[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by Jomz

Me too, just 45 minutes north of Louisville. Maybe we should have a IN,KY,OH meet.

Originally Posted by arindamray

Work in Frankfort. Stay in Lexington. Pretty close to Cincinnati. Actually have flew thru' CVG.

I have 4 more weekends of my part time MBA before my semester gets over for the summer. I wanted to go to KY derby but it's on the same day as my final exam . the other event I have in mind is indy motogp in aug but by then Arindam may have gone back.

if you guys are in a mood to go to kings island you can come here, my house is probably 3 miles from KI. I will create a post in the meet section.

[bala80]

Thanks chevelle. I'm looking at only pre-owned for this purchase. I went through both AOL and MSN auto's and they did provide me with all the details I wanted regarding these shortlisted cars. I have set myself a budget of <=$15000, >Mfg year 2006/2007, <100k on the odo.

Applying these filters to the cars shortlisted below, my choice narrowed down to the following -

- 2007 Mitsubish Outlander
- Suzuki GV, Kia Sorento, Forester.

I was very impressed with various reviews I have read about outlander, and price seems to be very reasonable (Low-resale?), I'm actually very tempted to give this a try, but the availability seems to be an issue. It isnt widely available as say an CR-V or a RAV-4. While RAV4 was the default choice, I couldnt find any decent one's below $15k and hence gave it a miss. Nissan Rogue and Murano are odd looking to my liking, but still willing to give it a try if I get a good priced one.

Alternatively, I considered the honda civic too (>2006 models), and surprising they were also quoted on par with outlander for similar vintage, but availability is abundant. I feel this car makes more sensible purchase in the event of non-availability of outlander.

I'm slowly getting to familiarize myself with the options, and thanks to you and other's who have responded back on this thread . If you/others have any other options please do suggest. As you can see, I'm willing to consider the sedan models too.

Originally Posted by chevelle

As for the cars, you didn't mention if you want to go pre-owned route or new. If i were you, i had stick with a pre-owned Japanese SUV/Xover/Sedan. One can always experiment with better cars some 6 months down the lane as you may later require a second car for your wife. CRV, Rav4, CX-7, Forester will satisfy most if not all of your requirements. Then you have Santa-Fe, Tucson, Sorento. You can easily find such pieces for good pre-owned prices. You can check these suvs out when you are here and see which one fits your need. Go from there.

MSN and AOL autos usually give good reliability charts. Go through them. You will get a brief idea of what to expect from all SUVs.

[infotech58]

Originally Posted by bala80

- 2007 Mitsubish Outlander
- Suzuki GV, Kia Sorento, Forester.

I was very impressed with various reviews I have read about outlander, and price seems to be very reasonable (Low-resale?), I'm actually very tempted to give this a try, but the availability seems to be an issue. It isnt widely available as say an CR-V or a RAV-4. While RAV4 was the default choice, I couldnt find any decent one's below $15k and hence gave it a miss. Nissan Rogue and Murano are odd looking to my liking, but still willing to give it a try if I get a good priced one.

beware that: Suzuki GV is a rare breed in US and is very difficult to sell. a colleague of mine bought it (new) in 2010 and had a very tough time selling it 18 months later.

[bala80]

You are right infotech58, that's one reason I'm not even considering it in the first place. Even the reviews mention about the bad resale value of the car, I would want to play it as safe as possible, considering this would be my first car purchase in US.

Originally Posted by infotech58

beware that: Suzuki GV is a rare breed in US and is very difficult to sell. a colleague of mine bought it (new) in 2010 and had a very tough time selling it 18 months later.

[infotech58]

Originally Posted by bala80

You are right infotech58, that's one reason I'm not even considering it in the first place. Even the reviews mention about the bad resale value of the car, I would want to play it as safe as possible, considering this would be my first car purchase in US.

make extensive use of craigslist.org for your hunt; that is where you are most likely to run into individual seller deals at good prices.
i purchased three cars in US and all three were bought (and then sold) off craigslist. took me flat 30 mins. to sell my Accord for 100$ less than i had bought it for, beat that.

also check the indian community websites (such as desiindy.com, desicolumbus.com, etc.) for automobile classifieds.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by bala80

- 2007 Mitsubish Outlander
- Suzuki GV, Kia Sorento, Forester.



Alternatively, I considered the honda civic too (>2006 models), and surprising they were also quoted on par with outlander for similar vintage, but availability is abundant.

Amongst those choices, I wouldn't consider the Suzuki GV at all. Kia - definite yes, more so because they have become a mainstream recognized brand in the last year or two and resale value may be decent. Subaru only if you are in a snowy place. Not too sure about the outlander, I don't see too many of them around either. Civic is a good option, but then with two child seats and stuff, it might feel way too cramped.

[NinadJoshi]

Originally Posted by bala80

Thanks chevelle. I'm looking at only pre-owned for this purchase. I went through both AOL and MSN auto's and they did provide me with all the details I wanted regarding these shortlisted cars. I have set myself a budget of <=$15000, >Mfg year 2006/2007, <100k on the odo.

Applying these filters to the cars shortlisted below, my choice narrowed down to the following -

- 2007 Mitsubish Outlander
- Suzuki GV, Kia Sorento, Forester.

Bala80, not sure if you have heard of Autotrader. I have bought nearly all of my vehicles in the last decade through leads at Autotrader. I ran queries for Raleigh and Charlotte in NC (assuming that's were most IT guys from India land up if they are to come to NC), and came up with over 1500 vehicles that suit your filter above. (2006 or newer, less than 75K miles, SUV/Wagon/Sedan, 25 mile radius).

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?zip=27609&endYear=2013&startYe ar=2006&listingType=used&bodyStyles=SEDAN%2C+SUV%2 C+WAGON&numRecords=25&maxMileage=75000&searchRadiu s=25&maxPrice=15000&showcaseOwnerId=66725587&Log=0


http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?zip=28212&endYear=2013&startYe ar=2006&listingType=used&bodyStyles=SEDAN%2C+SUV%2 C+WAGON&numRecords=25&maxMileage=75000&searchRadiu s=25&maxPrice=15000&showcaseListingId=318089117&sh owcaseOwnerId=71780&Log=0

[bala80]

You are right, space is one of the most important criteria for me, and one major reason for me to look at crossovers. While browsing I came across this Mazda5 which is a wagon type. It kind of fits my requirement, is it practical to use this as your daily car too? Is there any more options similar to Mazda5?

While browsing through autotrader, I came across quite a few Jeep's, Saturn vehicles listed under the budget I mentioned, How good or bad are these? Can I consider these too?

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Civic is a good option, but then with two child seats and stuff, it might feel way too cramped.

Thanks NinadJoshi, I was browsing through only craigslist, MSN and AOL autos, Usedcars.com so far, and this site definitely seems to provide you with many more options than what I got from the rest of them. I will be based out of Cary, NC, but then can consider any nearby localities for my car search.

Originally Posted by NinadJoshi

Bala80, not sure if you have heard of Autotrader. I have bought nearly all of my vehicles in the last decade through leads at Autotrader.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by bala80

You are right, space is one of the most important criteria for me, and one major reason for me to look at crossovers. While browsing I came across this Mazda5 which is a wagon type. It kind of fits my requirement, is it practical to use this as your daily car too? Is there any more options similar to Mazda5?

While browsing through autotrader, I came across quite a few Jeep's, Saturn vehicles listed under the budget I mentioned, How good or bad are these? Can I consider these too?

I would stick to the Japs when reliability is a concern. Thumbs up to the Mazda 5 - it is the most mini of the mini vans currently sold! Everything else is a mega van.
Saturn is decent although I would stay away from pre 2009 Jeeps. The Chrysler group has done a good job lately and their cars are every improving. But the older ones aren't that great.

[NinadJoshi]

Originally Posted by bala80

You are right, space is one of the most important criteria for me, and one major reason for me to look at crossovers. While browsing I came across this Mazda5 which is a wagon type. It kind of fits my requirement, is it practical to use this as your daily car too? Is there any more options similar to Mazda5?

No direct options versus the Mazda 5 compact-minivan, but you may want to look up mini SUV's like Toyota Rav4 , Mazda Tribute, Ford Escape and Honda CRV (2WD should suffice for NC).

Other worthwhile used car options for a family of 4 would be Subaru Outback, Subaru Legacy (awesome value for money) Toyota Avalon (underrated but superb vehicle for the money), Nissan Maxima (owned one, love it to death), Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion, Mazda 6 (woohoo great car). If nothing, else the 'desi-mobiles' Camry and Accord aren't a bad choice too.

Also, if possible opt for one owner carfax certified vehicles. And, if posted by a dealer, see if the dealer will offer certified pro-owned package (CPO).

"You are right, space is one of the most important criteria for me, and one major reason for me to look at crossovers" --> Remember, 1 American = 1.75 Indian. Even the smallest vehicles here are sufficiently large enough for us puny 5'8" 150 lb (with shoes and leather belts) Indians.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by bala80

Thanks chevelle. I'm looking at only pre-owned for this purchase. I went through both AOL and MSN auto's and they did provide me with all the details I wanted regarding these shortlisted cars. I have set myself a budget of <=$15000, >Mfg year 2006/2007, <100k on the odo.

Applying these filters to the cars shortlisted below, my choice narrowed down to the following -

- 2007 Mitsubish Outlander
- Suzuki GV, Kia Sorento, Forester.

It isnt widely available as say an CR-V or a RAV-4. While RAV4 was the default choice, I couldnt find any decent one's below $15k and hence gave it a miss. Nissan Rogue and Murano are odd looking to my liking, but still willing to give it a try if I get a good priced one.

Alternatively, I considered the honda civic too

I'm slowly getting to familiarize myself with the options, and thanks to you and other's who have responded back on this thread . If you/others have any other options please do suggest. As you can see, I'm willing to consider the sedan models too.

Outlander is a good option. It has some problems like bad rear seat, poor interior fit and finish, excessive engine noise. Good thing is if you find one, you can get it for a steal. CRV and Rav4 have very good resale so you may find them at higher price. Alternate to Outlander is Forester. You can consider Ford Edge, but be aware of getting a fleet vehicle. Veracruz or Santa Fe will work for you too. You can get both for <15k.

Civic is not a good option for four considering you will have child seats at back. For your budget, look for a full size sedan like accord, camry, maxima. That will be comfortable for all of you.

Originally Posted by bala80

You are right, space is one of the most important criteria for me, and one major reason for me to look at crossovers. While browsing I came across this Mazda5 which is a wagon type. It kind of fits my requirement, is it practical to use this as your daily car too? Is there any more options similar to Mazda5?

While browsing through autotrader, I came across quite a few Jeep's, Saturn vehicles listed under the budget I mentioned, How good or bad are these? Can I consider these too?

Saturn is bust. Don't consider them. Jeep's are good option but be prepared for bad fuel economy, poor interior fit and finish, loads of problem after 60k. Service cost will be high. Also most jeeps will have done off roading, so it may not be in best condition.

Mazda5 is a minivan. Its a good minivan. Other option alternate to 5 is Sienna, Odyssey, Quest by Toyota, Honda and Nissan resp. A great car for ladies.

[Technocrat]

Btw why is no one suggesting an Acura or Lexus or Infinity in sub 20K budget Sedans? They are Japs with German like goodies Anything I am missing?

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Btw why is no one suggesting an Acura or Lexus or Infinity in sub 20K budget Sedans? They are Japs with German like goodies Anything I am missing?

If you want to find one in the Sub 20k budget (given that the requirement is a larger sedan - either the Acura TL/Lexus GS or the Infiniti M) , it would have already done 100k miles before the price falls below 20k!

[Technocrat]

Actually I have seen some cars (TSX/TL etc) done around 60-80k miles for around 12k-18k in Jersey City.

Most of the Accord/camry buying people buy these for similar mileage for 6k-9k. Very low mileage costs more for every car be it a civic/corolla/camry/accord

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Actually I have seen some cars (TSX/TL etc) done around 60-80k miles for around 12k-18k in Jersey City.

Most of the Accord/camry buying people buy these for similar mileage for 6k-9k. Very low mileage costs more for every car be it a civic/corolla/camry/accord

If you get hold of such gems, nothing like it. Acura is the most affordable luxury brand, so I guess thats why they go cheap. What model years were the cars you saw? Sometimes people who take public transport often end up having less than 7-8k miles a year on their cars. I have a good friend whose 2009 Infiniti FX has done less than 20k miles and it is in the 4th year! The couple takes public transport to work (Manhattan) so the car is only used on weekend grocery shopping or some road trips once in a while. They sold their X3 before that having done 15k miles in 3 years. So Jersey city is a likely place where you can find low mileage cars, with a lot of commuters heading towards Manhattan to work.