karl@macconnect.com
Okay, so why did I pick the CR-V?
I drove a '64 Land Rover for 12 years as my primary vehicle.
Next came a few Saabs. Infinitely better handling and comfort, but front-wheel drive wasn't as good as 4-wheel drive. I ended up buying a set of rims and swapped the tires twice a year between the standard tires and studded-snows.
I got tired of fiddling with swapping tires and thought a 4-wheel drive with all-season radials would be good. My next car was an '89 Toyota AllTrak wagon. It was great in the snow, and, unless the snow was too deep, out performed the regular 4x4s. I could slide it around on snow and ice without concern of rolling the vehicle.
With 140K on the Toyota, I started looking for a new car. If Toyota still made the AllTrak, I would have bought one without looking at anything else.
When the RAV4 came out, I thought that was the car for me -- kind of a tall AllTrak. It was way too small inside for me (I'm 6').
I test drove a CR-V when it was first released. Boy-oh-boy was it roomy. Although I thought the rear door was a real design goof-up, I really liked the CR-V, but wanted a stick-shift.
Next came the Forester. It was probably the closest vehicle to my AllTrak--in fact better in many ways. Unfortunately, my legs barely fit under the steering wheel, and my right shin was wedged against the console. There was so much headroom I felt light headed. Too bad Subaru couldn't have taken all of that upper space and used a bit of it for legroom. I was also bothered that they decided to have a stripped-down model and the nicer version was much more $$$. I test drove some Outbacks -- definitely better, but would cost around $26k.
It was looking like a used Outback was in my future, that is, until I heard a stick-shift would be available on the '98 CR-V.
When I drove an Outback and a stick-shift CR-V back-to-back, I was convinced the CR-V was better for me. The commanding view, the interior space (especially the rear seats) were major pluses. Also, I admired Honda for not producing a "stripper" level. The CR-V was a complete vehicle, with an option of whether you wanted ABS or not. All of this for the price of a used Outback. I couldn't resist, and have had zero regrets.
See you on the road...I'm the one with a silver CR-V and a big smile.