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Trinary, get ready to laugh.
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Since I no longer own an automobile, I have purchased a Zipcar subscription to tide me over until I buy a car. If nothing else, this will be a keen way to take a Honda Element (and whatever other vehicles are available) for an extended test drive into places where the dealership probably wouldn't let you go (Columbia River Gorge, say). However, this at the added inconvenience of having to take the bus to the zipcar, as there aren't many up on the hill where I live. My dad snorted "they have time sharing for cars now?" when I told him I was getting Zipcar.
(Well, heck, I don't know what to buy yet, so renting random cars doesn't seem like an outright waste of money...)
Generally speaking, I want a vehicle that's shaped like a station wagon. SUVs are too big for SE Portland, and the Accord sedan had problems fitting anything larger than a medium box. AWD is a nice perk, but not necessary where I usually go with cars. That said, I do remember sliding around on desert dirt roads a few miles out of Bend with the Accord. Fun is fun... sometimes. I also remember getting the Accord stuck on a snow embankment; also, places like Hat Point probably suck rocks off the ocean floor in a 2WD car. I should also note--I never plan to drive to Beaverton (or work) again unless I have to. This means that mileage isn't my highest priority, because more of the potential use of the car shifts to fun stuff... in which case I'll pay for the gas regardless. That said, I am generally aiming for 20mpg or more.
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Yesterday, I returned a 2008 Prius to Hertz. Most readers will recall that I drove one from Portland to San Jose and back last October, and while the gas mileage was phenomenal, I didn't like the trunk taillight bar going across the back window. Well, that didn't change--I still dislike it. I was impressed that I nearly got my tallish bicycle into the back; had I bothered to detach the front wheel, it surely would have fit. The car was generally roomy, and it did fit quite a lot of stuff coming up from the Bay Area, and had enough torque to get over the mountains at the Oregon border. On the US-30 to Crown Point test it generally handled the curves quite well, even when taking 15mph turns at around 25 in the dark. The handling was tighter than the Accord, but that's no surprise.
But, the poor rear visibility dissuades me from buying it. Last weekend, I looked at a bunch of other Toyotas (RAV4, Matrix, Scion xD). Rear window visibility was ok, but the rear quarter view was terrible--they've made the D pillar so large that you can't see what's hanging out near your rear fenders.
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After the last car accident, I (made the person who hit me) rent me an '05 Subaru Outback. I don't recall much of that car, though I remember being impressed with the amount of storage space and the holes they'd hidden all over the car for storing stuff. I vaguely recall that it had a non-turbo H4, which was enough to get up the Portland Hills on US-26 still managing a good 58mph. It took the US-30 Crown Point test pretty well too, though I'd bet things have changed since the 2005 model year. (I don't recall if it had stability control... not that you'd need it on dry pavement.) It was roomy enough, though I've noticed that the Outback doesn't have a whole lot of rear seat room if the fronts are adjusted for my legs.
I examined a new '08 in the dealership one late Friday afternoon; the interior matched my memory of it. Granted, these things are expensive--the H6 with all the stuff I want is 32k.
Will try to get one again, but Hertz doesn't have any Outbacks (they're waiting for a new shipment, they said.)
While at the Subaru dealership, I also poked into the 2009 Forester. All-gray interior I'm not wild about, but it _is_ larger than the Outback and a lot less expensive. It also looks like an SUV more than a tall boxy wagon like the old ones did. Comfortable enough, too. Haven't test-driven it.
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Tonight and Thursday I'm borrowing one of the Honda Elements that Zipcar has. Aside from being 60 blocks from here, I'm looking forward to being able to examine the car more thoroughly. I visited a Honda dealer this weekend too; the Pilot is too big to maneuver, though the CRV might be manageable. Actually, the CRV is temptingly roomy, though it has the same engine as the Element and weighs even more.
----
Since I no longer own an automobile, I have purchased a Zipcar subscription to tide me over until I buy a car. If nothing else, this will be a keen way to take a Honda Element (and whatever other vehicles are available) for an extended test drive into places where the dealership probably wouldn't let you go (Columbia River Gorge, say). However, this at the added inconvenience of having to take the bus to the zipcar, as there aren't many up on the hill where I live. My dad snorted "they have time sharing for cars now?" when I told him I was getting Zipcar.
(Well, heck, I don't know what to buy yet, so renting random cars doesn't seem like an outright waste of money...)
Generally speaking, I want a vehicle that's shaped like a station wagon. SUVs are too big for SE Portland, and the Accord sedan had problems fitting anything larger than a medium box. AWD is a nice perk, but not necessary where I usually go with cars. That said, I do remember sliding around on desert dirt roads a few miles out of Bend with the Accord. Fun is fun... sometimes. I also remember getting the Accord stuck on a snow embankment; also, places like Hat Point probably suck rocks off the ocean floor in a 2WD car. I should also note--I never plan to drive to Beaverton (or work) again unless I have to. This means that mileage isn't my highest priority, because more of the potential use of the car shifts to fun stuff... in which case I'll pay for the gas regardless. That said, I am generally aiming for 20mpg or more.
-----
Yesterday, I returned a 2008 Prius to Hertz. Most readers will recall that I drove one from Portland to San Jose and back last October, and while the gas mileage was phenomenal, I didn't like the trunk taillight bar going across the back window. Well, that didn't change--I still dislike it. I was impressed that I nearly got my tallish bicycle into the back; had I bothered to detach the front wheel, it surely would have fit. The car was generally roomy, and it did fit quite a lot of stuff coming up from the Bay Area, and had enough torque to get over the mountains at the Oregon border. On the US-30 to Crown Point test it generally handled the curves quite well, even when taking 15mph turns at around 25 in the dark. The handling was tighter than the Accord, but that's no surprise.
But, the poor rear visibility dissuades me from buying it. Last weekend, I looked at a bunch of other Toyotas (RAV4, Matrix, Scion xD). Rear window visibility was ok, but the rear quarter view was terrible--they've made the D pillar so large that you can't see what's hanging out near your rear fenders.
-----
After the last car accident, I (made the person who hit me) rent me an '05 Subaru Outback. I don't recall much of that car, though I remember being impressed with the amount of storage space and the holes they'd hidden all over the car for storing stuff. I vaguely recall that it had a non-turbo H4, which was enough to get up the Portland Hills on US-26 still managing a good 58mph. It took the US-30 Crown Point test pretty well too, though I'd bet things have changed since the 2005 model year. (I don't recall if it had stability control... not that you'd need it on dry pavement.) It was roomy enough, though I've noticed that the Outback doesn't have a whole lot of rear seat room if the fronts are adjusted for my legs.
I examined a new '08 in the dealership one late Friday afternoon; the interior matched my memory of it. Granted, these things are expensive--the H6 with all the stuff I want is 32k.
Will try to get one again, but Hertz doesn't have any Outbacks (they're waiting for a new shipment, they said.)
While at the Subaru dealership, I also poked into the 2009 Forester. All-gray interior I'm not wild about, but it _is_ larger than the Outback and a lot less expensive. It also looks like an SUV more than a tall boxy wagon like the old ones did. Comfortable enough, too. Haven't test-driven it.
-----
Tonight and Thursday I'm borrowing one of the Honda Elements that Zipcar has. Aside from being 60 blocks from here, I'm looking forward to being able to examine the car more thoroughly. I visited a Honda dealer this weekend too; the Pilot is too big to maneuver, though the CRV might be manageable. Actually, the CRV is temptingly roomy, though it has the same engine as the Element and weighs even more.
