My mother needs a new vehicle, what to get?

[dremd]

There are some requirements, all are conflicting, I'm having a difficult time coming up with a solution.

1) at least 45 cubic feet internal space.
2) something my mother feels comfortable driving. Aka not tall, not wide, not imposing.
3) impressive fuel economy. At LEAST 20 mpg for larger vehicle, 25+ mpg very much preferred.
4) must tow 1000 lbs without voiding warranty.
5) must be reliable, I can't have a 60 year old mother with any problems.
6) must be automatic transmission (unfortunately so my sister can drive it). Dual clutch/ continuously variable transmission is ok.
7) $25,000 budget.
8) must seat at least 4 comfortably.



Any/ ideas are highly appreciated.


Some things that I though were brilliant that have been ruled out.
1) Mazda 5 seat folding configuration is terrible and killed cargo carrying capability.
2) TDI Jetta wagon. My sister ruled this out because the auto (dual clutch) is do not tow) the 6 speed manual would be brilliant otherwise.

If anyone says Ford Focus she will flip out, she just finished lemon lawing one that wouldn't move under its own power at 500 miles and spent about 90 days at the dealer so far.
And no, focus never towed, didn't even have a hitch.

Again any ideas are great ideas right now.

[doviatt]

A bus pass.
My wife just got the Jetta TDI sportwagon 6 speed manual. Love it. It encouraged my daughter to learn a manual so she could drive it. It only took her one practice session till she had it down. She prefers it over her auto transmission now.

[vskid3]

What do you plan on towing, how far, and how fast? Most small cars aren't rated to tow anything (at least in the US), but 1000lbs should be doable with just about any that you can buy a hitch for, especially in at low speeds and distances.

Is the 45 cubic ft of cargo with or without carrying 4 passengers?

Small hatchbacks like the Fit and Prius should easily fulfill all your requirements, with the exception of maybe towing.

[Frank Lee]

I know several ladies that love Tauruses (older ones, not the new ginormous ones) but your Ma might be kinda cool to Fords right now...

Friends don't let friends buy VWs.

[dremd]

Originally Posted by vskid3

What do you plan on towing, how far, and how fast? Most small cars aren't rated to tow anything (at least in the US), but 1000lbs should be doable with just about any that you can buy a hitch for, especially in at low speeds and distances.

Is the 45 cubic ft of cargo with or without carrying 4 passengers?

Small hatchbacks like the Fit and Prius should easily fulfill all your requirements, with the exception of maybe towing.

Small enclosed trailer with canopy, display screens and steel artwork. Typically towing 500-1000 miles each way.

45 cubic feet of space with only 2 passengers

[dremd]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I know several ladies that love Tauruses (older ones, not the new ginormous ones) but your Ma might be kinda cool to Fords right now...

Friends don't let friends buy VWs.

If the Taurus wagon was available in a recent model year, I'd pitch it for sure.

To be honest, I'm the one more fed up with ford as I'm the one that spent 100 hours (after I started recording phone calls) with them.

She wouldn't go for anything over 4 years old, maybe 30 k absolute max, really wants NEW.

Edit: I LOVE my Dub, I went through an extreme amount of troubble to get this one, last one did 140,000 miles (260,000 miles total) with 1 timing belt, 1 clutch, 1 battery, 1 set of rear brakes lots of little mods, but no real problems. Before being totaled by a hit and run driver.

[Gealii]

Originally Posted by dremd

If the Taurus wagon was available in a recent model year, I'd pitch it for sure.

To be honest, I'm the one more fed up with ford as I'm the one that spent 100 hours (after I started recording phone calls) with them.

She wouldn't go for anything over 4 years old, maybe 30 k absolute max, really wants NEW.

Edit: I LOVE my Dub, I went through an extreme amount of troubble to get this one, last one did 140,000 miles (260,000 miles total) with 1 timing belt, 1 clutch, 1 battery, 1 set of rear brakes lots of little mods, but no real problems. Before being totaled by a hit and run driver.

As far as fords its the post 2000 models that have problems. every pre2000 ford ive owned hasn't had problems as long as it wasn't heavily abused.

as far as a car what would be big for her. As i find suburbans, expeditions to be big big, but you could get toyota rav4 with a 4cyl and get impressive numbers

[Sven7]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I know several ladies that love Tauruses (older ones, not the new ginormous ones) but your Ma might be kinda cool to Fords right now...

Friends don't let friends buy VWs.

My dad's had his '04 Passat V6 since '06 and the biggest repair was probably a torn CV boot. Although, apparently Tiptronic was a bad choice, as the transmission hates its life right now. Another reason to buy manual. I stand by my assertion that anyone can learn a manual in about half an hour, especially with modern vehicles.

Maybe a Prius C would be a decent choice, though I don't know if it can tow. Most mid-size cars can probably tow half a ton if the trailer is balanced properly.

Unfortunately, we really don't get wagons here anymore. Has she tried out a Scion xB?

http://www.clubxb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47019

[Frank Lee]

Moon Unit handles trailers quite nicely and has good interior volume and a smooth ride. Just a bit thirsty to be a daily driver for me though.

Sven, wait 'til he has to get VW parts or service, then get back to us.

[Sven7]

Point is, he hasn't until now. I believe he's had the dealer maintain it mostly, but had to recently take it to a transmission place to get the tip looked at. Just like any car, if you take care of a VW, it will take care of you. I think a lot of the negativity VW's get is from the enthusiast community that installs chips, exhaust, intake, etc. There's a running joke about how the CEL stays on all the time with modded VW's. Of course, the more you mod a car, the less reliable it will be. Keep it bone stock and you'll have a happy car.

I will concede that German parts are not cheap.