My Hyundai Was Fine As A California Commuter, It's Not So Good For Rural Nebraska! What Should I Buy?

Clinton and his wife relocated from California to Nebraska, and they are looking for something a bit more comfortable than their 2013 Hyundai Elantra, which is now facing an engine replacement. They still want good fuel economy and something that can manage winter weather. With a budget of up to $30,000 what car should they buy?

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Here is the scenario.

Our 2013 Hyundai Elantra needs the engine replaced. We got our car while living in LA and at the time it was the perfect car for our needs – a cheap car that could take a punishing city commute. We were hoping to get another 50,000-ish miles out of our car, but que sera, sera. Right now our needs are nearly the opposite – we'll rarely be driving our vehicle in the city as I'm a quick bike or bus ride into work and walking distance to grocery and elementary stores but we'll need a car for lots of long highway trips to rural areas – my work requires me to occasionally go to rural parts of Nebraska. We'll need some room as we're hoping to grow our family soon, but no kids yet so no need for an SUV or minivan. We want something that can handle some snow and ice, is comfortable (one thing that drove us crazy about the Elantra was the poor ride-quality), and gets good highway gas mileage. My wife wants AWD, but I think FWD and snow tires is more than suitable. I'm a boring government bureaucrat, so nothing too ostentatious. Budget is up to $30,000

Quick Facts:

Budget: up to $30,000

Location: Lincoln, Nebraska

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: Comfort, good MPG, decent in the snow

Doesn't want: Something too big

Clinton, that must have been quite the shift from SoCal to Lincoln, Nebraska. Hopefully, what you give up in predictable weather, you can make up for in more manageable traffic. You don't want to make the jump to a crossover just yet, but you need something with more comfort than the Elantra. Seems like a mid-size sedan is in order.

Most of the Toyota Camrys at this price point have too many miles to justify any kind of "value," but surprisingly, there are some decent Honda Accords. Take for example, this 2022 Sport SE 1.5T with about 31,000 miles for under $26,000. It's got the smaller motor which means the Honda can return up to 35 MPG. It's got leather seats and all the modern tech you could ask for. The big wheels on this Sport trim may not be ideal for snow but that's an easy swap. What you get is a car with a lot of style and quality with very few downsides.

Honestly, Clinton, I think Tom nailed this one with the Accord. You'll get all the fuel economy, comfort, and winter capability you could want with a good Honda. But if you find you want something a little different, or a little more all-wheel-driven, I've got another good choice for you: The Subaru Legacy.

Now, I know, the Legacy is dead. RIP in peace to one of the better cars I ever owned. But there's opportunity in that, because the market is now full of lightly-used top-trim Legacy Touring XTs within your budget, which should be perfectly comfortable highway cruisers. Subarus have to some degree surpassed their reputation for being rattly and plastic-y, but that reputation never applied to upper trims like this.

Look at that leather interior! The fancy steering wheel! This Legacy is fully equipped to ferry you around, and with a good set of snow tires you'll never find yourself stuck. Put a Subaru on Blizzaks in the middle of a ski slope, and it'll find its way out without drama or struggle. If you're uninterested in the Accord, Clinton, a Subaru Legacy like this one is a great option for you.

So, you want more room than your old Elantra offered, but you don't want an SUV or a minivan? Tom's not entirely wrong to suggest an Accord, but what I'm hearing is that you want a wagon. Or do I just want you to want a wagon? Either way, Subaru is a pretty obvious choice here, but I say go with something a little different, and get a Volkswagen Alltrack. Maintenance and repairs might be a little more expensive, but an Outback is just so obvious, you know?

Could you probably get away with buying a wagon that isn't lifted? Sure. And you also probably don't need all-wheel drive if you plan to stick it on winter tires, but the increased ground clearance will probably be helpful if you end up driving somewhere with a lot of snow on the ground, and perhaps more importantly, it'll make it wrangling your future child and its car seat a little easier. The Alltrack was also known for offering a smooth, comfortable ride that should feel like a big upgrade over your old Elantra.

Even better, you shouldn't have to go far to find one. Here's a 2019 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack SE with about 75,000 miles on it that's in town, priced fairly, and well within your budget. In fact, with a price of $19,797, it's more than $10,000 less than you were planning to spend. That should leave plenty of money for the potentially higher cost of ownership, or you can just spend it on the baby (let's be honest, it'll probably get spent on the baby).