Car Shopping
posted by John Blanco @ 6:38 AM
One of the finer points of having a first child is the realization that you need a bigger car. Michele and I learned this when we first tried to put the car seat into my VW Golf.
Not Happening.
This week, we began our search for a new car. Originally, the plan was to get something used but recent. We've trended towards looking exclusively for a new car, though.
We've test driven five vehicles -- all of them ones we've had our eye on (in order):
- Jeep Compass
- Jeep Liberty
- Kia Sportage
- Honda CR-V
- Toyota RAV4
As expected, Michele and I have had our differences. :-)
The Kia Sportage surprised me in how well it looked and felt. It also has a great warranty. However, I really fell in love with the Toyota RAV4 which provided the best drive and power for the money (in just a 4-cyl engine).
Michele originally loves the Jeep Compass, which is the best price, but the Honda CR-V won her over.
Overall, I'm torn. A Jeep Compass would keep our cost down, but it felt more like a car and it had a pretty cheap looking interior. The RAV4 was my favorite overall, but the color choices available to us are so bad that even I'm hesitant (tan interior? please!).
The Honda seems to present the best package overall. Now we also must decide between 4x2 or 4x4. We'd like to keep our cost lower with a 4x2, but all wheel drive for less than $1,500 more is enticing for those ski trips we want to take. :-)
Oh, decisions....decisions. Anyone have any input?
2 Comments:
Is it worth $1500 to have that 4 wheel drive come Holiday Blizzard 2007! Of course i'm the guy who rides the bus and whose wife is driving a mini cooper everyday . .
I'd recommend the Liberty.. I've had some experience with them and other Jeeps, and they are reliable and well-built overall (though a little cheap inside on some details).
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