Help...my wife does not want a pickup

cwcad

cwcad

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hi fellow autopians,



have not owned any other vehicle than a truck or suv for most of my life. i also have never looked for a new car for a family before. have done a lot of research on pickups and suv's. even got it narrowed down to a select few and my wife tells me she does not want a pickup. now i have to start all over looking for a family vehicle that will hold five people. we have three kids and i am rather large. so it has to have room as well as fuel mileage.



if any of you fellow autopians have a good word to say about a fuel saving family car that the wife can take the kids to summer school in....Please let me know.



did look today at some toyota's. i think it was a corrola matrix and a scion. the one that looks like a box on wheels.



i know the gm line of products from the web page that i did the research on the pickup but the new line of cars seems to be hard to judge from picture on a web site.



if anyone has time i would appreciate your opinion
 
May want to wait for the next Sonanta to come out later this year.



http://www.autoweek.com/files/specials/2005_detroit/hyundai/sonata/images/1.jpg[/img]
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Hyundai Motor America hopes to mount a serious challenge in the mid-sized sedan segment this spring with the launch of the redesigned Sonata.



The outgoing Sonata sold 107,189 units in 2004, but Hyundai wants annual sales to grow to 150,000 once its Montgomery, Ala., plant is up to speed. As a result, the bit player is being taken more seriously by the segment leaders, executives at Toyota, Honda and General Motors said.



Production is scheduled to start March 1.



The 2006 Sonata will cost less than $20,000. Standard features on the base model include air conditioning, power windows, variable intermittent wipers, remote keyless entry, power heated mirrors, cruise control and a CD/MP3 stereo. There are six airbags, including side curtains.



Also standard are traction control, electronic skid control and antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution.



Hyundai executives said the redesigned car will be considerably more refined than the current model. They say the car is quieter than the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry at idle, 60 mph and wide-open throttle. Yet the V-6 version will reach 60 mph quicker than either competitor, they contend.



The Sonata is the second of seven Hyundai vehicles scheduled to arrive within the next 24 months. The first, the Tucson sport wagon, arrived in October.



http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=101586

http://www.autoweek.com/files/specials/2005_detroit/hyundai/sonata/pages/1.htm



Otherwise I'd probably go with the Corolla. It's a good, safe car. Runner up being an Elantra, the current one being safe and reliable, and a better car than the current Civic which is really outdated and has nothing setting it apart. I've been very impressed with the newer Hyundais.
 
You might want to look at the Chrysler 300 or Magnum in the V6 version if you're worried about gas consumption. Nice big cars built with familty hauling in mind.....

Bob
 
thanks for all the responses. as soon as i started this thread the wife wanted to go to bed. so i apologize for the late response



am really not considering price as an obsticle. but the range would be from15k to 30k.



had not thought about the Hyundi.



have looked at the corrola and was impressed.



will stop and look at the Honda dealership.



isn't the Dodge 300 an expensive vehicle? kind of like the cadillac of the Dodge line? have seen a few driving down the road as of late. it definitely has some nice lines.
 
cwcad said:
isn't the Dodge 300 an expensive vehicle? kind of like the cadillac of the Dodge line? have seen a few driving down the road as of late. it definitely has some nice lines.
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Its an expensive vehicle if you go with the fully loaded hemi, but i'm pretty sure you can get a V6 version in the $22 to $23K price range. I often end up with a 300 when renting cars for business travel and i must say that its a nice car to drive.



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The Magnum in the V6 is even cheaper. I havn't driven one of those yet so i have no opinion on ride but i'd assume that it's similar to the 300.



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Good luck with your search ! :)



Bob
 
Well I was going to suggest what i have a subaru Baja which to me is the best of both world but it doesn't seat five. I did have the Sonata and I like the older styling it gave it the look of a jag(it was a VERY good car). I really liked it but I need the AWD/4WD so I went looking for a truck and found it was not for me milage wise.



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We had a 2001 Civic 4-door and it was a good car. Big on the inside, small on the outside, and with a large trunk. It wasn't very good at handling (which is why we got rid of it) but really did deliver 35 mpg+ which was nice.



The Accord is an excellent choice, although I prefer the Mazda 6 in that category because of the handling.



Also, definitely check out the Mazda 3! Very interesting car in two distinct body styles.



Don't be surprised if you start to enjoy driving the new vehicle more than you think! Lots of people haven't driven sedans in ten years and are amazed at how far they have come since the SUV craze began. Generally begins with, "Oh WOW this thing is easy to park!" :xyxthumbs
 
hey guys, thanks for the pictures!!!



will be looking into all of the cars mentioned.



SilverBelle04.... nice information. have not noticed the magnum. will be getting information on it in the foreseeable future.



holland_patrick... i have a friend that has one in fairbanks, ak. just never thought of it and will get feedback from him also.



my wife thinks that i get into to much detail when buying vehicle. i think that i need to research something real well before purchasing because of the investment as well as the fact that i spend so much time away from family working in alaska that i need to feel that i get the best car for the money i spend.



well, i am off to a car show in Waco. will be off line for about seven hours.



keep those responses coming.
 
If you are away alot from the family, you want to make sure to get either a Toyota or Honda. You don't want to have the car break down on her. The bonus is that when it is time to sell the vehicle, you will get more money for a Toyota or Honda. THe Avalon is an excellent car with lots of room.
 
I was looking for a similar vehicle just before Christmas and eventually decided on a Honda Pilot.



I wanted a larger SUV for the utility it offers, but my partner Kat said she would not feel comfortable driving a large SUV or truck. The Pilot turned out to be the best compromise we found; it is wider than most mid sized SUVs which generates plenty of interior room for 5 people (more than most vehicles in its class), it comes standard with one of the more usable fold down third row seats and it offers plenty of cargo room for a full family.



What is really neat about the Pilot, is what it does not come with! It does not come with a huge gas guzzling V8 (V6 255HP, 17/22 MPG), huge weight - at a little over 4400 LBS and with the length about the same as a Honda Accord it easy to drive around town, easy enough that after test driving it, Kat (who swore she would never drive an SUV) wanted it for herself! The ride is softer and more comfortable than most trucks and SUV I tried.



I read the Honda Pilot being described as a car based SUV, the Honda Odyssey of SUVs and as a value priced Acura MDX, IMHO there is some truth in all of these descriptions.



Take a look at a Pilot, you might just persuade your wife to buy a SUV after all!



Pricing is towards the top of your range: The street price for a loaded 05 Pilot EXL is around $29,400 plus t&t but the LX models start at around $25,200. Honda financing runs around 2.9% right now.



Good luck!
 
Up to 30K? Maybe an Acura TL one year off lease would give you the best value for the money. The new Accord with a V6 tops out at around $28k loaded and it is really quick.



The Mazda6 is also pretty nice, loaded with a V6 runs around $26k...but get the 5 speed, Mazda tends to use a pretty tight torque converter so their automatic equipped cars are dogs right off the line.
 
tdekany said:
If you are away alot from the family, you want to make sure to get either a Toyota or Honda. You don't want to have the car break down on her. The bonus is that when it is time to sell the vehicle, you will get more money for a Toyota or Honda. THe Avalon is an excellent car with lots of room.
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well iam baack from the car show. it was fun for me and my boy.



getting back to the quote. yes, i am gone as long as seven months at a time so a new vehicle is the only way i want to go. warranty is a must for my wife . she does nothing except get the oil changed at regular intervals. since i am 4000 miles away i need to have the best mechanical warranty that i can find. the mileage is of utmost import because of all the shuttling that she does for the kids in the summer. the oldest daughter takes classes in the summer at a college thirty miles away and my next son is in the TAG program sponsored by Duke University so he will be going to galveston, austin, or san antonio for some summer course work. couple that with day care for the four year old, she does a lot of driving each day.
 
I read recently that the TL's leather is not holding up too well after 1 year. Too bad. Nice car otherwise.



PS: His wife may not want to drive stick or can't.
 
cwcad said:
well iam baack from the car show. it was fun for me and my boy.



getting back to the quote. yes, i am gone as long as seven months at a time so a new vehicle is the only way i want to go. warranty is a must for my wife . she does nothing except get the oil changed at regular intervals. since i am 4000 miles away i need to have the best mechanical warranty that i can find. the mileage is of utmost import because of all the shuttling that she does for the kids in the summer. the oldest daughter takes classes in the summer at a college thirty miles away and my next son is in the TAG program sponsored by Duke University so he will be going to galveston, austin, or san antonio for some summer course work. couple that with day care for the four year old, she does a lot of driving each day.
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Hybrid Accord?
 
Accord EX 4 cylinder. I'm not a huge van of Honda V6's and their auto counterparts. And I assume your wife really doesn't care as long as the car is reasonably quick.



It will hold its value well, and mileage isn't really an issue on the 4 cylinder auto Hondas. Should be about 22-24k.



Plus it is very safe, solid, and a great highway car.
 
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