What Car? Thinking About SUVs

I'm getting towards being in the market for an SUV. Right now I'm driving a 01 Ford Ranger 4.0 4x4. It's ok, but I don't really love it. It's a little heavy, snoozes its way through corners and isn't as easy to see out of as it should be. It's just kind of boring.

4x4 is nice to have - I've got a pretty fair amount of snow to deal with, but I'm open to AWD, or maybe even FWD.

I want something that holds more people than a Ranger, but has big interior space. Ages ago, I had an Isuzu Trooper, which I really liked. It felt light, it was easy to see out of and it bounced over everything in its way. Is there a modern-ish equivalent? I'm hoping for something ~10 years old.

How big do you want to go? How capable do you really want it to be? Full frame toughness a requirement or unibody fwd based SUV just fine? Do you want bells and whistles?
How much do you want to spend?

04 to 08ish Lexus RX 350/330s are cheap now. Lots of creature comforts there.

05+ Nissan Xterra few toys, but tough and capable off road.

4 runner same as above but more features unrelated to off roading. Add Toyota truck tax.

Jeep wrangler ulimited. Chrysler reliability with wrangler tax.

Lots of options..depending what you want it to do....and cost.To many to narrow down, without knowing what you want to do with it.

Tahoe w/a 5.3 00 to 2003 or what ever year is the last before the cylinder shutdown fiasco

In reply to TGMF:

Size-wise, let's say bigger than a CRV and smaller than a Suburban. Seats at least 4.

Unibody is fine. I don't do any real offroading, just drive up the odd icy mountain road or deal with 2' powder drifts a couple days a year.

Let's say sub $10k. I don't really have any must have bells and whistles. I think visibility and some certain je ne c'est quoi about feeling fun or light to drive are my main criteria.

Thinking about it, I've also driven a 2000 Rav4 that was kinda fun. They're just a bit small.

In reply to markwemple:

Is a Tahoe fun to drive? Serious question, I've never driven one. They look like they've got pretty good visibility, and they definitely have the box on wheels vibe.

they just killed the Xterra.. it was the last of the "old school" SUVs.. tough, go through anything, and reasonable to work on. I don't know how they do on gas

I've driven a 00 ford explorer for 12 years now and really like it, just make sure you get the ohv 4.0 and not the sohc. My mom had a sohc and had nothing but problems with it. Plus it somehow felt less powerful and got less mpg.

Between the 3 cars with the ohv engine around here we have almost 800k miles on them.

And as an added benefit they made several million of them so they are cheap to buy and easy to find

2003 to 2008 Toyota 4Runner

In reply to Antihero:

I've got to say, my Ranger has not made me fall in love with the Ford 4.0. You're right about the OHV vs the SOHC, though!

In reply to mad_machine:

I've always liked how Xterras look. The thing that frightens me a little is that my dad had a Pathfinder that went through a quart of oil every 300 miles. That kinda puts me off Nissan v6s. Is this just paranoia on my part?

My '11 Xterra doesn't use any oil at 80K. It does like it's gas but it's at least only likes regular gas. 16-17 is a good city MPG.

In reply to monknomo:

If it is the sohc, iirc it should be, I don't blame you. I'm not sure what ford was thinking because it just has a powerband that is.....wrong.

Ohv isn't a barn burner but it is a good engine

I've got a 12 Xterra. Mpg average is 17.8. doesn't burn a drop of oil at 65k miles. This version of the VQ is not known to have oil consumption issues. I think it's a fun SUV to drive. Also impressively quick. Available with 6speed manual.

Early years (05-07)of this model have two issues that must be addressed, but once done drivetrain is solid. One was the timing chain guides, other only applies to auto trans equipped...being the trans cooler would crack contaminating the trans with coolant and destroying it. Assuming the radiator has been replaced or bypassed prior to failure, it's a no issue. Timing chain rattle is a bummer, but not so expensive to fix it ruins the truck. Address these and Xterra is a change the fluids and drive forever kind of vehicle. 05-08 base models are really cheap. Figure 5k+ depending how much mileage bothers you. You can save a lot and get a lower trim as you don't need/want the massive off road capability the desierable Offroad/Pro4x trim level has.

I have driven suburbans, Tahoe's,escallades.Not much fun there. Except that it's huge, and you can bring/tow whatever you want. A bit wide for two tracking.

I've driven a lot of SUV's. All of the common ones. I could probably ramble on forever.

The GMC Acadia, and it's twins (Saturn whatever, Chevy traverse..) did nothing for me. Early years of GM's 3.6 had serious timing chain issues. GM build quality. Avoid IMO.

I'm not partial to the Ford offerings. Seem alright, but not much more.

You said RAV 4 was a bit small, though equipped with the 3.5 v6 and AWD they are Stupid quick...that makes them fun.

4 runners are a great choice, Everytime. Roll down back window is awesome. Available V8... thirsty. v6 is 4runner is Probably my top pick. I would have bought one of these, but the command a good5-6k price premium over a similar age/miles Xterra.

Cherokee might not be a terrible choice, though I'm not well versed in those.a available V8.

Older Honda Pilot? Pretty solid engine and trans. Decent fuel economy. Not much off road ability, but great mall crawler in winter.

NISSAN Pathfinder 04-12 Has same drivetrain issues as Xterra but otherwise solid. Smoother ride, and bigger than Xterra. Full frame.

monknomo wrote: In reply to markwemple: Is a Tahoe fun to drive? Serious question, I've never driven one. They look like they've got pretty good visibility, and they definitely have the box on wheels vibe.

I enjoyed driving our '01 2WD Burban after I cranked up the torsion bars to level it out and maxed out the positive caster. I wouldn't call it nimble but it felt more responsive than I think a 5,000 lb SUV should have felt.

Currently keeping my eye out for another to be used as a family road trip vehicle and occasional tow pig.

Jeep xj? Newest ones are 15 years old now but if your fine with that they meet all your criteria.

monknomo wrote: In reply to mad_machine: I've always liked how Xterras look. The thing that frightens me a little is that my dad had a Pathfinder that went through a quart of oil every 300 miles. That kinda puts me off Nissan v6s. Is this just paranoia on my part?

quart of oil every 300 miles is a serious fault.. I am going to say that engine was wounded and just a time bomb waiting to go off

monknomo wrote: Thinking about it, I've also driven a 2000 Rav4 that was kinda fun. They're just a bit small.

The 2006-2012 were larger. Definitely try one with the V6, which still gets very respectable MPG's.

TGMF wrote: The GMC Acadia, and it's twins (Saturn outlook Chevy traverse..) did nothing for me. Early years of GM's 3.6 had serious timing chain issues. GM build quality. Avoid IMO.

The later ones still have the timing chain issues as well, despite what GM says. And the transmissions have an issue where the springs wear through the 3-5 wave-plate because it's made of too thin a material, usually by about 100K miles. So, when your powertrain warranty expires at 100K, the vehicle need a transmission overhaul/replacement and the engine needs timing chains (possibly for the second time). Add to that, abysmal fuel mileage (GM just had to pay out to customers big time on that), an A/C system that is impossible to keep leak-free (Been fighting with a '14 with 30,000 mile that leaks EVERYWHERE) and they are one nasty rig

5.0 Explorer?

I love the Suburban; a Tahoe's just a Sub missing about 18". How about a Tahoe for Utility and something else for Sport?

EDIT: just looked at your profile; I see you already have the "Sport" covered. So just buy a Sub/Tahoe and be done with it.

EDIT2: The Mercury Mountaineer was the Explorer's forgotten cousin. With available V8 power, IRS, and fierce depreciation. EXAMPLE

volvoclearinghouse wrote: 5.0 Explorer? I love the Suburban; a Tahoe's just a Sub missing about 18". How about a Tahoe for Utility and something else for Sport? EDIT: just looked at your profile; I see you already have the "Sport" covered. So just buy a Sub/Tahoe and be done with it. EDIT2: The Mercury Mountaineer was the Explorer's forgotten cousin. With available V8 power, IRS, and fierce depreciation. EXAMPLE

I will go Lincoln Aviator, as it came with the Marauder engine stock.

As far as the OPs original requirements of being light. In a modern SUV/CUV it does not exist anymore. I believe the Kia Sportage was the last hold out on a true SUV that was some what nimble. Now it is a CUV. But reading your specs you really don't an SUV you are a prime candidate for a tall ride height wagon, which makes you a CUV.

The Lexus RX is a great choice. V6 power in a class dominated by 4 cylinders.

I would also recommend looking at something like a Freestyle/Taurus X.

surprised nobody threw out the "troll blazer" which was basically a Trailblazer SS in a nicely tailored Swedish suit

I love my 02 4Runner, feels just right-sized to me. In 03 they got a little larger (and optional V8 power), but the third gen's like mine are known to run forever (hence the Toyota tax). If not a 4Runner then definitely check out a Rav4 or RX like mentioned above.

In reply to TGMF:

Thanks for rattling on, that's exactly what I was hoping for.

I did not know that RAV 4s had a v6 option. I thought the putt putt 4 was charming, the v6 might be fun...

The Pilot wasn't on my radar, interesting thought

In reply to mad_machine:

I'm sure it was a ticking time bomb. He got rid of it pretty quick after that, so I don't know what the ultimate fate was