I'm currently driving an old outback, and the fuel efficiency is kinda killing me. I appreciate the lesbian aesthetic, but it's costing too much.
The must have "features" of the car:
- Improved gas millage over my current car (~20)
- A reasonable quantity of storage space for camping equipment and moving stuff around.
-
4k usd
Features I would appreciate but are not a dealbreaker:
- The vehicle looks decent
- The car is pre 2005 model year ( This is not very important)
- Has a standard center console that can take aftermarket devices.
Thanks a ton!
I dont know what can get all 3 of the "must haves", but if we can start with just the storage requirement, we can pare down from there.
- Accord Wagon
- Volvo Wagon
- Mazda 3 Hatch
- Ford Focus Hatch
- Honda CRV
- Toyota Rav4
the problem is, being an older car, i doubt any of them can do better than 20ish MPG.
I would add:
- Mazda5
- Subaru Impreza wagon/hatch
- Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute
- Honda Fit
- Honda Element
- Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe
I’d probably stay away from euro and American brands.
Your budget will make this extremely difficult tbh
for certain model years the Impreza wagon was an Outback, which wont really solve her problems
a real headscratcher
Outback could be legacy or Impreza and she didn’t make that clear in the post
I mean there is a difference between going from a legacy outback (which may be the 6 cylinder) to an Impreza wagon/hatch which may or may not be an Outback trim.
There is at least a couple hundred pound curb weight difference between all legacy and Impreza models so it’s worth considering if there is a worthwhile mpg gain.
true, i didn't think of that.
if she's getting up to 20 mpg then it's a good guess that's what she may have, from what i read the 4 cylinder imprezas should be getting slightly better
Yeah ultimately this is a cars.com or autotrader.com search and see what ticks the most boxes. The limitation will just be the available inventory for those particular cars in a particular radius.
Another wrench is that older cars from the northeast and Midwest are likely gonna be rust buckets.
oh yeah, and who knows the state it's in when you get it too.
even a "reputable" dealer wont give the whole car a once-over to make sure all the parts are in good working shape
Since you have the price criteria, I would try carfax, carvana, etc. Don't go to a dealer as they will charge more. And check the maintenance history along with accident reports(they display this on their websites).
Also, once you select the car you like. Check out if they have had issues common to that make, model and manufacturing year. I would generally avoid German cars since they're known for burning oil quickly.
Protege5, if you can find one. They are tiny, but somehow magically bigger on the inside. Best handling fwd car I've ever driven, too. Kinda loud on the highway though.
It was their last car before they went bankrupt and got bought by Ford, so they went all out on it. Their target was to match or beat that generation M3 BMW with the chassis stiffness and handling, and they succeeded.
Legitimately think it might be one of the best cars ever made, and almost nobody knows about them. Everyone who has ever owned one regretting getting rid of it. Including myself.
Mid 90s Honda hatch
Or if you can find a cheaper Honda fit. They can fit a ton of shit
Its hard to explain, but it isn't super necessary. Newer cars are totally fine. I edited the original to make that clear.
Scion xB if you want a boxy tall wagon that gets decent mileage
Honda Civic Wagovan or Toyota Tercel 5-door if you want something old, rusty, and weird
Toyota Prius V if you have a little more money
Ford Focus wagon or KIA Rio 5-door if you don't need reliability or quality
VW Jetta wagon if you want something unreliable that smells like crayons
Nissan Versa Note if you want Small Altima Energy
My mom had one when I was a kid. I always thought it looked like a spaceship
