What Car?

[leevs11]

I need a car. I currently have no car, but am moving to a new city where I will need a vehicle. The vehicle will not be used for daily commuting. It will be a weekend car used for visiting family about 3 hours away, going camping 2-4 hours away, going on 2-4 longer (week or two) road trips per year and making grocery runs in sub zero temperatures.

I will be very mustachian in owning and regularly using a bike for myself and my SO.

This is in the midwest where we regularly see below zero temperatures and a lot of snow every winter.

What would you recommend? New or Used? SUV or car?

I'd like decent gas mileage for the longer trips, but this will not be a commuter car. I should be able to keep inside a parking garage, but will not have access to plug in for electric.

I'm leaning towards the small SUV route (Rav4, Rogue, Forester, CRV) to accommodate camping gear and the occasional kayak while staying as small as possible. New is intriguing. I've only owned 10+ year old cars in the past , so that feels excessive, but this should be a long term vehicle so maybe it's worth it.

Thoughts?

[Syonyk]

...and a lot of snow every winter.

A set of snow tires on stamped steel wheels from Tire Rack solves snow.

...but will not have access to plug in for electric.

Welp.  There goes my normal Volt recommendation.

Get a Prius, put a hitch on it, and get a rear cargo rack for it.

[Sandi_k]

I have a 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. AWD, very reliable, comfortable for road trips. Mileage is ~ 40 mpg.

I also used to have a Subaru AWD station wagon (now, the Outback). Very comfortable, and lower to the ground, which my current knees would not like. Lots of used ones over the years and "generations" of them. Mileage is more like 23 mpg.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Get a Prius, put a hitch on it, and get a rear cargo rack for it.

I'm firmly in the used Prius camp.  Earlier this year we bought a used 2008 Prius with 150K miles on it.  The battery had already been replaced, but we had the brakes and tires replaced as well.  We have an excellent Toyota mechanic we go to.  We share it with our college-aged child, who only got a drivers license this year.  It's been a great little car, and we aren't worried about potential little scratches and such because it already has those.  Seriously, I didn't ever think I would feel so confident with a 14 year old car, but the Prius has a good reputation and with a good mechanic keeping an eye on it, we think it was a great choice for us.

Another great thing is we were able to get a used Yakima rack for it cheap on Craigslist, with the towers, bars, and bike trays.  We didn't even have to build the rack, as it was coming off the same year Prius.  This was when bike stores and Yakima themselves were backordered on racks.  I personally wouldn't do a hitch and cargo rack, but I would put a kayak carrier or sky box up top if I needed them.

(No place to plug in for us, either.  When kid graduates college and gets to keep this Prius, I'll probably look for another one.)

[darknight]

If you can find a used prius, get a 2010 or newer - fewer issues with oil burning and more room. With fuel prices, the Prius demands top dollar so be mindful. If you can find a CR-V, that's another great option. If you're not daily driving, the MPG doesn't matter as much. CR-V's (get one with a 2.4) will get 20-25 mpg, awd and good enough for most dirt roads/adventures.

I wouldn't recommend a new car if you're not turning a lot of miles per year.

[RWD]

How about a Prius v? It's the wagon version which gets you the space of a compact SUV with the efficiency of a car (EPA combined 41 mpg). There are higher mileage (~180k) ones for under $10k and lower mileage (~100k) for under $15k.
https://www.autotempest.com/results?make=toyota&model=priusv&localization=country

Note, not to be confused with the Prius V (capital V) which is just another trim of the normal Prius.

[GilesMM]

How about a Zipcar?