Car search is on. Help!

[padboy]

Car Search is on. Help

Have you looked at Volvos? Lots of comfort and safety features avail in their wagons.

[ironhat]

I got in a friend's three year old Subie last night and I'm afraid that my back and their seat design are a bit at odds. I still haven't ruled them out because they have so much going for them. I read a lot on the RAV4 last night and couldn't find a negative comment other than the seats don't fold down flat. I's the only SUV/ Crossover that has an around-town gas rating higher than the teens. Even my current Dodge van stumbles around in the teens around town. On trips it will get 24. Too bad these seats give me so much trouble or I might have been conviced to stay with it, after reading so many dismal gas mileage reports. The back things is a *huge* issue for me so I'm going to have to be picky this time. I was swayed by the wife on the van and I can't say anything negative about the mechanicals or power. Hang those seats though. Still looking and haven't ruled out anything at this point. Thanks for the great suggestions.

[messmaker]

I think I would take a look at a Honda CRV. Hundai and Mazda have some models that look tempting.

[frumper64]

Take a look at Volvo's

If your bad back is really an issue, take a look at Volvo. I think the S-40 (their smallest model) might be just the ticket. We had Volvo's steadily from 1975 on until my wife wanted a Lexus ES back in 2001. The Lexus is a nice car, but I still miss the seats in the Volvos - they are far and away the best seats available in a car.

[mschrank]

double posted somehow...see next post

[mschrank]

I got in a friend's three year old Subie last night and I'm afraid that my back and their seat design are a bit at odds. I still haven't ruled them out because they have so much going for them.

We had a 2002 Outback for a couple years. We really loved that car, but had to give it up so we could make payments on a new Toyota Sienna minivan (which we also love, and I found that several 4 x 8 sheets of ply fit nicely with seats folded/removed). BUT, I have to admit that the Subaru seats weren't the best. I don't have back problems per se, but found that I was uncomfortable on longer trips (6+ hrs). My back would get sore, and my left leg would start going a bit numb. Too bad they don't make 'em just a bit roomier.

[HarmsWay]

Interesting observation on the Subaru seats. My MIL has a new Forrester that she loves. Occassionally I drive it. I find the seats uncomfortable but I had assumed it was because I had not taken the time to adjust them properly for me (I was trying to make it easier for her to return it to her setting). My back is full of metal bits and because of it's new fixed form, what is comfortable to me often is not comfortable to someone else.

Volvo's claim to have the most confortable seats and most ergonomic setup for the driver. I've driven a couple of S80s and would agree with that claim. However, that's a pretty expensive way to get a comfortable seat.

Bob

[Rand]

Have you tried www.edmunds.com

You can search for new or used hatchbacks and search by size, price range etc. Then you can look at specs, ratings, reviews etc. It also gives you an idea of what you should pay.

[crokett]

Another vote for the Vibe. I have an '05 bought new. It shares powertrain and engine with the Matrix and is built by Toyota. My is pusing 50k miles in a little over two years and still runs great. I've also hauled an amazing amount of stuff in it.

[mpc]

My two cents on Subarus... my folks have a Legacy Outback that they are very pleased with. They bought it because it could be towed "4 down" (all wheels on the ground with no driveshaft disconnects or other modifications, few AWD drive cars can be towed this way) behind an RV. They've driven it well over 100K miles, and towed it another 50K. No real problems to speak of. To my knowledge, beyond routine maintenance it's needed:

* 1 front halfshaft/driveshaft... the CV boot had split and all the grease had been flung out (covering the back of the engine and a cat converter = stink). I did the replacement for them, took about half an hour - piece of cake. And I didn't have to totally remove the front wheel hub to do it either - which is the factory manual procedure.

* 1 of the bearings/guides for the timing belt. That was done during the normal timing belt replacement at the scheduled maintenance interval. It was making typical bad-bearing scraping sounds - faint ones - so it wasn't siezed or totally shot yet.

* The center differential started jamming/siezing or something. I don't know the details other than it had to be replaced... and it wasn't exactly cheap. Dad brought the old one to my house on a visit - a couple shafts and some gears in a typical differential arrangement... and nothing moved. It might as well have been one giant casting. As far as I know, this is the only "big" repair the car has ever needed.

That's it. It still has the original wheel bearings - even with 200K+ miles of combined driving & towing. It starts reliably still, even in Utah winters, gets excellent fuel mileage (30+ highway, I don't remember the exact number), the air conditioner is pretty powerful, steering is still as tight as it ever was. It doesn't even leak oil onto the driveway.

As for the seats: I find them fairly hard and uncomfortable after 2 hours of driving. Their car has the electric seat adjustments and tipping the bottom a bit helps a little. When I have to drive that car (visiting the folks, mom makes me drive when it's dark out since she has eyesight issues) I make a habit of changing the tilt angle every half hour or so. Helps a bit... But the "lumbar support" area is just too big/too firm on the backrest to me; it's like having a log behind you.

Dislikes (besides the seats):
* brake pedal is really soft in my opinion, and it travels a lot before any real braking effort begins. It always freaks me out the first time I drive it during a visit to the folks... feels like the pedal is going to the floor or something. It was that way from day one and other 'subes on the lot felt the same way.

* There is an air leak around the passenger door/window/mirror corner. It's been "fixed" two or three times by dealers and I took a shot at it too. The fix lasts for a few weeks, then it comes back. It starts whistling or buzzing depending on the driving speed; mom's dog barks at it too adding to the noise.

* The windshields seem to break/crack easily. Not surprising given the huge size of it. After the first replacement, another air leak developed on the driver side. This one only makes noise at high highway speeds + crosswinds. Then it sounds like a party noisemaker or somebody giving you the razzberry. VERY annoying to dad. It also makes the dog bark. Dad and I have pulled off the interior trim, fender, and sealing strip between the door and roof, etc. trying to locate the leak. Taping all the gaps doesn't help - air must be getting in from the front of the fender, snaking around inside the bodywork, and then excites something in the "A" pillar (the post on the side of the windshield supporting the roof). We've even driven the car with half the interior pieces removed, wads of tape, sealant, etc. stuck everywhere... seems fixed... until my folks start the 556 mile drive home from my house. Two hours into it... BZZZZZT. Woof-woof.

If it weren't for those two annoying noises, dad would probably keep the car forever - rebuilding the engine if/when it was needed. They like the car that much other than the noises.

Best seats I've ever felt: a stupid rental Dodge Colt in Colorado. It was a Mitsubishi something-or-other sold by Dodge; a very plain-Jane 3-door hatchback in the typical 1980s econocar mold. The seats though were bloody amazingly comfortable. My friend that I was visiting, a full head taller than me, said the same thing. He was blown away by the seats in this dorky little car. I haven't ridden in any current model cars to know what's good today. My cars are all older models - with good seats though.

mpc

[jackellis]

Volvo wagons are pretty nice cars but they are also very expensive. Note: Don't get one the first year they come out. We're now starting to face some expensive repair bills for a five year old car that we had not anticipated.

We have a 1983 Subaru wagon that gets about 28 MPG highway. Even after 24 years and 188k miles, it can sit at the airport for two months or in an unheated garage all winter and still start up pretty easily. The only problem with ours is that it is very underpowered, especially when driving at 6,000 feet.

[thrytis]

I don't know if they've redesigned the Subaru seats recently or if it is just me, but i find my 2007 Legacy seats very comfortable for long drives. They're different though, so probably not for everyone. I would definitely look at a 5 speed, because my automatic (4 cylinder) does not have much in the way of power. I'm pretty happy with the gas mileage (typically high 20s in town, ~32 on highway), and it'll tow 2500 lbs.

I would suggest looking at a CRV if you aren't opposed to an SUV. It gets pretty good gas mileage and a decent amount of storage capacity for a small SUV. The Mazda 6 wagon comes standard with a six cylinder engine and gets reasonable gas mileage, but isn't rated for towing if that is important. The RAV4 as mentioned by others would be another one.