My 2010 Forester needs about a quart at approximately 4500 miles, too.
NFR Well, I Hate To Ask... But Looking For SUV Recommendations For Granddaughter's First Car
- Thread starter Old406Kid
- Start date
Non-fishing related
A quart of oil every 4500-5000 miles is normal, in fact some would say good. Industry standards for GM products is a quart per 1200 miles is “normal”. That’s what several friends with GM 454 engines have been told. That’s why I buy Toyotas 
I bought a very well used 63 Chevrolet 1/2 pickup when it came time to move from Port Angeles to Klamath Falls (1975). I did a HORRIBLE job with that purchase and the sellar wasn't stellar. I think the crankcase oil (I did look at the dip stick) was pure STP. As soon as I changed the oil every lifter in the rig rattled and the engine smoked. The engine was "smoked". Montgomery Wards had a rebuilt 230 (or 235?) six banger, with that rebuilt engine and a new radiator and heater core and clutch I had a pretty reliable truck and was one broke college student.A quart of oil every 4500-5000 miles is normal, in fact some would say good. Industry standards for GM products is a quart per 1200 miles is “normal”. That’s what several friends with GM 454 engines have been told. That’s why I buy Toyotas
Old406Kid
Legend
Good point on common weaknesses in various model years and thanks for the link on complaints.
What surprises me about that is once a pattern of failure is discovered the manufacturers don't seem to take any immediate corrective action in their manufacturing process.
If going higher mileage CR-V, very dependable vehicles, make sure to get the timing belt changed if not already.
Higher mileage RAv-4's a good one if mantained.
Subaru, have owned 4 (have a 2020 Forester wife loves), not just head gaskets and CV's,have had tranny problems with two as well..nothing better in crap weather however.
Lotta front wheel drives with winter studs here in the snow zone that do just fine
Consumer Reports on dependable used cars under 20K...just add mileage =lower price
https://jalopnik.com/consumer-reports-says-these-are-the-best-used-cars-tru-1851109180
Higher mileage RAv-4's a good one if mantained.
Subaru, have owned 4 (have a 2020 Forester wife loves), not just head gaskets and CV's,have had tranny problems with two as well..nothing better in crap weather however.
Lotta front wheel drives with winter studs here in the snow zone that do just fine
Consumer Reports on dependable used cars under 20K...just add mileage =lower price
https://jalopnik.com/consumer-reports-says-these-are-the-best-used-cars-tru-1851109180
Avoid any Nissan with the CVT transmission; absolute junk!
Divad
Whitefish
+1 for the CRV, the 2.4l is a strong motor. Check the ac system, compressor can have issues and cause havoc in those 2nd and 3rd gens. Be sure recalls were done.
As always be sure to check maintenance intervals. Find the person that changed the oil and fluids regularly and preferably sooner than the book.
As always be sure to check maintenance intervals. Find the person that changed the oil and fluids regularly and preferably sooner than the book.
HauntedByWaters
Life of the Party
As has been said numerous times, an old Toyota or Honda is the perfect first car.
Word!
Understatement of the year: ."..while annoying to listen to, Scotty Kilmer....."
...and difficult to look at too!
Old406Kid
Legend
I wanted to like the Rogues but when I started doing some research on them this is what put me off.
Was just going to say the same thing. Really like the visibility of my daughters Fit. Or a Civic. We swap on Blizzaks in the winter. Not many places it wouldn't go with those.
fatbillybob
Steelhead
Subies are great! Super popular with adults and kids. Kids especially like the Crosstrek and subies are all great snow machines. They can go almost anywhere with the right tires. I removed the OE tire and put on All Season runflats on my daughter's outback so I sleep better knowing she isn't going to get stranded on the side of the road with a flat. The all seasons are good in light snow maybe 6-8" deep and semi-plowed roads. Real winter tires with studs would be unstopable. We just don't enjoy that much winter.
I looked at a 2012 Subaru Outback recently, about 100k miles on it. Clean and sounded good.. passed, because my car, a 2018 is newer and I know any issues it has.. want 4wd though.. and will upgrade once I make some money with my two new jobs next year.. going to make it a good one!
All this talk about car buying got me curious and I looked into the actual cost of buying a new vehicle. The first thing that caught my eye was that the average transaction price of a new vehicle in the US is $48,000. Where the hell have I been? The last rig I bought was in 2014 when I bought a new Ram 1500 long bed 4WD built exactly to my specifications for $25,300 out the door. Nowadays you can't buy a mini truck for that so my truck is a real treasure. In 9 years it has never been in the shop for anything except a minor recall (which I refused) and I have done all of my own maintenance and oil changes. Insurance and tires are the biggest hits, otherwise it is cheap transportation.
But I also have a late model Outback that is also just excellent and I'm not sure I want to continue to own 2 vehicles, hence my interest in new car prices and used car values. Let's round the $48,000 average to $50,000 and see what the actual cost are long term. Without going into detail, the actual outlay over 5 years is going to be about $61,000, excluding insurance and maintenance, license and fuel. That sounds like $1,000+ per month to me. A princely sum for an old man on a fixed income. Looking at the cost of owning 2 paid for vehicles right now and factoring in insurance-the biggest monthly cost- fuel, license and maintenance and figuring everything high because it is all going up, I appear to be spending about $350 a month to own 2 vehicles. Both will probably last me the rest of my life but getting rid of one would get my monthly bill down under $200 for transportation, just mouse nuts in today's market.
But what one vehicle will actually replace the two I have without too many compromises? That is a difficult question. With over 40,000 miles on each vehicle, the Subaru has averaged about 27 mpg and the truck about 17 mpg so high gas prices will be a consideration going forward. I am getting kind of tired of driving a truck so I left it in the barn for the winter and brought the Outback instead, it is far more enjoyable to drive in the city. There are some great vehicles sold around the world that would be a great choice but they never make it to the USA. Instead vehicles sold here tend to be unimaginative cookie cutter look a-likes. New vehicles are now more an extension of a cell phone or computer, actual innovation seems to have fallen prey to electronic gizmos that will be outdated next year.
One last observation: When I was a kid back in the 40's, cars and trucks were smaller but families were bigger. The average of around 2.5 kids per family has recently fallen to 1.94. Now it is difficult to buy a small car that is sized to the actual number of occupants. There is something wrong with this picture.
But I also have a late model Outback that is also just excellent and I'm not sure I want to continue to own 2 vehicles, hence my interest in new car prices and used car values. Let's round the $48,000 average to $50,000 and see what the actual cost are long term. Without going into detail, the actual outlay over 5 years is going to be about $61,000, excluding insurance and maintenance, license and fuel. That sounds like $1,000+ per month to me. A princely sum for an old man on a fixed income. Looking at the cost of owning 2 paid for vehicles right now and factoring in insurance-the biggest monthly cost- fuel, license and maintenance and figuring everything high because it is all going up, I appear to be spending about $350 a month to own 2 vehicles. Both will probably last me the rest of my life but getting rid of one would get my monthly bill down under $200 for transportation, just mouse nuts in today's market.
But what one vehicle will actually replace the two I have without too many compromises? That is a difficult question. With over 40,000 miles on each vehicle, the Subaru has averaged about 27 mpg and the truck about 17 mpg so high gas prices will be a consideration going forward. I am getting kind of tired of driving a truck so I left it in the barn for the winter and brought the Outback instead, it is far more enjoyable to drive in the city. There are some great vehicles sold around the world that would be a great choice but they never make it to the USA. Instead vehicles sold here tend to be unimaginative cookie cutter look a-likes. New vehicles are now more an extension of a cell phone or computer, actual innovation seems to have fallen prey to electronic gizmos that will be outdated next year.
One last observation: When I was a kid back in the 40's, cars and trucks were smaller but families were bigger. The average of around 2.5 kids per family has recently fallen to 1.94. Now it is difficult to buy a small car that is sized to the actual number of occupants. There is something wrong with this picture.
It's called Covid, Ive. That and the supply chain issues that came with it. We just bought a new truck, and all in with tax and license it cost nearly twice what I paid for my first house (a small house, but still a house). And we haven't even bought the canopy for it yet! My SIL works at a dealership. During Covid, he said they stopped offering deals because of the new car and truck shortage. Cars sold at MSRP, trucks at MSRP + $5,000, and 3/4 ton diesels at MSRP + $10,000, and they had a customer waiting list. That trickled down to higher used car and truck prices. Things have improved slightly, and I was able to get what I thought was a small discount by asking for a price match to another dealer in another county. But yeah, that's what's happened with automotive costs. Going up like housing prices in Seattle. All of which is why 406 is going to have a hard time finding what he wants for $8,000. I agree with some of the other posters that the best least cost alternative is a front wheel drive with good tires. They offer really good snow and ice performance.
The first thing I notice about our new rig is that it isn't like driving a truck. It's like driving a computer! Never before have I purchased the extra warranties to cover all kinds of shit on a new vehicle. I beleived Click & Clack when they said it's better to self insure if you can. But now there is electronic everything, so something is likely to go gunnysack. So for the first time ever, I bought extended coverage.
With over 40k miles on each of your vehicles, they're just barely broken in. If I were you, I'd keep them both and use each as you see fit. Realistically, between the two, they will last the remainder of your driving days unless you're driving across the continent every month. And even then, they'll probably last that long.
Another part of the reason for high prices of vehicles is the manufacturers are making them 'fully-loaded' with every option they can. If there is high demand and limited quantities, which there is, the 'fully-loaded' ones sell because that is all that is available. The manufacturers luv this because their profit margins are much higher than on a base model. Also most people want the vehicle now and not wait 3-6 months for a delivery from the factory.
I see the average price of $48k discussed all the time. One can get a car or SUV for much less than that. My daughter bought a new 2023 Subaru Crosstrek this year for $27k plus tax and license. She waited 3 months for it to come from the factory.
@iveofione since you have two nice vehicles, you could sell one of them at the super high prices they are getting for used vehicles. Probably the best price you will ever get for one. That will significantly reduce your 'cost of entry' for another vehicle...
I see the average price of $48k discussed all the time. One can get a car or SUV for much less than that. My daughter bought a new 2023 Subaru Crosstrek this year for $27k plus tax and license. She waited 3 months for it to come from the factory.
@iveofione since you have two nice vehicles, you could sell one of them at the super high prices they are getting for used vehicles. Probably the best price you will ever get for one. That will significantly reduce your 'cost of entry' for another vehicle...