Help deciding on second car (daily)
 

So I have my 2009 Nissan 370z PW Sport Touring... which I love - duh

I also have a 2005 Audi A4 Quattro 1.8T with a k04 turbo and APR tune... really like this car too. However, this car seems to break every month and I spend so much money fixing/keeping up with it that I've decided its time to part ways. I will be listing it for sale and hopefully I can get roughly 4-5k for it.

So my question is what are good second daily driver cars. To help, here is a list of things i'd like to do with it

1) I kayak so I need a way to transport these (currently have roof racks for Audi)
2) looking at possibly getting a jetski... possibly
3) Something decent on gas millage that i can take on road trips if needed.
4) I either like the big ol truck feel or the small sportier car feel
5) BE GOOD IN SNOW (I live in NE Ohio and we get a ton of snow!)

1 car that i was looking at was a newer civic si sedan. i could get roof racks for this, plus good gas millage and has plenty of room for passengers.

any suggestions are welcome

maybe dat new hrv in 6MT?

i know a lot of folks in my area including myself have a honda fit as dd. mine is a '12 5MT.
but the current gen is no longer made in japan.

cant go wrong with a used f150 man, verstaile as hell, 5.0 motor, and very good highway mileage and pretty cheap

That probably won't ride on the roof rack. Make sure the vehicle drivetrain and frame can handle towing a trailer.


Edit: GZ3's F150 suggestion sounds spot on. Or similar from another manufacturer.

Price range?

yeah i agree... and if i need to tow the ski luckily for me our lagoons where i would put in in 1.5 miles down the road so i would never tow far

Mazda CX5?

It gets high ratings, supposed to be the sportiest mid-size crossover. Gets 32 hwy. Towing capacity of 2000.

Otherwise, I would bump to a frontier or tacoma p/u, but say good bye to the mpgs.

under 300/month

CX5 comes in manual... hot damn (only in FWD - whomp whomp)

So I think I'm going to go look at a CX-5, maybe a smaller truck like a chevy colorado or something... any other suggestions? Do you think the SI could pull a jetski the 1-2 miles i have to go?

Get a Subaru Tribeca. Great cars and fit your "needs"

Thoughts on the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited?

Horrible in gas mileage (which is one thing you want). You will get 11 city and 18 highway at the most. (and that's not carrying anything).

fun vehicle. reliability is always a concern with Jeeps IMO.

it made Forbes "cars to avoid" list
New Cars To Avoid: Jeep Wrangler, Nissan Xterra And More - Forbes

and JD power gives it a 2.5 star rating for dependability:
2015 Jeep Wrangler Reliability | U.S. News Best Cars

you really can't go wrong with Subies. I like the new Crosstrek, the only downside is that it doesn't have a lot of power.

Mazda CX-3, if you have them in the US? We just got them in Canada. A Nismo Juke? Frontiers are not horrible on gas, it is a truck after all.