For $30-35k why bother with a used car? You should be able to get a new CRV or forrester or outback for around 35. You can fit a lot of stuff in these cars if you fold second row seats, especially in the outback

Maybe it would be more economical to uber or book a standing appointment with a taxi company. seriously.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the Santa Fe and Kia Sportage recommendations as well.

It looks like Santa Fe is similar to Subaru Forester in many respects at first glance.

I would definitely get a Subaru vs. a Hyundai.

While both brands appear to be good, I had a Hyundai before I had a Subaru and definitely experienced more mechanical issues with it long-term.

And I’ll say the opposite! My Subaru was an utter lemon but I adored my Hyundai. YMMV, literally.

I think they’re both fine options foR OP.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the Santa Fe and Kia Sportage recommendations as well.

It looks like Santa Fe is similar to Subaru Forester in many respects at first glance.

I would definitely get a Subaru vs. a Hyundai.

While both brands appear to be good, I had a Hyundai before I had a Subaru and definitely experienced more mechanical issues with it long-term.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:anyway you can wait until older one starts college?

When older one is in college we probably would not need a 2nd car.

We need primarily for the odd one time a week we need 2 cars to pick up/drop off both kids at the same time. That is the main reason we need a 2nd one.

The other less important reason is for long trips since we have a Honda Accord and prefer an SUV for longer trips. We sold off a Honda CR-V when it is no longer made sense to repair. We used CRV for road trips.

That's why I was asking. Kid is 16 so he is very close to college and after that you maybe okay with one car.

Anonymous wrote:anyway you can wait until older one starts college?

When older one is in college we probably would not need a 2nd car.

We need primarily for the odd one time a week we need 2 cars to pick up/drop off both kids at the same time. That is the main reason we need a 2nd one.

The other less important reason is for long trips since we have a Honda Accord and prefer an SUV for longer trips. We sold off a Honda CR-V when it is no longer made sense to repair. We used CRV for road trips.

anyway you can wait until older one starts college?

Subaru Outback should be considered. Both the Forester & Outback are options to consider.

Thanks for the Santa Fe and Kia Sportage recommendations as well.

It looks like Santa Fe is similar to Subaru Forester in many respects at first glance.

Thank you for the detailed recommendation of Subaru Forester. It never even appeared on my radar. I would look at it in more detail.

Kia sportage hybrid.

Anonymous wrote:Subaru Forester. Great road trip car, good for your family size, lots of safety features, very reliable cars. You can get a brand new with the Limited package for around $35k, and less if you went with the Sport or Wilderness package. Depends on how many of the bells and whistles you want, though for a road trip car I usually want something with more features since you spend a lot of time in the car. Grandma will love it!

You might also look at the Outback, which has a lower profile but is actually a bit larger inside. Higher price point. One advantage to the Outback is that if you intend to use a rooftop carrier at some point (which you might for road trips or moving kids to college) it's a bit easier to access and manage because the vehicle isn't as tall.

I also have seen Cross-Treks around but don't really know much about them. If you go test drive, might at least look at one to see what you think.

But my bet is on the Forester -- it's a great family car and I think the perfect vehicle for your price point and proposed uses.

+1 I love my Forrester. Although I'd probably go with a Crosstrek If I had to do it over again, but not sure that would fit 5 as comfortably for OP?

You might want to look at Hyundai Santa Fe. Slightly bigger.

Subaru Forester. Great road trip car, good for your family size, lots of safety features, very reliable cars. You can get a brand new with the Limited package for around $35k, and less if you went with the Sport or Wilderness package. Depends on how many of the bells and whistles you want, though for a road trip car I usually want something with more features since you spend a lot of time in the car. Grandma will love it!

You might also look at the Outback, which has a lower profile but is actually a bit larger inside. Higher price point. One advantage to the Outback is that if you intend to use a rooftop carrier at some point (which you might for road trips or moving kids to college) it's a bit easier to access and manage because the vehicle isn't as tall.

I also have seen Cross-Treks around but don't really know much about them. If you go test drive, might at least look at one to see what you think.

But my bet is on the Forester -- it's a great family car and I think the perfect vehicle for your price point and proposed uses.

We are a family of 4 with 2 kids (ages 10 & 16). I have sold off a second car (a small SUV) when its useful life ended. We have a sedan that covers nearly all our needs. The only exception is once a week both kids needs to be picked up or dropped off around the same time. Other than that there is no need for a 2nd car.

We would likely be doing college vists near term. We would prefer the college to be within 6-7 hour driving range, so we would likely be using the car during college years to visit child.

So I am thinking of a mid size SUV. Since this would be parked most of the time with little usage (half hour driving per week) other than long road trips, I do not want to pay $50k, paying maybe $2000 in property taxes and maybe $1000 in additional insurance. Something in $30-35k used might make more sense. Would pay more if I have to.

I am looking for a non-electric SUV with
1) Quiet smooth ride - low cabin noise. Something a grandma would like.
2) Something that lasts a long time without a lot of expensive repairs, since I would not be using more than 5000 miles a year (this was our average on our previous car as well).
3) 5 seater should be enough but if it has 3rd row that is fine too.
4) Good safety assistance features (lane warning, backup camera, etc)

Do not care much about acceleration, driving qualities, etc.

I can go through individual SUV's one by one and check against these, but wanted to get the wisdom of crowds and see if others know of any that meet these criteria for me to consider.