Choosing a New Car for My Dad

[joesregalproject]

My dad's lease is up in two weeks and he is going to be buying a new car. When it comes to buying cars, he puts me in charge of narrowing the search down to a few models. He's looked at all the options, discussed the possibility of buying out the lease, and he wants to purchase a different vehicle.

What he wants is a used or certified car, 2016 or newer, with less than 36,000 miles, and in the $20k +/- $2k price range. Must be AWD. I think a crossover might be more ergonomical for him as his hips and shoulders aren't great and getting in and out of low cars can be painful for him. He's not a car guy (so yeah, he's not gonna buy a Challenger or a Camaro), it doesn't have to be fast or sporty. Reliability, servicability, practicality, and comfort are his top priorities. The only definite "No"s are any Nissan, Kia or Hyundai. So as much as I'm not into the cliche of trading in a sedan for a crossover, that's probably what is going to happen.

I've narrowed down to:

Ford Escape 2.0 EcoBoost

My current favorite. Well within price range, nicely optioned, no CVT, 2.0 EcoBoost makes 240 HP. Been in production since 2013, so most issues should be ironed out. Gas mileage is meh.

Jeep Cherokee

IMO the best-looking of the bunch, but FCA reliability is a real shot in the dark. Would have to get a pretty basic version to get AWD and stay in price range.

Honda CR-V

Nice looking, would have to go with a 2016 or older model to stay in price range, though. CVT only. Paying for the Honda name?

Subaru Forester 2.5i

IMO the best AWD system and excellent visibility all around, but the 2.5l boxer is a sluggish motor, CVT trans only, and would have to buy a base model to stay in budget.

Toyota RAV4

Personally I think this one is the ugliest of the group and has the least impressive AWD system, rear visibility sucks *ss, Toyota material quality sucks *ss anymore. Probably the easiest to eliminate, but it has a proven motor, and historically my dad has owned a lot of Toyotas.


If anyone owns one of these cars or has any input at all, or suggestions for other cars let me know.

 

[socalfive]

My dad's lease is up in two weeks and he is going to be buying a new car. When it comes to buying cars, he puts me in charge of narrowing the search down to a few models. He's looked at all the options, discussed the possibility of buying out the lease, and he wants to purchase a different vehicle.

What he wants is a used or certified car, 2016 or newer, with less than 36,000 miles, and in the $20k +/- $2k price range. Must be AWD. I think a crossover might be more ergonomical for him as his hips and shoulders aren't great and getting in and out of low cars can be painful for him. He's not a car guy (so yeah, he's not gonna buy a Challenger or a Camaro), it doesn't have to be fast or sporty. Reliability, servicability, practicality, and comfort are his top priorities. The only definite "No"s are any Nissan, Kia or Hyundai. So as much as I'm not into the cliche of trading in a sedan for a crossover, that's probably what is going to happen.

I've narrowed down to:

Ford Escape 2.0 EcoBoost

My current favorite. Well within price range, nicely optioned, no CVT, 2.0 EcoBoost makes 240 HP. Been in production since 2013, so most issues should be ironed out. Gas mileage is meh.

Jeep Cherokee

IMO the best-looking of the bunch, but FCA reliability is a real shot in the dark. Would have to get a pretty basic version to get AWD and stay in price range.

Honda CR-V

Nice looking, would have to go with a 2016 or older model to stay in price range, though. CVT only. Paying for the Honda name?

Subaru Forester 2.5i

IMO the best AWD system and excellent visibility all around, but the 2.5l boxer is a sluggish motor, CVT trans only, and would have to buy a base model to stay in budget.

Toyota RAV4

Personally I think this one is the ugliest of the group and has the least impressive AWD system, rear visibility sucks *ss, Toyota material quality sucks *ss anymore. Probably the easiest to eliminate, but it has a proven motor, and historically my dad has owned a lot of Toyotas.


If anyone owns one of these cars or has any input at all, or suggestions for other cars let me know.

Hey Joe,

I travel almost weekly for work, so I rent pretty much everything out there, and I'm a HUGE Hyundai fan and have had friends and family buy them by suggestion and all have been estatic. For my money on small SUVs these days would be the Hyundai Santa Fe. Not on your list, but well worth a look.

 

[pagrunt]

Ever thought about a Mitsubishi for him? They got a good warranty (as long as it transfers to the 2nd owner.) They should have certified preowns.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Jeeps suck. I blame Mopar creep. But people love them to death. You cannot do better in the snow and by you- you get snow. . It is the maintenance issues that is their downfall. If it will be you doing it then maybe he won't care. In that case he will probably love it but you will hate me for voting Jeep. Sorry....

 

[Turbolq4]

Toyota. Ugly? Absolutely. Although the white ones look like storm troopers. The resale is rock solid as is the reliability. Second would be Honda.

 

[pontiacgp]

Both of my sons trade their cars in before the warranty is up cause neither trusts any new car My son who loves the BMW buys a used one from the dealership so it has a bumper to bumper 5 year warranty.

 

[UNGN]

If he was looking for a used SUV a couple years from now, I would say the 2018 Chevy Equinox.

 

[street sweeper]

You driven the forester?

I had one as a loaner, 4 times, and it felt like it had better low end torque and passing power than the 2017 impreza i used to have. It also sat higher and had a better ride than the impreza.

I dont think you can really go wrong with the toyota, honda, or subaru.

 

[joesregalproject]

Ever thought about a Mitsubishi for him? They got a good warranty (as long as it transfers to the 2nd owner.) They should have certified preowns.

The Outlander is a great looking SUV but their reliability and overall build quality is what scares me. Also those radio commercials for South Park Mitsubishi drive me insane, lol.

Jeeps suck. I blame Mopar creep. But people love them to death. You cannot do better in the snow and by you- you get snow. . It is the maintenance issues that is their downfall. If it will be you doing it then maybe he won't care. In that case he will probably love it but you will hate me for voting Jeep. Sorry....

I think the Cherokee is by far the best looking of the bunch, and FCA has some stunning interiors. I may even try to talk him into going a little older or a little higher mileage and spring for a Grand Cherokee. I know several people who own WK2 Grand Cherokees and love them.

Both of my sons trade their cars in before the warranty is up cause neither trusts any new car My son who loves the BMW buys a used one from the dealership so it has a bumper to bumper 5 year warranty.

My dad is usually one to buy a car and drive it as long as possible. We were all surprised when he leased his current car. I think he was more or less trying out leasing, and he didn't like it. So whatever he does end up buying, he will probably have it for a while.

You driven the forester?

I had one as a loaner, 4 times, and it felt like it had better low end torque and passing power than the 2017 impreza i used to have. It also sat higher and had a better ride than the impreza.

I dont think you can really go wrong with the toyota, honda, or subaru.

My mom has a '15 Outback, and when it goes to the dealership for service, she usually gets a Forester as a loaner. While the Forester seemed really nible, the 2.5i still felt strained under acceleration. Still the AWD is awesome, and the visibility is fantastic. Also 8.7" of ground clearance is pretty sweet too.

 

[DRIVEN]

If he drives them forever and likes minimal maintenance -- Honda and Toyota. Subarus are great cars but don't have the resale and take a little more maintenance. I have no interest in the others mentioned.