Recommend me a good car for my Mom

[greggl4321]

Wanting an SUV

Wanting something that corners well, and rides smooth

She is looking at a BMW X3, what type of suspension does this have vs the the 4 runner?

Lastly, what is an a frame suspension?




Thank you for your time and consideration.

[Sharp64]

Requested to be moved to the non-VW off topic forum.
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[Glenn]

[chickengeorge]

[andk5591]

Do some research on site sites Motor Trend. They compare them all the time. I disagree with the VW comment - Love my Golf, which is an Audi A3 for less money. I am a Toyota fan as well. Have several in the family.
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D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
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Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
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Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
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There's more, but not keeping them...

[Zundfolge1432]

Nobody can (recommend) a car unless they know what it’s based on. At one end of the spectrum there is a segment of folks that buy on impulse often considering what they can afford as a payment, regardless of make model car dealers love them. Then there are brand loyal folks that buy the same over and over because that’s what they’ve always done. Then you have specific purpose shoppers, they need a truck to haul or maximum seating or gas mileage, maybe all out performance etc. At the opposite end of the spectrum you’d have guys like my dad, he would take months to decide and only after careful consideration of price range, reliablity, resale, safety he probably gave style a back seat and didn’t give two shits about performance. He was a firm believer in the testing and opinions of how consumer reports rated cars. Then he headed for dealership to wear them out and beat them down on price. More than once he simply walked away he always got a pretty good deal. By their reckoning the top three vehicles all parameters considered are Suburu, Toyota and Lexus. I’ve owned Toyota and Lexus models and can attest to ruggedness and great resale value.

[Zundfolge1432]

Be careful of recommendations of magazines that are likely biased because they sell ads to the very products they are testing. Case in point the motor trend car of the year back in early 80s was Renault Alliance. My wife when she was single bought one on their opinion and it turned into the biggest POS at about 40k miles. There have been other turds they’ve put their stamp of approval on. You are looking for information not tainted by the people selling the product. You can go to NHTSA website and look at defects, safety bulletins, recalls, crashworthiness reports supposedly unbiased. What hurts consumers now is mega dealers that control entire regions so it’s tough to beat them down on price when you find a car you want. Credit unions offer finder services although you might have to travel. Costco has this, AARP, AAA and then there’s corporate discounts such as Fords A plan. How much work are you willing to do? I know a guy that travelled to California to www.Longotoyota.com the #1 Toyota volume selling dealer and saved some money. #2 volume Toyota was in Florida.

[busman78]

A Subaru Forester or Outback, quality, handling, safety, reliability, pick anything else you will have to live with the complaints.

[Jon Schmid]

X2 on Subarus and Toyotas. We currently have an Impreza in the family and I've owned more Toyotas (2 currently) than I can remember. Very reliable. My daughter had a VW New Beetle and the thing was basically a POS. As mentioned, I would shy away from anything German, even Porsche, because when they do break they will not be cheap to fix. On the other hand, I know from experience that Cayennes are like 911s with higher ground clearance.

[jeffinohio]

We have 3 Subarus.The Forester my wife drives on her mail route has 325000 miles.Original engine and trans.Our other Forester has 125000 on it,and still runs and drives like new.The only car we have ever bought new was a 2014 Crosstrek.We only use it for vacations and things like that.It has 10000 trouble free miles.These cars have very good resale as well.I cant recommend them enough.I like the Legacy platform better than the Imprezza platform myself.The Legacy platform that the Forester is built on is a tank.
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64 Sunroof
73 Standard
70 Convertible
67 Cougar
3 Subarus

[hitest]

Without knowing anything about your mom... If she is widowed, I've been through this. As it was mom's first chance to buy a car for herself after 50 years...

Is she a spirited driver? If you have her looking at SUVs that corner- will she be that kind of driver? Every decent SUV model now handles pretty darn well. But only a few have even reasonable service costs- Toyota and Subaru. The new Honda Pilot is one of the best vehicles on this earth. Even a three year old Lexus RX is a great value.

Does she have disposable income to repair a BMW? Is she looking at this brand because she likes the idea of being a BMW owner? Be honest with that question. For some it's held a special place of "I've earned it" but it does not make it the best car. And please don't say she's looking at a used one...

My wife's 2016 Highlander holds roads very well for instance- and it's way easier to get in and out of than a 4 runner. The 4runner is more off road than a crossover- so make sure mom's hips and knees will be up to it.

Just take a day and tour these cars with her. Again, I know nothing about your mom- but if she's now making her own car decisions- I know that mom very well.



PS- The 'a-frame' that people refer is likely these days a discussion of the front suspension- meaning a-arm (because that's what they resemble). It's the way independent front suspension is designed for handling and ride vs. straight axle. They are also compact- so they a necessity for tight engine bays and AWD systems- in essence, nothing special cause they all have 'em.

If a salesman calls it 'a-frame' ask for a different salesman.
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[hitest]

I forgot the simple comparison- BMW x3 is a road car that can barely go offroad. The 4runner has its roots in offroading and is less capable on a twisty highway. So the two really don't compare.

Sub Forester; Toy Highlander, Lexus RX330, Acura MDX- that's where I'd take mom.
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[scottyrocks]

Large - Honda Pilot.

Small - Honda CRV.

Very small - Honda HRV.
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[chickengeorge]

[T Hollis]

Acura MDX
Ours is approaching 200,000 and isn't showing any signs of quiting!
A bit pricy but, quality is "Top Shelf!"

[hitest]

[sb001]

Another vote for Subaru- although I have never owned one, I know LOTS of folks that do and all of them have been very satisfied and keep going back. The other thing I like about Subaru is that their dealer network is not very large and not as stodgy as the mass market chains (there are only 2 in the whole state of Arkansas, and the one here- Adventure Subaru in NW Arkansas- is the first place I'd be if I ever got a better paying job that actually allowed me to look at a mainstream dealership for a car.)

https://talkbusiness.net/2017/06/adventure-subaru-in-fayetteville-expands-as-sales-volume-increases/
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[chickengeorge]

[greggl4321]

She will likely get a subaru

but were not sure which one offers the best performance? Between the Forester and the Outback, or even maybe the Crosstrek.


Which has the most travel?

Are all the suspensions the same?

Which has the lowest center of gravity?


Any additional thoughts or comments are appreciated. I'm having a very hard time digging this type of information.

[Jon Schmid]