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I am conduction a research for both a technical writing assignment and for my roommate as to which car he should buy under the criteria set by his parents.

1. the car has to be under $8000
2. has to have under 75,000 miles
3. has to be awd
the car has to be able to handle extremely steep roads in vermont in the winter.
4. the car has be very reliable as this is going to be a college student's car and he is unemployed for most of the year
5. the car must be appealing to the owner
a. cannot be a mini-van
b. cannot be a station wagon
c. cannot be a pickup, suv, or jeep


Based on this criteria I have selected 4-5 vehicles that are readily available and have had good reviews based on previous research:

98-2001 Audi A4 either 1.8T or 2.8
98-2001 Audi A6
Subaru impreza 99-2002 (usually can't find 02s in price range)
Subaru legacy 99-2001
Pontiac Vibe


As many of you are mechanics i would like to know your opinions on these cars. What kinda of reliability issues have u seen with these cars? Are some of these models very expensive to maintain or repair? Which would be most fuel efficient?

Well, I can speak for the Subie's (we have Subaru at out dealership as well).

Once the head gaskets are replaced, and the drive train hasn't been trashed, and the cat isn't rattling, you are golden on the Subaru's
These seem to be the most common areas for failure on these cars. Like anything else, research, research, research ( like you are now, only more)

Danteneon wrote:Well, I can speak for the Subie's (we have Subaru at out dealership as well).

Once the head gaskets are replaced, and the drive train hasn't been trashed, and the cat isn't rattling, you are golden on the Subaru's
These seem to be the most common areas for failure on these cars. Like anything else, research, research, research ( like you are now, only more)

The first and only Subaru we stopped to look when looking for my car had a screwed up head gasket. So...

Heh, scratch the Audi's if you want reliability, it is a must to have AT LEAST $2000 in a bank acct just for repairs, been there, done that bro.....steer clear of the Audis for reliability purposes.

Since those cars you named are more or less imports repairs are going to be higher when it comes to parts replacement. I figure the Audis would be highest followed by Subie, then the Toy...er Pontiac Vibe.

It's too bad a jeep is out of the question...I can't think of anything that fits the rest of the criteria better than a 4.0 cherokee

the AWD is very limiting. I've driving several mountain passes in the winter here and FWD vehicles do very well if your a skilled driver. AWD then becomes bonus feature, but is useless if you don't know how to drive bad weather anyway.

With that said....(stepping off soap box), my friend has had some very old Scubbies that should have been put in the ground several times over and yet still kept on goin.

Well i've been to my roomate's place and the way his driveways is, you couldn't get up it with studded snow tires in the winter unless you had AWD.

I have looked at the audi's and i have heard they have electrical and injector issues but i have also heard their transmissions and engines are bulletproof.

As for the vibe i haven't heard any bad news yet.

I am thinking the subbie would be the best but very few fall within the price range set by his parents.

Don't get me wrong, the Subie's can be great cars...just expect to do some work to them unless they have been repaired before.

thanks everyone! i am narrowing it down to the subie cuz it has no electrical problems compared to the a4. And not nearly if any recalls.

Buy an awd ford fusion and call it a day. Decent V6 power with good economy, awd, it's a domestic so it'll be cheap as balls to fix. Very nice and comfortable ride. Great car imo, handles well to boot, tonnes of space.

Too bad "no suv's". He could grab a nice small ford escape/mazda tribue 4x4 V6 pretty cheap. Lots of people buy those in these parts for the same reasons your buddy has. Good capabilities in a compact SUV and not too hard on the wallet when it's time to fill up.

^ from reviews the fusion only gets 22mpg. its also out of the budget range.

^ that and its a FORD!!!! pft... can't believe we even utter that four letter word on this forum.

*shudder*

Two words: Jeep Cherokee, the 2001's can be had for under 7k now, and they are 4WD/AWD with the 4.0 you cant go wrong. I drove my Jeep to hell and back in the MA/NH/VT winters/backwoods/logging trails, it takes all the abuse you can throw at it. Plus they have balls! I have been in some hairy situations, where I believe to this day that if I was in any other vehicle, I probably would have died. Otherwise get an Isuzu Impulse RS, god I wish I can get my hands on one lol.

Badass Jeep:



EDIT: Who cares if no Jeep, it's the most reliable of the vehicles listed so far, plus it's a Chrysler product (Designed by AMC).

or even an 01 Grand Cherokee. but no SUV's.

I also find it really hard to believe that you could find a 98+ Audi A4 or A6 for less than $8000 with less than 75000 miles. We got something like $7000 - $7500 for a 98 beetle with 83000 miles on it when it was totaled.

I also strongly agree with lambostealth about the repairs. Sure a japanese car may cost a little more to fix, but a german car will cost a lot more to fix.

as long as it's not an Audi you're good to go. we get a mag. at our shop and there was a poll done that shows that most Audi/VW owners drop the same $$ on repairs as they did to buy the car brand new.