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I need a new car: crowd sourcing JFC for recommendations and warnings

NAOS

NAOS

Well-Known Member
It's been 14 years since I bought a car, so I've been out of the car scene for too long. I'm getting ready to retire my 2001 Subaru Outback. It's been a total warrior 220,000 miles without any major problems, but it doesn't feel up to long-distance trips anymore. Plus, I've been getting into some heavier off-road stuff and I could use some extra ground clearance. I want to buy a used car in good condition.

Without intending to, I've only driven Toyotas and Subarus. The car I had before this (which I never should have sold) was a regular cab, 4wd, 4-cyl Toyota Tacoma. It went everywhere, got good gas mileage, as was uber-dependable. I'd buy another one tomorrow, but they're impossible to find in good condition. My instinct is to shift my attention to 4Runners, but maybe I should widen my search to other makes and models?

I'm never going to tow anything, and I appreciate fuel efficiency. So, anything with a V8 is out.

Recommendations? Warnings?

Thanks for the help, guys. Much appreciated.
 
I'm in the exact same situation. My Toyota Camry is crapping out after so many years, and it is time to buy a new Toyota Camry!
 
My experience has been that foreign made cars, with regular maintenance, last almost forever.

I have been warned by several mechanics to stay away from Ford Expeditions as they get electrical problems a lot.

I am also in the market and I am looking at a Saturn Outlook and Dodge Durango at the moment.
 
Stoked said:
My experience has been that foreign made cars, with regular maintenance, last almost forever.

I have been warned by several mechanics to stay away from Ford Expeditions as they get electrical problems a lot.

I am also in the market and I am looking at a Saturn Outlook and Dodge Durango at the moment.
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Foreign cars? lol. There's more than 1 kind. New BMWs for example are some of the least reliable cars out there. If you're gonna generalize, at least say "Japanese cars". ;)
 
I think you should look at the Toyota FJ cruiser.
When I bought my xterra it came down to the FJ cruiser, xterra, and wrangler/rubicon.

I did allot of research and narrowed it down to the fj vs the xterra. I bought the xterra because I found one that was a year old with only 4000 miles on it and it had the offroad package.

I really like my X too though and I liked that it has 4 doors and more room for camping gear when I remove the back seats
 
Siro said:
Foreign cars? lol. There's more than 1 kind. New BMWs for example are some of the least reliable cars out there. If you're gonna generalize, at least say "Japanese cars". ;)
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Any car that is well maintained should last a really long time. I think the type of people that buy Japanese cars are more likely to keep on their maintenance. My bro in law has a 4runner and it's crap. I had a buddy that had one that went for ages. I currently have a ford and a Toyota. Happy with both.

Naos you should check out the Jeep Renegade. It sounds like what you might be after.
 
Siro said:
Foreign cars? lol. There's more than 1 kind. New BMWs for example are some of the least reliable cars out there. If you're gonna generalize, at least say "Japanese cars". ;)
Click to expand...

Sorry, I was thinking of Toyotas, Hondas, Hyundais... you are right.

Was in a hurry, it happens.
 
♪alt13 said:
Any car that is well maintained should last a really long time. I think the type of people that buy Japanese cars are more likely to keep on their maintenance. My bro in law has a 4runner and it's crap. I had a buddy that had one that went for ages. I currently have a ford and a Toyota. Happy with both.

Naos you should check out the Jeep Renegade. It sounds like what you might be after.
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That's not really true. I have barely touched my Toyota in the 10 years that I've owned it, and I barely had any problems. My dad is on his 3rd BMW 5-series in 8 years, and he spends at least a couple of thousand dollars a year in maintenance (fixing problems) just to keep them running. And what does my dad do? Drive to work and back, and drive around town.

Of course if you do think that spending thousands of dollars a year is a reasonable definition of "maintenance", then yes, you're right. But most people think of reliability as not having to worry about anything other than oil changes and other low-cost maintenance.

And it's not just personal experience. You should read car reddits. Thousands upon thousands of luxury German car owners say the same thing (that it's very costly to own one).
 
If you like the subaru, get a new rav 4. The Rav has some clearance, it is super reliable, and is better than most of the subarus. The forester is just slightly lower quality than a rav, but the forester has some awesome benefits. the forester can go a ton of places off road, and was the suv of the year when it came out in 2014 with the new body style.

I just got a ford escape for work, and I like it. The price can be a little less, but it is an american car. Ford is the only american car company I would buy unless you are buying a truck.

If you can wait a little bit, the 2016 chevy/gmc colorado/canyon is coming out with a small diesel engine that will have some great power and efficiency. If you like small trucks, they are a decent bet. I like the tacoma, but I dislike the pricepoint and the fuel economy the tacoma offers. 2017 we should see a diesel frontier, and that should be a small cummins engine, which are the best engines made.

Good luck with finding a car. If you need, I have a friend who will give you a good deal on a car at a dealership. I like to look on ksl/autotrader/cars.com and find the best deals, but if your thing is buying from a dealership, there are some deals to be had too.
 
NAOS said:
It's been 14 years since I bought a car, so I've been out of the car scene for too long. I'm getting ready to retire my 2001 Subaru Outback. It's been a total warrior 220,000 miles without any major problems, but it doesn't feel up to long-distance trips anymore. Plus, I've been getting into some heavier off-road stuff and I could use some extra ground clearance. I want to buy a used car in good condition.

Without intending to, I've only driven Toyotas and Subarus. The car I had before this (which I never should have sold) was a regular cab, 4wd, 4-cyl Toyota Tacoma. It went everywhere, got good gas mileage, as was uber-dependable. I'd buy another one tomorrow, but they're impossible to find in good condition. My instinct is to shift my attention to 4Runners, but maybe I should widen my search to other makes and models?

I'm never going to tow anything, and I appreciate fuel efficiency. So, anything with a V8 is out.

Recommendations? Warnings?

Thanks for the help, guys. Much appreciated.
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of Subarus. The commercial where they say "they lived" hits home with me because my wife rolled a 2006 Subaru Forester XT off the side of Spanish Fork Canyon with my son and mother-in-law in the car and they all walked away with some scrapes and bruises. I think there are many cars they could have been in that they would have died in.

dscn0807k.jpg


dscn0806w.jpg
 
Siro said:
That's not really true. I have barely touched my Toyota in the 10 years that I've owned it, and I barely had any problems. My dad is on his 3rd BMW 5-series in 8 years, and he spends at least a couple of thousand dollars a year in maintenance (fixing problems) just to keep them running. And what does my dad do? Drive to work and back, and drive around town.

Of course if you do think that spending thousands of dollars a year is a reasonable definition of "maintenance", then yes, you're right. But most people think of reliability as not having to worry about anything other than oil changes and other low-cost maintenance.

And it's not just personal experience. You should read car reddits. Thousands upon thousands of luxury German car owners say the same thing (that it's very costly to own one).
Click to expand...

Your dad keeps getting ripped off and is buying poorly maintained used cars. My sister had a BMW and the only problem they ever had with it was that they got rear ended. Who you buy from matters more than anything else.
 
new Rav 4s, new Jeep Renegades, and new Foresters look cool. But they're new. Looking for something used. I really like the 97 to 2002/3 toyota 4Runners. If I could find a cherry one, it'd be hard to turn down. It'd be awesome if something could compete with that, since I could widen my search.

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
NAOS said:
new Rav 4s, new Jeep Renegades, and new Foresters look cool. But they're new. Looking for something used. I really like the 97 to 2002/3 toyota 4Runners. If I could find a cherry one, it'd be hard to turn down. It'd be awesome if something could compete with that, since I could widen my search.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Click to expand...
Good choice with the 4 runner.
I know you don't want to go new but I love the new 4 runners too.
Good vehicles and look good too
 
NAOS said:
new Rav 4s, new Jeep Renegades, and new Foresters look cool. But they're new. Looking for something used. I really like the 97 to 2002/3 toyota 4Runners. If I could find a cherry one, it'd be hard to turn down. It'd be awesome if something could compete with that, since I could widen my search.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Click to expand...

That is a great vehicle. Don't ever go older with the four runner, that engine up to 96 is terrible. The engine in the 4 runners you are looking at (the v6 particularly) is rated as one of the top engines ever made for durability.
 
NAOS said:
new Rav 4s, new Jeep Renegades, and new Foresters look cool. But they're new. Looking for something used. I really like the 97 to 2002/3 toyota 4Runners. If I could find a cherry one, it'd be hard to turn down. It'd be awesome if something could compete with that, since I could widen my search.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Click to expand...

That is a great vehicle. Don't ever go older with the four runner, that engine up to 96 is terrible. The engine in the 4 runners you are looking at (the v6 particularly) is rated as one of the top engines ever made for durability.
 
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