Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Small, cheap car with a big backseat?

And when I say cheap, I mean cheap... as in used, as in less than 10K. Anyone have any advice? We were looking at a 2002 Toyota Corolla, but we realized that the carseat (Graco Snugride) wouldn't fit in the back. We wouldn't be buying a car at this point if someone hadn't mundged our small one--which we had no collision on.

When you say small are you talking about a compact? If I was looking in that price range for something to put the kids in I would look at a used Ford Explorer Sport, or a car that is well made that doesn't typically hold their value like a Volvo.

Because the parking space we have to put it in is difficult to get into and out of (due to a neighbor with a full sized pickup that parks halfway in front of it). Plus, we've got a full sized car already.

You'll hate me for suggesting it, but a new Nissan Versa runs about $12K. It has a large rear seat area and six airbags for mundge-protection.

I know they are ugly as sin, but how about a 3 to 4 year old Honda Element? Based on the Civic platform, they are "somewhat" compact, but amazingly versatile. With the swing-out rear doors, loading & unloading the little ancle biter will be a snap.

Slideshow with the rear door open

I actually like the Element, but I thought it would be more than $10K.

What about the Scion xB? Weird look but probably pretty practical.

Scions seem to be holding their resale values like Toyotas.

But - while my wife finds them hideous - I was really impressed by how spacious the Xb is. Fuel efficient, too. Good call.

For some reason I just can't see Ken driving a Scion Lunchbox.

Before I bought my civic hybrid, I was SERIOUSLY considering the Scion xB. I took it for a test drive and fell in love. Fun to drive, spacious, visability surpassed only by a convertible with it's top down, great gas mileage, inexpensive, customizable...then I told Roger about it, and that was the end of all that. He would not be caught dead in "that ugly box". Their style, or lack thereof depending on your opinion, certainly gets comments. I personally loved it. I've since read some rather bad things about their safty ratings though. So if you're considering one, be sure to check out those closely.

or for something a little nostalgic, you could get one of these!

a quick look showed one on craigslist in the Bay Area for $9.5K.

An Element's worth considering. Part of the problem is that here in the Bay Area, Hondas are a tad overpriced.

Anyone have any feelings about VW Golfs or Jettas?

Check the used car lemon guide and you will find the author says to stay away from VW's. The Toyota Matrix has a little larger back seat area than the Corolla. We managed to get the same seat into one when we were looking for a new car but it was tight, ended up getting an Escape instead, lots more back seat room, more than the full size quad cab pick ups. A used Escape could be had for about the price you are looking for.

Scion xB?

*shutter*

I would look into a saturn. They have great gas milage and have a good amount of space in the back.

I would be leery of a used VW/Audi product. VW went through a dark period for reliability a few years back, and have only recently begun to emerge (some will argue that they still have too many problems).

I like the others' suggestion of a Honda Element, but they have only been out for a couple of years so it might be hard to find one for under $10k. You could check out a Toyota RAV-4, Honda CR-V, or Subaru Forester. Those are all generally very reliable, roomy little SUV's that have plenty of room in the back that have been on the market for long enough to find some good deals. My father-in-law has a 2000 Toyota RAV-4 with somewhere around 130k miles and it still seems pretty well screwed together. It's needed oil changes, new tires once, a new battery, and a couple of mufflers, and that's it. It's never burned a drop of oil or otherwise had any problems. I've had personal experiences with several Subaru products (and old Legacy, '00 Forester, '05 Outback, '05 WRX) and they've all been pretty amazing as far as reliability goes, thus my recommendation for them. Subarus are generally very safe but also quite fun-to-drive vehicles that are darn near unstoppable in the snow, if that's a concern. They hold their resale value pretty well, but not quite to the extent on Honda, so I bet you could find a nice deal on a lightly used Outback or Forester from just a couple of years ago.

If you get a Ford Escape, watch out for transmission problems. When I owned a Mazda Tribue (same thing) from 03-05, I spent time on various owner forums. There were a lot of complaints related to transmission and brake problems. I have no idea if it's been fixed in later years, so please research it rather than just taking my word for it.

FWIW, I bought a brand new '03 Mazda Tribute (same thing as an Escape) in early 2003, and it was on its third transmission when I traded it in at 24k miles back in '05. The first one was replaced at about 8k miles, and the second one started making noises and was repalced again at about 20k miles. Otherwise, it was a pretty nice vehicle. My only other complaint was the very SUV-like gas mileage that about 14 city / 20 highway mpg (V6, AWD).

Ken,
One thing to keep in mind is once your little bundle of joy gets a little bigger it becomes more difficult to lift them into the car seat. My son is a big kid and it was quite difficult for my wife to lift him into the car seat in her 4 door chevy. Getting in and out of the vehicle without wrenching your back is most important!

Yeah... I should probably be clear that our primary car is a Volvo 850 wagon, so that's what the kid will be in most of the time. I just need to be able to drive the small car (I'm 5'10") comfortably if the car seat happens to be in that one. It would have fit fine in our '91 Civic. Sigh...

Ken,
might i recommend a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am GT....great car, in fact so perfect, you won't even notice that it is only a 2 door with little/no room in the back seat. It's cheap too (and good on gas)! Hey whatdya know, i think i know someone that might just have one of those cars.....

Nice try, dude.

I don't know what it is, but many of my clients are buying brand new Suzuki Forenza's for about $15,000 and have been very satisfied so far. I've seen them and they are nice cars for the money. Our local dealership is also offering free tires and oil changes for life. I don't know if this special is nationwide or not, and I'm sure it comes along with some exclusions...something to read the fine print on. Anyway, I know it's over $10K, but you have the security of a nice warranty. Otherwise, I tend to be a fan of Toyotas and Nissans which run in our family. Unfortunately, I don't care much for American made vehicles.

Oh, absolutely...

Quote:

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If you get a Ford Escape, watch out for transmission problems. When I owned a Mazda Tribue (same thing) from 03-05, I spent time on various owner forums. There were a lot of complaints related to transmission and brake problems. I have no idea if it's been fixed in later years, so please research it rather than just taking my word for it.

FWIW, I bought a brand new '03 Mazda Tribute (same thing as an Escape) in early 2003, and it was on its third transmission when I traded it in at 24k miles back in '05. The first one was replaced at about 8k miles, and the second one started making noises and was repalced again at about 20k miles. Otherwise, it was a pretty nice vehicle. My only other complaint was the very SUV-like gas mileage that about 14 city / 20 highway mpg (V6, AWD

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Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with your Tribby.

My 01 Escape is still all original and I tow a 2000lb tent trailer with it a few times a year. I would agree that the Trans is the weakest link along with the mileage, these are quite possibly related, as too much slip in the trans would give poor fuel economy and burn out the clutch packs as well. The trans was also designed for the extinct Mystique and Contour which were much lighter and not driven the same way as the Escape would be driven. The motor(3.0L) they use was designed back in the early 80's with only mods to the heads to increase power but the overall efficiency of the 3.0L is very poor compared to the competition, a hybrid would fix that problem.

The brake problems are mostly complaints about brake dust as the rims get coated in it and look bad.

I am presently looking into the Camry, Civic, and Escape Hybrids for my family. The Highlander Hybrid is beyond my means. The Vue hybrid looks to have a cheap interior for the money so it is out of the running as well. The front runner right now is the Camry as the transition from electric to dual motors is seemless but it is a little above the budget.

Ken, how about a Toyota Avalon? I know it may be a bit bigger outside that you want, but the back seat is flippin' HUGE, and there are lots of them in the $8K to $12K range. (circa 98-2001) Plus it's a Toyota....

The only suggestion I can make is to find one with a complete service history. The previous owner needed to be religous with the oil changes, as they were prone to sludging. Actually, it's a good idea no matter what car you are looking at.

Let me also suggest you take a Nissan Versa for a spin, the inside is much larger than the outside .

The Avalon is like the Camry on steroids, so I suspect it will be too big overall. Kind of like Toyota's answer to the great ol' American luxoboat (read: Buick Riviera, etc).

Yeah, I wouldn't want to try parking an avalon in that spot. To give an example, it's very, very difficult to park our Volvo 850 wagon in that spot.

Hows about a '91 civic?

(running away with head covered)

Heh... I wish. Looks like we've got a good lead on a 2001 Civic, though. Mechanic's checking it out Wednesday.