Thinking of buying a Subcompact SUV in NYC. Which one should I buy?

Posted by Damnit_Nappa@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 22 comments

Hello All! Never bought a car before, had hand-me-downs for a while and they were perfectly fine. Here are some of my thoughts.

Read about the Mazda and heard good things about it.

I am not loyal to any Brand/Car, I've been driving a Fusion and have enjoyed it.

I live in NYC so I would like a Subcompact SUV or at least a car that can handle occasionally going up to Vermont for some skiing. I have a parking spot currently.

I often drive home around 7 hours away a few times a year.

I really lean toward wanting a car with Apple Car Play and Bluetooth audio.

Would ideally like this car to be a 10+ year car, may be having kids in the next 3-5 years.

I have budget in the 20k-35k range, would like to not break the bank but if it can't be helped then that's fine.

Asked in "WhatCarshouldibuy" but didn't get much traction!

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HondaForever84@reddit

I would cross shop a Honda HRV with a Honda civic hatchback. Do you really need an SUV? Drive both. You’ll see what I mean

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Damnit_Nappa@reddit (OP)

Appreciate the comment! I will look at the HRV. I don't want an SUV tbh, but for my skiing trips and travel to my home which has a lot of snow. Sedan isn't cutting it.

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HondaForever84@reddit

Even with snow tires? I run a Honda civic hatchback in Canada with no issues. To each their own though

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Damnit_Nappa@reddit (OP)

I don't have a realistic place to store ties, apartments are small here :(

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HondaForever84@reddit

A lot of tire shops will store them for almost nothing, but fair enough

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Subaru Forester. I saw someone already said the crosstrek but if you want a little more space then the forester is great! I have a 2017 xt and it’s a great city car. Easiest oil change ever and simple to work on. The models 2018 and earlier also have a turbo option if you want something quicker than most small suvs.

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OffensiveBiatch@reddit

I am going to go against the grain here, but you pretty much can do with a subcompact hatch in NYC.

Here in the northeast we know how to deal with snow. Unless we get a Blizzard of '68 levels of snow, the main roads will be clear in an hour or two.

You can get a Mazda 2-3 hatch, Toyota Yaris, Mitsubishi Mi-EV for 6-7 K and be perfectly fine to do grocery runs, and when you fold the 60-40 backseat flat it'll fit any size of stroller.

That'll leave you with 15 K extra to rent whatever your heart desires for longer road trips.

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Damnit_Nappa@reddit (OP)

I hear you, I'm from WNY and used to snow growing up! It is whenever I go home my current Sedan just can't cut it whenever we get Lake Effect Snow.

I do like the idea of a subcompact hatch, I'll look into those!

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OffensiveBiatch@reddit

I am from South MA, but love vacations in the Berkshires or the Finger Lakes of NY. Never ever had a problem with snow in my fwd or rwd cars. Just regular all weather tires. The snow removal is so fast and effective. If you have 2 cans of soup, a loaf of bread and some milk you are guaranteed to survive. It just isn't worth paying $5 a gallon for 20 mpg in an SUV.

You need a larger vehicle for a vacation, just rent one for a week. You'll still come ahead when you drive a 50-60 mpg Prius.

In my case tho, we got pregnant once and got triplets. Everything went out of the window, traded my Miata for a Sienna.

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rampas_inhumanas@reddit

Buick envista is worth checking out.

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Damnit_Nappa@reddit (OP)

That sounds wonderful, thank you for the suggestion! It sounds great, but if I give up AWD, how do you think it handles snow? I'm not saying that's a deal break but what is your opinion.

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rampas_inhumanas@reddit

I live in eastern Canada, lots of snow... Winter tires and ground clearance are the most important things. The envista has 7.5" of clearance, so you're good to go there.

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