Most affordable family vehicle with AWD/4x4?

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pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,133
5,072
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They fixed that stability control system a LONG time ago and put a stop sale on it in 2010 when they were sorting it out. That is a rather irrelevant complaint.



A Ford Edge can be up to 4,477 lbs -- only 394 lbs lighter than an 8 passenger, body on frame, V8-carrying GX470.

https://www.ford.com/suvs-crossovers/edge/models/edge-st/
2010 models would be in his price range so I think its relevant info. Also important is that it was addressed in later models . If you have the time frame for when it was addressed, that would be good to know.
 

pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,133
5,072
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Dang! Here I am thinking my mazda was like... 2400 or something. I don't mind the heft, it's just when the suspension makes it feel really heavy, if that makes sense.

When I drove the Yukon, I just remember being really surprised at how non-tank like it felt, relative to what I was expecting.

One other reason (and it's pathetic to admit it) I lean toward something a little newer, than say 10 years old already, is that living in NJ and going into the city (aka NYC) a bit with the car, parking is a biotcheee. Having a rear view cam would be so nice. The Edge had one and I was parking a lot in tight spaces while I had it, and I think it really saved me sometime and anxiety while doing this. The blindspot monitoring was nice as well. I assume almost all cars now come with these options on the upper models? I haven't looked at cars in years, so no idea on that.

It's sort of like the Chris Rock skit - Once your GF does something to you... all future GFs better be doing it, or else it just ain't going to work.
Are there any other vehicles in your driveway? Does you spouse ha ve a car?
 

kt

Diamond Member
Apr 1, 2000
6,015
1,321
136
How about a Subaru Forester? AWD and not a gas guzzler.
 
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NutBucket

Lifer
Aug 30, 2000
27,033
545
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Doesn't meet his cargo requirements (3 kids + dog). We have a 2015 Forester and it's fine for 2 kids + 2 adults but that's the practical limit.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
Are there any other vehicles in your driveway? Does you spouse ha ve a car?
She's got a Chevy Malibu, fairly new. As long as we take care of it, I think we get another easy 8-10yrs out of it. We both can't afford news cars though.

I'd LOVE to be able to make her get the 'family car' and once my Mazda dies off, replace with another Impreza. I love small cars, but it's not practical for us.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
How about a Subaru Forester? AWD and not a gas guzzler.
It's a nice car and would probably work right now but I don't like going through a car every 4-5 years. If I have to buy something this year (or even this month) b/c my CEL is indicating some sort of imminent failure of the engine, etc (highly unlikely, like others pointed out) I need something that will accomodate my future expectations of my family situation.

I was just using this sub forums experts for advice/opinion because I honestly don't pay attention to what's what on cars anymore. I used to like ten years ago, but no longer.
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,511
219
106
2010 models would be in his price range so I think its relevant info. Also important is that it was addressed in later models . If you have the time frame for when it was addressed, that would be good to know.

They've had a fix since April 2010 (yes, including the 2010 models).
https://blog.cargurus.com/2010/04/30/lexus-gx-460-owners-relax-the-fix-is-in

Consumer Reports lifted their don't-buy advisory less than a month after they published the article you linked.
https://www.consumerreports.org/cro...sumer-reports-lifts-don-t-buy-label/index.htm
 

pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,133
5,072
136
It's a nice car and would probably work right now but I don't like going through a car every 4-5 years. If I have to buy something this year (or even this month) b/c my CEL is indicating some sort of imminent failure of the engine, etc (highly unlikely, like others pointed out) I need something that will accomodate my future expectations of my family situation.

I was just using this sub forums experts for advice/opinion because I honestly don't pay attention to what's what on cars anymore. I used to like ten years ago, but no longer.

Whats your budget? 25K list price or 25K out the door?

I'm going to stick with my Highlander recommendation for long term family hauler duty...however

If your heart is set on an Edge, I think you might want to focus on the V6 models vs the turbo4. Turbo 4 is a bit of a dog but the tradeoff is that you can get slight newer 4 banger models for the price of a V6 model. I suspect that the fuel economy improvement over the 3.5 might not be worth dealing with lack of get up and go.
The Turbo 2.7 is another matter. Might be out of your price range for one with decent mileage. You can probably nab a certified 2015-2016 Flex with the 3.5 with under 40K for about 19K-22K. From what I recall, it should be solid. Just make sure it had the throttle body recall done if you get one with a vin impacted by the throttle body issue.
http://www.lemonlaw.com/wordpress/ford-electronic-throttle-body/

I'd also consider doing your homework on a Kia Sorrento . You can probably grab 2017-1018 with low miles. Avoid the Turbo 4.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
Whats your budget? 25K list price or 25K out the door?

I'm going to stick with my Highlander recommendation for long term family hauler duty...however

If your heart is set on an Edge, I think you might want to focus on the V6 models vs the turbo4. Turbo 4 is a bit of a dog but the tradeoff is that you can get slight newer 4 banger models for the price of a V6 model. I suspect that the fuel economy improvement over the 3.5 might not be worth dealing with lack of get up and go.
The Turbo 2.7 is another matter. Might be out of your price range for one with decent mileage. You can probably nab a certified 2015-2016 Flex with the 3.5 with under 40K for about 19K-22K. From what I recall, it should be solid. Just make sure it had the throttle body recall done if you get one with a vin impacted by the throttle body issue.
http://www.lemonlaw.com/wordpress/ford-electronic-throttle-body/

I'd also consider doing your homework on a Kia Sorrento . You can probably grab 2017-1018 with low miles. Avoid the Turbo 4.
Not set on the Edge or any one brand or model.

I think $25k OTD is about as high as I'd want to go. But that's putting cart before the horse right now... Gotta get this CEL checked first. I definitely will be checking out the Highlander but hoping my Mazda can get fixed cheaply.
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,066
1,550
126
We have a 2008 Forester and a 2010 Edge.

The 2008 Forester is my DD, had head gasket work done at 125K, started replaced when it got a bit sketchy, rusted shifter cable replaced. Body is in excellent condition, but, some rust underneith. Heat shields started to rattle so resecured all of them around 110K. Last summer replaced compressor and o rings for AC problems.

Now car has around 135K miles, and drives well.
People tend to hang on to them a pretty ling time, though, highlander is probably a better car for you IMO.

https://www.iseecars.com/cars-kept-15-years-2019-study




The 2010 Edge I got for the wife as a grocery getter, and it's also our "road trip" car since it's much bigger and much more comfortable with a lot more room. the back seats have TONS of legroom, it's only 2 rows, but, it's big 2 rows. It just hit 100K back in the fall on our South Dakota road trip.


I'd like to replace the forester with a GS350 or something comfortable and a bit faster, but, it's just been so damn reliable and has great visibility and is light and a pleasure to drive, that I more or less will keep it another number of years probably ....
 

bfun_x1

Senior member
May 29, 2015
475
155
116
If you like the CX-9 you should check out the Acura MDX. It feels very similar CX-9 but it has more interior room. A 2014 is around $25k.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
If you like the CX-9 you should check out the Acura MDX. It feels very similar CX-9 but it has more interior room. A 2014 is around $25k.
My coworker has one. It fit 3 adults in the back fairly easily but still tight.

So my wife had to go to Boston for the weekend and rented an SUV to take since it is/was supposed to snow. She ended up in an Atlas and said she really likes it. I know VW has been sketchy lately...I imagine the long term reliability still not great?
 

bfun_x1

Senior member
May 29, 2015
475
155
116
My coworker has one. It fit 3 adults in the back fairly easily but still tight.

So my wife had to go to Boston for the weekend and rented an SUV to take since it is/was supposed to snow. She ended up in an Atlas and said she really likes it. I know VW has been sketchy lately...I imagine the long term reliability still not great?

You're in the same place we were a few months ago. My wife had a 2005 Pilot which we both loved but reliability was becoming an issue. I really wanted another new pilot but she was tired of having to drive the "soccer Mom family car". She wanted something more sporty or car like. We only have two kids of our own but our parents visit a lot and we car pool other kids. We needed a third row vehicle. She loved the CX-9 but I felt it was too small. At 6'5" I didn't fit well in the driver seat and other adults would be slightly uncomfortable in the back seat. I never considered getting a premium brand vehicle but the MDX had everything that my wife liked about the CX-9 plus it was bigger. We can get 4 adults and two kids in it pretty easily. The only other car that we liked more than the MDX was the brand new Atlas. It's a much bigger vehicle and could fit 7 adults pretty easy. We test drove it right after it came out so it didn't have any reliability data. That worried me a little. Ultimately we decided we weren't ready to buy a new vehicle but I'm still thinking that the Atlas will be at the top of our list the next time we shop.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
Yeah I pretty much worry about buying anything non-asian, as racist as that kind of seems. My wife's last 2 cars were a Ford and now a Chevy and both have had major drive train or electrical issues. I on the other hand, have had Subaru, then Hyundai, now Mazda, and have driven probably a combined 250k between all 3 cars and have had 0 major issues.

American, German...basically anything not from Japan/Korea scares me. My buddy got a CPO Bimmer a few years back and that only lasted about 3 years for him until he had replaced the coils for the 3rd time... he decided to trade it in for a Lexus.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
How is the search going?
Still on going. I was going to go to auto zone this weekend to get my CEL diagnosed but looks like we might get up to 8 inches of snow, so that may not happen.

Also, did a quick "best 3 row family suv" and a Chevy was #1, so I may check that one out as well. Only issue is I'm definitely looking along the lines of a used car maybe 3-4 years old already, so the 2019 data isn't super relevant. My wife has a Chevy and it's not been the best. Littered with electrical issues.
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,066
1,550
126
Still on going. I was going to go to auto zone this weekend to get my CEL diagnosed but looks like we might get up to 8 inches of snow, so that may not happen.

Also, did a quick "best 3 row family suv" and a Chevy was #1, so I may check that one out as well. Only issue is I'm definitely looking along the lines of a used car maybe 3-4 years old already, so the 2019 data isn't super relevant. My wife has a Chevy and it's not been the best. Littered with electrical issues.

Their half tons are supposedly pretty good, but, every time I hear Chevy, I think of Mahk ....



 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,511
219
106
Still on going. I was going to go to auto zone this weekend to get my CEL diagnosed but looks like we might get up to 8 inches of snow, so that may not happen.

Also, did a quick "best 3 row family suv" and a Chevy was #1, so I may check that one out as well. Only issue is I'm definitely looking along the lines of a used car maybe 3-4 years old already, so the 2019 data isn't super relevant. My wife has a Chevy and it's not been the best. Littered with electrical issues.

https://www.amazon.com/Autel-MaxiScan-MS300-Diagnostic-Vehicles/dp/B001LHVOVK
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007XE8C74
 
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mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,028
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Personally, I'd hate to spend all that cash on an old SUV that sucks up gas just to haul kids and a dog around to school and the store. Its cold in the winter and that thing will have you at the gas station on a regular basis.

? Larger vehicles tend to have larger gas tanks.

In regards to handling ... My dad's old explorer felt that way and i hated driving it. Something that handles a little better would be nice.

What year Explorer was it? The old body on frame design with leaf springs and solid axle in the back, even worse when torsion bars in the front too, is a world away from the handling of current generation faux-SUVs with independent coil-over struts on all 4 corners, lower profile tires, and a lower center of gravity.
 

killster1

Banned
Mar 15, 2007
6,208
475
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A Highlander is definitely worth looking at. A Kia Sorento as well since it has a 100,000 mile power train warrenty.
everyone is saying higlander, yea they are cool but they are not as big as a honda pilot. The gas milage might be a little worse usually on the toyota's as well. KIA well id stay away from any kia personally, my friends all thought they would be great and now are plauged with engine rebuild recalls and other things not expected. every car should go 100,000 so the warranty to 100,000 sounds pointless. I will eventually be on the look out for the new 4runner or another pilot and some kinda cargo carrier to attach to the trailer hitch *maybe you can put your dog back there in a cage :p hahaha) Ya 125,000 check engine should be your emissions in some form nothing to wrry about and a blutooth obII sensor would be nice to have.
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,066
1,550
126
everyone is saying higlander, yea they are cool but they are not as big as a honda pilot. The gas milage might be a little worse usually on the toyota's as well. KIA well id stay away from any kia personally, my friends all thought they would be great and now are plauged with engine rebuild recalls and other things not expected. every car should go 100,000 so the warranty to 100,000 sounds pointless. I will eventually be on the look out for the new 4runner or another pilot and some kinda cargo carrier to attach to the trailer hitch *maybe you can put your dog back there in a cage :p hahaha) Ya 125,000 check engine should be your emissions in some form nothing to wrry about and a blutooth obII sensor would be nice to have.
People keep their highlanders longer than people keep their Pilots.

The automatic transmission in the Toyota is made by Aisin, Honda makes their own, and they do not have as good of a reputation.

Highlander long term TCO will likely be less. (but it's speculation, and never known for sure)
The Pilot is a great option too, Anybody in the market, should check out both and see if they have a preference one way or the other.