Posted on 12/31/2010 12:04:58 PM PST by RangerM
Found out yesterday that wife totalled car. Long story short, looks like I'm buying a car soon. She'll want another SUV, but I'm thinking CUV. Looking at....
Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute Hyundai Tuscon Kia Sportage Mitsubishi Outlander Honda CR-V (a bit pricey) Mazda5 (not a CUV, but I'm including it as a wildcard)
I've read a lot of info online, but am hoping to hear from anyone with personal experience and thoughts. I'm going shopping with my wife, when I get back in town.
(NOTE: I refuse to consider RAV4 because my last Toyota was a disappointment, or anything GM/Chrysler)
My wife and I are very happy with our Ford Edge.
The fleet route is the way to go. Back in 2003, I picked up a 2002 Mazda 626 with 17,000 miles on it for $10,800 (original sticker was just over $21,000.) It still drives like new today.
Kathy Ireland has always been my favorite model.
I’m partial to the Nissan Rogue. I think it’s considered a CUV. It’s built on a Sentra chassis, but has the usual appointments of an SUV (AWD is optional). I drove one as a rental last time I was in DC. At home I drive Nissan sedans—Sentras until model-creep made them bigger and created the Versa in their place. I really like the Nissan straight-4 chain engine (no timing belt to break or change): at least one vehicle in my household has had that engine since the mid 1980’s. The Rouge comes with that engine.
New models? For the automobile? Or for the wife?
The totalled car is a Highlander. The engine/tranny were always fine, but it was always other things that went wrong. Trim and window regulators that broke, and I had to take apart the dash twice to re-solder the connections on the Cold-Hot dial knob (so she could adjust the temperature setting). The plastic that the knob is mounted to is so thin that it would flex the wires (behind) until the broke the connection.
Ford Flex
Ford Escape would be my bet. But look at the issue of rising gas prices and your best bet would be a Subaru. The last a long time, great in snow. I see a lot of them on the road in Marquette, MI.
Lots of Ford escape too.
Stay away from the hybrid - it is not worth the price and if involved in accident the fire departments hate to deal with them because of the battery.
I do see GM and chrysler products but they are either for sale or broken down
Nissan Armada. They are nicely appointed and built on the Titan truck frame, so they’re solid as a tank
I second the Sorento, bought one for the wife this year and she loves it. I would have bought one for myself but she needed a car first.
Great safety ratings and 10 year 100K powetrain warranty.
You can get a lot of car for less than the Japanese car makers.
What year was it?
Go Ford, man.
I’ve had ‘em all, Hundyai, Subaru, Toyota.
We had Fords for a couple decades then I bought the hype and tried a bunch of foreign brands-—I drive a lot of them as rentals too.
Listen, the people who swear up and down about Subaru and, to a lesser degree, Toyota, do so only because THAT’S ALL THEY DRIVE.
After the string of foreign brands, and little ticky-tacky problems all the time, and irritation with design goofiness to boot, we got my wife an AWD Mercury Milan-—my first drive in that thing and I looked at her and said: “I forgot what a real car felt like.”
Ford effed up by canceling the sharp-looking Mercs, but Ford still has it going on.
Escape, Edge, even an AWD Taurus, you won’t be sorry.
BMW X5-4.4i
Certified Pre-Owned
You really shouldn’t trade your wife in just for totalling your car.
2004. The first year of the 3.3L V6, iirc.
That’s the 2.5L that comes in the Altima too, right?
New model wife, or car?
Quick note on RAV4: I own a 2009 and it has been an outstanding vehicle so far (but it has 28,000 miles on it, so time will tell).
I bought another Toyota because my wife and I both bought the 2001 Camry (before we knew each other; we met in 2002, got married in 2005). Both Camrys performed great. We replaced her Camry with the RAV4 because it’s more practical for us (can haul bigger stuff and 4-wheel drive in the winter). My Camry has 136,000 miles and I’ve never had anything go wrong with it, I’ve only done the routine oil change and maintenance like that. I plan to have it until it dies.
Our record with Toyota has been great, but don’t let me tell you your business. Those stories of uncontrolled accelerations is a crock, that’s just people trying to get out of accidents that are their fault. I’ve never seen anything like that and NASA research shows that the cause is people jamming their foot on the gas thinking it’s the brake (I am completely baffled as to how a person could do that, but that’s just me and my 25 years’ driving experience).
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