Repair-It

My mom has a 2004 Pontiac Vibe. It has served her well, but I'm a little concerned with undercarriage corrosion and I really don't want to have to do super-crusty front subframe or rear axle refurb on anything. It's also buzzy at highway speeds, likely has a roof seam sealant rain leak, and otherwise I think just needing too much TLC for me to want to restore/refurb.

I've been considering a 2014-16ish vintage CRV or RAV4 as the right size/price/application to try to get her reasonable service.

She will likely be OK with whatever I recommend as a budget and mileage/condition/age that I think will be best.

I was thinking CRV since I've had decent service from Honda's and I feel like Toyota is usually too conservative to drive nicely and/or get better mileage than the CRV, however consumer reports overall seemed to like the RAV4 better in a 2016 comparison review:
https://www.consumerreports.org/suvs/ho ... d-you-buy/

Did you know Edmunds was owned by Carmax?

Here's a candidate, 2015, 153k miles, $11k:

Tire pressure light is on and I think I see some rust traces in the tailgate surround at the drivers rear lower corner.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... pe=listing

2015, 157k mi, $12k:

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... pe=listing

Don't forget that on lower trim levels, possibly the base model, the Honda CRV was still available with the naturally aspirated four-cylinder through 2019.

The Equinoxes on my other teen thread seem like they’d be a much cheaper option.

Yeah I'd skip right over those.

Did they use the same powertrain as the Malibu you have?

This is cheaper than a Honda or Toyota of comparable vintage/mileage:

(2015 GLA 250, 141k miles, White, $9900)

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... a8733ef353

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... 99c8cae0e5

'16 GLC300, White, 135k mi, $12k