I'm a little surprised as well that she's getting rid of a miserly Golf and leaning toward a fuel hog like the Liberty. Her choice though.

It's not all about the mileage.

The Golf is 12 years old, the Jeep would be only a few years old. "I want to feel safer" is one driving concern. The Golf is showing its age, cosmetically and mechanically (nothing terminal, but a couple annoying issues--new muffler is needed, a new wiper arm, the horn is possessed... it's kind of old and tatty).

For the record, our Discovery is a 96. The Cadillac is a 95. I'm fine with "old" cars. Beloved daughter, not so much.

Known as the Jeep Cherokee here.

Dont know about over there, but maintenance costs on a Jeep (here) are much higher than the likes of the Sx4 and the CRV/RAV-4. The liberty seems much larger than the other contenders.

Quality/Maintenance Costs/Reliability....I'd put the SX4 first(AWD vehicle is an awesome beast), then the CRV, followed by the RAV4...but Im not at all familiar with the Saturn. Jeep over here are well known as being high maintenance, fuel gusslers and rapidly declining in popularity as disposable income is dwindling.

I looked at the Liberty before I bought my last car and was unimpressed by it. Felt kinda crappy while driving it. Didn't like the way the engine sounded and the mileage was pretty poor. People I talked to said they weren't rated that highly either. I went with a Nissan Altima. My third one - like it lots! thanks again, Jim.

I love my SX4. Great mileage. AWD is awesome. Only difficulty is fitting camping gear in the micro-space in the very back. Oh well. That is what the luggage rack is for.

It's been several years since I drove one but I remember liking it so much more than my Cherokee. They are impressive off road, she certainly wouldn't get stuck anywhere.

She drives 300 miles to school one way and the campus is under snow for about 4 months and is all hills. When she drives over the mountain pass coming home to visit, it'd be nice to know she has the 4WD to aid her. The Golf got whipped around in the wind let alone dealing with slick roads so it was no match for snow.

Subarus are very good in the snow. We've had an Outback Sport since 1998 and it's been very reliable. We live in Colorado and the only time we couldn't get to work was when we had seven feet of snow in 4 days.

Gas mileage is 26 to 30 mpg. Maintenance costs have also been low.

15,000 miles per year/ 26 to 30 mpg * $4/gallon = $1500 to 2300/yr
15,000 miles per year/ 15 to 20 mpg * $4/gallon = $3000 to 4000/yr

So she could save $1,000 per year just in gas getting a Subaru instead (if she's driving 15,000 miles/year). Insurance and maintenance might also be cheaper.

We've got a Subaru Impreza and a Suzuki Sx4. I'd recommend either one, but my impression is the Subaru is designed and built better. ex: The ac core in the Suzuki is exposed to road hazards.

Youse guys *rock*! Thank you so very much for the first hand information. I find this kind of help invaluable.

Thank you all.

I should also mention that, on snowy or icy days, my wife would rather be in the Subaru than the truck (4x4 Ranger) because the Subaru is all-wheel drive (always on) and the truck is 4WD, which has to be switched on manually. I usually don't use 4WD until the roads get really bad. The transfer case doesn't like to be engaged on dry pavement at highway speeds.

Not having or ever plan on having a reason to drive where it snows, we are seriously looking at getting the Mini Cooper (base model, not the S) for it's gas milage. I am pretty big and sat in one the other day and it fit well. Of course no one could ever sit behind me.

Thanks BV, I never thought about the Clubman but it makes sense just for the added cargo capacity.

check this out.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=128995

"No less important, especially in Europe, is the car's fuel economy. Its average on the European driving cycle of 40.9 mpg is excellent for this class of car, as the rival Ford Focus ST manages just 30.4 mpg"

I used to have a Mini. Great fun cars.