cute Ute for new drivers

RenegadeT

RenegadeT

no shirt,no shoes,no dice
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Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Location
Stokesdale-Greensboro
my oldest son will be getting his driving learners permit next month, and we have twins 1 year behind him. Thinking about getting another vehicle to supplement our current 2 (not counting project vehicles). Something smaller than my suburban and wife’s mini van, like a Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue etc. On the fence a out FWD or AWD. Seeing a lot of these coming off leases at decent prices. It should seat all 5 of us in a pinch, but would probably max out at 4 occupants. Fuel mileage would be nice. Wife really likes a higher SUV seating position compared to a car. Her van is a 2013 Toyota with 160k, probably get traded in next year. My burb is an 01 2wd 230kmi, don’t plan on keeping that a whole lot longer either. Any thoughts from similar more experienced minds.....?
 
I'd also add the Acura MDX you can get some of them pretty cheap with low miles. They can also sway 6 in a pinch.
 
RenegadeT said:
my oldest son will be getting his driving learners permit next month, and we have twins 1 year behind him. Thinking about getting another vehicle to supplement our current 2 (not counting project vehicles). Something smaller than my suburban and wife’s mini van, like a Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue etc. On the fence a out FWD or AWD. Seeing a lot of these coming off leases at decent prices. It should seat all 5 of us in a pinch, but would probably max out at 4 occupants. Fuel mileage would be nice. Wife really likes a higher SUV seating position compared to a car. Her van is a 2013 Toyota with 160k, probably get traded in next year. My burb is an 01 2wd 230kmi, don’t plan on keeping that a whole lot longer either. Any thoughts from similar more experienced minds.....?
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Totally not what you asked but...my daughter just turned 16.
I leased her a Tacoma. crew cab, 4wd, loaded with everything but leather. 0 down 269/month for 24 months. 12k miles per yer.
My logic?
Thats $6,500 for her first car for 2 years. If I buy a $7k vehicle it will probably need something in 2 years. This includes warranty and maintenance and tires. Its a straight $6,500 in the trash no return at end. But she is driving a new safe vehicle that is "cool" for her and safe and reliable for me.
I found a deal in Philly. Plane ticket cost $75 and 1 tank of gas ride home. If interested I can share details.
 
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Ron said:
Totally not what you asked but...my daughter just turned 16.
I leased her a Tacoma. crew cab, 4wd, loaded with everything but leather. 0 down 269/month for 24 months. 12k miles per yer.
My logic?
Thats $6,500 for her first car for 2 years. If I buy a $7k vehicle it will probably need something in 2 years. This includes warranty and maintenance and tires. Its a straight $6,500 in the trash no return at end. But she is driving a new safe vehicle that is "cool" for her and safe and reliable for me.
I found a deal in Philly. Plane ticket cost $75 and 1 tank of gas ride home. If interested I can share details.
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If you already went and picked that up, and didn't even think to swing by my house on the way home I'm gonna be pissed.... you probably passed within 5 miles.
 
RatLabGuy said:
If you already went and picked that up, and didn't even think to swing by my house on the way home I'm gonna be pissed.... you probably passed within 5 miles.
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That was 2 months ago.
And I did think about it but...
1 - I went out the back way. The dealership is about 20 miles west of Philly. I went backroads through Amish country and and caught 81...never hit the DC traffic.
2 - It was a tight schedule. My flight left at 8:05 Saturday morning and I was in my bed at 11:30 pm Saturday night.
 
Ron said:
That was 2 months ago.
And I did think about it but...
1 - I went out the back way. The dealership is about 20 miles west of Philly. I went backroads through Amish country and and caught 81...never hit the DC traffic.
2 - It was a tight schedule. My flight left at 8:05 Saturday morning and I was in my bed at 11:30 pm Saturday night.
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FYI - that means you still probably drove just north of my county. The Mason Dixon and 81 are the borders.
Next time....
 
My wife has a CR-V. She loves it. It holds five people ok, but four is no problem. Gets mid 20's for mileage and it's never had any mechanical problems in its 130k miles. It's also AWD just because I'm the kinda guy where if its an option we're going to have it.

Duane
 
My wife's mom just got rid of her 30k mile 2013 for a new 2019. She gave the 2013 to my wife's niece, who is definitely someone who has zero desire to drive or about learning how to drive. I'm pretty sure that car is going to die a horrible death at the hands of an un-engaged teen, but I digress... It's a CR-V, don't care. There are plenty more.

Anyway, I've driven them both, and I hate them both for what they are. They're both perfectly fine commodity products, and have steering and brakes and an engine and are very reliable and safe. But, that actually means over-assisted steering with no steering feedback, waaay over-assisted brakes with no modulation feedback, and an engine that makes engine noises but with behavior that doesn't match the noises. You can get almost as much feedback when sitting in the passenger seat. On the plus side, you can buy better tires and make it a tiny bit better.
My wife, who has never owned a car with an automatic transmission (although isn't a driving enthusiast by any stretch), absolutely hates the 2013. She said it's the car equivalent of mushy spaghetti-in-a-can. She unintentionally locked up the brakes at the first 4 stoplights she encountered, then realized that braking is not done by feel in that car..

Same with a Rav-4, although the styling of the newer ones is a bit more... ...polarizing.

Should you buy one? Sure, if it fits your needs. :D

Oh, I'm supposed to end with a complement: It's not a minivan. Done.
 
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My mother in law has a Honda CRV. It’s cute and it works. Has decent gas mileage. Seats might as well be park benches. They are really uncomfortable even around town on short commutes, not sure I’d want to be in them for longer trips.

No other opinions on any other cars.
 
rockcity said:
My mother in law has a Honda CRV. It’s cute and it works. Has decent gas mileage. Seats might as well be park benches. They are really uncomfortable even around town on short commutes, not sure I’d want to be in them for longer trips.
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That gets better/worse depending on the trim package for Honda stuff.
 
My daughter is 14 and already completed aprivate drivers ed course. I'm looking for something for her to learn to drive in and eventualy get her liscense in.

Having said that...I have definitely ruled out any thing with a high center of gravity.

Because over correcting in a SUV is worse than just hitting whatever you swerved for.
 
Fabrik8 said:
That gets better/worse depending on the trim package for Honda stuff.
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I’d assume so. Not sure what trim package she has, but whatever one it is, the seats are not comfortable. She does not have leather seats, if that’s even an option in those. If so, I’m sure those would be more comfortable.
 
rockcity said:
I’d assume so. Not sure what trim package she has, but whatever one it is, the seats are not comfortable. She does not have leather seats, if that’s even an option in those. If so, I’m sure those would be more comfortable.
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My wife's has power leather seats, and the seat itself isn't uncomfortable to me, but it isn't anything to write home about either. Sometimes it takes me a few miles to get it moved to just the right position, but I've driven it to Orlando FL and twice to Nashville TN with no complaints. It would be nice if it had memory seats. Not sure if that's an option on newer ones but we love it in my truck.

Duane
 
Ron said:
Totally not what you asked but...my daughter just turned 16.
I leased her a Tacoma. crew cab, 4wd, loaded with everything but leather. 0 down 269/month for 24 months. 12k miles per yer.
My logic?
Thats $6,500 for her first car for 2 years. If I buy a $7k vehicle it will probably need something in 2 years. This includes warranty and maintenance and tires. Its a straight $6,500 in the trash no return at end. But she is driving a new safe vehicle that is "cool" for her and safe and reliable for me.
I found a deal in Philly. Plane ticket cost $75 and 1 tank of gas ride home. If interested I can share details.
Click to expand...
I just can't imagine putting a new driver in a brand new car.

Sent from my SM-J737A using Tapatalk
 
I've got a buddy with an 08 4runner that'll be for sale real soon. Not sure if that's something anyone might be interested in. Figured I'd throw it out there.
 
Dylan W. said:
@89wrangler

Sound familiar?
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Yes it does. She had a damn nice 99 model too. In 15 seconds it went from a perfect, no rust or dents to EVERY panel including hood, fenders, all 4 doors, roof and rear hatch dented, headlights, grill and tail lights knocked out, windshield broke, back glass gone. Darn sure did not come out ahead on that deal. Then she got a 88 model and it was driven by 2 daughters and sold it for more than I paid for it.
 
justjeepin86 said:
I just can't imagine putting a new driver in a brand new car.
Sent from my SM-J737A using Tapatalk
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I get it. And a year ago I would have and did say the same thing.
And I did the same with my son.

My deal with my kids is is I match whatever they save for their first car.

My daughter saved a bunch and is actually paying entirely for the lease. (I cover taxes, tag, insurance, etc)

I guess I am just over protective of daddy's girl. She wanted a 4runner initially and we looked at ~$10k 4 runners, and that put them at high miles and old enough to not have some safety features. Maybe this is crazy, but I was torn because I though 'If she has a wreck and gets hurt or killed and didnt have a side airbag (or whatever) knowing that we are stable enough that it wasnt going to hurt us financially...Im not sure I could live with myself. '
Maybe an unfounded fear. Probably so. But that's where my mind was.
Plus she is a really good kid. She takes care of her shit 100%. Ranked top 3 in her class. Plays multiple sports and is a captain on one team. Is an officer in the FFA and the FCA. She leaves home everyday at 6:30 and usually isnt back home until nearly 9:00pm. And despite that she gets her stuff done and handles her business so I wanted to reward that somewhat and also recognize that trouble free had a major benefit for me.

Now both my kids knew, 1 ticker accident or a caught stupid by me means the car is parked. No excuses.
I also have a GPS he doesnt know about on the car. She does a great job. Doesnt even speed. Not even a little.

So thats why I chose what I did. As with everything parent related your choice and decision will vary and your choice is whats right for you and your kid. I think my choice is what's right for mine.
 
Ron said:
Plus she is a really good kid. She takes care of her shit 100%. Ranked top 3 in her class. Plays multiple sports and is a captain on one team. Is an officer in the FFA and the FCA. She leaves home everyday at 6:30 and usually isnt back home until nearly 9:00pm. And despite that she gets her stuff done and handles her business so I wanted to reward that somewhat and also recognize that trouble free had a major benefit for me.
Click to expand...

In comparison - now I know why my parents gave me a cruddy 1986 Subaru GL with a failing master cylinder and no working A/C.
 
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