Gymnastics Coach's dream car!

xevious

Hello, hopefully I use the right format here, first attempt at this.

I've been researching a car for my girlfriend to buy as she doesn't know much about cars other than how they look.

She has a very short commute on average, <5 miles="" br="">She has a long trip >4 hours once or twice a month on average, in which she may have 3-4 kids riding with her.
She prefers "tough" vehicles, but also likes luxury type cars (her perfect car would be a Land Rover Disco II or LR3 that ran on regular and got 30mpg). I've got it narrowed down to essentially two vehicles;
2008 Toyota Prius, loaded leather/nav with 58k miles, though in a color she doesn't like (grey)
2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid FWD, 106k, loaded leather/nav, black
2006 Lexus RX400h FWD, 103k, leather/nav, Charcoal (same platform as the Highlander above, just more luxurious without 3rd row seats).

I'm getting research on these vehicles and plan to test drive two today. Are there any choices I could be missing?

Thanks!

Preferred Bodystyle(s): Coupe

Car Needs: Family transporter

Need minimum of 4 seats

Will consider both new and used cars
Maximum mileage: 110000
Maximum age: 10 years

Maximum price: US $ 14000

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A loaded Subaru Forester might be up her ally. Not sure if that would be luxurious enough but would be reliable and efficient. You could also get a large GM SUV like the Traverse but the gas mileage would not be very good...

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The hybrid variants of the Highlander and RX probably don't make sense for her. They don't get much better highway mpg than the non-hybrids. They do get much better city mpg, but it doesn't sound like she does much city driving. But they will cost more to buy, and eventually more to maintain.

The Prius would get far better fuel economy than either. But not at all her style?

A vehicle that might provide the best combination of tough styling, good fuel economy, and reliability could be the 2012 GMC Terrain. I see some with asking prices around $16k. The Terrain was also offered in 2010 and 2011, but those (especially the 2010) are less reliable.

Another possibility is the 2011-2012 Ford Escape. The Escape was offered as a hybrid, and a more efficient one than the larger Toyota/Lexus. But as with those I'm not sure the hybrid makes sense for her driving mix. Reliability for these years of the Ford is okay so far, but not great.

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I am a large fan of the Lexus RX line. Our first was a 2004 which we bought new and traded in after 10 years with 330,000 miles when it needed its first signifcant repair, and we still got 7000 trade-in. Our second is also a very nice vehicle, but I cannot comment as much since it is still new with only 25,000. We can get 27ish mpg when we drive reasonably on the freeway and it is very comfortable for four people and enough luggage for a week long trip. Our '04 even conquered some jeep trails around Moab without complaining. I agree that a hybrid may be unnessary for your needs. From talking to people, they get the about the same highway mpg, have slightly less usable space and have more parts that will eventually need repairs.

I am intrigued by the new Volvo XC90 when it comes out. If you want new, you may want to look at that.

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