Need to buy an SUV, need opinions...

brandyla78

We recently bought a 2008 Saturn Outlook. 7 passenger, but you can get it with a bench in the middle to make it 8. LOVE IT! It doesn't have a ton of storage space in the "trunk" though. I have 3 kids: 14, 10 & 7. All play baseball/softball. 3 bat bags is tight. Other than that, I wish we had upgraded from a mini van about 3 years ago! :-)

I seriously hope you have better luck than we did with ours...it was loaded, totally top of the line...yeah but a piece of crap...I kid you not before I made the first payment we had to have it worked on. First time was the brakes, then the sunroof drains were messed up and it leaked all in my headliner and onto the floor, had to have the transmission rebuilt, the steering sensors and something else with the steering column, mpg went down to 14 but they couldn't figure out why and the list goes on..I kept it less than 2 years and was constantly in the shop with it. We kept it serviced AT the dealer, on time every time so it wasn't that. Also have a cousin that had one with nothing but problems. Not just those but '08 - '10 (I believe that was the dates they gave me when I traded it in and they reviewed the work that had been done) Acadia's, Enclaves and Traverses have transmission issues too so beware!

SugarBaby71

Love Love Love my 06 Nissan Pathfinder. Not fantastic fuel economy, but not worse than a minivan. Excellent 4x4, and that 3rd row seating that you need. When the 3rd row is folded down there's tons of cargo space. I love it so much I will never get rid of it. It also is a great tow vehicle for our 21' trailer.
ALSO the service at Nissan has been really good. There have been a couple of recalls -kind of big. (transmission and fuel gauge sensor) but they were quick and easy to deal with.

summersbest

Toyota RAV4. Absolutely love mine. Minimal maintenance and very good mileage for an SUV. My sister had a Honda Pilot and loved hers. Can't go wrong with either, especially if you buy one used. ~

Wen37

I love my Toyota 4runner. It has 3rd row and drives great. Plus gets 22 miles per gallon city.

Rosplosion

I am currently OBSESSED with the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Limited (and more expensive versions) have a diesel option which I am pretty stuck on. BUT they cost about 15K more than I want to spend. And for you OP they don't have 3rd row seating and about 10k out of your price range. I'm helpful, huh?

Hornsby

Well, not a SUV, but just as functional. VW Jetta Sportswagen TDI

You get SUV storage, and great fuel economy.

I don't think there are really that many people that actually "need" an SUV. It's an american thing.

3 kids dude. I need an SUV. A jettasportswagon seems like a chick car. A decidedly un-American thing.

This is funny. Not criticizing, but was raised in a Toyota Corona. Whole family. Beach, amusement parks, school, sports. All of it. Our "needs" crack me up. I can only say this because I recently downsized and I'm loving it. Everything still fits, it's just a tad more s scrunchy.

It makes me laugh, too. It's funny how Americans seem to think they need big. I wonder how the rest of the world get by? I think it's just a product of marketing and how everyone now seems to believe that bigger = safer. Then you have the people that think they need bigger cars for snow. That's another laughable comment.

Chic car or not, a Sportswagen has more interior volume than most of the small and midsized SUVs on the market, all while getting 40+ MPG on diesel fuel. For me a car is a tool. Not a status symbol.

If I were in the market for an SUV right now, I would be waiting to see what diesel offerings are available in the next couple years.

Hornsby

I am currently OBSESSED with the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Limited (and more expensive versions) have a diesel option which I am pretty stuck on. BUT they cost about 15K more than I want to spend. And for you OP they don't have 3rd row seating and about 10k out of your price range. I'm helpful, huh?

Pretty excited to see this and test drive it when it is available locally. Have been following for a long time. Hopefully they don't screw it up like they did the Liberty diesel.

hbrittingham

Well, not a SUV, but just as functional. VW Jetta Sportswagen TDI

You get SUV storage, and great fuel economy.

I don't think there are really that many people that actually "need" an SUV. It's an american thing.

3 kids dude. I need an SUV. A jettasportswagon seems like a chick car. A decidedly un-American thing.

This is funny. Not criticizing, but was raised in a Toyota Corona. Whole family. Beach, amusement parks, school, sports. All of it. Our "needs" crack me up. I can only say this because I recently downsized and I'm loving it. Everything still fits, it's just a tad more s scrunchy.

I took my driver's test in a Corona. I think they only made them for a year or two. Our second car at the time was a Rabbit diesel.

I recommend the Highlander for the space. I am driving one right now and like it fine, but it's a bit too big for me, I'm not terribly tall and feel like I am tiny when I am driving it. I am hoping to get a Venza this weekend.

doronajay

My wife drives a Mazda CX-9 and it is honestly the best car I've ever owned. Mazda did well with the CX line.

Definitely agree with this. And it is well within the price range OP mentioned.

Lone_Wolf70

looks like the Chevy Tahoe is the winner.

indyducks

Tahoe or Suburban, IMO. Or anything American that's comparable, at least.

Any reason you would say that?

You do understand that some foreign imports are more American than some American branded vehicles, right? In other words, certain very large American brands import more than they make, and some import brands, build and assemble more in America than they import. Funny, eh? So, the American bravado is pretty old and tired, and has nothing to do with real world economics.

You are exactly correct. I don't know if it is still true, but a few years ago, a study revealed that the ONLY car that was entirely built in the US was the Honda Accord.

I live in Indiana, and Toyota and Honda both have huge operations here and have added thousands of jobs over the last few years.

DopeItUp

Tahoe or Suburban, IMO. Or anything American that's comparable, at least.

Any reason you would say that?

You do understand that some foreign imports are more American than some American branded vehicles, right? In other words, certain very large American brands import more than they make, and some import brands, build and assemble more in America than they import. Funny, eh? So, the American bravado is pretty old and tired, and has nothing to do with real world economics.

Yes, an american car might be built in mexico or canada but where does the money go? Back to the american company. And where do you think the money goes from the foreign manufacturers?

Anyway, kind of a moot point, he went with the tahoe which was the pretty obvious pick for his needs.

Laces_0ut

the clear choice is...

Can you name the truck with four wheel drive,
smells like a steak and seats thirty-five..

Canyonero! Canyonero!

Well, it goes real slow with the hammer down,
It's the country-fried truck endorsed by a clown!

Canyonero! (Yah!) Canyonero!

The Federal Highway comission has ruled the
Canyonero unsafe for highway or city driving.

Canyonero!

12 yards long, 2 lanes wide,
65 tons of American Pride!

Canyonero! Canyonero!

Top of the line in utility sports,
Unexplained fires are a matter for the courts!

Canyonero! Canyonero! (Yah!)

She blinds everybody with her super high beams,
She's a squirrel crushing, deer smacking, driving machine!

Canyonero!-oh woah, Canyonero! (Yah!)

Drive Canyonero!

Woah Canyonero!

Woah!