Need New/Used SUV/4 door Pickup recommendation for friend

[MichaelD]

A single female (with 2 year old kid) recently got into a wreck (hit by drunk driver, not her fault). Her large SUV was totaled, but she and the kid were unhurt, thank goodness.

Legal issues aside, she needs a new ride NOW. Yes, she's retained legal counsel and is suing the drunkass, but she needs a ride NOW and money is an issue.

She needs a large SUV/Pickup (period...big tonnage saves lives when hit) but money is in short supply.

She has good credit, but money is in short supply.

Please recommend ANY (American or other) SUV or 4-door pickup based on reliability and price/value issues.

Thanks very much.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Why does she need a large SUV? Tell her to buy a Jeep Cherokee or Grand Cherokee. The unibody is safer in a crash than a body on frame.

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
Why does she need a large SUV? Tell her to buy a Jeep Cherokee or Grand Cherokee. The unibody is safer in a crash than a body on frame.

Damn...I really don't want to get into this...

On Tuesday, she was hit (T-boned) by a drunk in a small Mitsu rental doing about 50MPH. Truck is totalled. Passenger side floorpan is up by the transmission tunnel. But she and baby are fine.

2.5 tons of metal > 1.5 tons of plastic. Period.

She won't buy anything but at this point...can u blame her?

 

[Crucial]

Tahoes are going pretty cheap now. Great truck.

 

[Alienwho]

You can probably find a durango for cheap also.

 

[Mermaidman]

How about a used big-American-car? My Olds Aurora weighs probably close to 4000 lbs.

edit: Don't cars have more stringent safety standards than trucks? Lower center of gravity too. Hence recommendation for car if she is concerned about safety.

 

[MichaelD]

Thanks guys. Keep'em coming. We're talking about a Texas girl here. It's Truck or nuthin'.

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
How about a used big-American-car? My Olds Aurora weighs probably close to 4000 lbs.

edit: Don't cars have more stringent safety standards than trucks? Lower center of gravity too. Hence recommendation for car if she is concerned about safety.

Car that hit her hit right dead center of the passenger side, right on the door sill/floorpan. Floor/side of the truck absorbed the impact. Higher up = better in this case. Yeah, the truck has a higher center of gravity, blah, blah, but in this case the higher driver/passenger seating position was much better!

 

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: MichaelD

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
Why does she need a large SUV? Tell her to buy a Jeep Cherokee or Grand Cherokee. The unibody is safer in a crash than a body on frame.

Damn...I really don't want to get into this...

On Tuesday, she was hit (T-boned) by a drunk in a small Mitsu rental doing about 50MPH. Truck is totalled. Passenger side floorpan is up by the transmission tunnel. But she and baby are fine.

2.5 tons of metal > 1.5 tons of plastic. Period.

She won't buy anything but at this point...can u blame her?

Did you not read my post where I suggested a Jeep? Is a 4100lb SUV not heavy enough?

The WJ only got 3 stars frontal impact, but 4 and 5 stars for front and rear occupant side impact: http://www.internetautoguide.com/crash-...nt/2001/jeep/grand-cherokee/index.html
I think you can attribute that to the fact that the load bearing structure of the vehicle surrounds the occupants.

 

[ponyo]

Used Tahoe and Navigator are pretty cheap.

 

[jpeyton]

See me ridin' in the Esss-ka-laid.

 

[vi edit]

99'ish Tahoe. Can be had with moderate miles (under 75k) for under $10,000. The 5.7 in them run forever and they are actually fairly decent milage wise (21'ish highway). Comfortable and easy to drive.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi Quad Cab 2006 Auto Air = $20K new from dealerships in my hood.

Ford F150 Ext Cab
Nissan Titan Ext Cab

both under $20K as well

Crash test ratings have continued to increase so if that is what she is concerned about I would tell her to buy something newer. The differences from just 1 previous generation to the current gen is huge

 

[Syringer]

My '02 Explorer which I love can be had for less than $10k nowadays, and you can probably find them cheap since the new models just came out.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi Quad Cab 2006 Auto Air = $20K new from dealerships in my hood.

Yep, I paid a bit less than that for a 4x4 standard cab. :thumbsup: Cannot beat the price for a new truck.

 

[sniperruff]

you don't want large, you want a safe car

volvo XC90.