Suggestions on a SUV?

TurnerIII

TurnerIII

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Jul 20, 2005
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Ok - I know I will get lots of input on this one - but I am currently in the market for an SUV. I live in minnesota and get some snow... I will not be doing too much off roading crazyness - but do want an all wheel/4 wheel drive SUV with enough roon in the back seat for two 6' tall sons, and some space for storage. 3 row seating is not necessary. I do want some zoom potential for traffic ....

Other than that - any ideas? Newer is better. But I do expect to go used - so an 05 -07 is my year ball park. Something $22,000 or less is what I am looking to spend - and this is not a WTB post ;)

Your thoughts please :thumbup:

Thanks

Doug
 
If you plan on buying used and will drive it 'til the wheels fall off, buy domestic.
If you plan to buy used and sell it in a couple years, get a Toyota or Nissan as the resale value tends to stick around a bit longer with the Japanese offerings.

My brother-in-law has a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I'm 6' 2" and fit in the back seat alright. The resale value seems to be on par with other Chrysler products (In the crapper). There are some 4X4 2006 models on eBay for right around your price range.

My personal favorite for small-ish SUV is the Saturn Vue with the Honda V6. Handles well on road, gets good mileage and, again, is DIRT cheap if you buy it used. About $5,000 to $7,000 less than your high end price for an '06.
 
Nissan X Terra. You want one with the new engine (v-6) though which probably means 06 and 07 models.

Phil
 
I would buy my xterra again although there isn't a huge amount of room in the back seat. Definitely get one from '05 and above as they did a major overhaul from the frame to the engine. A used one would definitely be in your price range.
Phatch you beat me to it. The new engines started in '05
 
Thanks guys!

I have a good lead on a 17,000 mile lease Mitsubishi Endeavor LS for under $19,000. Anyone hear much about these?
 
I've been very happy with my '06 Xterra, but the backseat might be a tad small for your needs.
 
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 v8
I have the I6 version and the thing is pretty quick, if you can get it to downshift. I am 6' and have no problem in the backseat.
 
TurnerIII said:
Thanks guys!

I have a good lead on a 17,000 mile lease Mitsubishi Endeavor LS for under $19,000. Anyone hear much about these?
Click to expand...

For what its worth, I had a 1993 Dodge Spirit with a 3.0 Liter Mitsubishi V6. When I traded it in it had 140,000 miles on it and I changed the spark plugs once. original timing belts, alternator, O2 sensors, etc. I changed the oil about every 5,000 miles and it just wouldn't die. The Chrysler transmision went at around 110,000 but the engine was bulletproof.

If I didn't hate the current interiors in Mitsubishi's I'd own one. The dash is cluttered, the controls aren't within reach, there are too many diferent plastic textures... Just very uncomfortable inside. Not user friendly at all but I tend to like ergonomics and easy to use controls as I spend more time inside a vehicle than I do outside.
 
Take a look at the Subaru Forester. All wheel drive; no low range, but sure footed in mud and snow. My son is 6' 3" and could handle the rear seat tho' Mom pulled her seat up a bit. Decent economy too. Good luck !

Mike
 
I've got an old beater {96} yota 4-runner that just won't die. It's got 216 k on the clock and it still drives pretty darn good. wish i'd bought it when it was new. ahgar
 
ahgar said:
I've got an old beater {96} yota 4-runner that just won't die. It's got 216 k on the clock and it still drives pretty darn good. wish i'd bought it when it was new. ahgar
Click to expand...

Ya, but you havejust got to LOVE the USERS!! :D:thumbup:

Keep the info coming guys - I am going out Saturday and I am itching to pull the trigger.

Ya know it is September up here in da-minnesota - we had a pretty good frost der last nigth and tat means the snow she is a-comming!!:eek::mad::rolleyes:
 
Jeeps are comfortable and very capable vehicles, but any I've been around have had major reliability issues.

My folks just bought an 07 Ford Explorer and I'm really impressed with it so far. Plenty of room inside (I'm 6'3" and the back seat isn't bad), has plenty of power, and it rides and handles great. It also has a lot of safety features, and is trimmed out really nicely inside.
It has alot more room than older model explorers I've been in and more power as well. The new automatic transmission seems much tighter and not nearly as sluggish as some of the ones I've driven in the past too. I've always preferred a stick shift, but their explorer drives pretty nice.
 
If you don't need the third row seating, you might also include mid and full size four door pickups. With a topper on the bed you can get good weather/theft resistant storage. Might open up more options to chose from in your area.
 
My wife and I are enjoying our new Suzuki XL7. New redesign on the looks and you could go new with All Wheel Drive in your price range.
 
Matt brings up a good point - reliability. The new Fords are a lot better, and the new Grand Cherokees are too.

In the mid nineties, Cherokees and Grands ran circles around the Exploders in reliability, but it doesn't look like you're going that low on price.

I would be very careful about any vehicle built the last 5 years to ensure the drivetrain is proven, not a new untested design to spice up the product line. Parts availability in some models, American or foreign, is bad to non-existent at the dealer, much less the aftermarket.

The Grand Cherokee has it all there, highly available parts in a time proven design.
 
Honda Pilot, we've got 30,000 on our '04 and it's a terrific vehicle. Not sure how much they are used but they consistently rank up there with the best.

We have had it "off road" on numerous occasions with out a problem. For the gnarly terrain I've got a Rubicon.

Win
 
Another vote for Honda Pilot - cheap, comfortable, economical, reliable, looks good, lots of power, handles good, it's great!
 
chevy Tahoe or GMC Yukon. you can fold the rear seats to make a nice cargo deck for items you don't want getting wet, or with the seats up you have alot of comfortable seating.

My Tahoe is a 2000 with only one rear bench seat, so I can seat 4 adults comfortably or 5 adults if I sqeeze 3 in the back. also with the seat up there is still ample room inside for luggage. I have the Barn door style rear doors (two doors as oposed to the hatchback) so it is easy to load the dog or groceries or other items I choose to load.

Dave
 
I'm a Grand Cherokee fan (drive a 1994 ZJ 4.0) but keep in mind there's no "time proven design." Current WK Grands share little with the previous WJ, and the WJ had major changes from the ZJ. As with many Chrysler products a lot of them have problems with little stuff. HVAC controls, electronic systems, and a certain amount of transmission trouble depending on model. The WK is also much more tuned for on-road performance, so it's given up the solid front axle suspension the previous ones were known for. No classic AMC 4.0 or Chrysler 318/360 in the new ones, either.

In your position if you were going Jeep, I'd see about getting a late (03-04) WJ I6 (slow, maybe you'd want the 4.7 V8) Larado--the stuff they added for the Limited package is trash, and makes for expensive repairs like the heater blend doors. You can also get WJs pretty darn cheap for a 5-year-old V8 truck. But the WK has better on-road manners and it's a newer vehicle, while stil using a nice big solid rear axle.

However, in your pricerange unless you want an SFA suspension I'd see how new a 4Runner or Land Cruiser I could get. Good reliability, crazy resale value. I don't think you can go wrong with either of those. Sure beats Jeep for long-term maintenance.

Nissan X-Terra isn't bad, it's based on the old Pathfinder chassis before it went big and goofy. I personally am not a huge fan, though. Nissan's partnered with Renault.

Honda Pilots, Mitsubishi Endeavors, Toyota Highlanders, etc aren't SUVs. They're 4-wheel drive minivans based on car platforms. If I were getting an SUV I'd want something with truck underpinnings and a selectable transfer case. Otherwise get a 4wd car or wagon.

Subaru Forresters are car based, but it's a small vehicle that fits it well. They're unique in that size class, and I have a soft spot for them. Might be too small depending on what you're doing. Lots of CV joints in the drivetrain, too.

As far as I'm concerned Explorers and Jimmys are just other unremarkable SUVs.
 
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