an suv or crossover nothing to new or real fancy f/awd seating for 5-7 decent mileage affordable parts an i can work on or never have to touch open to all ideas and suggestions letter rip this is her thread no more mini vans
If you care about mileage on anything you are considering check out fuelly.com. Lots of information there.
Was in the same position about 2 years ago. Explorer or equinox would be good to look at. Also look into any year highlander, they don't seem to hold their value as well as the rest of the toyotas. It has a third row incase you need it. I like the mid 90's land rovers but that was a no go lol. We ended up with a...minivan
Honda pilot, 2009 and up. Lots of nice stuff inside and out, auto awd. Had a 2004 that held its value well when we traded it in for a 2013. It fits 7-8, real 3rd row seat.
Mine bought an '07 Mitsubishi Outlander new. That suv got 25-28 mpg, was AWD, and it was fairly quick. We traded it off with over 150,000 miles, with never a major repair needed. Now she has a '12 GMC Terrain. It gets 20 mpg (on a good day) and feels like you're dragging a brick behind you, always. The GMC is quieter and the interior is nicer though... FYI
We have a Saab 97x which is a Envoy/trailblazer underneath. This makes it very easy to get parts for and has a great in line 6. It is full time AWD, sits lower, is tuned more for comfort, is really nice inside. Has been a great rig. It does not got good mileage though and we average about 16.5 but my wife sits in traffic for hours a week. They can be found very reasonably and are very nice. Real truck underneath so you can actually take it off road and pull stuff with it. These also have very nice leather interior and loaded with goodies. This was the most expensive version of these platforms and are very nice. As "saab" does not have a stellar rep or following makes them very reasonable. You get a solid chevy design and top of the class goodies and features. Motor is very easy to work on and is award winning. Its a very good rig but milage is the painful part.
I switched to subarus in 1997. I never looked at anything else ever since. My only problem is I wish they offered a little pickup. That new pvt tranny is awesome. It's snowmobile technology in a car. I have 80k on my 2010 legacy and no problems yet. These have been the best cars I have ever owned. These are 300,000 mile +++ cars. I owned chevy's since I was 14yo. (1964) When the blocked cracked in my $28k '88 suburban @ 52k I threw in the towel owning GM cars. They did cost cutting and made the cast iron thinner in the block. There still having there castings cracking even today. (Intake manifolds) I been wanting a new Ford Mustang gt.
i hear you about the block bill. my dad has a 99 four winns 26' boat he uses on erie. its equipped with the gm 5.7 small block and volvopenta outdrive. the block cracked on it in the middle of the summer! as it really cracked, i couldnt believe how thin it was. ive been around enough blocks in my life to know it was weird looking that being said, we ordered a jasper replacement and had the balance/blueprint option. i was hoping that wasnt a hoax option. i also had him order some performance manifolds. the second that smallblock fired up i knew that option was wise. it was so smooth! you can really tell on a boat as the motor mounts solid with aluminum plate, no rubber and he trolls alot. so it all turned out ok, but that block failure still sits at the back of his mind.
My wife has a Lexus GX470 - similar to the 4Runner. It's the best vehicle I've ever owned. Quiet, 3rd row, full time 4WD, good power, rear air bags. But, it gets around 14 MPG.
misses K b styling my sister Juggs didn't like her Trailblazer but she doesn't like anything she wants 50mpg 0-60 instantly and NO NHV yea good luck with that
I went through this back in August, my wife's car was totaled by an 18 year old texting. The car was paid off and I had just put new touring Michelin tires and new ceramic brakes on. Me being practical, I figure she'd want another sedan....WRONG. We now have a 2014 Mazda CX9 in the garage. Good vehicle yes, easy oil changes yes, but a $400 a month payment...Doooh! BTW, the insurance company shafted us bigtime on the payout. I'm still fighting them for the remaining $ they owe. F ing priceless.
Subaru Forester gets just about the best overall reviews (except for the so-so interior). You can get a MY 2010 or so for a decent price. One word: boxer engine. ...well, that's two words, but still a bad ass little engine. Best power in it's class while still maintaining decent gas mileage.
I also had an Outlander for several years. It was bigger inside than it looked from the outside. Outlander has one of the best off-road 4wd systems available in the compact SUV market. Very reliable. Very good on snow covered roads. My ex has still has my 2006 Jeep Liberty and that has been a very reliable vehicle too. Only problem with Jeep is gas mileage and spartan interior. Incredible turning radius. Best off-road 4wd system -- hands down. Smallish interior.
Subaru for sure. I pleaded with the wife trying to get her to pull the trigger on a Outback but she wanted the 3rd row seating so CX9 it was. She's making the payments so a happy wife... You know the rest.
I had a shed full of small blocks left over from stripping rusted out Chevy early 70's trucks. When I stopped building 4x4's I figured I'd move on with a new Chevy suburban. I scrapped two suburbans that ran better than my new one. No more gm cars for me. There going down hill on there quality more and more.
I am enjoying my '14 Honda Ridgeline Sport edition. Plenty of room in the back seats, seats fold up, can fit 2 bikes comfortably in the bed. Oh yeah, and there's a bad-ass "trunk" in the bed.. Fill that baby up with cold drinks on a warm summer day or even toss the dirty gear/boots in there and keep the truck clean. Nice Awd system and can pop the traction control off for some fun. Gas mileage is Ok, but not the best. Anywhere from 17-21MPG.
