Ideas for Future Family Car

[LordofDoom]

Our old Dodge Caravan ('94, man, what a piece of sh*t may it rest in peace ) is slowly dying. We need a new vehicle to compliment our '00 Subaru Forrester in the garage.

My family is looking for a new car and the following are the criteria:
-Good enough in 1-2'' of snow
-Gas efficient
-Reasonable budget (under 35k, preferably under 30 or even 25)
-Acquirable on the East Coast (US)
-Fits 2 adults, me, my brother, and Photon
-Is of quality (I'd prefer not to have something like a Kia )

Thanks!

PS: So far, I hate the Prius with a passion. I believe it is one of the ugliest cars of all time. I've negotiated an attempt at possibly getting a Nissan Altima Hybrid (good idea?), so that is one of the choices.

[[XC] leviathan18]

subaru wrx and when you can drive you get it....

[Baldrick]

Originally Posted by leviathan18

subaru wrx and when you can drive you get it....

or an evo

[Magnj]

Family car guys, Family car.

Camry Hybrid...it's car of the year

[itznfb]

yes definitely a toyota. pick a toyota you like and buy it.

[WeedJunk]

Ford S-max? Also a family car, for a big family

(also car of the year '07 I believe)

[LordofDoom]

Originally Posted by Magnj

Family car guys, Family car.

Camry Hybrid...it's car of the year

Yeah this is our 2nd pick. Here's the problem:
Toyota Camry is 2k more than the Nissan and gets 1k less tax break, whereas the Nissan gets the full tax break. I also dislike the look a bit more, but it's OK. I've read good reviews about both cars and tmk they are the same build with slightly different things.

Remember, again guys, gas efficiency matters to my parents a bunch. The Toyota Camry Hybrid gets 43/37 (+/- 1) and the Nissan Altima Hybrid gets 42/36 (+/- 1, likely the same as the Camry).

[NickS]

Ford Taurus

Large, can be found cheap, nice inside, economical, nice looking, reliable, etc. Good in snow too.

[WesM63]

BMW 325xi or Audi A4/S4. Ok, they don't get the best MPG, but some of the best driving cars ever.

[zakelwe]

Honda Accord Tourer Diesel 2.2i CDTi

None of the hybrids probably match its performance or fuel efficiency and Photon can have his own play area in the back ..woof woof !

Regards

Andy

[LordofDoom]

Originally Posted by zakelwe

Honda Accord Tourer Diesel 2.2i CDTi

None of the hybrids probably match its performance or fuel efficiency and Photon can have his own play area in the back ..woof woof !

Regards

Andy

Nice idea, but I don't see a link in the US. Google finds them all over UK, but no US.

Wes and IanY- I said budget is preferably <35k and I've just changed it to <30k.

[[XC] leviathan18]

there is no diesel in US from honda toyota or bmw or mercedes i think

[The Ghost]

Originally Posted by leviathan18

there is no diesel in US from honda toyota or bmw or mercedes i think

the usa sells the mercedes 320 diesel , and a few vw diesels
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/byfuel/Diesel2006.shtml

[LordofDoom]

:/ Still not <30k

[StealthyFish]

I believe Altima's are fast family cars. I'd actually go with the Altima since the 0-60 on atleast the 2k1 SE models, is around 6.5 seconds. Not bad for a family car. it just comes up behind a BMW 328i, with a 0-60 of around 6.0 seconds. But the hybrids... I really know nothing about them. But from their history, it looks to be a good car.

[Knight]

Did I not see a Civic SI? Does it not work for you?

[Magnj]

Idk if you have ever owned or driven a Nissan, but to me they seem junky. The Toyota's are built to last and I think the Camry is very nice loking.

[Nanometer]

I love how the person who started the thread request a family sedan, and some dingbat comes in here and suggests an EVO. If this thread were for a truck I have no doubt the same person would of made the same idiotic remark. Infinit m35(expensive side), nissan altima(fast car), mercedes clk 240(expensive side), honda accord, toyota camry(fast car). I'm not a fan of american cars so I don't even bother following up on them. MY suggestions are imports, but there are plenty American cars as well that are good possibilities.

The Civic SI is not a family sedan. It is a coupe and a manual. Family sedan is not a coupe and is usually not a manual.

[Knight]

Sorry to be a little misleading. The Civic SI Sedan.

http://automobiles.honda.com/models/...Civic+Si+Sedan

[StealthyFish]

Acura TL's don't look too bad either. I saw 2 today at work (oh, that and some woman who drove a BMW M6.. but that's a little bit out of your price range).

[Nanometer]

Cool, an SI saloon. I still doubt it comes in an auto. I personally would get a sentra spec v for the same price. Speaking of sentra. The new Sentra SL model can come in all leather and CVT transmission. It's a pretty small car, but I like it. Size wise, maybe a little smaller than my friend's TSX. Good car for the money.

[serialk11r]

C230? Last time I took a close look it seemed decent for the price. You can get certified pre owned real cheap.

[WesM63]

Originally Posted by LordofDoom

Nice idea, but I don't see a link in the US. Google finds them all over UK, but no US.

Wes and IanY- I said budget is preferably <35k and I've just changed it to <30k.

I was referring to used cars, at any rate i'm sure you can get a new Audi A4 for under $30k.

Edit, I take that back. They are alot more new than i thought they where.

[|3ourne]

My personal favourite would have to be either a Nissan Maxima or a Nissan Altima V6. the VQ35 engine is just simply the best in its class not to mention its been awarded the best engine for the past 10 years in its category.

[SparkyJJO]

Forget the hybrids, sure they get good gas mileage but then the battery wears out and you are left with an expensive battery to replace. And the resale value on hybrids is lower than regular cars because of the battery wear.