Car Market going forward (4 Viewers)

[MTskibum]

Interesting article about the state of autonomous driving. I read the whole thing from beginning to end witch is a 10 minute read or so. The below was most interesting i thought on their current challenges.

@Terminalxylem

Most of the time, driving requires following simple, deterministic rules: stay in the center of the lane, avoid hitting other road users, obey stop lights and stop signs, and so forth.

But navigating through the scene of a fire or car crash is much trickier. Emergencies can totally disrupt the flow of traffic, forcing drivers to improvise new traffic patterns. Drivers often need a nuanced understanding of what other people are trying to accomplish so that they can avoid getting in their way. If police or firefighters are directing traffic, drivers need to understand their hand signals.

In short, navigating the scene of a fire or car crash sometimes requires reasoning skills that are far beyond the capabilities of today’s AI systems. So emergency scenes are likely to remain as a “corner case” for Tesla’s FSD for at least a few more years, just as they still are for Waymo’s software.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/0...-is-playing-chess-while-tesla-plays-checkers/

 

[Terminalxylem]

Interesting article about the state of autonomous driving. I read the whole thing from beginning to end witch is a 10 minute read or so. The below was most interesting i thought on their current challenges.

@Terminalxylem

Most of the time, driving requires following simple, deterministic rules: stay in the center of the lane, avoid hitting other road users, obey stop lights and stop signs, and so forth.

But navigating through the scene of a fire or car crash is much trickier. Emergencies can totally disrupt the flow of traffic, forcing drivers to improvise new traffic patterns. Drivers often need a nuanced understanding of what other people are trying to accomplish so that they can avoid getting in their way. If police or firefighters are directing traffic, drivers need to understand their hand signals.

In short, navigating the scene of a fire or car crash sometimes requires reasoning skills that are far beyond the capabilities of today’s AI systems. So emergency scenes are likely to remain as a “corner case” for Tesla’s FSD for at least a few more years, just as they still are for Waymo’s software.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/0...-is-playing-chess-while-tesla-plays-checkers/

The fundamental problem is our tolerance for AI error: we’ll demand much better performance/safety from AV than those driven by humans, before we ever allow it to supplant us.

I don’t know the acceptable threshold, but it sounds like Waymo’s AV are already safer, though less efficient than humans. I expect it won’t take much longer, like a decade or less, for the systems to improve such that AV are undeniably better. And safety + efficiency will only go up, as human drivers are phased out.

Of course we’ll have the dilemma many of us face with our aging parents: prying the keys from unwilling hands.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Interesting article about the state of autonomous driving. I read the whole thing from beginning to end witch is a 10 minute read or so. The below was most interesting i thought on their current challenges.

@Terminalxylem

Most of the time, driving requires following simple, deterministic rules: stay in the center of the lane, avoid hitting other road users, obey stop lights and stop signs, and so forth.

But navigating through the scene of a fire or car crash is much trickier. Emergencies can totally disrupt the flow of traffic, forcing drivers to improvise new traffic patterns. Drivers often need a nuanced understanding of what other people are trying to accomplish so that they can avoid getting in their way. If police or firefighters are directing traffic, drivers need to understand their hand signals.

In short, navigating the scene of a fire or car crash sometimes requires reasoning skills that are far beyond the capabilities of today’s AI systems. So emergency scenes are likely to remain as a “corner case” for Tesla’s FSD for at least a few more years, just as they still are for Waymo’s software.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/0...-is-playing-chess-while-tesla-plays-checkers/

The fundamental problem is our tolerance for AI error: we’ll demand much better performance/safety from AV than those driven by humans, before we ever allow it to supplant us.

I don’t know the acceptable threshold, but it sounds like Waymo’s AV are already safer, though less efficient than humans. I expect it won’t take much longer, like a decade or less, for the systems to improve such that AV are undeniably better. And safety + efficiency will only go up, as human drivers are phased out.

Of course we’ll have the dilemma many of us face with our aging parents: prying the keys from unwilling hands.

I think there might be a middle ground where AI only routes are created. Where there are no human drivers. The interstate for example. You want to go on the interstate? AI only. Downtown in a big city. AI only.

 

[Osaurus]

Dang, MOP, I was in and out of the VW dealership here in Tampa under 2 hours easy (closer to 1.5 hours). No undercoating purchased or anything

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Financed about $27k-$28k, at 6.9% rate, any guesses on how much that adds on to the vehicle if we slowly pay it over 60 months?
Almost $5,300 and I mention it because people are celebrating the ability to erase dealer fees, myself included but its all for not if you pay these cars off slowly.

We used to get 0% for 36-48 months on Subaru, that's not happening, maybe 2.9% on some models.
I did see lease options on new Subaru Forester/Outback, somewhere n the $250/month range but guessing that's a base model and you still needed $5k-$6k down

 

[belljr]

You never got 0% on a used Subaru from a BMW dealer....

 

[Terminalxylem]

Interesting article about the state of autonomous driving. I read the whole thing from beginning to end witch is a 10 minute read or so. The below was most interesting i thought on their current challenges.

@Terminalxylem

Most of the time, driving requires following simple, deterministic rules: stay in the center of the lane, avoid hitting other road users, obey stop lights and stop signs, and so forth.

But navigating through the scene of a fire or car crash is much trickier. Emergencies can totally disrupt the flow of traffic, forcing drivers to improvise new traffic patterns. Drivers often need a nuanced understanding of what other people are trying to accomplish so that they can avoid getting in their way. If police or firefighters are directing traffic, drivers need to understand their hand signals.

In short, navigating the scene of a fire or car crash sometimes requires reasoning skills that are far beyond the capabilities of today’s AI systems. So emergency scenes are likely to remain as a “corner case” for Tesla’s FSD for at least a few more years, just as they still are for Waymo’s software.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/0...-is-playing-chess-while-tesla-plays-checkers/

The fundamental problem is our tolerance for AI error: we’ll demand much better performance/safety from AV than those driven by humans, before we ever allow it to supplant us.

I don’t know the acceptable threshold, but it sounds like Waymo’s AV are already safer, though less efficient than humans. I expect it won’t take much longer, like a decade or less, for the systems to improve such that AV are undeniably better. And safety + efficiency will only go up, as human drivers are phased out.

Of course we’ll have the dilemma many of us face with our aging parents: prying the keys from unwilling hands.

I think there might be a middle ground where AI only routes are created. Where there are no human drivers. The interstate for example. You want to go on the interstate? AI only. Downtown in a big city. AI only.

City would make more sense, though driving far more chaotic there.

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

How are there still no inventory at the dealerships? We catching up any time soon?

Don't think is really true. Maybe Honda and Toyota are still thin but don't think anywhere is wiped out.

Toyota is the one I tried to stop by this week and besides Tundras super weak.

Just speculation, but are there ship full of Toyotas sitting off the coast waiting for the Port of Baltimore to fully open? If I'm not mistaken that was a primary role of that port, and one that isn't easily recreated elsewhere due to the acreage needed to park them even if we assume that the army of drivers and others involved with the logistics could easily be moved to other ports.

 

[pollardsvision]

Dang, MOP, I was in and out of the VW dealership here in Tampa under 2 hours easy (closer to 1.5 hours). No undercoating purchased or anything

The owner of Rick Case Honda in Broward County was just on CarDealershipGuy has a 90 minute guarantee.

90 minutes out the door or they pay your first month's car payment. Of course, they have an extensive checklist of things that the customer has to do online before they come in to pull this off, but it sounded like a fantastic idea.

 

[Lehigh98]

My 2018 Honda Accord Touring Hybrid was chugging along with no issues whatsoever and about to break 100,000 when I got hit by some mystery road debris on the interstate that hit so hard it shattered the windshield, dented the steel column, dented the roof panel and column again up there. Car insurance just decided to total the car because repair estimate was $13k. Car still drives great, so annoying.


So, I'm back in the car market and also have to figure out how my insurance company is going to handle the valuation and payout. Hoping for any advice that you guys can provide on this "totaling" and value of my car and not getting screwed by insurance.

I really liked the Accord and pretty sure I'm just going to buy another Honda Accord Touring but probably not a hybrid this time since my new (since I bought the car) company just pays for all my gas. Will also probably do the usual and start looking for used cars just coming off lease.

 

[sho nuff]

Been looking a bit at something like a Camry or Civic. The last few models get pretty darn good gas mileage without being hybrids. Like 39mpg highway. And the 25 camrys i think are all hybrids now

Didn’t like what Honda has done to their dashboards. Honeycomb looking mesh. Hides the vents i guess but would imagine that would build up a lot of dirt/dust.

 

[culdeus]

My 2018 Honda Accord Touring Hybrid was chugging along with no issues whatsoever and about to break 100,000 when I got hit by some mystery road debris on the interstate that hit so hard it shattered the windshield, dented the steel column, dented the roof panel and column again up there. Car insurance just decided to total the car because repair estimate was $13k. Car still drives great, so annoying.


So, I'm back in the car market and also have to figure out how my insurance company is going to handle the valuation and payout. Hoping for any advice that you guys can provide on this "totaling" and value of my car and not getting screwed by insurance.

I really liked the Accord and pretty sure I'm just going to buy another Honda Accord Touring but probably not a hybrid this time since my new (since I bought the car) company just pays for all my gas. Will also probably do the usual and start looking for used cars just coming off lease.

I mean they're going to try to give you private party to dealer blue book first. Best bet is finding dealer lot cars of similar specs and use as comp like it is a house.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Been looking a bit at something like a Camry or Civic. The last few models get pretty darn good gas mileage without being hybrids. Like 39mpg highway. And the 25 camrys i think are all hybrids now

Didn’t like what Honda has done to their dashboards. Honeycomb looking mesh. Hides the vents i guess but would imagine that would build up a lot of dirt/dust.

Feel like a Camry would be much nicer than a Civic. They'll both probably run forever, but the Camry has more heft to it.

 

[MTskibum]

Been looking a bit at something like a Camry or Civic. The last few models get pretty darn good gas mileage without being hybrids. Like 39mpg highway. And the 25 camrys i think are all hybrids now

Didn’t like what Honda has done to their dashboards. Honeycomb looking mesh. Hides the vents i guess but would imagine that would build up a lot of dirt/dust.

Camry compares to accord where as corrolla compares to civic.

Those are different classes of cars, although i would recommend a civic type R. You only live once.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

My civic is remarkable roomy.

 

[sho nuff]

Been looking a bit at something like a Camry or Civic. The last few models get pretty darn good gas mileage without being hybrids. Like 39mpg highway. And the 25 camrys i think are all hybrids now

Didn’t like what Honda has done to their dashboards. Honeycomb looking mesh. Hides the vents i guess but would imagine that would build up a lot of dirt/dust.

Camry compares to accord where as corrolla compares to civic.

Those are different classes of cars, although i would recommend a civic type R. You only live once.

IMO that is how it used to be. Take a look at the dimensions of the cars in recent years. IMO the civic and camry align more now Corolla’s are smaller.

My hesitation is probably more Nissan related with the reputation of their cvt vs other manufacturers.

All that said… its hard to ever argue against a Camry. Just a solid platform, engine…and really a nice looking vehicle for a while.

 

[MTskibum]

Been looking a bit at something like a Camry or Civic. The last few models get pretty darn good gas mileage without being hybrids. Like 39mpg highway. And the 25 camrys i think are all hybrids now

Didn’t like what Honda has done to their dashboards. Honeycomb looking mesh. Hides the vents i guess but would imagine that would build up a lot of dirt/dust.

Camry compares to accord where as corrolla compares to civic.

Those are different classes of cars, although i would recommend a civic type R. You only live once.

IMO that is how it used to be. Take a look at the dimensions of the cars in recent years. IMO the civic and camry align more now Corolla’s are smaller.

My hesitation is probably more Nissan related with the reputation of their cvt vs other manufacturers.

All that said… its hard to ever argue against a Camry. Just a solid platform, engine…and really a nice looking vehicle for a while.

Uh, hmm...

Excluding the type R, which i should get to drive in a few weeks.

The civic comes base with 150 hp and tops out at 180 hp, where as the camry comes standard with 208 hp and tops out of 300hp.

The civic is also smaller both in width and length.

Have you driven the civic, accord, corrolla, and camry. I have personnally owned 2 camrys, 1 civic, and 1 corrolla. I currently own both a toyota and honda. I am not trying to play brand favorites, however they are not in the same class of car.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Interest rates are starting to drop. There’s a .99 apr on CPO Hondas right now. 36 months. May pull the trigger on a loaded crv hybrid.

 

[Instinctive]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

 

[matttyl]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

Really like the look of the 4th generation (2015-2019) Lexus Rx. And being made by Toyota they seem to be very reliable.

 

[The Z Machine]

I need to sell my 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS Ultimate with 92k milea within the next week. It doesn't have a prisrine carfax as i had an insurance claim and body work done after a small side scrape. Otherwise in decent but not great condition.

I have an offer in hand from Carmax for $10k. How can I get more $ without a major hassle? Is private sale even possible in a short time frame like this?

 

[culdeus]

I need to sell my 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS Ultimate with 92k milea within the next week. It doesn't have a prisrine carfax as i had an insurance claim and body work done after a small side scrape. Otherwise in decent but not great condition.

I have an offer in hand from Carmax for $10k. How can I get more $ without a major hassle? Is private sale even possible in a short time frame like this?

What state?

I've had good results selling to givemethevin or at least a good offer I can use to make CarMax go up.

 

[dgreen]

I need to sell my 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS Ultimate with 92k milea within the next week. It doesn't have a prisrine carfax as i had an insurance claim and body work done after a small side scrape. Otherwise in decent but not great condition.

I have an offer in hand from Carmax for $10k. How can I get more $ without a major hassle? Is private sale even possible in a short time frame like this?

Take it to other dealers and show them the Carmax offer to see if they want to beat it. There's also a couple other car sites you can get online offers.

 

[Nugget]

I need to sell my 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS Ultimate with 92k milea within the next week. It doesn't have a prisrine carfax as i had an insurance claim and body work done after a small side scrape. Otherwise in decent but not great condition.

I have an offer in hand from Carmax for $10k. How can I get more $ without a major hassle? Is private sale even possible in a short time frame like this?

Take it to other dealers and show them the Carmax offer to see if they want to beat it. There's also a couple other car sites you can get online offers.

I'd try Carvana and KBB Instant Cash Offer as well. If you have time, take the best of the online offers to one or two local Hyundai dealers. They are still looking for used inventory and they would rather buy from you than the auction.

 

[Psychopav]

Dumb question: if you bring a car to a dealership with online offers in hand, do you have to do a trade in, or will they typically pay you cash for your car even if you're not buying from them?

 

[The Z Machine]

I need to sell my 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS Ultimate with 92k milea within the next week. It doesn't have a prisrine carfax as i had an insurance claim and body work done after a small side scrape. Otherwise in decent but not great condition.

I have an offer in hand from Carmax for $10k. How can I get more $ without a major hassle? Is private sale even possible in a short time frame like this?

What state?

I've had good results selling to givemethevin or at least a good offer I can use to make CarMax go up.

Maryland

 

[guru_007]

I need to sell my 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS Ultimate with 92k milea within the next week. It doesn't have a prisrine carfax as i had an insurance claim and body work done after a small side scrape. Otherwise in decent but not great condition.

I have an offer in hand from Carmax for $10k. How can I get more $ without a major hassle? Is private sale even possible in a short time frame like this?

If you're in a rush, I wouldn't bother with a private sale. Just get online offers from KBB or CarGurus
I sold my daughters car on Cargurus and would highly recommend. Got an unreal offer and the transaction was seamless. I doubt I could have got much more with a private sale, and then you have to deal with people, ugh.

 

[Instinctive]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

Really like the look of the 4th generation (2015-2019) Lexus Rx. And being made by Toyota they seem to be very reliable.

Is there anything else with those parameters y'all all would be considering?

 

[matttyl]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

Really like the look of the 4th generation (2015-2019) Lexus Rx. And being made by Toyota they seem to be very reliable.

Is there anything else with those parameters y'all all would be considering?

Depends on what other parameters you have. Would a rav4 work for you? They aren’t consistently a top selling car for no reason. Would a used 4 runner be too big? Yeah, I’m a bit of a Toyota fanboy, but they simply just run forever.

 

[fruity pebbles]

I certainly wouldn’t buy a used Range Rover of the cars on that list.

 

[dkp993]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

I’d suggest based on your requirements that you look at the mid-size SUV not the small ones you’ve listed here. Highlander, Pilot or RX-L class.
And definitely stay away from used Range Rovers unless of course you enjoy spending time and money on repairs.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Interest rates are starting to drop. There’s a .99 apr on CPO Hondas right now. 36 months. May pull the trigger on a loaded crv hybrid.

Moving forward with this. Got them to add the roof rails. Saves me at least a grand.

 

[Keerock]

I need to sell my 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS Ultimate with 92k milea within the next week. It doesn't have a prisrine carfax as i had an insurance claim and body work done after a small side scrape. Otherwise in decent but not great condition.

I have an offer in hand from Carmax for $10k. How can I get more $ without a major hassle? Is private sale even possible in a short time frame like this?

What state?

I've had good results selling to givemethevin or at least a good offer I can use to make CarMax go up.

Maryland

Doesn't hurt to put it on FB Marketplace. I've sold 3 cars there and they all went quickly. Be super honest in the ad and indicate if your asking price is firm or best offer (I'd advise against the latter)

 

[pollardsvision]

I need to sell my 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS Ultimate with 92k milea within the next week. It doesn't have a prisrine carfax as i had an insurance claim and body work done after a small side scrape. Otherwise in decent but not great condition.

I have an offer in hand from Carmax for $10k. How can I get more $ without a major hassle? Is private sale even possible in a short time frame like this?

What state?

I've had good results selling to givemethevin or at least a good offer I can use to make CarMax go up.

Maryland

Doesn't hurt to put it on FB Marketplace. I've sold 3 cars there and they all went quickly. Be super honest in the ad and indicate if your asking price is firm or best offer (I'd advise against the latter)

I've bought my last few cars on FB Marketplace, and the more stuff the seller says is wrong with it, the more I want to buy it.
And I pretty much skip over any sort of vague, "great condition" stuff.

 

[Instinctive]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

I’d suggest based on your requirements that you look at the mid-size SUV not the small ones you’ve listed here. Highlander, Pilot or RX-L class.
And definitely stay away from used Range Rovers unless of course you enjoy spending time and money on repairs.

Can't be a 3-row. The list right now is just mid-size SUVs with really high car seat fit ratings. Aren;t Highlanders and Pilots giant? My family had a Pilot in HS, it was massive.

Didn't realize how much people dislike the RR. There's like a million on the road around here, figured that was a good sign.

 

[dkp993]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

I’d suggest based on your requirements that you look at the mid-size SUV not the small ones you’ve listed here. Highlander, Pilot or RX-L class.
And definitely stay away from used Range Rovers unless of course you enjoy spending time and money on repairs.

Can't be a 3-row. The list right now is just mid-size SUVs with really high car seat fit ratings. Aren;t Highlanders and Pilots giant? My family had a Pilot in HS, it was massive.

Didn't realize how much people dislike the RR. There's like a million on the road around here, figured that was a good sign.

Highlanders and Pilots are midsize SUV’s. The ones you’ve listed are considered small SUV’s. There is a whole class of SUV’s above the midsize that are huge.

RR’s are beautiful and cool, just notoriously unreliable and expensive to fix.

 

[matttyl]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

I’d suggest based on your requirements that you look at the mid-size SUV not the small ones you’ve listed here. Highlander, Pilot or RX-L class.
And definitely stay away from used Range Rovers unless of course you enjoy spending time and money on repairs.

Can't be a 3-row. The list right now is just mid-size SUVs with really high car seat fit ratings. Aren;t Highlanders and Pilots giant? My family had a Pilot in HS, it was massive.

Didn't realize how much people dislike the RR. There's like a million on the road around here, figured that was a good sign.

Highlanders and Pilots are midsize SUV’s. The ones you’ve listed are considered small SUV’s. There is a whole class of SUV’s above the midsize that are huge.

RR’s are beautiful and cool, just notoriously unreliable and expensive to fix.

They are the Jaguar of the SUV market.

 

[belljr]

Honda passport

 

[DA RAIDERS]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

I’d suggest based on your requirements that you look at the mid-size SUV not the small ones you’ve listed here. Highlander, Pilot or RX-L class.
And definitely stay away from used Range Rovers unless of course you enjoy spending time and money on repairs.

Can't be a 3-row. The list right now is just mid-size SUVs with really high car seat fit ratings. Aren;t Highlanders and Pilots giant? My family had a Pilot in HS, it was massive.

Didn't realize how much people dislike the RR. There's like a million on the road around here, figured that was a good sign.

My sister has the little one, the evoque. . It’s tiny inside. It’s kinda cool, but I’d never want one. Loving the CRV we got yesterday.

 

[Desert_Power]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

Really like the look of the 4th generation (2015-2019) Lexus Rx. And being made by Toyota they seem to be very reliable.

Is there anything else with those parameters y'all all would be considering?

We got a Rav4 Hybrid recently. Nice to have the extra MPG as most driving is in the city.

 

[Instinctive]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

Really like the look of the 4th generation (2015-2019) Lexus Rx. And being made by Toyota they seem to be very reliable.

Is there anything else with those parameters y'all all would be considering?

We got a Rav4 Hybrid recently. Nice to have the extra MPG as most driving is in the city.

How's the backseat room?

 

[pollardsvision]

Not sure where to put this, but Jerry Wayne Longmire's new "Reckon Yard" podcast is phenomenal (the Truck Astrology guy).

I'd imagine any human being would love it, but certainly anybody that loves cars.

Each episode is centered around a different car in his life, and he's essentially just telling his life stories.

There's no way to make that sound as awesome as what it is, but he's a good dude, a great storyteller, and a true car guy.

You will laugh and cry and learn a lot about cars.

 

[steelerfan1]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

Not sure if this even qualifies, but saw the new Santa Fe yesterday. Really nice looking vehicle. kind of had a Range Rover vibe to me.

 

[Hawks64]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

Not sure if this even qualifies, but saw the new Santa Fe yesterday. Really nice looking vehicle. kind of had a Range Rover vibe to me.

I have the opposite opinion. It's ugly as heck. It's super boxy, terrible-looking front end, and the brake lights look ridiculous. But I see a ton on the road so people must like it.

 

[Hawks64]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

I’d suggest based on your requirements that you look at the mid-size SUV not the small ones you’ve listed here. Highlander, Pilot or RX-L class.
And definitely stay away from used Range Rovers unless of course you enjoy spending time and money on repairs.

Interesting, we are on our second, granted they were a 2021 and a 2023. We had the Evoque, and now the Velar. I really like them.

 

[Instinctive]

We are in the market for a car. Got a bunch of test drives Monday. Basically our Crosstrek is too small a cabin for me to drive it or be a passenger with the full rear facing childseat (it's already too tight to drive with infant car seat but i can stuff into the passenger). Current list:

• Used Range Rover Sport
• Used Lexus RX
• Used Acura RDX
• New Subaru Forester
• New Honda CRV
• New Hyundai Ioniq 5

We know we like Subaru, we know an EV would work ok but with one already it's definitely not a priority, and above all we need enough room to fit a 6'2" dude in both front seats with rear facing child seats behind both seats.

Not sure if this even qualifies, but saw the new Santa Fe yesterday. Really nice looking vehicle. kind of had a Range Rover vibe to me.

I have the opposite opinion. It's ugly as heck. It's super boxy, terrible-looking front end, and the brake lights look ridiculous. But I see a ton on the road so people must like it.

Yeah we don't be getting a Santa Fe. I've had as rentals in CO before and...not a fan.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I see a lot of Nissan pathfinders lately. Liked them at first but didn’t age well.

Selling a (manual) 2017 Nissan frontier SV 33k miles.
Buying something for the new driver. She’s short and drives like an old lady. Crazy cause she’s the most traveled, wildest kid we have. Polar opposite behind the wheel.

Leaning more towards a smallish SUV or sedan. Needs good visibility for her (and others!)

The choice for me has always been Honda or Toyota. I see them as the same but I always choose Honda because of the two, I just prefer Honda’s aesthetics.

Looking at low mileage Subarus.

 

[Instinctive]

Update, and a thank you to those who have offered takes so far! Has helped direct my research.

Today, we test drove:

• 2024 Subaru Forester: almost immediately a no for backseat room, unfortunately. For me to be ok driving (not even comfortable), seat was too close to carseat stuff (they aren't supposed to touch). Off the list!
• 2024 Subaru Outback: weirdly all the interior was super clunky - like the nav/screens/tech all felt no better than our 2016 Crosstrek. Turbo was good for highway merging, room was good enough. Overall ok, but just felt kind of clunky/old (for a brand new one too wtf). Off the list!
• 2022 Lexus RX350: Drove a 2022, liked it a lot - room was great, so it passed that test. Then found out the remote climate control was only within 10 feet remote start, so basically nonexistent. That led us to ask if the 2023 or even the 24/25 models had updated that feature...and apparently 2023 was basically a fully new model. So we tried one.
• 2023 Lexus RX350: best car of the day by far. She said she felt a little high up in it, but it had all the features we want, looked much more athletic than squat like the '22 mom-mobile (to be fair, she is a mom but w/e). Loved the center console, plenty of room, loved the screen and wireless yadda yadda, all the stuff we wanted. Only challenge is this is the priceiest of options - we would want the "Premium" or "Premium+" package, which looks like it would run anywhere from like $53k-60k on the range of Certified pre-owned '23 up to brand new '24 based on their inventory.
• Honda CRV Hybrid: liked it. This actually felt most like our current Crosstrek and our old Forester. Even down to the exact same leather with the neon orange stitching LOL. Drove fine, screen fine, room fine - this was just overall solid.
• Acura RDX: acceptable, but didn't feel much better than the CRV for her. I felt there was a clear difference in room for me in both seats vs the CRV, and only a tad less than the Lexus felt like. Probably off the list.

Based on feedback in here and further research, other list adjustments:

• Range Rover - removed. Entire internet confirmed lack of reliability
• Toyota 4Runner - added
• Toyota RAV4 - added, but we think based on today's drives it's probably too small like Forester
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 - staying on the list, but really only if we don't like anything else. This was a finalist with the Lucid for us, so we know we pretty much like it, but don't think we want to commit to a 2nd EV.

That leaves us with contenders:

• '23/'24 Lexus RX350 (clear top spot for now, will depend on ~$15k vs difference in feel/features)
• '24 Honda CRV Hybrid (Touring or Touring Sport or something - already forget names but highest or 2nd highest trim)
• '24 Toyota 4Runner (to be tested)
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 (but not at the top of the list)

Have really appreciated thoughts from folks so far, so very open to more!

One other question maybe anyone has good experience (I'll obviously keep doing research also) - new models tend to come out around October for most cars...is there a sweet spot to wait to get the best deal on "last year's" model? Like is it as soon as '25s come out? Or is it a month or two after? We have baby due end of year/first week of Jan, so we have time (and really could conceivably wait even longer because my car fits both) and don't need the new shiny thing. So a window of somewhere between now and maybe end of March is our buy window - when would y'all think to minimize price?

 

[Instinctive]

I see a lot of Nissan pathfinders lately. Liked them at first but didn’t age well.

Selling a (manual) 2017 Nissan frontier SV 33k miles.
Buying something for the new driver. She’s short and drives like an old lady. Crazy cause she’s the most traveled, wildest kid we have. Polar opposite behind the wheel.

Leaning more towards a smallish SUV or sedan. Needs good visibility for her (and others!)

The choice for me has always been Honda or Toyota. I see them as the same but I always choose Honda because of the two, I just prefer Honda’s aesthetics.

Looking at low mileage Subarus.

Love our 2016 Crosstrek. Had a Pathfinder growing up (new ones feel bigger than what we had?) and loved it, and it made it to like 200k miles over just under 20 years. From when I was like 8 and my dad bought it new til my younger brother got it when he turned 16 til after his college graduation by a couple years.

 

[urbanhack]

Update, and a thank you to those who have offered takes so far! Has helped direct my research.

Today, we test drove:

• 2024 Subaru Forester: almost immediately a no for backseat room, unfortunately. For me to be ok driving (not even comfortable), seat was too close to carseat stuff (they aren't supposed to touch). Off the list!
• 2024 Subaru Outback: weirdly all the interior was super clunky - like the nav/screens/tech all felt no better than our 2016 Crosstrek. Turbo was good for highway merging, room was good enough. Overall ok, but just felt kind of clunky/old (for a brand new one too wtf). Off the list!
• 2022 Lexus RX350: Drove a 2022, liked it a lot - room was great, so it passed that test. Then found out the remote climate control was only within 10 feet remote start, so basically nonexistent. That led us to ask if the 2023 or even the 24/25 models had updated that feature...and apparently 2023 was basically a fully new model. So we tried one.
• 2023 Lexus RX350: best car of the day by far. She said she felt a little high up in it, but it had all the features we want, looked much more athletic than squat like the '22 mom-mobile (to be fair, she is a mom but w/e). Loved the center console, plenty of room, loved the screen and wireless yadda yadda, all the stuff we wanted. Only challenge is this is the priceiest of options - we would want the "Premium" or "Premium+" package, which looks like it would run anywhere from like $53k-60k on the range of Certified pre-owned '23 up to brand new '24 based on their inventory.
• Honda CRV Hybrid: liked it. This actually felt most like our current Crosstrek and our old Forester. Even down to the exact same leather with the neon orange stitching LOL. Drove fine, screen fine, room fine - this was just overall solid.
• Acura RDX: acceptable, but didn't feel much better than the CRV for her. I felt there was a clear difference in room for me in both seats vs the CRV, and only a tad less than the Lexus felt like. Probably off the list.

Based on feedback in here and further research, other list adjustments:

• Range Rover - removed. Entire internet confirmed lack of reliability
• Toyota 4Runner - added
• Toyota RAV4 - added, but we think based on today's drives it's probably too small like Forester
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 - staying on the list, but really only if we don't like anything else. This was a finalist with the Lucid for us, so we know we pretty much like it, but don't think we want to commit to a 2nd EV.

That leaves us with contenders:

• '23/'24 Lexus RX350 (clear top spot for now, will depend on ~$15k vs difference in feel/features)
• '24 Honda CRV Hybrid (Touring or Touring Sport or something - already forget names but highest or 2nd highest trim)
• '24 Toyota 4Runner (to be tested)
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 (but not at the top of the list)

Have really appreciated thoughts from folks so far, so very open to more!

One other question maybe anyone has good experience (I'll obviously keep doing research also) - new models tend to come out around October for most cars...is there a sweet spot to wait to get the best deal on "last year's" model? Like is it as soon as '25s come out? Or is it a month or two after? We have baby due end of year/first week of Jan, so we have time (and really could conceivably wait even longer because my car fits both) and don't need the new shiny thing. So a window of somewhere between now and maybe end of March is our buy window - when would y'all think to minimize price?

Mazda CX5 or other CX model not in the mix??