wifes car is totaled, need ideas for replacement

By all means, have your wife drive the vehicle of choice before purchasing it.

My wife got rear ended a few years ago in her Toyota Yaris (basically the same car as an xA), and had similar requests to you wife's. We ended up with a Ford Explorer.

Thanks a lot for the help guys. We are looking into some of these.

What do you think of the honda element? Seem like it would check all the boxes and even comes in AWD. Its kinda ugly so resale might be lower than the CRV?

Klayfish wrote:

914Driver wrote: Good aftermarket following, roomy for tallish people, comfy for trips with kiddies, 200,000 miles is not out of the question as long as you don't mind keeping your wallet empty and like driving rental cars

FTFY

The early A4s (Golfs and Jettas) and the whole run of B5 (Passat) deserved the reputation, but not as much anymore.

As for CEL's - we had a 99 Passat and a 2010 Golf Wagon for a total of 9 years and neither one ever had a CEL come on. Yes the bulbs worked.

As for Subaru's - the head gasket thing was mostly an issue on DOHC 97-99 EJ25D's. Those had internal leaks. Some later motors had external leaks, that did little except a few drops of oil. Once they were fixed properly - no problem. My 97 Outback (EJ25D) had 412k kms (250 k miles) on it when I sold it and I still see it around town now running.

I was surprised by how much I liked my best friend's Element. I thought it handled itself nicely on some mountain roads and it's been incredibly useful for his family. They seem to have a much more stable ride than some of the other smaller boxy options, so I'm guessing that will quell the highway complaints.

Resale though, ain't a bargain in my opinion. We looked at them when we were buying a similar vehicle and ended up with a 06' Mazda5 for $6500.

Yeah my wife HATED the element. Then she drove one of her friends.

Then she LOVED the element. Drive and you'll like it.

We have a few escape hybrids at work. They have held up well except for a few interior bits that our guys seem to break on every car.

bonus points on the element being that if you get a 5 spd, it's very easy and cheap to convert to a 6 spd for about $600 in parts

Honda Element or the aforementioned Prius.

The last gen Hyundai elantra touring was a fun drive if you can find one. The scions and the soul have already been mentioned. You can likely find a low mileage Nissan cube, if you can deal with the styling. Mazda 5 may be worth a look.

What is maintenence like on the prius? I plan to keep this thing for a long time. How long does the battery last? Cost to replace?

I'm really liking the mazda 5. They seem to be reasonably priced and I love the utility factor. Do they have any inherent problems? How do they handle on the highway? The xA would get blown around so much that it was sometimes scary.

In reply to old_:

My parents have two priuses (sp?). One is at 175,000 and the other is at 235,000. Neither has had any problems of any kind and they still get the same mileage or as near to it to make no difference.

I would never call them fun or interesting cars to drive and the driver interface is odd and unintuitive.

I just went through the process of getting a replacement vehicle: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/battle-of-the-boxes-daily-driver-edition/72611/page1/

I ended up with a Mazda 5. It seemed like the best bang for the buck overall. It has been a decent highway cruiser so far. Seems like it will be a good mile muncher for long trips. If you can, get a manual trans. I went from a Fit to a 5 and the 5 is much better on the highway. I know the getting blown around feeling.

Flounder

is the plural of Prius, Prius?

Priuii

Prii?

Priudipedes?

I seem to remember this has been decided somewhere.

A Pride?

South Park fans will get the reference

old_ wrote: What is maintenence like on the prius? I plan to keep this thing for a long time. How long does the battery last? Cost to replace?

Our 07 is at 120K miles and we JUST did the front brakes. We did have to replace the water pump, which developed a seep, but other than that it has been add oil, gas and drive. During the summer we average over 52mpg. Winter is closer to 47 because you have to run the engine to get heat.

Have you noticed any decrease in range due to the age of the batteries?

Talk to me about these Honda Elements. I will eventually need a replacement for my Toyolla Wagon, and if I can't afford a truck, that might be a good choice for lugging around a bunch of stuff.

What kind of gas mileage do they get? Are they generally reliable?

jstein77 wrote: Have you noticed any decrease in range due to the age of the batteries?

Nope. No degradation at all.

I will say the same thing I always say with the Element. I owned one with the 5 speed and 4 wheel drive. The 4wd system is pretty lame - a fluid clutch that only sends up to about 10% to rear wheels on slippage, and immediately cuts out with grip to the front. Makes for bad handling characteristics in snow.

The inside is cavernous, but poorly laid out. The rear seats have a TON of legroom, but that means the cargo area behind is smaller than you would think. The seat material degrades very quickly. The rubber floors are easy to keep clean, but cold. Groceries love to slip and slide all over, even making their way up to the front cabin area.

The clamshell doors seem like a good idea, but in reality the long front doors must be opened fully to open the rear half-doors, so good luck getting things in the back seat in a crowded parking lot, like the pediatrician's. 4 seats is not enough in some situations.

It also does not drive like a car at all. It's very tippy on freeway entrances. I averaged 22 to 25 mpg, mostly at 50mph with a few stop lights.

I personally loved the way it worked for me when I had no kids, and no reason to use the rear seats. But when the rug rat came along, its problems became too annoying. I ended up with the Mazda5 instead, which is a much more versatile and fun car. I have since decided I don't need the room as much as I need economy, and I'm selling the 5 too.

bastomatic wrote: I will say the same thing I always say with the Element. I owned one with the 5 speed and 4 wheel drive. The 4wd system is pretty lame - a fluid clutch that only sends up to about 10% to rear wheels on slippage, and immediately cuts out with grip to the front. Makes for bad handling characteristics in snow. The inside is cavernous, but poorly laid out. The rear seats have a TON of legroom, but that means the cargo area behind is smaller than you would think. The seat material degrades very quickly. The rubber floors are easy to keep clean, but cold. Groceries love to slip and slide all over, even making their way up to the front cabin area. The clamshell doors seem like a good idea, but in reality the long front doors must be opened fully to open the rear half-doors, so good luck getting things in the back seat in a crowded parking lot, like the pediatrician's. 4 seats is not enough in some situations. It also does not drive like a car at all. It's very tippy on freeway entrances. I averaged 22 to 25 mpg, mostly at 50mph with a few stop lights. I personally loved the way it worked for me when I had no kids, and no reason to use the rear seats. But when the rug rat came along, its problems became too annoying. I ended up with the Mazda5 instead, which is a much more versatile and fun car. I have since decided I don't need the room as much as I need economy, and I'm selling the 5 too.

Thank you for this. I really appreciate your advise.

No problem. The awesome things about the Element are immediately obvious, which made my wife and I fall in love with it at first. Unfortunately, it takes some time for the design flaws to reveal themselves to you, and you become less happy with your purchase about 3-6 months in.

I think the Element is a great car for people with no kids. You can solve the slick floors with some red collapsible Harbor Freight cargo organizers in the rear, 3-across.

bastomatic wrote: No problem. The awesome things about the Element are immediately obvious, which made my wife and I fall in love with it at first. Unfortunately, it takes some time for the design flaws to reveal themselves to you, and you become less happy with your purchase about 3-6 months in. I think the Element is a great car for people with no kids in car seats. You can solve the slick floors with some red collapsible Harbor Freight cargo organizers in the rear, 3-across.

FTFY