After the minivan, I drove a beat up Subaru Outback, then a beat up Subaru Impreza, and now an almost new Subaru Forester.
I was never a fan of the mini van so I had 2 suburbans when the kids were growing up. I now have an Acura RDX which I love. D2 got a new Subaru Crosstrek a year ago and it is a great little car.
We have a sedan hatchback (TOYOTA Prius Prime hybrid) as a replacement for my van. I love it except I wish it had a higher clearance so we didn’t have to worry about hitting the bottom of the car when going over speed bumps and out of driveways.
Love them Honda’s. Had Accords, Civic, Passport, Odyesse, and CRV’s. My son has a CRV with 140,000 miles on it used for work, driving around NYC Metro area on daily basis. The CRV has been truly tested in his daily endeavors, pot holes, salt, traffic etc…Low maintenance and great on gas.
Never wanted a mini-van.We have a 2002 Mercedes E class wagon with AWD. Perfect vehicle for kids and adults andall the extra stuff. Looking for a new car and have’nt decided if it will be a hybrid or electric. If electric, maybe Tesla “Y” or hybrid Lexus.
A suburu crosstrek might make you feel like you got both. Surprisingly roomy for hauling stuff yet a very nible, zippy, fuel-efficient ride.
I thought I wanted a sedan after years of the dreaded minivan. When my newly licensed teen had a fender bender in my van I had to rent a car. I picked a sedan and after two days returned it and rented a small SUV for the rest of the rental. I realized I didn’t like sitting so low to the ground.
I test drove a sedan anyway along with a small luxury SUV. I’m now on my 2nd small luxury line SUV. I test drove a CRV and it’s a great car for the price but I wanted a more powerful engine.
My D drives a Honda HRV which is similar in size to the Subaru Crosstrex. I went with a friend when she went through the same decision. She ended up with the Crosstrex. She felt it had the most pep for a car of its size.
After the minivan I got a 7 passenger Volvo SUV (XC90). Once the kids were more or less gone, I got the XC60 (5 seater). I decided it wasn’t worth the extra cost and less fun for the couple of times we need more than 5.
The XC90 would hold a twin size mattress - it had lots of room.
I’m already looking forward to the XC40 as my next vehicle.
Never had a minivan- only one kid. Moved up in the world financially and into luxury car territory. Many vehicles over past decades. Pros and cons to sedans and SUV’s, regardless of price. I once had a Mercury Sable (Ford Taurus clone) station wagon and then a Volvo station wagon back when they were available- never thrilled by it and it dropped out of the running for a next vehicle. Then I had the Lexus RX 330 until kid graduated from college and we were done hauling stuff routinely (young trees fit in sedans, btw, with their crowns out the side windows). Never liked some brands of sedans and SUV’s H and I have owned. I have test driven small luxury SUV’s- not worth it. Your choices of sedan and SUV are ones I think are good. Quality of build matters- Camry is good as are the Honda and Toyota SUV’s. I’m prejudiced against Subaru ever since a ride in one- it seemed so cheaply built (could have improved).
I like the sitting up high feature of an SUV. The convenience of opening the back end is nice. However, they never have as good a ride or gas mileage as sedans- even luxury versions. The comfort factor needs to be outweighed by the convenience of frequent hauling and carrying of stuff.
The sedan, especially the Camry, is a great choice for ride, comfort, being able to transport passengers in comfort as well. We would choose the sedan we owned over the SUV for road trips because of the comfort factor and gas mileage. I would much rather have more comfort than riding tall in a smaller SU, or even a midsize luxury one.
Only you can determine which feels the most comfortable. There will be an adjustment period. Costs, benefits and comfort all matter. It would be nice to ride high again but not to give up the comfort. I do a lot of around town driving.
Oh- and color does matter. It needs to make you happy. I have changed colors when replacing cars for variety, but always one I liked. I will never forget going with that boring beige station wagon H suggested for resale value- it developed an engine block crack and became a donation.
Finally- it is nice you can afford better than the cheap brands. Fires. So many we have as trip rentals I would NEVER choose again…
We sold our 1999 Ford Windstar to our handyman and bought a Toyota Highlander hybrid a little over a year ago. We drive our cars (never bought new) for 20 years or until they die, whichever comes first. We really like the Highlander, but we only evaluate a car for reliable transportation. Nothing else matters. It’s the most highly depreciable (worthless) asset you’ll ever own. Only you can decide what makes sense for you.
We have a 2005 CR-V with over 170,000 miles on it and love it. My mother had a low-mileage 1996 Accord that she gave us once she stopped driving. We sold it – couldn’t use it because of the ground clearance issue a couple of posters have mentioned. We live at the end of a sloped dirt driveway, and there were winter days the Accord couldn’t have cut it. Nothing really treacherous, routine in this part of New England, so it might be a factor for you depending on where you live.
And I absolutely agree with what @wis75 says about color – find your happy.
Can anyone comment about the back seat capacity of the small suvs? I also am considering a switch from a sedan. My DIL drives a RAV4 and says you can only use 2 of the seat belts at the same time. The center belt crosses one of the side belts, and you’re not supposed to use both.
I was a never an SUV er for years. Between my husband’s back and My arthritis it was getting more difficult to get in and out of our elantra so we got a CRV. Love it. Easy drive, comfy and great mileage. It actually gets better mileage than the elantra which really surprised us - about 32-33 mpg.
When I got the Chevy Trax, I said it was same as the former sedan, just in an SUV-like body. I still feel the same.
The way-back part (trunk) is on the small side. Doubt we’d fit 4 people and all the luggage. But there is sufficient leg space in the rear seats.
Did like the minivan, when we had it.
I have a ford escape and absolutely love it. I test drove a bunch of small SUVs and it drove the smoothest.
Backseat space in my 2014 Forester is surprisingly roomy. Really good leg room. Three seatbelts.
A reminder that the OP is looking for an older model car with mileage (see original post). Some of the comments are models or reasons that won’t fit her need for a car with years/miles on it.
@juniebug - we have a Nissan Rogue and while it’s technically a three person backseat it’s super tight for 3 adults . We are (barely) able to fasten the belts . We drove 5 people short distances a few weekends ago and we’ve decided that we probably won’t be doing that anymore. BIL loves his RAV4s but agrees that they’re really more a 4 adult vehicle.
When I bought my last Volvo…my second choice car was a Mazda CX-5. I loved it…a small SUV…decent mileage. Very comfy. Well rated. But I decided to stick with the sedan.
The top 2 small SUV’s in this article (20 used cars with 100,000) are the CRV and Forester
https://www.hotcars.com/20-used-cars-with-100000-miles-and-worth-every-dollar/
This one lists the Outback and the Escape Hybrid:
https://www.cheatsheet.com/money-career/cars-can-take-300000-miles.html/
The other car I looked at seriously besides the Crosstrek was the Nissan Rogue Sport. I liked it a lot when I drove it, but the Crosstrek got slightly better gas mileage.