AWD compact car?

mntlon, I would say (first) seek out whatever 2004 Subis that you can find, especially the Outback, since they just redesigned it. (second) Look for a low mileage Subi just coming off lease. You can pretty much count on trouble free 120000 out of an Outback or Forester.
I've owned Subarus for 10 years, and they absolutely rule. It's all about clearance. I intensely covet a Mini, but stop myself by imagining what it would be like navigating the Bear mountain parking lot at KMart after 12" in the spring and it melted in that little thing.

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Originally Posted by INDY GS

would you be interested in a 2000 Subaru Outback sedan? It just rolled 70,000 miles, and has been a perfect car for me. I am entertaining the idea of selling it and going back to an old cherokee, I miss my old one. Anyway if you are interested in a smokin deal on a subie, give me a PM, I emptied my box.

I'll get back to you on those binders soon.

INDY

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Thanks, I think she will be goning wagon, but can you send me some info?
PM or real email is fine

Dave

Go for the Suby. I got a 2004 Impreza wagon and it rocks.. It was amazing in the winter. Make sure you buy a good set of winter tires..even though it's AWD good winters will make a HUGE difference. I've got some Nokian Hakka's which are probably the best tires I've ever had.

Best time to buy is around March/April because that's when they drop the financing rates on the older models to get rid of them before the new line comes in. I think the price i negotiated for mine (before options) was 20,500 (cdn) and it came to around 25-26k all told (options, taxes etc etc). Oh yeah when comparing to the vibe/matrix make sure you look at the options in the base package. The Impreza comes with a wackload of them (A/C, power windows etc).

The only things I'm not really happy about is the fuel consumption (it's quite a bit higher then the vibe/matrix), if you have a full size thule (the 2m one) it restricts access to the hatchback, and finally the ABS sucks. I ended up putting in a switch to turn the ABS off during icy/snowy conditions. Sides that it's the most fun/best car I've had..I love it.

One last thing.. as people have said the Matrix/vibe are the same car, just different option packages. They are made out near Toronto (Cambridge I think) in the same plant, so if you have any leanings to a CDN made car that might help the decision.

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Originally Posted by Mit

Best time to buy is around March/April because that's when they drop the financing rates on the older models to get rid of them before the new line comes in. I think the price i negotiated for mine (before options) was 20,500 (cdn) and it came to around 25-26k all told (options, taxes etc etc). Oh yeah when comparing to the vibe/matrix make sure you look at the options in the base package. The Impreza comes with a wackload of them (A/C, power windows etc).

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MSRP $23000 and your price $20,500? she would be happy with that.

THnaks

I would not go with a Geo Tracker/Suzuki something - they're an accident waiting to happen. The thing that I noticed about the Matrix/Vibe is that it's too low on the road - meaning not much road clearance with snow. Plus the AWD Vibe/Matrix have a horsepower of 130, maybe less - it's criminal what Toyota did, the XT model gets some more horsepower, but it's only front-wheel drive, which ought to standard on the AWD model. How about the base model of the Impreza wagon? I know Ford makes a Focus AWD wagon in Europe.

Toyota is oustanding with all their vehicles - the Vibe is rebadged, the changes are minor in the interior. The frame, the unibody, the paint the engine, the suspension, and the steering are top-notch. It's better car manufacturer than Subaru (aka Isuzu - some big zaibatsu in Japan owns them).

Has she considered a late-model CRV AWD? The only kicker is an automatic transmission - no manual transmission.

I think she would better served with a compact 4X4 truck...