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- we tend to hike and spend weekends in places w/ no asphalt; however I do see commuting on this vehicle so HW mileage is important
- since we are in Chicago, AWD is must
- cargo area is something that Im used to in Odyssey; don't mind removing row of seats if needed.
- I am 5'11" and 250lbs and can be claustrophobic in smaller cars
- watching budget is important, so we stay away from Acura, Lexus, and Infinity.
Here are some of my finds, feel free to add or dismiss them
- Mazda CX-9
- Buick Enclave
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Ford Explorer
- GMC Acadia
- Hyundai Veracruz
- Subaru SUV is too small
- Being tired of Toyotas and Hondas (we had couple of them), skipping Highlander and Pilot
Thanks for suggestions
OB
Enclave: Nice but gets pricey quick
Jeep: Rented one last month, loved it but it feels a bit tight on the inside (for claustrophobia).
Explorer: Had an '02, started falling apart at 80,000 miles. Wouldn't buy another one.
Acadia: See Enclave (Although I like its styling better)
Hyundai: Good value but to vanilla looking
Just bought a 2012 Pilot Touring, I would really consider checking it out. Very spaceous inside and loaded with features.
I am looking for SUV/crossover to haul 2Adlt + 2Kids + 1 dog. As I mentioned, it won't be a commute car (at least for now), most likely for short vacation, weekends excursions, occasional winter escapes. Honestly, I am tired of driving a miniature coupe, especially in winters. So plenty room for a driver and 4WD are desirable.
I've checked out Mazda CX-9, but my knees keep bumping into the door panel or dashboard console. Looks like even large SUV/crossovers often do not offer enough room for legs so I can keep my knees w/out bruises.
My semi-final list comprises of: Acura MDX, Honda Pilot, Jeep GC. Most likely I would purchase them 2 y old.
Any fresh ideas, critic or suggestion are highly welcomes.
Thanks
oleg
I am 20 years old and in college. I'm majoring in wildlife biology, which requires me to do internships in a variety of wild places. The thing is, some of these internships require me to be able to drive through some pretty rocky roads. Another thing is, most of them don't come with housing so there would be times when I would be sleeping in my car. Ahhh, the wonderful life of a wildlife biologist.
To make a long story short, I'm looking to buy a used car, possibly by the summer, that is rugged enough to go through somewhat rocky terrain and be able to handle the wilderness, and have enough room to possibly kick back and sleep for a night. I have $2500 dollars currently, and I could save $1500 or so more by the time I'm ready to buy.
So in summation, what would be a good car for someone in my position (a broke college student), who needs to be able to drive in some rough conditions?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
-Leo
Late '90s Jeep Cherokee?
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Good ground clearance and you'd be the go-to guy for hauling drugged bears and photography blinds around.
You can find late '90s RAV4s and Explorers and similar SUVs in your price range. I wouldn't be too brand picky - more important is finding a ride that's been maintained. Ask to see service records and find a mechanic now who can do a pre-purchase inspection. That's cheap insurance.
Thus far we are battling rust, paint issues, damaged roof rack, water leaking in, interior creaking and cracking, poor fit and finish, large splashes of adhesive on the body, missing OEM parts, Keys don't work, etc.... The rust issue the dealer just painted over it indicating it is to Nissan standards.
Attempts at contacting anyone with Nissan has yielded no results over the past few weeks. Nissan is willing to send out survey after survey asking how you feel about your experience and how you lie the new vehicle. Nissan could do themselves a favor dealing with customer service resolving issues. I'm expecting another survey any day now all while we are out of a vehicle. If you in the market for a new vehicle please do your self a large favor and consider any other vehicle brand than Nissan. If Nissan wants to keep market share in the US then try resolving customer issues.
We have owned in the past (before we leased these vehicles) (2) Xterra's and a Pathfinder LE. We loved these vehicles but since we lived in TX when we bought them, we didn't have 4x4's only 4x2. Then we relocated to the east coast and needed to have 4x4. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten rid of them.
Since we're turning in our leased vehicles in a year, we've been thinking about getting another Xterra (lease). I contacted one of our local dealers and he said they didn't have any available for us to look at and he wasn't sure IF the Xterra's were going to be discontinued or not. He said their dealership hasn't gotten any info on what Nissan is doing. When I checked with other dealerships (via internet) around our area, there weren't any on anyone's lots. :confuse: I emailed Nissan and asked if the Xterra was going to be discontinued and I got the standard, "Please contact your dealer....blah, blah, blah".
Needless to say, we don't want to get a vehicle, especially a leased one, that may be discontinued and our residual would be worth nothing!
Have you heard anything about this??
There's about 66 of them within 500 miles of LA and 170 within 500 miles of Chattanooga and about the same number within 500 miles of State College PA, using our inventory search tool.
There's an abundance of 2012's showing up in that search.
I would like to read opinions to make me decide which one I need to buy.
These are the requirements I want from the car:
Reliability
Decent gas mileage
Safety
Comfortable seating for 5
and no more than 35,000
Any help will be really appreciate.
I would like to read opinions to make me decide which one I need to buy.
These are the requirements I want from the car: "
If you are considering more kids, I'd get a van instead of an SUV. Way more practical and fuel efficient for the room provided.
I am thinking about Honda CRV...what do you think about this car?
When I test drove the Mazda CX5 GT, it's very awesome, good enough for day to day driving, especially driving on the freeway in the 2.5 engine model! I did not even bother test driving the other vehicles such as (RAV4, CRV, Escape and etc) they look like an "older person" vehicle, plain looking to me...
Not to sound too conceited but much rather show off/be seen in this Mazda than any other competitor in this class. So to other "young drivers" like myself, this SUV is the way to go.
I have so many ideas and mods to install once I purchase the 2015 next year. Hello to every CX-5 owner btw
made by Ford, GM, or Chrysler because they generally cost less than similar Asian
models. I just finished reading a lengthy review about the 2013 Ford Escape. There
are four versions: S-SE-SEL-Escape Titanium. The reviewer described the horrors of
"MyFordTouch" and a verbally abusive voice command system. He suggested the
basic "S" model as the only choice that won't make you crazy!
If possible, I'd like a 4-cylinder engine. The price of gas could double or triple in the
the next five years. (If I find a great deal on a 6-cylinder, I'm not going to worry
that much about the price of gas.)
A decent roof rack is important. I ocassionally buy small quantities of lumber. SUVs
with a square (slightly curved) roof seem to have the most functional racks. Many of
the sharply curved roofs have "faux" racks that appear to be added as decoration,
like old fashioned hood ornaments.
If you know a lot about SUVs, I need your recommendation for a medium size SUV
that doesn't suck gas like an elephant's trunk. It must have a usable roof rack.
My sister is devoted to Honda, so buying a foreign or domestic SUV is ok with me.
I have a shoulder issue with my right shoulder and am looking for a compact SUV with a comfortable center console. I was hoping to get a Ford escape, but the center console does not extend far enough forward towards the steering will, so I cannot rest my arm on it comfortably while driving.
We also tried driving a Chevrolet equinox, and surprisingly found the steering to be a bit more stiff than the Ford. I would also like easy steering (so that it's easy to turn the wheel with my hurt shoulder).
Does anyone have any suggestions for a 2013 or 2014 compact SUV with easy steering and a comfortable center console armrest? Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Kevin
Escape falls under SMALL CUV/SUV category. Your best bet is to look into the "small" category if you want stick with a 4cyl engine.
If you want Medium that's like Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander, Nissan Pathfinder. (Also others out there and most are all V6s, except for Toyota Highlander 4cyl & Hybrid)
Think about an Acadia. Doesn't seem to be a supersize like a Suburban. But it's certainly roomy and can hold eight adults if you skip the captain's chairs.
Then there's something like the Forester. It's an SUV right? Or is it just a tall wagon? We call it an SUV.
Large is like a Ford Expedition/EL, Chevy Tahoe/Suburban, GMC Yukon/XL, Nissan Armada, Toyota Sequoia.
I'd say an Escape is a medium sized SUV/CUV while a SMALL one would be a Juke, Cuntryman, Tucson, Encore, Impreza, Just Saying.
Here are my requirements (I put quiet and comfort at top because I drive a LOT for my job):
1. Quiet cabin at highway speed
2. Comfortable, comfortable, comfortable seats (for small person)
3. Capability to haul lots of stuff & my dog (all inside the cabin)
4. Good on snow and ice (including occasional tall drifts)
5. I won't die if I hit the occasional deer or other animal that jumps out in front of me unexpectedly
6. Reliable (won't leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere)
7. Brushes off gravel roads (okay on rocks)
8. All Weather Package
And, here are wishlist items:
1. Heated wheel
2. Nav
3. Would love to be able to opt-out of third row seating for storage space instead
4. Blind spot monitoring
5. Diesel or decent fuel mileage
Here are two that came close (if only I could merge them into one car):
1. Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2012, base engine. Handled and drove just okay. Lots of blind spots. Low on storage/interior space compared to how large it felt. However, great for offroad.
2. Volvo XC60 T6, 2014. Loved this car, but worried about offroad capability and it was $10,000 more than I wanted to spend.
Would appreciate recommendations of other vehicles to try.
Budget: around $35,000 or less (new or used)