LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Subaru, Ford, or Hyundai

2K views 35 replies 23 participants last post by  Kentuk55 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
So I decided I need to replace the family car. So far I'm tending towards a Subaru Forester, a Ford Escape and a Hyundai Santa Fe. Any personal recommendations or horror stories?
 
#4 ·
Beware of Hyundai. Miss a scheduled service at the dealer and the warranty is void! We would have bought a Ford Escape, but the seat aggravated my wife's back. Same with the Subaru. Ended up with a Honda Crosstour.
 
#5 ·
BTW, Stay away from Dodge Journey. When our Chrysler T&C needed brakes every 18-20,000 miles, the receptionist at Dodge told me she traded in here Caravan for that reason. She got a Journey. It has the same problem! ;-((
 
#6 ·
That's been my experience too, Scott. One daughter has one and swears by it. I did have one guy tell me the older ones had issues with the horizontal opposed engine but the newer ones have overcome them.

I guess I am lucky in the sense that I am able to get a new car but it's not something I like to do very often. I tend to hold on to them a long time. I want something that's going to be hold up under normal treatment and standard maintenance. Based on my experience with my 18 yr old F150, I tend to think equate Ford with durability. I remember when there weren't any Hyundais on the road so they strike me as the new kid on the block. Although they seem to get decent reviews and I really haven't been able to see a quality difference between the three, in the back of my mind they carry a Yugo-esque stigma.

We bought a 90 Chrysler mini-van new in 1990. Put 200+k on it before the engine started going. Never had any issues with it. Wife loved it. I felt it put my manhood in question when trying to make eye contact with the blonde in the Mustang alongside me at the stoplight.
 
#9 ·
We just sold our 2006 forester that had 207,000 miles on it. It was still going strong, but I wanted her to get a new one. We bought a 2014 forester. It gets 30 mpg, which is very good for an all wheel drive. About the safest car out there. Subarus are known for the pillars being very strong that support the roof. In the fire service they are known for being difficult to cut due to the thick steel in there. Most cars we can just cut right through the pillars with our hydraulic cutters, not the subaru. This is coming from a ford guy. I love my big ford truck, but nothing does better in the snow and ice than a subaru. Convinced?
 
#10 ·
That issue that you are talking about was taken are of years ago. You used to also have to change the timing belt very 100,000, but they now have a chain that doesn't need replacing regularly. The new ones have a continuously variable transmission instead of a conventional gear box. It's very smooth. There are no gear changes.
 
#12 ·
We have had a Buick Enclave for 5 years. Maintenance has been minimal, tires, oil changes and State inspections. Rides like a sedan yet the back will hold a full sheet of plywood or lumber to 10'. Gas milage is about 18 but on long trips we get it up to about 22. Plenty of leg room, heated seats, elec tailgate, OnStar and Satelite Radio. We are planning to replace it with another of the same soon as this one starts to nickel us.

For my money, when I was still able to drive I had nothing but GMC Suburbans. I had 8 from 1974 until my last one a 1994. We still drive it as a second car and it now has 176,000 miles with nothing more serious than an alternator go out.

Been driving GMC products since a 1961 Chevy Station Wagon. I am disappointed that the Chinese own them now.
 
#13 ·
My daughter has a Ford Escape and loves it. She bought because she just sold her little Ford Ranger that had 260K on it and the first guy to look at it bought it. The Forester is a great car also. I sister-in-law loves hers and she is not easily pleased. I don't think you could go wrong with either.
 
#15 · (Edited by Moderator)
We got the Forrester as a 2009 in the fall of 2008, when they changed from the boxy wagon to the mini-ute look.. Wife loves it.

My only complaint, is that the body in general is pretty thin metal.
here in kansas where it is windy (ALWAYS), door dings are really common.
Her 2009 forrester, looks much worse than my 2002 Suburban. You see a nasty dimply for every singly ding.

But I would suspect the newest offerings from all the manufacturers, have continued to make vehicles lighter and lighter. (so flimsy)
 
#16 ·
You know, the Subaru horizontal engine is one of, if not the only automotive engine that is considered durable enough to convert to aviation use. I used to hear they ran an engine at 100% output power for over 100,000 miles continuously without any failures. I believe I remember seeing that claim in some of their advertising come to think of it.

I'm a Ford fan myself and I always wanted an Escape since the first one I ever saw. Seemed like the perfect size, power and fuel economy. wound up with an F150 when my son got transferred overseas and couldn't take it with him. I had a few problems with it. Synchronizer ring broke in the tranny. Water pump failure, air conditioning leak; but nothing major in 95,000 miles.

Then I got a Suzuki SX4 in 2008. Still runs like a bandit after 110,000 miles and I never had any engine problems at all. My business partner has put over 300,000 miles on a Japanese vehicle without any engine issues. The person he sold his car to is still driving it every day. You can call them flimsy or not, but I'd take a Japanese vehicle over any other if durability was my only concern.
 
#17 ·
2003 Subaru Forester here, bought used 3 years ago, goes through snow and ice great, up my vertical driveway glacier no problem. Only issue is clunks in front end suspension from weak sway bar mounts, mechanic replaced, clunk returned eventually. He says live with it. Ok.
 
#18 ·
Skip the hyundai if you have to drive in snow. Wife damaged the Toyota this winter resulting in a hyundai rental that nearly ended up in a ditch a half dozen times on one drive, borrowed the parents hyundai and it was the only car I'd driven all winter who's back end tried coming around, three times while driving into town doing 30 without using the brakes. Personally my next new car will probably be a Subaru as they just make decent cars and I can't afford new volvo. Will probably always own a used volvo, nothing safer in my book and the things can just keep going.
 
#19 ·
My brother lives in Montana and for quite some time, as his position of director of Legal Services for the state of Montana, he had to travel to many cities in the state the whole year around and he drove nothing a Subaru, namely the Forester. He said they, all of four he has owned, never gave him any trouble and he could go anywhere at any time in the entire sate.

Many time he would go to Butte, a 5 hour trip one way, just to meet a client over lunch. Ten hours on the road for lunch in his Subaru Forester.
 
#20 ·
Well you guys have been no help at all. Everybody loves their SUV. (The fact is that, IMHO, automotive engineering is better today than it's ever been just about every manufacturer has their process dialed in pretty tightly)

Went out and drove a bunch of them yesterday. I think I've eliminated the Hyundai. Not because of anything objective, simply because of my preconceived perception of Hyundai being the cheap entry level automobile in the 1990s. If I pulled the trigger today I'd toss a coin for a nicely tricked out Honda CR-V with a few more miles on it than my original baseline and a nice low mileage Escape.

This is almost as agonizing as deciding what tablesaw to purchase.
 
#23 ·
Don't want to be one of those guys that asks for advice and then never gives any feedback. Despite the title of my OP, we ended up with a 2013 Toyota RAV4. All the bells and whistles, 10K miles and spotless. Had to start walking away once but got the dealer to eat the tax (8.8%), license, and all the other bs they usually tack onto the quoted price. Came in about 2500 below Kelly BB so I don't feel too bad. And most importantly, the wife is happy so I'm good for at least a couple of guilt-free tool purchases. Thanks for the responses.
 
#26 ·
Personally, I've had several new Fords and wouldn't get another one.
Trying to get them to honor their warranty is like milling an oak log with a scroll saw.
I'm happy with my current Chevy truck, K3500.
I've had 2 Toyotas that I really liked. I wish I still had my 1975 Land Cruiser.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top