Recommend to me a SUV for hauling and 3 rows of seats

[JimKiler]

My wife drives a Mazda CX-7 (2011) and I drive a Mazda Protege5 (2003). I have 171K miles on my car and it is rusting, has never had the clutch replaced but I think that will go soon. I also have a catalytic converter that has been melting down for over 1.5 years. When we bought the CX-7 we got the base model without a turbo and thank god since the turbo's have issues while my wife's is reliable so far.

So to replace my Protege 5 i want something for 3 rows of seating and can haul more cargo than the CX-7 which is not a lot. We also go camping several times in the summer so being able to haul 5,000 pounds is the other requirement. My wife likes GM cars and I don't trust them. I like the look of the Ford Flex but still am unsure about any American car for reliability. Go ahead and make me a recommendation on what to buy, either new or slightly used. With the way used car prices have climbed in the last 10 years i am not sure if it is a good deal to buy used.

 

[jlee]

100-series Landcruiser / Lexus LX470.

#1 on ExpeditionPortal

Also #1 from Yahoo Autos, fwiw.

Terrible fuel economy. Bulletproof everything else.

 

[NutBucket]

If you really need towing ability I'd go with jlee's suggestion. While a unibody vehicle can tow 5k I'd really prefer a full frame + V8 to get the job done well.

How big is your camper?

 

[herm0016]

a cruiser is a great choice, but if you want something.... less cruiser... better ride, better fuel econ, less desire to climb the Himalayas.... The gm suv family is quite good, Arcadia, traverse/ enclave, or an explorer? There is little quality difference in the suv market between gm/ford/toyota

also finding a 100 series/lx470 for a reasonable price will be much harder than the above. and if you are looking at new, a 200 series/lx570 is well north of $80k.

 

[jaha2000]

Does the camper weigh 5K?
Could toss the last gen 4 runner in the mix. That was available with the same v8 as the 100 series landcruiser, its smaller though as the 3rd row will be a kid only operation.

FWIW. I crossed shoped the flex when i ended up bying my Tundra. I was on the fence about SUV vs Truck. If your using it as a people mover, the flex is the best option out there short of a minivan. The inside is huge, and the turbo v-6 with the AWD makes it a pretty speedy rig. For towing, i ended up with the truck.

 

[Denly]

Rover LR3 great car, get the 2008 and up.

Have one.

 

[JimKiler]

100-series Landcruiser / Lexus LX470.

#1 on ExpeditionPortal

Also #1 from Yahoo Autos, fwiw.

Terrible fuel economy. Bulletproof everything else.

Ouch, my wife and I are stingy accountants and are looking to at the $30-$40K range. Actually i am looking at that range, my wife does not want to spend more than $30K but unless we go used that will be impossible.

If you really need towing ability I'd go with jlee's suggestion. While a unibody vehicle can tow 5k I'd really prefer a full frame + V8 to get the job done well.

How big is your camper?

Does the camper weigh 5K?
Could toss the last gen 4 runner in the mix. That was available with the same v8 as the 100 series landcruiser, its smaller though as the 3rd row will be a kid only operation.

FWIW. I crossed shoped the flex when i ended up bying my Tundra. I was on the fence about SUV vs Truck. If your using it as a people mover, the flex is the best option out there short of a minivan. The inside is huge, and the turbo v-6 with the AWD makes it a pretty speedy rig. For towing, i ended up with the truck.

My in laws have an old 70's pop up that is like 1200 pounds and another that is more but under 5,000 lbs. But my father in law says that just because you can tow 5,000 lbs does not mean it is good for the engine and vehicle. He has a Trailblazer and bought a Silverado to haul the newer camper. While i would like that kind of hauling power i still want a daily driver so i would like something that can occasionally haul a 3k-4K lbs camper. I really should see how much their camper weighs.

Also another neighbor has a pop up that weighs 2400 lbs and therefore i figure i want something that can do more than 2,500 so it is more than capable and not stressing the vehicle.

 

[jaha2000]

Ouch, my wife and I are stingy accountants and are looking to at the $30-$40K range. Actually i am looking at that range, my wife does not want to spend more than $30K but unless we go used that will be impossible.





My in laws have an old 70's pop up that is like 1200 pounds and another that is more but under 5,000 lbs. But my father in law says that just because you can tow 5,000 lbs does not mean it is good for the engine and vehicle. He has a Trailblazer and bought a Silverado to haul the newer camper. While i would like that kind of hauling power i still want a daily driver so i would like something that can occasionally haul a 3k-4K lbs camper. I really should see how much their camper weighs.

Also another neighbor has a pop up that weighs 2400 lbs and therefore i figure i want something that can do more than 2,500 so it is more than capable and not stressing the vehicle.

Most things unibody will tow 2500 without much fuss. You start getting up into the 4-5K type of number and its going to labor. I can feel our 4k camper back there even on my Tundra.
One thing to keep in mind is that not all campers are created equal. You will feel the 3K travel trailer a WHOLE lot more than a 3K popup becauase of the front surface area you are trying to move though the wind. I didnt even see my MPG drop on my trundra towing the 1500LB popup we used to have. The truck was basically bigger than the popup and cut all the wind. I could not tell it was back there. Our camper we have now is a GVWR of 4200 LBS. But is a hybrid trailer. Still way under the limit (10K) but mpg is cut by 1/3 and the truck labors a lot more pulling that giant brick though the wind.
I too am a big fan of saftey factor when towing. In theory a unibody SUV could tow my camper i have now. There is now way i would do it as that thing would be working to death trying to tow it. Plus i have bigger brakes, heavier suspension, ect ect.

 

[jlee]

Ouch, my wife and I are stingy accountants and are looking to at the $30-$40K range. Actually i am looking at that range, my wife does not want to spend more than $30K but unless we go used that will be impossible.





My in laws have an old 70's pop up that is like 1200 pounds and another that is more but under 5,000 lbs. But my father in law says that just because you can tow 5,000 lbs does not mean it is good for the engine and vehicle. He has a Trailblazer and bought a Silverado to haul the newer camper. While i would like that kind of hauling power i still want a daily driver so i would like something that can occasionally haul a 3k-4K lbs camper. I really should see how much their camper weighs.

Also another neighbor has a pop up that weighs 2400 lbs and therefore i figure i want something that can do more than 2,500 so it is more than capable and not stressing the vehicle.

Ah, apologies - I thought you were looking used; example: http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/5200547788.html

I love my GX470. 3 rows, 6500lbs tow capacity, body on frame (based on the Prado chassis). It's a little smaller than an LX470. Again they aren't new (current new one is the GX460), but if you want a comfortable truck that'll seat 8 (albeit tightly) and can tow 3 tons, and still handle offroad stuff as well as a 4Runner, it's an excellent choice. Get one with KDSS (which came with the sport package) and it corners suprisingly flat due to massive swaybars.

If you're occasionally towing 3-4k lbs, most SUVs should be fine. I generally stick to used Toyotas because I can sell them for close to (or more than) what I paid when I'm ready for something else, and they run forever. My '99 Tacoma was sold with ~283k on it. My '97 LX450 had ~213k. My '07 GX470 has about 108k and I have no plans to sell for a long, long time.

 

[JimKiler]

Ah, apologies - I thought you were looking used; example: http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/5200547788.html

I love my GX470. 3 rows, 6500lbs tow capacity, body on frame (based on the Prado chassis). It's a little smaller than an LX470. Again they aren't new (current new one is the GX460), but if you want a comfortable truck that'll seat 8 (albeit tightly) and can tow 3 tons, and still handle offroad stuff as well as a 4Runner, it's an excellent choice. Get one with KDSS (which came with the sport package) and it corners suprisingly flat due to massive swaybars.

If you're occasionally towing 3-4k lbs, most SUVs should be fine. I generally stick to used Toyotas because I can sell them for close to (or more than) what I paid when I'm ready for something else, and they run forever. My '99 Tacoma was sold with ~283k on it. My '97 LX450 had ~213k. My '07 GX470 has about 108k and I have no plans to sell for a long, long time.

No need to apologize, I am willing to look at used but at a starting new price of $80K i am not optimistic on buying one even used. That link is for one with almost 100K miles on it. But you did get me thinking the 4runner might be a good SUV.

 

[JimKiler]

Ah, apologies - I thought you were looking used; example: http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/5200547788.html

I love my GX470. 3 rows, 6500lbs tow capacity, body on frame (based on the Prado chassis). It's a little smaller than an LX470. Again they aren't new (current new one is the GX460), but if you want a comfortable truck that'll seat 8 (albeit tightly) and can tow 3 tons, and still handle offroad stuff as well as a 4Runner, it's an excellent choice. Get one with KDSS (which came with the sport package) and it corners suprisingly flat due to massive swaybars.

If you're occasionally towing 3-4k lbs, most SUVs should be fine. I generally stick to used Toyotas because I can sell them for close to (or more than) what I paid when I'm ready for something else, and they run forever. My '99 Tacoma was sold with ~283k on it. My '97 LX450 had ~213k. My '07 GX470 has about 108k and I have no plans to sell for a long, long time.

Sounds like a 2500 towing weight might be fine if I only do a popup. I am not sure when if we will use the in laws full camper again and last time we used their Silverado. I personally care about MPG as my 3 vehicles have all gotten around 30MPG average. I also don't want to a buy that can handle one weekend of camping but we keep doing more camping the last few years. Also i have no interest in buying a camper, pop up or not, but it might happen anyway.

 

[LTC8K6]

Dodge Durango has 3 rows.

 

[jlee]

No need to apologize, I am willing to look at used but at a starting new price of $80K i am not optimistic on buying one even used. That link is for one with almost 100K miles on it. But you did get me thinking the 4runner might be a good SUV.

These will easily run past 200k. They are some of the most indestructible vehicles around - ih8mud.com forums and ExpeditionPortal forums will have a lot of information on them (100-series Landcruiser is the category for the 98-07 LX470/Landcruiser). I understand your hesitation, though.

Sounds like a 2500 towing weight might be fine if I only do a popup. I am not sure when if we will use the in laws full camper again and last time we used their Silverado. I personally care about MPG as my 3 vehicles have all gotten around 30MPG average. I also don't want to a buy that can handle one weekend of camping but we keep doing more camping the last few years. Also i have no interest in buying a camper, pop up or not, but it might happen anyway.

I bought mine for this sort of thing, so reliability/durability was very important in my decision. Being as yours will be an occasional camping truck but more of a daily driver, my suggestions may not be highly relevant (and fuel economy is more important for your situation than it is for me).

 

[NutBucket]

After reading more about the trailers I would agree that 2500lb should be OK with a unibody. As others have mentioned, definitely consider GVWR including the tongue weight and all the gear/people. It adds up quick!

 

[JimKiler]

After reading more about the trailers I would agree that 2500lb should be OK with a unibody. As others have mentioned, definitely consider GVWR including the tongue weight and all the gear/people. It adds up quick!

I will have to keep that in mind since camping gear plus 2 kids can fill a vehicle. THanks guys, sounds like anything i buy will work and no one thinks there is a clear winner for my price range.

 

[SithSolo1]

Decent read on Landcrusier/LX470 pricing

Link fail/CopyPasta: http://oppositelock. kinja .com/why-the-toyota-land-cruiser-is-so-expensive-1715003811
Remove the spaces around kinja

 

[skyking]

We have a three row Honda Pilot that easily towed our 2500# popup trailer. They are rated at 3500. It has one of the wider interiors, making the second row nice. It does not do well with fuel IMO, but your combination of needs is going to make that difficult.

 

[_Rick_]

Maybe you can get an ugly but mechanically fine Q7 for that budget?
Not sure if you got the Diesel in the US, but that's supposedly a decent towing unibody-SUV.

 

[mmntech]

Jlee's got that mad money.

I always liked driving the V6 Kia Sorrento/Hyundai Tucson. Though IIRC, they don't have much space in the back if you have the third row up. Hyundais are very well equipped for what you pay and seem to be fairly reliable.

Drove a lot of Acadia/Traverses back in the day too. They're not bad for a GM. Sparse, cheap plastic interiors. Crap cloth seats. Good space in the back though with the third row up. Once raced an F-150 in one and won. Dude was might ornery when we got to the next stop light.

 

[jlee]

Jlee's got that mad money.

I always liked driving the V6 Kia Sorrento/Hyundai Tucson. Though IIRC, they don't have much space in the back if you have the third row up. Hyundais are very well equipped for what you pay and seem to be fairly reliable.

Drove a lot of Acadia/Traverses back in the day too. They're not bad for a GM. Sparse, cheap plastic interiors. Crap cloth seats. Good space in the back though with the third row up. Once raced an F-150 in one and won. Dude was might ornery when we got to the next stop light.

Haha, I wish (I don't buy new). I paid $18,400 for my '07 GX470 (January 2015) and $7200 for my '97 LX450 (March 2014, IIRC). They'll outlast cockroaches come Armageddon.

I'm really tempted to look at ~$8k LX470's for my winter beater but I really don't want 13mpg on a daily driver.

I find it amusing that people are worried about 100k on a Landcruiser.
400k+
http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/post-your-high-mileage-100-series.270848/page-18

They're not throwaway trucks.

 

[NutBucket]

IMHO you got a good deal on the GX.

 

[jlee]

Thanks! It was really clean, and also has the Sport package (most importantly has KDSS, plus black wood interior vs brown). I am very pleased with it. I would recommend one in a heartbeat if the OP didn't want better fuel economy (I got 17-18mpg highway on the way home from Albuquerque).

 

[NutBucket]

Yeah, hard to imagine something getting worse mileage than our Acadia. Amazingly that huge beast could do about 22 on the highway even being AWD.

 

[JimKiler]

Thanks! It was really clean, and also has the Sport package (most importantly has KDSS, plus black wood interior vs brown). I am very pleased with it. I would recommend one in a heartbeat if the OP didn't want better fuel economy (I got 17-18mpg highway on the way home from Albuquerque).

Haha, I wish (I don't buy new). I paid $18,400 for my '07 GX470 (January 2015) and $7200 for my '97 LX450 (March 2014, IIRC). They'll outlast cockroaches come Armageddon.

I'm really tempted to look at ~$8k LX470's for my winter beater but I really don't want 13mpg on a daily driver.

I find it amusing that people are worried about 100k on a Landcruiser.
400k+
http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/post-your-high-mileage-100-series.270848/page-18

They're not throwaway trucks.

That is impressive and looks like a good off road vehicle with the pinnacle of reliability. But until i win the lottery i will not use it for a daily commute.

My wife and i will be looking at the following:

• Ford Flex (probably skip the Explorer since it is more popular and more expensive) Also i actually like the look and as stated above roomy interior.
• Mazda CX-9 (i love Mazda, but i don't think this is for me, and on the lower end of MPG against competitors
• Chevy Traverse (mostly the same as Acadia so i would stick to the cheaper Traverse)
• Toyota Highlander (has 3 rows and towing but maybe too small, although the cargo space does not seem any worse than competition)
• Honda Pilot (seems nice and two of my neighbors already bought this vehicle in the last 2 years, i have heard Honda v6 engines in accord are bad, is that a different engine than the Pilot?)

 

[jaha2000]

That is impressive and looks like a good off road vehicle with the pinnacle of reliability. But until i win the lottery i will not use it for a daily commute.

My wife and i will be looking at the following:

• Ford Flex (probably skip the Explorer since it is more popular and more expensive) Also i actually like the look and as stated above roomy interior.
• Mazda CX-9 (i love Mazda, but i don't think this is for me, and on the lower end of MPG against competitors
• Chevy Traverse (mostly the same as Acadia so i would stick to the cheaper Traverse)
• Toyota Highlander (has 3 rows and towing but maybe too small, although the cargo space does not seem any worse than competition)
• Honda Pilot (seems nice and two of my neighbors already bought this vehicle in the last 2 years, i have heard Honda v6 engines in accord are bad, is that a different engine than the Pilot?)

My buddy has a pilot with the V6 oil consumption issues. Hes having a hard time dealing with the shop and honda about it, seems like a big PITA.
The highlander was another i cross shopped, its super nice. The 3rd row is a bit on the small side, better in the new gen though.
I was in a similar boat of you as i mentioned above, if you are really concerned about space the Flex is the hands down winner of what you have listed. They are not cheap though keep that in mind.