In the market for a used car

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I'm waiting for the final determination from the insurance company, but everyone who has seen my van in the past few days thinks it will be a total loss.

Daughter K was driving my 1997 Honda Odyssey after Friday night's fireworks. She was car four in a five-car pileup. Driver of car three slammed on his brakes trying to avoid cars one and two, she slammed on her brakes trying to avoid car three, stopped successfully, but then car five plowed into her from behind pushing her into car three. I'm not sure whether three hit two before K hit him but all five were in a chain before all was said and done .

Both front airbags fired on the Honda, the back end is no longer in the back, it's 11 years old with 130,000 miles, so all guesses are that it will be totaled.

So--- I need to replace what served as teenage transportation and occasional big item hauling. The van came in handy for both but I don't necessarily want another van. I seldom do multi-kid transporting these days and other than using it for family trips because of it's luggage capacity we didn't use it as a family vehicle.

K will only be driving regularly for another couple months and then on weekends when she's home from college. M will probably get her license around the time K leaves for school.

I'm looking for dependable transportation that isn't a tin can (serious injuries were avoided because she was in a larger vehicle) perhaps with removable rear seats that will allow me to haul larger things back and forth from the storage unit -- although I'm not tied to the concept of storage unit hauling with this vehicle.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

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Yikes!

I'm glad serious injuries were avoided.

Scary though!

And sorry about your van, too.

It seems like among my friends the two most popular types of cars are Honda Odysseys and Jeeps. So maybe a Jeep?

Eh, I won't pretend I have anything useful to say on the car end of things. But wanted to get a yikes in there. Best of luck on finding a new car...

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I second that yikes. I hope everyone was ok!

I love my Saturn, but other than that, I have no useful car info for you.

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oh my god!
Im glad she is ok.
Holy hell.

Im a toyota / Honda fan and Slappy made an excellent point about cars not too long ago that people are literally walking away from larger vehicles ( SUVs , trucks.. ) and pushing to get into smaller vehicles. Because of this you can get a large-ish vehicle ( rav 4 size...) for super cheap.

Maybe a used Honda suv?
not nearly as big as a van, but you can haul 5 people easily and the occasional over sized item..

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Thanks guys. She took an airbag in the face and got some abrasions and burns from the bag/powder. She also had ringing in her ears, headache, and stiff neck but got a Dr's release that she could return to work today without restrictions. She was very lucky.

I'd put $$$ into new brakes the week before which will be a financial loss, but they are what allowed her to stop in time before getting hit from behind -- silver linings, I'll gladly eat the cost of the brakes.

I've got some preconceived notions about the safety of Jeeps which might not be accurate, I'm clueless about Saturns, and I'm kinda fussy about gas mileage but Honda has a reputation for being better with mileage that other manfs -- I'll check them all out.

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Saturns are real light weight JPB...do research well before you invest in that. I know the old ones were anyway. I would steer away from Jeeps too. I am with Shewolf. I think the RAV4 and the CRV are quite good. My FIL just got a RAV4 - used. It has amazing space in it and when all the seats are folded down you can do some serious hauling. And they are quite cute. Rated very well by comsumer reports as well...the CRV just a bit higher than the RAV4 - both excellent little SUV's though. Not horrible on gas either...

Good Luck! So thankful K is okay...hope the little aches go away soon.

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How big?

Subaru Forrester...Mazda 5(?)...Honda Pilot? There's a ton out there, depends on your price range and what size you need.

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If you liked the Odyssey, why not a used Odyssey?

I've been considering a used CRV lately. Will probably stick with my Civic as the mileage can't be beat - but an older CRV would be pretty sturdy as well (though not as haul-worthy as an Odyssey).

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I hate to tell you, but my mom's mini-van (Plymouth) gets pretty good gas mileage.

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The Odyssey was pretty good with mileage too, but it was an old-style 4-cylinder Odyssey with regular back doors (not sliding) and was about the size of today's smaller SUVs. I'd get another one in a minute but '97 was the last model year before they got much bigger and heavier. No parts available either, which is another reason I think it will be totaled.

I thought about the Forrester too, Slappy. I don't know much about Suburus though. I'd have to compare the size of the old 4-cylinder Odyssey to the CRV, but I'm guessing they're fairly close in size.

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JPB wrote:

The Odyssey was pretty good with mileage too, but it was an old-style 4-cylinder Odyssey with regular back doors (not sliding) and was about the size of today's smaller SUVs. I'd get another one in a minute but '97 was the last model year before they got much bigger and heavier. No parts available either, which is another reason I think it will be totaled.

I thought about the Forrester too, Slappy. I don't know much about Suburus though. I'd have to compare the size of the old 4-cylinder Odyssey to the CRV, but I'm guessing they're fairly close in size.

The Oddyssey is a minivan...no matter how old, I think they have a lot more room than a CR-V. CR-Vs, especially the last generation, are tiny. The new ones have grown quite a bit though.

And you'll be able to get parts for that generation Oddysey....doesn't work that way, where they stop making the vehicle, then parts immediately become unavailable. It's a Honda, they sold a ton of them, they'll have parts for it for a while.

The Forester is reliable, as Subarus typically are. They just don't carry the "Honda/Toyota" mantra as much, but they're good cars. The rear seats fold down, and because it's got a pretty boxy shape, you can fit a decent amount in it. It was just an idea thrown out.

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I agree with Slappy, but, my trouble with Subaru is service. Independents have no clue, and good dealerships are not easy to find outside of major metropolises.

(Spellcheck liked it so... Very Happy

)

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JPB I'm really glad to hear your daughter is okay. My son had a similar incident last summer -- totaled car, air bags blown, ear damage etc. -- he was okay but it was still scary.

We recently sold our '99 Subaru Outback wagon. A great car in many ways (especially for hauling building materials) but aging and expensive to repair (don't get me started on blown head gaskets). It didn't help that we hated the local (only) dealership. We're sticking with our Ford Focus for the moment (and a utility trailer) -- parts and labour are less expensive and it's better on gas.

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Found some specs...

http://www.theautochannel.com/media/photos/honda/1997/97_honda_odyssey.jpg

1997 Odyssey (last year produced in this body style) -
External dimensions: overall length (inches): 187, overall width (inches): 70.6, overall height (inches): 64.6, wheelbase (inches): 111.4, front track (inches): 60.0, rear track (mm): 60.1 and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 37.6, Cargo capacity: rear seat up; to lower window (cu ft): 45.9, rear seat down; to lower window (cu ft): 102.5, Fuel efficiency: 23c/28h mpg

2005 Odyssey (late model body style) -
External dimensions: overall length (inches): 201, overall width (inches): 77.1, overall height (inches): 68.8, wheelbase (inches): 118.1, front track (inches): 66.7, rear track (inches): 66.8 and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 36.7, Cargo capacity: rear seat down (cu ft): 147.4, all seats in place (cu ft): 38.4, all seats removed (cu ft): 147.4 and third row seats removed (cu ft): 91.1, Fuel efficiency: 19c/25h mpg

http://www.myride.com/images/vehicle/2005/Honda/Odyssey/oem/05.odyssey.12_(400x300).jpg

2005 CR-V

External dimensions: overall length (inches): 181, overall width (inches): 70.2, overall height (inches): 66.2, wheelbase (inches): 103.3, front track (inches): 60.4, rear track (inches): 60.8 and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 33.8, Cargo capacity: rear seat down (cu ft): 72 and all seats in place (cu ft): 33.5, Fuel efficiency: 22c/27h mpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o224/brsexton/CRV-1.jpg

The 2005 CR-V is about 6 inches shorter than the old Odyssey, 20 inches shorter than the 2005 Odyssey. Definitely less cargo space, but that's not that important these days. Comparable fuel efficiency to the '97 Odyssey. Definitely worth looking at. I'll look at the Forrester next.

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Tai Chi wrote:

JPB I'm really glad to hear your daughter is okay. My son had a similar incident last summer -- totaled car, air bags blown, ear damage etc. -- he was okay but it was still scary.

We recently sold our '99 Subaru Outback wagon. A great car in many ways (especially for hauling building materials) but aging and expensive to repair (don't get me started on blown head gaskets). It didn't help that we hated the local (only) dealership. We're sticking with our Ford Focus for the moment (and a utility trailer) -- parts and labour are less expensive and it's better on gas.

hey Tai Chi -- I'm glad everything turned out ok for your son. K is in a rental Ford Focus for the interim (had to jump through an extra few hoops to get her into a rental because of her age). She'll be driving it for at least a couple weeks so we'll get hands on experience with the Focus.

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Wow I figured the difference in size would have been greater.

Although ugly as all f**k, the Honda Element has a ton of room in it too.

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honda CR-V
I can give you one example of a good used care. I researched this car when I bought it in 2003 as "100% Certified Used' car with 50k miles off a lease situation.

I own this 1998 Honda CR-V EX Sport Utility 4D with 100,000 miles,
w/ ac, now with 100k miles. It gets 26-28 mpg hwy, and 22 city. It never breaks down, handles well for an SUV...(not tippy). They can be had (Kelly blue book value) if in excellent condition for $6600 (prvt party) and $8800 (retail car lot).

http://www.cars.com/go/crp/research.jsp?logtype=6&section=summary&aff=national&call=crp&makeid=18&year=1998&modelid=213

It offers good safety, economy and reasonable performance. it is not a stylish sports car (think tall Honda Civic on steroids). It is famously listed as one of the best used buys in Consumer Reports listing.

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2005 Suburu Forrester

External dimensions: overall length (inches): 175.2, overall width (inches): 68.3, overall height (inches): 65, ground clearance (inches): 7.5, wheelbase (inches): 99.4, front track (inches): 58.9, rear track (inches): 58.5 and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 34.8, Fuel Economy: 22c/28h mpg

http://media.dealerfusion.com/images/000771-SUB6792.jpg

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From Consumer's Reports:

The best used vehicles for under $20,000

"These are CR's lists of reliable cars from the 2007 survey. They are the specific models with above average Used Car Verdicts, spanning the model years 1998 through 2007. CR Good Bets are cars that have multiple years of above average Used Car Verdicts and performed well in CR road tests over the years. Also, see our lists of used cars to avoid (available to subscribers).

CR Good Bets and Bad Bets include only the models for which we have sufficient data for at least three model years. Models that were brand new in 2006 or 2007 do not appear. Problems with the engine major, engine cooling, transmission major, and drive system were weighted more heavily than other problems.

Listed by price group and alphabetically within groups. Price ranges are what you'd pay for a typically equipped car with average mileage."

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Quote:

$10,000 - $12,000
Acura CL '03; MDX '01; RSX '03
BMW M3 '98; Z3 '99
Buick LeSabre '04; Regal '04
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (2WD) '01
Dodge Neon '05
Ford Crown Victoria '05; Escape '04; Explorer Sport Trac '03; F-150 '01; Focus '07; Ranger (2WD) '04-05
GMC Sierra 1500 (2WD) '01-02
Honda Accord '03; Civic '04; Civic Hybrid '03; Civic Si '03-04; CR-V '03; Element '04; S2000 '00
Hyundai Elantra '06; Santa Fe (V6) '04; Sonata (4-cyl.) '06
Infiniti I35 '03; QX4 '99
Kia Optima '06
Lexus ES '00; GS (6-cyl.) '00; LS '98; RX '00
Lincoln Town Car '02
Mazda B-Series (2WD) '05-06; MX-5 Miata '02-03; Tribute '04; 3 '04
Mercury Grand Marquis '04-05
Mitsubishi Endeavor '04; Outlander '04
Nissan Altima (4-cyl.) '05; Altima (V6) '03; Frontier '03; Xterra '03
Pontiac Vibe '05
Scion xA '06; xB '04-05
Subaru Baja '03; Forester '03; Impreza '04; Impreza WRX '02-03; Outback '01
Toyota 4Runner '01; Avalon '02; Camry '03; Camry Solara '03; Celica '03; Corolla '05; Highlander '02; Matrix '04-05; Prius '03; RAV4 '02; Sienna '03; Tacoma '01; Tundra '02; Yaris '07
Volvo S60 '02; V70 '02

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