The Best Used Cars to Buy If You Live in a Hilly Area

Do you live in terrain that is hilly? Do your city streets feature plenty of inclines and declines that can be nothing short of treacherous in miserable weather? If so, when it’s time to purchase a car you’re looking for something a little different. We’ve put together a list of the top five used cars to buy if you live in these areas.

Things to consider

Before you even start your shopping one thing to consider out of the gate is whether you want an automatic or standard car. For people that live in hilly areas a standard vehicle will require a lot more effort to drive. As well you may want to consider getting an AWD (all-wheel drive) vehicle, giving you that added bit of control and power. With that said, we’ve compiled a list of the top five automatic vehicles worth investigating.

Top five vehicles

  • Toyota RAV4: This car has consistently performed well over the years, and offers features such as: lots of trunk space, an interior that feels spacious, and according to Kelley Blue Book it has "excellent resale value." It's an SUV with the power you need to get up and down those hills with ease and control.

  • Subaru Outback: With a name like "Outback" then one would expect this one to do well in a variety of terrain. The 2014 edition came in a variety of four-cylinder options as well as the option to go with standard if you prefer. This one is classed as a small sport utility vehicle, seats five, and has your typical fuel economy numbers.

  • Toyota Tacoma: If you're thinking a pick-up may be what you're after then this is a great option. The consumer rating on Kelley Blue Book for the 2014 model was an impressive 9.2. This one is classed as a compact truck, making it easy to handle even if you're new to trucks. It's even got a relatively smooth drive, and will handle the hills with ease.

  • Nissan XTerra: If you can manage to get your hands on one of these SUV's, you'll find that navigating through hills can be a breeze. It's not much to look at, but it is built to be reliable, solid, and powerful. Kelley Blue Book describes the 2015 model to be “as tough as nails," and can even carry over to the trails with ease.

  • Jeep Wrangler: The Jeep Wrangler is a well-known vehicle classed as a small sport utility vehicle. This one is extremely easy to handle, seats four comfortably, and is a blast to drive. Thanks to the numbers posted by Kelley Blue Book for the 2014 model, it's clear it's not the best for fuel consumption.

Final Thoughts

Picking the perfect vehicle for hilly terrain means doing a whole lot of test driving, and research. The five listed above top our list and are sure to make you the king of the hill.


Next Step

Schedule Pre-purchase Car Inspection

The most popular service booked by readers of this article is Pre-purchase Car Inspection. YourMechanic’s technicians bring the dealership to you by performing this job at your home or office 7-days a week between 7AM-9PM. We currently cover over 2,000 cities and have 100k+ 5-star reviews... LEARN MORE

SEE PRICING & SCHEDULING

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

Recent Pre-purchase Car Inspection reviews

Excellent Rating

(5,493)

Rating Summary
5,137
193
39
38
86
5,137
193
39
38
86

Jermaine

25 years of experience
382 reviews
Jermaine
25 years of experience
Dodge Durango V6-3.6L - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Silver Spring, Maryland
Awesome mechanic! Very reliable !! Awesome personality! Explained everything and now I feel less stressed.
Hyundai Ioniq - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Chevy Chase, Maryland
Jermaine was very friendly, efficient and professional. He kindly explained to me those things that did not score well in the service report, so that it didn't come as a surprise, and I would know what to do about it.

Caz

18 years of experience
146 reviews
Caz
18 years of experience
Mercedes-Benz GLA250 L4-2.0L Turbo - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Woodstock, Georgia
Caz was extremely knowledgeable, personable and provided excellent service. He was on time for the appointment and answered and explained everything I asked concerning my vehicle. I will definitely use the company again and I would love to have Caz as my mechanic! Excellent!
Mercedes-Benz S550 - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Mableton, Georgia
Caz Arrived on time much earlier than scheduled. He was very professional in inspecting the car and made excellent recommendations.

Brian

19 years of experience
138 reviews
Brian
19 years of experience
Lexus RX350 V6-3.5L - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - McDonough, Georgia
Brian was very informational and knowledgeable about the Inspection. He throughly inform me what issues on vehicle. Great Mechanic !!!
Ford Transit-350 HD - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - McDonough, Georgia
Great service. Honest , respectful and truly cares about making sure you get the best options possible at an affordable price. Finding a mechanic you can trust is rare. I highly recommend Brain.

Jay

24 years of experience
262 reviews
Jay
24 years of experience
Honda CR-V L4-2.4L - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Glendale Heights, Illinois
Jay did a great job! Excellent at taking time to explain things about your car. And provided sound recommendation on repair. Courteous and responsive. I would definitely recommend Jay!
BMW 535i xDrive - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Des Plaines, Illinois
Excellent ! Jay is very detail oriented and forward thinking. I would highly recommend him to anyone.

Need Help With Your Car?

Our certified mobile mechanics make house calls in over 2,000 U.S. cities. Fast, free online quotes for your car repair.

GET A QUOTE

Related articles

How to Use an iPod in a Toyota Prius
Gone Gone are the days of toting around cassette tapes or CDs in cases to keep tunes on hand when you're on the go. Today, we have playlists on our portable devices like iPods. When you don't have the latest...
How to Know If a Used Car Is a Good Deal
When you need to buy a used car, it can be quite difficult to sift through the thousands of used cars for sale in your area. You’ll find used car (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-sell-a-pre-owned-car-online_2) advertisements in dealership mailers, in newspaper classifieds, and in...
How Much Does Size Matter in a Car Crash?
Car accidents can be less severe in a larger, heavier vehicle that's well designed but safety mainly relies on responsible, attentive driving.

Related questions

What type of gasoline should I use?
Your car runs on gasoline. This is what’s burned to provide power for turning the wheels. However, not all gas types are created equal. Your engine is rated to use gas with an octane rating of 87 or higher (87-octane...
Rough starts and engine dies at idle
If the idle air control valve (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-idle-control-valve) or mass air sensor (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-mass-airflow-sensor) is having problems. If the idle valve is sticking closed it can cause the engine to idle very low and rough, and will run fine if the throttle...
Driver side Glass scratches after rolling down or up
Hello. The felt weather strips are there to wipe away excess moisture or fog from window. They are not designed to wipe away dirt or debris. You should clean the felt strip with a spray bottle of water or a...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (855) 347-2779 · hi@yourmechanic.com