Dog friendly vehicles

Subarus can be rather expensive or have really high mileage used. I like the older Outbacks (before that travesty of the "new" Outback. If I wanted an SUV I'd buy one!)

I went with a Honda Fit. I have not measured it for a crate but the seats do fold completely flat, something a lot of the other smaller cars wont do. Under 20k out the door with a Sport. Flappy paddle shifting is amusing enough when the people you share a car with wont get a manual

Nolu, you're making me want a CX-5. Stoppit.

I have a 2008.5 with the baby diesel and I freaking LOVE it! The amount of dog and dog paraphernalia one can fit in it is great!

Ahhhh! Nolu, you're amazing! The CX-5 is the top of my list, but I just don't think I can squeak it out under $20k I can get the escape for $18500 out the door after tax/tags/title... Is the Mazda worth an extra $3-4k? I don't know if I can justify it.

On a somewhat tangential note, what are the favorites for cargo mats? Plastic to wipe off? Carpeted mats so crates don't slide as much and you can pull them out to was 'em? Plastic tarps because you've given up on controlling the dirt?

For cargo liners I cut an indoor outdoor carpet to fit my RAV and it's perfect for what I need. And about $20!

I used to have the black roll matting in my pt cruiser, it was great, I just cut it to fit and tucked it under the plastic. I have nothing in my jeep, just the carpet, and schtickies lol.

I gotta crack on the Fords a bit here. I work for Enterprise and we have scads of them in our fleets. We get brand-new stuff before the dealerships do and all of our cars are pretty much new.

They suck. I drive them all the time and I dislike them quite strongly. You couldn't pay me to drive a Ford product.

I personally think the Escape drives like a go-kart compared to some of the other small SUVS and hatchbacks on the market.

I liked it well enough (but I still appreciate your opinion!!!)

Don't get me wrong, if the Mazda were the price of the Ford I'd drive it in a heartbeat...but it's not. The base model products are almost $4k apart, and the Ford has more included options.

I was hoping that the 2013 Mazdas would be discounted at some point since they already have 2014's on the lot, but looks like that's a pipe dream!

Just got quotes back from several dealers stating their bottom line price on the CX-5 is $22k + tax, tags, title, processing (so $23.5k) It's just too high

I could wait 6 months and see what happens, but I don't think I'm going to get it for less any time soon.

Although this gem of an email is awful darn convincing...

AN INVESTMENT IN ME?! How ever could I refuse such an offer? :rofl1:

I did reach out to the dealer you suggested, Stef--we'll see what they respond with tomorrow!

DOO EET. I could even sell you one. Bahaha.

Yes. Really, it is. For reliability alone, it's worth it. The Escape is going to fall apart on you - what you'll spend on time and money with it in the shop will even out the immediate out-of-pocket costs in the next couple years.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money...-toyota-consumer-reports-reliability/1666005/

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/...liability-survey-ford-drops-chrysler.1-lg.jpg

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/10/most-reliable-new-cars/index.htm

That's not the question you should be asking, though - is it worth the extra 3k to you? And let's be real here - unless you're paying cash, it's not the end of the world to go a little over budget. "Budget" is almost entirely in your head. Take advantage of the 0% Mazda, Navy Fed, or Pen Fed are offering and finance for 60 months. Then that $3k is $60 a month. . . and can you afford an extra $60 a month for a vehicle you're going to keep until the wheels fall off? Whatever you buy, you will live with. Do you want to live with and drive a vehicle you don't love?

I don't. Not at all. But it's your decision in the end, and as long as you're happy with it, that's what I care about.

Weathertech FTMFW.

As to Chantilly, it's not so much reaching out to the dealer - it's those two particular salespeople who will treat you like gold. The managers - Matt May and Quong Bae - will bend you over backwards just like the sales manager at most dealerships will. Those two guys care about their customers and wont stand for that kind of crap. Most of the other salespeople there will. JMO. You could also ask for Anthony, he's pretty cool.

Also, it tops out at like $22k with the MT. Are you looking at a Touring? They're really highly in demand, but not even Mazdaspeeds sell at sticker. . . I'd go in on Friday evening and tell them if they want to make another end of the month deal, they'll get you a better price.

Or, alternatively, fudge the registration of one of your cars and get another $500 in discounts. You're welcome to use my car's VIN if you'd like. (Yes, I have really had people do this before - and no, there's no way for the manufacturers to check it out TMK.)

As a car salesperson I'm trained not to bash on the competitor's product. . . but I'm glad someone said it.

I mentioned Subaru.

I have Husky Liners for my floors and LOVE them.

My Pilot had leather and I thought I really wanted that again. But instead I bought seat covers, cordura nylon, and they're almost as easy to keep clean and make more sense for my current job. I use a Hatchbag for under my crates.

I have a ford freestyle and it's roomy, but I don't know how many crates you could fit as the console in the back doesn't fold/lay flat. there is a ton of room otherwise.

Really, the car is unreliable because of the stereo? That seems like the least important thing when buying a car. How reliable is the engine? It also worries me that the CX-5 is listed as the least reliable Mazda (although if it's based on electronics again, who cares?)

Ooooh, you're making the math teacher in me upset!!! I do not care one ounce about the monthly payments--they could be $1000/month if it meant I saved $2000 off the final price. I care about the bottom line amount of money I am spending. If I cannot get new for $20k ($21k if I had to), I will just go get a used model of something mentioned in this thread.

Based on this: http://www.truecar.com/prices-new/mazda/cx-5-pricing/

I don't think it's possible. According to the edmunds.com forums, that model seems to regularly be selling OVER msrp

Googling! Thank you!!!

Yup, manual transmission, base model. I have gotten quotes from 4-5 dealers and not one is under $20,988 (plus tax/tags/dealer fees). I will head over to Chantilly tomorrow as you suggest and see what happens. Worst case, I waste an hour of my spring break and leave the same way I came in

Ahahahaha. If it comes to that, I will contact you! Thank you so much for all your advice!!!

Will look up Husky, thanks! Thanks also for the seat cover advice...the quote from 3rd party places (emailed 3 local places last night) on the leather is $2000, so I'm not sure it's in the budget anyway. That may end up being a nice stop gap measure.

Ok I'm going to be an odd one out and say that I freaking LOVE my Ford Escape. It drives so smoothly and there's so much room. I love that the back seats fold completely flat and I have TONS of space. A friend of mine and I took Cricket and one of her dogs dock diving last summer and we fit both of their crates set up, gear, and a bunch of extra stuff, cooler, food, etc with quite a bit of room left over.

Mechanically I really haven't had any issues with my Ford either. We had one issue with the brakes (bought it used) and I took it back and they fixed it at no cost to us. We didn't even have to pay the deductible since the brakes should NOT have had an issue so soon after I bought it which meant that someone failed to inspect them properly prior to selling the car.

No issues at all since the brakes were fixed.

The ONLYYY complaint I have is that I have cloth interior and the dog hair is forever embedded in my car. I'm not usually a fan of leather interior with cars... mainly because when it's hot outside the leather is hot to sit on and when it's cold outside the leather is cold to sit on... just my experience... but honestly, with three dogs in my car every single day... I think I'd prefer the leather.

Ahhahaha, you're totally a girl after my own heart.

A radio station co-worker has a Ford Escape, has for I think almost two years now. He really loves it, and I have to admit it's not a bad looking car either. I don't know why he has it, LOL, he doesn't have a family or dogs to haul around - their bases prices are pretty tempting though, that could be the sole reason he bought it!

I don't think you're alone--I've read just about every review out there comparing the new escape with the new cx-5, and it's basically a wash in terms of which one "wins".

CX-5: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/24/2013-ford-escape-vs-2013-mazda-cx-5-comparison-review/
Escape: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests...compact_crossover_suv_comparison/viewall.html
Tie: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1077525_2013-ford-escape-vs-2013-mazda-cx-5-crossover-comparison

Zach comes home from Florida tonight (he's been at Oriole's spring training) and then I am dragging him to the dealerships tomorrow afternoon. I vacuumed and cleaned my car last night so I am all set to take pictures of it and put it on Craigslist.

The dealer who called me last night killed me.
Dealer: The bottom line price on the Mazda is $23k, I cannot go any lower.
Me: Okay, well, I guess it's out of my budget then. I do not want to pay anything over $21k, out the door.
Dealer: Well then why don't you just finance it?

YES, MAGICAL FINANCING THAT MAKES THINGS COST LESS MONEY!

I am going to start prefacing all communication with "I am a math teacher, please don't try to trick me with fancy number games." :rofl1:

Before I bought the Impala, I would go to a car lot just to take a peek at what they had, and one of the first things the salespeople would always ask me was "What do you want your monthly payment to be?"

INCORRECT SIR.

(They always got a sort of disappointed look on their face when I told them I was paying cash...)