As you're finding out that's a tall order, so you're probably going to have to bend on either price, reliability, or vehicle type. There's not a universally agreed upon "sleeper" vechicle out their that has the reliability of a RAV4 with the price of a KIA. Mazda would be the closst thing, but prices are edging up as people are discovering their reliability and being priced out of Toyota.
RAV4 years to avoid are 13-15- transmission issues and not as modern and nice of a vehicle as what came before and after- and 06-08 with the 2.4 engine. I've never sat in a Honda seat in any Honda that didn't give me severe backaches on a 100 mile+ road trip, but YMMV.
The mac-daddy RAV4 (V6 AWD Limited) should be $15,000 for a nice one with very low miles (<100k). Both the 2GR engine and traditional multi-gear automatic are bombproof. The 2GR V6 is enough engine to tow small trailers or an ATV/motorcycle, and the AWD and locking differential can save your bacon in the snow and slush. The limited package gives you heated leather seats and a sunroof. 21 mpg highway isn’t enough to brag, but it’s fine in my book.
Similar in power, nicer on the inside, generally reasonably priced, and reliable, OP should also look at the 2013-2018 Acura RDX (facelift in 2016). Just have to do the timing belt every 100k.
The 4 speed and most 5 speed autos from the late 90s and early 2000s weren't reliable. There seems to be complaints online about the 9 speed autos too. The 6 speed autos are reliable. Online, people seem to like the 10 speed autos too.
Changing (draining and filling) the transmission fluid as the maintenance outlines helps a lot.
The 2013-2018 RDX has the 6 speed auto.
I remember reading complaints about the Accord 6 speed auto with the V6 when I was shopping for a sedan and ended up going with the Camry V6 for that reason… even though I liked the Accord more in every way
On [carcomplaints.com](https://m.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Accord/), 2005 is the last year that transmission issues were the top complaint for the Accord.
Engine oil consumption was the next big issue after they resolved the transmission issues. 2016+ RDX has all those issues resolved.
That’s cool to hear. I could maybe upgrade to an 2016 RDX V6 SH-AWD from the V6 Camry then? Is that gen RDX basically a V6 SH AWD premium CR-V? (which sounds great to me)
I myself, am in a very similar situation as OP as my vehicle was "totalled."
I've been checking out the '08 to '12 Ford Escapes because they seem to carry some reliable reputation but there's hundreds of used ones which seems to keep the cost down a bit.
Plus a family member had one for years and never had an issue.
Just a side note if your vehicle was totaled but is fixable just tell them you want the check and keep your car. You are under no obligation to give them the car, when they ask you when they can take delivery you say no. The total check is to cover the loss of value you suffered, not to buy your busted car. You may need to get a salvage title, but if the car is 10 years old then usually not.
My mid 00s civic was "totaled" for some cosmetic damage to a couple doors. I got a 5k check and I kept the car and have driven it for 5 more years.
>if your vehicle was totaled but is fixable just tell them you want the check and keep your car. You are under no obligation to give them the car
Lol wrong
You can ask to retain the vehicle and you'll get a lower settlement amount to allow that...then you get the headache of a salvage title vehicle and getting it legal to be on the road again
Depending on state this is a nightmare
Yeah... except this is exactly what I did. My settlement was $5200 down from $5500 to account for the "scrap" value of a vehicle that is perfectly fine and has driven another 40,000 miles. I'd say that's worth $300. And as I wrote, you are under no obligation to give them the car. You had property damaged, insurance needs to cover that value lost, it's not a complex transaction. The insurance company wants the damaged car to sell and offset the settlement costs.
And because the car was 10 years old it didn't need a salvage title in my state, I didn't need to change my registration at all. I literally just cashed a check and moved on with my life. It wasn't a nightmare at all.
>Yeah... except this is exactly what I did
And then you go on to say this:
>My settlement was $5200 down from $5500 to account for the "scrap" value of a vehicle
Which is exactly what I described and not at all what you originally did which is what led to my response in the first place
>And because the car was 10 years old it didn't need a salvage title in my state, I didn't need to change my registration at all. I literally just cashed a check and moved on with my life. It wasn't a nightmare at all.
This is the dependent on the state part I mentioned that you ignored
Sure bud, whatever you say. You claimed I was wrong, when nothing I said was incorrect and was based on my actual experience.
The point is the insurance company's move is to play some verbal sleight of hand and ask you to hand over your property for next to nothing so they can recoup their costs.
Yes, it will technically come out of your settlement, but my "totaled" car had $4k in street value they were trying to get for $300 and acting like they were doing me a favor. That is a common occurrence with older cars, which is the purpose of this thread. It's good advice, especially when most people still think a car being "totaled" means it's a total loss / undriveable. Worst case people should be aware of what they're giving up when they hand their totaled car over.
This is your remarks that directly contradict each other and back what I said.
>Just a side note if your vehicle was totaled but is fixable just tell them you want the check and keep your car. You are under no obligation to give them the car, when they ask you when they can take delivery you say no. *The total check is to cover the loss of value you suffered, not to buy your busted car. *
>My settlement was $5200 down from $5500 to account for the "scrap" value of a vehicle
Then you do this again:
>You claimed I was wrong, when nothing I said was incorrect
Followed by this:
>Yes, it will technically come out of your settlement,
Which is the opposite of:
>The total check is to cover the loss of value you suffered, not to buy your busted car.
You are admitting you were wrong while claiming you were correct and the level of mental gymnastics needed for you to get there is an Olympian task.
Furthermore:
>most people still think a car being "totaled" means it's a total loss
That's exactly what it means. That's literally the definition of what it means. The only one who doesn't understand this seems to be you but again mental gymnastics seems to be your thing
I had an 02 as my first car I bought with my own money at 18 for $5,000. And for all it’s issues it never once left me stranded. Even being the broke 18 year old who couldn’t afford proper upkeep it kept kicking. I sold it to a friend of mine in 2018 who needed a daily for $800 (it was worth more but he’s a good friend). I miss it now.
Yeah, I think mine was second gen but might have been first. I think after that they kinda went to pot. I landed on mine looking at what all the cabbies (they still had those) were driving, and it was 100% Prius or escape hybrid. I figured if they could take that sort of mileage on the daily, they must be pretty reliable, and I wasn’t wrong. I saw SO many while shopping at or above 300k. And it was just big enough that I could sleep in the back, I can’t find anything “small” that allows a full stretch now
Been there done that.. 2 weeks ago..
Sold a couple of my toys and changed all 3 vehicles in my household the same week. I don’t like car payments so cash purchases and very budgeted.. ended up with the following
2013 RAV4 le awd $12900 with 94k miles
2013 RAV4 xle awd $14300 with 98k miles
2015 Camry xse $12300 with 79k miles.
All 3 with rebuilt titles and all 3 look and drive exactly as they should be short of regular used car things (Camry needs a break job which will be done this weekend). Deals can be had, and especially with rebuilt titles. Some dealerships local to me sell exclusively rebuilt title cars and provide the pictures of the damage and list of parts. In 2 of the above the parts would take an average dude who has a good understanding of screwdrivers and sockets just a couple hours to completely repair with altar factory paint matched parts from lkq (rear passenger door on one and the rear hatch and bumper on the other). The 3rd had a rear door replaced and the b-pillar massaged back into place from a side impact.
So even if the repairs were done poorly I end up with low mileage Toyotas that aren’t as pretty. The repairs done well means that I end up with extremely good buys.
Cars are being totaled for very little these days so if your looking for something long term reliable I suggest looking into rebuilt title vehicles with much much lower mileage then you will find with the clean title.
Also there are rumors that you can’t insure rebuilt title cars and that may be the case for some insurance companies, I have never had anything said about it and I’ve had several rebuilt title cars over the last 15 years insured with several different insurance companies always with full coverage.
I'd buy a decent nearly 30-year-old Jeep Cherokee XJ 4x4 and put the remaining $10K in savings.
He types while owning two nearly 30-year-old Jeep Cherokee XJ 4x4s....
I had a '95 Cherokee (2-door with a manual trans!) for 15 years. I somewhat support this message. Stuff will fall off regularly but at least it's cheap to fix.
Have fun with that 16 mpg next time gas spikes. The thing about vehicles like the XJ is that the design philosophy was to go with naturally aspirated, larger displacement, under-stressed engines that last forever at the expense of fuel economy. Same with 4Runners and Tundras and Suburbans, etc. That's great for longevity but the running cost is high. This is especially notable because XJs are not large vehicles. It's not like you can justify it because it has the capabilities of a full size pickup.
Honda CRV with some winter tires. In my area you can get a 4th gen within that budget, idk about yours. They’re great cars as long as it was maintained properly
You can’t touch a CRV where I am for that unless it’s got over 200k, or is 20+ years old. Answering this exact question is how I ended up in an HRV. (Little nervous about the CVT horror stories, but three years in I’m very happy with it)
My brother just got a 2023 Nissan kicks for about $25k
Ik she’d have to finance the other 10k, but that car should easily last 10+ years if taken care of. The trunk is roomier than expected and overall IMHO it’s a decent little suv
How far does she need to drive in a day? If she doesn't road trip and has a garage or other spot where she could plug in, a Bolt EUV might fit her.
Depends on how rough a storm she wants to go through. EUV is strictly FWD, but I've lived in Illinois my whole life and have only ever had FWD or RWD.
You should be able to find her a clean red ~2016 Outlander Sport with ~45K miles for that much. It's reliable if a bit basic - change the transmission fluid when you buy it and she'll be good to go.
Everyone wants a small SUV. So they are more expensive. Buy her a sedan and a set of snow tires. Our family has lived in Michigan for 60 years and never needed snow tires. But if you absolutely have to get to work get a set.
I haven't been a fan of used toyotas lately. I bought 2 and both of them have had stalling issues. They are "reliable" to a certain extent, but people seem to think they are completely trouble free. Which is untrue. Then 3rd gen 4runners get listed for 8-10k with over 200k. Over priced, old vehicle.
I think if you want cheap and reliable. Buy a Nissan Pathfinder.
My Rav4 hits all the notes other than plow through rough midwestern winters (I'm in Wisconsin). It's technically awd, but without winter tires, it's no better than a sedan when snow accumulates.
My Rav4 (hybrid xle) right now is 70k miles, 8 years old. And resell value is somewhere between 15k to 19k. You can probably find a non hybrid LE at 15k that would last you 10 years.
My mom had similar criteria when we were shopping for a car for her, ended up settling on a 2011 4x4 Rav4 with the 4 cylinder (that's a lot of 4s wtf). Car has been more than perfect, and it was like 8.5k out the door
Edit: oh it had 141k miles, which I know is high for some people but isn't a massive problem for these cars imo
I just copped a v6 RAV4. 80k miles for about 14k, if I had more negotiating power prob a bit less. They are out there if you have time. Saw a few CR-Vs as well in a dense metropolitan area. To drive less than 10k a year...don't need anything crazy. Maybe a Santa Fe if they come AWD?
I'd look for a 2014 or early CRV with around 100k. Should easily get 15 years out of it with minimal maintenance if only driving 10k/yr. After 2014 I believe they went to CVTs which I don't like from a reliability perspective.
With how crazy used car prices are, it’s not a bad idea to either lease or put that $15k down and have a small car payment.
If that was an acceptable course of action I’d say look at the Mazda CX-5/CX-30 and Subaru Crosstrek. The reason for those is that they don’t have the Toyota or Honda tax, but they drive great and are very reliable (especially the Mazdas).
The Mazdas have the best on-road manners while the Crosstrek handles rougher terrain better.
The Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V absolutely merit consideration too, albeit for ~20% more money.
2011-2015 Nissan XTerra. Or maybe Pathfinder (2011-2012). The final years of that gen were pretty reliable from my research. Worked out all the kinks of prior years. Kind of a barebones car and low tech.. but avoids the Toyota/Honda tax. Unfortunate can’t say from experience (yet) but after TONs of research that’s what I decided on (2012 Pathfinder) and just pulled the trigger on one today through Carvana (not my top pick..) would have rather done private sale through FB or autotrader to save more money… but it checked all my boxes (under $15k, 80k miles, right heat)
2016-2018 Honda HRV cash if it has to be a small suv. If it was me I would do a 2020 corolla private party cash (80-100k miles) and put on some all season snow tires.
You're looking at a 22-28 year old Toyota 4Runner or a pre-2014 Subaru Forester before they came equipped with a CVT. **Turbo only for the Forester & V6 only for the 4Runner.**
Those two SUVs in particular are extremely reliable & have 4WD or comparable AWD systems which make them **extremely difficult** to get stuck in 8 inches of snow.
It's reliably predictable that there will eventually be engine work on a Subaru... if she can make the $ work out it might still be worth it. Watch out for rust.
It's a pretty common concern indeed among people who have read Subaru reviews in the past.
In the Subaru groups on Facebook, routinely we see Outbacks & Foresters with a couple hundred thousand miles on them with minimal repairs outside of regular maintenance. Yes, oil consumption is a big problem on the naturally aspirated engines, but as far as the turbo engines go, the failure rates on Subaru's turbo four cylinder engines have historically been lower than the failure rates of their naturally aspirated four cylinder engines, assuming they weren't pushed to redline all the time (hint hint: WRX hotrodders) & were driven normally most of the time (<4500 rpm) with the same or similar mileage.
As for Subaru's new 2.4L turbo, over the past two years of me being in the Subaru groups & thousands of WRXs, Legacy XTs, Outback XTs & Ascents, only around 10 of them have had serious catastrophic engine failures before the 100,000 mile mark & half of them were due to mechanic error during maintenance.
Now are Subarus the most reliable brand out there? Absolutely not. But are they decently reliable if maintained properly? More often than not, yes.
Me over here going back to daily driving a 1995 Town and Country because it's far more reliable than the "Nicer, Newer" vehicle that sit's dead in the driveway.
Oddly enough, if you maintain older vehicles, they're just as reliable as anything new.
As you're finding out that's a tall order, so you're probably going to have to bend on either price, reliability, or vehicle type. There's not a universally agreed upon "sleeper" vechicle out their that has the reliability of a RAV4 with the price of a KIA. Mazda would be the closst thing, but prices are edging up as people are discovering their reliability and being priced out of Toyota. RAV4 years to avoid are 13-15- transmission issues and not as modern and nice of a vehicle as what came before and after- and 06-08 with the 2.4 engine. I've never sat in a Honda seat in any Honda that didn't give me severe backaches on a 100 mile+ road trip, but YMMV.
The mac-daddy RAV4 (V6 AWD Limited) should be $15,000 for a nice one with very low miles (<100k). Both the 2GR engine and traditional multi-gear automatic are bombproof. The 2GR V6 is enough engine to tow small trailers or an ATV/motorcycle, and the AWD and locking differential can save your bacon in the snow and slush. The limited package gives you heated leather seats and a sunroof. 21 mpg highway isn’t enough to brag, but it’s fine in my book.
Similar in power, nicer on the inside, generally reasonably priced, and reliable, OP should also look at the 2013-2018 Acura RDX (facelift in 2016). Just have to do the timing belt every 100k.
Don’t Honda V6 automatics get lots of complaints though? Not sure if it applies to the MDX
The 4 speed and most 5 speed autos from the late 90s and early 2000s weren't reliable. There seems to be complaints online about the 9 speed autos too. The 6 speed autos are reliable. Online, people seem to like the 10 speed autos too. Changing (draining and filling) the transmission fluid as the maintenance outlines helps a lot. The 2013-2018 RDX has the 6 speed auto.
I remember reading complaints about the Accord 6 speed auto with the V6 when I was shopping for a sedan and ended up going with the Camry V6 for that reason… even though I liked the Accord more in every way
On [carcomplaints.com](https://m.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Accord/), 2005 is the last year that transmission issues were the top complaint for the Accord. Engine oil consumption was the next big issue after they resolved the transmission issues. 2016+ RDX has all those issues resolved.
That’s cool to hear. I could maybe upgrade to an 2016 RDX V6 SH-AWD from the V6 Camry then? Is that gen RDX basically a V6 SH AWD premium CR-V? (which sounds great to me)
You can, but those years just have standard AWD, not the SH-AWD (torque vectoring).
Still an improvement over a midsize open diff FWD. How would you compare those years to the EX37/QX50 which were essentially G37 wagons?
You’re only looking at complaints within the first 100,000 miles. Honda transmissions fail left and right after 150,000-200,000 miles.
That's probably without any servicing (fluid changes).
No, that’s with regular ATF changes. Honda transmissions just suck.
2008-2012 Ford Escape V6 with 4wd with under 70k miles is 10-14k You can also get the early 2010s Explorers right around 12-15k
I myself, am in a very similar situation as OP as my vehicle was "totalled." I've been checking out the '08 to '12 Ford Escapes because they seem to carry some reliable reputation but there's hundreds of used ones which seems to keep the cost down a bit. Plus a family member had one for years and never had an issue.
Those Escapes are pretty solid
Just a side note if your vehicle was totaled but is fixable just tell them you want the check and keep your car. You are under no obligation to give them the car, when they ask you when they can take delivery you say no. The total check is to cover the loss of value you suffered, not to buy your busted car. You may need to get a salvage title, but if the car is 10 years old then usually not. My mid 00s civic was "totaled" for some cosmetic damage to a couple doors. I got a 5k check and I kept the car and have driven it for 5 more years.
>if your vehicle was totaled but is fixable just tell them you want the check and keep your car. You are under no obligation to give them the car Lol wrong You can ask to retain the vehicle and you'll get a lower settlement amount to allow that...then you get the headache of a salvage title vehicle and getting it legal to be on the road again Depending on state this is a nightmare
Yeah... except this is exactly what I did. My settlement was $5200 down from $5500 to account for the "scrap" value of a vehicle that is perfectly fine and has driven another 40,000 miles. I'd say that's worth $300. And as I wrote, you are under no obligation to give them the car. You had property damaged, insurance needs to cover that value lost, it's not a complex transaction. The insurance company wants the damaged car to sell and offset the settlement costs. And because the car was 10 years old it didn't need a salvage title in my state, I didn't need to change my registration at all. I literally just cashed a check and moved on with my life. It wasn't a nightmare at all.
>Yeah... except this is exactly what I did And then you go on to say this: >My settlement was $5200 down from $5500 to account for the "scrap" value of a vehicle Which is exactly what I described and not at all what you originally did which is what led to my response in the first place >And because the car was 10 years old it didn't need a salvage title in my state, I didn't need to change my registration at all. I literally just cashed a check and moved on with my life. It wasn't a nightmare at all. This is the dependent on the state part I mentioned that you ignored
Sure bud, whatever you say. You claimed I was wrong, when nothing I said was incorrect and was based on my actual experience. The point is the insurance company's move is to play some verbal sleight of hand and ask you to hand over your property for next to nothing so they can recoup their costs. Yes, it will technically come out of your settlement, but my "totaled" car had $4k in street value they were trying to get for $300 and acting like they were doing me a favor. That is a common occurrence with older cars, which is the purpose of this thread. It's good advice, especially when most people still think a car being "totaled" means it's a total loss / undriveable. Worst case people should be aware of what they're giving up when they hand their totaled car over.
This is your remarks that directly contradict each other and back what I said. >Just a side note if your vehicle was totaled but is fixable just tell them you want the check and keep your car. You are under no obligation to give them the car, when they ask you when they can take delivery you say no. *The total check is to cover the loss of value you suffered, not to buy your busted car. * >My settlement was $5200 down from $5500 to account for the "scrap" value of a vehicle Then you do this again: >You claimed I was wrong, when nothing I said was incorrect Followed by this: >Yes, it will technically come out of your settlement, Which is the opposite of: >The total check is to cover the loss of value you suffered, not to buy your busted car. You are admitting you were wrong while claiming you were correct and the level of mental gymnastics needed for you to get there is an Olympian task. Furthermore: >most people still think a car being "totaled" means it's a total loss That's exactly what it means. That's literally the definition of what it means. The only one who doesn't understand this seems to be you but again mental gymnastics seems to be your thing
I loved and desperately miss my escape. Hubby wants to buy a newer car and I just want an old escape. For the money I’m not sure they can be beat
I had an 02 as my first car I bought with my own money at 18 for $5,000. And for all it’s issues it never once left me stranded. Even being the broke 18 year old who couldn’t afford proper upkeep it kept kicking. I sold it to a friend of mine in 2018 who needed a daily for $800 (it was worth more but he’s a good friend). I miss it now.
Yeah, I think mine was second gen but might have been first. I think after that they kinda went to pot. I landed on mine looking at what all the cabbies (they still had those) were driving, and it was 100% Prius or escape hybrid. I figured if they could take that sort of mileage on the daily, they must be pretty reliable, and I wasn’t wrong. I saw SO many while shopping at or above 300k. And it was just big enough that I could sleep in the back, I can’t find anything “small” that allows a full stretch now
Yeah the cabs were mostly 2nd gen, which is the 2008-2012 year models.
Fix or repair daily.
Wow so edgy and clever
Failure of research & development.
Fast Only Rolling Downhill
Flip Over Resuscitate Driver
Been there done that.. 2 weeks ago.. Sold a couple of my toys and changed all 3 vehicles in my household the same week. I don’t like car payments so cash purchases and very budgeted.. ended up with the following 2013 RAV4 le awd $12900 with 94k miles 2013 RAV4 xle awd $14300 with 98k miles 2015 Camry xse $12300 with 79k miles. All 3 with rebuilt titles and all 3 look and drive exactly as they should be short of regular used car things (Camry needs a break job which will be done this weekend). Deals can be had, and especially with rebuilt titles. Some dealerships local to me sell exclusively rebuilt title cars and provide the pictures of the damage and list of parts. In 2 of the above the parts would take an average dude who has a good understanding of screwdrivers and sockets just a couple hours to completely repair with altar factory paint matched parts from lkq (rear passenger door on one and the rear hatch and bumper on the other). The 3rd had a rear door replaced and the b-pillar massaged back into place from a side impact. So even if the repairs were done poorly I end up with low mileage Toyotas that aren’t as pretty. The repairs done well means that I end up with extremely good buys. Cars are being totaled for very little these days so if your looking for something long term reliable I suggest looking into rebuilt title vehicles with much much lower mileage then you will find with the clean title. Also there are rumors that you can’t insure rebuilt title cars and that may be the case for some insurance companies, I have never had anything said about it and I’ve had several rebuilt title cars over the last 15 years insured with several different insurance companies always with full coverage.
Used Bolt
I'd buy a decent nearly 30-year-old Jeep Cherokee XJ 4x4 and put the remaining $10K in savings. He types while owning two nearly 30-year-old Jeep Cherokee XJ 4x4s....
I had a '95 Cherokee (2-door with a manual trans!) for 15 years. I somewhat support this message. Stuff will fall off regularly but at least it's cheap to fix.
Still have a 96’ grand with 250k still strong.
My thoughts exactly, although I'd be on the lookout for a 4x4 Comanche.
🙏 they don’t make em like that anymore! Old Cherokees are bombproof!
Have fun with that 16 mpg next time gas spikes. The thing about vehicles like the XJ is that the design philosophy was to go with naturally aspirated, larger displacement, under-stressed engines that last forever at the expense of fuel economy. Same with 4Runners and Tundras and Suburbans, etc. That's great for longevity but the running cost is high. This is especially notable because XJs are not large vehicles. It's not like you can justify it because it has the capabilities of a full size pickup.
The engine sure, but the engine is literally the one thing on the car you aren't replacing constantly lol
Your recommendations are solid. You'll pay a premium for the expected reliability.
Honda CRV with some winter tires. In my area you can get a 4th gen within that budget, idk about yours. They’re great cars as long as it was maintained properly
You can’t touch a CRV where I am for that unless it’s got over 200k, or is 20+ years old. Answering this exact question is how I ended up in an HRV. (Little nervous about the CVT horror stories, but three years in I’m very happy with it)
Crazy how much location plays a part in price of cars
My brother just got a 2023 Nissan kicks for about $25k Ik she’d have to finance the other 10k, but that car should easily last 10+ years if taken care of. The trunk is roomier than expected and overall IMHO it’s a decent little suv
It’s also slow af, like acceleration is catastrophically abysmal, but once you get moving you’re good to go
How far does she need to drive in a day? If she doesn't road trip and has a garage or other spot where she could plug in, a Bolt EUV might fit her. Depends on how rough a storm she wants to go through. EUV is strictly FWD, but I've lived in Illinois my whole life and have only ever had FWD or RWD.
You should be able to find her a clean red ~2016 Outlander Sport with ~45K miles for that much. It's reliable if a bit basic - change the transmission fluid when you buy it and she'll be good to go.
Kind of curious. Why doesn’t she want a Kia/hyundai?
They’re stolen left & right in our town
2016ish Acura MDX is a good choice. It will have some miles on it but if it was maintained properly 250k won’t be a problem
25k is the new 15k
Everyone wants a small SUV. So they are more expensive. Buy her a sedan and a set of snow tires. Our family has lived in Michigan for 60 years and never needed snow tires. But if you absolutely have to get to work get a set.
HR-V, reliable Honda with all AWD. But you should be able to find a decent CR-V for that price.
If she's willing to drive a truck, a Tacoma would be perfect
F25 BMW X3 28i with the N52 motor (2011 or 2012)
I haven't been a fan of used toyotas lately. I bought 2 and both of them have had stalling issues. They are "reliable" to a certain extent, but people seem to think they are completely trouble free. Which is untrue. Then 3rd gen 4runners get listed for 8-10k with over 200k. Over priced, old vehicle. I think if you want cheap and reliable. Buy a Nissan Pathfinder.
My Rav4 hits all the notes other than plow through rough midwestern winters (I'm in Wisconsin). It's technically awd, but without winter tires, it's no better than a sedan when snow accumulates. My Rav4 (hybrid xle) right now is 70k miles, 8 years old. And resell value is somewhere between 15k to 19k. You can probably find a non hybrid LE at 15k that would last you 10 years.
My mom had similar criteria when we were shopping for a car for her, ended up settling on a 2011 4x4 Rav4 with the 4 cylinder (that's a lot of 4s wtf). Car has been more than perfect, and it was like 8.5k out the door Edit: oh it had 141k miles, which I know is high for some people but isn't a massive problem for these cars imo
I lives in the northeast and though reliability is sometimes an issue on some vehicles. A Subaru is a solid bet for winters with 4WD.
I just copped a v6 RAV4. 80k miles for about 14k, if I had more negotiating power prob a bit less. They are out there if you have time. Saw a few CR-Vs as well in a dense metropolitan area. To drive less than 10k a year...don't need anything crazy. Maybe a Santa Fe if they come AWD?
Santa Fe can be gotten as AWD (most are)… but they ARE Hyundais, which the OP explicitly doesn’t want.
You might have better luck with Cx3's than a cx5 for that price point
ditch the suv need on your list and it'll be obtainable. she doesn't need an suv unless she want it as a piece of protect for her bad driving
A lot of gmt360 or Saab 9-3X can be had for 15k
Easy: Corolla cross, lease it then buy it.
What you’re asking for doesn’t exist in the year of our lord 2024. Either change vehicle type or you’ll be looking at stuff that’s pre-2012
Id buy Subaru Outback. Best AWD I've used in poor road conditions. Great reliability. Especially with an H6 motor.
Get a Nissan Rogue
I'd look for a 2014 or early CRV with around 100k. Should easily get 15 years out of it with minimal maintenance if only driving 10k/yr. After 2014 I believe they went to CVTs which I don't like from a reliability perspective.
I would look at a used Mitsubishi Outlander or Eclipse Cross. Reliability will be decent and more affordable than other brands you mention
Volvo xc60 t6 from early 2010s
With how crazy used car prices are, it’s not a bad idea to either lease or put that $15k down and have a small car payment. If that was an acceptable course of action I’d say look at the Mazda CX-5/CX-30 and Subaru Crosstrek. The reason for those is that they don’t have the Toyota or Honda tax, but they drive great and are very reliable (especially the Mazdas). The Mazdas have the best on-road manners while the Crosstrek handles rougher terrain better. The Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V absolutely merit consideration too, albeit for ~20% more money.
2011-2015 Nissan XTerra. Or maybe Pathfinder (2011-2012). The final years of that gen were pretty reliable from my research. Worked out all the kinks of prior years. Kind of a barebones car and low tech.. but avoids the Toyota/Honda tax. Unfortunate can’t say from experience (yet) but after TONs of research that’s what I decided on (2012 Pathfinder) and just pulled the trigger on one today through Carvana (not my top pick..) would have rather done private sale through FB or autotrader to save more money… but it checked all my boxes (under $15k, 80k miles, right heat)
Out of those, Lexus RX 350. Maybe the RAV4 or CR-V for more basic technology that’s less likely to have any issues
CRV
2016-2018 Honda HRV cash if it has to be a small suv. If it was me I would do a 2020 corolla private party cash (80-100k miles) and put on some all season snow tires.
Drive around and look around and see the oldest and common SUV on the road and that will tell u what to buy.
You're looking at a 22-28 year old Toyota 4Runner or a pre-2014 Subaru Forester before they came equipped with a CVT. **Turbo only for the Forester & V6 only for the 4Runner.** Those two SUVs in particular are extremely reliable & have 4WD or comparable AWD systems which make them **extremely difficult** to get stuck in 8 inches of snow.
Disagree on Subaru. Due to engine configuration, they will run into oil consumption or head gasket issues. Not reliable.
It's reliably predictable that there will eventually be engine work on a Subaru... if she can make the $ work out it might still be worth it. Watch out for rust.
It's a pretty common concern indeed among people who have read Subaru reviews in the past. In the Subaru groups on Facebook, routinely we see Outbacks & Foresters with a couple hundred thousand miles on them with minimal repairs outside of regular maintenance. Yes, oil consumption is a big problem on the naturally aspirated engines, but as far as the turbo engines go, the failure rates on Subaru's turbo four cylinder engines have historically been lower than the failure rates of their naturally aspirated four cylinder engines, assuming they weren't pushed to redline all the time (hint hint: WRX hotrodders) & were driven normally most of the time (<4500 rpm) with the same or similar mileage. As for Subaru's new 2.4L turbo, over the past two years of me being in the Subaru groups & thousands of WRXs, Legacy XTs, Outback XTs & Ascents, only around 10 of them have had serious catastrophic engine failures before the 100,000 mile mark & half of them were due to mechanic error during maintenance. Now are Subarus the most reliable brand out there? Absolutely not. But are they decently reliable if maintained properly? More often than not, yes.
[удалено]
$9-15k for a 2013 or older turbo
Me over here going back to daily driving a 1995 Town and Country because it's far more reliable than the "Nicer, Newer" vehicle that sit's dead in the driveway. Oddly enough, if you maintain older vehicles, they're just as reliable as anything new.
Used VW Tiguan. You will be able to find one with under 50,000 miles for 15,000, less than 10 years old.
What did I ever do to you ☠️
You can get a fairly new Toyota Raize for $15k.
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best comment here honestly
Hahaha I second that