I went to CarMax and now I am really confused. The jeeps were too expensive. I liked these cars; 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i wagon; 46k miles; 24/30 Mpg; $24,998; ;;; 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport; 20/26 Mpg; 43k miles; 20/26 Mpg; $20,998;;; 2013 Toyota Venza; 18/25 Mpg; 34k miles; $21,599... The Toyota is the only one with a V6.
So help me you guys---opinions needed.
Random related thoughts, in no particular order:
1) CarMax is a great place to test drive vehicles, but it's a lousy place to buy one (unless you have lots of excess cash you just don't know what to do with).
2) The Jeep/RME crowd will scoff, but Subaru is a master of car-based AWD capability. Ask Brett about driving his wife's Outback to his cabin.
3) Subaru (as a brand) has recently been ranked #1 at resale value. Again.
4) Having driven a Venza and an Outback back-to-back at Miller Motorsports Park, it is no surprise that Toyota has already discontinued the Venza due to poor sales. Compared to the Outback, it is smaller (especially in the cargo area), has significantly poorer outward vision and has a
lot more road noise--I was genuinely shocked by how loud it was. Since it is essentially just a Camry wagon with AWD grafted in, I expect it to be a reliable car in the long haul.
5) Is a six cylinder engine a must-have feature, Jack?