What Car? Thinking About SUVs

In reply to Flight Service:

I'm open to tall wagons.

I'm thinking my list might be something like this

SUV

• XTerra
• Discovery
• 4Runner

CUV

• Pilot
• RAV4
• Outback

...

huh, the forum supports markdown

And while I'm thinking about it, I don't tow anything.

The extra $$ for a 4runner isn't really extra as you'll get it back easy when you pass it along,the xterra value will continue to drop like a rock.

I paid $10,500 for my '03 V8 3 yrs ago,looking around at what's out there right now I'm confident I'll get $8,500 with little trouble.Not selling but its nice to know its actually worth something when I do,btw I'm in the frozen north so the prices are silly.

Had an '08 rav4 sport awd V6,those are little rockets.It left me plenty disappointed though with the rear end needing replacement,toyota covered it out of warranty but only if I pd for the $1000 driveshaft.Couple other things didn't seem right and the interior squeaked and rattled like crazy....main reason it went down the road actually.

The 4runner still drives like new though.

My votes from your list would be 4Runner or Pilot.

The rear seat of the V6 RAV4 slides back and forth, which gives it a very generous amount of space for rear seat passengers. Ours is the base model, and we've enjoyed it for the last 10 years. The V6 has great power and returns impressive MPG.

I enjoy driving it in town because it's not big enough to be cumbersome, but you also have the benefit of the higher seating position. I've taken many road-trips in it, including 1,000+ miles in a day, and it's a great long-distance vehicle. All while delivering 24-29 MPG (AWD model) at 70-75 MPH.

The era of RAV 4 that had the V6 - it is the fastest 0-60 of any Toyota sold at that time. I have a friend who has one. They are seriously quick.

NGTD wrote: The era of RAV 4 that had the V6 - it is the fastest 0-60 of any Toyota sold at that time. I have a friend who has one. They are seriously quick.

They will scare the E36 M3 out you because you don't expect it.

In reply to Flight Service:

I think of them as the car my near-sighted dog-loving mother in law putters around town in. I have a very hard time picturing a fast RAV4, but my interest is up. Plus, it's like a tall awd corolla, more or less, right? That's kinda cool, for a Toyota

monknomo wrote: In reply to Flight Service: I'm open to tall wagons. I'm thinking my list might be something like this SUV --------- * XTerra * Discovery * 4Runner CUV ------- * Pilot * RAV4 * Outback ... huh, the forum supports markdown And while I'm thinking about it, I don't tow anything.

I have owned a Legacy wagon (outback minus the lift kit) and a Forester (Outback Sport with a body kit) and to be honest, they were horrible driving cars with horrible gas mileage for the power and space.

They will go, in about any weather, but at what expense?

I had a RAV4 gen2...gen 1.5? 4 cylinder solid car. I have a CR-V now much more comfortable but not as nimble. Neither ever gave me problem (except my current sunroof issue)

The CR-V is the Rav4 competitor, not the Pilot. The Pilot is a Highlander competitor. At that point just get an MDX as they are getting reasonable.

Of course you could go Volvo V70 or Cross Country XC70.

The Xterra rides like an XJ, well because it is a Wrangler competitor. They are tough little buggers but love fuel. The stupidist things break on them. The 4runner is overrated IMHO (I had a 96 Limited with the front and rear lockers from the factory). It is a solid vehicle but has its own issues, horrible gas mileage (same as xterra with less power for the 3.0/3.4), head gaskets and cooling systems issues on some models, rack and pinion splits due to removal of the steel retainer ring, springs breaking (recalled). But they will continue to move, but as said before Toyota tax. Discovery...It is a land rover, what is understood doesn't need to be discussed.

I will tell you what I have told every person I have ever sold a car to or helped buy a car.

What do you need it do? What do you want it do? How much are you willing to spend on each? Because 80% or your money is going to go to something you may use 20% of the time.

Wouldn't the easy answer here be a Forester or Outback?

In reply to Flight Service:

If we go strictly with needs, I should probably be shopping for a Geo Metro, or maybe a bus pass :)

Hadn't thought of Volvos, and as far as RAV4 vs Pilot, I'm not even trying to compare apples to apples. Just trying to figure out what, if any, light, fun, high visibility, snow-capable vehicles are out there.

I'll describe a little more of my car usage. I commute about 10 miles a day, I move about 4 people around on a regular basis, I carry something bulky, but not especially heavy on a monthly basis and I live somewhere where I can expect 6 months of sloppy snowy roads.

I don't haul plywood, offroad, do anything with dirt, haul more than 5 people, carry more than a couple hundred pounds of junk, tow a boat or anything very complicated. My gold standard of comparison is the exalted Isuzu Trooper, which I mostly liked because it never got stuck, was ok on gas, was easy to see out of, had large interior volume and wasn't a chore to drive.

Maybe I should open my heart to a minivan or a Flex - that would be hard to sell SWMBO on, though

The answer to your question is 2011-up Explorer or a Flex

In reply to monknomo:

You know, the odd ball, and GRM answer here would be an Element AWD with a manual and the 6 speed mod....

In reply to Flight Service:

I am partial to Elements, and hadn't thought about them at all. Hmmm deep thinking

Of course, I could throw sense to the wind and try importing a Nissan Patrol, just because I think they look cool

I really enjoy my $3,500 Range Rover P38 - it has been very reliable (once I got it running . . . . )

In defense of subarus, the CVT models get good mileage. Mom's Legacy returns mid 30's mixed and near 40 highway.

kevlarcorolla wrote: The extra $$ for a 4runner isn't really extra as you'll get it back easy when you pass it along,the xterra value will continue to drop like a rock. I paid $10,500 for my '03 V8 3 yrs ago,looking around at what's out there right now I'm confident I'll get $8,500 with little trouble.Not selling but its nice to know its actually worth something when I do,btw I'm in the frozen north so the prices are silly. Had an '08 rav4 sport awd V6,those are little rockets.It left me plenty disappointed though with the rear end needing replacement,toyota covered it out of warranty but only if I pd for the $1000 driveshaft.Couple other things didn't seem right and the interior squeaked and rattled like crazy....main reason it went down the road actually. The 4runner still drives like new though.

I think we paid $27k for our 2008 V6 4Runner new, and we sold it in 2014 for $20k (admittedly with like 40k miles). That's serious holding your value for sure.

I think a post depreciation Xterra is a strong contender. Really nice trucks for the money.

I mean, the Xterra is pretty sensible and close to my specs, but: