Okay, tomorrow's the big car sales day. It's final decision time. And, of course, now I'm starting to question whether or not I should just fork up the dough to fix the squeakiness and just cross my fingers that nothing else goes wrong with the Jimster (right...).
So, for a while the Camry was the forerunner. Knee airbags (go ahead Tuna, you know you wanna say something), side impact airbags, and fuel efficient. It's the most practical car of my list...
But then I got to thinking about all the road trips and all the times having an SUV came in handy. So, back to the SUV's I went. I refuse to pay for another gas guzzler so the mid-size SUV's will have to do. Here goes...
Highlander - Dig that it's the biggest of my options (tho, not by much) and it's not too bad price-wise. It's also ok on gas. Test drove it a couple of weeks ago, I actually don't like that it's such a smooth and quiet ride...where's the sport in that?! So, it's not really an SUV...but a UV. By the way, this and the Camry were both approved by the little one.
RAV4 - I'm liking the gas efficiency on this one. It's a bit cheaper than the CR-V, which always helps. But it is smallest of the lot.
Other considerations that didn't quite make the top 3 includes:
Forester/Outback - Forester was surprisingly small and Outback was a bit pricey and no knee airbags!
Passat - Really liked the safety features and interior. But Camry got the edge thru resale value and I hear VW's are a pain when it comes to repairs/maintenance.
Used nice cars - Don't wanna pay high interest rate and from what I've seen, the new ones aren't all that much more in price.
So, there you have it. Any suggestions, comments, or random thought is welcome...
9 comments:
Check out the ones I sent you...I really liked the Nissan Murano, Honda CR-V LX, and get your financing in order before you buy one!!! Capital One has decent rates, that way you already have a blank check (apply on-line). And I suggest that you DO NOT buy a new one!!! The car depreciates the moment you drive off from the car lot. Check out cars.com! I sent you a slew of cars/SUVx. Also, I think the Lexus RX 300 is nice. Good luck and are you dragging Tyls to buy this car? Also from what I have been looking at Carmax is pricier than other dealerships. Also, another advantage of buying a late model one is it is still under warranty:) Good luck and if you want I can go with you so I can take my "new" car home.
A co-worker of mine just got a Ford Escape, she says she really loves that its roomy and doesn't guzzle a lot of gas (35 some miles/gal?). Its also an SUV hybrid. Although I'd rather get a Nissan over a Ford, if you can swing it, I would get the Highlander.
Not that this should determine your choice but you'll NEVER hear the end of it if you get a car with knee airbags :) Tuna and Scott found it necessary to comment on the knee airbags at FNP while you weren't even there! It was pretty funny though...
Have you looked at CarMax (referring to the comment above about getting a used car)? I've never heard a friend complain about whatever car they've ever gotten from CarMax.
Yes, the "knee airbags" phenomenon will go down as one of those timeless and endless "spontaneous funny moments". It even got worked in at the cubs/nats game the other day.
I'm no car expert - but, my brother has a toyota rav4 and has had no problems (other than a recent flat tire, but that was probably user error) and is apparently a safe car for small SUVs. His wife has a Jeep Liberty which she absolutely loves (however, it drives too smooth if you are looking for "sport").
However, if Tulip's coworker is accurate, and the Ford Escape gets 35 MPG - for a small SUV, that sounds like a great benefit at $3+ per gallon.
It must be a Toyota/Lexus thing with the knee airbags since Jason W. has that in his Lexus as well but he didn't get his car for the same reason that you wanted a Camry for the umm "knee air bags". :)
Alright, knee airbag jokesters and naysayers...I got a Camry. Bring it. :-P
"Hi! ... Are you tired of always rubbing your knees after bumping into curbs, or into the rear-end of the car in front of you? Well worry no more...now that all our cars are fully equipped with state-of-the-art knee airbags, you will no longer suffer from the enduring pain and grief caused by sore knees...."
In all seriousness though, Toyota is a good make you can trust. You should have years of reliability and dependability with the new camry. (and, pain-free knees to complement!)
Does your new Camery also have passenger side knee airbags? What about the backseat? Doesn't Ty need knee airbags too?
Congrats on your new unique car! :)
so much for free ice cream and donuts...
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