Help my family find a good car!

September 25, 2010 4:10 AM

Seeking used car advice! I'm looking to find a used SUV or wagon that can be used to transport lumber and the like occasionally but can also serve to transport the family, including baby, when needed. I've heard the Honda Element is good because the back seats are removable. Any other analogous vehicles? We don't want to spend more than @ 11k if possible, which is why the Element might be out. Please feel free to also refer to online guides where I might do research. My initial review is unfortunately turning up a lot of paid ads which aren't too helpful.

Other factors we are looking for:
- safety
- cruise control
- decent gas mileage if possible
- decent driving in the snow (but this is a 2nd car, so we can just not drive it in the snow if necessary)

I'm in Portland, Maine.

posted by miss tea to shopping (13 answers total)

Dodge Caravan has seats that fold down into the floor which is great. What you lose by the fact that it's, well, a Dodge Caravan, you gain by a strong buying position. She had a pristine 2006 with about 35k and after several weeks of trying sold it for 6k.
posted by InkaLomax at 4:24 AM on September 25, 2010

I always come to car questions to tout my Honda CRV. Holds five people, back seats fold down flat to carry whatever you want. My older model has all-wheel drive and cruise control, and GREAT gas mileage. I'm southern by the grace of God, so can't tell you about driving in the snow. I love my CRV.
posted by raisingsand at 5:21 AM on September 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

both the grand caravan and town and country will hold 4 X 8 sheets flat on the floor and you can close the hatch. puts pick up trucks to shame when it's raining
posted by Redhush at 5:35 AM on September 25, 2010

Buy whatever you want and spend an extra $500 on a 4x8' trailer. I've put a Hidden Hitch ($150) on each of my last three cars. They just bolt onto the car frame in 15 minutes.

With a trailer you don't have to worry about the interior of your car.
posted by PSB at 6:06 AM on September 25, 2010

I like my Toyota Sienna, I haul lumber and other stuff, I camp in it, the seats come out fairly simply, it handles well, and is very reliable. I bought it used a couple of years ago for 5,500, so for what you want to spend you should be able to get a really good car.
posted by mareli at 6:11 AM on September 25, 2010

Subaru Forester? It's quite small for an SUV, but the back seats fold flat easily, and you can get a good bit of stuff in there. They tend to have long life spans and used ones aren't very expensive.

Research: you want the Consumer Reports Used Car Guide. You probably have to subscribe for access, but you can also buy a hard copy of the book and tote it around with you.

(Yes, you have to pay for access to Consumer Reports. They don't accept advertising, to keep their reviews neutral.)
posted by kestrel251 at 7:30 AM on September 25, 2010

I also have a trailer (10' long, though) for carrying large, dirty, long, or otherwise-unsuitable-for-car-interior cargo. It's very handy, and I can get whatever I need for the vehicle.
posted by galadriel at 7:52 AM on September 25, 2010

any car with a factory roof rails can carry lumber (although just like a pickup-it sucks in the rain). I have a jeep liberty with the factory rails that run longwise along both sides of roof right above the doors. That can't really be used to carry anything. So I bolted two two by fours crosswise to the tops of the rack using u bolts. I can now carry anything long and heavy. This rack cost me less than 5 bucks (I used broken trashed 2x4 from the junk pile at the lumberyard). I transported every bit of all the material used to build a very sturdy (based residential framing inspection based on Uniform building code-just like a tuff shed) 200 sf shed-but not in one trip. For a sturdy car with room for the family, reliable, safe and good in the snow get either a Subaru outback or forester and build your own Ghetto Rack (as the wife calls it). The honda element, CRV or pilot would also be a great choice (I would lean toward a CRV for the snow).
posted by bartonlong at 8:01 AM on September 25, 2010

The versatility of the Element is where it really shines. As a former owner of an Element and current owner a CR-V (which is also a great vehicle), I miss having the element when I need to move things that tend to be awkward or dirty. While the seats are removable, they also fold flat and attach up along the sides of the rear of the vehicle. This provides the flexibility of converting the vehicle from passenger mover to cargo hauler on the fly. The rear cargo area is also very tall, has no carpeting to get dirty and was designed with no wheel arches inside so it's fully usable from side to side.

My kids loved riding in the back because the rear seats are elevated slightly above the front seats which provided them a sort of stadium-style seating so they could see out the front. One minor complaint we had was the lack of support for a third passenger in the rear. This might not be an issue for you.

I think that with some patience you could find a good relatively low mileage Element at or close to your cost target. It's a good option in my opinion for someone that might not need the passenger capacity of a minivan but still wants most of the practical flexibility.
posted by Diginati at 8:14 AM on September 25, 2010

Seconding everything Diginati wrote. We have a CRV and an Element. We use the Element to move messy things that can't be strapped to the roof rack of the CRV. Both vehicles has worked great for transporting our son as he's grown from infant to tween (and they have been so reliable that we're now assuming one of them will be his first car).

I've taken my CRV up to the Sierras a lot, it's handled very nicely in the snow conditions I've encountered there but I can't speak to daily driving in snow.
posted by jamaro at 9:01 AM on September 25, 2010

Love my Forester - can haul a reasonable amount of stuff, especially with roof rack, does great in snow - most sure-footed car I've owned, gets decent but not spectacular mileage. Can fold down back seats separately - one two seat side, one single seat - which is very handy.
posted by leslies at 2:38 PM on September 25, 2010

I'm going to toss the recommendation of a 2005 or older VW Passat wagon. I have the 2005, which I bought new just before entering my undergrad program in photography. It's lugged numerous props, set flats, equipment, and 4 dogs since without complaint. When I need to haul something really large (in a recent case, 4 4x8 hardwood sheets), I just make sure to tie it up securely and I'm all set. Besides folding down the seats for cargo, I would occasionally use the flat section to steal a quick nap. The seats would fold down in two parts (similar to leslies), in case you only needed one section.

Re: gas mileage- Mine gets about 20-25 mpg, depending on conditions. As a reference point, hubby and I recently did a 278 mile trip from Las Vegas back to our place in LA on one tank of gas. The tank holds 14 gallons.

I've also driven it up to Angeles Crest in heavy snow, no chains, with no trouble. It's a pretty heavy car, so if you know how to drive in snowy conditions, you're good to go.
posted by arishaun at 10:32 PM on September 25, 2010

Thanks all. Some great food for thought here.
posted by miss tea at 3:22 AM on September 26, 2010