Car Search
Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 12:30 pm
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.
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.