Considering getting a used SUV, suggestions?

[MJK]

So, I've never owned a car that was not a 2 door manual sports/sporty car but i am getting REALLY tired of piddling stuff breaking on my 3 series. So, I am thinking about dumping it in an even-ish trade for something Japanese. Maybe I am just getting old, but an SUV seems like a pretty good idea for hauling stuff around provided it doesn't feel huge. So, I am thinking of checking out lightly used 4runners, MDXs & Rx330s. I plan on buying something 2-4 years old and driving the wheels off of it for the next 5-10 years. It'll be a beater/milage queen. 4wd is strongly prefferred, lets say a budget of under $30k.

Any other suggestions? How do you like what you have?

 

[nchopp]

Infiniti FX35, maybe? An '04 can be had for about 28k, usually in the 50k mile range.

 

[docjohn]

Don't laugh but you could get close to a new rav-4 with the v-6 option for that.I hear good things about it in the media.I have had toyoya suv's for 7 years and have had no issues.

 

[91 X]

you can't go wrong with 4Runner's, although I don't like the new look as much as my '00 ltd:tongue: Mine has almost 150,000 miles and the only thing to go wrong with it is the antenna motor!!! Although now with two little one's, we've kinda outgrown it..time to get a Sequoia:redface:

 

[Klayton]

Not a japanese car but maybe think about the BMW X3 if you want a SUV that 'doesn't feel huge'. It's still big and got plenty of room but doesn't feel as big as lets say the ML-Class or the X5.

 

[davidkimchee]

Easy...get a 3rd gen 4runner. Slap in the TRD supercharger less than $2k for a brand new unit.

Get the fuel upgrade and management system from URD.

Get the Stillen exhaust system if they still offer it. The exhaust note at WOT is definitely out of this world. Not low and rumbly...almost motorcycle redline-ish.

Drive around in your 14 second SUV and smile as you blow away riced out civics and idiots in faster cars that cant get the launch.

Oh how I miss my 4runner :frown:

 

[ANYTIME]

Yep, had the same 4Runner mods and loved it!
You can't go wrong with a newer CRV, Highlander, MDX/Pilot or a Rav4. You can drive the wheels off all of them and be able to sell them easily even with a ton of miles. Don't try that with a domestic :biggrin:
Good luck,
John :wink:

 

[RC000E]

Consumer study just on CNN a few minutes ago saying that the worst SUV's on the basis of build quality and reliability are the:

Hummer
Porsche
BMW

Who'da thought?

More interesting info from the study was that on average a 15 year old Toyota 4runner had less problems than a 3 year old Ford, a 5 year old Chevy, and a 5 year old Dodge. It also marked that Japanese SUV's were by far the most reliable vehicles sold in the US. They noted specifically that that was mostly thanks to Honda and Toyota.

SOOOO.....that means the Union's stranglehold on US carmakers result in a sacrifice in build quality apparently...and the Germans....who knows? German vehicles are expensive to own, expensive to maintain, and expensive to repair...they should be the best rides you can buy.

 

[Da Hapa]

What are you looking for in the SUV. Is NVH important to you? Are you going to do any off roading. How important is interior cargo room to you? Will you be towing anything?

There are a lot of good used choices out there for less than $30K. There are even some good new choices out there at that price point. I'm not sure how good an answer I can give you without knowing more about what's important to you.

FWIW, just yesterday my wife and I sold our 2000 Lexus RX300 AWD to a co-worker. The vehicle was bought new by my parents and we bought it from them about three years ago. 85,135 trouble free miles when we sold it and it still ran and looked brand new. (the only reason we sold it was the purchase of a new Lexus SUV for my wife and we had the unique opportunity to purchase my parent's old Lexus LS at a great price, sell the RX to a friend, and pocket a pile of money). We needed a comfortable, reliable SUV with room for us, our dog and a few friends. We never needed anything more rugged than rain and occassional snowboarding trips (the AWD with LSD performed perfect in those conditions BTW) and our old RX served us beautifully. I could go on and on about how good that car was to us but you get the point.

 

[NSXLuvr]

Yeah, you need to give us more details. do you plan to tow or not? If so how much? Do you have kids/dogs?

Heck if all you want is something with more space and 4wd. A 2nd gen CRV or the new RAV-4 will do. But there are plenty of good choices for less than $30k. Heck you can get a used Sequoia for that. see what I mean

 

[queenlives]

i'm not out to impress anybody, so i've kept my '95 yukon... iirc, it's got a 5k+ towing rate, 4wd (gotta move the shift handle for that to kick in). ours only has 70k miles on it - never had any problem with it - works great for snow, towing boat, etc. i'm betting one of these can be had for next to nothing.

 

[MJK]

Thanks for the input guys, just to clarify:

I'm single, no wife, no kids, no dogs, etc. I drive with friends, including longer trips to skiiing, scuba, etc. I also want to be able to haul my hiking gear, building supplies from Home Depot, the occasional bit of furniture, etc. I don't own a boat or trailer, but probably would occasionally tow a friends ski boat / trailerload full of crap if I had the ability to. Who knows how useful that might be in the future?

There is NO WAY I am buying anything from BMW again. I love the way the drive, but I never want to own one ever again.

Between friends and family, I drive a 2001 4runner, 2004 4runner and a 2005 Highlander fairly regularly. Of those, the Highlander feels too small, the new 4runner feels to big and 01 feels just right size-wise.

I've ridden in MDX's and RX300/330s occasionally, but have never driven them. I've had little to no expereince with Pathfinders, Land Cruisers, the new Infinity lineup, etc.

Right now, if I were decribing the ideal SUV it would be about the same size as a 3G 4runner, comfier seats, a little more power and a little smoother ride. I would give up fuel milage or off road prowess to get that. I'd like to stick with a honda or toyota product as this thing will probably see a couple hundred thousand before I get rid of it.

 

[davidkimchee]

gotta get the 3rd gen....with bilsteins...and if youre not gonna off road get some good road tires to smooth out the ride and make the truck handle more like a car.

the supercharger and fuel upgrades would only cost you 3k pre install.
you would have gobs more usuable power than any of the other suvs youve mentioned.



Ive rolled the back window down and hauled enough 14 foot baseboards to re-do the moulding in my house. That back window was a huuge plus for me. I also like that the rear windows roll down ALL the way. Open all the windows plus the moonroof and man it feels soooo airy. I love it

Ill definitely have to buy another 3rd gen in the near future.
I love them that much.

 

[Aero]

I agree with 4Runner. I had one and they're great. Don't like the new look. I actually had a 5spd V6 4Runner. I think the last year they were made was 2000 and they're rare but I hate autos so didn't mind looking. Like my Tacoma, never had single problem with it.

 

[Hothonda]

Get a certified MDX...We've had 4 MDX's since they came out in '01. Lots of room for our dogs, decent gas mileage, trouble free & hey, it's a Honda!

 

[poet_x]

I like the 4Runner and MDX options. I'd also throw out there the FX35 (as mentioned above) and the VW Tourag. Dunno about build quality on the VW though, I just really like the vehicle myself.

 

[Da Hapa]

I like the 4Runner and MDX options. I'd also throw out there the FX35 (as mentioned above) and the VW Tourag. Dunno about build quality on the VW though, I just really like the vehicle myself.

If reliability is important then completely forget the VW.

I'd also throw out the FX as there's very little utility in that SUV. The space behind the back seats is a joke and even when you fold the rear seats down, the highly raked rear window severly impacts the size and shape of what you can pack in there.

 

[steveny]

I am selling my PERFECT not a single scratch, stone chip, never been through drive through car wash, all service records, SUV if you are interested.


http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...body_style=SUV&doors=&fuel=&lang=en&cardist=0

 

[rickysals]

What about a Honda Element? It's smaller than whatever is listed here, but if it's just you - you don't really need to seat 7 or carry the world in it.

 

[MJK]

Anybody had experiences with the 2001ish LX470s / Land Cruisers? Aside from horrible gas milage, it looks like an decent enough truck?

 

[steveny]

Anybody had experiences with the 2001ish LX470s / Land Cruisers? Aside from horrible gas milage, it looks like an decent enough truck?

My dad has the Land Cruiser 02 with 320k on the clock still going strong no major problems with the drivetrain.

 

[Da Hapa]

Anybody had experiences with the 2001ish LX470s / Land Cruisers? Aside from horrible gas milage, it looks like an decent enough truck?

We just bought a 2006 LX470 so I did a lot of research on these rigs.

The 100 series is a very well built, very reliable vehicle. They drive well, are comfortable and are extremely capable off road. Truth be told, they're far more capable off road than most of us could ever use.

If you can make the jump in price, the 5 speed auto that was introduced in the 2003 MY makes a significant difference in performance.

Two things to keep in mind if you're serious about an LC or LX.

1) Depedning on how you drive... these trucks will eat brakes. They're very, very heavy and can chew through brake pads.
2) You will get crappy mileage. I think most 4 speed 100 owners would say that they avg. 12mpg. Not quite Hummer territory but certainly not as good as some of the other alternatives.

www.IH8mud.com is a great resource if you're interested in any series Land Crusier or LX.

 

[docjohn]

I've owned cruisers since 99,I have an 02 currently and other than poor gas mileage and a nav system that needs updates I am very satisfied.I drive it every day and I drive it like a car Of course now you are really all over the suv map.You should have told us earlier you wanted to run with the big boys:wink:

 

[neuralpathways]

Davidkimchee and Anytime-

How much HP are you looking at with that setup? I'm VERY interested in doing the same thing. What about gas mileage on the SC? I just sold my '97 Lexus LX450 because of the mileage and it was grossly underpowered with the inline 6. Mileage on that beast was 13-15

 

[ANYTIME]

Davidkimchee and Anytime-

How much HP are you looking at with that setup? I'm VERY interested in doing the same thing. What about gas mileage on the SC? I just sold my '97 Lexus LX450 because of the mileage and it was grossly underpowered with the inline 6. Mileage on that beast was 13-15

Mine dyno'ed at 240RWHP with some FactorX messaging :biggrin: . Gas mileage (right foot being heavy) was 15.5-17, depending on conditions, with mine being mostly city. I towed a 5900lb trailer and that thing pulled like a damn freight train. Doing it over again, I would suggest the 7th injector.
Take care,
John