Please help me decide between...

Replying to: kyfdx (Apr 28, 2008 1:47 pm)

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• cccompson (Apr 28, 2008 4:41 pm)
  • lynnberman (Apr 28, 2008 8:00 pm)
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Replying to: lynnberman (Apr 28, 2008 11:04 am)

Replying to: lynnberman (Apr 28, 2008 2:09 pm)

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• lynnberman (Apr 28, 2008 8:00 pm)
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Replying to: aredfield (Apr 28, 2008 5:21 am)

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Replying to: cccompson (Apr 28, 2008 4:41 pm)

Hi, thanks again for your posts. Yes, I have definitely considered the fact that I probably won't save enough in fuel costs to account for the hit we will take on the SUV given the tremendous depreciation it will have seen. That is the reason I am looking to stay under $25K with a new(to me) vehicle--to bring the payments lower than what I am currently paying, so that I save not just on fuel but on monthly payments. That is why I only briefly considered the lovely Highlander Hybrid--even purchasing an 06 would, I believe, be too expensive for me. I tend to keep vehicles for a fairly long time, so one thought I've had is that whatever car I get now will probably be the car that my 11 year old ends up driving when she turns 16 (terrifying thought). So, my line of thinking is that it is okay to buy something safe, reliable and fuel efficient now and pay on it for 5 years (even tho the current SUV will be paid off in 2.5) b/c it will probably be 'in the family' for upwards of 10 years or more. I think the main thing is that it is killing me to make these high monthly payments on top of paying almost $4/gallon for the unbelievable amount of fuel the thing uses. And perhaps the fact that the current vehicle was not my choice is clouding my judgement a bit. Oh dear! Perhaps I need to mull this over for a little longer...thank you for making me think!

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• british_rover (Apr 29, 2008 6:25 am)
  • lynnberman (Apr 29, 2008 8:31 am)

Replying to: lynnberman (Apr 28, 2008 8:00 pm)

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• lynnberman (Apr 29, 2008 8:31 am)

Replying to: british_rover (Apr 29, 2008 6:25 am)

Hi, you and my husband must be talking! He agrees with you about keeping the Durango...the trouble is, HE is the aggressive driver! He drives the Durango on the weekends and occasionally during the week and he drives much faster, floors it when he pulls off from a stop, and brakes hard for speed bumps and the like. He has often commented on the fact that I drive like a grandma compared to him. I don't think I am going to get him to change! I've been telling him we need to use his car (Volvo S60) for family trips to soccer games and stuff like that (longer trips than my during-the-week quick trips), but he prefers taking the Durango b/c it has the DVD player for the kids and more cargo space for folding chairs, coolers, shade covers, etc. I really don't drive very much...to the kids' school, preschool, grocery store, piano lessons, etc., all of which are within 5 miles of my house. I did have the Lube shop put synthetic oil in at my last oil change a few weeks ago, and I have actually seen the mpg increase from 13.4 to 13.9, which I was very happy with. The EPA on my car is 12 City, 17 Hwy, so chances are I'm not going to get much better with the type of driving I do. It has roof rack rails--do I need to try and take those off (I'm clueless about this stuff!)? It only has 60K miles on it so I haven't really ever looked into any of the other fluids...no one has ever recommended replacing them. It does need new tires desperately which might help with the mileage a bit (we've been holding off until we decide whether to go with a new vehicle or not). I guess the feeling I'm getting is that there probably isn't a car on the market that is going to give me everything I want AND greatly improved gas mileage, so I might as well stick it out with the Durango...am I getting the right message here?

Replying to: jaxs1 (Apr 28, 2008 7:22 pm)

I second this. You need full-time AWD/4X4. It's been shown that Volvo and the others are actually useless in actual situations where they need the traction. Either the system responds too slowly or it's only good for getting started in snow.
 
This link is to a video - and yes, it's sponsored by Subaru, but the hill climb test doesn't lie. Only something with 4WD is going to actually be useful in dirt and snow.
 
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4999142340359932162&hl=en
 
This second one is from Europe. That's a pretty typical dirt road by the looks of it. You'd see this in half of the U.S. once you left the interstate in winter.
 
http://www.leftlanenews.com/video-volvo-vs-subaru-awd.html
 
Solid engineering beats fancy marketing and tech-toys.
Note - you could also get a Tacoma or 4Runner with 4WD. I have an older 4Runner and it's the real deal. - Climb over rocks and go through a foot of mud...

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Replying to: plekto (Apr 29, 2008 10:35 am)

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Replying to: aredfield (May 01, 2008 7:07 am)

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