[chevelle]

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?

IS, G are cramped for four people with child seat. Also the miles will be on higher side. I have seen samples which have more than 90k miles on board and asking $15k or more. Repairs or regular maintenance is on higher side for this brands. Otherwise they are very good first buy options. My G belongs to that category.

But since Bala needs a SUV, its very hard to get one for that price unless its above 100k like a MDX. Here a 2004-2005 MDX with more than 105k miles are going for $13k+. Similarly Lexus RX is in same price range. Quite high IMHO. But yes, they are super good when it comes to owning and driving.

Seems Jersey City has pretty good car deals. Good way to enjoy great cars at great prices.

[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

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.

Very True, I would be one of those, who would have less daily running & hence can buy something nice hopefully.

A friedn of mine has a 2004 TSX which he had bought for 12k in 2009 & it had done 65k, i know its not very young but even today the car feels tight & well equipped.

Originally Posted by chevelle

IS, G are cramped for four people with child seat. Also the miles will be on higher side. I have seen samples which have more than 90k miles on board and asking $15k or more. Repairs or regular maintenance is on higher side for this brands. Otherwise they are very good first buy options. My G belongs to that category.

But since Bala needs a SUV, its very hard to get one for that price unless its above 100k like a MDX. Here a 2004-2005 MDX with more than 105k miles are going for $13k+. Similarly Lexus RX is in same price range. Quite high IMHO. But yes, they are super good when it comes to owning and driving.

Seems Jersey City has pretty good car deals. Good way to enjoy great cars at great prices.

Thanks that explains well, yes Jersey city seems to have lot of dealers & deals

I would be looking for buying a sedan after a few months, my daily run would be less (Office in NYC) so hoping to get a nice Jap Luxury car, lets see

[mohit]

Looks like TLs in Canada are relatively low mileage! There are cars under 20K with decent mileage but you have to look harder (e.g. 2007 Acura TL, $17,980 - Cars.com).

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Thanks that explains well, yes Jersey city seems to have lot of dealers & deals

I would be looking for buying a sedan after a few months, my daily run would be less (Office in NYC) so hoping to get a nice Jap Luxury car, lets see

That's good to hear. You have plenty of options then. More fun for less money. And since you are near Jersey City you can have best of both worlds.

Originally Posted by mohit

Looks like TLs in Canada are relatively low mileage! There are cars under 20K with decent mileage but you have to look harder (e.g. 2007 Acura TL, $17,980 - Cars.com).

The regular TL/TSX are not much fun to drive compared to IS, G since they are FWD. Also accord influence in interiors can be easily seen. Not a good idea when spending more for a premium version of accord. They are very good VFM cars though. SH-AWD TL is awesome though. Love the looks of 2003-2009 TLs. The best looking ones imho of all generation. Especially the Type-S version.

[mohit]

Originally Posted by chevelle

The regular TL/TSX are not much fun to drive compared to IS, G since they are FWD. Also accord influence in interiors can be easily seen. Not a good idea when spending more for a premium version of accord. They are very good VFM cars though. SH-AWD TL is awesome though. Love the looks of 2003-2009 TLs. The best looking ones imho of all generation. Especially the Type-S version.

Wasn't SH-AWD introduced in 2009 TLs? Those look horrid man! A nice interior but the front and rear is way over the top.

A TL is bigger than the accord and you can get a used one for pretty much the same amount of money so unless you have issues with a V6 drinking premium gas, TL is the way to go.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by mohit

Wasn't SH-AWD introduced in 2009 TLs? Those look horrid man! A nice interior but the front and rear is way over the top.

A TL is bigger than the accord and you can get a used one for pretty much the same amount of money so unless you have issues with a V6 drinking premium gas, TL is the way to go.

Before the SH-AWD, there was the TL-S as the range topper in the Acura TL model. More power, lowered and stiffened suspension, optional manual transmission and was it a limited slip diff? not sure about that. Anyway the SH-AWD is a smart way to cover on the limitations of a front wheel drive car.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by mohit

Wasn't SH-AWD introduced in 2009 TLs? Those look horrid man! A nice interior but the front and rear is way over the top.

A TL is bigger than the accord and you can get a used one for pretty much the same amount of money so unless you have issues with a V6 drinking premium gas, TL is the way to go.

Yes, that's the best thing i like about current TL. Not the looks, interior or engine. They need to get rid of that Ugly Beak asap. Actually for all models they need to do that. Wonder who approved it in first place. Would like to fire that guy and put a parrot's beak on guy's face.

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Before the SH-AWD, there was the TL-S as the range topper in the Acura TL model. More power, lowered and stiffened suspension, optional manual transmission and was it a limited slip diff? not sure about that. Anyway the SH-AWD is a smart way to cover on the limitations of a front wheel drive car.

Agreed and TL-S was awesome to drive too even though it was FWD. That manual was a dream though.

[NinadJoshi]

One of my current cars is a generation 3 Acura TL that does my daily drive and then some more. All I can say is that if you find a Gen-3 TL with <75K miles between $15K and $20K, buy it with closed eyes. You will not regret it.

Gen-4 TL's are awesome too with regards to everything but they get an extreme love-hate reaction for their looks (mostly 'hate' than 'love'). I personally value function over form, so the nosy Gen-4 Acura's do not really bother me. They are extremely capable vehicles and come with all sorts of technology. They are highly underrated in the midst of more boisterous competitors.
But I doubt you'll find a Gen-4 TL for anything in that price range at this time unless someone has really spun one over 125K miles.

[infotech58]

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?

also look at Nissan Xterra and Nissan Pathfinder; very very capable vehicles and you should be able to get nice deals at aroud 15-17k budget.

[bala80]

Thanks for all your suggestions, I was almost sold on Mazda5 and I was getting lot of used one's well within my budget, but encountered the following issue.

The car comes only in 6 seater configuration - 3 rows of 2 seats each. Now, since my requirement would be for a front facing child seat for my young one who is just above 2 years old and a booster seat for my elder one who would be 5 years old. I cannot install either of these in the front and have to go for the middle row and that's where the challenge is. I wish it came with a rear bench instead of 2 seats option. Cant leave both of them unattended to - else, I need to put my elder one in the 3rd row seat, which will limit my cargo carrying ability!

Any work-around gentlemen? If this doesnt work out, I need to be contended with the other cross-overs that we have discussed earlier. Outlander, Tucson, Santa Fe, RAV4 and CR-V seems to be the best options.

How good are the hyundai's as far as reliability is concerned? I'm getting a few santa fe's within my budget but with relatively high mileage on the odo. 100k miles is the limit I had set for myself, but how far are these known to go without needing any attention?


Aren't these full size SUV's? I thought my needs wouldnt require an full size SUV, hence didnt consider them at all.

Originally Posted by infotech58

also look at Nissan Xterra and Nissan Pathfinder; very very capable vehicles and you should be able to get nice deals at aroud 15-17k budget.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by bala80

I cannot install either of these in the front and have to go for the middle row and that's where the challenge is. I wish it came with a rear bench instead of 2 seats option.

That's a limitation with the size of the Mazda 5. If they had to offer comfortable accommodation for 6 in the US, that's the only way - by offering captain seats on the second row.

Originally Posted by bala80

Aren't these full size SUV's? I thought my needs wouldnt require an full size SUV, hence didnt consider them at all.

I wouldn't call them full size SUVs. There are much bigger ones out here in the US . They are intermediate or even compact SUVs by the standards here.

With the conditions you mentioned, going for a 5 seater SUV would be your best bet. Pick up a Hyundai/Honda/Toyota with under 60k miles on the odo, you should be served well. Now, getting one in the price range you want maybe a little bit of a challenge. After you get here, you will have time to look around and get a good idea before getting the right vehicle.

[NinadJoshi]

Originally Posted by bala80

Cant leave both of them unattended to -

Made my day Bala! I guess this is one of those the cultural things we doting desi's have about parenting.

I raised twins here without 'attending' to them in the back seat. This should be the least of your concerns. Kids do perfectly fine any which way, it is the parents who do not do well thinking the kids may not do well

If you like the Mazda5, go for it. And make sure wifey sits in the front seat and enjoys the ride, rather than playing seat-maid to the baby.

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by bala80

The car comes only in 6 seater configuration - 3 rows of 2 seats each. Now, since my requirement would be for a front facing child seat for my young one who is just above 2 years old and a booster seat for my elder one who would be 5 years old. I cannot install either of these in the front and have to go for the middle row and that's where the challenge is. I wish it came with a rear bench instead of 2 seats option. Cant leave both of them unattended to - else, I need to put my elder one in the 3rd row seat, which will limit my cargo carrying ability!

I am assuming you are worried about the little one without mom. We have had our quest for since before my second child was born and we always keep the two boys in second row captain seats. My wife occasionally goes back to feed them on long drives, 5 year old is usually fine by himself anyway.

I have installed an extra mirror on top of my rear view mirror to watch them both, a month back I put a wide angle mirror on top of that and it' really wonderful. this way my auto day-night mirror is unaffected

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by infotech58

also look at Nissan Xterra and Nissan Pathfinder; very very capable vehicles and you should be able to get nice deals at aroud 15-17k budget.

These are based on older platform. Ride quality won't be that good. Family may complain about harsh ride. Also the FE is not good and there is too much noise filtering from outside. Its not a good family hauler imho. But if you wanna go to trails and remote places, these both are awesome SUVs. The new Pathfinder will be based on a different platform and is expected to cater to family quite well.

[arindamray]

How is safeauto for car insurance? Getting lowest quote from them.