What car for cross country golf trip?

[case31]

A 2004-2008 Acura TL is a decent choice. Good power (270hp), good gas mileage (can get almost 30 highway), and plenty of trunk and cabin space. The sound system is great, and it has built in XM Radio.

[uttexas]

Get a New Subaru Outback. Good overall for your wants / needs.

+1 on the Outback for the AWD and decent gas mileage.

the diesel jetta and audi wagons would be my second and third choices.

[Doctorfro]

Is this a four buddy golf trip? I would suggest a high-end minivan. I own a Toyota Sienna and with the rear seat put down it is a perfect four-passenger golf mobile, capable of hauling all your golf bags and luggage (and a cooler of your favorite beverages).

[GregZ]

Buick Enclave. Great ride, Comfy, Cooled Seats, Dvd screens, 3rd row fold down for lots of room. 24 mpg if you keep it near 65.

[Clambake]

Wow, lot's of people jumped in with ideas but no one has asked the magic question - how much do you want to spend? Narrow it down otherwise you'll get answers ranging from a Kia to a Bentley.

[Cussin hacker]

Toyota Highlander. Roomy with good gas milage. Or something simular.

[mdl]

I've never driven the Dodge Durango but I rented a Dodge Nitro for a long, rambling camping/hiking trip across the southwest, and that was honestly, by far, the worst car I've ever driven. Rolled around like you're on a water bed just changing lanes on the highway, much less on poorly maintained, unpaved national forest roads. Crappy mileage. Terrible steering (suspension didn't help there of course). And just ugly...

I'd give +1 to the outback and jetta diesel both. I have a manual 4cyl passat, and even that gets 30+ mpg on the highway. And I'd settle for the camry/accord style option too. Anything that gets over 30 mpg on the highway and has trunk room for a couple bags.

[kfowler]

I have one of the new Ford Taurus models. I took my dad, father-in-law, and brother-in-law to northern Michigan for our annual golf outing. We fit all four bags of clubs and all are luggage in the trunk. It was quite impressive. Everyone was comfortable for the ride. Worked great.

[kleraudio]

Subaru, 100%.... Those cars are simply amazing, Ive been eyeing one for a looong time...

You can do anything in those things, that new outback is sweet....

Look at used too... But I don't think your buying a car just for a one week golf trip are you?

Your probably gonna rent one I assume?

Jim

[microcrayfish]

What's wrong with the car you have now? Seems to me like you'd be better off spending the money on all of the other various expenses your trip will undoubtedly throw up rather than blowing a whole bunch on a new car.

[imtomtomim]

You forgot to mention not cheap and amongst one of the most unreliable major automakers. You don't want to end up in the shop on a cross country trip. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic ride and if I had the scratch to maintain such a vehicle, I would grab the S4 in a hearbeat, but you gotta stick with something that's gonna move you without troubles. I'd say stick with the full size sedans, most comfort for such a long haul and not too thirsty. Honda, Toyota are always reliable. American cars are pretty good new.

[cfuller03]

Go with the Subaru (Forester or Outback) - Pretty good on gas, spacious, AWD and reliable.

I love my Subaru Forester. It's absolutely perfect for myself, wife, doberman and pit bull with plenty of room to spare!! It's great when we drive from Phoenix to Montana twice a year!!

[cfuller03]

the only way the durango gets 25MPG is falling off a cliff. ...

That's funny... I had a co-worker who complained about the gas mileage. I think they had an '06 or '07. They are sharp-looking SUVS though.

[GaijinGolfer]

Id go with a Lexus RX 350H. The ultimate in luxury and comfort, it gets 38 mpg on the highway and because its an SUV it will have ample room for anything youd need to take with you.

[goblue107501]

We still don't know how many people are going on the trip do we? More than 2, I would say a minivan. It would be the most comfortable for those riding in back and have ample storage space. 2 or less, any sort of late model sedan would be fine. I had a 2000 Taurus that I used to make many 8-12 hour trips to Michigan games with a friend or two and we never had a problem with gas or comfort.

[chippy]

Humm...my brother has one and swears 25 mpg! If thats guzzle'n, I gotta get rid of my 1500 Ram @ 19 mpg!

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/26229.shtml

[chippy]

No worries! I love all of the feedback. I'm getting somewhere around 15K-20K to get a good used vehicle for this trip. It's going to be plastered with a giant corporate sponsor wrap though.

$15 to $20k?

How about a Mazdaspeed6? 274 hp and 280lbs of TQ with a 6speed manual tranny?

[yenner]

You forgot to mention not cheap and amongst one of the most unreliable major automakers. You don't want to end up in the shop on a cross country trip. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic ride and if I had the scratch to maintain such a vehicle, I would grab the S4 in a hearbeat, but you gotta stick with something that's gonna move you without troubles. I'd say stick with the full size sedans, most comfort for such a long haul and not too thirsty. Honda, Toyota are always reliable. American cars are pretty good new.

I didn't forget to mention anything. Price didn't seem like much of an issue for a guy who can afford to "not work" (I don't know everything about him, only what this thread allows) for a full year to play the top 100 courses in America. I'm thinking that might cost a pretty penny too.

As for reliability, with ANY manufacturer, take care of your vehicle and it will take care of you. With my circle of friends and fam I have seen my fair share of Lexus', Audi's, Toyota's, Honda's, Ford's, Chevy's, VW's, Jeep's, and more. Guess what? It all boils down to how well the person took care of the car as to how reliable it was. If you drive a car the way it's intended, i.e. don't try to drive an Audi or VW through rough terrain, you'll be fine. Do regular maintenance. Oil changes, tire rotations, etc. and you'll be fine. My grandpa traded in his 87 Escort back in the early 90's with over 350K on the Odometer and it ran fine and EVERYTHING worked as it did from the factory. I've also seen a Honda crap out at 80K because it was never taken care of properly. Saw a dodge blow the engine at 60K becuase my aunt bought it new and NEVER checked or changed the oil. OP, The problem with a question like this is you'll get a lot of opinion based on what people have driven/like themselves and what fits me may not necessarily suit you. You have time to take a few test drives. Make the best of it. I personally would look at the Audi, Lexus, or Subaru line-up. That's just me though. FWIW, My experience has shown that Jeep makes the most reliable vehicle in the Cherokee/GRand Cherokee with the 4.0 I6 HO, which unfortunately they no longer place in their newer vehicle. I had a 96 Cherokee lifted on 31's I drove ROUGH and that thing never let me down. BUllet proof engine. I look to buy another Jeep in the future.