What car should I buy?

[cos]

I meant my current car to be "temporary", then four and a half years passed. It's time: I'm not about to move, or change jobs, or spend half the summer away from home, or work on a big campaign in the next few months, so I can do stuff like find a car. What should I look at?

Whatever I get, I want to keep for a long time. At least 200k miles, maybe 300k or more. New or used is okay. I don't plan to resell for a long time.

It needs to basically work, and stay reliable as long as I maintain it regularly and fix things as soon as I know they need fixing.

I don't care if it looks cool or feels great to drive or any of those things, just reasonable.

I do want to be able to get up steep dirt roads in Vermont and the Berkshires and such places in bad weather. That doesn't necessarily mean all wheel drive. My previous car, a Saturn SL2 with front wheel drive and "traction control" (ability to have the two front wheels turn separately) was very good at it. My current car, a Saturn SL1 (less power) with front wheel drive and no traction control, is not good at it. I'd take a front wheel w/traction again.

And I want fuel efficiency, particularly on highways and country roads, which account for the majority of my driving. I've been getting 33-39mpg on those kinds of roads in my current Saturn, though it's not rated that high. I'd like something that good or better.

Edit: I'd also like to have as much space as a Saturn SL2/SL1, for people and for stuff. More space would be fine, but not needed. It'd be annoying to have to adjust to a car with less space.

Suggestions?

Comments

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Our last two cars were Toyota Camrys, which is slightly larger than what you need. The Toyota Corolla ought to do you well.

When we bought our car, we also looked at some Hyundai models as well -- Hyundai doesn't have the reputation for reliability that Toyota has, but that is changing. Their newer models appear to be very reliable, and they've been slapping excellent warranties on them, too.

Almost everything made today has traction control. Pretty much everything that you list as "necessary" for you is standard in pretty much any new car you'd buy. Traction control, active braking system.

Pretty much, all you want to be doing is looking at new Hondas, Toyotas, and Hyundais, and buying the smallest one that will fit what you're going to need to do with it. Let's face it -- fuel efficiency is really mostly a matter of not getting a car that's too bit. Smaller the car, less gas it takes -- simple physics.

[dphilli1.livejournal.com]

stability/traction control is going to be required on all new cars (at least that is what the Mazda ppl told me when I bought mine in 08). It makes enough of a safety difference that the Gov't is requiring it.