going to use it as a farm truck or hauler..dont drive it. I have my trusty 2001 Subaru Forester with over 400000 miles that just wont die..and I have a 2013 Honda Fit sport which i love to drive locally but hate to take it on long trips. The only vehicle that I would keep would probably be the subaru..it wont really bring me much money on resale and still will go locally wherever i wanna go..

So if all goes well I should have somewhere around $15K to go towards a swiss army vehicle that is pleasing to drive locally and long trips..and can hook my trailer up to and use as a pickup in case i need to haul something.


My gut is telling me a Rav4 2013 and newer will satsify my needs. Cargo room- Wife has a small business where she buys and sells antiques and primitives..the Honda Fit has amazing cargo room and been a dream for this. MPG- Honda Fit has been averaging 34mpg in all that i do.. somewhere close to this would be great. 4wd/AWD- subaru has been a savior where i live every winter. Highway trips- none of my vehicles are fun to drive long distances..the Fit makes it there but its buzzy and after a couple of hours its tiring. Cost of ownership- While my Fit gets good mpg, i can see that the tire and brake costs are going to bump it way down if I keep it a long time. The battery is tiny as well and i am nearing the end of its life as well. I do not want a timing belt car either.

So would u go with the Rav4? CR-V? Subaru? what vehicle has good cargo room, cost of ownership is low, 4wd/AWD, good mpg, good in town and pleasant to drive on long trips?

 

[walterjay]

I personally would take the Subaru out of the equation, due to what I found to be lack of comfort.

 

[earlyre]

For the all-around utility, it's hard to beat an awd wagon...

Like a late model legacy wagon or outback for example.

 

[GR_CoB]

How about a Mazda CX-5 with the Sky active gas saving and powerful enough engine and AWD? Or a Ford Escape 2013+ with the Intelligent AWD and a 1.6 Turbo EcoBeast engine? And also don't forget the latest Nissan Rogues. My pick would be the EcoBeast Escape though... Just my two cents

 

[GR_CoB]

Ford Edge with the AWD and 2.0L EcoBeast turbo engine (275 horsepower) would be a great option too in terms of capability and gas mileage. I have easily done 24mpg in the city and 32mpg on the highway in the rental FWD Edge. I'm sure the AWD version would be pretty close.

 

[krismoriah72]

thanks for the suggestions so far..another few points.. Not interested in turbos, direct injection, or cvt.

Non turbo, port injected, non CVT.

 

[Kuato]

Your Trusty Forester could be replaced by a new Trusty Forester since they can be ordered with manual transmission.

After that I'd agree with your choice of the Rav4; had one in the extended family for years, very dependable and AWD is available.

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: Vlad_the_Russian
Ford Edge with the AWD and 2.0L EcoBeast turbo engine (275 horsepower) would be a great option too in terms of capability and gas mileage. I have easily done 24mpg in the city and 32mpg on the highway in the rental FWD Edge. I'm sure the AWD version would be pretty close.


My dad has that engine in his 2015fwd escape(only 240hp rating in this app). He Recently helped my brother move back home from TX. On the way back, tailing my brother( who was towing a double axle U-Haul w/ his Dakota) they stuck to 55-60 mph the whole way. Dad averaged as high as 45 mpg. The Dakota got 13mpg.

 

[Nick1994]

I'd keep 1 of the 4Runners or truck and the Fit. 1 towing vehicle and 1 commuter. With the profits of selling the other cars you can possibly buy better seats for the Fit if that's the issue.

Or sell them all and buy a newer Dodge Grand Caravan. My grandma bought a certified used 2014 Grand Caravan in March with 27k miles, pretty loaded. It can tow and commute.

 

[GR_CoB]

In that case I would recommend a late model Forester. A LOT of interior space, AMAZING visibility, great fuel economy numbers, and trusty AWD that will prevent you from getting stuck anywhere, and no - I do not mean it as a challenge Lol. If one tries hard enough - he will get stuck no matter the vehicle...

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I'd keep 1 of the 4Runners or truck and the Fit. 1 towing vehicle and 1 commuter. With the profits of selling the other cars you can possibly buy better seats for the Fit if that's the issue.

Or sell them all and buy a newer Dodge Grand Caravan. My grandma bought a certified used 2014 Grand Caravan in March with 27k miles, pretty loaded. It can tow and commute.
Forgot to add sticker price was $16,500

 

[JTK]

Kris, that's a tough one because they're all vastly different vehicles. Are all 5 registered and insured? For how many drivers? You also have to keep in mind they're all older and higher mileage, so any of them could go out of commission at any time.

 

[krismoriah72]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Kris, that's a tough one because they're all vastly different vehicles. Are all 5 registered and insured? For how many drivers? You also have to keep in mind they're all older and higher mileage, so any of them could go out of commission at any time.


During tax time I pick up a few vehicles locally due to people selling their used vehicles and upgrading with tax money.

GMC Pickup- I got it for $250, it needs a battery..I have a decent sized farm and this was going to be my farm use vehicle.. but i really havent needed anything this year...I think i can at least double my money on this one. No insurance no registration.

1999 4runner- picked this up for $500..not registered nor insured. I think I can get $2000 out of it.

1999 4runner- this one was nice, picked it up for $2000 and put all the goodies on it, good rims and tires, bug shield, tinted windows, drip visors etc. This and the other one has the hood scoop which everyone likes.. I think I can get $4K out of this one. Was registered and insured and wife drove it..took it off last month.

2001 Subaru Forester- this one has been my beater, work car for years up until last year. I have fixed everything on it twice..it still runs and purrs like a kitten with tons of miles. I have alot of money in this one as everything is dang near new.. i dont see me selling this one. Its registered and insured.

2013 Honda Fit Sport- Got a really good deal on this one at $10K. Bought it for the wife but i ended up driving it more than her and took it over. It hauls and does what my forester used to do..gets great gas mileage and only has 55K miles. I think I can make $1K or so as these cars dont come up for sale often and a needy buyer will pay it.

So I have 3 flip cars and my daily driver to sell. If i sell them all I should be somewhere around $15-$18K towards the new whatever.

 

[Silverado12]

I really like my Cruze and use it to visit family in your state (Morgantown and Flatwoods, WV) every couple months or so. It's good for long trips, but I have the turbo engine which you said you didn't want. They do make it in a 1.8, which has similar power but a little less mpgs. It seems that you could be close to getting a new one for about what you're getting from selling your fleet. I average 31-32 mpg 50/50 city/highway with a light foot. I use my heavy foot on the Mustang GT LOL, which I don't even want to know the gas mileage it gets.

 

[supton]

I'd go with two vehicles. One for longer trips, one for bombing around for business. Sounds like the Fit works well for the latter; how is the 4Runner on the highway? I thought they were decent drivers?

 

[krismoriah72]

Originally Posted By: supton
I'd go with two vehicles. One for longer trips, one for bombing around for business. Sounds like the Fit works well for the latter; how is the 4Runner on the highway? I thought they were decent drivers?


The 4runner gets about 15mpg. The 3.4 V6 engine is a tank and will probably last near a million miles but the small gas tank and 15mpg is no joy on trips.


Wife and I drove a 2013 Rav4 with 11000 miles yesterday from a local car lot. We had to pull over and read the book to adjust the radio, and still that was confusing. Once we got the stereo where we thought we liked it, still sounded horrible... curious as if this is a common complaint. Was a very hot day as well and while the A/C was ice cold and very powerful, one of the knobs pushed through the dash..im sure it was an easy fix but the design looked kind of weak.

On the same lot there was a same year or so Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sportage, and a few Honda CR-Vs.. along with about 5 or so Rav4s...so was a good day to compare and contrast.. The salesman was very nice, not pushy at all...but told us that driving the Kia or Hyundai would be a mistake and waste of our times. He went into a story about buying his mother a small SUV and the Rav4 was what he bought her that he knew the ins and outs of all the other SUVs and they were ok but not nearly as good as the RAV4....etc etc etc. My guess is that it was a sales tactic to keep us focused on 1 vehicle so that we could buy...not really sure. We were hungry for sunday dinner so we left it at that.

 

[supton]

Yeah, but... if it's comfy and paid off, you have huge money to spend on gas. Small gas tank would get old on trips though; sometimes it's nice to stop every 3 hours, but once in a while, I hit a groove and it's annoying to stop. Most I've ever been able to push though was 5 hours or so--after that, I really need to stretch. Not sure if that vintage 4Runner is "comfy" on the highway, I drove one once and it did have a bit of a truck-like ride, don't recall how much noise it had.

Anyhow, RAV4 does have that "electric lock" that works up to 35mph or so--you can "lock" in 4WD if know you are slippery stuff. Otherwise it's FWD-biased. I'd ignore the sales person, it's their job to move vehicles and make a sale. If you're not in a rush then drive 'em all.

I'd probably avoid the older RAV4's, but they are getting cheaper. The V6/5AT seems like 10lb of stuff crammed into a 5lb bag, and there were a few issues (water pump, transmission whine) which of course didn't affect all of them--but often enough one can notice online. But the 3.5L, if you buy one with the towing package, was rated for 3,500lb (1,500lb on the I4's, and there was no tow package for those at all). I'd skip the 2.4L I4 altogether, the 2.5L is simply better (2009+) from everything I've read, and avoids the headbolt issues that the 2.4's had in its earlier life. But the 2009-2012 2.5L used a 4AT which, well, it gets the job. All of these are timing chain. CRV is chain after 2002, and I think it got a bump in mpg when it got the 5AT in 2004 or so. Mother in law has a 2003 and IMO it feels a bit trucky on the highway, only gets mid 20's, and isn't that quiet IMO (a bit old of a comparison I know). For myself, I think I prefer RAV4 over CRV, lower rpm engine, less noise, and that electronic lock feature. Oh: until 2013 the door swung open to the side on the RAV4, towards the road (not the curb)--but for me, that works just fine in my driveway, so it would not bother me (and no gas struts to die). Never been in the other competition, sorry--again drive them all.