^^ not a bad idea, I like the looks of the new passats. He will probably be keeping this vehicle well into the 100k range like he does with all his vehicles. The only problem with a car is that he hauls and tows things every now and then, and my mom has a Lucerne so he was thinkin crossover/SUV. Have you guys heard anything about the Chevy Traverse?

 

Subaru Forester would get the best mileage, my aunt has one and its not bad. Murano is great vehicle but I still don't trust CVT drives. I love my moms x3 BMW, great ride with a ton of comfort(we bought it used for $20k with 25k miles).

I suggest driving all of them! Older people have back issues and seat comfort per the individual is the biggest selling point.

I am no longer brand loyal, subaru are cheap with good awd/snow handling, nissan has great power/cheap interior and all brands have pro.cons. I would shop chevy since they have a massive amount of rebates. Poke around forums and search mileage and towing.

I would buy the Forester hands down with the turbo, if I needed seating, awd, and good fuel economy.

 

+1 for the subaru...always had a weak spot for them and when I go up to the mountains for snowboarding all I see are Subaru's and Audi's.

 

Wrx sti

 

+1 I was going to suggest that because they do phenomenal in snow/ice. But it's not very attractive.
Volvo's are good but pricey.

I looked at the traverse but it seats 8. you said it needs to be kind of compact.
Might check the dimensions on it.

 

tbss ftw! awd..

 

Well I have talked him into at least test driving a TBSS. I have been reading of the deals that people have gotten so we will see how it goes

 

infiniti fx

 

2009 Audi A4 w/ quattro is awsome.