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Island Car

The Right Car for Me | TrueDelta

laurieo

Looking for a safe, reliable used car, preferably a small SUV or station wagon in which I can fit larger items when necessary. Live on an island, but will make trips to city (150 miles round trip) 2-3 times a month. We are a couple and this will be our only car - for a while, at least. Makes/models considered are:
Honda CR_V
Toyota RAV4
Ford Escape
Subaru Forester
Thanks!

Preferred Bodystyle(s): SUV / Wagon

Car Needs: Long trips / Errands about town / Daily commuter

Primary Driver(s): Tall driver / Short driver

Need minimum of 4 seats

Will consider both new and used cars
Maximum mileage: 130000
Maximum age: 15 years

Maximum price: US $ 10000

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Response from ezgobob

5:14 pm May 21, 2015

I have driven the Ford Escap, very good SUV. I also have driven the Subara Forester, the accelerator felt like it was sticking, the best 4 wheel drive system and overall a very good suv. You can't go wrong with a CR-V, Honda quality

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Response from mkaresh

5:11 pm May 24, 2015

New or used?

The Escape has the most refined, quietest ride, but lags the others in reliability.

Many members have really liked the Mazda CX-5

I personally prefer a station wagon, and would strongly consider the new Golf Sportwagen. But it's only a contender if you're buying new. Used, the Jetta Sportwagen is a possibility, but check our stats to see how reliable it has been. VWs these days tend to be okay for up to six years.

If you don't need a lot of space, there's an emerging group of small SUVs, including the Chevrolet Trax, Buick Encore (same mechanicals as the Trax, very reliable so far), Honda HR-V, and Mazda CX-3.

Test drive a few of these and let us know what you like and dislike. This would help me provide a more specific recommendation.

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Mazda CX-5
Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen

Response from laurieo

11:47 pm May 24, 2015

Thanks for the responses. I did edit question to include that I'm looking for a used vehichle now. :-)
I'm definitely more interested in Honda or Toyota as I've heard great things about reliability and low cost of repairs. and liked the feel of driving the RAV4 a bit more than the CR-V as it felt a bit more solid. Thinking about ruling out the Escape or Subaru....

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Response from mkaresh

11:36 am May 25, 2015

If reliability is your top priority and you preferred the feel of the RAV4, that's probably the best way to go. The only iffy model year has been 2006, the first year of the third-generation RAV4.

Depending on your budget the Mazda CX-5 might also be worth a look. They've been very reliable so far. But the oldest are 2013s, so long-term reliability is unknown.

Subarus tend to very reliable for the first 100,000 mile, but after that point too often become expensive. This could change for the latest ones, but it's too soon to tell.

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Toyota RAV4
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