We just bought a house in Syracuse New York, so we'll be making the move from Southern Ohio to the Snow Belt.

I am keeping my F150, but we are getting a new (err.. used) car for my soon to be wife. I was wondering if anyone had any advice?

We test drove a pontiac Aztec. Ugly, ugly, still ugly, but drove pretty well, very undervalued because it's ugly, but has a little more mass plus AWD which i'm hoping will help a bit in the snow.

Anyone know of any other cheaper vehicles that would be good in the snow, reliable enough for your wife, get good enough gas mileage to handle 45 minute work commute, and that my 6'9"ness can fit into if I ever need to drive it? or am I stuck with deciding between an aztec and an aztec?

Thanks!

 

Please, please don't buy an asstek... Man, that is the single most ugly vehicle in the last 10 years, except for the new Tundra.. LOL.. look for a Subaru Forrester if you want AWD and room for 6'9".. those aztecs need to be forgotten, okay!!

Holy crap, I forgot the Subaru Tribeca.. now THAT is one FUGLY vehicle.. all apologies to aztecs, tundras, etc...

 

try the g6 if you are into pontiacs, my freind has one and he is 6'4" and he fits good i guess. its pretty quick too with the V6....

 

Any Subaru should do the trick...just find one that you can fit in and you're done.

 

****WARNING: NON-FORD BASED POSITIVE FEEDBACK AHEAD****





We are happy with the Honda Pilot. My wife has the EX-L AWD with RES model and got it for 29k. You could drop the RES and get just the EX with AWD for a few grand less.

 

Alright, I dont even know why I didn't think of subaru... I even used to own one...

ATS, I'm still leaning towards Aztecs, but I'll keep my eyes open for a subaru. The fact that 2005 aztec for 12k is somewhat appealing. If i end up buying a subaru, I'd probably end up buying a new one to take advantage of low interest rates. (I think I can probably spend 12-13k before I will have to start making payments). Subaru's are also nice cars, and I really don't want my wife to have a nice car- she needs some motivation to pay off her 50k+ school loans that she thinks will just disappear if she keeps pushing them off.

And side note- It's kind of embarassing that on a truck forum I am reading more about looks than performance...

It's also kind of embarassing that I mentioned an aztec and performance in the same thread...

So now I have on my list:
Pontiac Aztecs
Subaru's
Jeeps
Dodge Caliber
Hyundai Tucson
Honda Pilot if I feel generous or win the lottery that I don't play.

 

****WARNING: NON-FORD BASED POSITIVE FEEDBACK AHEAD****

I like the Nissan Murano AWD. Especially since you can find a pre-owned one with usually less than 40k for around $24k. Not the best looking out there, but with that VQ-series V6 engine, they rock! Plus the CVT means better fuel economy. Subarus are nice also, my parents have an Impreza station wagon that they love.

 

X2.

 

I dont know how new you are wanting but around here you can find 2003 or older Explorers or Trail Blazers or Cherokees for 12K-13K.

My wife currently has a 97 explorer with 160K on it and going. Other than routine maintence only thing I've ever done to it was a transmission at 113K miles. Doesn't smioke, has some loss of power but at 160K you got to expect that, no real issues outside of wear and tear. Everything still works properly. I just dont like the car for an unkown reason, it really ahs been good.

I had an older 1988 Compact Cherokee (that was when AMC made them) that had 220K on the OD, but it did smoke, did leak and use oil, nothing worked properly, also had to put a tranny in it at 190K miles, worked on it almost daily to keep it on the road. I loved that one for some stupid reason and hard a hard time admiting it was done, actually drove it another 40K miles after I should have retired it. Only 2 times that it left me on the side of the road. When I finally retired it I think it droped a valve or maybe throw a rod. I was 3 hours from the house. It still pulled it's self back to the house and in the drive. Granted I had to stop in every town and add both oil and water on hte way and you couldn't see behind me for the smoke, couldn;t hear the radio even with 300w andh 2 12" subs for the engine chatter, but it made it!

The Trail Blazer I dont have any experince with but I have been looking at some recently for the wife.

 

We just bought a 2007 Murano SL but without AWD. We just got back from a 1200 mile trip, starting with just 700 miles on it. Very comfortable and safe with decent performance and yes, I find I like the CVT especially when I drop it into the Sport mode. Even driving it at 70-90+ mph on I-75, we got 19+ mpg and that was driving thru a heavy rain and a strong head wind. Even with its sunroof, 6+ feet drivers have no problem fitting in it. Has a camera mounted in the rear to show you where you're going when backing up too.

Dan

 

My sister in law has an Aztec. It rides well, has tons of interior space, GM's powertrains are solid, and great used values. If you can find a later model one with less/no gray plastics body side bolding and 17" wheels, it isn't as ugly as the original.

 

I have a Trailblazer that I drive to work every day. Its a 2006. Seems pretty solid, and is definately a performer (its the SS and it has a 400hp Corvette motor in it). It is AWD, and does very well in the snow. Because of the SS option, leather, all other options, it is pricey. My sticker was 42K, I paid 35K out the door.