Normal car recommendation….

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mimico_polak said:
You are correct…our use case is simple.

Wife uses the Odyssey non stop for work.

I can’t take the kids with her van as then she can’t go anywhere.

I can’t take all the kids in the GTI because they won’t fit.

Need to tow? Van
Need all 3 kids? Van

My use is typically just commuting to and from work. Her van is for her work.

Rogue / CRV / RAV4 / Maverick are all good options.

Towing is rare, but the 3500lb odyssey can tow is nice.

If I wasn’t such a pansy with German out of warranty I’d have a ALLTRACK or 330Xi in my driveway already.

He’ll the Mazda5 was a fantastic option but they’re old now, and not the safest in crashes.

Also let’s assume that my side hustle gets busier…I’ll need a way to haul tools and the like….

GTI is awesome but not for my use case. Should’ve went automatic.

@Hardwrkr13 says truck…which would be nice. But most of them are pigs on gas and unnecessary 90% of the time.

@d4rktrooper788 you are correct…vans are awesome.
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Teach your wife to row.

All my cars are standard, my 3 kids learned to drive stick at 12 on the logging roads at our cottage. It's not all that hard to learn, an hour in a parking lot than a couple more on the road and most drivers are OK.
 
Mad Mike said:
Teach your wife to row.

All my cars are standard, my 3 kids learned to drive stick at 12 on the logging roads at our cottage. It's not all that hard to learn, an hour in a parking lot than a couple more on the road and most drivers are OK.
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The first and only new vehicle I ever bought (86 Ford Ranger) was taken straight to a parking lot so the Squeeze could beat on the tranny learning to drive it.
Later both kids learned stick because that's all we had at the time.
Funny story. My Daughter worked on Canada's Worst Driver. They had a beat up Honda w/ a stickshift on set. When they asked who could drive a manual only my daughter raised her hand. For that you got to see a glimpse of her in the opening credit.
 
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timtune said:
The first and only new vehicle I ever bought (86 Ford Ranger) was taken straight to a parking lot so the Squeeze could beat on the tranny learning to drive it.
Later both kids learned stick because that's all we had at the time.
Funny story. My Daughter worked on Canada's Worst Driver. They had a beat up Honda w/ a stickshift on set. When they asked who could drive a manual only my daughter raised her hand. For that you got to see a glimpse of her in the opening credit.
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I've asked my wife multiple times to go drive somewhere in an industrial area (Winston Churchill business district) on a Sunday. Wide open, not many stop signs, zero traffic...

I just want to have a coffee, get out of the car, walk away...and not hear/see my GTI transmission go 'crunch' as she stalls it.
 
Don't forget the tire screeching bunny hops on launch.
 
Alright, got clearance from the wife to replace the GTI and go with something else. She realized (today) after I get her a quote for her maintenance on the car as she's coming on 160k on the Odyssey.

We agreed that the Maverick will be on the list, but others will be under consideration also with the following requirements (R) and wants (w):

- small pick up (W)
- hybrid (W)
- AWD (W)
- fits 2 kids in the back (R)
- fit 3 kids in the back (W)
- trunk/hatch space for carrying capacity (R)
- tow 2k (R)
- tow 3.5k (W)

Doesn't need to be too sporty, doesn't need to be a 7 seater (but nice) and doesn't need to be expensive.

Trying to keep it under 40k as that will allow me to have a manageable payment with using the GTI as a potential trade (or private sale).

Up for consideration in no order:
- Subaru Forester / Outback
- Subaru Crosstrek (Wilderness) as the 2.0 is gutless and Wilderness comes with 2.5)
- Maverick (would love the new AWD/HYBRID/4K but that's close to 50k) so used Hybrid / Ecoboost are on the list
- Honda CRV Hybrid
- Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
- Mazda CX5 (not sure what difference b/w CX5 and CX50)
- Ford Escape Hybrid
- Honda Ridgeline AWD
- Hyundai Santa Fe / Tuscon
- Mustang Mach-E (good luck finding under 40k)
- Kona EV
- Honda Odyssey (2nd minivan....bleh)

Big list, but it's been a while since I've gone actual car shopping so I'm looking forward to it. While I love sedans, and sitting low and more nimble than a higher up...I think it's time to go higher.

Not sure if it's worth waiting any longer, as the GTI still has about 7 months until the warranty expires time wise (only 44k on it).
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mimico_polak said:
Alright, got clearance from the wife to replace the GTI and go with something else. She realized (today) after I get her a quote for her maintenance on the car as she's coming on 160k on the Odyssey.

We agreed that the Maverick will be on the list, but others will be under consideration also with the following requirements (R) and wants (w):

- small pick up (W)
- hybrid (W)
- AWD (W)
- fits 2 kids in the back (R)
- fit 3 kids in the back (W)
- trunk/hatch space for carrying capacity (R)
- tow 2k (R)
- tow 3.5k (W)

Doesn't need to be too sporty, doesn't need to be a 7 seater (but nice) and doesn't need to be expensive.

Trying to keep it under 40k as that will allow me to have a manageable payment with using the GTI as a potential trade (or private sale).

Up for consideration in no order:
- Subaru Forester / Outback
- Subaru Crosstrek (Wilderness) as the 2.0 is gutless and Wilderness comes with 2.5)
- Maverick (would love the new AWD/HYBRID/4K but that's close to 50k) so used Hybrid / Ecoboost are on the list
- Honda CRV Hybrid
- Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
- Mazda CX5 (not sure what difference b/w CX5 and CX50)
- Ford Escape Hybrid
- Honda Ridgeline AWD
- Hyundai Santa Fe / Tuscon
- Mustang Mach-E (good luck finding under 40k)
- Kona EV
- Honda Odyssey (2nd minivan....bleh)

Big list, but it's been a while since I've gone actual car shopping so I'm looking forward to it. While I love sedans, and sitting low and more nimble than a higher up...I think it's time to go higher.

Not sure if it's worth waiting any longer, as the GTI still has about 7 months until the warranty expires time wise (only 44k on it).
-
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Sienna AWD would tick all the boxes. Give it to the wife and take the seats out of the Honda for work.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
 
Scuba Steve said:
Sienna AWD would tick all the boxes. Give it to the wife and take the seats out of the Honda for work.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
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I've considered the Sienna also, but they are stupidly expensive. Especially the hybrid versions.

If we were to get a second van, I would just leave the current one to my wife until she drove it into the ground.

EDIT: damn…the Toyota tax is huge on used Siennas. Way expensive. 45-60k with anywhere from 20-70k on the clock (non hybrids)
 
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ToSlow said:
Ridgelines are hard on fuel, Also keep in mind that these is not body on frame truck, unibody truck and drives like a car
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Yeah but he doesn't need a truck for truck things really.
 
ToSlow said:
Ridgelines are hard on fuel, Also keep in mind that these is not body on frame truck, unibody truck and drives like a car
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That’s fine. The fuel thing is a bit of a concern, but ‘truck’ usage is no different than 90% of F150/RAM1500 or whatever else. Vast majority are not used as trucks.

They’re mainly pavement queens and I don’t need a truck…just like it.
 
Just to add…the primary concern I have with a truck is the lack of secure storage in the back.

Maybe it’s just an opinion but just seems like it’s so easy to have something stolen, even with a cover.

Not sure if the lack of heated ‘trunk’ outweighs the benefit of the open bed…but an SUV/minivan will do the same…but within the cabin.
 
mimico_polak said:
Just to add…the primary concern I have with a truck is the lack of secure storage in the back.

Maybe it’s just an opinion but just seems like it’s so easy to have something stolen, even with a cover.

Not sure if the lack of heated ‘trunk’ outweighs the benefit of the open bed…but an SUV/minivan will do the same…but within the cabin.
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Doesn't Ridgeline have a below bed trunk?
 
mimico_polak said:
Alright, got clearance from the wife to replace the GTI and go with something else. She realized (today) after I get her a quote for her maintenance on the car as she's coming on 160k on the Odyssey.

We agreed that the Maverick will be on the list, but others will be under consideration also with the following requirements (R) and wants (w):

- small pick up (W)
- hybrid (W)
- AWD (W)
- fits 2 kids in the back (R)
- fit 3 kids in the back (W)
- trunk/hatch space for carrying capacity (R)
- tow 2k (R)
- tow 3.5k (W)

Doesn't need to be too sporty, doesn't need to be a 7 seater (but nice) and doesn't need to be expensive.

Trying to keep it under 40k as that will allow me to have a manageable payment with using the GTI as a potential trade (or private sale).

Up for consideration in no order:
- Subaru Forester / Outback
- Subaru Crosstrek (Wilderness) as the 2.0 is gutless and Wilderness comes with 2.5)
- Maverick (would love the new AWD/HYBRID/4K but that's close to 50k) so used Hybrid / Ecoboost are on the list
- Honda CRV Hybrid
- Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
- Mazda CX5 (not sure what difference b/w CX5 and CX50)
- Ford Escape Hybrid
- Honda Ridgeline AWD
- Hyundai Santa Fe / Tuscon
- Mustang Mach-E (good luck finding under 40k)
- Kona EV
- Honda Odyssey (2nd minivan....bleh)

Big list, but it's been a while since I've gone actual car shopping so I'm looking forward to it. While I love sedans, and sitting low and more nimble than a higher up...I think it's time to go higher.

Not sure if it's worth waiting any longer, as the GTI still has about 7 months until the warranty expires time wise (only 44k on it).
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Is the budget for new or used?

If it's used (it better be if Ridgeline is on the list! Good luck finding a new non-Black edition, and those are $60k), you can pick up a low-mile '23 Santa Cruz Ultimate for <$40k that ticks all your wants and needs except for hybrid. They're so much cheaper than a Ridgeline, get better mileage (9 l/100 for my wife, I get closer to 10.5 with a much heavier foot), are WAY more fun to drive (it's not even close), and have a much more luxe interior, though it isn't as 'trucky' as the Honda. Plus the warranty is much longer and more comprehensive. Oh, and the spare isn't in the stupidest place ever like it is on the Ridgeline. They tow the same, the Santa Cruz has a higher payload and the Ridgeline has a higher tongue weight capacity.

Cons are that the bed is smaller (though not as much as you think), resale isn't as good, and it won't be as durable. My experience with Honda dealerships is they're generally better with less scuzzy service departments. We're very happy with the Hyundai dealership in Hamilton, but I won't go back to the one we bought from, despite having supposed 'free' oil changes for four years (they tried to tell me the calipers needed checked and the brake fluid flushed and replaced at one year/20,000 kms, despite the manual saying 2 yrs / 50,000 kms).

Was just talking to the wife yesterday about how happy we are with ours, that it's the best vehicle we've owned so far. Spent the summer doing camping trips towing rented travel trailers that were dangerously close to the max tow capacity, and it didn't skip a beat.

mimico_polak said:
Just to add…the primary concern I have with a truck is the lack of secure storage in the back.
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Soft tonneau covers are a disaster these days, thieves will cut them open to have a look even if there's nothing there. A decent tri-fold or hard rolling cover is probably more secure than an SUV trunk, as you can't see what's in there, and it's a lot more work to get in than just smashing a window. The roller on the Santa Cruz has some drawbacks with the loss of clear bed space at the front, but it's so useful the rest of the time that I haven't taken it out yet.

GreyGhost said:
Doesn't Ridgeline have a below bed trunk?
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It does, and it's quite deep (way deeper that the Hyundai equivalent). But the spare tire is stored on a slide at the front, so if you need the spare, there can't be anything in the bed and you'll have to empty out the 'brunk' to get to it.
 
@Priller 40k would be the budget and nowadays civics and elantras are touching 30-40k depending on spec.

Unfortunately we’ll need to go used.

I need to drive this Santa Cruz. Maybe wife will like it.

Just waiting on our accountant to check if leasing or financing makes more sense for our use case. Once she confirms the search is on.

@Evoex ill be able to bring my limoncello or grapefrucello versions to burger nights!
 
Mazda seems to limit space for those of a taller stature. Otherwise they can be appealing.

Spending other peoples money, utility, space, safety, reliability and fuel efficiency, RAV4 hybrid. Maybe a pipe dream to find new or used at the 40k budget.

Other choices comprise something. Having a Forester, it can be a little low rent feeling at times but, it’s been pretty reliable and decent comfort ride wise. We have a hitch and rent a trailer. May find the Crosstrek a bit cramped even compared to the GTI. For both Forester and Crosstrek, throttle response off the line is a little abrupt for some.


CRV Hybrid is appealing being locally assembled in Ontario. I just found it was a little too enclosed from a driving perspective.

From the 3 I’ve driven, the CVT never really felt like one. (Forester/Crosstrek/CRV non hybrid) They have programmed shifts to make it feel like a conventional tranny.


RAV4 hybrid doesn’t sit on the lot long but, I’ve been out of the market for a bit. Not sure about consumer incentives or dealer motivations? Maybe if it checks the boxes, find a dealer trying to hit unit solds for the end of the month?
 
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