Vehicle Choices Poll:

[Lexusfreak]

Hi everyone,

I am asking for your opinions here as to what the next vehicle(s) I should be considering for my wife. As many of you know, she currently drives a 2003 Ford Focus ZX5 & her lease is up in several months time. We will be purchasing a vehicle this time around instead of leasing & we are going with a used vehicle instead of brand new (please don't get me started on brand new vehicles :whistles: ) We will be getting all service & maintenance records before we buy & will be considering an extended warranty. B)

We want something that has good cargo room, 4+ doors, with a small V6 engine that has a good history being reliable, easy to maintain, decent on gas & not to expensive to insure. It has to be at least FWD if not AWD. We will be spending around $20 - $22k Canadian dollars ($15 - 17k American dollars). We are in our late 20's with no kids at the moment so any Minivans are completely out of the question but have considered that possibility with our choices below and no vehicles built on truck platforms please. ;)

We have narrowed it down to 2 on our short list but are open to other suggestions & opinions (feel free to comment on our choices as well). The choices are in order are:

# 1 - 2002 Toyota Highlander V6 AWD: (many might remember I have been looking for the old brochures for the 2001 & 2002 model a short while back B) ) Built on a modified car platform (Camry / ES 300) with very good road manners because of that, love the AWD, cargo capacity & is fairly decent on gas & an all around safe & good looking vehicle. Reliability has been very good to excellent (quality of materials used is quite good) and the size of the vehicle is excellent for our needs. (I don't have the Lexus RX here because that vehicle actually is smaller & has less cargo capacity than the Highlander, is quite a bit more expensive which does not make it a very good buy for us).

#2 - Mazda 6 Sport Wagon: A solid structure built on a 'global platform'. Good performance numbers * driving characteristics from it's 220 HP 3.0L V6 & 5 speed automatic (6 speed automatic on 2005+ models). Good cargo capacity, attractive interior & decent quality materials used in an attractive package. Only thing is the reliability thus far has been rated slightly below average which is a bit disappointing from the research I have done which has been extensive (I guess that's some of the Ford DNA in the vehicle).

#3 - ? Any suggestions or opinions here are appreciated. Only other thing I can say is we like the new Subaru Legacy wagon but it is only offered in regular 4 cyl & a turbo 4 (insurance is too high & not a fan of turbos) & don't like the price or styling of the Outback with the H6. :(

Thanks for your feedback everyone! :D

[VMF]

toyota highlander is a good choise

i would also consider honda pilot

very nice car

[steviej]

Lexusfreak, I fixed your poll set-up as you asked, but I don't think the numbers reflected at this point are accurate. (2-2-3)

6 votes were cast when you only had the one choice. I don't know how they split out when I corrected your poll set up.

Contact Matt McNally, he may be able to reset the poll so members can vote again and have the numbers tabulated accurately.

steviej

[Lexusfreak]

Lexusfreak, I fixed your poll set-up as you asked, but I don't think the numbers reflected at this point are accurate.  (2-2-3)

6 votes were cast when you only had the one choice.  I don't know how they split out when I corrected your poll set up.

Contact Matt McNally, he may be able to reset the poll so members can vote again and have the numbers tabulated accurately.

steviej

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Thanks steviej! B) I will send Matt a PM to see if he can re-set the poll to match the votes people have written so far.....I hope you voted too lol. ;)

[blake918]

The Highlander is an excellent choice and my vote. My neighbor had(leased) a top of the line beige LTD model, V6, AWD....it was awesome!!!! B) They drive great, very comfortable, look good, quiet, basically a Toyota! lol

A Murano possibly? I think they look cool(very love it or hate it style), but I've never driven one.

[Lexusfreak]

A Murano possibly? I think they look cool(very love it or hate it style), but I've never driven one.

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A tad too big (and expensive) for what we are looking for blake (but good choice nontheless ;) ) & I have heard many complaints about the 'on demand' (or lack of) AWD system on the Murano. Very poor traction from what I have read in the auto mags.

Thanks for the votes people......please keep them & your choices or suggestions coming, the are appreciated! B)

[amf1932]

This is the car for you.........Toyota Highlander V6 AWD!!

[SW03ES]

Can't go wrong with the Highlander, look into the transmission on the AWD vehicle though I know we've seen problems with AWD RX300s.

The Highlander's kinda plain jane to me though. I'd look at a Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute maybe (smaller though, and truck based) and also a Honda Pilot. The Mazda 6s are nice, as are the Mazda 3s. Might want to look at a Chrysler Pacifica too.

[Lexusfreak]

Can't go wrong with the Highlander, look into the transmission on the AWD vehicle though I know we've seen problems with AWD RX300s.

The Highlander's kinda plain jane to me though. I'd look at a Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute maybe (smaller though, and truck based) and also a Honda Pilot. The Mazda 6s are nice, as are the Mazda 3s. Might want to look at a Chrysler Pacifica too.

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My in-law's have the Escape......& it's too small, with a small fuel tank that does not get great gas mileage. I too thought about the Mazda 3 sport hatchback, but the wife want's a 6 cyl which I can understand. Pacifica is not a bad looking vehicle, but I'll never buy a Chrysler product because of past experences my father has had. B)

The Pilot keep coming up......I am going to have to look into this a bit more. B) & I hear ya sw about the tranny on the AWD Highlanders. ;)

[RX in NC]

Lexusfreak,

I hear you loud and clear about your bias against Chrysler, but they have made greater strides over the past decade in quality improvement and vehicle diversity than GM and Ford combined. I used to laugh at Chrysler with their cheap K-cars and stodgy image, but our Grand Cherokees and my Ram have all been solid, fast, bulletproof, easy-and-inexpensive-to-maintain vehicles. There's not a new truck out there that I would trade my 1999 Ram 1500 5.9-litre V-8 Laramie for. It is a fast, comfortable, well-built workhorse that just keeps barrelling along.

Take a good hard look at the Pacifica - it is a wonderful vehicle for the money. My wife now wishes she had either a Pacifica or a Grand Cherokee instead of her haunted RX300. And remember - her vehicle has caused me to feel the same way about Lexus as you do about Chrysler. But even some "hated" manufacturers make a few great models. The Pacifica is one of them.

I'd bet that you can find a low-mileage, loaded 2004 Pacifica for less money than a 2002 higher-mileage Highlander. The Pacifica is roomier and I believe it is also smoother and quieter. Reconsider your bias and at least go drive one. If you still can't shake your bias, then at least you've made an informed decision.

And finally, stay far, far away from any AWD Highlander....

[SW03ES]

I do agree, Chryslers of new are not your father's Chrysler with the influx of engineering from Benz. I'd drive a Chrysler. Not a Lexus or Toyota in smooth engineering yet, but they're a better bet than something from GM or Ford. Chryslers also tend to have a lot of glitz for the buck too.

I rented a Pacifica for a trip once and really liked it, I'd drive one.

[vcv10guy]

I voted for the Highlander, but considering a Chrysler Pacifica isn't a bad idea. They are safe as far as crash tests go and the fuel economy is comparable to the Highlander as well. If you're concerned about styling, the Pacifica does have a more stand out styling than the Highlander. Personally though I don't like the Honda Pilot's looks and well the styling of some Hondas for that matter. The headlights make it look bug eyed and ugly, and the taillights don't look great to me either. I have to give it points for safety, and overall typical Honda quality though. You and your wife should definitely test drive all of them to help make decision.

[Pops330]

I vote for the highlander. The wife has a 98 4runner and just loves the darn thing. Hard to beat Toyota reliability.

[denslexusgx470]

highlander

but, i do have a hunch that the redesign is just around the corner (this 1st gen's been out for awhile now)

if it's possible, i'd wait. if not, consider the Pilot ;)

[SW03ES]

They just did some light refreshing on the Highlander so I think its got another year or two on it.

[Lexusfreak]

Had a very close look at the Pilot this week. It's too big (and heavy) for what we need, not to mention it's considered an 8 passenger SUV. :( Nice vehicle nonetheless (and a good suggestion) but just a bit too much vehicle for what we need I'm afraid. :(

We also have a very close look at the new Ford Freestyle too when we took my wife's car into the Ford dealer for an oil change & tire rotation. Very sharp looking vehicle & just the right size with excellent & brilliant packaging in the interior! But several things...

First & foremost, it grossly underpowered even with the CVT tranny! (3.0L Duratec 203 hp & 207 torque for a 4000lb vehice!......look at the Nissan Murano to see my point) :chairshot: Why Ford didn't wait until their upcoming 3.5L V6 was ready (or at least offer it as an option) is behond me. It's no wonder GM & Ford are loosing market share hand over fist!

Next brings me to the factory 17" tires......they are Contientials & are actually worse than the Bridgestone RE92's & EL42's! :o :whistles: & there are no decent replacements for it, which includes any winter rubber (Goodyear Integrity's? no thanks) and the vehicle has been available for almost a year now. What good is having an AWD vehicle (especially in the winter) if the tires are horrible with nothing out there to replace them with? Sorta defeats the purpose.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp...at=All&x=69&y=5

And last, but not least......well it's a first year issue & a Ford which brings up long term longevity & reliability into question.

[Lexusfreak]

UPDATE

After doing alot of research & thinking (some might call it OCD ;) ) because of the extremely high prices of gasoline now (close to $1.00 a litre here in Canada which works out to be close to $4.50 a gallon!!! So my friends south of the border, don't tell me your problems about fuel prices lol ;) ) we are giving serious consideration to a 2003 or 2004 Subaru Forester XS.

I did mention that we wanted a 6 cyl, but the Forester has decent power from it's 2.5 litre (larger 4 cyl - 165 hp) engine, full time AWD has about 65 cu ft of cargo space (very close to the Highlander!) & only weighs about 3150 lbs compared to almost 4,000lbs for the Highlander! 5 star safety rating & a very good overall reliability rating. B)

Any comments & feedback on the Forester, I would appreciate it. ;)

[91L3xus]

If you were looking into Chryslers again, I'd say take a glance at the 300C. They are very roomy, lots of power options, I think at least 3 engines, including the Hemi. The only 1 common problem I've heard of from the 300C's is the gas tank is prone to developing a leak. Not a thing you want to worry about because of gas prices at this time, but more importantly it's potentially a dangerous hazard to you and other drivers.

You may also want to look at the Magnum from Dodge. The cargo capacity is fairly decent for having such a slanting roof towards the back, and it can be had with AWD. I understand that if you were to consider either of the 2 cars I suggested, it would be the Magnum, because right now it's the only 1 of the 2 that offer AWD. Fuel economy supposedly does not suffer much because of the AWD system, adding roughly 150 pounds to the GVRW.

Good luck.

[Lexusfreak]

The Magnum is too big & too heavy (base model is over 3,800 lbs) for what we need. But one of the best looking wagons on the market to be sure. B)

I am not a fan of vehicles in their first year of production....which proves my point with the Fuel tank issues you mentioned. Thanks for the suggestion. :)

[LexKid630]

I have never owned a subaru so i can't really say much...But if you did research, then go for it!! Good luck with your decision. ;)

[SW03ES]

Subaru makes a fantastic car, I know several people with Foresters and Outbacks, WRX's etc. Everyone loves them.

[Lexusfreak]

Subaru makes a fantastic car, I know several people with Foresters and Outbacks, WRX's etc. Everyone loves them.

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That's what I have found as well sw......from write up's of both new & used Subaru's and speaking with actual owners. I might even go as far to say the Subi owners are a more loyal bunch than us Lexus owners. B) ;)

[SW03ES]

Its a "cult" marque, like VW or BMW. Lexus isn't a cult marque.

[Lexusfreak]

Its a "cult" marque, like VW or BMW. Lexus isn't a cult marque.

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I understand what your saying sw.......although I'm not sure I like the term 'cult' in general (not just with cars) lol. :whistles: But I hear ya! B) ;)

[deramg]

dunno if its too late to reply...

But i'll get a Passat Wagon Tdi... its really a Audi A6 and with a Audi 140PS Tdi engine... fast car with good gas consumption. If its too expensive, get the Jetta Wagon *Made in Germany*.

Subaru then if you want speed, but really, they are not too reliable compares with Honda/Toyota. A4 Wagon is pretty neat too...