My 2006 Outback Has about 140K and is turning into a bit of a money pit. There is a lot of rubber in the suspension to give it a smoother and quieter ride. A lot of the rubber bushings and things are deteriorating and need to be replaced.

I have the automatic electronic climate control. I just had to replace one of the valves buried in the dash because it pooped out and was making a random clicking noise that was driving me nutz.


I have just given up on the independent Subaru shop near me. This was the fourth time they've botched something. One CV boot failed. They replaced that one, but the one on the other side was failing and they didn't replace it... a few weeks later it gave way. They told me the pulley on my accessory belt was "making a little noise". Two weeks later it seized completely and ate the pulley, the bracket, the belt, and nearly took out my alternator and power steering pump. While doing some routine work, they knocked a wire off a sensor and the check engine light came on two blocks after pulling out of their parking lot. And now, with the valve in the dash, there was no heat on the passenger side of the car.

I like the car a lot, but I need a better repair shop.


Since the Outback isn't on your list, I won't try to make the case for getting the six-cylinder version.

quote:

Originally posted by Lisa:
My minivan is a big square box and I live in PA. Every once in a while I feel myself getting blown around in really insane winds and very occasionally when passing semi trucks or when they pass me. But 99% of the time I don't notice any difference between it and my smaller cars. I think the winds in Montana must be a lot different than the wind on the east coast! :-)

Anyway, where you live, I wouldn't make "getting blown around by the wind" a huge concern. But I think you're going to just have to get out there and drive things to see how you feel about them. For me, I like sitting higher than the typical sedan (or even outback) sits....I can see my surroundings better and I don't feel like a fender bender would result in someone's bumper coming through my windshield. There are plenty of smallish SUVs (or again, the Kia Soul) that handle like a car but still give you that higher vantage point and that is what I would use as my starting point if I was car shopping. But you may feel completely differently and decide you want to be aerodynamic and low like Pique! The only way you're going to know is to get out there and drive a few things to start narrowing your criteria down.

We had 65 mph winds today. I elected to ride in the barn aisle rather than trailer my horse to an indoor arena. We get shingles ripped off the roof on a regular basis. The snow comes down inside our house whenever the wind blows hard in winter--it blows it back into our exhaust vents. I'll be cooking and it's snowing down onto the stove.

quote:

We had 65 mph winds today. I elected to ride in the barn aisle rather than trailer my horse to an indoor arena. We get shingles ripped off the roof on a regular basis. The snow comes down inside our house whenever the wind blows hard in winter--it blows it back into our exhaust vents. I'll be cooking and it's snowing down onto the stove.

Get an Audi. Do it this morning. Post pics. You're welcome.

Got me thinking....

I drive a 2015 VW Passat turbo. I have about 120k miles on it and it may be able to go a lot longer, but I started looking.

We are tall, so need roomy vehicles - looking for something a little shorter for city parking as well as a smooth(ish) car for road trips.

I'm really intrigued by the Kia Niro - hybrid FWD suv/crossover. I fit inside, like the idea of a hybrid and the extended warranty, even though I usually buy a few years old. I'd probably be looking at a 2017 or 2018 with under 40k miles.

Anyone owned a Kia??

Who was recommending the Kia Soul?? Steve??

I've never heard of the Niro, I'll have to take a look.

We haven't been able to do any test drives yet, so we haven't gotten much further but we're hoping to go drive a few different cars soon (starting with a Honda Civic, CR-V and then a Toyota Camry and a Rav4, and then we'll go from there)

My son in law and his family all drive Kias. They've been very satisifed.

The RAV4 and CRV have both grown, so depending on whether you are looking at new or used, there are different sizes that you can test.

My Passat is 191.6" long. MrsTuner's Forester is 181.5" long. I was hoping to find a suitable car under 180", so the Niro is well under that at 172" and way more affordable than the other options out there. The pre-2018 VW Tiguan at 174.5 is currently in second place in my search - the economy isn't so good and is still a turbo. The back seats of both of these still fit 6' people ok!

My Passat 'eats' a quart of oil about every 1000 miles - the dealer tells me that falls in the normal range for their turbos...

I own 2 Kia Souls - one is mainly driven by LL#1. We bought that one first and I drove it while she was learning to drive. Loved it so much that when she absconded with it, I bought another basically identical model. I think the Kia Soul is an awesome combo - drives and handles like a car, gets great gas mileage, but is sized like a small SUV and sits a bit higher on the road than a sedan but less high than an SUV. Lots of headroom and a roomy back seat, and with the back seats down, it can fit a LOT of cargo. I love it, and when LL#2 absconds with this one, I'll probably buy another.

We bought both of ours slightly used, with around 30-40K miles, as you are planning to do. The warranty for a second owner goes to 5 years 60K miles, I think -- you lose the 10 year extended warranty as that is only good for the first owner. They seem pretty reliable though. One of ours has never had any issues, the other has had one small thing go wrong with the fuel sensor that cost a few hundred bucks to fix.

Not familiar with the Niro - I think I saw one one in the showroom when I was looking for our second Soul but it was a hybrid so I just assumed it was their eco-model. I do know that Kia has expanded their line to include more luxury finishes - my sister in law recently bought a Kia Stinger - she paid like $38K and that car is SWEET - it is so luxurious inside and out that you'd be hard pressed to distinguish it from it's high end competitors that cost twice as much.