Best 4 door sedan/small suv

My trusty 1990 mazda 626 has seen better days. I need a newer family car. I am looking to replace it with a import 4 door sedan or maybe small suv. Been looking at Camrys, Accords,mazda 6's, hyundai santa fe's. I am not interested in domestic crap. I am looking to spend maximum 15K. Any good recomendations?

Camry = boring. For that kind of money you can buy a fun car. The Honda is a marginally better step. The Mazdas are nice. Hyundais are generally amazing for the price. KIAs (new ones) are decent (Hyundai owns them and has been fixing their ills over the last several years). I've had excellent service from Subarus but the styling on new ones is a big turn-off. Mitsubishi's suck. Suzuki has bailed from our shores. Volvos cost a fortune to fix (and DO break).

Your reluctance to consider domestic cars is misguided. I was an import-only guy for nearly forever, but replaced our last Subaru with a Jeep Patriot (redeemed because it's a stick shift, not the dopey CVT). Extensive research proved it's surprisingly well built and beats Subarus by far on fuel mileage. Was able to drive several Ford products recently and was very impressed. When is the last time you really looked at domestic offerings? If they could sway me over, they can sway almost anyone (and I'm in the car business).

Ford Escape, and they're everywhere in Victoria.

Yes. Put your prejudice aside and objectively compare a 2010 and later Ford Fusion to any of the other cars you mentioned. Great build quality, very reliable, and a very European feel behind the wheel without the European repair costs. Additionally, you'll get more car for your money compared to a Toyota or Honda because there are still people out there like you who think buying Japanese is the only way to get a reliable car.

Real happy with our 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander 4x4 4 cylinder CVT. Not sure what 2 nd hand ones are going for.

+1

My V6 model is pretty thirsty though. I would personally get a sedan of some sort but if you decide on a small SUV these are pretty competent.

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a great vehicle. Many fine examples should be available at your price point.

Bought a nice used 2005 Santa Fe for my daughter in 2008, $14,000 and 90,000 miles, to take to college and it is still going strong at 200,000 miles four years later.

+2

I've only driven the four cylinder model (a 2010 model) and I was pleasantly surprised how good it was. And I usually dislike the "domestic crap".

I still avoid the Korean brands, though. They seem like good cars when they're new but my personal experience is that they still aren't built to the same level of fit and finish as Honda and Toyota and it shows after 3 or 4 years. YMMV

Good call on the Korean brands. They seem to age worse than Lindsey Lohan.

Civic, Accord, CRV, Pilot, etc. I guess i'm saying to buy a Honda.

If only they would build a full size truck.

Ouch.

Honda Fit. It'll seat 4 adults comfortably, and at least in the USA is close to budget. The engine's a bit lacking but if you get the sport package with paddle shifters you can rev it out for some fun. The layout of the cockpit is amazing, lots of practical nooks to put stuff.

You're cutting yourself short on some good options by ignoring all the domestics. True, there are some lemons, but we've racked up a collective 600,000 trouble free miles on our last three Ford's (Escort, Edge, and F150). The F150 and Edge are still in the household and still going strong. In the case of these three vehicles and that many miles I think the only thing we've had above routine (oil, tires, brakes) are two alternators and a diff. seal.

And I'd recommend the Edge. Nearly SUV cargo and comfort without quite being labeled an SUV. Not stellar mileage on the V6, but it has been really versatile, reliable, and comfortable.

In your price range - I'd look at a used Altima - great cars, reliable, look good. Only question is if you can live with the CVT trans. Else i'd look at an Accord.

Civic. Uncomfortable seats for long trips, but otherwise great.

Saskatoon was absolutely ripe with them when I lived there. Had a few coworkers with them, and they all loved 'em.

I pooh-poohed 'merican cars for decades, but picked up an older Focus a couple of years ago, which has been a great car. A recent Ford is an excellent value on the used market.

Why not a Subaru Impreza? Or Legacy, if you need the room? They're pretty much tops in reliability, at least in my experience, and they are pretty good all around cars.

I had an Escape but sold it to buy a BMW R1200R it was a great little vehicle but with the six banger the fuel consumption was 22ish mpg. I found that stupid. Why drive a dink car that gets that kind of mileage when my Silverado full size up gets 17?

After I delt the Escape I inherited the wife's '93 Civic that she bought new and I drove it until this March when I sold it with 360k mi. Reliable as a bag of hammers but very domestic.

I replaced it with a '09 Scion XB toastermobile. Again pretty domestic and has so far been reliable and gets 28-30 mpg. It is not super luxurious but it is very serviceable, it just works. I was never a big Toyota fan then Mrs. easy bought a Prius on '07 I was wrong, I freely admit it. Good car but not for everyone. She's put 160k mi on it and we have had zero issues with it.

I don't know that I would call any of the above "best" ( I might call thenRR best but I'm biased) but they have treated us well. Just a couple thoughts for ya

I am actually buying a used Lexus es330. If you look you can find them in your price range. I am picking up a 2006 with 54k miles for 15k on Monday. All the reliability of the Camry without being boring.

WTF? 2 pages and not one mention of BMW? Everybody here knows they make the "best" cars out there. Fine examples of The Ultimate Driving Machine can be purchased for 15k and it only costs 10% of that per annum to keep it running. Chump change.