Hayburner going. Need sug. for a smaller SUV

[tmacc]

Our daughter is so wrapped up in school sports and cheerleading that she has decided that her horse is extranious at this point. She will also be driving in a few month. (hard to believe how quick they grow-up isn't it?)Also after 16 years as a stay at home mom, my wife has decided to put her masters degree to work. (No argument from me there. might loosen up so funds for bom... . I mean... preventive maintnace. )

So to get to the point. We don't need the Expedition to pull the horse trailer anymore and would like to get a smaller suv that get better milage. We had good luck w/ a 87 Cherokee that we put 235k miles on, so that's certainaly a consideration, but the other vehicles in consideration are;
Nissan Xterra
Volvo V40 stationwagon
VW Passat wagon
Subaru Forrester
Toyota Liberty
I'm leaning toward one of the stationwagons, my daughter is lobbying hard for the Xterra, and the wife would like another suv of some sort.

Soooo, what do you all think?
(BTW Durangos and Explorers are out of consideration due to purchase cost and poor milage, so let's not go there. Also the Toyota engine sounds like an electronic nightmare as far as longevity goes. It has variable cam timing and variable intake volumetric something or another. I can just see that thing in 75-100K. )We do seem to run our vehicles into the ground.

Anywho, fire away w/ your suggestions and experiences.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[BCFAST]

tmacc, please dont let your baby girl drive a Nissan; they are a death-trap during a crash. Please consider a used ML320. . I bought a 98 with 23,000 on it for under $30k and it goes like heck and gets dang good mpg even with all wheel drive and every safety device you can throw into a car. BTW, my 2000 Passat is for sale!

 

[dmurdock]

Don't know how you feel about first year models, but the 2002 blazer is out with a new inline 6 engine (discussed a while back in another thread) and it looks to be a real winner... high mpg, extended oil change, etc...

 

[Brandon]

VOLVO X COUNTRY, MY VOTE we service some and a few even have commuter miles on it already, they have had no need for dealer service
B

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Danelle's Dodge

 

[Champane Flight]

Durango,with the V-6.

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95 Dodge 2500 Luverne grill guard,headache rack,running boards and Amzoiled. Soon to be mildly bombed. 84 Dodge d-150, 318 Hooker headers,Edelbrok intake,mallory ignition,Carter Afb,Accel coil,and Custom dual exhaust. Boat,fifthwheel,motorcycles,and shop. 72000 as of 3/1/01,not even broke in yet. Old Dodge 126000 miles and running better than new.

 

[Jim Guidry]

Isuzu Trooper. Biggest bang for the buck out there. $22-25k (stickers at 31k, but they discount the heck out of 'em), loaded, 4wd, leather. Built like a tank, goes anywhere, quiet, shift on the fly. Easy maintenance, drain plugs on everything. I'm on my second one, we love it!

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'96 Regular Cab, 121k, SLT 2WD auto 3. 54, Vista topper, Pillar-mounted Autometer Boost/Pyro, transmission temp and oil pressure guages under dash, starwheel spun, stock plate and housing slid back to stock. Debombed to keep my transmission alive!

 

[tmacc]

Thanks guys. Some good suggestions there. Nissan Is not a consideration anymore. Thanks BC. My wife will not consider chevys or fords. Volvo XC. Probably a little too pricey for us. I still plan on test driving a V40. But get this. VW now has a Jetta stationwagon which you can get a... (drum roll please)... TURBO DIESEL. We'll see what happens once she drives it. So far she seems open minded about it. It is a little on the small side, however they do have full side curtain air bags. Even w/ an AT, it should get about 40 mpg. I'll have to check out the Trooper. The Subaru dealer also handles them. I didn't know that you could get a Durango w/ a V-6. Must be special order. They seem a little on the pricey side too. One thing I have to keep in mind is that what ever we buy, it will proably wind up becoming my daughter's in a few years. I'll keep you all posted on what we end up with.
Thanks again.

 

[BCFAST]

Was still thinking about all this... since you dont wanna part with $45k, the Audi AllRad is out... why not a Subaru of some sort? The OutBack is pretty cool, and the hot-rod Imprezza is a nice car. I thought of these because the Jetta isnt available with AWD in the US. The Passat is now, but is over $30k loaded up. The tdi motor works best with the auto as it shifts early and uses the torque instead of horsepower. Again, my Passat Sedan is for sale!

 

[Bigsaint]

I have to agree with BCFAST, at least as far as the Pathfinder goes. The doors are paper thin and everything inside is cheap and flimsy. My mom drives one (wish she didn't for safety reasons) and loves it though. She has over 180,000 miles on now with Zero problems, other than the nerf bars rusting out. I've seen the Xterra's and they seem to be built a little better than Mom's Pathfinder. We drive the Phord Explorer and the Jeep Cherokee at work when we need 4WD. The Cherokee is okay, but the doors are real thin. The Explorer is a nicer ride, but much more pricey. From a safety standpoint alone, the Volvo get's my mark. I've seen alot of M. V. crashs in 14 years, if one of the vehicles is a Volvo, it's usually the one with the least damage. The Subaru is one nice vehicle for the money, well made and it seems to stand up to time. Subaru owners are like Honda owners, very loyal to their ride. I was just talking to my wife tonight about her Caravan as the lease is up in another year. I tried to convince her that a short bed 2500 quad cap with a cap (Cummins equipped of course) would be just like a SUV with the added benefit of the extra room. She said #ad
. Guess I'll have to work on that one #ad
.

Scott W.

[This message has been edited by Bigsaint (edited 04-11-2001). ]

 

[Alan Reagan]

For gas mileage and good ride, my wife swears by her Grand Cherokee with the inline 6. I like it too. This is her second one. She trades every 3 years.

 

[FATCAT]

Tmacc,
The Subaru's are great. My wife is on her 2nd since 1985 and wouldn't drive anything else. The Forrester is nice and if I'm not mistaken a best buy from Consumers Reports. My wife loves her Outback. Its got over 120,000 on it now and it runs like new (1996). The new Outbacks are more powerful and they get through anything. I think that Subaru has the best all-wheel drive system of them all, very simple and maintenance free. (Here's the wife's . 02) Great car in the snow and rain plus it has room for lots of gear (ski equipment, kayaks, mt bikes, backpacks... )

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1997 2500 ST 4x4, 5-speed, 4. 10 axle, TST 60lb boost @ EGT gauges, TST #12 230hp/605ftlb plate & AFC Spring kit, limited slip axle, Amsoil air filter.

 

[tmacc]

Well, I've driven the Outback and Forrester and they seem like pretty good cars. I like the Passat AWD alot, but they seem to load up the wagons with every option, so that puts them up around $32-33k. They are in short supply and the dealer doesn't want to deal. Oh well, there are other cars out there. Rumor has it that used M320s go for that much. (BTW where is the sweet tea line?) Anyway, back to cars. It has to be a wagon. I don't think our english setter would appreciate riding in the trunk of a sedan.
I was miss informed. Imagine a car salesman doing that. The TDI won't be available in the Jetta wagon for about 4 months. Bummer, I think I had the wife seriously thinking about that one. I still haven't driven a V40 Volvo yet, so that's next. The Subaru is looking good at this point. I checked out the crash testing last night and the Subarus and Passat have very high ratings.

Thanks again folks, I appreciate the suggestions.
Tom

 

[Neal Cassady]

Tom,

If you are not opposed to an Isuzu check with Crystal Ford. They have some amazing deals on "new", fully loaded Troopers. They are usually untitled year old vehicles and are priced close to $20K. I am not a real big fan of Crystal but they will make a deal to sell a vehicle.

Dave

 

[JyRO]

I could agree that the Volvo or VW wagons and Subaru vehicles will be a great choice (especially if you can get a diesel). But I don't get the worry about the Toyota motor with variable anything. Toyota stakes their reputation on dependability, consistency from vehicle to vehicle, and customer satisfaction. I haven't had a bad Toyota yet (I'm not sure if anybody has #ad
). Heck (see my signature), my 4Runner 4X4 gets great fuel mileage compared to any equivalent SUV's (of course my 4Runner's a manual transmission).

But I don't know what a Toyota Liberty is, I haven't heard of it and I work for Toyota. But you may want to check out the Highlander. It's a small SUV built on the Lexus RX300 platform (car-based platform). It will be quiet, have a great ride, and get better fuel mileage than a comparably equipped 4Runner (truck based platform). I'm either going to wind up with a Highlander or an RX300 in a year or two.

- JyRO

[This message has been edited by JyRO (edited 04-12-2001). ]

 

[rich m]

Originally posted by dmurdock:
Don't know how you feel about first year models, but the 2002 blazer is out with a new inline 6 engine (discussed a while back in another thread) and it looks to be a real winner... high mpg, extended oil change, etc...

JMHO--- I'd give that one a couple of de-bug years... it's also a variable-valve-timing design, and TQ and HP are @ high rpms, even for a gasser. --other details seemed fairly solid, though.
Personally, I had a '92 4x2 4-door Pathfinder and loved it. Never had it in a wreck, though, so the deathtrap factor never applied #ad

 

[tmacc]

JyRO, Your right, I was thinking of the Highlander. I think I got Liberty from the new Jeep that's coming out. I know the that Toyota has a great rep. , but I would not buy first year of anything. Even Toyota. We made that mistake w/ the first year Cherokees. Those Buick v-6 motors were crap.
Dave D, How are ya? The war department (Claire) doesn't like the looks of the Trooper. Too boxy. Her mom recently bought a Volvo V40. Her mom also won't drive on any interstate highway, so Claire is going w/ her dad to pick it up in Belair and drive it back to Kent Is. That should give her about 50 mi. to get to know the car. Thanks again every body. The saga continues.

 

[BCFAST]

Stay away from the Volvo 40's... build quality is junk. Lots of cars in with problems (under warranty, but still problems) and for what you get, the Passat is a much better deal. Again, go drive a couple Subaru's... they now offer a 227hp motor here in the States. The 'sweet tea' line is the Mason-Dixon... below that, the waitress will ask you if you want your tea 'sweet or unsweet'! north of it, youre expected to put your own dam sugar in the glass! LOL

 

[tmacc]

BCFAST, "put your own dam sugar in the glass" LMAO on that one. The Subaru is looking good to me. I'd prefer the Passat, but it depends on what kind of deal we can get. One of the local dealers had a "loaner" wagon w/ 6K that listed for $29K and they wanted $26K. I think it was a '00. That seems kind of high to me for a used one year old car, but what do I know? The wife hasn't driven anything yet, so it's kind of academic at this point. BTW Do you work at a dealership? Just curious. How far above the "sweet tea" line do you live?
Thanks
Tom

 

[EricBu12]

dodge durango My vote,
It has a lot to offer and can still tow some. has great milage and is very stable.
I ues to drive for an auto auction and I have driven the durango.
very stable and good mileage. not bad of an off-roader too

Eric


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2001 QC 2500 4x4 bronze W/two tone Driftwood, 24valve HO 6sp. Westin side bars, fender flares, Rancho RSX off-road shocks, Spray on bedliner, Leer shell Painted to match with LED marker lights, Bf Goodrich AT Tires. Bed rug inside shell W/aux marine deep cycle batt for lights, etc. M Brolins' CB mount.
Name of rig is "big bronze Brute"

 

[JyRO]

I think the Durango gets cr@p for fuel mileage. My car insurance lady had one and was letting me look at it, I checked the overhead computer at the avg. fuel mileage (although I know their not extremely accurate) and it read 11 something avg. mpg. #ad


Plus I knew one other guy that had one, he said his mileage was pathetically poor too. My insurance lady sold hers, less than a year old, and got a Stratus.

Durango can't touch my 4Runner on anything, except for power and torque. But then, I've got the Big Blue Cummins Ram if I want to pull anything.

- JyRO

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Y2K 2500 Cummins ETC/DEE, SLT+, 4X4, Quad, LB, Intense Blue Sport, 3. 54 LSD, rear aux. springs (camper special), sliding rear window, all options except cab clearance lights including agate leather, totally stock engine, silencer ring removed, "stealth," mod to run fogs with high beam. (20. 8 mpg @ 70 mph) Since everybody else listed their toys, I will too.

2000 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4X4, 5-speed, 3. 4L V6 (25. 5 mpg @ 65 mph)
1990 Toyota Celica STX, FWD, 5-speed, 1. 6L I4 (36+ mpg @ 65 mph)
1983 Mazda RX-7 GSL Limited Edition RWD, 5-speed, 1. 1L Wankel (For sale)
No auto trannies in my home! Just say, "No!" to auto trannies.