Mazda SUV.

Are you looking at the Subaru?

The Outback is incomparable. :-)

(I love mine.)

Yes--thinking about it. Would like some kind of hatchback for dog.

Four wheel drive and higher ground clearance is a feature of all Subarus. Is that of interest to you? How large is your dog?

Yes. I would like both I think.

We have a new Forester and love it :-).

It depends on the size you want to have. The first thought that came to mind is that the VW Wagen, and its cousin the Audi A4, both have 4-wheel drive versions. As do larger models of both brands. They're more sporty and fun to drive than Subarus, based on my own experience driving both. Most car makes also offer some form of crossover or SUV with 4 wheel drive, from the more modestly-priced brands all the way up to MBZ and BMW. A friend has had a Ford, BMWs, and now a Subaru for driving into the mountains for skiing and has been happy with all.

I have a VW wagen, and it's main use is to keep our other cars free of the hair our dog constantly sheds. It handles almost like a sports car and is really fun to drive. Depending on the size of your dog and its jumping ability, some back compartments could be tough to jump into. Once in awhile my 65 pound dog is too lazy or sleepy to leap and I have to lift her.

Here's an article from Car and Driver comparing the VW to the Subaru

VW AllTrack

Any thoughts about leasing? In the past I have always paid cold hard cash for my cars and driven them for about 12 years. I have observed that many folks I know have been leasing. I would do financing if here was a 0% or like a 1.9%. THANKS.

Many people wrongly think there's something magical or mystical about leases. If you can follow that a 30 year fixed mortgage is the same in a way as a 7 year mortgage with a 15 year amortization and a balloon payment, the same in that both are mortgages but the terms differ, then the next step is to understand the difference between a car lease and purchase.

They're more similar than different, the terms aren't the same. Say you buy a car for 30,000 with a 5 year loan. The total purchase price will be $30K plus sales tax, and the payments over 60 months need to total enough to repay the entire principal amount ($30 plus tax) and interest on the declining loan balance outstanding over that period of time.

Say you lease the same car, a 5 year lease, and the "residual value" under the lease is $12,000. Your payments on the loan need to repay $18K of principal, plus interest on the balance as it declines from $30 ---> $12. At the end of the lease, the car reverts to the lessor. Or you can buy it for $12K. Your choice.

The same loan amortization formula computes payments in each case. The lease has lower monthly payments because you're paying $18K of principal instead of $30, but there's a balloon payment at the end for the remainder or you walk away from the car. Also, in some states, sales tax (use tax) isn't paid up front on a lease but rather is applied to each month's payment. So, there's less to finance and pay interest on.

Interest rates can vary, or be the same. It all depends on what the dealership (or the car manufacturer) wants to emphasize.

Clear?

Yes clear. It seems that some dealerships are waiving the balloon IF you get another lease. A few people have mentioned that they got a new lease with same/lower payment. They seem over the moon about it. Which do you think is the best move financially for a fiscally conservative person?

Check out subaruoutback.org tons of info on the Outback on that forum. I have a 2016 with Eyesight and all the safety features. Insurance was $26 less than for a 2011 Toyota Venza that I was driving before. I love it and awesome gas mileage too.

As I said, in my experience most people who swoon or otherwise rave about a lease simply don't understand that there's little difference between the two choices.

The "balloon payment", "residual value", "bring back price", doesn't ever have to be paid at the end of the lease if you return the car. Never a need to do further business with the lessor, that's a standard term of a lease.

Usually a person will decide to lease a car if they know they don't want to keep it longer than the lease period. Leasing in that case is cheaper than buying, as explained before. Think of a lease as a guaranteed buy-back for a fixed price set at the time of purchase. Or a lease can be used to reduce initial payments when you have the intent, or think you may have the intent, to pay the residual value and keep the car at the end of the lease term.

One last difference to factor in is that with a lease, there's usually an annual mileage limitation, like in the 10K miles range and an overage charge (maybe 25 cents per mile) must be paid if exceeded. Is this an only car? How many miles do you drive annually?

Does the monthly payment amount matter to you?

I see the choice being determined by the buyer's intent and spending budget. Whether you're a lavish or conservative spender isn't really a factor.

Thank you for the re-explanation. Lots of thinking to do.

Its been awhile since I looked and ended up buying a Subaru Forester. At the time the deciding factors that tipped me toward the Subaru were: It has actual all wheel drive as opposed to all of the other small SUVs I looked at which had front wheel drive with a limited slip differential to shift some power to the rear wheels when the front one start slipping. It is considered by Subaru to be a car, which means it has to meet the higher safety standard and crash damage standard of a car, as opposed to the other small SUVs which since they are classified by their manufacturers as "small trucks" have a lower standard to meet. I don't know if those statements are true of current models.

We've had 2 subarus and were delighted with both of them.

I'm still a few years away from replacing my '99 Acura TL...want to get 20 yrs out of her... but I started looking and see that they now have an all wheel drive version. I don't think I'd buy a car any more without AWD for when it snows.

Annegriet, do you have winter driving issues? My previous 4x4's, a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a pricey, top-of-the-line Toyota 4Runner, both gave me unpleasant surprises at slow speeds in slippery conditions. The 4Runner's slide into the opposite lane was accompanied by alarm bells, which didn't help the situation.

Subaru uses symmetrical AWD, not 4-wheel drive. They're so popular in northern New England, where winter driving is a major issue, that supermarket parking lots are often jokingly called Subaru corrals.

I meant to add that every summer my son and I drive lots of stuff to sell at a ham radio event. The 4Runner was huge, so I was surprised the first time my son packed up the Outback and he told me the back was roomier than the Toyota. He's been really happy with my choice. I like the way it drives better than the Toyota too. It handles like a car. With the 4Runner I felt like I was mostly steering.

I'm on my third Forester and I love them. They get me through almost any weather. Plus when I had one totaled by a garbage truck which backed into me, I came out of it without a scratch.

We have a new Subaru Impreza which holds our two 25 pound dogs okay. But our Prius was a little bigger in the back for them.