Buy a brand new Chevy Trax. Same vehicle but fewer options and around 20k new for base model. You get full warranty

https://www.criswellchevrolet.com/VehicleSearchResults?search=new&make=Chevrolet&model=Trax

Buick is an extremely reliable car. More reliable than Japanese cars. But with used car prices so high I would try to get a deal on end of model year 2021 new one

I know several friends who have that model and I’ve heard nothing but praise. I hear it is underpowered, but reliable.

We have a 2017 Buick Encore that we bought new in late 2016. It's fully loaded with all available options, the slightly larger engine, and AWD.

We were also heavily influenced by needing to fit into a very tight parking space (narrow and short). At the time, DH had a short commute on local roads, but he now has a very long highway commute and we're starting to think about trading it in now that we have a much bigger garage. It's fine for city driving and ok for occasional road trips, but it's not great for long commutes on a regular basis. With AWD, it's fine in the snow, but probably not as good as a Subaru.

It's been pretty reliable and has required minimal maintenance (ours was extremely low mileage until recently), but it's extremely underpowered even with the larger of the 2 engine options. It's much better quality compared with its twin, the Chevy Trax (avoid the Trax!), and the dealership experience has been much better even at the same dealer (GM has covered the few issues we've had but would not cover them for a Trax). The cost of scheduled maintenance seems to be middle-of-the-road; not the cheapest but far from the most expensive. Probably comparable with prices for servicing a Mazda or Subaru.

Comfort is pretty good for 2 people even on long trips, but there's very little legroom room in back. Cargo capacity in the trunk is limited. It carries a decent amount with the seats down, but my compact size sedan carries more. The Encore is good for taller/boxier items, but the sedan is better for longer thinner items. We like being able to use CarPlay, but it's very glitchy. I find the gas-saving engine cut off annoying, but it doesn't bother DH.

If you like "spirited" driving and/or accelerating quickly, if you drive a lot of highway miles, or if you need a vehicle that can handle extreme weather on a regular basis, then I wouldn't recommend the Encore. However, if you mostly drive around town/city, are a patient driver, and only occasionally have to drive in snow, then it can be a good option. I would look for one with slightly more HP and avoid the base engine as I can't even imagine how awful that one would be.

If you enjoy driving the Mini, then you'll probably prefer something like a Mazda. The Mazda CX-30 would probably be perfect for you if your budget were a little higher (it's new this year, so used isn't an option), but the CX-3 might be a good compromise new or used. IIRC, they're discontinuing the CX-3 after the 2021 model year. The CX-3 is a little higher than the Mazda 3 hatch but smaller overall.

I'm not a fan of Kia or Hyundai, but they have a lot of inexpensive small crossovers; the Hyundai Kona is highly-rated. Also check out the Honda HR-V. The Subaru Crosstrek is probably better than the Encore in the snow, but it's also very underpowered and it's a high mark-up compared to the Impreza for a little lift and some plastic body cladding.

I think PP was referring to the fact that used vehicle prices are currently highly inflated so it's not a good time to buy any used car, especially from a dealer.

Anonymous wrote:The Crosstrek is pretty much the same body as the Impreza, but sits up higher so that would solve your clearance issue. My sister has one and loves it. I think the Encore is nice, but I have an irrational love for Buick’s because that’s what my dad always drove and they remind me of him .

I HATE my Crosstrek. Way too underpowered. And I’m thinking the transmission might be on the way out.

The Crosstrek is pretty much the same body as the Impreza, but sits up higher so that would solve your clearance issue. My sister has one and loves it. I think the Encore is nice, but I have an irrational love for Buick’s because that’s what my dad always drove and they remind me of him .

Anonymous wrote:I would not buy a used Buick for $20k. Don’t buy anything used right now.

Thanks! An example of a used encore we saw was a 2018 with 36k miles for just under $20,000.

Why would you not buy anything used right now?

Anonymous wrote:Buying a car based on garage size instead of driving capability seems weird to me. Why not just park the car on the street and use the garage for storage?

I’d rather buy a reliable car that won’t cost a lot to maintain and is fun to drive.

Street parking is extremely difficult in the area. You have to have a permit to park on the street in your own neighborhood, but even with limited permits issued it can still be difficult to find a spot. if you try to park a mile or so away (in another neighborhood) without the permit, you will get towed. We don't have anything that needs to be stored in the garage.
I'm definitely still considering driving capability which is why I'm asking for recommendations.

Buying a car based on garage size instead of driving capability seems weird to me. Why not just park the car on the street and use the garage for storage?

I’d rather buy a reliable car that won’t cost a lot to maintain and is fun to drive.

I would not buy a used Buick for $20k. Don’t buy anything used right now.

We need a car that is very small--the garage is tiny! To give you an idea, we currently have a mini cooper parked in there and we really can't go too much wider (but we do have room to go longer and taller.) The only reason we don't want to just keep the mini is once winter is here, we will need AWD or 4WD (this is not in the DC area.) We will be buying used, and prefer to stay under $20,000.

I was looking at the Subaru Impreza, but the driveway is very steep, and my husband is concerned that because of how far back the front wheels are on the impreza, it will scrape the bottom.
Others we've considered are the Mazda CX3 (though we are also concerned about scraping the bottom) and Subaru Crosstrek.

Does anyone here have a Buick encore and have thoughts on it? Thank you!