Buying a new car...need some ideas

My neighbors have a Kia Sportage which I really like, so I want something in that style. I know nothing about cars so I need some good cars to look at and choose from.

 
I can#%92t say how their quality is now, but I will say from past experience that I will NEVER but a Kia….
 
My step daughter#%92s mom decided to buy her a new Kia Rio in 2001… that was the worst thing they could have done. In the couple of years she lived with us her dad and I got 4 alignments and REPLACED 6 tires on that car ( I should have bought stock in tires at the time).  The damn thing would not stay in aligned and even the mechanics said that. We had all kinds of other problems that we had to take it in for (which thankfully was still under warranty).  But the worst was when we found out the safety of this car..it was listed in the top 5 MOST dangerous cars to drive. We finally went against her mom's ranting and sold the car out from under them and bought her new car.  Just my [sm=2cents.gif] on Kia#%92s…. again, I hear they are improving…
 
OK, so are you looking for a small SUV then??  Also, may I ask what price range??

 
 

I am probably biased but I love Hondas. I am also looking at cars (space and MPG are at the top of my list) and personally am looking at the Honda Fit (5 door car, 37 MPG) because the seats fold flat and there is something like 41 cu ft of cargo space back there, which will fit my whole crew for travelling. I'm also looking at the Honda Element (SUV, 22/29 MPG), which is like a box on wheels, but the seats also fold flat or are removeable and there is ALOT of space back there. I've also heard good things about the CR-V.

I believe the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV is pricier but it is supposed to get something like 32 MPG, which is generally unheard of in SUVs.

The Toyota RAV4 and Jeep Wrangler are also cars I've heard good things about, but simply do not offer the room that I need.

I have a Subaru Outback and I love it. The AWD has saved my butt several times when I got caught in bad weather. It's a 1997 and I've had it for 4 years now, and have had only 1 mechanical problem (alternator gave out). The gas mileage is decent, considering the AWD - I average 26 mpg in normal street driving. My only complaint is that the engine is kind of loud, and since I drive from New England down to Virginia a few times a year, the noise gets really old after the first 3 hours of freeway driving.

What about a Saturn Vue? Cheaper than regular GM 'SUVs' and quality is great.

I've got an Element (2003.)  It's a really neat vehicle-I'm headed down to GA so I took out the rear seats and will be loading 2 dog crates, my luggage, a portable A/C unit and a bunch of other stuff along with me and 2 dogs. 

Though I've heard better mileage estimates, I don't drive fast and my average in the city is 20mpg on the highway it's only 24mpg.  Mine has AWD and does well in the snow.  Personally I wish it got better highway mileage, as the truck I traded in got about 27mpg on the highway.

It is a little box, but it's comfortable, versatile and easy to clean.

The downside on the element is that it's not fancy, and the A-pillar (where the windshield meets the door) is very large and obstructs my forward vision. 

Out of 5 stars I'd give it a 3.9.

The downside on the element is that it's not fancy, and the A-pillar (where the windshield meets the door) is very large and obstructs my forward vision.

Out of 5 stars I'd give it a 3.9.

Ed, if you want you can just drive that element to San Diego and I will do a little "car swap" with you if you are that unhappy....[] 

We bought our Sorento used...couple years or maybe just a year old. Hasn't given us a problem yet....think we've had it 3 years?...before that we had an old style Sportage that gave us many years without heavy maintenence and never had an issue.
 
Think the new issue Sportage's are nice little cars that have been reviewing well.

If you want to spend a little more, the Volvo V40 (a station wagon) is soooo nice. I have a 2001 S40 (same thing, but in a car form). I loooove Volvos. My last, a 1994, lasted 155,000 miles, and then the odometer died, and I drove it for a while after that, with only typical 'old car' problems. There were a couple times with my 1994 where I said "oh sh**, that SO shouldn't have gone like that". My new one is sooo nice...nice nice nice nice. It gets about 22mpg in the city and like 27 with the cruise control on. I love it. It was a little pricey but totally worth it.

ORIGINAL: jjsmom06

The downside on the element is that it's not fancy, and the A-pillar (where the windshield meets the door) is very large and obstructs my forward vision.

Out of 5 stars I'd give it a 3.9.

Ed, if you want you can just drive that element to San Diego and I will do a little "car swap" with you if you are that unhappy....[] 

Hey a 3.9/5.0  is pretty darned good in my book.  To get a 5.0 it needs to be on a truck frame, have at least 6 cylinders, have a manual tranny, and be built by Ford. []

Hey a 3.9/5.0 is pretty darned good in my book. To get a 5.0 it needs to be on a truck frame, have at least 6 cylinders, have a manual tranny, and be built by Ford.

 
 
Eeek, Ford.....a perfect 5 in my book comes in a 350 Z, DOHC, manual Transmission, and jet black........[8D]

ORIGINAL: snownose

Hey a 3.9/5.0 is pretty darned good in my book. To get a 5.0 it needs to be on a truck frame, have at least 6 cylinders, have a manual tranny, and be built by Ford.

Eeek, Ford.....a perfect 5 in my book comes in a 350 Z, DOHC, manual Transmission, and jet black........[8D]

Eeeek!  LOL  I've worked for Ford for years now, always had good luck with them.  Nissans are good though, just not big enough for me.

Eeeek! LOL I've worked for Ford for years now, always had good luck with them. Nissans are good though, just not big enough for me.

 
 
Ed, as a rep. for Ford you will be happy to know that for the company we run F-350s, DH loves the 19,000lbs towing capacity, and the dog hauler and private travelling vehicle is an Excursion with dual air conditioning.
 
I personally am a big fan of the flitzy sports cars, and driving big trucks is totally yuck for me......so I am still running a 300 ZX, and hope to upgrade to a 350Z soon......I just love how well Nissans are made.

ORIGINAL: Xerxes

I've got an Element (2003.) It's a really neat vehicle-I'm headed down to GA so I took out the rear seats and will be loading 2 dog crates, my luggage, a portable A/C unit and a bunch of other stuff along with me and 2 dogs.

Though I've heard better mileage estimates, I don't drive fast and my average in the city is 20mpg on the highway it's only 24mpg. Mine has AWD and does well in the snow. Personally I wish it got better highway mileage, as the truck I traded in got about 27mpg on the highway.

It is a little box, but it's comfortable, versatile and easy to clean.

The downside on the element is that it's not fancy, and the A-pillar (where the windshield meets the door) is very large and obstructs my forward vision.

Out of 5 stars I'd give it a 3.9.

We've thought about getting a Pilot. I like Hondas and would like our next vehicle to be a Honda. My fiancee is looking at Toyotas, but I want a Honda.

Thanks everyone!  You've given me some great cars to start looking at.  I am looking into small type SUV's and I want to stay around $20,000.

Does anyone have any advice about when I'm ready and I go to the dealer?  Is there anything specific I should be asking?  Also, if I buy a used car I just want to put a down payment on it and then pay monthly; do they do that?  I don't know much about financing, but a friend of mine mentioned I'd have to do that.  Who finances you? 

I just reread this and it makes me sound pretty stupid, but I just know ABSOLUTELY nothing about buying cars...[]