car advice

We need to get a new (used car). The Volvo station wagon is now on her last leg and we need to figure out what to get. We need to be able to transport our bikes and/or two German Shepherds. We do dog rescue, so we need room for cages, puppies, etc. I'm currently having to commute over 50 miles to work (hopefully this will be over soon and I'll be able to ride my bike to work again) so we need decent MPG. I would like a car that doesn't cost a fortune to fix. We love the Volvo, but it seems to need another pricey repair every week. Maybe it's just the one we have?

So, all this and we need to spend less that $9,000. Anyone have any great suggestions? Thanks!!

aly,

My first thought was a Honda Element. Great for hauling dogs, bikes, and a lot of other things.

However:
- I don't know what kind of gas mileage they get. I'm going to guess low 20's -- not sure if you consider that decent gas mileage. There's a lot of Honda Element drivers on this forum who can tell you what kind of mileage they get.
- I don't know what they're going for in the used car market.

Happy shopping!

- Melissa

I've known a couple folks with similar hauling needs who really liked their older Honda Odyssey minivans.

SUBARU PEOPLE....where are you??

I have had an '86 Subaru, '96 Subaru, and now an '05 Subaru.
Love my Subies, but I'd never manage to transport 2 dogs and 2 bikes or dog crates inside any of my wagons. Not in one trip, anyway! I got my large dog crate in my Legacy only by taking it apart.

Hondas have always been good to me, too.

I love my Subaru outback but it's a bother to put a bike inside and its tailgate is poorly designed for a trunk rack. A Forester might be better, but I have no first-hand experience.

Yeah Foresters!!!!!!!! I have an O8 (previously had an 01) manual transmission. MPG highway about 27-28. Man can this car haul gear. You should be able to get a used one in your price range and they run forever. One caveat if it's a 98-01 make sure the headgaskets are okay as this was a major but fixable problem in these cars. Otherwise they are usually trouble free. check out www.subaruforester.org for more info. Feel the Subie Love!!!!!:D

If I had to drive 50 miles every day for work, I wouldn't drive my Element. 23 MPG. (I have a Civic at my disposal, though.)

For all that other stuff, I'd definitely get an Element, though. I've rescued more than a few dogs around town and didn't worry a bit about carsickness or anything like that, because of the floor in E not being carpet. That was a definite drawback to the Forester.

However, finding an Element used at a price to justify not getting new was tough when I bought mine in 2006. I ended up getting a new one because they were only $1000 more than the used ones available.

If you do go with an Element, don't bother not getting AWD. The people I know without AWD regret not getting it.

Karen

I have an Element and love it. However, the gas mileage is not great - best I've seen is about 21, and it usually gets 19-20. If you have dogs inside, you'll probably need to mount the bikes outside. Roof is very tall (I wouldn't want to try it), which leaves a hitch mount.

Just things to think about...

My husband keeps meticulous mileage records on our 2006 Element.
He says we get about 22mpg normal driving, and up to 26mpg on highway.

We love our Element too. We average 26 MPH hwy, 23 around town. Perfect for hauling dogs.

I don't think either the Forrester or the Element will have low used car prices, though. The Element is probably too new to have really "older" used cars especially.

I have a 2004 Honda Element (AWD, automatic) and get about 25 mpg, but most of my driving is on the highway, very little city driving. I had a 2001 Subaru Forester, but the transmission went bad after only 4 years (and, admittedly, close to 100K miles; I have a long commute, and it was our travel car as well), so I traded it in on the much-roomier Element.

If I were buying now, with gas prices what they are, I think I'd look long and hard at hybrids, but since we need a lot of space for hauling boat gear, bikes, dog (and crate), etc., it would have to be a larger one, like a Highlander or Ford Escape; for commuting one of the smaller ones would be great, but I can't afford a car for every purpose (a bike for every purpose is different! ;))

Good luck with your choice!

Emily

Thanks! I've been checking out the options. Berekley's right, the element and the Foresters are likely out of our price range. It's unfortunate since I love both of them. I've wanted an element for a long time. However, I just bought a house, so I don't get to splurge on a car. I'm finding that hybrids are to come by and pretty pricey right now- I may go that direction in a couple years once I've rebuilt some sort of savings. BF says no to a minivan. However, checking out the options here somehow led me to the Toyota RAV4 (2001/2002). Anyone with experience?

I have had mini-vans my whole life. Sometimes Honda, sometimes Toyota. They are not cool, they don't go fast, and nobody steals them. They haul everything, including a 4x8 sheet of plywood. Best thing about buying now is that the mini-van market is in the toilet. Get an AWD Honda and forget your troubles!

We have an '06 Rav4. Get high 20's mpg on the highway, low-mid 20's around town. With one seat down I can put my bike in it upright if I remove the front wheel. I'm sure you can fit a few dog crates. The '06 was upsized so I'm not sure what the story would be with an older one.