In the Market for a Travel Vehicle Soon

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted by OilStasher
The Toyota fans are real.

I was in the process of typing a novel asking what the Toyota hype is all about when it hit me...

The Camrys aren't supposed to compete with the Elantras. I forgot that Corollas even existed.

Nobody has mentioned a Corolla...

A Corolla is a city car. A Camry is more suited for the highway. More power, more comfortable, more planted on the road, quieter, etc. The small increase in fuel mileage isn't worth the negatives.

 

[OilStasher]

Originally Posted by Nick1994
Originally Posted by OilStasher
The Toyota fans are real.

I was in the process of typing a novel asking what the Toyota hype is all about when it hit me...

The Camrys aren't supposed to compete with the Elantras. I forgot that Corollas even existed.

Nobody has mentioned a Corolla...

A Corolla is a city car. A Camry is more suited for the highway. More power, more comfortable, more planted on the road, quieter, etc. The small increase in fuel mileage isn't worth the negatives.

Agreed. That was what I meant by nobody has mentioned it.

 

[jstert]

cpo vw passat. low entry purchase price, and exit resale value, so lots miles won't make much difference. long warranty. simple 10k service intervals. spacious for manspreading and carrying stuff. serene highway cruiser. base s model reasonably equipped.

cpo buick regal sedan for many similar reasons, though i have no direct experience beyond test drives.

 

[spk2000]

When taking a long distance short time trip especially over the weekend might try renting a car. I really loved renting a Nissan Altima that got 45 mpg and saved me money as my Grand Marquis would have cost more in gas than the Nissan rental and gas cost for the weekend. Good way to test a few more out as it sounds like you might be replacing vehicles often too.

 

[MrMoody]

Originally Posted by spk2000
I really loved renting a Nissan Altima that got 45 mpg and saved me money as my Grand Marquis would have cost more in gas than the Nissan rental and gas cost for the weekend.

This has never worked out for me. How much was the rental and how many miles did you drive?

 

[GZRider]

The Toyota Avalon or 6AT years of the Highlander v6 AWD would be a good choice. A Mazda CX5 AWD would be another quality option.

 

[riff1006]

Originally Posted by GZRider
The Toyota Avalon or 6AT years of the Highlander v6 AWD would be a good choice. A Mazda CX5 AWD would be another quality option.

Lot's of great suggestions. The Avalon was suggested earlier and has really got my attention as an option. Test drove a CX5 about 5 years ago and was really impressed, another good one. The AWD suggestion has lots of merit in this situation.

 

[zorobabel]

Originally Posted by Nick1994

A Corolla is a city car. A Camry is more suited for the highway. More power, more comfortable, more planted on the road, quieter, etc. The small increase in fuel mileage isn't worth the negatives.

While I haven't driven the newer models, the older Camrys were anything but planted.

 

[dareo]

I am biased, buy a nice wagon. Golf sportwagen is good fuel economy and a bit smaller than midsize. Regal TourX if you can find would be the most comfortable way to soak up miles. Either one would let you sleep in the back if needed and haul around whatever you want. Crossovers do the same thing at worse MPG and high speed handling.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by zorobabel
Originally Posted by Nick1994

A Corolla is a city car. A Camry is more suited for the highway. More power, more comfortable, more planted on the road, quieter, etc. The small increase in fuel mileage isn't worth the negatives.

While I haven't driven the newer models, the older Camrys were anything but planted.

When I lost a swaybar link on my '99 it did gain a bit of roll in the corners... I feel it is an ok car but with 195/70R14 I'm guessing I'm simply not driving all that hard to begin with.

Wife's '11 does feel a bit better in this regard, but again, 205/65R16, I'm guessing that just isn't much of a handling tire.

Haven't driven anything newer though.

 

[glock19]

Something else to consider is that your territory is quite large. You might want to stick to one of the larger auto makers (Ford, GM, Toyota) to make sure you can always find a dealership on the road if you need to.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted by glock19
Something else to consider is that your territory is quite large. You might want to stick to one of the larger auto makers (Ford, GM, Toyota) to make sure you can always find a dealership on the road if you need to.

^^^THIS!^^^

Also, Please have a good relation/VIP status with a good/big rental agency just in case with unlimited miles.

I think the best criteria should be:
-confortable long term driving for OP (good seats + good space distribution)
-silent and soaks up miles
-OK mileage/gas
-multi-year model + has been sold a lot in rentals
-choose good tires!!!
-talk with a CPA about all tax write-offs

Drive safe and get home in one piece.

 

[riff1006]

Ended up with a CPO 2017 Mazda Touring in black. Good tires would make a difference in the winter and if it got too bad I'd just get off the road anyway. Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm pretty happy about it so far but the honeymoon is just beginning.

 

[riff1006]

That should read Mazda 6. Been a long day of house shopping in the new location.

 

[Tahoe4Life]

I vote for the 5.3 Suburban.

Good back support,decent fuel mileage on plain old 87 octane fuel plus 26 gallon gas tank in which you can go between 500-600 miles on a tank of fuel if it is all highway. Handles excellent in nasty weather plus sits high enough not to worry about those flooded roadways which happens often. Everyone in the vehicle [including the rear passengers] can set their own temperature to whatever they want which is generally a issue with some on a long road trips. .

That is just me. To each their own.