What kind of car should I buy?

[phantom]

I like small SUVs in general. I've bought two Nissan Rogues in the past year, a 2014 and a 2015, for about 15k each. (The first one was in an accident and totaled a couple of months after we bought it.) The fact that I went out and bought a nearly identical car after losing the first should either tell you how much I liked it or how sick I was of car shopping.

The seats fold down, and they work pretty well for hauling stuff. I'm 5'10" and finding laying down in the back to be a little uncomfortable, but doable.

There is bluetooth for connecting a phone, but not for playing music.

Neither came with leather seats, so I don't know if that's an option. The second one had light colored seats, which I didn't care for. So, I decided I would just get seat covers. What I didn't realize is that the headrests on the back row of seats are attached, which means I'll have to cut a hole in the seat covers to attach them. So, there's no cover on the top half of the back bench right now. Not a huge deal, but something to consider if you decide to get creative about dealing with the dog hair.

I test drove a CRV, but I didn't like it as much as some of the other options. I don't remember exactly why. What I really liked was the Mazda CX-5. But, I couldn't justify the extra cost over the Rogue.

[amastewa93]

I was looking for the same things in a car earlier this year. I have a dog, so I wanted leather seats. We go hiking, etc. so space is important (and my dog is large, so he needs space too). Bluetooth, heated seats, and flex seating...

I wound up in a VW Golf and am in love with it. They also have larger station wagons... and their SUVs (The Tiguan) have had good reviews as well.

[msomnipotent]

I wouldn't drive a minivan if I had 5 kids and a soccer mom sticker, let alone a single mom with one kid and a couple dogs lol Now a conversion van with a bed and bath I would do... cards just yet

Whenever I hear conversion van, I think, "There's a van down by the river giving out candy!" I had a minivan with one kid and a 100 lb dog. You get over the "soccer mom" mentality pretty quickly once you realize how convenient they are. The sound system was better than my living room, too! But I have a lot of extended family that I need to shuttle around and the old ones are starting to have trouble climbing into an SUV. It looks like I need another minivan but I actually want a larger pick up.

Why do people with dogs want leather seats? I would never get leather seats with a dog again. Puppies chew and larger dogs poke holes with their nails (especially right after I trim their nails) and leather is a lot more expensive to get reupholstered. And the dogs tend to slide around on curves. But I do kind of corner like a NASCAR driver. It's more fun that way.

[disneysteve]

I've never understood the aversion to minivans. We've had one since 1996 and I love it. It was great all the years we were selling at toy shows. It was great when our daughter was young and we had all of that stuff (stroller, pack and play, etc.). But it's also great for us because we travel a lot and often take long drives, like 1,000 miles each way to Florida. It's so nice to have pretty much unlimited space to load up our stuff. It was great to have to move our daughter in and out of college. It's come in handy so many times.

My wife has commented a couple of times that she might like something else next time around after driving a van for 22+ years. If we do get something else, I will definitely miss the minivan.

[msomnipotent]

The only thing I didn't like was trying to park it, but it didn't have a back up camera or anything. I'm sure newer ones would be much easier to park. I really liked our minivan. It had a ton up pick up, the seats folded flat so we could fit anything in there, the same or more towing capacity than most of the SUV's, and it was like having a living room on wheels with the entertainment center in there. Plus, it drove nice over rough roads.

I have noticed that the people that originally had comments about it didn't hesitate to borrow it hundreds of times to move or take on road trips, and I think they missed it more than we did when we traded it in. Except my daughter. She kind of made a scene with her crying and theatrics when they took the keys.

[riverwed070707]

Whenever I hear conversion van, I think, "There's a van down by the river giving out candy!"

When I hear conversion van, I think of a luxury home on wheels parked on the side of a mountain in a national park overlooking the clearest blue lake you've ever seen and sleeping with a view of the stars But i suppose a creeper could be handing out candy by the river in one too

Why do people with dogs want leather seats? I would never get leather seats with a dog again. Puppies chew and larger dogs poke holes with their nails (especially right after I trim their nails) and leather is a lot more expensive to get reupholstered. And the dogs tend to slide around on curves. But I do kind of corner like a NASCAR driver. It's more fun that way.

I prefer leather because the hair cannot physically be removed from cloth seats. Its always there impossibly embedded... until you sit on it in black pants and then it magically transfers to your clothing. I also like the easy clean up of leather - doesn't matter if I spill my coffee, kid dumps a snack, dog pukes... everything just wipes right out, gets sprayed and wiped again. Can honestly say I've never had a hole in my leather seats nor considered reupholstering them. In my 06 accord they definitely show wear but they are long from needing replaced. Also heated seats are a godsend in Iowa winters. I know some newer cars have heat without leather but I've never owned a car that new haha Dogs sliding is definitely a downside!

[Tabs]

Whenever I hear conversion van, I think, "There's a van down by the river giving out candy!"

It's true that vandwellers (and anyone else that tries to live in their vehicles, even part time or is just on a road trip) face a deep social stigma. However, if you want to travel and be frugal about it, this is really the best option available. Commerical RVs are ridiculously expensive (to me), even the used ones. And motels and hotels? It's still, at best, $50 a night. And that is with questionable pillows, sheets, mattress, and whatever else is in there that other patrons have done with it, and the establishment haven't cleaned for the past month or two. No thank you.

Here are a few typical examples of DIY camper vans.







Yes, DIY-ing requires a lot more work and upfront cost, but the labor cost is "free" if you are doing it yourself, and the end result will save you at least $50k on up, compared to buying your own commercial RV. That saving will continue every time you travel and don't pay for a motel or hotel room.

And yes, some may also have terrible quality builds that resemble candy-dispensing pedo-rape vans. However, that's a poor build that merely hurts the entire community, and you don't have build it that way.

[riverwed070707]

I follow quite a few #vanlife accounts on instagram (this is my dream retirement!). Comeswithaview is one of my favs. 40hoursoffreedom also has a beautiful setup (although they paid a lot for it relative to other van builds). Vanlifeexplorers is an account that just posts other peoples setups - fun for getting ideas for my future build! Definitely don't understand the stigma associating with living in a van... maybe I need to be more open minded about the mini van haha

[msomnipotent]

When I hear conversion van, I think of a luxury home on wheels parked on the side of a mountain in a national park overlooking the clearest blue lake you've ever seen and sleeping with a view of the stars But i suppose a creeper could be handing out candy by the river in one too



I prefer leather because the hair cannot physically be removed from cloth seats. Its always there impossibly embedded... until you sit on it in black pants and then it magically transfers to your clothing. I also like the easy clean up of leather - doesn't matter if I spill my coffee, kid dumps a snack, dog pukes... everything just wipes right out, gets sprayed and wiped again. Can honestly say I've never had a hole in my leather seats nor considered reupholstering them. In my 06 accord they definitely show wear but they are long from needing replaced. Also heated seats are a godsend in Iowa winters. I know some newer cars have heat without leather but I've never owned a car that new haha Dogs sliding is definitely a downside!

I carry a lint brush and just the occasionally vacuum cleans fur up for me. I think I have had to get out the roll of packing tape once so far to lift off fur. It is entirely possible that our clothes are already so saturated with animal fur that no more can stick, though. I mainly deal with Beagle fur, which is really coarse and stiff so it is a little easier to get up. The downside is that if you sit on it the right way, it feels like someone stabbed you in the ass with a big knife.

The last car we had with leather needed a reupholster by the time we traded it in, I think we had it about 10 years. I even used leather conditioner and special cleaner, and the front seats still had those wrinkles. They were white, though. White leather starts to look nasty as soon as you sit in it. Our German Shepherd poked a few holes after she got her trims from Pet Smart, but that was before they offered the nail grinding. Other seats were a suede leather, which I will never, ever get again. It was torture in the summer and nothing cleaned it. I'm from IL. I also insist on heated seats. I would even pay extra for heated seats in the back but the vehicles we are interested in don't seem to offer it yet.

[msomnipotent]

It's true that vandwellers (and anyone else that tries to live in their vehicles, even part time or is just on a road trip) face a deep social stigma. However, if you want to travel and be frugal about it, this is really the best option available. Commerical RVs are ridiculously expensive (to me), even the used ones. And motels and hotels? It's still, at best, $50 a night. And that is with questionable pillows, sheets, mattress, and whatever else is in there that other patrons have done with it, and the establishment haven't cleaned for the past month or two. No thank you.

Those are all the reasons why I want to get a pick up and a travel trailer or 5th wheel. I'm too old, arthritic, and cranky for tent camping and a pop-up isn't any better. I see nice looking used trailers for sale for $10,000, which is our travel budget for 2 years. There is 3 of us and the dog, so we are looking for something larger, plus the nieces and nephews would want to come along.

It wasn't that long ago that people thought it was weird to live in a motor home and now it is all the rage. Maybe the time for conversion vans will come.

[riverwed070707]

In case anyone was dying to know what I ended up with, I spent a month back on forth on whether I needed this purchase. Felt anxious about spending the money, decided to put it off, and then ran across an 07 CR-V EX-L with only 93k miles and priced at $7,900. I couldn't pass it up - it was way under budget and under book value, met all my requirements and aside from a few scratches and needing the headlights buffed out, its in great shape. It's also covered under dealer warranty until 100k miles which makes me feel better about going with something so much older. Not much newer than my car but the AWD will be a HUGE advantage getting up my hill in the winter and the lower miles should have me set for several years. Picking it up today! Currently selling my 06 accord, and if I get something around $4k for it, it really didn't cost me much to get into something thats a better fit for my needs

[disneysteve]

ran across an 07 CR-V EX-L with only 93k miles and priced at $7,900. I couldn't pass it up

Congrats. Enjoy it.

[cypher1]

In case anyone was dying to know what I ended up with, I spent a month back on forth on whether I needed this purchase. Felt anxious about spending the money, decided to put it off, and then ran across an 07 CR-V EX-L with only 93k miles and priced at $7,900. I couldn't pass it up - it was way under budget and under book value, met all my requirements and aside from a few scratches and needing the headlights buffed out, its in great shape. It's also covered under dealer warranty until 100k miles which makes me feel better about going with something so much older.

Welcome to the CRV club, LOL. That is a great deal. I paid 12500 for my 2010 SE with 85K a year ago. My only tip is to check your oil levels every 1K for the first couple of months. Not trying to to scare you, but those K24 series engines are known to burn oil more frequently. I've seen it on my 04 Acura TSX, 03 Element, and a friend's 06 Accord. Honda even extended their warranty on later models. https://honda.oemdtc.com/TSB/A12-089.pdf While your year may not qualify, I had a friend with an 07 CRV that experienced the same issue, and the dealership finally covered it.

[snafu]

Well done! CRV has thus far been our all time favourite vehicle, no aggro, just regular maintenance. We sold it to our mechanic at 200,000 miles and she drove it to 300,000 mi, re-did transmission and recently sold it. We had a camping mattress, sleeping bag and enjoyed it's 'picnic ' table to support travel at safe, secure, often beautiful Rest Stops. I hope you enjoy your CRV as much as we enjoyed ours. Safe travels.

[riverwed070707]

Well done! CRV has thus far been our all time favourite vehicle, no aggro, just regular maintenance. We sold it to our mechanic at 200,000 miles and she drove it to 300,000 mi, re-did transmission and recently sold it. We had a camping mattress, sleeping bag and enjoyed it's 'picnic ' table to support travel at safe, secure, often beautiful Rest Stops. I hope you enjoy your CRV as much as we enjoyed ours. Safe travels.

My old one had the table in the back. Always thought that was an underrated feature! Also liked how the tailgate opened to the side instead of up. 07 I got loses both of those features