Car Search

[Bob]

I have been tasked with helping my wife's friends who are moving to the US from China for a two year assignment find a car to buy. This is similar to the exercise I went through last year with the Accord; however this time the budget is better ($10-15k). Basically, they are looking for reliable family transportation. They have twins who are 5 or 6 years old so they don't need a huge car, but they do want something with acceptable cargo capacity that would be comfortable to take on a road trip once in a while. They seem to be leaning towards a compact SUV, but there may still be some flexibility to look at a normal sedan or wagon if those even exist.

Cars I have considered, in no particular order:

SUVs:

Honda CR-V - This seemed like the obvious choice from the beginning given the criteria.

Toyota RAV4 - This is also kind of meh from what I have read, but it will likely be reliable and have good resale value.

Mazda CX-5 - This is probably the best to drive of the compact sport utility segment. Unfortunately, resale values are still relatively high for 2013 models. I was expecting that Mazda would depreciate faster than Honda or Toyota, but that does not appear to be the case

Ford Escape - I like the 2.0T, but realistically this might be a base engine affair.

Hybrids:

Toyota Prius V - Why would I ever recommend this in today's world of cheap gas? One reason: cheap gas has pushed the resale way down on hybrids. Also, the form factor of the car would probably be good for them.

Ford C-Max - See Prius V

Sedans/Wagons:

Acura TSX Wagon - I used to kind of like these, but even I have to admit they don't offer a lot of space and the powertrain is a bit uninspiring (although no worse so than anything listed above)

Buick Lacrosse (Epsilon II) - I think this would actually be a perfect road trip machine and there are nice examples available solidly within the price range.

I could probably also insert the usually suspects (Camry, Accord, Altima, Mazda6) here as well, but we'll see how much interest they have in a sedan before I go down that road.

I would probably throw a few more things on the list, but they have an aversion to larger cars. The Lacrosse might even be too big.

[kevm14]

Sounds like one of the blah crossovers is the way to go. Then there's the reality of convincing non-car people that they care about car enthusiast things (like steering feel, ride/handling or non-performance things like luxury features) when all they want is basic transportation.

[Bob]

Yeah, in this case, I'll probably just go with whatever is likely to be the most reliable and have the best resale. I also have a longshot idea that I could potentially buy back whatever they buy after 2 years and replace the Rondo with it (assuming I get rid of the Prius for a Vsport). I think my wife really wanted a CR-V when she bought her Rondo, and I would not be opposed to having a vehicle that offered more utility than a Prius.

[bill25]

What about the Explorer?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale ... de1=EXPLOR


Looks like there are some good deals out there on these.
Used 2013 Ford Explorer 4WD - Mileage: 27,918 - $14,888

Granted, this is a better than average deal...

[Bob]

Kevin can tell you all about my love affair with the Explorer Sport. I think the Explorer might be too large for them. I think the car they have now in China is kind of on par with a Mirage so anything on this list is going to be a big upgrade in terms of interior space.

[Bob]

https://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/6111694283.html

This looks pretty decent.

[Bob]

I forgot about these. Looks like depreciation has put the Hyundai Genesis sedan well within reach as well: https://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/cto/6072384562.html

[Bob]

This is really top of the market money, but it looks like a clean example: https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/6106860004.html

[Bob]

Search is over: https://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/6102288182.html

[kevm14]

Look how much more legroom that has than the STS. It seems to have all the same luxury features, plus massage seats. I also suspect it trapped over 110. 114?