Buying a used SUV should I consider anything other than CR-V, RAV4, Forester?

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BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,950
1,603
126
The auto industry has always been vigorously competitive, and most established auto manufacturers want to avoid producing lemons. I follow what I hear from repair-shops and smog-test professionals, so -- although I've never owned a Toyota -- I have family and friends who have owned one model or the other, and my second-hand experience from those sources goes back to 1972. I knew someone of that era who had a Corolla, a Toyota Crown and a Scout -- an early SUV-type vehicle.

I've owned a fleet of Honda Civics, when the CIVIC, the Accord, Prelude etc. had parts that could be interchanged. So I got a good feel (back in those old days of the 1980s and 90s) for parts or subsystem longevity, or when you could expect to need an engine overhaul.

I would therefore say that a RAV4, CRV or Forester are reasonably wise options. IF -- IF -- you are planning on a pre-owned or used vehicle, you actually might find one with as much as 95,000 on the odometer, but you should have an assessment of what repairs would be needed in the vehicle's near future after your purchase, and you should be prepared to pay for those repairs and suffer the inconvenience of visits to the shop, or otherwise the trouble of restoring the vehicle firsthand on your own.

The lower the mileage at time of purchase the better, but patient restoration, repair and maintenance will eventually yield a vehicle that can last a long time.

I've met people driving 40-plus-year-old Chevy Blazers, Ford Broncos, GMC vans, Cadillac Eldorados and Lincoln Continentals with 300,000 miles on the odometer and absolutely no desire to sell those vehicles. But you must be committed to "The Strategy" and willing to suffer through occasional and sometimes even large repair expenses.

In return, you can save half the annual insurance outlays, you will have no monthly car payments, and the repair expense history will bear out an amazing saving as opposed to buying a new vehicle and trading in every six years. Our problem today is the absolute need for a major shift in technology and not much in promising prospects for ICE vehicles using petroleum-based fuel -- gasoline or diesel.

I consider "The Strategy" to have provided me major peace of mind and serious economic security. I actually owned a classic limited edition 1964 Chevrolet SS Impala, and if I'd known then what I know now, it would've eventually given me an additional $25,000 in 1990 dollars, which is no chump-change lump of savings or assets. What I DO remember is a girlfriend in 1977 who'd said "You'll probably get rid of this old beauty queen [OLD BEAUTY QUEEN!] sometime soon," and i was influenced by her and her words.

Never listen to a girlfriend or spouse in their concerns for style, appearance to unknown people on the highway, or other frivolous concerns. If they insist that you drive a new vehicle -- tell 'em to go F*** themselves. I DO love women, and many can be practical people, but the myth about female vehicle owners or passengers looking over your shoulder about vehicle age and style is partially true to a significant degree. If this is no longer the case, it is a recent change or phenomenon over the last ten or twenty years.

I suppose if you are a practicing dentist or neurosurgeon with $500,000-plus in annual income, you're perfectly welcome to buy your Tesla, BMW convertible sports car, Mercedes, or even a Masarati. I would recommend to anybody the purchase of a pre-owned, certified Mercedes as a good investment. But I'm retired, was never a brain surgeon, and I had to manage my life with limited incomes in the wake of an otherwise astounding and extensive education. So -- no convertible BMW or Tesla for me. I'm freaking retired now, and that's the end of it!
 
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BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,950
1,603
126
I had a Nissan. Did the motor rotor work well with the arm? I had a ford with widows problem.
Is there any consensus or body of factual experience that suggests Nissan falls down in quality or reliability? I never had an indication of that myself or through reports from friends.

I just wish the factory shop manual for my '95 Hardbody King Cab Pickup had been written and organized better. My old Isuzu manual is much, much better. But the truck maker got out of the passenger car business so they could make more trucks. Did you ever listen to the idling engine of an Isuzu truck? It is an encouraging sound inspiring confidence in the machine.
 

Zepp

Member
May 18, 2019
174
167
116
Is there any consensus or body of factual experience that suggests Nissan falls down in quality or reliability? I never had an indication of that myself or through reports from friends.
across the brand's full lineup Nissan had a marked drop in overall quality in the early 2000's after the Renault alliance that included a lot of cost cutting and part sharing.

They have always had some bulletproof offerings in the stable, but their early CVT era was also pretty damaging and now they are pushing to replace their tried and true simple 4's and 6's with this new and unproven variable compression(VC) tech small turbo engines.

The hardbody/frontier has been their most consitent vehicle for the last 40 years.
 
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BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
64,662
13,012
146
across the brand's full lineup Nissan had a marked drop in overall quality in the early 2000's after the Renault alliance that included a lot of cost cutting and part sharing.

They have always had some bulletproof offerings in the stable, but their early CVT era was also pretty damaging and now they are pushing to replace their tried and true simple 4's and 6's with this new and unproven variable compression(VC) tech small turbo engines.

The hardbody/frontier has been their most consitent vehicle for the last 40 years.

Nissan? Datsun!
I had a Datsun 620 truck in the 70s. Must have been a 1977. My FiL co-signed for my BiL when he bought it...his business collapsed and he couldn't make the payments...so it was offered to me. "Just make the payments." I put 120,000 miles on that thing in a little over 3 years...but, as my family grew, the truck got too small, so I got rid of it. The only real problem I had with it was the ignition points. Hit a bump in the road, they'd lose their adjustment and the truck would die. Had to always have a phillips screwdriver and set of feeler gauges on hand.
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,950
1,603
126
Nissan? Datsun!
I had a Datsun 620 truck in the 70s. Must have been a 1977. My FiL co-signed for my BiL when he bought it...his business collapsed and he couldn't make the payments...so it was offered to me. "Just make the payments." I put 120,000 miles on that thing in a little over 3 years...but, as my family grew, the truck got too small, so I got rid of it. The only real problem I had with it was the ignition points. Hit a bump in the road, they'd lose their adjustment and the truck would die. Had to always have a phillips screwdriver and set of feeler gauges on hand.
Interesting story about the old days with ignition points. I was looking at PRIUS hybrids (and PRIMEs!) today at CARMAX. More affordable option for me, but only FWD -- no AWD. I want the damn RAV4 . . . Next year, maybe. Cash on the barrel-head.
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,453
5,468
146
I look at comfort above all. None of the OP's cars are comfortable for me or my wife. We tried them all one day, and then we tried the CX-5 and it was worse! We have owned a ton of Mazda's over the years so that was a downer. We are not fanboi's but had good times with the Mazda's.
We are in a 2019 Tiguan which is acceptable for long trips.
It is the curse of being long trunked short legged 6'+
Perhaps @pete6032 fits in all those cars, but not us.
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,950
1,603
126
I look at comfort above all. None of the OP's cars are comfortable for me or my wife. We tried them all one day, and then we tried the CX-5 and it was worse! We have owned a ton of Mazda's over the years so that was a downer. We are not fanboi's but had good times with the Mazda's.
We are in a 2019 Tiguan which is acceptable for long trips.
It is the curse of being long trunked short legged 6'+
Perhaps @pete6032 fits in all those cars, but not us.
It's an important consideration for me as well. I've been spoiled with my 30-year-old orphaned model Isuzu Trooper LS. It still runs great, but may eventually need upper-engine work. The driver and passenger of the Trooper sit high enough above the road, the vehicle is built like a tank. Seats are very comfortable for this old dodger who still has a sore left hip from a time of Honda Civics with clutch and manual tranny.

I'd have to look more closely at the Toyotas and Suburus that interest me, just for this question.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
70,733
29,885
136
It would help with merging into traffic with a back deck filled with groceries, almost essential.

To be honest, the new M5 Touring is kind of ugly. The Mercedes E450 is much better looking. Not that I'm going to sell the house to buy either.
The M5 is in the BMW build your own line up now. The rear seats don’t fold flat. What the hell is wrong with automotive designers that think to build a station wagon with seats that don’t fold flat? It defeats the purpose of building a wagon. I’ll spend my $125k on something else, thank you.
 

pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
7,757
3,292
136
I look at comfort above all. None of the OP's cars are comfortable for me or my wife. We tried them all one day, and then we tried the CX-5 and it was worse! We have owned a ton of Mazda's over the years so that was a downer. We are not fanboi's but had good times with the Mazda's.
We are in a 2019 Tiguan which is acceptable for long trips.
It is the curse of being long trunked short legged 6'+
Perhaps @pete6032 fits in all those cars, but not us.
I've been looking at the Tiguan online. The 2018 and later models are one of the largest compact crossovers out there. Bigger than CR-V, RAV4, etc. The reviews I have read seem to say that it's an OK vehicle with a nice interior but not many stand-out features. I will probably test drive one and see if I can fit it in my garage. Consumer reports rated it one of the slowest compact SUVs on the market with a 0-60 of 10.3 seconds.
 
Reactions: skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,453
5,468
146
We have been happy with it so far. 2+ years in on a CPO 2019 with no issues to speak of. It goes down the highway nicely, there are stretches of I-90 where we set the cruise to 82 or so and let it eat. The adaptive cruise is the bomb.
Typically a 25~26 MPG tank to tank.
 

pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
7,757
3,292
136
If you are looking to purchase a 5 to 6-year-old vehicle in this segment the RAV4 or the CRV is your only option. I wouldn't even consider the subi or any of the others on your list.

The Mazda CX-5 may have been a contender but not one from 5 to 6 years ago. Mazda really didn't start upping their game until the newer generation 2 or 3 years ago.

Skip anything high-end like a Lexus. You're just going to pay a premium for the brand name.
Just curious why you wouldn't consider the Forester?
 
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