Looking at the following. Please let me know what you know or heard about these things.

Looking basically at 08 with ~20k in price depending on how the dealership bends the price.

Dodge Nitro
Mazda Tribute
Ford Escape
Toyota Rav4
Jeep Liberty, Compase, Patriot

Feel free to offer more options if ya got em.

5/13/2008 4:18:53 PM

CRV

5/13/2008 4:36:11 PM

how much is an 08 highlander? being a female, if you're talking about a compact SUV, i'd much rather have that over any of the others, or well as a crv bc the new ones aren't so ugly anymore. not that any of that matters mechanically, but it will matter to her

5/13/2008 4:40:48 PM

^The Highlander is anything but a compact. freggin thing is huge.

Subaru Impreza. Has AWD and does everything else those SUVs can do as well or better.

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 4:43 PM. Reason : k]

5/13/2008 4:42:43 PM

great, another woman driving a SUV. Just what we need

5/13/2008 4:45:39 PM

It should read Dodge Nitro/Jeep Liberty, since they are the same and then the Compass/Patriot since those are the same. Same with the Tribute/Escape.

CR-V for a cute-ute.

caliber awd if you want cheap and awd and hatch, but not much else.

impreza is a very good option as well for something more car-like than the caliber or a cute-ute.

5/13/2008 4:47:20 PM

highlander is NOT huge. have you been in one?

^^ are you serious?

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 4:48 PM. Reason : ^]

5/13/2008 4:47:50 PM

why an SUV? why not a car?

5/13/2008 4:49:22 PM

Quote :

"Subaru Impreza. Has AWD and does everything else those SUVs can do as well or better."

or a forester

5/13/2008 4:53:23 PM

I always throw this out, but why not a volvo wagon. Better mpg, typically more cubic space, handling etc.

5/13/2008 4:53:33 PM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FpX6BymxViU&feature=related

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 4:57 PM. Reason : funnier]

5/13/2008 4:55:10 PM

^^ yeah, wagons are cool too, if you need the space

5/13/2008 5:03:57 PM

ford escape hybrid

5/13/2008 5:17:10 PM

if, like most women, she only wants it because she insists on being up in the air, get her a crv or escape hybrid.

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 5:33 PM. Reason : d]

5/13/2008 5:30:25 PM

i can't imagine spending $20k on any of those piece of shit cars in the original post. i also can't imagine driving an SUV or truck of any sort unless i had a legitimate purpose for doing so. even then, the car-based SUVs rarely serve any purpose whatsoever, in my mind.


you could get a nice BMW or Mercedes car or wagon for that price or less. Hell, you could get a Subaru wagon for less than that, too.

Or if you really want an Escape or something for some reason, why on Earth would you get an '08 model when you could get one a few years old for WAY less money?

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 5:34 PM. Reason : ^ or tell her that's stupid and is hardly a justification for buying a car like that.]

5/13/2008 5:33:59 PM

CRV does not equal shit.

5/13/2008 5:43:00 PM

get a evo

imagine taking the kids to grandmas and pulling up in that rice bucket, rofl

5/13/2008 5:52:06 PM

Nissan Rogue

Cutest of them all (important, as we are talking about the old lady here).

5/13/2008 5:53:39 PM

Quote :

"highlander is NOT huge. have you been in one?"

Yeah, b/c a 3880lb curb weight is next to nothing. Seriously???

Quote :

"I always throw this out, but why not a volvo wagon. Better mpg, typically more cubic space, handling etc."

I didn't suggest this, or a Forester, or a Legacy wagon b/c they're all over $20k. Now if you look used then sure no problem.

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 6:20 PM. Reason : k]

5/13/2008 6:18:02 PM

Theyota Matrixz

5/13/2008 6:20:16 PM

^^ pat you seem to forget mcangel1218 drives an escalade.


BEU: Figure out what you want and how much they are selling for, let me know how much you really want to spend, and I will see if I can work something out for you. I have wholesale connections across the country and can can get nearly anything you want, including some '08 models if you want new.cj

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 6:32 PM. Reason : back when we were looking at highlanders, they were smaller]

5/13/2008 6:26:26 PM

yeah a highlander is bigger compared to the ones in this thread.

and it is WELL out of the price range.

RAV4 is where it's at.

btw, looked on http://www.toyota.com , and the curb weights are:

highlander: 3979-4321 (upto 4641 if you include the hybrid model)
rav4: 3300-3675

5/13/2008 6:29:46 PM

RAV4 is comparable to the CRV if I am not mistaken. My mom has a new CRV, with nav, backup camera, all the goodies and she likes it other than for its lack of power.

5/13/2008 6:31:30 PM

yeah RAV4 is the CR-V competitor.

except that for a year now, RAV4 has been offered with the optional 3.5 litre V6 producing 268 hp (from Camry, Avalon, Highlander, etc). CR-V has no optional engine.

268 is a lot of hp in a small SUV like that. the 2.4 litre 4-cyl engine produces 166 hp, which is identical to the CR-V.

5/13/2008 6:40:45 PM

I got a volvo v70 with 70k miles on it a few months back, used volvo wagons are the best deal going for fuel economy, cargo capacity and safety.

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 6:48 PM. Reason : also, paid less than half of what you are looking to spend and have been averaging 28 MPG overall]

5/13/2008 6:47:15 PM

i agree with mcangel1218 on this. get a highlander. great vehicles. i would recommend buying an '06-'07 so the previous owner took the depreciation hit.

5/13/2008 6:48:25 PM

Its basically a lifted Camry, so you can't find a fault.

5/13/2008 6:49:42 PM

Quote :

"i would recommend buying an '06-'07 so the previous owner took the depreciation hit."

Well he would have to, unless he raises his bar to at least 28,000, which is what the base Highlander costs.

OK, what would you choose between the following 2:

Highlander
FJ Cruiser

?

FJ Cruiser is $5k less than the Highlander, and just a grand more than the 4-cylinder RAV4.

to the OP, here is one more:

Toyota FJ Cruiser

I still say go for the Nissan Rogue. Or if you have the dough, go for the Murano, which starts at 26,000.

5/13/2008 6:57:24 PM

Quote :

"I got a volvo v70 with 70k miles on it a few months back, used volvo wagons are the best deal going for fuel economy, cargo capacity and safety. "

How much have you spent on repair or maintenance so far? What year is it and has the 600 dollar throttle body recall been done yet?

What I am saying, as a mechanic who sees a lot of problematic european cars, is- no volvos unless you have the disposable income to spend on keeping them up. Lots of people would rather buy a regular car, and see their mechanic less.

5/13/2008 6:58:13 PM

BEU, if you can afford $25k, I can put your wife in a RX330 thats only a couple years old.
Or a '03 for your $20k. I offer warranties too. Dont go to some cheezy dodge dealer and let them make 7 grand off of you while all your wife gets is a crappy mini-ute.

5/13/2008 7:04:41 PM

my parents have had a volvo wagon continuously since 1984, however since the mid 90s they've been leasing.

5/13/2008 7:06:08 PM

Nothing broken so far, my last volvo ended up averaging around 500-600 a year in repairs/maintenance for the 5 years i had it

Also, if you only spend like 8k versus 20k, that 12k savings sure does pay for quite a few repairs

5/13/2008 7:12:05 PM

^ I second that. I drove a Volvo 240 to over 250k miles. Plus we have had two 740's, one 850, two v70's. And my little sis just bought a C70. None were bought new, most about 3 years old. I would say average repairs are in line with other cars. Overall very dependable vehicles which is why we keep coming back.

5/13/2008 7:41:33 PM

Quote :

"Volvo 240 "

those are imo the best ones made

5/13/2008 8:54:23 PM

So she goes out and already bought a Mazda Tribute....

This is the last time I ever leave her to her own devices.

5/13/2008 9:18:19 PM

oh wow

/fail

5/13/2008 9:24:46 PM

Well if it's a new one, at least it's the next generation of Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute.

Ford's been getting a little better each generation in terms of quality, it seems, if I can use the ford company cars my dad has been getting as an example.

They're doing a better job at making rock-hard plastic interiors, for sure.

5/13/2008 9:29:38 PM

hahahaha WTF?

does she frequently make big technical purchases without consulting others/you?

5/13/2008 9:42:12 PM

The Tribute/Escape is worthless for the rear seats. No room from my experience. its beyond me why they have Escape hybrid cabs in NYC. So pointless.

5/13/2008 10:10:55 PM

watch it depreciate eleventy billion percent in 2 years.

5/13/2008 10:21:00 PM

How about a used subaru wagon?

hell, I'm seriously looking at one for myself.

5/13/2008 10:32:56 PM

hopefully you two keep your finances seperate

5/14/2008 12:26:02 AM

what duke said. get her a car. i dont need any more damn huge suvs and trucks blocking all view of the traffic down the lane in front of me and "parking" in compact spaces in parking decks.

5/15/2008 9:16:29 AM

I really don't understand what people have against wagons. Its beyond me.

Personally I'd look for a used Audi A3 2.0T Quattro. Pimp ride!

5/15/2008 12:41:18 PM

Wagons are for bitches and faggots.

Are you a bitch or a faggot?

Perhaps you are a bitch faggot.

5/15/2008 2:18:44 PM

lol

5/15/2008 2:28:40 PM

Quote :

"its beyond me why they have Escape hybrid cabs in NYC. So pointless."

b/c NYC requires cabs to have great gas mileage and cab companies want tax breaks now!

5/15/2008 2:37:41 PM

^your answer makes little sense when:

there are Civic Hybrids, Altima hybrids, Camry hybirds, and Highlander hybrids that are all being used as taxis in NYC. Every single one of those has more interior space for humans.

5/15/2008 2:40:26 PM

stupidity? that's my final answer.

5/15/2008 3:19:45 PM

They've got the hybrid Escapes because it's a good PR move in a city that has a bunch of pro-American sentiment to buy up a bunch of the first readily available American-made hybrid vehicles that can hold passengers. Doesn't matter if they're comfortable or not, they just wanna make sure their customers know they aren't riding any Japanese wangs when it comes to their choices for buying cars.

That's my theory, anyway. Could be the ford motor company just gave them away for what was almost $free, in order to boost the image of the car in what may be a large market for them.

5/16/2008 10:01:09 PM