Author Topic: which vehicle would you choose  (Read 3579 times)

partgypsy

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which vehicle would you choose
« on: June 07, 2016, 07:39:47 AM »
a) 2008 Subaru outback, 72.5K miles $11.5K 3 mo powertrain warrantee
b) 2011 Subaru outback 75K miles $16.8K but comes with limited lifetime guarantee
c) 2014 mazada 5 38.7K miles $13.7K comes with 3 year powertrain warrantee
d) or something entirely different

looking for something that seats 4 + dog with storage. Big plus is higher ground clearance for when going to a cabin.

Miss Piggy

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Re: which vehicle would you choose
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2016, 07:47:03 AM »
Given those choices, I'd lean toward the Mazda. It has half the miles of the Subarus and only costs a little more.

Prices negotiable?

What is the "limited lifetime guarantee" with option B? Sounds a little snake-oily to me.

Tetsuya Hondo

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Re: which vehicle would you choose
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2016, 07:49:41 AM »
Can't tell you which one to buy, but if you haven't already, I would look at the reliability ratings for each on Truedelta.com and Consumer Reports first. I would also compare prices with Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds. Also recommend looking at Edmunds Town Hall for each model to see what issues people are reporting. I know some of the Subies have been oil burners from that era.

Speaking of Subies, you can get a used Forester for less than an Outback and it meets all your criteria too, although a bit smaller than the Outback (but also boxier which may help in other ways). But again, look into the engine issues first.

All other things being equal, I would choose the newest/lowest miles. In this case, it's an MMM favorite, the Mazda 5.

A "limited lifetime guarantee" doesn't sound like much of a guarantee to me.

brute

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Re: which vehicle would you choose
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2016, 07:50:02 AM »
a) 2008 Subaru outback, 72.5K miles $11.5K 3 mo powertrain warrantee
b) 2011 Subaru outback 75K miles $16.8K but comes with limited lifetime guarantee
c) 2014 mazada 5 38.7K miles $13.7K comes with 3 year powertrain warrantee
d) or something entirely different

looking for something that seats 4 + dog with storage. Big plus is higher ground clearance for when going to a cabin.

Out of those options, I'm going mazda. If you want a subaru, be very certain to do an enormous amount of research on the year/model and head gasket issues. The older ones have major issues with those and it's very expensive to fix. I'm not sure when they fixed it, but the 2008 might still be an issue

COlady

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Re: which vehicle would you choose
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2016, 08:21:05 AM »
a) 2008 Subaru outback, 72.5K miles $11.5K 3 mo powertrain warrantee
b) 2011 Subaru outback 75K miles $16.8K but comes with limited lifetime guarantee
c) 2014 mazada 5 38.7K miles $13.7K comes with 3 year powertrain warrantee
d) or something entirely different

looking for something that seats 4 + dog with storage. Big plus is higher ground clearance for when going to a cabin.

Out of those options, I'm going mazda. If you want a subaru, be very certain to do an enormous amount of research on the year/model and head gasket issues. The older ones have major issues with those and it's very expensive to fix. I'm not sure when they fixed it, but the 2008 might still be an issue

I have a 2007 Legacy and I had to replace the head gaskets last year. Gah!

HPstache

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Re: which vehicle would you choose
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2016, 08:30:36 AM »
Yeah, I'd choose "D" none of the above personally.  I don't like the Mazda 5 "van door"... it's like some sneaky way of having a van but "not having a van" and it's not fooling anyone.  But if I had to choose, I do like Mazdas over Subarus personally.

Papa bear

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Re: which vehicle would you choose
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2016, 08:33:08 AM »
D. Get a minivan.


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frugaliknowit

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Re: which vehicle would you choose
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2016, 10:04:16 AM »
D. Get a minivan.


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Second this...

Choices

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Re: which vehicle would you choose
« Reply #8 on: June 07, 2016, 10:18:51 AM »
Keep in mind the cost of repairs- Toyotas and Hondas are usually much less expensive to repair or maintain as they age.

partgypsy

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Re: which vehicle would you choose
« Reply #9 on: June 07, 2016, 12:04:25 PM »
OK, going with Mazda5. We had already test driven one and liked it. I was looking for something a little smaller than traditional minivan. Go on a trip once a year where it would be nice to have higher ground clearance, but this will fit the bill the other 95% of time.


Dicey

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Re: which vehicle would you choose
« Reply #10 on: June 07, 2016, 12:46:39 PM »
Good decision. I had a Mazda minivan three vehicles ago and loved it. Sold it to a friend and it's still going strong as the family teen's car.