What Make Of Car Is Most Repairable In The Sticks?

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by jyl

Browsing Portland CL.

Ford Focus and 500 are cheap.
Subarus are rather expensive.

You know what is looking interesting? Honda Element. She could move herself to/from school, with this much cargo room. Are they any good, and sticks-repairable?

Yes, I know Redding and South Lake Tahoe are cities . . . not too worried there . . . more thinking places like Weed, Yreka, Coulterville, Placerville . . .

Did I mention I just bought a Mazda5?
Same platform as the Mazda3 but with a micro-mini van body.
Wish I had known about the Ford 500 when I was shopping.
Mazda5:

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by look 171

I forgot to mention the Rav 4 is a damn good little car, John.

In '11 I bought a '07 RAV4, V6, 2wd w/70k miles...now less than 80k.
I did some extensive research prior to buying...so far she's always there for me.
Probably my last vehicle.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by jyl

You know what is looking interesting? Honda Element. She could move herself to/from school, with this much cargo room. Are they any good, and sticks-repairable?.

The Element is a great car.

Again, AAA and you are good to go. I just spent almost a month in the PNW and Northern California driving through each place you mentioned. They are the sticks no more.

Yreka, were I used to turn off to drive to Happy Camp to put rafts in on the Klamath River, is now a big town. Placerville, where I spent many fine days headed down to Chilli Bar to run the American, is also a big town. I could go on.

She will have zero problems getting whatever you buy repaired. Even though my Daughter has graduated from college, I still make sure she has AAA with the 150 miles tow option.

Edit: Again, I drove the area you mentioned a lot this summer doing drone work. I also used to work in the area running rivers before the dinosaurs expired...so just make sure that whatever she gets she knows how to put chains on the car and has a winter kit with her. I also always carry, even in the rental, lots of water and snacks in the summer.

I am headed back the first week in October and will prepare for the weather, just in case.

[cantdrv55]

Originally Posted by jyl

What do we think about early 2000s Subaru Foresters?

Subies are super common in the PNW. Not sure about CA mountain towns.

There are plenty of Subarus in Truckee, Reno, South Lake Tahoe, Incline Village and Placerville. Very common make indeed.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by jyl

Browsing Portland CL.

Ford Focus and 500 are cheap.
Subarus are rather expensive.

You know what is looking interesting? Honda Element. She could move herself to/from school, with this much cargo room. Are they any good, and sticks-repairable?

Yes, I know Redding and South Lake Tahoe are cities . . . not too worried there . . . more thinking places like Weed, Yreka, Coulterville, Placerville . . .

All those places are close enough to big towns and cities all within an hour or two. My neighbor, had an Element and sold it at 150k with trouble free miles. He drives to Torrance 3 days a week, and goes to his retirement home in Cambria every Friday.

[Scott Douglas]

An Element would be perfect for a first timer, and great for moving to school as you say.
With regular maintenance it wouldn't be a worry to me since it's a Honda. If I was looking for one I'd be all over this one...

Selling a CLEAN TITLE Blue 2008 Honda Element EX 90k miles

Less than 100k miles and a nice color.

[Scott R]

I work with a lot of homeless getting them back on their feet. For cars we recommend to Chevy S10's (or blazers) The parts are the cheapest, and available anywhere, and just about any garage anywhere will work on them.

Probably not peoples first choice, but repairable in the sticks? Yes.

[quicksix]

Jeep xj, plentiful, cheap and bulletproof.
Spend some money up front to fix deferred maintenance issues. I just bought a 2001, not the best year but with a rebuilt motor and tranny, this thing should go another couple of hundred thousand miles.
4wheel drive a/c, automatic, clean and it looks good going down the road.
Get everything sorted and she won't have to fix it in the stix.

[Racerbvd]

I agree the VW is simple to repair but I would not put my daughter in one. They lack some very basic safety feature

Funny, we all survived our VW Beatles, Busses (talk about unsafe), Gias & Things, and at that time, the other cars on the road were heavier, worse brakes and worse handling and roads had their own dangers.

Yep, 1st on the list would be an Air Cooled VW.
2nd. a 50s Chevy Pick Up
3rd a 70s, 80s or early 90s (with carb) Toyota Pick Up.
I have owned all the above, and even though me and many of my friends in my high school & college years also had air cooled VWs and are still alive, some still have the same VWs
Tell her to date Red-Necks, they can fix, just about anything..

[Scott R]

No offense to the "aircooled" guys but repair parts for VW's are going to be more expensive, and less available than something domestic.

[Steve Carlton]

Personally, I'd go with a 2012-2013 Volvo S60 CPO. First and foremost because they're safe. I think the odds and danger of a collision with a newbie driver outweigh the risks of a breakdown. The CPO warranty includes roadside assistance that will tow the car unlimited miles to the nearest dealer and reimburse up to $500 for meals and lodging if she's over 150 miles away from home. Carry one of those portable battery jumpers and the risk of getting stuck is minimal. A VW bug is an absolute tin can, and most other cars can't compare safety-wise.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by Scott R

No offense to the "aircooled" guys but repair parts for VW's are going to be more expensive, and less available than something domestic.

Have you picked up a Hot VWs or VW Trends magazine lately?? Plus, the VW bug was sold in the states for DECADES, in great numbers, as well as World Wide, and with HUGE aftermarket Support, World Wide. And unlike most other cars, most hard parts are interchangeable for the 50+year run.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

Have you picked up a Hot VWs or VW Trends magazine lately?? Plus, the VW bug was sold in the states for DECADES, in great numbers, as well as World Wide, and with HUGE aftermarket Support, World Wide. And unlike most other cars, most hard parts are interchangeable for the 50+year run.

And yet you still can't find parts at most chain autoparts stores. Mail order doesn't help when your car breaks down, and a bug will break down.

We won't even get into the genius of putting a beginning driver into a 50 year old car with non-existent safety features, no driver aids, no modern features, and that will not be able to maintain speed on most Interstate highways. Some times you have to turn off the car guy filter when it comes to non-car people.

[Targa68]

1973 Sports Bug

[Don Ro]

I must have some where near 250k - 400k miles on VW bugs...never had a breakdown nor an accident...knock on wood, I guess.
I had an Empi Extractor & a Judson blower on one...never an issue.

[jhynesrockmtn]

I love the old bugs, a 63 was my first car, but as I said earlier, I wouldn't put my kid in one for a DD. I race a Formula Vee and parts are not easily accessible at the local auto part stores. Sure, they are available on line from several vendors but this thread started out with what is easy to fix in the sticks. Also, to find a truly reliable Bug, you'll spend good $'s finding one that is rust free with fresh mechanicals. It's not like you'd be saving money over a used Camry. Modern safety features are a big deal. Two girls in my high school were killed in an accident when a guy ran a red at an intersection. They were in a 60's Bug. They easily would have survived that wreck in a post 2000's Toyota, Honda or Ford with airbags and good seat belts. Yes, many of us survived our teen years and beyond driving these things. But some did not. Why not increase the chances of protecting your kids by putting them in a more modern car?

[jhynesrockmtn]

By the way, a buddy has a Sport Bug in that color for sale if anyone is looking :-)

[yetibone]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

I must have some where near 250k - 400k miles on VW bugs...never had a breakdown nor an accident...knock on wood, I guess.
I had an Empi Extractor & a Judson blower on one...never an issue.

I'm sure that was a donkey's age ago though.

It would be ridiculous to expect that kind of reliability from a 40+ year old car, and to also expect the driver to keep up with the nit-picky little issues as they arise. Plus, sending her off in a car with weak heat, weaker defroster, slow wipers, hard brakes, and dubious parts availability would seem like punishment to a young lady of her position.

Sure, too, Hot VW's still has ads, upon ads, upon ads of parts houses selling their wares. However, the local FLAPS would be no help because those parts don't sell in high enough volumes to deserve some shelf space in their stores. She don't need a car that it takes 10 days, to a month to get something for.

Besides that, even if you can get the parts you need, the quality of what's available now is so bad that I turn away a lot of ACVW work because I can't guarantee the job due to the parts.

These cars aren't what they used to be, they're antiques now. As tough and dependable as they were, they must be treated with a delicate touch anymore, just like any other classic car requires.

[Chocaholic]

Here's a thought. Spend a few extra bucks and put your daughter in a car that isn't likely to break down. Any late-model Honda/Toyota, etc. We bought our daughter a new Civic sedan. My son drives a 99 Cherokee with 180k on the clock (and has been dead reliable for 5 years now)...but my little girl is far less likely to be stranded on the side of the road. I consider it money well spent.

[Turbo_pro]

AWD Toyota Matrix or if you want to save a few bucks a Pontiac Vibe. Same car.
The 2.4 engine has better power but 1.8 obviously gets better mileage. You should get 300K trouble free miles out of it. Get crash test results and nice interior room.