Ready to replace my 2003 Forester
plnelson
02-20-2013, 12:35 AM
It's time to replace my 2003 Forester with something new. My main requirements are:
(1.) Superior all-wheel drive performance. I hike, snowshoe and xc-ski in NH and Vermont mountains so I'm often on poor-quality rutty roads with lots of snow, ice, and mud. My Forester with winter tires does excellent on these. Also see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0_MXK2nzt2Y
(2) Extremely good safety - both avoidance (brakes, visibility, etc) and crash-test. The 2013 Forester was one of the worst crossover SUV's in NHTSA side-impact and pole-crash tests.
(3) Excellent long-term reliability and ease of maintenance. I like to change my own fluids, filters, belts, and lights and much as possible so I want a car that has good access for these things.
I'm looking at the Forester, CRV, and RAV4, and might consider other models if they meet my requirements. I'd like to stay under $26K. I usually manage to buy no more than 1% over invoice.
Thoughts? Thanks in advance.
(1.) Superior all-wheel drive performance. I hike, snowshoe and xc-ski in NH and Vermont mountains so I'm often on poor-quality rutty roads with lots of snow, ice, and mud. My Forester with winter tires does excellent on these. Also see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0_MXK2nzt2Y
(2) Extremely good safety - both avoidance (brakes, visibility, etc) and crash-test. The 2013 Forester was one of the worst crossover SUV's in NHTSA side-impact and pole-crash tests.
(3) Excellent long-term reliability and ease of maintenance. I like to change my own fluids, filters, belts, and lights and much as possible so I want a car that has good access for these things.
I'm looking at the Forester, CRV, and RAV4, and might consider other models if they meet my requirements. I'd like to stay under $26K. I usually manage to buy no more than 1% over invoice.
Thoughts? Thanks in advance.
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