new vehicle suggestions

[Miitch]

I second the Subaru. We have a 2016 outback we bought new off the lot with 4 miles on her. After 5 years, all she's ever needed is brakes, oil, tires and plugs. Best AWD system in the game if you ask me. the NA 2.5L tows my 2000lb sea doo boat no issues. Most (if not all) newer Subaru SUVs come with the CVT transmission, which is basically a snowmobile transmission on steroids. No "gears", just a pully system that changes sizes to mimic gears. It should have no issues with a jet ski or two. Great for fuel. The thing gets mileage similar to my 2015 diesel VW golf!

 

[2kwik4u]

One of the Subaru’s claims is that 90ish % of the Subarus sold in the last 10 years are still on the road.

The other 10% actually made it home

I too think the Subaru is a great choice here, however I couldn't pass up the chance to use that joke. Been using it for decades and I get at least one cringe every time

 

[I_squared_r]

My mom had both the 2017 Hyundai Sante Fe and the 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The Sante Fe is more like an SUV and the Tucson is a crossover. I didn't like the Tucson for that reason. I thought that maybe it was more economical, but looking at the prices I would prefer to spend a little more for the Sante Fe, also the MPG is the same. I had a 2016 Hyundai Azera and between the 3 of us we didn't have any issues. Not that we should expect any on new vehicles, but other brands have QC issues.

My sister wanted a Jeep so she leased the Jeep Compass. She hates it and can't wait to get another car. I had a frantic phone call from her about how the car has issues, the dealership is denying warranty, and the service manager was disrespecting her. They told her that she drove through a puddle and had damaged something electronic. She swears that this never happened and I think they settled on either covering it for her or she paid a little. Maybe that service manager lost his job for how he acted.

I used to be in the automotive industry and the consensus was that Toyota was king of reliability. Honda was good but had some auto transmission issues. Hyundai was the newcomer looking to take that spot (and did). Audi/VW was to be avoided like the plague (unless you were a VW enthusiast or drove a VW golf). Mitsubishi lol no. No to domestic brands (unless it had a V8) Avoid domestic high speed 8, 9, 10, 12 speed transmissions (this seems to have changed). Subaru's are good, but boxers leak oil from the head gaskets. Nissan was bad, but had some exceptions to that rule. But i've been out of the industry for 5 years so maybe this all has changed.

The RAV4 checks off all the boxes. Buy her the RAV4 and tell her thats her car for the next 10+ years. Next time she's on her own lol

 

[Miitch]

@I_squared_r goes without saying; girls love jeeps. Their Father's do not.

 

[octavio3311]

My 08’ Legacy currently has 185k on her. Yes - she does have a minor head gasket leak - a little leak. But that’s ok.
I had given her to my son 2 years ago. He learned how to drive a clutch with her and loved it. I bought him a 2017 VW Golf Wolfsburg with only 30k miles this summer, and was so happy to take my Subie back.

 

[2kwik4u]

Audi/VW was to be avoided like the plague (unless you were a VW enthusiast or drove a VW golf).

100% agree with this as well. The Audi/VW's are really not hard at all to work on if you do it yourself. Require just a few special tools, and there is a huge enthusiast base to get info from. In general the parts aren't overly expensive (when bought online, or through local independent shops). Doing my own work, my 5yrs of Audi ownership were similar $/mile as my decades of GM ownership. Car only ever went to the dealer when I didn't have time to address an issue. Regretted it every single time it was in there. Talked the wife into a $250 air filter change once. Holy crap I was pissed. Only reason I sold it was because I didn't have the time/energy/resources to replace the automatic transmission when it started failing at 180k miles. Rest of the car was still in great shape, and running well. Was pretty happy with it.

If she's a "car person" and can do her own work, then a AAA membership, a small set of tools, and an Audi Q5 would be a great option here. If she has to take the car to a shop for an oil change, then avoid it like the plague.

 

[ripler]

I've seen that women love jeep until they own 1 for some time.
I vote for Rav4 #1. Hyundai SUV #2

My wife loves her new Wrangler and I wouldn't trade my Gladiator for any truck.
Until you actually own a Jeep you will never understand the feeling of owning a Jeep.
As an adult, I have never wanted to go burn a tank of gas for no reason until I bought my Gladiator.
There's nothing like the feeling of going topless and doorless just cruising around with nowhere to go.
Owning a Jeep makes you feel young again.

 

[I_squared_r]

My wife loves her new Wrangler and I wouldn't trade my Gladiator for any truck.
Until you actually own a Jeep you will never understand the feeling of owning a Jeep.
As an adult, I have never wanted to go burn a tank of gas for no reason until I bought my Gladiator.
There's nothing like the feeling of going topless and doorless just cruising around with nowhere to go.
Owning a Jeep makes you feel young again.

Just to expand on my previous comment.. I know of women that wanted the Wrangler, but didn't realize the manners of how a Wrangler drives. Solid front axle, death wobbles, and overall rough ride. It's the design of a wrangler and these manners are the mark of a good off road vehicle.. but many women don't buy Wranglers for an off road vehicle but rather as a cute status symbol. Think how many women buy a wrangler without knowing what that "LOCK DIFFERENTIAL" button does haha I have a friend that loves wranglers and she rented 1. One death wobble and she brought it back for another car

 

[Betik]

Subarus are great and impersonally like them, but please keep in mind that most people who own subarus love them and love is not always rational

 

[Rumbo]

I second (or third or fourth) the Subaru. They are cheap, fuel efficient, and most importantly very safe. We just bought my 16 year old a 2014 Outback with 84k miles, eyesight, leather, heated seats, etc. for just over $12k. It's a great car in all conditions.

 

[Ronnie]

I am in a similar situation @OCMD, that is my mom will be getting a new car from her employer soon (they give one to every employee that works 25 years for them and my mom is less than two months out). Anyway, she has a $35k limit before taxes, has to buy new and is not allowed to supplement any increase over $35k. according to you tube the best candidates are kia telluride, Mazda CX-9 and Subaru ascent. My mechanic said he knows and drinks with the Kia parts guys, they won’t even buy them, “it has a 10 year warranty because it needs it“. now that my son is in a sub I’ve I’m leaning towards recommending that my mom get the ascent. One other rumor I heard from my mechanic is that many female Subaru owners are lesbian. I don’t know if this is true or false but it had me looking closer at all Subaru drivers on a recent road trip to Tahoe. If my mom hears that rumor she may be tempted to go with the Mazda. Lastly, I see my fair share of subarus in the sf Bay Area but didn’t realize how many more there are in the tahoe area until now, it seemed to be the default small AWD of choice in the Tahoe area.