# New Vehicle Advice



## FinancialFreedom (Aug 18, 2015)

Unfortunately it looks like I'll be having to buy a new vehicle soonish. I'd like to make a better choice when I buy my next one. I bought this 2008 Ford Escape for $16000 (came to $21000 after warranty and taxes (I got ripped off)) when I was 19 for work. My work requires I drive a lot on the highway and often times dirt roads. It had 82,000 km on it when I bought it (3.5 years ago), it now has 190,000 on it. I'm hoping this lasts my atleast another year but I'd like to start looking now for a new one in case this one decides to die, as I've been having a lot of problems with it lately.

For the new vehicle, I'm looking for something around 10-16 thousand. It has to be decent on gas and fairly reliable. I'm kind of leaning towards something bigger then a car simply because the winters where I live are pretty... intense..., and there tends to be a lot of moose on the highways I drive on. (I've already hit one in the Ford Escape)

Any advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!


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## chantl01 (Mar 17, 2011)

If you've already hit a moose with the Ford Escape then you should consider yourself lucky you're still driving it. Or driving, at all. You might want to look at something in the same class as the Escape, like a Hyundai Tucson, that tends to sell at a bit of a discount comparatively but that stacks up quite well in features and reliability. You should be able to get one that's just a few years old and with relatively low mileage in your price range. Locally, I'm seeing many in the 2010 - 2012 model years priced in your range.


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## janus10 (Nov 7, 2013)

Perhaps like you, I buy 3 year old vehicles with 1 year of factory warranty remaining.

We have a 2002 Santa Fe GLS AWD and it has 290km on it with mostly hwy driving. We have never had any major problems. I keep thinking if I could just get 10 years out of it. Then once it lasted 10 years, I thought it would be nice to get another year. Rinse, repeat.

The new thinking is, if it could last another 2 years until we retire. It doesn't get driven as much anymore since I work from home or am on a plane 90% of the time. It's all about regular maintenance and rust proofing. But the moment something major goes wrong we have a decision to make.

What about a pick up truck for better road clearance especially in the winter? Do you need to carry 5 passengers?


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## FinancialFreedom (Aug 18, 2015)

chantl01 said:


> If you've already hit a moose with the Ford Escape then you should consider yourself lucky you're still driving it. Or driving, at all. You might want to look at something in the same class as the Escape, like a Hyundai Tucson, that tends to sell at a bit of a discount comparatively but that stacks up quite well in features and reliability. You should be able to get one that's just a few years old and with relatively low mileage in your price range. Locally, I'm seeing many in the 2010 - 2012 model years priced in your range.


Oh I know I'm lucky for sure! Could have been a lot worst. Thanks, I'll look at the Tucson!


janus10 said:


> Perhaps like you, I buy 3 year old vehicles with 1 year of factory warranty remaining.
> 
> We have a 2002 Santa Fe GLS AWD and it has 290km on it with mostly hwy driving. We have never had any major problems. I keep thinking if I could just get 10 years out of it. Then once it lasted 10 years, I thought it would be nice to get another year. Rinse, repeat.
> 
> ...


Yeah I was hoping this one would last me a long time as well, still kind of hoping.. but I've had a lot of repairs on it in the last few months. That's very impressive you've had the Santa Fe that long without any major repairs and still going strong. I've heard good things about Hyundai. A pick-up would definitely be better for driving, I just find they're so much more expensive up front. I normally only have to drive with 1-2 others.

Thanks for the replies


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

If there are that many moose, maybe you should get a race car so you can just drive underneath them instead of hitting them 

Seriously, though, I think a lot of people fool themselves into thinking they "need" a big truck-type vehicle or SUV when they're driving in areas with snowy winters and lots of dirt roads. I had a friend who lived in the mountains of Colorado who drove a Subaru Justy (about the size of a Toyota Yaris) and never had any problems -- he lived 10 miles up a steep mountain dirt road and they got a lot of snow every winter (some one-storey homes get entirely buried by snow in Colorado mountains).

I lived in rural Vermont for 10 years, most of which was spent in a cottage 5 miles up a very steep dirt road. I got by fine with a Honda Civic and later a Ford Focus. The Focus didn't do as well in snow but was otherwise fine. One of the best snow cars I ever drove was a Hyundai Accent -- just front wheel drive but it was very stable on snowy and icy roads, and it reminded me of my old 4WD Subarus.

If the dirt roads are unmaintained and have big boulders in them or freqently get washouts, then I could see an argument for an SUV or pickup with high clearance and 4WD. But you might not need it.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

brad said:


> If the dirt roads are unmaintained and have big boulders in them or freqently get washouts, then I could see an argument for an SUV or pickup with high clearance and 4WD. But you might not need it.


Most SUVs are not truly made to go off road in those conditions nowadays. No LSD etc. Pickups are good to go, and I find that's what most people drive in the true back-country. (or truck based SUVs, like Yukon/Suburban etc) The reason those old vehicles like the Justy do well is that they are light. Bombardier Iltis for example was tiny and very capable off road. Lots of 4x4 Fiat Panda's in the alps too. 

When people ask for car recommendations I often say to look at the Hyundai's. I've never owned one myself, but for anyone that has to ask what to look at they just seem to be the best bang for the buck out there. They are still building their brand name whereas a lot of Japanese brands are relying on their name and reputation to sell cars now imho.

I would probably get a used pickup if I were you, like an F-150 or Tacoma. A car is just no match for a moose and it is a real concern in the Canadian back-country. Trucks are more comfortable for long distance on dirt roads because of the suspension travel, the windshield is less likely to get chipped from oncoming rocks, and you have better visibility up above the dust etc


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## janus10 (Nov 7, 2013)

m3s said:


> Most SUVs are not truly made to go off road in those conditions nowadays. No LSD etc.y.


You really should not be driving while taking hits of LSD.

:rugby:


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

I actually think the 08-12 Escape is decent. We've got an 06 that's on it's last legs and I'd like to upgrade to a 12. The 13+ looks like crap, imo.

I'd probably go for a truck or a Jeep Wrangler in your position, if you'll be off-roading and on remote gravel roads. What about a larger used fullsize SUV like a Durango?

Santa Fe seems decent as well, but fancier, we've been looking at that one too. Wouldn't recommend the Tucson. It's gutless and is basically just a car that's a bit taller. My sister has one and nobody likes it, including her.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

peterk said:


> I actually think the 08-12 Escape is decent. We've got an 06 that's on it's last legs and I'd like to upgrade to a 12. The 13+ looks like crap, imo.


The new Escape is based on Ford's Euro model, which was designed and built in Germany.. like the Euro Focus it is based on. A lot of the previous Ford's like the Escape/Escort were Mazda platforms.


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

If you drive around in the north, especially at night, you want a higher vehicle. People have died hitting moose: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...moose-vehicle-collision-near-gander-1.3170444

The hood goes under the moose and the moose smashes through the windshield and hits the passengers. At highways speeds you have a good chance of dying. With SUVs or pickups the hood is too tall for the moose to go over it and smash through the windshield.

You said you want something good on gas, so a full size pickup or SUV is out. I recommend another compact SUV with a 4 cylinder. A newer Escape, Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain, Jeep Liberty, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tuscon, Toyota RAV4, Honda CRV, Nissan Rogue, Mitsubishi Outlander, Subaru Forrester are all good options.

By the way are you sure your Escape needs all this work? Who told you it does, the Ford dealership? I have found dealerships to be too eager to recommend work that was not really needed. They insisted I needed 4 new rotors last time I went in for a brake job. I was sure I didn't, so I went to an independent mechanic instead who agreed that my rotors were still good, and only installed new pads. Over 50,000 kms later and my old rotors are still fine.


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## hystat (Jun 18, 2010)

brad said:


> I had a friend who lived in the mountains of Colorado who drove a Subaru Justy (about the size of a Toyota Yaris) and never had any problems


that was a 4X4 car with a bit higher ground clearance than a Yaris. 
But an entry level Subaru (whatever that is now) could be researched. they're all 4wd


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

I have always been of the mindset that it is best to buy a car that is 1 year old, something that came in off o fa lease, however given what some places will finance a new vehicle, and the lost opportunity cost of roughly $15,000, it may be worth seeing what you can get new financed over 5 years. Then comparing cash flow of financing, and what $15,000 invested for 5 years could become as well.


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