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Hmm, I thought it was smaller. I don't drive it. But it's a car that makes a lot of sense when it gets you into hov lanes and when you can charge it on both ends of your commute, but not a car that makes much sense for a place with virtually no charging stations and snow. At least that's what I think.
What some posters are not taking into consideration with their suggestions for a car, you need to consider what you can get repaired if needed in your new area. Some suggest Volvo as an example. Example here in Montana, there is only one Volvo dealer and repair shop in the entire state. This can cause a problem for Volvo owners that live hundreds of miles away, if they need a Volvo dealer and their shop.
In our neck of the woods go to a parking lot, and see that 4X4 SUVs, and 4 door 4X4 pickups are nearly the only vehicles in the parking lot so we are familiar with them. My wife and I own a Ford Explorer with most advanced 4X4 drive, and a F-150 pickup, as an example. And yes, we also have studded snow tires for both as does everyone else in our area. Throw in icy road, and some mountain driving, and you will find lots of problems with regular tires. I carry tow straps and have pulled many a driver back into the road due to having slid off with wrong tires for the weather and driving conditions.
Buy a car that does not have dealer service in your area, and you can have serious problems. Don't let anyone tell you that with modern cars, any mechanic can do a good job servicing/fixing your car they know nothing about.
We are moving from an area with no snow to an area with some snow. We currently have a Ford Flex, which we like and will keep; and a Ford C-Max, which we are considering selling where we are and replacing in our new location. We have two kids. I'm assuming we are looking at used vehicles in our price range. We do not need off-road capability. We would consider either an SUV or a car. We previously had a Subaru Forester, which I really liked, but we are open to any make and model that meets our needs.
We'd like:
AWD
Small
Under 15k
Reliable
Safe
Decent gas mileage
Thanks so much for any suggestions!
I would suggest that you look at and test drive an Outback, made by Subaru.
We were shopping and researching a few years ago, and I test drove one in really icy/snowy conditions. It was great. Handled beautifully.
We bought a Kia SUV instead because my husband wanted a larger SUV.
Although there is no snow in our current location, we have lived in places with snow before. Not Maine, but I learned to drive in Missouri and have lived in Colorado as well. And I have driven to ski resorts in various places and driven in snow. We have never bothered with snow tires anywhere. But all wheel drive is nice to have on snow.
Really appreciate the suggestions!
I was born and raised in Wyoming, folks still live in Montana (the boonies, 15 miles from the closest town ~ a ski hill is closer) and have driven every combination of vehicle and tire you can imagine. For my wife, who was commuting 600 miles a week (300 miles to work on Sunday evening, 300 home on Friday afternoon) in all kinds of Wyoming weather with her FWD Jetta, we put on Nokian WR tires. They're classified as "All Season/Winter Rated" and lived up to that classification. Easily the better option for driving on snow and ice covered roads vs my parents Subi Outback with normal all-season tires (All-Seasons are good at nothing, well, other than protecting the rims). As soon as I talked my folks into putting the same Nokians on their Subi, it became the better option. The best thing about those tires were that we ran them year round, no swapping... heck, I ran them down here in Georgia (some of the best Rain/wet tires I've driven outside of dedicated track/racing rain tires), even high road temps don't kill them early. So no storing/swapping sets. They were similarly about 90% as good as Blizzaks/similar.
The biggest issue for the Jetta was the 4" of ground clearance. Careful driving meant we each only high-centered it on the skid plate once each over 8 years. I was trying to drive the half mile of unplowed driveway into my parents place when there was about 6" of fresh snow and it finally piled up enough as I was trying to go up a slope. My wife caught some black ice and slid, in slow motion, to where the plows had piled up some snow at the corner she was trying to navigate. I was able to push it off by hand (I'm not sure we had the winter tires on yet, first winter in WY with the car after living in AZ).
Don't skip the tires. A FWD/RWD car with good winter tires is going to be better in the snow than an AWD/4WD with all season tires. You want AWD for piece of mind? That's great, but don't assume that just because you have AWD it's the cure-all for bad weather... especially when trying to STOP on slick surfaces. That was how I finally talked my folks into getting winter tires, dad slid into a snow bank at 5mph because the ABS couldn't do anything to slow him down (actually, I think he said it never came on despite the obvious long distance slide). Only took him till he was 70 to switch to winter tires, thought he knew it all having learned to drive in Minnesota and then spending 40 years in Wyoming.
Hmm, I thought it was smaller. I don't drive it. But it's a car that makes a lot of sense when it gets you into hov lanes and when you can charge it on both ends of your commute, but not a car that makes much sense for a place with virtually no charging stations and snow. At least that's what I think.
If we just wanted a new car, we'd ditch the flex--it's older.
Thnaks again for the suggestions!
The only reason you need charging stations is if you have an EV.
C-Max Energi is not an EV. Charge it at home.
It makes about as much sense as any other FWD car.
Exception: Your new place has no garage and you can't charge it at home. That has not been disclosed.
If you're moving somewhere with winter weather, you're gonna want a garage.
Or you might wasn't to budget for some remote starts.
I wouldn't even bother changing out vehicles for a climate that has "some snow". I would change tires for winter to a dedicated set of snow tires. Tires, not the drive wheels, are the most important thing for a winter climate. I drove for years in bad winter climates with nothing but snow tires on RWD cars. I wouldn't even consider changing either of your cars just because I was going to an area with "some snow".
Now, if you just want to get rid of one of your cars and grab an AWD car as a bonus when you sell the other vehicle, I get that. But you don't "need" AWD at all, as long as your tires are up to the task.
Frankly, so many AWD cars are limited because they come on all season tires anyway. All season tires are almost always a huge compromise. There are a handful of all season tires that are truly good tires in almost all conditions, and those are rarely mounted as original equipment, and also rarely mounted by people who know they're going to be dumping a car in the next year or two. So it's not likely you'll even get a $15k AWD car with decent rubber, effectively diminishing its performance potential in winter anyway (IMO).
Thanks everyone. We are not particularly interested in keeping the c-max. We are moving to a location with very little in the way of charging stations and the tiny gas tank would be inconvenient to refill frequently. Also it has a sticker that allows for hov lane use which increases its value in our current location but is meaningless in our new location.
Although there is no snow in our current location, we have lived in places with snow before. Not Maine, but I learned to drive in Missouri and have lived in Colorado as well. And I have driven to ski resorts in various places and driven in snow. We have never bothered with snow tires anywhere. But all wheel drive is nice to have on snow.
Really appreciate the suggestions!
CMax Energi is a hybrid ... not counting the 20 miles you can get from just the battery, 40mpg x 14-gal tank = huge range.
I wouldn't even bother changing out vehicles for a climate that has "some snow". I would change tires for winter to a dedicated set of snow tires. Tires, not the drive wheels, are the most important thing for a winter climate. I drove for years in bad winter climates with nothing but snow tires on RWD cars. I wouldn't even consider changing either of your cars just because I was going to an area with "some snow".
Now, if you just want to get rid of one of your cars and grab an AWD car as a bonus when you sell the other vehicle, I get that. But you don't "need" AWD at all, as long as your tires are up to the task.
Frankly, so many AWD cars are limited because they come on all season tires anyway. All season tires are almost always a huge compromise. There are a handful of all season tires that are truly good tires in almost all conditions, and those are rarely mounted as original equipment, and also rarely mounted by people who know they're going to be dumping a car in the next year or two. So it's not likely you'll even get a $15k AWD car with decent rubber, effectively diminishing its performance potential in winter anyway (IMO).
Very good response. I have been driving in the interior of Alaska for many years, often on the sleekest ice one can imagine, and while there are lots of trucks and other AWD vehicles on the roads, the majority are FWD automobiles. Winter tires such as Blizzak and Nokian are widely used. Couple driving experience to the proper tires, and the drive system in the automobile is not as important.
With Volvo, you would need to look for a smaller S40 sedan, last made in 2012, and I would get a T5 AWD. The 2.5 engine is very reliable, and I have an aunt who has one that's a 2005 and she will not part with it, despite replacing her other car three times. It's a little tank, and has adequate power with the turbo 5-cylinder engine, and you would be within budget on a lower mileage 2010-2012 T5 or T5 R-Design, AWD. You could also find an S60 2.5T AWD as well within budget, but you would want to look for a 2010-2012 to stay in budget with lower mileage. The wagon variants are the V50, V60 (newer models), and V70, based on the S40/S60. The S80 AWD is the basis for the XC70 AWD wagon, and fuel economy is not as good as with the smaller models. However, you will not get near hybrid numbers from an AWD Volvo.
Volvo's basic design, like Audi, is FWD, and Volvo uses a FWD-biased Haldex system that performs very well. I have driven Volvos in blizzards without issue, save for ground clearance on unplowed roads, but with proper tires, though the XC70 has higher ground clearance. Older XC90 SUVs had problems, especially in T6 trim, and the fuel economy is on par with a much larger Lexus SUV, so I would not recommend looking for one. The XC60 crossover is newer, but I have heard mixed things, since Volvo tends to need a few years to perfect changes. If you wanted that size, the Audi Q5 or the Mercedes GLK would be preferable, but under $15k is going to be an issue of age/miles, such that I would tend to look for a more proven sedan. A friend had an XC60 and liked it initially, but then she just traded it in frustration on a Lexus RX, though that was a combination of car and bad dealer service that drove her away from Volvo. So, with Volvo on your list, look to the sedans and wagons in the mid-size range, though a V60 might be a stretch to be below $15k just now as it was not introduced at the same time as the S60.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
AWD definitely makes a difference. Snow tires definitely make a difference. However there are very few cars that cannot be driven competently in the winter. Even RWD with no snow tires. It is just better/safer to use snow tires, AWD or both. (Keeping in mind, many AWD systems actually make things worse in snow and ice). I like to have my kids in cars with snow tires or AWD or both. However experienced alert drivers really not not "need" either. It is just more pleasant.
It is pretty rare for a car to get stuck. AWD and snow tires can help with tracking (not sliding around while driving). The biggest issue in winter though it trying to stop. The only thing that helps you stop is snow tires, and they do not help all that much. You just need to learn to leave more space, begin your stop sooner, pump your brakes (or let ABS do it). Above all never ever tailgate in the winter.
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Very good response. I have been driving in the interior of Alaska for many years, often on the sleekest ice one can imagine, and while there are lots of trucks and other AWD vehicles on the roads, the majority are FWD automobiles. Winter tires such as Blizzak and Nokian are widely used. Couple driving experience to the proper tires, and the drive system in the automobile is not as important.
