Help me pick a car

[mattsk42]

I'd like a list of 3 or 4 cars to choose from, with these as the guidelines. I'm not opposed to any other suggestions, but I've already decided on a few things, so don't be offended if I say no.

Can NOT include:

1. BMW, Mercedes, Audi, VW - Where I live these just don't have the service/parts I need in case of a problem. I've had many friends forced to drive 500 miles to get what they need.
2. Rear wheel drive - No chance at all to buy one of these
3. Anything more than $20k or 50k miles

Want:

1. Front wheel, 4 wheel, or all wheel drive (MUST)
2. Fast - Faster than a stock V6 on similar cars
3. Dependable - "well I've personally had one for 10 years and never had a problem" doesn't count. Need reports of some kind.
4. $20,000 or less - Used or new
5. No more than 50,000 miles

Don't care about: (bonus factors, not determining factors)

1. Gas mileage - meh
2. Exterior Appearance - Not going to sway my opinion at all
3. Interior "materials" - Leather, nice trim, all extras for me. Nice, but I don't care enough to make it a real factor
4. Carrots - carrots

[bradjonesbass]

Subaru. Any of them will have AWD, extremely dependable - lots of Consumer Reports high scores. Get one with their turbo and they are very quick.

[carl h.]

Sounds like you want a hemi Durango. Or doesn't the ability to lug bass gear effect your decision?

[bradjonesbass]

He said reliable... Anything with a Mopar badge has finished at/near the bottom of ALL the reliability reports for many years.

[stratovani]

Originally Posted by bradjonesbass

Subaru. Any of them will have AWD, extremely dependable - lots of Consumer Reports high scores. Get one with their turbo and they are very quick.

+1 And they last forever!

[sloasdaylight]

Let me google that for you

[6jase5]

+ on Subaru. My wife has a new Forestor which isn't fast, but it's a great vehicle. They do have some quick ones though.

[mpdd]

rav4 sport or whatever one has the large v6 and awd

[Roscoe East]

I have one and only one criteria that I consider when buying a car:

Reliability

And so every time I've had to buy a car in the last ~20 years, I've read all the reviews in car magazines and Consumer Reports etc. in order to find which cars were the most reliable. Year after year those reviews have consistently pointed towards the same conclusion:

If you don't buy a Honda or a Toyota you're crazy






j/k
...but I will probably never buy another brand of car. Been very happy w/ Hondas especially, and wouldn't have sold any of my older Hondas if other circumstances hadn't necessitated selling those cars. They'd probably still be running today.

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by Roscoe East

If you don't buy a Honda or a Toyota you're crazy

I work with a guy that drives a Corolla. It must be an early 90's late 80's model. The thing runs like a top! The body is mostly rotted away, but the damn thing just keeps on going! I think he said it's got like 300,000 miles on it or something.

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by Roscoe East

I have one and only one criteria that I consider when buying a car:

Reliability

And so every time I've had to buy a car in the last ~20 years, I've read all the reviews in car magazines and Consumer Reports etc. in order to find which cars were the most reliable. Year after year those reviews have consistently pointed towards the same conclusion:

If you don't buy a Honda or a Toyota you're crazy






j/k
...but I will probably never buy another brand of car. Been very happy w/ Hondas especially, and wouldn't have sold any of my older Hondas if other circumstances hadn't necessitated selling those cars. They'd probably still be running today.

The 1998-2002 Mazda Protege's are the exact same, they will just keep going and going. 90's Volvos too.

lowsound

[capnjim]

You're describing a 3.5 Nissan Altima or maxima. 20K will get you a really nice newer maxima or Altima that has some serious power.

[Baer]

Originally Posted by bradjonesbass

Subaru. Any of them will have AWD, extremely dependable - lots of Consumer Reports high scores. Get one with their turbo and they are very quick.

+100 Forrester. Perfect size for hauling bass equipment. The turbo option is fast (not Ferrari fast, but it puts the Rav4 to shame). May be slightly higher than your budget, but is a perfect match for your other criteria. After a lot of looking, I chose the Subaru Forrester about 1½ years ago and have been extremely happy with it.

[VincentSalizeri]

An older Honda Accord, preferably somewhere in the late 80s to early 90s. They're durable, quick for the size of their motor, and rebuilt engines are real cheap if you actually need to replace one.

[duff beer]

Originally Posted by bradjonesbass

Subaru. Any of them will have AWD, extremely dependable - lots of Consumer Reports high scores. Get one with their turbo and they are very quick.

I live on the Canadian prairies and my Subaru makes winter driving fun. It gets a respectable 35 mpg on the highway. They are rock solid and always in the top 5 on realiability reports.

[J. Crawford]

I drive a Chevy Malibu and love it. Tons of room, awesome quality. Only bad thing is the trunk opening.. too small for a lot of things.

[bradjonesbass]

If speed wasn't a priority I would say Pontiac Vibe, which is basically a rebadged Toyota Matrix, only they're usually cheaper used because they don't have the Toyota badge... But they have a very small 4 Cylinder and are slow by any standard except an 80s Yugo...

[canadian_man_44]

Car reviews and ratings from Consumer Reports

[m0nst3r]

A Subaru WRX or STI would meet the AWD and fast parts. Can't mention STI without mentioning the Mistubishi Lancer Evolution. For less than 20K, you might be able to find a good EVO 8. Another option would be a 2002 - 2006 3.5L Nissan Altima. If you can find the SE-R version of it, that's always a plus, since it has a bit more HP. That meets the FF and fast parts. If none of those tickle your fancy, you could always keep it simple and go for a Honda Civic SI. Doesn't meet the fast part but it does meet the FF and dependable parts.

[hover]

You sound like you have Scion tC written ALL OVER you.