We are a family of 6, Ms. Notrega, me, and 4 kids. We only have the kids every other week. We just moved in August to a place that is 25-30 miles from work and the kid's schools are between the house and work. Prior to that we were around 10 miles to work.

We have a 2005 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer with 170k and a 2013 Toyota Camry with 39k. The Camry gets around 26-27mpg if we drive it nicely. The Expedition gets 13mpg.

We only ever 'need' the Expedition when all 6 of us has to go to one place like church or an out of town trip. Otherwise we take 2 vehicles to work - she drops the boys off and I drop the girls off and then to work.

When we don't have the kids we ride together and one of us keeps the Camry.

I am seriously considering getting rid of the Expedition altogether and get a small crossover. We would just drive 2 cars to church or in town events and possibly rent something bigger for when we go see her folks in south Florida.

So I guess I am asking a] couple of questions

1 - should I get rid of the Expedition
2 - should I keep the Expedition and buy a 3rd vehicle (only issue there is I still owe 11 months on the Ford)
3 - regardless of what I do with the Ford what should I get

And those that say don't do anything unless you pay cash can bite me - the car payment and the mortgage is the only debt we have.

I want something with good mpg and that sits higher than a car.

I am looking at the Nissan Juke... yeah I know it is ugly as homemade sin but damn the mpg is better than any other small crossover and at a better price.

Does anyone have a Juke or driven one??

Comparing it to...
2015 Kia Sportage
2015 Toyota RAV4
2015 Ford Escape SE

Sportage of those

The correct answer is CR-V...

Fuel Economy is BETTER on the highway, MUCH more interior room, MUCH better Retained Value, Fun to Drive & BEST Safety Ratings.

LINK to Direct Comparison

It will cost a bit more, but with incentives on the 2015s, you are getting a car you won't be ashamed to be seen in.

The slant down rear roof line means you carry dwarfs or midgets only in the back seats.  Also you won't see sh!t with that roof blocking down most of your view.

Juke = 16 year old look at me teen girl mobile...

I know you don't get much snow in GA, but you do have some bad weather where AWD would be useful.  AWD isn't just for snow.

I'd recommend Subaru...and not because I work for them, but because you get the best bang for your buck.  We are #1 for resale and our symmetrical AWD system is better than anything on your list.

Kia/Hyundai give you a long warranty, but their resale SUCKS because they are throw away vehicles.

Toyota has a ton of recalls and their quality has gone down hill.

Honda has good resale value, but their AWD system sucks.

Ford resale sucks and their AWD isn't great.

Go look on youtube comparing our Forester to Escape,RAV4, CRV, Mazda CX5.

Having a 2014 Kia in the fleet right now, I vote anything else.

Its been a full list of electrical / computer / glitchy crap.  Cant keep the LED assemblies working, cant get the Infotainment system to play ball 50% of the time, and its simply the loudest fucking vehicle going down the road Ive been in.  And yes, I owned a H1 Hummer for a while.

The road noise in the 2 Kias Ive been around was almost like amplified somehow  

The juke has got to be the most uncomfortable cars I've EVER ridden in

Mazda CX-5 2.5

i hates CVTs

if there are 6 of you then you are going to want a ride that can handle all of you when you need it. I would look at a nice used Honda Pilot if I were you. If that doesn't float your boat then definitely look into SUV's with a 3rd row at least

Never ridden in one, let alone driven.  But they are startlingly small in real life.  You're not fitting your whole family in one unless you're really good at Tetris.

Sell the expedition and just get a mini van.

This is the correct answer to "which small fuel efficient SUV?"

The Juke is very cramped according to my g/f who opted for the Sentra.

Rav4, CRV, of Mitsu outlander sport, or maybe a Mazda CX5. Don't like the Nissan.

My Wife loves her Juke.

AWD for winter,  good gas milage, big enough to haul our dogs and its sporty to drive.

Subaru Crosstrek. AWD and 34 mpg highway.

Why the fuck does the Nissan claim the need for premium fuel?

Unlike the other crossovers you're considering, it requires premium gas - which pretty much negates any MPG advantage.

And it's not ugly - It's hideous.

It's one of the few cars ever manufactured that makes the Pontiac Aztek look downright handsome.

The Juke is a 2 adult, 2 VERY small people can sit in the back. One either likes the way they look or they don't. Doesn't seem to be much in between. Have not yet seen any with a lot of miles on it so I can't say how they will be once they get some miles on them. But up to 30k-40k miles they have been pretty trouble free.

Juke means cockroach in Hebrew.

I have a friend that bought a Juke and he is happy with it. I think it looks a little peculiar personally. Nissan is not noted for the most reliable cars.

Someone already mentioned the CRV and I think that is a good choice for a compact crossover. American made too.

You might add one other to the list. Subaru makes indestructible reasonably priced cars. I know no one that bought a Subaru that regrets the decision.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK before going to any dealership. Pick your car out, preferably not at any dealerships. Read reviews, research the brand and model, look at reliability history -- Google is your friend! A good place to go are owner forums for the brand. Talk to real owners.

Good, got your car picked. Go to the company website now and build the exact model you want. This is easier for some brands than others. Print out the configuration making note of the list price and any special financing offers available. Check the new car inventory at all your local dealers and determine how close you will get to your build configuration.

Next go to Credit Karma and get your credit score. If you got about a 720 or better you can usually take advantage of manufacturer financing if they have any good offers. Less than 700 you will be better off trying your local Credit Union. Last desperation choice is to take Bank financing offered by the dealership.

You got your brand, model, options, list price, and credit score. Last step BEFORE you EVER step into the dealership is to go to the Credit Union Auto Smart site (cudlautosmart.com). Here you figure out what your trade-in is worth. The Auto Smart site provides access to Kelly Blue, NADA, and Black Book dealer used car values. Get all three and take the best. The dealer will offer the lowest or worse. Go to the new car section and figure out the dealer cost and average price paid.

Now write your deal down. In my case I wanted an Acura RDX AWD Tech for $____.__ with the Acura special 0.9% financing offer, with $___.__ additional down payment, and this $____.__ amount for my trade-in. E-mail that deal to all the local dealers. Talk to the first one that says they can work with that deal.

Expect some minor quibbling when you get to the dealer but stick to your guns and WALK OUT if they try to monkey significantly with the deal. Be very careful with dealer add-ons. My dealer wanted me to buy a vehicle anti-theft beacon. It's like Lo-Jack but a different brand. It actually is what the dealer will use to repossess the car if you don't make your payments and hell ya, let's get the customer to pay for it! I told them that I was a Libertarian and would walk out if they didn't outright remove that NSA spying device from the car. Hey, it's Texas so I didn't have to explain or even wear a tin foil hat! They said they took it out but they probably didn't, but I'm not paying for it!

Your biggest issue invariably will be trade-in value but remember that no used car trade-in is priced at "Excellent" no matter if it really is in perfect condition. Use the Average condition value. Also remember that you need to give a fair profit to the dealer. You do not work for free and you shouldn't expect honest businesses to work for free either.

If you walk into a dealer without doing your homework, you deserve to be ripped off. None of that BS that you do not know much about cars or whatever. The dealer will respect that you did your homework and will usually keep the double talk to a minimum.

This is all very good information.

I'd highly recommend going to the dealer's internet department to get a quote.  The car business is a commodity business and their will be multiple dealers who offer the exact same car within 30 minutes driving time of you.  Internet prices are at or very near invoice to get you in the door.  They try to make up the profit in the business office selling warranty & extras like LoJack.  Don't let them gouge you with "add ons" like "nitrogen" (in the tires) or "sealants".  If they insist that all their cars have it, let them know you will wait on an incoming unit to get a bare bones vehicle without all the dealer jacked up add ons.

Also, the last day of the month is THE day to get a deal especially when the dealership is running behind on their sales pace.   Bad weather = low traffic = hot deals.

Don't be afraid to walk out.  If you are close to a deal and they hear you are going to a competing dealership, they will run out to the parking lot or call you back in 30 minutes to beg you to come in and do the deal...

BIGGER_HAMMER

My mom has a CRV and I like it but with all other things equal I can't justify the additional $$$...

You will not regret a minivan.  Forget the half assed cross overs with 3rd row seats that you have to enter through the rear hatch (2010 Dodge Journey, 2004 Ford Explorer personal experience).  You can get in after lifting and sliding the mid seat, then contorting yourself through the V, and getting your foot caught, rear hatch is easier.  Sliding side doors that you do not worry about banging into the car next to you.  You can fit sooooooo much in them.  Hidden storage for rope, roofies, and duct tape too.
My happiest day was trading out of our 2010 journey into a Town and Country.  You can go Odessy if you have the pockets.  My SO loves it.  My 14 yo daughter loves it after she gets in.  She hates being seen actually getting in though.  

I have a 2012 Juke SL with 52000 miles on it.
The AWD is fantastic, car is a blast to drive. car is very stiff and the interior is a bit cheap.


great car but the backseat is worthless. the gas tank.is tiny (12 gallons) it gets around 30mpg on the highway if you stay off of the turbo. I normally average 27.2mpg which isnt all that great


I have only had 1 problem. Drivers side seat belt retractor broke and it took over a week for the dealer to get parts in and fix it (gave me a loaner so no big deal)


the fog lights are rock magnets (had one broken)


The new mazda cx3 is about the same size, drives similarly and has a lot nicer interior.

Holy shit! you cant be serious......why the hell would you want to buy that piece of shit?

Also try the Mazda Cx-3, it's a little smaller and looks better than the Juke.

 


I was in the market for a new crossover and was going to get a Mazda, but the new Subaru Foresters don't look crappy like they used to and drove better than the Cx-5, so I got that.  I like it so far, but all the bells and whistles are taking time to get used to.  I usually drive old used cars.


 

The automatic traction control works great.  On Monday we had a lot of snow and freezing rain and it paralyzed the city's traffic.  My AWD Forester doesn't have snow tires and did fine.  When I was making a 90 degree curve that was icy at about 20 mph the specialized traction control kicked in, and kept me from sliding very far off my path.  It was cool.

I have a 2014 Juke Nismo RS. It fits my wife, my two kids and myself pretty easily for road trips under two hours. We've driven on three 8hr+ road trips with just the wife and me and it was plenty good for us. It handles well, gets excellent gas mileage, and is a hell of a lot more fun to drive than the other vehicles you have listed. Is it ugly?  Yeah, kinda. It grew on me though. Its like a hatchback and an suv had a weird, illegitimate child. An entertaining child, if nothing else.

My wife had one also but we just sold hers and bought a Honda Odyssey since we have another child on the way.

Mine:

I just typed out an epic rant on your choice of shit vehicle, but deleted it all just to say
you have one of the best Avatars on this website!

If you could find a way to post that on the back of your uglier-than-sin, left-lane-squatting Juke, I swear I would never ride your ass!

Who, me?  I'm the 10 over the speed limit every where I go guy. No squatting here.

My name is Ashley, I have a pink bunny avatar, I drive a Juke, and am male. It makes for some interesting conversations.

I almost bought an Aztek for $1500 to cut up to make a hunting/atv/tear shit up vehicle out of.

Get the CX-5 or a Forrester.

Holy shit!

Screw all the haters I love my Juke also

 

^^^^THIS^^^^

No mini van... we just got rid of one... HATED IT.