OT - Car Shopping

[newmexicuse]

Well, my 16 yo 1999 Acura TL has finally died, at least to the extent that it needs a transmission repair & I have decided not to put $$$ into that old a vehicle. That vehicle owes me nothing.

We are a 3 car family - we have a Honda Pilot that fills the needs for a large SUV and a "dog vehicle". My wife has her Acura RDX selected by her own preference. I need to replace the TL.

I am not sure between a sedan or a small SUV. If I went the small SUV route, I would want AWD. Since I already have 2 AWD vehicles a sedan is a definite option.

So far I have looked at Ford, Mazda, Hyundai, and Honda. Amongst what I have looked at my favorites so far are the Honda Accord and the Honda Crosstour. I am presently leaning towards the Crosstour AWD because I think it will be big enough to serve as a replacement for my 10 YO Pilot down the road and still give me sedan like driveability for my present needs. The negatives on the Crosstour are not as good gas mileage as I might prefer and that it is supposedly not as "refined" as the latest Accord, but other than the new Accord having a slightly nicer instrument cluster I am at a loss to know what those refinement differences might be. I definitely intend to check out the Acura TLX before making a decision.

My price range is up to the low 30's.

If anybody has a Crosstour out there I would really appreciate input on the vehicle. I am also looking for input about any other vehicles that I should be checking out as I hope to make a decision very soon, so I may not have time to check out everything.

Thx in advance for any inputs...

 

[sufandu]

Given you're going from an Acura, I'm assuming you may like another sports luxury sedan. The Cadillac ATS starts in the low $30 (I think pricing is similar to TLX pricing) and has been getting rave reviews from everything I've read. Since they've been in production since 2012 (2013 model year) you may be able to find a used one with more options or an upgraded drivetrain if that's more important to you than buying new.

 

[Orangello]

You are obviously a Japanese car guy, which I am as well but when it came time recently to replace my wife's 8 yr. old Infiniti G35, I ended up buying a 2012 Lincoln MKZ AWD with 20K miles. I got a screaming deal on the car, it has an excellent repair record and it is a real pleasure to drive. Decent gas mileage and a lot of bells and whistles for the money. You would be very surprised what you can pick these cars up for and their are a lot of them around.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I will need to do this soon (98 corolla, but only ~75k miles).

Wouldnt even know where to start (this is my first car).

 

[sufandu]

I will need to do this soon (98 corolla, but only ~75k miles).

Wouldnt even know where to start (this is my first car).

Holy crap. How do you only have 75,000 miles on a car that's 17 years old?

 

[tbonezone]

i'd look into a circa 2009-10 lexus es 350 sedan or rx crossover with about 50k. comfortable, stylish and practically zero maint. probably set you back 20K tops.

 

[albanycuse]

Well, my 16 yo 1999 Acura TL has finally died, at least to the extent that it needs a transmission repair & I have decided not to put $$$ into that old a vehicle. That vehicle owes me nothing. We are a 3 car family - we have a Honda Pilot that fills the needs for a large SUV and a "dog vehicle". My wife has her Acura RDX selected by her own preference. I need to replace the TL. I am not sure between a sedan or a small SUV. If I went the small SUV route, I would want AWD. Since I already have 2 AWD vehicles a sedan is a definite option. So far I have looked at Ford, Mazda, Hyundai, and Honda. Amongst what I have looked at my favorites so far are the Honda Accord and the Honda Crosstour. I am presently leaning towards the Crosstour AWD because I think it will be big enough to serve as a replacement for my 10 YO Pilot down the road and still give me sedan like driveability for my present needs. The negatives on the Crosstour are not as good gas mileage as I might prefer and that it is supposedly not as "refined" as the latest Accord, but other than the new Accord having a slightly nicer instrument cluster I am at a loss to know what those refinement differences might be. I definitely intend to check out the Acura TLX before making a decision. My price range is up to the low 30's. If anybody has a Crosstour out there I would really appreciate input on the vehicle. I am also looking for input about any other vehicles that I should be checking out as I hope to make a decision very soon, so I may not have time to check out everything. Thx in advance for any inputs...

The 99 to like 01 had bad trannys im surprised it lasted you that long. Cant go wrong with a Honda. The VW Touareg are good too .

 

[AlaskaSU]

First, eliminate any cars that do not come in orange. That is what I did. The Nissan Xtera comes in a nice shade of orange.

 

[Marsh01]

I have a Mazda CX-9. Love it. I highly recommend one.

 

[TBCuse11]

toyota highlander.

game. set. match.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Holy crap. How do you only have 75,000 miles on a car that's 17 years old?

VERY CAREFULLY.

Actually, I bought it from my grandparents 2 years ago before I moved down to Ohio for work after college. As you can imagine, they didnt drive much or too far.

 

[CuseTroop]

I will need to do this soon (98 corolla, but only ~75k miles).

Wouldnt even know where to start (this is my first car).

Man, you still have 200,000 miles left on that car. Fact.

 

[chugg21]

I just went through this 2 weeks ago. Looked around at a bunch of options and went with a 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid ES with moonroof, navigation and all the goodies for right around $31k. They were/are? doing 0% financing for up to 72 months to clear out the 2014s. Absolutely love the car, getting 40mpg on the highway and get more towards 50/60 on the shorter trips to the grocery store etc...

 

[Ghost]

I will need to do this soon (98 corolla, but only ~75k miles).

Wouldnt even know where to start (this is my first car).

My GF reluctantly traded her same year Corolla (reluctantly - no clue why, but she LOVED that car)...except it had 260,000 miles on it. She got a Mazda 6 - I love the way the Mazda's drive fwiw if you're considering those.

If I were you I would get a Jaguar XF. Low 30s will get you one easy with relatively low miles! J/K

 

[OburgOrange]

2013 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 5.2l 4x4. Love my truck. Drove it to Key West and back.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Are looking new or used? What mpg would you like? How many people does it need to hold?

 

[Ghost]

Are looking new or used? What mpg would you like? How many people does it need to hold?

2 in the back, 1 in the trunk. I'm guessing that's how newmexi rolls at least.

 

[newmexicuse]

Are looking new or used? What mpg would you like? How many people does it need to hold?

People - irrelevant

Dogs - 2 big & 1 fufu - LOL !!!!

 

[bevosu]

Car shopping ...two good sites to check out. Always helpful to read what other owners say.

http://www.edmunds.com/

http://www.kbb.com/

 

[HoustonCuse]

Ferrari 458 Italia. You can comfortably fit a large dog and a used one can be had for less than your $300k budget.

 

[bevosu]

Consumer Reports...

Accord...
85 out of 100

The basic four-cylinder Accord is among our top Rated family sedans. It rides and handles well, has a roomy and well-finished interior, and gets and impressive 30 mpg overall with its unobtrusive CVT. The 3.5-liter V6 is lively and refined, and the six-speed automatic gets a very good 26 mpg overall. The Hybrid model gets 40 mpg overall and operates smoothly, but it doesn't ride or handle as well as other Accords. A Plug-in version is available in some states, and has a claimed electric range of 13 miles. Reliability has been average or better for all versions of late.

Crosstour...
65

With seating for five, a raised ride height, and optional AWD, the Crosstour wagon/SUV is based on the previous-generation Accord. We like the high seating position, the spacious cabin with its comfortable seats, and the smooth powertrain. The 3.5-liter V6 gets 21 mpg overall with the new six-speed automatic. However, the freshening also brought a convoluted control interface and electric power steering that's devoid of road feel. The styling impedes the view to the rear and hurts cargo space, handling is clumsy, and the turning circle is wide. All of this resulted in the Crosstour scoring too low to be recommended. A 2.4-liter four-cylinder is available on FWD versions.

 

[TexanMark]

I'll likely have a one owner 2dr 2006 Honda Civic EX to sell in the early Fall. Probably have about 95-100k on it by then but it has never seen snow and has full mx records. I expect to have it up in CNY for the summer. I prefer to sell it to a local Cuse fan.

 

[jekelish]

I have a car too, you guys.

 

[JoeSU]

toyota highlander.

game. set. match.

Consumer Reports loves the Highlander.
Personally, I'm going to check out the new Honda HRV that's being introduced to the US soon. It's built on the Fit frame but with a CRV look and AWD.

 

[TBCuse11]

Consumer Reports loves the Highlander.
Personally, I'm going to check out the new Honda HRV that's being introduced to the US soon. It's built on the Fit frame but with a CRV look and AWD.

toyota for me is the only brand i buy now. I love Jeeps as well, but i had a camry for 8 years, never had to put a dime in to it (other than oil changes)... also had a highlander for many years and loved it. When its time for me to upgrade soon, I will be going Toyota.

Honda HRV... not a bad idea either. If you like the look of the CRV (i dont), then its a good choice for you.