will be buying an SUV within the year

[amish]

ok, so i'm pretty sure that i'll be buying a used SUV within the next 12 months. if the price is right i would consider buying one sooner. i would like an SUV that could haul me, the wife, a kid, two semi-large dogs, and our junk on a weeks vacation.

i like the grand cherokee and the wife likes the honda pilot. what else should we be including? our price range is up to 20K.

i'd also like to research the maintenance costs on the vehicles and i haven't found a site for it. does anyone have one?

 

[kevman]

i like the 2005+ pathfinder myself. fold down rear seats, 79 cubic feet of cargo space with two rear rows folded down, and nissan's crappy resale value = excellent deals to be had

 

[dirtboy]

My GC Overland is off lease in Aug, you're welcome to buy it for the buy out price.

I love my GC. Other than poor gas mileage it's a wonderful SUV. Can't comment on maintenance, as I've not even had it two years, but it has been completely trouble free. Dunno if that is the case with all newer Jeeps or not.

 

[amish]

Originally posted by: dirtboy
My GC Overland is off lease in Aug, you're welcome to buy it for the buy out price.

if only you weren't kidding and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. that is a very nice vehicle.

 

[HannibalX]

I have an Explorer 4x4 and love it. It's a 2002 and has been very reliable.

IMO there is no reason to buy an SUV that is based on a car and/or mini-van (which are often based on cars) chassis.

 

[MyThirdEye]

Originally posted by: kevman
i like the 2005+ pathfinder myself. fold down rear seats, 79 cubic feet of cargo space with two rear rows folded down, and nissan's crappy resale value = excellent deals to be had

Are you able to turn the 4x4 off? My friends mom has a Jeep Commander and can turn it off for better gas mileage.

 

[HannibalX]

Most modern trucks and SUVs have an "auto" setting where the front wheels only engage when the rear wheels slip which is for daily driving. My Explorer has this function.

 

[Strk]

I'd take a look at the redesigned Saturn Vue. It's a great looking SUV. The size might not be enough for you though.

 

[bpjz24]

Just want to add my 0.2 a friend of my daughters tried out a new ford Escape, drove off the lot, was away from lot about 10 minutes, called lot to come get them because the car wouldn't move, mechanic went to retrieve it, transmission went out, now tht is pretty good, one tranny every 10 minutes..

 

[HannibalX]

Did you tell your "friend's" daughter shifting into reverse at 45 mph can cause problems?

Now, tell us how much she loves her new Toyota.

 

[desy]

suck it bpjz24
Your anecdotal story is useless

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: bpjz24
Just want to add my 0.2

you paid 0.18c too much.

 

[dirtboy]

Originally posted by: amish

Originally posted by: dirtboy
My GC Overland is off lease in Aug, you're welcome to buy it for the buy out price.

if only you weren't kidding and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. that is a very nice vehicle.

I'm not kidding. I have a two year lease on a silver GC Overland 4x2. I'll be slightly over the 24k miles, but all maintenance is done and other than a few small scratches on the rear bumper it's in excellent shape. Leased it for 30k, with a buy out at around 20k.

 

[rh71]

Not a fan of its looks in the least, but an '05-'06 Honda Pilot is a good bet for that price/purpose. Maybe it's just me but if I'm buying used, I want dependability first.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Coworker of mine (before I got laid off) really liked his trailblazer 4x4, had it for a few years and only one minor issue (idler pulley started making noise, cheap and easy fix). Comes in an EXT version which is longer to hold more cargo too if the standard body isn't big enough. I don't have any personal experience with an SUV though.

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
Coworker of mine (before I got laid off) really liked his trailblazer 4x4, had it for a few years and only one minor issue (idler pulley started making noise, cheap and easy fix). Comes in an EXT version which is longer to hold more cargo too if the standard body isn't big enough. I don't have any personal experience with an SUV though.

You could probably get a great deal on a new one. GM discontinued it and all the Trailblazer clones, so they definitely want to get rid of all of them to make room for their new SUVs like the Traverse. Hell, it's the only SUV they're offering 0% financing on.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Oh? Didn't know that, it is still on their site.

 

[kevman]

Originally posted by: MyThirdEye

Originally posted by: kevman
i like the 2005+ pathfinder myself. fold down rear seats, 79 cubic feet of cargo space with two rear rows folded down, and nissan's crappy resale value = excellent deals to be had

Are you able to turn the 4x4 off? My friends mom has a Jeep Commander and can turn it off for better gas mileage.

YEs, theres two types of 4WD systems ( full time and manual), and on both you can turn it off

 

[kevman]

Originally posted by: iFX
Did you tell your "friend's" daughter shifting into reverse at 45 mph can cause problems?

Now, tell us how much she loves her new Toyota.

It's a ford, that story is highly possible.

 

[kevman]

Originally posted by: bpjz24
Just want to add my 0.2 a friend of my daughters tried out a new ford Escape, drove off the lot, was away from lot about 10 minutes, called lot to come get them because the car wouldn't move, mechanic went to retrieve it, transmission went out, now tht is pretty good, one tranny every 10 minutes..

sounds like a more like 90's Ford Taurus to me. Glad to see that they have improved their transmissions in the last two decades.

 

[dug777]

My personal experience is limited to the Toyota Prado, which I don't believe they sell in the US (although I think your FJ is based on it?).

Would recommend to anyone if I was wrong about that (folks and bro have the old body-shape, some family friends have the new one, all three take them everywhere and swear by them).

 

[JDub02]

From Edmunds.com .. Used Car Best Bets

Compact SUV/Crossover: 2005-2006 Chevrolet Equinox
A dark horse in this segment, the Chevrolet Equinox provides a roomy cabin, comfortable seating, peppy performance and decent fuel mileage. The cabin features split second-row seats that can also slide fore and aft. With 8 inches of adjustment, one can adjust those seats for more legroom or more cargo room as needs dictate. Other attributes of the Equinox include solid reliability, high crash test scores and favorable pricing due to its out-of-the-spotlight status.

Midsize SUV/Crossover: 2004-2006 Mitsubishi Endeavor
After winning an Edmunds' comparison test, the Endeavor won us over again as a reliable and comfortable addition to our long-term fleet. Peppy performance, carlike ride and handling, solid build quality and good crash test scores make the Endeavor a fine choice for a family vehicle. Though some shoppers may bemoan the lack of a third-row seat option, there is no denying its value proposition for families of four or five, as the Endeavor is typically thousands less than the more popular picks in this category.

Large SUV/Crossover: 2001-2006 Chevrolet Tahoe
Strong performance, a comfortable ride and attractive styling are a few of the Tahoe's assets. Others include a roomy cabin that can seat up to nine and fairly nimble handling for such a bulky vehicle. A Tahoe equipped with the torque-rich 5.3-liter V8 is a good choice for towing duty.

I can't comment much on the above vehicles.
SUV's that myself or family have owned:
1994 & 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee (both mine in the past) - Great vehicles. Nothing in common with current generation Grand Cherokee, however.
2007 Chysler Aspen (my father's) - A polished up Dodge Durango. Drives great. Very comfortable with lots of room. My Dad picked this up with 7k on the odometer. Been pretty good for him so far. The Hemi has lots of oomph and gets half decent mileage for what it is (ginormous SUV).

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: iFX
I have an Explorer 4x4 and love it. It's a 2002 and has been very reliable.

IMO there is no reason to buy an SUV that is based on a car and/or mini-van (which are often based on cars) chassis.

And IMO unless you are doing heavy towing or serious off road use which a fraction of SUV buyers are doing, then a car based SUV is a far superior choice.

They offer better milage, better step in/out hights, better road manners, better turning radiuses, and often have much lower rollover rates than traditional truck based SUV's.

It's a much better vehicle for a majority of drivers and their purposes.

 

[bpjz24]

To those who flame me and my post, the post is true, was offered just to inform of one specific case of a new ford crapping out during a test drive, that is all. I don't know what the problem is with you people on here that reply with only flame's, seems to me you have the only crap that doesn't smell syndrome. So just want to say to you, flame, make jokes, whatever you want, i am one who doesn't give a flying _____ what you say. And will not argue with you about it. So if you reply to this post, have at it, you will get no response Have a good day..

 

[JDub02]

Originally posted by: bpjz24
To those who flame me and my post, the post is true, was offered just to inform of one specific case of a new ford crapping out during a test drive, that is all. I don't know what the problem is with you people on here that reply with only flame's, seems to me you have the only crap that doesn't smell syndrome. So just want to say to you, flame, make jokes, whatever you want, i am one who doesn't give a flying _____ what you say. And will not argue with you about it. So if you reply to this post, have at it, you will get no response Have a good day..

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