TwiceOver's perpetual used SUV buying thread. Purchasing a Saturn Vue

[TwiceOver]

Looking at finally ditching my faithful yet tiny '95 nissan altima in favor of an SUV for the wife. After getting our first "big boy seat" for our son, our two small compact cars really just don't cut it anymore. This would be going to my wife and will need 4wd or AWD for the winters up here.

13 Years ago I purchased the Nissan Altima used because it was on the consumer reports recommended "buy" list for used cars. I know nothing about vehicles mechanically, so I'm thinking of following this same logic and getting another off the list.

It amazes me what these dealers want money wise for some of these SUVs. Just wondering opinions on what people would recommend. What I have looked at so far:

'05 Jeep Grand Cherokee - Looked nice, 97k miles. Seemed expensive for miles/price.
'04/05 Chevy Trailblazers - Both drove very nicely, 1 owners, serviced at that dealership. But I've had too many friends with problems owning this vehicle. Wife fell in love with rearseat DVD and remote start on the '05. 76/81k miles respectively.
'04 Toyota Highlander - More like what I "think" I want. Is on the current Consumer Reports "buy" list but asterisked due to the recalls. 87k miles 1 owner bought and serviced at that dealership.
'05 Honda Pilot - Very roomy but clearly a used family vehicle. 85K miles and $15k. Needs tires, keys, speaker fixed.
'03 Mazda Tribute - 47k miles $10500. Lured in by the mileage, however the car has a "shimmy" at low speed and the idle seems to "bottom out" and nearly choke. Otherwise almost bought it.
'07 Saturn Vue. 70K Miles $12,500. This vehicle was spectacular. Private sale from my Mechanic's daughter. Well kept and loaded. Still has 30k miles left on the warranty. V6 AWD, really don't think I could ask for much more. Drove it for the weekend and the wife loves it. We have a winner.

As you can see, these are all older. I really want to cap this purchase at $15k MAX and this is what I'm seeing in that range thus far. Am I unreasonable to think I can get a decent deal in that price range? Am I also unreasonable to think that prices are going to sink again with gas at the price it is?

Thoughts.?

Gas currently $4.09

 

[vi edit]

You can get a lot of car for $15k. Are you paying straight cash or financing? Do you require AWD/4WD? Leather required? How much space do you really need/want?

 

[Turin39789]

a mid size car?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Based on what you listed, I would highly recommend an older Honda Pilot. For some reason, Honda decided to ruin the newer Pilots but the older one's will provide you with a better bang for your buck compared to the the Highlander. In terms of reliability for an older SUV, I wouldn't look American.

 

[TwiceOver]

You can get a lot of car for $15k. Are you paying straight cash or financing? Do you require AWD/4WD? Leather required? How much space do you really need/want?

AWD/4WD required. Tired of spending winters with only our tiny little cars. We looked at a few crossovers and a lot of them seemd to be no bigger than our compact cars only taller. Not looking for a massive Tahoe or Sequoia or anything. Absolutely can't stand leather. I don't know why people buy vehicles with that shit in there. This will be a straight cash purchase max of $15k. I have offered my '95 nissan in trade just so I don't have to deal with a private sale. I've been offered $800-$1000 for it which is about $800-$1000 more than I think it is worth after 17 years.

a mid size car?

Huh?

 

[TwiceOver]

Based on what you listed, I would highly recommend an older Honda Pilot. For some reason, Honda decided to ruin the newer Pilots but the older one's will provide you with a better bang for your buck compared to the the Highlander. In terms of reliability for an older SUV, I wouldn't look American.

Yup. I'm specifically trying to avoid US models.

 

[vi edit]

From a value standpoint, the Mecury Mountaineer/Ford Explorer are interesting options. Especially the Merc now that they are dead and use prices are tanked on them. With gas at $4+ a gallon SUV prices are going to drop like a rock again. Especially on full(er) size truck based ones.

You can get 2006-2008 model years with around 50k miles on them in your price range. The 4.0L V6 in them is a tank of a motor and will run 150k-200k miles with little work. There are a billion of them on the road so parts are pretty cheap. And they ride pretty nice for what they are.

If you can live with the size, I'd look at a Subaru Forester or Outback Wagon. 25+ MPG on the highway (which is a lot of money at $4+ a gallon) and they will drive through about anything. Plus they are easy to park and insurance is cheap on them.

 

[desy]

06/07 Saturn Vue, V6 Honda drivetrain same as in a Pilot or MDX and NA dead brand depreciation

 

[CrackRabbit]

Why not look at something smaller like a Ford Escape, or Nissan Rogue?

 

[Vic Vega]

Looking at finally ditching my faithful yet tiny '95 nissan altima in favor of an SUV for the wife. After getting our first "big boy seat" for our son, our two small compact cars really just don't cut it anymore. This would be going to my wife and will need 4wd or AWD for the winters up here.

13 Years ago I purchased the Nissan Altima used because it was on the consumer reports recommended "buy" list for used cars. I know nothing about vehicles mechanically, so I'm thinking of following this same logic and getting another off the list.

It amazes me what these dealers want money wise for some of these SUVs. Just wondering opinions on what people would recommend. What I have looked at so far:

'05 Jeep Grand Cherokee - Looked nice, 97k miles. Seemed expensive for miles/price.
'04/05 Chevy Trailblazers - Both drove very nicely, 1 owners, serviced at that dealership. But I've had too many friends with problems owning this vehicle. Wife fell in love with rearseat DVD and remote start on the '05. 76/81k miles respectively.
'04 Toyota Highlander - More like what I "think" I want. Is on the current Consumer Reports "buy" list but asterisked due to the recalls. 87k miles 1 owner bought and serviced at that dealership.
'?? Honda Pilot - I haven't gone to see this one yet, it is on the consumer reports buy list but I don't know any info on it. I think the dealer is waiting for the current owner to jump on a trade in.

As you can see, these are all older. I really want to cap this purchase at $15k MAX and this is what I'm seeing in that range thus far. Am I unreasonable to think I can get a decent deal in that price range? Am I also unreasonable to think that prices are going to sink again with gas at the price it is?

Thoughts.?

I have nothing against SUVs, I have a 4x4 midsize myself but there are cars out there to consider too, like an AWD Taurus. I've been looking at '08/09 Taurus AWDs for a few months. You can find them in the 15k range.

 

[TwiceOver]

06/07 Saturn Vue, V6 Honda drivetrain same as in a Pilot or MDX and NA dead brand depreciation

I'll keep that in mind. There was one '06 Saturn Vue that my wife liked. May have to take it out.

Why not look at something smaller like a Ford Escape, or Nissan Rogue?

Will do. We did look at one Ford Escape, but it was very small. No bigger than my current Nissan only 2 feet taller. I would love another Nissan, though their turn radius leaves something to be desired.

It seems that these small "Crossover" vehicles start life really small and then become larger in later models. Like the Rav4, that thing was smaller than compact when it started its life, and now would be considered "full size" in my book.

 

[TwiceOver]

I have nothing against SUVs, I have a 4x4 midsize myself but there are cars out there to consider too, like an AWD Taurus. I've been looking at '08/09 Taurus AWDs for a few months. You can find them in the 15k range.

Last year we had record snow fall. We need at least one tall vehicle, that would be this purchase. There were several days last winter where we couldn't go anywhere because of the snow. This would solve that issue for emergency.

 

[Vic Vega]

Check this out, it may change your mind. Ignore the stupid exhaust on the car, stock exhaust is quiet. That video was with all season tires... with snow tires I assume it would be better.

Not trying to sway you one way or the other, just to show that there are cars that do well in deep snow.

 

[TwiceOver]

Check this out, it may change your mind. Ignore the stupid exhaust on the car, stock exhaust is quiet. That video was with all season tires... with snow tires I assume it would be better.

Not trying to sway you one way or the other, just to show that there are cars that do well in deep snow.

I don't know if I would call that deep, but looks can be deceiving I guess. Still I could use something for hauling crap. It was embarrassing when we got our car seat and in the box it wouldn't fit in either of our cars.

 

[exar333]

Last year we had record snow fall. We need at least one tall vehicle, that would be this purchase. There were several days last winter where we couldn't go anywhere because of the snow. This would solve that issue for emergency.

Only if you get a vehicle with good ground clearance and snow tires. A small/medium SUV is not much more of an 'off-roader' than a mid-size car, really.

 

[TwiceOver]

Only if you get a vehicle with good ground clearance and snow tires. A small/medium SUV is not much more of an 'off-roader' than a mid-size car, really.

Don't plan on any off-roading, just getting around. Maybe for an experienced snow driver a mid-size car might be equal, but my wife is from Texas and has only been driving snow for a few years. Plus the added benefit of being able to haul things that generally don't fit into our two small cars right now.

Should be taking the Honda Pilot out for a test drive on my lunch.

 

[Bignate603]

Don't plan on any off-roading, just getting around. Maybe for an experienced snow driver a mid-size car might be equal, but my wife is from Texas and has only been driving snow for a few years. Plus the added benefit of being able to haul things that generally don't fit into our two small cars right now.

Should be taking the Honda Pilot out for a test drive on my lunch.

A midsized car with AWD and an SUV with AWD will handle similarly in the snow. It doesn't matter how experienced you are, it being an SUV will not suddenly make it handle better in the snow. In fact, a bigger heavier vehicle can be more difficult in the snow, you're trying to control more mass. The only thing that can be an advantage is the extra ground clearance which keeps you from plowing through really deep snow. However, many of the SUVs out there, especially the car based ones, just don't have that much clearance.

After a few decades of living in upstate NY my family has started to swear by subaru. They do better in the snow than almost anything else.

 

[nobb]

Im surprised there's no mention of the 4Runner or Pathfinder. Both excellent SUVs and very reliable. I've got a Pathfinder and love this thing.

 

[desy]

4runner and patthfinder are gas hogs, great for offroading due to ladder frame instead of unibody but compromise in ride quality which this guy says he's not going off pavement just needs to get around in snow.
The size is about right and quality vehicles but if you aren't towing or going off road why bother. . too many negatives

 

[TwiceOver]

Im surprised there's no mention of the 4Runner or Pathfinder. Both excellent SUVs and very reliable. I've got a Pathfinder and love this thing.

My mom owns a 4Runner and is thinking about upgrading. But she wants too much (no love for me I guess ). I'll keep both in mind though I haven't seen either available at this time.

Off to take the Pilot for a spin.

 

[Arkaign]

A midsized car with AWD and an SUV with AWD will handle similarly in the snow. It doesn't matter how experienced you are, it being an SUV will not suddenly make it handle better in the snow. In fact, a bigger heavier vehicle can be more difficult in the snow, you're trying to control more mass. The only thing that can be an advantage is the extra ground clearance which keeps you from plowing through really deep snow. However, many of the SUVs out there, especially the car based ones, just don't have that much clearance.

After a few decades of living in upstate NY my family has started to swear by subaru. They do better in the snow than almost anything else.

This.

It's either that or just get a really well-kept older Cherokee (not the 'Grand' Cherokee), and put the extra money in the bank, collecting interest, in case you should run into the need for some major repair. The 4.0L motor is pretty reliable though. Once you put the right tires on there, it's gonna be one of the last things on the road to get stuck, and while they're not huge, it'd be hard to justify much bigger for a couple and a child.

 

[slag]

From a value standpoint, the Mecury Mountaineer/Ford Explorer are interesting options. Especially the Merc now that they are dead and use prices are tanked on them. With gas at $4+ a gallon SUV prices are going to drop like a rock again. Especially on full(er) size truck based ones.

You can get 2006-2008 model years with around 50k miles on them in your price range. The 4.0L V6 in them is a tank of a motor and will run 150k-200k miles with little work. There are a billion of them on the road so parts are pretty cheap. And they ride pretty nice for what they are.

If you can live with the size, I'd look at a Subaru Forester or Outback Wagon. 25+ MPG on the highway (which is a lot of money at $4+ a gallon) and they will drive through about anything. Plus they are easy to park and insurance is cheap on them.

Yeah, we love our 2006 Explorer. 4 liter engine, flawless so far at 86k miles, no problems with the transmission either or anything else for that matter except a wheel bearing covered under extended warranty. We get around 17 mpg which isn't stellar, but it is a 4wd vehicle. We can also tow our boat with it and it is very very good in winter snow and mud. Once the company decides to ditch it, I'll probably snatch it up. Worst thing about this vehicle is the door handles. Also, it rides really good at 86k miles.

 

[TwiceOver]

Just got back from driving the '05 Honda Pilot. Wow, thing is huge. Drove great took it out on the highway for about a half hour then around town for another 45 minutes. Very roomy but clearly a used family vehicle. Needs tires, which I'm sure I can work into the price. 85K miles and 12k with my trade. Not a bad vehicle, almost too big.

And for reference, I don't live in a large city. There's 2 major dealerships and a handfull of small places. Selection isn't great in the used SUV market. But I have plenty of time to wait.

 

[amish]

i bought a used 2007 grand cherokee after i got tired of my civic not even making it out of my driveway. i bought it to haul 2 dogs and a kid, go off road every once in a while, and to pull a boat if i needed it to. looking back on it, the fucker is overkill. don't get me wrong, i love the vehicle. but if i had a chance to change my search parameters i would have included a subaru in the mix.

a subie would get better mileage by far, have an easy time doing the "off roading" that i've done so far, and i haven't needed to pull anything besides a small trailer.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Just because I see it listed in there - I have a Trailblazer (an 02) they are good trucks, tho with a few quirks sometimes. You have to keep up with transfer case fluid changes at proper intervals (every 50k miles) and the throttle body does tend to get gummy which needs cleaned every so often. Good news on that is I don't care how mechanically disinclined you are, it is easy to clean yourself

I got my 02 with 112k miles on it last September. it now has over 135k on it and the only thing that I've had to do to it other than typical maintenance/wear items that needed done (ball joints were worn when I got it for example) is the O2 sensor blew out on me shortly after I bought it. I have a list of things I need to do to it now however several are just wear items (shocks for example) and I have some rust I need to take care of. The 4x4 was awesome this past winter.

My 02 gets ok mpg (I'm averaging 18-19 with mixed driving, does 21 sometimes a little over on the highway at 70). Unfortunately, the mpg drops a notch on the newer ones because of stricter emissions requirements.