Matt and Heather live in NYC and recently bought a home upstate that will provide a weekend escape from the city. They currently do not have a car and doing constant rentals is becoming expensive. It's time to get a ride that can comfortably fit their family of four plus gear, but not be too big that they pay a premium to park it. With a budget up to $35,000, what car should they buy?
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Here is the scenario:
We are a family of 4 New York City dwellers who recently purchased a second home about 100 miles outside of our current city. For the past few years, we had managed the occasional weekend trip, trip to/from kids athletic activities and the like with a combination of borrowing, renting and ubers. Now, however, the prospect of more weekends away and the need to get around our new rural-ish weekend surroundings (as well as potentially lug kayaks/paddleboards/skis around) means that we need a permanent automotive solution.
We want something big enough to comfortably hold us and our stuff, but small enough not to have to pay a premium to park it in a city garage. Should be good in winter weather and good safety profile. Bonus for good gas mileage as well. Our budget range is $25,000 – $35,000 but we can flex a bit if we have to
Budget: up to $35,000
Location: New York, New York
Daily Driver: More of a weekend car
Wants: Room for family and gear
Doesn't want: Something too big
It is certainly nice to take a break from the city and enjoy some nature, but wrangling up a rental several times a month is definitely a hassle. Finding the right car that balances enough space for gear and kiddos but won't be a massive issue for parking is tricky.
I would suggest focusing on a three-row family crossover, but one on the smaller side of the size spectrum. The Kia Sorento is about a 190 inches long by 75 inches wide, most of your Highlander/Pilot type cars are 200 inches long or bigger. The Sorento has three rows of seating if you need it, but drop those seats and you will have about 45 cubic feet behind the second row seats. However, you will likely need to set up some kind of rack system for your kayaks and whatnot.
Another benefit to the Sorento is that you can take advantage of some depreciation, unlike a lightly used Honda or Toyota. Here is a 2023 SX model with 23,000 miles for under $33,000. This one is loaded with all kinds of tech and comfort upgrades to make the drive a bit more bearable, and it had an original MSRP of close to $45,000.
Listen, I get that Andy loves his big SUVs, but he and you and I are all New York residents — we all understand why you don't want to park an enormous Suburban, day in and day out, on the streets of what I can only assume is the Upper East Side. Plus, imagine how much of a pain it'll be to pull your kayak down from the roof racks of such a huge vehicle. No, you need something that's both shorter in length and lower to the ground: A Subaru Outback.A big-city family that spends their weekends in the Poconos is pretty much Subaru's target market for all its vehicles, but especially the Outback. You'll fit right in at the ski lodge or boat launch, to the point where you may want to consider getting yourself a less-common color on your car. Otherwise, it may be impossible to tell which Outback is yours.Here's a certified pre-owned Outback in your budget, right over the GW. It's even the Wilderness package, and the outgoing body style — a body style you want, since the extra height of the more SUV-like 2026 model will make those kayaks harder to reach. Throw an inflatable paddleboard in the back, and you'll be set for your cruise out to the Poconos in proper outdoorsy style.
Hey man, if you've got more than one kid, you need a Chevy Suburban. I don't make the rules; that's just the fact of the matter. Sure, you live primarily in New York City, and parking a Suburban on the street is a fool's errand at best and an impossible task at worst, and it's going to be far too big and expensive to put in a garage for any extended period of time, but God forbid your children are within a zip code of each other. Know what I mean?
Plus, the Suburban is going to fit in perfectly with wherever you're going outside of the city. You didn't say exactly where your country house is, but my head cannon says it's in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. I've spent a lot of time there, thanks to it being where my partner's family is from, and the area has more Suburbans than you can count. You know what they don't care for? Out-of-towners, and a Suburban is the perfect way to blend in with your surroundings. On top of all that, because it's massive, it's going to fit anything and everything you could ever need for a weekend away from the trappings of The City.
Anyway, since I'm sure a great guy, I found you the perfect Suburban. It's a 2019 Suburban Premier with a clean title and just 89,000 miles on the clock— barely broken in. It comes fully loaded with leather, two TV screens, adaptive cruise control and second-row captain's chairs. The Suburban might not be perfect for you, but it's still what you need.
