Recommend a Deerfoot commuter car

[Strider]

Wife's office is moving to the south, increasing her commute from 3km to 20km with most of it being on Deerfoot.

Her current commuter is an X3 35i, so we're looking to augment that with something that's cheaper to operate (regular gas, cheaper maintenance), will depreciate less with the increased mileage, and that we can generally care less about getting rock chips, etc.

No budget in mind, 2-4 years used preferred (or certified pre-owned), low total cost of ownership is the primary deciding factor.

Must-have:
AWD, will be paired with winter tires (this rules out a lot of cars)

Nice to have:
Leather heated seats & steering wheel
Back-up cameras/sensors
Remote starter

[TomcoPDR]

Subaru sedan lines? Legacy, Forester, Impreza

[Nismorphed]

There is a ralliart lance for sale that would be a good vehicle, im sure those are awd

[ExtraSlow]

Adding another vehicle to the fleet isn't going to save you money, just put the miles on that X3.

- - - Updated - - -

Also 40km per workday isn't that long of a commute.

[03ozwhip]

I use a little Honda civic as a commuter but I drive over 100kms a day. You really don't need a commuter car for 40 kms a day.

It will be a huge waste of money getting anything worth more than a few grand as it will likely not save anything in the long run. Have you done the math?

[Xtrema]

Unless that X3 is leased and has limited mileage you are going to go over, just use it.

If you pick a time when traffic is light, all those miles will be highway miles and should be easy on the gas.

It's not like mileage really matter much anyway on a BMW. It's going depreciate more on age than mileage, so you lose as much $ without enjoying it.

Now if you are selling the X3 and switching to something more sensible, can't go wrong with Murano/CR-V/Highlander. Minimum depreciation, good highway mileage.

[Gman.45]

As said the entire Supeedoo line is worth checking out, however if you are looking at lower costs and a less expensive vehicle, I have a specific one I'd recommend.

Nissan Juke. You can get the AWD variant with either a CVT or 6 speed manual. It's a fantastic little unit for winter driving, my neighbor has one here in SK with winter studded tires on it, and it's as surefooted as any Subaru I've even driven or driven in. It's small and fits in any parking space easily, yet has just enough room to not be cramped, plus with the seats down being a mini SUV/hatch, tons of cargo room for its size. The AWD variants come with a bit more power, which = a bit less economy, but it's still well within an acceptable range for a commuting vehicle, especially an AWD one, as I'm sure the OP realizes that AWD is never going to be a 45 or even 40mpg vehicle running Deerfoot daily.

The AWD Juke (I think it's the SL trim that is AWD) does come with leather option interior, I know it has a rear view camera from my neighbors when I've ridden in it, but I don't think it has remote start - it's a push button starter, I think you could find an aftermarket remote which usually works better range wise than the factory stuff anyway.

That's what I'd look at first and see if it fits your requirements OP. There are a number for sale online in that 2 to 4 year used range you're looking for, mostly in the 12 to 16$k range for the AWD/Nismo units from what I see. That'd be a lot cheaper to operate than the BMW, although a step or two down in terms of the overall vehicle IMO.

[ShermanEF9]

you're not really saving anything by buying another vehicle you have to put gas into, insure, maintain, etc. for 40km a day...

[Nufy]

Today Only...81179

[danno]

i'm using a golf r for a 70km round trip daily. sitting at 36k km now. works great has everything you want other than remote start.
i'll most likely be selling it though as i get the wife a minivan.

[GTS Jeff]

Wife's office is moving to the south, increasing her commute from 3km to 20km with most of it being on Deerfoot.

Her current commuter is an X3 35i, so we're looking to augment that with something that's cheaper to operate (regular gas, cheaper maintenance), will depreciate less with the increased mileage, and that we can generally care less about getting rock chips, etc.

No budget in mind, 2-4 years used preferred (or certified pre-owned), low total cost of ownership is the primary deciding factor.

Must-have:
AWD, will be paired with winter tires (this rules out a lot of cars)

Nice to have:
Leather heated seats & steering wheel
Back-up cameras/sensors
Remote starter

I think the X3 is about perfect for what you are describing. As far as AWD cars go, it is miles above any Subaru or Audi in my own experience. See my post in the list of cars thread to put that into perspective. The combination of x-drive, clearance (there is a surprising amount considering the ride height,) and "subtle" stability intervention makes this car probably the most wife-friendly vehicle I've owned. The cost of gas isn't much a concern because the N55 is quite efficient when driven wife-style. For the rock chips, buy a wife-pen, aka. touch up paint pen.

The only thing is the depreciation, the depreciation's a real bitch if you start miling it out with trips out of the city to stables on a semi-regular basis.

[Thaco]

Today Only...81179
when i read the subject i thought the same thing, only
81180

[NissanFanBoy]

+1 for Juke... My wife drives one year round on DF, SL AWD paired with almost new X-Ices... My current winter ride Airdrie to downtown everyday is an 09 G37X coupe with Blizzaks... Only complaint is it sucks on gas, 12.5 L per 100 km and that's with premium gas. AWD, 330 hp plus a traditional 7 speed auto doesn't help gas mileage.

[Strider]

you're not really saving anything by buying another vehicle you have to put gas into, insure, maintain, etc. for 40km a day...
The only incremental cost would be insurance and depreciation. The gas and maintenance would theoretically be a net gain, as she would be putting the miles on a car that uses less and cheaper fuel, and requires less expensive maintenance. I figure we'll save roughly $250/year just switching from premium to regular. Dropping from 15L/100km to 10L/100km would save another $400/year.
Then there's shit like $600 for rear brakes at 35,000km, $1250 for a water pump at 60,000km.


I think the X3 is about perfect for what you are describing. As far as AWD cars go, it is miles above any Subaru or Audi in my own experience. See my post in the list of cars thread to put that into perspective. The combination of x-drive, clearance (there is a surprising amount considering the ride height,) and "subtle" stability intervention makes this car probably the most wife-friendly vehicle I've owned. The cost of gas isn't much a concern because the N55 is quite efficient when driven wife-style. For the rock chips, buy a wife-pen, aka. touch up paint pen.

The only thing is the depreciation, the depreciation's a real bitch if you start miling it out with trips out of the city to stables on a semi-regular basis.
It is a perfect car for her. We've owned it for 6 years and put on 65k km, but typically there's a steep drop in value around100k km and I probably wouldn't want to keep it much longer after that... would be nice not to worry about that for a while longer.


i'm using a golf r for a 70km round trip daily. sitting at 36k km now. works great has everything you want other than remote start.
i'll most likely be selling it though as i get the wife a minivan.
Golf R would be at the top of my list, but it takes premium and I can't imagine maintenance being Honda/Toyota cheap.

I'll look into Subarus a bit more. It was the first brand that came to mind for ticking the awd box, but I don't know how they depreciate or the reliability/cost of ownership.
Will also look into the Juke. It's unfortunate that they're so damn ugly.
I know with something like a CR-V, if I find the right deal I could go about a year without depreciation, and fairly slow depreciation after that... but CR-Vs just do nothing for me.

[ExtraSlow]

Now you are paying depreciation on two vehicles instead of one. Plus you'll pay gst on the new acquisition.

No, you don't come out ahead.

[ShermanEF9]

Also, your math is correct assuming you NEVER drove the BMW again. you also did not factor insurance/registration/blah blah, or the cost of the vehicle. a lot of gas can be bought for ~12k

you never buy cars to retain value. doing that is just silly. if you're looking to save money, sell the bmw.

[dirtsniffer]

Cvt transmissions suck. Seriously no joy.

Keeping the x3 is likely the most economical solution

[Crazyjoker77]

Has something changed on the jukes? When I was looking at them in 2013 it was either FWD with manual or the turbo AWD with the CVT which ended up being a dealbreaker for me....

[Mitsu3000gt]

What about a newer Honda CRV? Keeps her in a SUV, cheap to buy, has every feature you want, and is very cheap to own/maintain. Great resale value & longevity. The new ones with the 1.5T are awesome vehicles for the price, have a much improved AWD system, and you can easily get them around $30K with all the options you want if you decide on new as well. If you are dead set on used, the older CRV's are definitely less interesting but are still pretty much ideal for what you want (cheap, reliable, good resale).

[NissanFanBoy]

Has something changed on the jukes? When I was looking at them in 2013 it was either FWD with manual or the turbo AWD with the CVT which ended up being a dealbreaker for me....

Never had AWD with manual, it's also discontinued as of this year. Kind of a head scratcher, half of the population thinks it's ugly but Nissan ended up selling A LOT of these, especially in Europe.

I can confirm though, that the CVT sucks, also the turbo lag off the line is annoying because it's based on a little 1.6 litre engine, it just feels slow as hell until that turbo kicks in, not if you're not "car guy" you wouldn't notice anything different.

[ExtraSlow]

Also while we are not answering the OP's question, I challenge the assertion you need awd for deerfoot. Get a ten year old FWD Honda accord and be done with it.

[NissanFanBoy]

Also while we are not answering the OP's question, I challenge the assertion you need awd for deerfoot. Get a ten year old FWD Honda accord and be done with it.

Haha this is beyond, surprised no one has suggested that new Bugatti SUV.

[GTS Jeff]

The only incremental cost would be insurance and depreciation. The gas and maintenance would theoretically be a net gain, as she would be putting the miles on a car that uses less and cheaper fuel, and requires less expensive maintenance. I figure we'll save roughly $250/year just switching from premium to regular. Dropping from 15L/100km to 10L/100km would save another $400/year.
Then there's shit like $600 for rear brakes at 35,000km, $1250 for a water pump at 60,000km.


It is a perfect car for her. We've owned it for 6 years and put on 65k km, but typically there's a steep drop in value around100k km and I probably wouldn't want to keep it much longer after that... would be nice not to worry about that for a while longer.


Golf R would be at the top of my list, but it takes premium and I can't imagine maintenance being Honda/Toyota cheap.

I'll look into Subarus a bit more. It was the first brand that came to mind for ticking the awd box, but I don't know how they depreciate or the reliability/cost of ownership.
Will also look into the Juke. It's unfortunate that they're so damn ugly.
I know with something like a CR-V, if I find the right deal I could go about a year without depreciation, and fairly slow depreciation after that... but CR-Vs just do nothing for me.

Is your wife a pretty lead footed driver? My wife averages around 10L/100km and I will be around 12 for that car. Otherwise the $250/yr for premium seems inconsequential. We’ve done the brakes and water pump+thermostat already. The brakes were cheap (order off ECS install at indy shop) and wp+tstat were under warranty. What stung a bit was the rear LED failing requiring a new lamp assembly at several hundred, though goodwill covered some of that.

I think another factor is that going to a Juke is a huge downgrade no matter how you look at it. The X3 is actually an enjoyable car. Oh yeah, that reminds me, definitely unplug the exhaust valve solenoid! It takes two seconds make your car sound much nicer.

[ExtraSlow]

Heck a 20 year old accord is probably perfect.

[Shlade]

Seeing all the drivers on Deerfoot yesterday I'd say only thing safe enough is a fucking panzer tank

[NissanFanBoy]

Seeing all the drivers on Deerfoot yesterday I'd say only thing safe enough is a fucking panzer tank

A bit off topic, but I'm thinking of going fwd with studded tires next winter.... Would've faired pretty good on DF yesterday no?

[C4S]

Get something run regular gas ... pretty big difference lately .. (Toyota, Lexus, Honda .. etc .. ) 3 / 4 yr old Lexus RX 350 F sport (F sport with 8 speed vs normal one with 6 speed) is cheap on gas on highway with regular gas ...

[Xtrema]

The only incremental cost would be insurance and depreciation. The gas and maintenance would theoretically be a net gain, as she would be putting the miles on a car that uses less and cheaper fuel, and requires less expensive maintenance. I figure we'll save roughly $250/year just switching from premium to regular. Dropping from 15L/100km to 10L/100km would save another $400/year.
Then there's shit like $600 for rear brakes at 35,000km, $1250 for a water pump at 60,000km.

Your wife is only doing 15L/100km because she is driving only 3K. She never ever warmed up the engine or drive over 60km/h. Once you are on highway, you are looking at close to 11-12L/100km average.

Here's the math:

Drive it for 3 years:
Current X3 worth: $19K
Future Value @ 100K: $12K:

Depreciation = $7K
Maintenance = $4K
Gas = 12l/100km at 40km*22 days*12 months = ~1300L of premium = ~$5K.

TCO = $16K for 3 years.

Drive something else for 3 years, keeping X3:
Future X3 value @ 65K: $12K
Buying a 2014 CRV EXL @ 60K: $23K
Future Value of CRV @ 90K: $15K

Depreciation: $7K (X3) + $8K (CRV)
Maintenance = $1K (for CRV, you parked X3)
Gas = 7l/100km (using the highway instead of average) at 40km*22 days*12 months = ~740L of regular = ~$2.5K
Insurance and reg for CRV, = $1K/year for 3 years = $3K

TCO = $21.5K for 3 years.

So trying to save money, you end up losing $5.5K.

Selling X3 for CRV

Same as above, take out the $7K depreciation and $3K of extra insurance registration.

TCO = $10K for 3 years. A saving of $6K vs running X3.



All car values are from CBB. Premium vs regular delta is 20cents. Using average mileage for X3 and highway mileage for CRV to put it in favor of CRV but it still doesn't work out.

IMO, whenever mileage, premium vs regular gas, comes into the decision picture, you got too much car. Downsize.

[CokerRat]

Pretty much what Xtrema said. If the goal of having the 2nd vehicle is to come out ahead because of difference in operating cost and reduced depreciation, the big problem is how much more/less do you think the X3 depreciates because of additional mileage. A higher mileage vs a lower mileage X3 of the same year is probably going to be a max of $2K different, so now you need the other vehicle to depreciate less than that. I can't fathom a 2-4 year old car that will depreciate less than 2K in 3 years. The operating cost different for a more fuel efficient vehicle is going to be minor. And don't forget extra insurance and maintenance costs of having two vehicles instead of just one. No way will you come out ahead.

[Xtrema]

A higher mileage vs a lower mileage X3 of the same year is probably going to be a max of $2K different, so now you need the other vehicle to depreciate less than that.

According to CBB, that 35K difference is about $400. May be it worth more in private sale.

But it doesn't really matter. I can understand the potential repair bill as it get close to 10yr old and 100k for a German car could be high. But that's the more reason to ditch it.

[Strider]

Your wife is only doing 15L/100km because she is driving only 3K. She never ever warmed up the engine or drive over 60km/h. Once you are on highway, you are looking at close to 11-12L/100km average.
Here's the math:

Drive it for 3 years:
Current X3 worth: $19K
Future Value @ 100K: $12K:

True about the mileage. I find in the summer we're consistently around 12L/100km and winter is around 17L/100km, but that's definitely a reflection of the short commutes in downtown traffic. In the few times I've driven Deerfoot during rush hour, it was a lot of stop and go, so I wasn't expecting mileage to get any better.

$19k? Ouch! lol. On Autotrader and Kijiji, I see values more like $30-$32k for current worth at 65k km, $27k for similar but over 100k km. $5k difference because of high mileage. I appreciate that the gap will narrow as years go on, but either way, I disagree with the depreciated value for the X3 being the same regardless of 65k or 100k km.

If I pick up something like a Juke for $15k, then hopefully much less than $8k depreciation in 3 years.

Sounds like the smart money is on miling up the X3.

Without going full Mar on this thread... One other consideration is that we're down to a one car family. Savings on the occasional car2go and uber would also offset some of the fixed cost of a second car.


Edit: looked into the Juke a bit... sounds like Premium is recommended?

[Strider]

Also while we are not answering the OP's question, I challenge the assertion you need awd for deerfoot. Get a ten year old FWD Honda accord and be done with it.

Heck a 20 year old accord is probably perfect.

Obviously awd is not "needed", as the majority of cars on the road don't have it... but it's nice to have. I've been stuck in parking spots with fwd and rwd, but never with awd. If I can make it fit within the parameters of low tco, then why not?

[Xtrema]

$19k? Ouch! lol. On Autotrader and Kijiji, I see values more like $30-$32k for current worth at 65k km, $27k for similar but over 100k km. $5k difference because of high mileage. I appreciate that the gap will narrow as years go on, but either way, I disagree with the depreciated value for the X3 being the same regardless of 65k or 100k km.


Again, that's why I'm doing deprecation of trade in value for TCO then actual worth. And even if your $5K mileage differential holds true, you are not any better then where you started. It's just that you have 2 cars instead of 1.

[bjstare]

Again, that's why I'm doing deprecation of trade in value for TCO then actual worth. And even if you $5K mileage differential holds true, you are not any better then where you started. It's just that you have 2 cars instead of 1.

.... so if all else is equal, and he's no better than where he started, but he has 2 cars instead of 1... then he is actually better off than he started, isn't he? haha.

If costs were equal, I'd certainly prefer to have 2 cars over 1. :dunno:

[ExtraSlow]

One other consideration is that we're down to a one car family. Savings on the occasional car2go and uber would also offset some of the fixed cost of a second car.
Ah, this does change things quite a bit. If it's a second vehicle in a house with two drivers that's very different than a third vehicle. Obviously you dont want to go "full beater" for a second car. And you have more reasons for buying it than you mentioned.

One consideration is that no matter what you get yiur wife will probably end up driving whichever one she is most comfortable and happy in no matter the kms. That's the typical husband and wife dynamic I see. So overall, now we're talking about getting you a car.

[Xtrema]

.... so if all else is equal, and he's no better than where he started, but he has 2 cars instead of 1... then he is actually better off than he started, isn't he? haha.

If costs were equal, I'd certainly prefer to have 2 cars over 1. :dunno:

In his case, it would be 3 cars and 2 drivers. He also consider going from 2 to 1 car. So he is cost sensitive.

Unless you have a McLaren F1, everything else will depreciate. And having something sitting and depreciate and give you no to little joy isn't very financially responsible.

[Hallowed_point]

Seeing all the drivers on Deerfoot yesterday I'd say only thing safe enough is a fucking panzer tank

^This

On to your question, anything that does not have a relatively flat windshield profile such as a GTI. My brother has gone through 2 windshields in 1 year.

[NissanFanBoy]

True about the mileage. I find in the summer we're consistently around 12L/100km and winter is around 17L/100km, but that's definitely a reflection of the short commutes in downtown traffic. In the few times I've driven Deerfoot during rush hour, it was a lot of stop and go, so I wasn't expecting mileage to get any better.

$19k? Ouch! lol. On Autotrader and Kijiji, I see values more like $30-$32k for current worth at 65k km, $27k for similar but over 100k km. $5k difference because of high mileage. I appreciate that the gap will narrow as years go on, but either way, I disagree with the depreciated value for the X3 being the same regardless of 65k or 100k km.

If I pick up something like a Juke for $15k, then hopefully much less than $8k depreciation in 3 years.

Sounds like the smart money is on miling up the X3.

Without going full Mar on this thread... One other consideration is that we're down to a one car family. Savings on the occasional car2go and uber would also offset some of the fixed cost of a second car.


Edit: looked into the Juke a bit... sounds like Premium is recommended?

Juke is recommended not required.... My wife uses the cheapest gas she can find, often Superstore gas. If say she gets roughly 10-11/per 100km

[GTS Jeff]

Xtrema pretty much killed it here. Just the other day we took my wife's car around for the day - me driving all day in sport mode, minus 18 temps, mix of city and highway, and I averaged 11.8L/100km. Highly efficient for a 300+ hp AWD SUV lugging a whole family and gear.

I honestly don't understand how you are even considering a Juke though. It is worse in every metric. You're comparing a luxury mid-sized high HP SUV to a compact econobox. It's not even cheap in terms of TCO; Nissans are bullshit for depreciation, especially junky little ones. Am I missing something here??

[NissanFanBoy]

Xtrema pretty much killed it here. Just the other day we took my wife's car around for the day - me driving all day in sport mode, minus 18 temps, mix of city and highway, and I averaged 11.8L/100km. Highly efficient for a 300+ hp AWD SUV lugging a whole family and gear.

I honestly don't understand how you are even considering a Juke though. It is worse in every metric. You're comparing a luxury mid-sized high HP SUV to a compact econobox. It's not even cheap in terms of TCO; Nissans are bullshit for depreciation, especially junky little ones. Am I missing something here??

Can't argue with you there about depreciation...but I will say this, Nissan Jukes are highly sought after by women, trust me, they're right up there with Beetles. I bought my wife a 2013 SL AWD in white with 74,000km less than a year ago for $14,250...I'm hoping it won't take too much a hit when it comes time to sell. She loves it and white seems to be the most popular color. They are "cute", have AWD, have the ground clearance, and most important of all, are SMALL so they're easy to park! This thing is literally shorter than the Beetle she had before. And when you're in the driver's seat, it's super easy to park because women like seeing the "front" of the car, and the front on the Juke is easily seen from the driver's seat because of those frog lights that sit on top.

Remember, this car is for the OP's wife. Not a car enthusiast.

Would I personally want a Juke? I've thought about it but the more I drive that thing the more I can't stand the lack of real guts (gutless engine mated to a gutless turbo, I'll stick to the 3.7 V6s in my 370z and G37x) and I hate that f'n CVT.

[Strider]

Xtrema pretty much killed it here. Just the other day we took my wife's car around for the day - me driving all day in sport mode, minus 18 temps, mix of city and highway, and I averaged 11.8L/100km. Highly efficient for a 300+ hp AWD SUV lugging a whole family and gear.

I honestly don't understand how you are even considering a Juke though. It is worse in every metric. You're comparing a luxury mid-sized high HP SUV to a compact econobox. It's not even cheap in terms of TCO; Nissans are bullshit for depreciation, especially junky little ones. Am I missing something here??
Not really missing anything... the X3 is efficient for what it is, but a compact econobox is just better at being an econobox, which is what longer commutes call for. If I can pick up a Juke or something similar for $12-$14k, then I'd imagine the depreciation curve is pretty shallow at that point. Putting less miles on the X3 also delays the need to upgrade to a newer one (which will have even steeper depreciation) for fear of devastating maintenance bills after 100k km.

There's gotta be other options aside from Subarus and Jukes...
Something without CVT?
The CX-3 sounds great on paper, but they're too new and therefore still high on the depreciation curve.
Thought maybe an IS250 for legendary Lexus resale, but the fuel economy isn't great and they're still pretty pricey.

[Xtrema]

There's gotta be other options aside from Subarus and Jukes...
Something without CVT?
The CX-3 sounds great on paper, but they're too new and therefore still high on the depreciation curve.
Thought maybe an IS250 for legendary Lexus resale, but the fuel economy isn't great and they're still pretty pricey.

All fuel efficient, low operating cost, low depreciation, AWD auto SUV has all switched to CVT. And I also don't recall any AWD sedan in this class either. Subarus basically got all the AWD market covered in this class.

The Korean twin, Sportage and Tucson comes to mind that may fit your criteria and may have all the depreciation set in used.

Fuel economy with any AWD won't be as fuel efficient as FWD. Everything in this class is in the range of 9L/100km average. Other than the CVT, the Juke drives very well, especially you can find one with torque vector AWD. The cheapest car you can get that.

[relyt92]

If you were still doing it, Volvo S60 AWD. Would be a super safe and comfortable highway car.

[Xtrema]

If you were still doing it, Volvo S60 AWD. Would be a super safe and comfortable highway car.

But on paper, it has the same fuel economy as his X3 and probably need premium.

[jwslam]

My 65 year old mother rocks a 2013 Soul on studded tires.

-the studs make it invincible. Similar to the @ExtraSlow (https://forums.beyond.ca/member.php?u=44748) raved-about Fit.
-Short like the Juke, sits a bit higher than a car, and is short for parking, though my mother still managed to put a significant amount of damage to it.
-Super roomy for passengers with the full height headroom, whereas when we went to see the Juke the same year I was rubbing the headliner in the back seat due to the sloped roof and moonroof option. According to the below link it's like 3 inches more in the back for headroom.
-Zero trunk space though
-Not AWD unfortunately
-Has the CVT
-Averages around 9ishL/100km. I got it down to 5.5 one time hypermiling home from Banff lol.
-The depreciation curve is so steep you won't need to pay in the teens for one.

https://www.thecarconnection.com/car-compare-results/kia_soul_2013-vs-nissan_juke_2013

[Tik-Tok]

This thread feels so... Mar.

[mzdspd]

If your main concern is mileage and resale value.. Why don't you just buy a used prius.. Amazing mileage, cheap to run, reliable and holds resale well.. Prime example..

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/edmonton/2010-toyota-prius-hybrid-70000kms-only/1329502783?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

[never]

I just want to know if 20 km can really be considered a longer commute...especially in Calgary??

[faiz999]

the answer was already given, subaru.

unless u wanna ball out and say fuck deprecation by coppin a durango srt....

[Strider]

-Not AWD unfortunately

Not AWD would open the door to a lot of better options. Would probably go Civic or Corolla in that case.


If your main concern is mileage and resale value.. Why don't you just buy a used prius.. Amazing mileage, cheap to run, reliable and holds resale well.. Prime example..
8 year old battery scares me


I just want to know when 20 km could be considered a longer commute??
20km is long for someone who's used to 3.5km and 10 minutes door to door. Plus Deerfoot seems to take a toll on cars from rush hour stop and go to rock chips and cracked windshields.

[Hallowed_point]

I just want to know if 20 km can really be considered a longer commute...especially in Calgary??

20 km is not a long commute at all imo.

[MalibuStacy]

It looks less like the OP is concerned with saving money, but more with saving his BMW from the ravages of Deerfoot. I don't see a huge issue with that, but stop saying you are trying o save money, because that just won't happen while owning 2 cars...

If you are looking to purchase a commuter, go small and practical.

Ford Focus
Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Kia Soul (Really cheap to own)
Dodge Dart

I don't really like the current chevy cruze

Basically you might be baller, but if you want to save your beemer and not spend a bunch of cash buy one of the above used.

[NissanFanBoy]

Wanted to point out two more plus points for the Juke:

-it actually lets you switch from front wheel drive to "AWD-V" and full time AWD
-SL trims also let you choose Eco mode, normal, and Sport
-also being super light and 188 hp it will blow the doors off any Subaru you're looking at besides the STIs or turbo Foresters.... Both the Imprezas and CX3s you're looking at are known to be dogshit slow, a big factor if you're wife isn't a very good DF merger...

[Hallowed_point]

Whatever you do, do NOT get a Dodge "Dart." Garbage economy cars.

[MalibuStacy]

Whatever you do, do NOT get a Dodge "Dart." Garbage economy cars.
I thought they'd would get a mention, not necessarily saying they are good...

[VTEXTC]

I commute about 90 kms a day, 5 days a week. While I have "nicer" vehicles in the fleet to choose from, there is no way that I would subject them to the holy hell that is Deerfoot and Stony Trails day in and day out. As a result, we've owned two used CRVs over the last 14 years, which have served us well in daily duty. Utility enough for trips to Home Depot, cheap enough for fuel/maintenance and repairs, and consumables such as tires, brakes and windshields are cheap as well. I don't even blink at the kids sloshing around with the snow and mud from winter boots and all the joy that our winter climate has to offer.

Buy the right CRV used, and they depreciate hardly at all, if maintained well and looked after.

[never]

20km is long for someone who's used to 3.5km and 10 minutes door to door. Plus Deerfoot seems to take a toll on cars from rush hour stop and go to rock chips and cracked windshields.

Granted, it is an increase in commute distance and time but it's still not very far. In post 41, you mentioned the longer commute is where an econobox is needed. But at a 40 km round trip per day, even if you drive that distance 365 days a year, you're still under 15,000 km for the year. Work only mileage would be 10,400 km annually, assuming no sick time, vacations or stats. Still low mileage and like others have mentioned, you likely won't see much benefit buying another "cheaper" vehicle if you're trying to save money. But saving wear and tear on a nicer vehicle is understandable.

[Brent.ff]

Saw an Aventador today on Blackfoot..seems like a solid winter choice to me

[never]

Saw an Aventador today on Blackfoot..seems like a solid winter choice to me

AWD...can't go wrong.

[NissanFanBoy]

AWD...can't go wrong.

Ya but do they come in manual though? Otherwise it's a deal breaker for me ☺

[never]

Ya but do they come in manual though? Otherwise it's a deal breaker for me ☺

You'll have to spend your 1/2 million $$ elsewhere.

[shakalaka]

You'll have to spend your 1/2 million $$ elsewhere.

Our neighbour in Calgary has had an Aventador brand new since I believe a year and half and he paid upwards of $600K for it.

He got bored of driving his F150, and Benz SUV in winter so picked up a new Continental GT for his winter car. lol

[Sugarphreak]

...

[shakalaka]

I remember back in the mid 2000's when things were booming John Torode used to bomb around in a Continental GT as his winter car, he was living the life, haha.

Hey, he isn't your neighbour is he? haha

Also, if you have no idea who I am talking about:
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/calgary-herald/20100327/288140766873077

Haha. Definitely not him. But seems like he’s a G just like this Torode guy was back in the day. lol

[88CRX]

I remember back in the mid 2000's when things were booming John Torode used to bomb around in a Continental GT as his winter car, he was living the life, haha.

Hey, he isn't your neighbour is he? haha

Also, if you have no idea who I am talking about:
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/calgary-herald/20100327/288140766873077

Now he's slumming it in a Jag XFR.

[Hallowed_point]

Now he's slumming it in a Jag XFR.

Stalker!

[88CRX]

Stalker!

If he didn't want people to know what car he drove then he wouldn't drive a bright blue XFR with a massive Type R wing.

[Hallowed_point]

If he didn't want people to know what car he drove then he wouldn't drive a bright blue XFR with a massive Type R wing.

Well first of all his car is not blue..

[88CRX]

Well first of all his car is not blue..

Now who's the stalker? LOL

[Hallowed_point]

Now who's the stalker? LOL

Why do you post that online? does he not deserve any privacy?!

[CLiVE]

Buy the right CRV used, and they depreciate hardly at all, if maintained well and looked after.

+1 We looked at a CRV for my wife, as she was commuting 200kms/day and wanted something larger than the VW Golf Diesel she was driving.
She also test drove the crosstour and settled on that. If you can get past the look, the crosstour is a great vehicle also. Essentially an AWD accord. Cheap used, and very reliable.

[90_Shelby]

There's a guy who works downtown that daily drives a grey Ferrari FF. I've seen it multiple times this winter although I don't believe he has a long commute. I'm pretty sure he's in Briar Hill or West Hillhurst.

[tonytiger55]

Xtrema pretty nailed it on his comparison.
Just to point out. AWD is not going to do anything on Deerfoot. Correct me if im wrong, AWD does not work over 50km and only really kicks in if one wheel is slipping. Might be useful in the traffic, taking off from the lights or the snow thats coming today. But a FWD with good winters is not a bad option.

If you want low cost of ownership, fuel economy and reliability then your looking at the Honda/Toyotas. I know they don’t do anything for you. But for the SUV and reliability, they are top. For good Fuel economy (if you still want the AWD) then I would say Honda CRV.
If you want the AWD on all the time. Then there are only two vehicles that come to mind. That’s Audi and Subaru. Both will eat your ass in maintenance. Less so on the Subaru. But then it’s the issue of cost, fuel etc. Are you really saving that much?
Deerfoot will turn your paint to shit. Here is a base line if you want a comparison.

Im driving a 2002 Honda CRV Manual. 77km a day. I get about 8.5km per 100 L in the summer 9-11km/100L in the winter (depending on temperature). The newer CRV's fuel economy (Auto) are starting to match and exceed mine (kinda weird it took 15 years to do that eh?). Other than wear and tear items, the only thing I change is the oil ($40). When I got this in 2012, the paint was in really good condition.
Now their are paint chips everywhere…even on the side panels. It looked like there were little specs of dirt on my windscreen. …nope those are micro chips.. a million of them. 5 Years of highway driving will do that.

Why not drive the Beema..? Its like having a hot girlfriend and not wanting to have sex with her.

If you and your wife have worked hard enough to buy a Beema. Drive it! You’ve earned it. The BMW is not going to last forever. Yeah you will get shit paint but its to be driven. It’s amazing piece of engineering. If your not sure, drive my Zonda for a week (I insist) and trust me, when you get back in your BMW it will be like..Wow.

Edit: You can look up fuel economy at http://www.fuelly.com. Its kinda handy.

[Xtrema]

Xtrema pretty nailed it on his comparison.
Just to point out. AWD is not going to do anything on Deerfoot. Correct me if im wrong, AWD does not work over 50km and only really kicks in if one wheel is slipping. Might be useful in the traffic, taking off from the lights or the snow thats coming today. But a FWD with good winters is not a bad option.

A lot of AWD won't engage once you hit certain speed to improve fuel economy ratings. I think Nissan and Honda both do this.


This thread feels so... Mar.

I think OP drives beaters during the week and family pile into the X3 in weekends to see friends and family. Probably why he is reluctant to switch it out to save more $ and rather own and operate 3 cars.

We are all passionate about our cars and go extra length to justify it.

BTW, isn't there AWD Lancers that isn't EVO? With 10 year factory warranty, may not be a bad pick.

[Strider]

I think OP drives beaters during the week and family pile into the X3 in weekends to see friends and family. Probably why he is reluctant to switch it out to save more $ and rather own and operate 3 cars.


Wife has always driven the X3 to work - she drops me off in the winter and I bike in the summer, I drive it when we go out on weekends. I'm thinking now (with more mileage and Deerfoot) is the time to switch to beater for commute and nice car for weekends. And yes, reluctant to switch the X3 to something else because it's still a much nicer weekend car for going out, heading to Banff, short road trips, etc.

Will look into Lancers. Depreciation for the brand is probably pretty bad unless I go quite a few years older?

We'll be going test driving next Friday... still a pretty short list to work with.

[Hallowed_point]

Why are we recommending such crap cars? Lancers & Darts?

[Strider]

I commute about 90 kms a day, 5 days a week. While I have "nicer" vehicles in the fleet to choose from, there is no way that I would subject them to the holy hell that is Deerfoot and Stony Trails day in and day out. As a result, we've owned two used CRVs over the last 14 years, which have served us well in daily duty. Utility enough for trips to Home Depot, cheap enough for fuel/maintenance and repairs, and consumables such as tires, brakes and windshields are cheap as well. I don't even blink at the kids sloshing around with the snow and mud from winter boots and all the joy that our winter climate has to offer.

Buy the right CRV used, and they depreciate hardly at all, if maintained well and looked after.

We bought her parents a used 2011 EX about 2 years ago. Checking out prices now, it's probably only dropped about $2-3k... but then again, I stalked for about 6 months to find a great deal.

Was thinking something a little smaller with better fuel economy, but hard to beat that kind of depreciation. I'll throw the CR-V on the list.

[blownz]

Why are we recommending such crap cars? Lancers & Darts?

Good comment. I had a Lancer rental 2 years ago and it was so shitty (and it was almost new with less than 3000km) that I always feel bad for people driving them when I see them. And I wonder how they could hate themselves so much to drive such a shitty car. I get wanting to save money, but why punish yourself every day for so much of your time??

That said I did this exact thing a few years ago only not as extreme. My commute went from 28km round trip to 92km. I bought a 2014 Ford Fusion Titanium as I liked the look, it was cheap, decent mileage, good tech, and it was cheap (yes I meant to say that twice). But even though it is way nicer than a Camry to drive and looks better than most sedans like it at the time, I quickly got bored. You can't spend an hour a day in a vehicle you don't like. It gets old fast. Don't cheap out.

[Hallowed_point]

Good comment. I had a Lancer rental 2 years ago and it was so shitty (and it was almost new with less than 3000km) that I always feel bad for people driving them when I see them. And I wonder how they could hate themselves so much to drive such a shitty car. I get wanting to save money, but why punish yourself every day for so much of your time??

That said I did this exact thing a few years ago only not as extreme. My commute went from 28km round trip to 92km. I bought a 2014 Ford Fusion Titanium as I liked the look, it was cheap, decent mileage, good tech, and it was cheap (yes I meant to say that twice). But even though it is way nicer than a Camry to drive and looks better than most sedans like it at the time, I quickly got bored. You can't spend an hour a day in a vehicle you don't like. It gets old fast. Don't cheap out.

Thanks. I say that as I have a super white trash high school acquaintance whom has a Dart that is just a total money pit. It's unbelievable how many serious issues it's had
in his short ownership. There is a reason that sub prime used car dealers are littered with the things!

As for the lancer, when the 6-6 got rear ended by a 4runner in Sept, They tried to give me one and I said no way jose. I picked a Kia Optima over that. Decent car for what it is.

I agree, if you have a long commute, you need good ride quality, fuel economy, comfort and decent power. Not a rattle trap garbage can. My vote is for a Honda Civic or Kia Optima
if we are talking cheaper vehicles. Or a Hyundai Elantra GT. Edit: AWD isn't really AWD for most cars once you're at deerfoot speeds anyways.

OR 10-20 year old Accord. DO NOT get her a 6-6. Too much power for an inexperienced driver in the winter.

[blownz]

As for the lancer, when the 6-6 got rear ended by a 4runner in Sept, They tried to give me one and I said no way jose. I picked a Kia Optima over that. Decent car for what it is.

Same way I got the lancer. Rental guy said "what do you drive", I replied "2011 BMW 535" and he said "oh, a BMW guy, I know the perfect car, great handling rally car..." I was seriously like WTF but it was that or a minivan. I drove the lancer for two days until the could swap it out for a CTS. And that was in 2015 and I remember thinking the lancer was crap and felt like a really old car to drive. And I think they are still basically the same car. :thumbsdow

[Hallowed_point]

Same way I got the lancer. Rental guy said "what do you drive", I replied "2011 BMW 535" and he said "oh, a BMW guy, I know the perfect car, great handling rally car..." I was seriously like WTF but it was that or a minivan. I drove the lancer for two days until the could swap it out for a CTS. And that was in 2015 and I remember thinking the lancer was crap and felt like a really old car to drive. And I think they are still basically the same car. :thumbsdow

lmao we must have had the same rental guy. Was it through Intact? Enterprise I think.. he tried to say a lancer is a midsize car.
Pretty sure that's a compact sedan.

[NissanFanBoy]

Dodge Darts haha, I still remember this dumb chick a couple summers ago in what looked like a brand new top of line one trying to pull on me in my stock G37x sedan, boy was she frustrated. I wasn't even going very fast either, this was going up the hill on Sarcee in the north.

Went home and looked up the specs on those things and laughed my ass off. Guess they're every bit as shitty as the original Dodge Dart.

[NissanFanBoy]

Same way I got the lancer. Rental guy said "what do you drive", I replied "2011 BMW 535" and he said "oh, a BMW guy, I know the perfect car, great handling rally car..." I was seriously like WTF but it was that or a minivan. I drove the lancer for two days until the could swap it out for a CTS. And that was in 2015 and I remember thinking the lancer was crap and felt like a really old car to drive. And I think they are still basically the same car. :thumbsdow

Rented a car in Florida a couple years ago...guy tried so hard to sell me on the Altima Coupe with "way more power". Because I'm a Nissan fan boy I took it. They gave me a 2.5 litre with the CVT :rofl::rofl: I suppose it was better than the Kia Rio I had reserved though...

[jwslam]

guy tried so hard to sell me on the Altima Coupe with "way more power". Because I'm a Nissan fan boy I took it.
Username does not disappoint :thumbsup:

[Xtrema]

Why are we recommending such crap cars? Lancers & Darts?

Because OP wants good mileage and AWD beater that's relatively cheap to maintain?

[Neil4Speed]

I would highly recommend the boring old TLX V6 SH-AWD for this purpose. Cheap to maintain, quiet, comfortable, all the features you are looking for and ridiculously good gas mileage. On the highway I generally get 6.5L/100km, sometimes lower. The SH-AWD is great in the winter.