Anyone care to suggest a car for me?

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I'm not exactly in the market for one, but kinda-maybe. Ha! I just like browsing craigslist car ads to see what's out there that might suit my needs a little better… or cars that just seem like great fun for not a lot of money.

I currently drive a 1990 Honda Civic hatchback that I smashed a couple times in December when I slid on ice. It still runs & drives, though, so I don't Need to replace it asap. It does have nearly 463K kms on it, though, so I'm kinda always on the lookout for a replacement just in case it does pack it in. Plus I just like browsing neat cars ads and thinking about whether I'd like to drive it or not.

Obviously I don't need anything too fancy or new. I don't want to spend a lot of money on my next car, anyways. I bought this one for $700 & might find something for under $1000 again next time, too. However, I could spend more if it's worth it to me, so I've browsed cars up to $5000.

I drive quite a bit. I've driven 30,000 Kms in the last 10 months. So, fuel efficiency is kind of important - I certainly don't want anything too bad. And while I have slept in the back of my Civic, it's not all that roomy or comfortable to curl up in… so I've been thinking something maybe a little bigger next time around. However, I can get away with something as small as my Civic still when it packs it in.. it's just not AS comfy to sleep in. That does kinda suck, though, since it would be nice to get a proper night's restful sleep when I have a couple days off in a row where I can rip up to Squamish and kiteboard/camp/kiteboard vs. drive back and forth like I did 10 out of 12 times last Summer. Then again, maybe I just need a better foamy/air-mat for under my sleeping bag either inside the car or in my tent vs. buying a bigger vehicle to be able to sleep in? If I have a comfy camping mat and am not lazy about setting up my tent then I could drive a smart car… the only thing about that is that if/when I get back to doing more construction work they're not so good for carrying very many tolls or anything. Plus image is of a slight concern lol sometimes I think I should buy a newer/cleaner/better looking car just for the more positive image it conveys to others.

But yeah, basically it needs to reliably get me around, to and from work, up a mountain highway to the kite beach with all my gear, and ideally able to sleep in it for nights when tenting it wouldn't be very fun.. all while hopefully being fuel efficient AND cheap to buy - sub $5K; cheaper the better. Oh - and an opening sunroof would be fantastic!

I've browsed various wagons, 4 door tdi VW Golfs, small suv's, ex-taxi high mileage Toyota Prius', trucks/vans/suv's on propane, VW vans (money pit!), Pontiak Azteks, 15 year old Ford diesel Transit Connect's from the UK, 15 year old Ford Falcon Ute's from Australia (pretty cool looking!), Toyota Hilux Surf turbo diesels, early 90's Lexus sedans… ha! So many different vehicles that could work, but most of them aren't all that fuel efficient. (most 15 year old foreign cars can be imported to Canada. Probably wouldn't be worth the shipping cost… but you never know.)

Anyways, just for fun - and maybe for real when it comes time to replace my a-beater civic - what vehicle would you consider if you were me & why? Feel free to post pics & approximate values. Thanks!

A Honda CRV might be better suited for Vancouver weather, especially in the winter.

Hm, a CRV would likely be more comfy to sleep in… but I don't really see how it's any better suited for Vancouver weather/our winter weather.

Are they somehow better to drive in the rain? We don't get much ice/snow. We have the most moderate climate in the entire country. We only see a handful of days of ice/snow a year in the city & this year and last have been extremely mild winters. Snow tends to not accumulate very much and be gone within a few days. We had ice juuuust like enough for me to slip and slide a couple times lol, and that was mainly due to me forgetting to reduce my tire pressure when the weather got colder & I needed the extra contact patch of the tire tread.

They're heavier than a Civic, and people tend to stay out of your way more when you drive a CRV.

Otherwise, I'd say, "Stick with Honda" as a brand, because of the greater reliability.

I like my Civic.

Ah, I suppose.. but a CRV is still a rather small "cute ute" compared to most trucks & SUV's on the road here, so they don't exactly have a very commanding "get out of my way" presence like larger vehicles tend to.

Many of the vehicles I've had in the past were old VW's - constant money pits. The switch up to a Honda has been really nice. It's cost me less than $200 in repairs over the last 10 months or so. I think Honda/Toyota brands are both pretty good bets for longevity & low cost maintenance.. yet I'd still consider something else if it & the price were right.

Suzuki/ Geo Metros can take quite a beating while sipping gas but if it were me I would most likely stay with Honda and move up to the Accord series from '90 on - roomier and more nicely optioned, and would probably still run if half the crankcase was filled with marbles. BTW, where are these Falcon utes that are high supply in N.America?

You live in BC so I say indulge in JDM. If you want another Honda, skip the CRV & find an AWD Civic Ferio. The Hilux Surf is a WAY better choice than a poncy CRV. Your best bet up there for something to sleep in & go anywhere however would be a Mitsubishi Delica 4wd. Similar powertrain to the Hilux & tons of space. You can even get a refrigerator armrest!

Metro's even smaller than my Civic hatch.. not so sure I'd want to try to curl up and sleep in the back of one of those. I'm 6'2 about 200lbs. If I were to switch up to an Accord, I'd probably want to find a wagon version. I like hatchbacks/wagons because they can hold a whole lot more sporting goods than a sedan & double as a place to sleep in a pinch - i.e. if I'm too tired to drive, or the weather isn't ideal to set a tent up in.

As I said, Ford Falcon Utes are in Australia.

A Delica or Hilux Surf in decent shape would cost me 1.5-2x the maximum amount I'd consider spending on a next vehicle ($5K, max, likely a lot less.), so I won't bother looking at or test driving any of them.

Crap I made the mistake of not reading the OP, never mind.

Last edited by Feyokien on 27 Jan 2015, 2:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

if you can find a CRV that isn't maxed out on mileage [hard to find] it will be a keeper. my CRV has lasted 18 years so far. it is reasonably comfortable and roomy inside. you can sleep in one if you are not too tall.

Hmmm, there are quite a few CRV's for sale around $4K. Something to consider if I decide to spend that much when the time comes. Maybe I'll go test drive one sometime and check out the back and see how big it is for sleeping in. My friend said his friend drives one and it's good to sleep in - he's slept in a lot of vehicles on overnight road trips, and is almost as tall as I am, so his judgement should be pretty good.

A Volvo 240 series wagon is bigger, tougher, simpler and basically just as efficient. Probably costs less than half what the CRV would unleas we're discussing the turbobricks or ones with other rare options.

the CRV's AWD certainly is a plus.

Toyota Tarago/Estima. A workmate has one with almost 400,000km on it. There's plenty around with 250,000km+ for a reason (they're bulletproof). You could fit a whole mattress in the back with all the rear seats down. I dunno if it fulfills your fuel requirements though.

Next to Toyota and Honda, a Chevy Trailblazer is another good "drive-it-into-the-ground", type of vehicle----I've had Chevys with well over 150,000 miles, on them. It's plenty roomy, with the back seats, folded-down----I used to camp in mine, all-the-time, and I'm 5'11"----plus, it gets GREAT highway mileage.