- #414 of 562
-
Re: Replacing a Dodge Durango [lynnberman]
by cccompson
-
Apr 28, 2008 (4:41 pm)
-
|
|
Replying to: lynnberman (Apr 28, 2008 2:09 pm)
I would suggest you sit down and really crunch some gas mileage numbers. The market for SUVs is absolutely dead and you will pay dearly in selling your '04.
Example (for illustration purposes only): does it make sense to save $500 per year in fuel costs by taking a 3 grand hit on the Durango?
|
- #415 of 562
-
Re: Anti-Skid and minimal blind spots [aredfield]
by jaxs1
-
Apr 28, 2008 (7:22 pm)
-
|
|
Replying to: aredfield (Apr 28, 2008 5:21 am)
Any vehicle with stability control will handle skids pretty well, but AWD + stability control would be ideal in snowy, icy areas. Get a Subaru Forester or Legacy. If you want smaller, get an Imprezza.
They meet all your criteria and pricing.
|
- #416 of 562
-
Re: Replacing a Dodge Durango [cccompson]
by lynnberman
-
Apr 28, 2008 (8:00 pm)
-
|
|
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!
|
- #417 of 562
-
Re: Replacing a Dodge Durango [lynnberman]
by british_rover
-
Apr 29, 2008 (6:25 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: lynnberman (Apr 28, 2008 8:00 pm)
You are probably better off keeping the Durango and finding ways to improve its fuel efficiency and just drive less.
Combine trips when you can and drive less aggressively. I can beat the pre-2007 EPA numbers by 15 percent or more on every car I have ever driven just by driving slower. Just accelerate more smoothly and slowly from stops and avoid sudden stops that waste energy.
Are the tires on your durango filled to the right pressure? Do you keep a roof rack on the roof all the time even when you don't use it? I admit I am guilty of that because the rack is a PITA to get off. Put synthetic oil in the engine to pick up a little pit of extra MPG. To pick up even more fuel efficiency put synthetic in the transmission, transfer case and both differentials too. A service like that will probably run you 400-500 dollars at one time but you won't have to change out the synthetic again unless you put an additional 100,000 to 150,000 miles on the car.
|
- #418 of 562
-
Re: Replacing a Dodge Durango [british_rover]
by 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?
|
- #419 of 562
-
Re: Anti-Skid and minimal blind spots [jaxs1]
by plekto
-
Apr 29, 2008 (10:35 am)
-
|
|
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...
|
- #420 of 562
-
Re: Anti-Skid and minimal blind spots [plekto]
by aredfield
-
May 01, 2008 (7:07 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: plekto (Apr 29, 2008 10:35 am)
thanks so much to everyone who has replied so far. It's all been very helpful. Looks like Subaru is the way to go. Now, I have to drill down more on which one to get.
|
- #421 of 562
-
Re: Anti-Skid and minimal blind spots [aredfield]
by aredfield
-
May 05, 2008 (5:25 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: aredfield (May 01, 2008 7:07 am)
The Forester demos are very impressive. But, is there a performance difference between the Forester and Legacy? All of the performance tests show the Forester, not the Legacy. Based on the data, do you think the Legacy handles ice/snow on slopes as well as the Forester does?
|
- #422 of 562
-
Re: Anti-Skid and minimal blind spots [aredfield]
by tifighter
-
May 05, 2008 (3:33 pm)
-
|
|
Replying to: aredfield (May 05, 2008 5:25 am)
Based on the data, do you think the Legacy handles ice/snow on slopes as well as the Forester does?
Yep; the same. Either is a great choice...
|
- #423 of 562
-
Re: Anti-Skid and minimal blind spots [tifighter]
by aredfield
-
May 08, 2008 (6:38 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: tifighter (May 05, 2008 3:33 pm)
I am very unversed in car lingo and I'm sorting through all this anti-skid stuff. I finally got the whole AWD vs. 4 wheel, etc.cleared up.
But now I am trying to sort out the stability control and traction control business, because those also were mentioned to me as important.
Does an AWD vehicle automatically have stability and traction control?
Does it look like the AWD Subarus have stability and traction control?
I have been on their website and it's not clear to me.
thanks everyone for all the help
|