car advice

[singletrackmind]

Or.....another Volvo!
Which version do you have?

[OakLeaf]

Loved my Subarus, but the reason I didn't get another one was the gas mileage - about 26 mpg overall for both my '98 Legacy and the '03 Outback. Now, if you live where you need all-wheel drive, they still get better fuel mileage than your other options, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend a 'Ru.

We hauled four dogs in the Legacy - two dogs plus half a houseful of stuff for our semiannual migrations in the Outback - and though we never put bikes on top, we did haul two kayaks on top, so bikes would not be a problem. The tallest dog crates would not fit, though.

[aly]

I don't think we really need AWD, so that's not a big issue. I like the Subarus a lot, but most seem to run slightly more than I want to spend.

We have a 850 T5. It's a 98. We actually really love the car. We just don't love getting it fixed constantly at Volvo prices. I almost bought a v70 XC, but I wasn't sure about the gas mileage. Then someone else bought the one I had my eye on.

[FlyingScot]

I just checked Yahoo autos and there are 161 Foresters available in the range of 7k-9k. Some have incredibly low mileage. The newest one was a 2003. the oldest was a '98. Unfortunately you are kind of stuck in a dilemma. You are pretty much going to have to decide which is more important...great gas mileage or the ability to haul stuff. I think you will find most of the smaller SUV's get around the mid-twenties on gas which really isn't too bad. I would seriously check out consumer reports on the vehicles you are looking at, especially if you are considering one with AWD. Believe me they do not all perform the same. I used to be a Honda girl but I have switched my allegiance especially after my car saved my life when I had to travel in a severe snowstorm to get to work...and I only live in OHIO!!!!

[Becky]

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 guess the recommendation depends a little on the size of the kennel that you need to carry (and what else needs to go in the car).

We're on Suby #4 in our house, having strongly considered a Honda Element before buying an '08 Outback. We've had '92, '96, and '97 Legacy wagons, all of which have gone well over 100K miles, and all of them managed to get mid- to upper 20s in gas mileage in our mix of town and highway driving. The new car has a dash computer that calculates average mileage, and is consistantly reading 24-26 around town and some highway. We can hit 30 mpg on a long trip without the bikes on the roof. The bikes kill the mileage though- 24 on the highway.

As far as cargo goes, a 42" crate (folded) is a tight fit with the back seats up, due to the footprint of the cargo area. The older cars could take the folded crate easily with the seats up, but I never tried to put the crate in unfolded- would have required laying the seats down. Plenty of cargo room otherwise. Dog fits happily on the back seat, although it might be a tight fit for 2.

Good luck on the car hunt!

[mayanorange]

I have 2 Bernese Mountain Dogs and highly suggest a Pontiac Vibe- 08 or earlier, the 09 is smaller. The engine, drivetrain, frame, etc are all Toyota- same as the Matrix. I have an 08 and my parents have 2 now (05 and 08) and between the 3 of us, we all get about 31-38 mpg. When you flip down the back seat, it's all plastic with tie-downs like a pickup- perfect for dog crates and I've seen people rig it up for pickup type bike storage (see the Generation Vibe web forum). Has a factory roof rack, though I use a Thule Clip-On rack on the hatch for my bikes. The great thing is you get Toyota reliability at American car prices. Good luck!