Here’s $35,000. Buy a family vehicle

Last week was full of Rolls-Royces, Aston Martins, two-door sport coupes and buying $75,000 Mustangs. In an effort to balance things, our weekly “What would you buy?” series is going to take a sensible turn. It’s also going to be one that’s open to an awful lot of personal interpretation: buy a family vehicle. 

That said, “family vehicle” is intended to mean “vehicle meant for transporting human children of some number to and from places with myriad child-related stuff and maybe a dog.” In other words, this isn’t necessarily for our editors themselves. It’s not a “vehicle for your family” whatever that may look like. So sorry Joel, you can’t pick a Miata. 

Here are the rules …

1. It can be new or used this week. 
2. If used, we must actually demonstrate you can buy one in this country for that price.
3. The car must be within $1,000 of $35,000. You can’t spend $25,000 on a used car of questionable reliability and save $10,000 for inevitable repairs. Because I definitely would’ve done that.
4. Federal tax credits do not count. We don’t get 7,500 bonus fake bucks by choosing an American EV.
5. See above “family vehicle” definition.

2024 Subaru Outback Limited

Senior Editor John Beltz Snyder: I wouldn’t mind being a Subaru owner again, and a $35,000 Outback might just be the way I’d do it. I’ll be a little bummed the turbocharger is out of my price range, but I’ll be happier about the fuel economy returns. For about the same price, I’m really tempted to opt for a Forester Wilderness, but I know the extra space and comfort in the Outback will pay its dividends on the long family road trips with the dog (and adding the Wilderness’s extra road noise to the sounds of children is just too much). This is going to be the family car after all. And I can get it in brown.

Used Volvo V60 Cross Country

Senior Editor James Riswick: I brought my son home from the hospital in a 2013 Audi Allroad, which I purchased as a CPO car for about $31,000 back in 2015. It was a terrific family car and it would ultimately still be serving my family to this day if it wasn’t for COVID-era travel restrictions that required something bigger for long road trips (we’ve since gone back to a smaller car). I loved that damn Audi. As such, I’m picking a used, second-generation Volvo V60 Cross Country as my family car for $35,000.

Wait, what? You see, I’m 100% still on board with the off-roadish luxury compact wagon, it’s just that I like the second-generation V60 Cross Country more than the second-generation A4 Allroad (which I also don’t like as much as my first-gen). This size of wagon has just-right cargo space, and the low roof makes it super-easy to mount and then load a roof carrier should you need more. The size also makes it easier to park and better to drive than a comparable compact SUV. Meanwhile, I actually like the look of the raised wagon, including the plastic fender flares. It fits in with the REI chic look I prefer after five years living in Oregon. Quite simply, the V60 CC is a fantastic-looking car. Snyder’s Outback may be far more functional, and new, but I’d happily make some sacrifices for style here.

There are currently about 60 used examples for sale in the United States on Autotrader within our price range. Most have about 30,000 miles on them (about how much my Allroad had on it when I bought it), but there are a few with lower. 

Used Kia Stinger GT AWD

Senior Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: There were, surprisingly, more good family car options for $35,000 to choose from than I expected. My initial thought was a used Ford Flex with the EcoBoost engine and all-wheel drive. I thought about going way out of left field with an older VW camper van, because “family car” can mean a lot of different things to different people. I’d love to go camping with my kids (if I actually had any, that is …) and dog (I do have one of those, and a wife, too!) in a Westfalia. But in the end I decided to be more realistic and choose something with four doors, a reasonable back seat and a hatch. I think the 2006 Magnum SRT8 up above looking sinister in black and currently priced at $32,900 would be awfully fun and not likely to depreciate too much, but in the end I think I’d recommend the Kia Stinger.

This one is powered by a 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 engine that sends 365 horsepower to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic. We put 18,000 miles over the course of a year with one much like the blue car above that’s currently listed for a few hundred bucks shy of our $35,000 budget, and we loved the thing. I’d gladly park one in my driveway.

2023 Honda Accord

Managing Editor Greg Rasa: “American family car” used to mean one thing: sedan. (Or station wagon, as per James’ and John’s choices.) While everyone’s off buying exorbitantly priced SUVs and pickups, you’d be smart to grab one of the best sedans ever made — the 2023 Honda Accord. It’s a well-equipped, high-mileage rock-solid car for $13K-$17K beneath the average vehicle transaction price in the U.S. (an average badly inflated by those SUVs and pickups). And this being a family car, the cash you saved on this vehicle can go into your kids’ college fund. Trust me, you’ll need it.

An Accord is a no-brainer, sure. You give up next to nothing with an Accord. It has a massive trunk, lots of passenger space, a sharp upgraded interior and infotainment system, and this price gets you a hybrid that achieves 44 or 48 mpg combined depending on which trim you get. The fuel savings alone should get your attention. And it is a fine-looking automobile.

Get the Sport-L Hybrid (“L” is for leather), select a $455 upgrade paint such as Urban Gray or the Still Night Pearl blue shown here, throw in some all-weather mats and trunk liner, and illuminated door sills just for fancy, and you’re at $35,055 (before the $1,095 destination fee). Many other Accords can be had for even less.

Oh, and as a reminder, it’s made in America.

2024 Honda CR-V Sport Hybrid

News Editor Joel Stocksdale: While hitting this price almost exactly is a bit tricky, what I’ve realized is that there are some seriously good options available. So many that I struggled to decide what to go with. But I finally settled on a new car, for ease of choice and the benefit of a warranty. And I decided on the Honda CR-V Sport Hybrid. The standard CR-V didn’t quite win me over when I first drove it, but the hybrid? It’s wonderful. It has a remarkably smooth powertrain with good power. The chassis is light and responsive. The interior is massive (a big plus for a family car), attractive, and has great visibility. Plus, it’s a pretty handsome thing, especially as the hybrid with the sportier exterior trimmings.

I was a little disappointed that the all-wheel-drive version broke the budget (by just $145). But skipping that means with the leftover cash, I could pick my preferred color, the rich Still Night Pearl blue ($455), the HPD rear spoiler ($335) for a little extra flair, and rubber mats for the cargo floor ($130) and rear seat backs ($110), handy whether you have a family or not. The front-wheel-drive route also improves fuel economy from 37 mpg combined to 40 mpg combined, so that’s another bonus. All-in, this would run $35,675.

I mentioned that there were many options that were also tempting to me, and I do want to quickly touch on them. The Kia Sportage Hybrid is another amazing hybrid crossover with similar size to the CR-V. It’s not as sporty, but it has even more power and a more luxurious interior (available in a super cool blue and white color scheme), plus all-wheel-drive is standard. The turbocharged Mazda3 and Mazda CX-30 are upscale, fun small cars that offer all-wheel drive and are great if you can handle the slightly tight back seats. And then there’s the Toyota Camry TRD as a big and fun midsize sedan with a luscious V6 that nearly swayed me. And these are just the ones that caught my eye. With this budget, there’s a wide array of options for every need and want.

2007 Mercedes-Benz E63 Wagon

Road Test Editor Zac Palmer: Somebody has to be the irresponsible, “fun” parent here, right? I volunteer as tribute! A large chunk of my childhood was actually spent riding around in the rear-facing seats of a 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Wagon, so this isn’t as left-field as it may seem at first glance. I’m not sure if there’s anything more fun you can do for your kids than let them ride around and make faces at the people in the cars behind you, and while they’re at it, there’s no reason the driver shouldn’t be enjoying 6.2-liters of German muscle. Yes, this AMG wagon is old enough that it’s still rocking the naturally aspirated V8, so the kids should get quite the enjoyable audio track sitting right by the exhaust outlet. 

And sure, whenever a big bill comes due to have this E63 Wagon serviced, you might need to dig into the kids’ college funds. But! Maybe you can make all that up by holding onto this future classic until its value moves northward enough to sell it later and pay off their debt. Just a thought. I found a number of nice examples ranging from the low-$30,000 mark all the way up to $40,000, so you should be able to scoop one up right around our $35,000 limit. There sure won’t be anything cooler at the school drop-off line.