We have 2 SUVs right now. A Honda Cr-V and a Ford Explorer. Both are pretty much gas guzzlers. The Explorer more than the Honda.
We want something comfortable because we go on several long road trips a year. I want something that is good in the snow. My CR-V slides around like crazy! And of course the biggest thing is that it is safe! I like the look of the VW Jetta. Does anyone have one of these and do you like it? I also like the Audi V6 but that is a tad too expensive!
Thanks for any input. We are going to look around tonight.

By Happynerdmom on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 02:29 pm:

Well, I'm not going to be much help...But I have the Audi A6 and LOVE it! What about a newer used?

By Colette on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 03:12 pm:

We have a Certified used Saab 9-5. I absolutely love it and if anything goes wrong, everything in it except for the battery and the radio is covered. EVERYTHING to 100k. No deductible or service fee. Just bring it in and they fix it. We've only had to do it once because a headlight went out so they just put a new one in free of charge. A lot of vehicles offer certification programs but you have to pay a deductible so read the fine print if you go that route. It's very safe and fun to drive. Although, we have snow too, and it does better in the snow w/snow tires instead of all weather.

By Bellajoe on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 03:16 pm:

ha, maybe i meant the Audi A6, whoops. The newer used ones we have found are still out of our price range. bummer.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 03:38 pm:

We just got a VW Passat and just love it! It's similar to the Audi.

By Palmbchprincess on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 04:20 pm:

I like our Jetta a lot, but there have been small issues. Trunk latch has broken twice in a year, the interior "peels" in all VWs. Other than that, and it being a bit expensive to fix if something *does* go wrong, they are great cars.

By Boxzgrl on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 04:21 pm:

My friend has a Honda Accord and they have great back seat room. I'm not sure how much gas they use and their safety rating but I thought i'd throw that out there. We went out when DD was still rear facing in her carseat and there was soooo much room. I was amazed, lol!

By Trina~moderator on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 04:50 pm:

I'm partial to Toyotas and Hondas myself. VERY reliable!

Have you considered a minivan? Very family friendly and great on long trips.

By Missmudd on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 05:11 pm:

I dont know how much seating you need but we just love my dh's impala. Wish I could drive it but I got stuck w/ the minivan lol. The impala's lights come on automatically, has auto traction control, it senses when it needs an oil change, also tells you when your tire pressure is low. It drives like a dream and it gets about 30 mph on the highway. Leg room is amazing, it is actually a sedan where adults CAN sit in the backseat w/out having their chins touching their knees. I think it is pretty safe, we got a discount from the auto insurance as a safe vehicle.

By Paulas on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 06:52 pm:

I would love a Jetta but can't really afford a $35000 car. So, I'm stuck driving my 1997 Caravan with 192000 kms Can you hear my envy???

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 12:08 am:

Paula, we only got ours, since DH inherited money! LOL! We think of it as a present from DH's dad!

By Kittycat_26 on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 08:22 am:

About 6 months ago, I got a Nissan Sentra. Nothing fancy about it but they are terribly reliable cars and their customer service is top notch. Lots of leg room in the back seat too.

By Conni on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 08:55 am:

Well, my suggestion isnt going to be liked!! lol But if your vehicles are paid for and still running good.... I say keep driving them until you can afford what you *really* want. That is if you really want the Audi.

Dh likes the new Acura's have you looked at those? Might be more affordable then the Audi. Neighbor has one and it is really sharp! However, I dont have one and cant really give an opinion on it...

I dont know anything about the Jetts's. Never owned a VW.

I am partial to Toyota's and Honda's. (of Lexus is made by Toyota and Acura is made by Honda- so we like those too.)

By Bellajoe on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 09:50 am:

We have been a Honda family for a while. We are just looking for something different.

We went out and drove a Audi A4 last night. MAN that is a NICE car. Too bad we couldn't get the deal we wanted.

I would like a minivan but for some reason my dh is opposed to them. i guess they aren't "cool" enough for him!

We will keep searching.

By Mrsheidi on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 09:34 am:

I'm going to have to disagree with Dawn...it's 2 years down the road with our Passat and it's SOOOO expensive to fix anything on that car. Last year alone cost $600 to fix small things on a 2001 Passat. For some reason, the newer models are faulty. Lots of recalls too.

Heard the Acura's are AWESOME. Customer service is outstanding too. We have an Infiniti QX4 and love the service. It's at the same place we have Acura service.
HAVE FUN and let us know what you get!

By Amecmom on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 12:50 pm:

We have an Audi A6. It is a very cool car. We got it as a lease return, so it was not really that expensive, relatively, that is . It think my husband paid 24K for it.
There's nothing better in the snow than Quattro.
Check out Audi certified pre-owned A6s. You may find one that is mint and has enough warranty to make it worthwhile.
Good luck, and happy hunting!

Ame

By Bellajoe on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 09:50 pm:

I will let you know what we get. I think we realized that we can't afford a new/used car right now. Hopefully we will be able to sometime soon though. Both our cars are still working, so we aren't rushed or anything.
Thank you for all the suggestions!