Replacing our Hyundai Elantra and unsure what to get

[Skywalker3]

Thank you, thank you all for the responses and suggestions!! We're currently researching like crazy, making notes, and this thread is very helpful. Insurance has already deposited funds. DS is back on the bus until we figure this out.
In the past, I'd say reliability, and longevity were factors. We've had a fabulous Civic, nearly 200K miles on it, a good Corolla, a great Toyota van,, and currently a Honda Ridgeline and Honda Odyssey. Hyundai was a departure for us. Recently looked at Subaru for myself, and considering Outback for van replacement.
But, since this happened, I just don't know....I really appreciate all the feedback.

 

[tvguy]

Nissan is merging with honda.

While I like Nissan, I really like infiniti more. I have been an infiniti driver for 10 plus years ( I have two cars from them)

The merger is the hot rumor for sure. Not sure why Honda would want Nissan/Infiniti and of course Infiniti is Nissan just like Lexus is Toyota, and Genesis is Hyundai. Infiniti dealership here closed some time ago. A big family group that has Toyota, Mazda, Subaru and Chevy dealerships closed the Infinity dealership and Hyundai dealership and sold their Nissan dealership.

 

[princesscinderella]

We got our son a Bronco sport when it came out and that car has had a crazy amount of recalls. Not little parts either, like your window won’t roll down. Instead it’s your car will stop moving while driving and catch on fire because we put in a cheap hose recalls. We keep it diligently maintained and he hasn’t thankfully had any problems with his but it doesn’t inspire confidence to buy a Ford in the future. So when it was time to get my daughter a car we got this summer a Chevy Trax it’s the sportiest looking car for the price on the road that’s a little SUV. We live in SoFla and flooding can be an issue in the area her school is at so a sedan was out of the question. The Toyota had phased out their smaller suv and now only have the rav4 and Corolla cross which was not very attractive when we saw it at the dealership. The Hondas were not as attractive looking either. I know getting a car based on how it looks is only part of the equation but the interiors were also not exciting. She’s had the trax for 6 months and loves it. I drove to up to Orlando and back and it was fun to drive and handled well. We have had way to many floods for us to ever buy a used car at the insane prices. A used rav4 with 80k miles on it was as much as we paid for the new Trax.

 

[disney212]

I also would check insurance rates for the models you are thinking about buying. They can have a huge difference in price.

 

[hertamaniac]

This is a single data point from CR on consumer surveys from last month. If predicted reliability is a top priority, this might help with your research. Personally, I had a Kia for almost 13 years and traded it in for a new Acura.

 

[DisneyTexan]

I was also in a minor accident in November 2023, and my car was totaled because it was worth so little. I did a lot of research online, and bought a 2021 Mazda CX-30 from CarMax. I had never even driven a Mazda before, so I was going out on a limb. But the car "checked all the boxes," and I've been happy with the purchase.

 

[TCRAIG]

Love my Honda Hybrid CRV…

 

[DisneyTexan]

Love my Honda Hybrid CRV…

We had a Ford Escape hybrid for a long time, but the car didn't survive the 2021 deep freeze in Texas. Even with the car in the garage, the temps were below freezing for a few days. The temperature destroyed the battery, and the price to replace the battery was more than the value of the car. We're done with hybrids.

 

[bbsearchlight]

While Nissan CVTs have been a nightmare, right now, my concern is whether Nissan will still be in business 18 months from now. Poor quality being linked to rumors of Nissans demise.

Just curious what the nightmare is with Nissan CVT?

I have owned 4 Nissans with CVT (1 Sentra and 3 Versa's) and never once had a single issue with them.

 

[bbsearchlight]

Just my experience, but my last 3 cars have been a Nissan Versa and have never had any issue with them. They are the perfect car if you only generally have one or 2 passengers, and they are probably the only car that you can get under $20,000 anymore.

That being said, the word is that Nissan will be discontinuing the Versa after 2025 (and not because there is anything wrong with it, but because the profit margin is too low on the small cars.) So if you want a Versa, I would suggest buying one ASAP.

 

[tvguy]

Just curious what the nightmare is with Nissan CVT?

I have owned 4 Nissans with CVT (1 Sentra and 3 Versa's) and never once had a single issue with them.

Glad you got lucky. Nissan is apparently on the verge of going out of business because of the cost of settling class action lawsuits and paying to replace CVTs. Call an independent transmission shop in your area as ask THEM about Nissan CVTs.

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit...e-the-problems-with-nissan-cvt-transmissions/

 

[wiscbugs]

I would get a Chevy Trax....really, really nice vehicle for the price.

 

[bbsearchlight]

Glad you got lucky. Nissan is apparently on the verge of going out of business because of the cost of settling class action lawsuits and paying to replace CVTs. Call an independent transmission shop in your area as ask THEM about Nissan CVTs.

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit...e-the-problems-with-nissan-cvt-transmissions/

That only applies to models from 2013 - 2018, so I'm not worried about the model my mother has (a 2020) or the one I have (a 2024).

 

[tvguy]

That only applies to models from 2013 - 2018, so I'm not worried about the model my mother has (a 2020) or the one I have (a 2024).

Hopefully. But it isn't looking good as the Nissan dealer here is still subletting warranty transmission replacements to local transmission shops as they can't keep up with their own mechanics.

 

[kathy884]

Not sure where to put this thread, but it's about car prices/recommendations and the economics of car shopping, so trying this subforum.
DS was in a car accident this past week. He's fine, physically, but found out Friday, car is totaled. It was an Elantra. So, we're now looking for another vehicle.
DH has no interest in Hyundai again. We've been pretty put out with them, after buying, then finding out about all the theft issues. We even bought a steering wheel lock, until they finally just updated the software to fix the bug.
So, now we're looking again. DS mostly just uses it for going to school, friends' houses, and hopefully work soon. Probably won't take it to college his first semester. This accident has thrown us for a loop.
In the past, we've generally looked at Hondas/Toyotas, considering a used Corolla or Civic, due to their reliability, but what other models/brands might be good? Car prices, even used , around here are crazy and/or if not crazy, have like 80K miles on them. But we've not looked at American cars in a long time, and they are much cheaper. Any recommendation on them? or other brands?
I'm so glad DS is ok, physically, although I do think he's still shaken up about it mentally, thankful that the other person/car is ok, and insurance has really come through w/ no issues yet. Thanks for any recommendations.

I like to look at Consumer Reports when deciding what cars to look at. An online subscription isn't very expensive when you consider how much you are spending for a car. They have great information for both new and used cars. The brands many of the posters here have mentioned are ones consumer reports finds have some of the most reliable cars too.

 

[mikehn]

I have a 22 honda pilot and my SO has a 24 Toyota Rav4 hybrid. Absolutely nothing wrong with my pilot. But I'll drive the hybrid any chance I get. It's just a far superior drive. The zip and power on that thing is just amazing.

 

[muppets3d]

Just bought a new Accord, love it. The Accord isn't really a cheap car anymore though, it's moved up to almost the luxury level frankly. I think Honda wants Nissan so they can use Nissan as more of an entry level brand.

 

[disneyseniors]

Not sure where to put this thread, but it's about car prices/recommendations and the economics of car shopping, so trying this subforum.
DS was in a car accident this past week. He's fine, physically, but found out Friday, car is totaled. It was an Elantra. So, we're now looking for another vehicle.
DH has no interest in Hyundai again. We've been pretty put out with them, after buying, then finding out about all the theft issues. We even bought a steering wheel lock, until they finally just updated the software to fix the bug.
So, now we're looking again. DS mostly just uses it for going to school, friends' houses, and hopefully work soon. Probably won't take it to college his first semester. This accident has thrown us for a loop.
In the past, we've generally looked at Hondas/Toyotas, considering a used Corolla or Civic, due to their reliability, but what other models/brands might be good? Car prices, even used , around here are crazy and/or if not crazy, have like 80K miles on them. But we've not looked at American cars in a long time, and they are much cheaper. Any recommendation on them? or other brands?
I'm so glad DS is ok, physically, although I do think he's still shaken up about it mentally, thankful that the other person/car is ok, and insurance has really come through w/ no issues yet. Thanks for any recommendations.

I'm a Subaru convert! We always bought toyotas, but the last time we tried a Subaru Forester.
We absolutely love it! There are so many safety features included, and I like feeling safe. It is reliable and runs as good as the day we bought it. It is now 15 years old and runs like a champ! The only thing you have to be aware of with Subaru's is that they use oil more than other cars, so you have to check the oil regularly. That's it! I won't buy anything else now.

 

[georgina]

I'm a Subaru convert! We always bought toyotas, but the last time we tried a Subaru Forester.
We absolutely love it! There are so many safety features included, and I like feeling safe. It is reliable and runs as good as the day we bought it. It is now 15 years old and runs like a champ! The only thing you have to be aware of with Subaru's is that they use oil more than other cars, so you have to check the oil regularly. That's it! I won't buy anything else now.

Have driven Subarus for 35 years, especially good in PA weather. About to replace my 2011 Outback (140,000+ miles) with a Rav4 PHEV. I feel like Toyota has a better history with hybrids. I'm going to miss that car, but I was adding up how much we put into it in maintenance over the last few years, and it's time. Plus I think the clutch is going to need to be replaced soon, that'll be pricy.

 

[Turn the Page]

My DD25 also just had a car accident. Like your son, she was thankfully OK. We are waiting for her to have to chance to take her car to get a repair estimate but her 2015 Subaru Outback has 175,000 miles on it. I think that they will total it.

We will be replacing her car with another new Subaru, either an Outback or a Forester. We expect our DD25 to go to grad school this year (fingers crossed, send positive vibes for her to be accepted), so we will be happy to be able to help her in purchasing a car for her. Between Subaru's reliability, safety and AWD it's a no-brainer for us. I think that we put less than $2,000 into the car since we purchased it used in 2018 (other than regular oil changes).

DD 18 was in a car accident a few years ago. She was driving a Subaru Impreza and while the car was totalled she escaped with a concussion and broken collar bone. It could have been so much worse. I now drive an Outback and love it. We have found them to be very reasonably priced and have great safety ratings.