What's the 1 car to replace two?
August 16, 2015 2:28 PM Subscribe
My partner and I recently downsized from two vehicles to one. What are some suggestions for a single vehicle that can meet our range of uses?
My partner and I have long had two vehicles, a station wagon for her use as a person who sells at craft fairs and for errands around town, and my van for longer camping trips or journeys plus hauling stuff to and fro that's big or difficult to haul.
We've recently downsized as we really only need one vehicle for the household. I'm a bike commuter, plus the van was getting long in the tooth and had no air bags. I'm now considering what replacement vehicle we might get for our needs.
The remaining vehicle is a Volvo station wagon, which rates very highly in the aesthetics and road cruising departments. It gets around town great, gets us to market or whatever very well, and for a long distance cruise to another city, it's da bomb.
For other tasks, like hauling lumber, driving in snow, or going on a camping trip, it's not so good. So that's where we are at, looking at what vehicle might span our various uses in a way that would be a nice upgrade instead of a trip to deprivation city, which doesn't get my partner too excited. In other words, whatever vehicle I propose replacing her car with, it's got to have some aesthetic and driver perks that would make my partner want to do the deal.
I've been looking at mini-vans and 4WD vehicles. If I was to speculate what vehicle could span the range of uses we previously used two vehicles to accomplish, it would be one tough mini-van type vehicle with interior tie-downs, racks, 4WD and other off-road enhancements plus a tow-ball.
Probably not going to go for a truck no matter what the arguments in favor of that. So, if you've ever shrunk your two cars into one, what did you come up with? It's got to play nice in the streets, and be tough enough to handle some off-road camping kind of behavior with ease. Probably going to buy used as well, up to 10k, so new cars aren't really on the agenda.
My partner and I have long had two vehicles, a station wagon for her use as a person who sells at craft fairs and for errands around town, and my van for longer camping trips or journeys plus hauling stuff to and fro that's big or difficult to haul.
We've recently downsized as we really only need one vehicle for the household. I'm a bike commuter, plus the van was getting long in the tooth and had no air bags. I'm now considering what replacement vehicle we might get for our needs.
The remaining vehicle is a Volvo station wagon, which rates very highly in the aesthetics and road cruising departments. It gets around town great, gets us to market or whatever very well, and for a long distance cruise to another city, it's da bomb.
For other tasks, like hauling lumber, driving in snow, or going on a camping trip, it's not so good. So that's where we are at, looking at what vehicle might span our various uses in a way that would be a nice upgrade instead of a trip to deprivation city, which doesn't get my partner too excited. In other words, whatever vehicle I propose replacing her car with, it's got to have some aesthetic and driver perks that would make my partner want to do the deal.
I've been looking at mini-vans and 4WD vehicles. If I was to speculate what vehicle could span the range of uses we previously used two vehicles to accomplish, it would be one tough mini-van type vehicle with interior tie-downs, racks, 4WD and other off-road enhancements plus a tow-ball.
Probably not going to go for a truck no matter what the arguments in favor of that. So, if you've ever shrunk your two cars into one, what did you come up with? It's got to play nice in the streets, and be tough enough to handle some off-road camping kind of behavior with ease. Probably going to buy used as well, up to 10k, so new cars aren't really on the agenda.
Subaru Forester, Outback or Crosstrek. The 3.6L model offers more towing capacity, at the expense of fuel economy.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 2:47 PM on August 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by a lungful of dragon at 2:47 PM on August 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
Outback, just do your research on the head gasket issue and get an engine or year that's unaffected.
posted by ftm at 2:48 PM on August 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by ftm at 2:48 PM on August 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
Are you looking to match the Volvo on the luxury car scale? If that matters you could worse than an older Infiniti 4 wheel drive QX56. A V-8, 400 horsepower, plenty of torque and a solid towing capacity.
It's a V-8 so it's thirsty. It's also a well appointed, sure footed and a pleasure to drive.
posted by 26.2 at 3:00 PM on August 16, 2015
It's a V-8 so it's thirsty. It's also a well appointed, sure footed and a pleasure to drive.
posted by 26.2 at 3:00 PM on August 16, 2015
We're a two-person family with a Ford Escape as our only car. There are hybrid models from years past, though ours is not a hybrid and gets 22mpg. Though I wish we did have a hybrid, it's otherwise kind of perfect since it's a smaller SUV--good for tooling around town doing errands, leather seats so it's good for carpooling to office lunch outings, roomy and truck-like enough for hauling mulch from the nursery or cleaning out the basement and making dump runs, and roomy and comfy enough for frequent 1000-mile round trip jaunts to visit friends and family, with the dog and luggage in tow.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 3:23 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 3:23 PM on August 16, 2015
I understand you want a new vehicle, but I own a Volvo station wagon (1993 240DL) and with the seats pushed back, it fits a lot more cargo than you would think. We call it our "stealth truck". Tip: Remove the upper headrests from the rear bench seat, and they will slide a little bit more forward.
posted by seasparrow at 3:34 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by seasparrow at 3:34 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Ford Flex?
posted by PorcineWithMe at 3:41 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by PorcineWithMe at 3:41 PM on August 16, 2015
Oh, sorry, missed the budget constraints.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 3:42 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by PorcineWithMe at 3:42 PM on August 16, 2015
I have an older Toyota Highlander and I love it so much I want to drive it forever. The older Highlanders are a little more compact and easier to drive than the new ones. The back seats fold down flat for hauling gear (and it's roomy enough I have slept back there in a pinch). I have a roof rack and a hitch on the back, although I don't tow anything anymore.
It's way prettier than a minivan and has better ground clearance.
posted by mochapickle at 5:53 PM on August 16, 2015
It's way prettier than a minivan and has better ground clearance.
posted by mochapickle at 5:53 PM on August 16, 2015
So yeah, there's a 4wd version of the Volvo V70, but why spend all that money. I just drove a Subaru Forester for 7 hrs across a buncha states -- it's perfect for long hauls, plus has all the symmetric AWD benefits for the winter. AND we talked to a Outback owner who is three years into her car and happy as a clam.
posted by Namlit at 6:09 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Namlit at 6:09 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Gonna nth the Subaru option with the Legacy Outback (longer) and Forester (shorter in length, slightly taller in height).
Great road dynamics, given the size of the car. Utilitarian and ruggedly good-looking. Fuel mileage is about what you'd expect, from a mid-size, full-time all-wheel drive vehicle- more moving parts means less fuel efficiency. It's still more efficient than waiting for a tow truck. ;)
Again, look into maintenance records for the headgasket and prepare for possible downtime there if it isn't noted.
Don't forget snow tires if conditions warrant such.
posted by TreeDodger at 9:04 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Great road dynamics, given the size of the car. Utilitarian and ruggedly good-looking. Fuel mileage is about what you'd expect, from a mid-size, full-time all-wheel drive vehicle- more moving parts means less fuel efficiency. It's still more efficient than waiting for a tow truck. ;)
Again, look into maintenance records for the headgasket and prepare for possible downtime there if it isn't noted.
Don't forget snow tires if conditions warrant such.
posted by TreeDodger at 9:04 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
I can't speak for Subaru's in recent times, but the Legacy I owned from 1995-2008 was worse on snow and ice than the RAV4 I replaced it with. I have a Highlander now and it handles like the RAV - unstoppable and almost impossible to put into a skid on bad roads. I had to chain up the Legacy on the passes in Oregon every winter and not once with the Toyotas in much worse conditions. I would just suggest that you at least look at used RAV4's post 2008 (I think that was the year they redesigned them). It was also a lot more comfortable as far as lumbar support, although that could be completely updated by now.
posted by docpops at 9:32 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by docpops at 9:32 PM on August 16, 2015
Since you're looking for something used, how about a Honda Element (now discontinued for reasons I can't understand)? It's comfortable enough and great in snow, but will haul an unbelievable amount of stuff with the back seats up against the wall or taken out completely. My husband used his all the time for camping/cycling trips because they could fit in all the gear along with the bikes without having to remove tires or lay them down. It's also easy to clean if it gets dirty from outdoor use since the seats are stain resistant and the floors are all rubber. The split tailgate also means if you have lumber that's too long you can easily have it stick out the back but be angled down and into the car, requiring less stringent tie down work.
posted by thejanna at 6:04 AM on August 17, 2015
posted by thejanna at 6:04 AM on August 17, 2015
I just got a Subaru outback a couple months ago. Love it. Haven't driven it in snow yet, but took a 2 hour trip in it and it was really comfortable and got good mileage. It's also been great for hauling stuff for home improvement projects, etc.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 7:28 AM on August 17, 2015
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 7:28 AM on August 17, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks for all the great cars to check out. I haven't made any decisions, this input will come in very handy when I do.
posted by diode at 11:52 AM on August 17, 2015
posted by diode at 11:52 AM on August 17, 2015
Another forester/outback vote. My dad uses his forester as a truck, essentially, and has hauled a ridiculous amount with it too many times to count. It's also survived 240-250k miles at this point. It also has no issues with weather or terrain, anywhere i've taken it.
posted by emptythought at 2:07 PM on August 17, 2015
posted by emptythought at 2:07 PM on August 17, 2015
Whatever you buy, you may be able to go smaller by using a hitch-mounted cargo rack for camping trips and a roof rack for hauling lumber. Definitely better than driving an oversized car all the time. My Hyundai Elentra with three big Rubbermaid totes on a cargo rack held camping equipment for four.
posted by metasarah at 6:34 PM on August 19, 2015
posted by metasarah at 6:34 PM on August 19, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by leahwrenn at 2:40 PM on August 16, 2015 [10 favorites]