Wife has a 2014 Ford Edge now (company car we can use for personal). We've got 2 dogs, and are expecting a kid in Dec. Obviously, that car is not enough space for all of that plus luggage etc without exterior storage. We go home once a month to visit (3hr ride), and will be taking trips etc in the future.

I immediately thought Jeep Wrangler 4 door since I want a Jeep, and I'd rather spend $30K on this than a Tahoe or something like that. However, the Jeep is nearly the same interior room as the Edge.

I'm not buying a Mini-Van, if you suggest that I'll crawl through this computer and strangle you.

My second thought is a used Tahoe or Yukon. Good room, truck frame, towing, comfortable, power, etc, however to stay under $30K for a decently equipped one you have to step back to a 2008/9/10 with 50-75K miles.

What other options out there would you suggest? We need 4x4, and room for the dogs and kid/luggage etc. Other than that I'm pretty open. Honda Pilot? Ford Explorer?

[Edited on July 20, 2015 at 9:54 AM. Reason : .]

7/20/2015 9:53:45 AM

you mentioned not wanting exterior storage as a reason to upgrade, then highlight towing capability. do you plan on towing?

i loved my minivan for all the shit i could fit in it and it only cost me $500

a super cheap van for those rareish trips trips to augment an otherwise new and free vehicle seems ideal

7/20/2015 10:35:50 AM

Pilot
Acadia/Traverse
4runner

7/20/2015 10:49:59 AM

5th gen 4Runner

comfortable, looks good, lots of room inside, drives well, capable 4wd and the 5th gen actually gets decent mileage for it's size

[Edited on July 20, 2015 at 11:01 AM. Reason : .]

7/20/2015 10:58:07 AM

none of the suggestions made outside of his post are significantly bigger...

hell the new explorer is the obvious next size up and it's bigger than all those mentioned.

Any thoughts on a ecoboost flex? I've been wanting to drive one.

yes the edge and the jeep are probably very similar in interior size. I love mine... but i'ts not big.

i think you're in the right ballpark with the tahoe/yukon if you're actually going off road with it.

Looks like expeditions are in the same ballpark as the tahoe/yukon just i don't feel ass offroad capable...

7/20/2015 11:08:44 AM

The 3rd row seats in the Explorer eat a lot of room, the 4Runner without 3rd row probably has more cargo capacity

7/20/2015 11:25:12 AM

This shouldn't be too difficult. The Edge doesn't have a very efficient interior space design.

7/20/2015 12:59:22 PM

this shouldn't be too hard unless you want to spend more

message_topic.aspx?topic=371372&page=28

7/20/2015 2:08:34 PM

Dtown i really felt like the 4 runner had about the same interior space than my JK unlimited did... if you think that's significant enough size increase then jeep it up brotha man. Otherwise i'd go some sort of full size...

I do feel the exploder is bigger but does it have to have 3rd row seats? Technically its on the same chassis as the flex which felt like a slammed suburban to me but i've never been in the explorer.


Is the 4x4 for snow, beach or actual off-roading trails ?

7/20/2015 2:50:08 PM

the 5th gen? the 5th gen is a lot bigger than the 4th gen.

we own an explorer, it's bloated and has large exterior dimensions but there isn't actually much cargo room. i don't think it's available without 3rd row. it was okay when the wife occasionally needed to carry people and wanted an SUV, but we plan on trading it in possible for a 4Runner.

EDIT:
I was curious and looked it up

4Runner:
CARGO CAPACITY, ALL SEATS IN PLACE 47.2 cu.ft. (not sure if this is with the optional 3rd row)
MAXIMUM CARGO CAPACITY 89.7 cu.ft.

FRONT HEAD ROOM 39.3 in.	FRONT HIP ROOM 56.5 in.
FRONT LEG ROOM 41.7 in.	FRONT SHOULDER ROOM 57.8 in.
REAR HIP ROOM 55.7 in.	REAR HEAD ROOM 38.6 in.
REAR LEG ROOM 32.9 in.	REAR SHOULDER ROOM 57.8 in.

FRONT HEAD ROOM 41.4 in.	FRONT HIP ROOM 57.3 in.
FRONT LEG ROOM 43.1 in.	FRONT SHOULDER ROOM 61.3 in.
REAR HIP ROOM 56.7 in.	REAR HEAD ROOM 40.5 in.
REAR LEG ROOM 39.8 in.	REAR SHOULDER ROOM 61.0 in.

FRONT HEAD ROOM 42.8 in.	FRONT HIP ROOM 60.8 in.
FRONT LEG ROOM 45.3 in.	FRONT SHOULDER ROOM 64.8 in.
REAR HIP ROOM 60.3 in.	REAR HEAD ROOM 38.7 in.
REAR LEG ROOM 39.0 in.	REAR SHOULDER ROOM 65.1 in.

7/20/2015 3:15:12 PM

I need towing for a boat or trailer once in a while, 4x4 for snow/beach/*light* trails. We go to some mountain trails once in a while, honestly we've done them in my Jetta 1.8T but a 4x4 would be more legit.

The Edge really isnt the best design for space. Thats why I still cling to the Jeep, I think its a much more efficient design inside, so makes better use of the space. Now if I had a Jeep I'd do much more offroading.

I like the 5th gen 4 Runner, but I feel like the interior space isnt larger enough to warrant spending $30K. If I'm going to spend that money, it needs to be a good bit larger than the edge, or else I'd just buy a Jeep.

Dont want exterior storage unless I have to. Dont really want to resort to a hitch carrier to cram all our shit in all the time unless we need to.

Wife has the best idea, she wants a Tahoe and says for me to get a $10K Jeep. I just hate to spend/finance nearly $30K on a 6+ year old Chevrolet.

[Edited on July 20, 2015 at 3:31 PM. Reason : .]

7/20/2015 3:30:02 PM

Do you need the extra towing the Tahoe can do as opposed to the Traverse? If not I'd go with the Traverse. I think it actually has more interior storage.

7/21/2015 7:14:53 AM

FYI the Traverse is really just a minivan without the sliding doors.

7/21/2015 8:14:57 AM

Pretty much every midsized SUV is just a sedan or minivan without the sliding doors.

If you don't want a van or wagon, want more interior room, AWD, a little more ride height and ground clearance, and moderate towing why is that a bad thing? If you need to tow 8,000 lbs then a truck-based is better but not everyone needs that.

7/21/2015 10:22:09 AM

i just can't get over getting rid of a FREE vehicle that works 90+% of the time to drop 30k on one that works 100% of the time. buy something cheap and used for that time where what you already have doesn't work. you got 5 acres to park it on

7/21/2015 11:34:57 AM

^^Absolutely agree that most SUV/CUVs are glorified minivans. However, the discussion on this thread has mostly been about Jeeps and 4Runners, which are actually "real" SUVs/trucks. Not some pansy ass shit with less ground clearance than a Subaru Outback.

7/21/2015 1:01:07 PM

Traverse may be a good option, but I just cant get over riding in a large SUV that is a glorified minivan. I like truck based chassis or *real* 4x4 vehicles for whatever reason, as silly as that is.

^^She's not going to be in this job much longer we feel. We'd have the option to buy it when she leaves for pretty cheap, but Its just not a solution that works for us.

[Edited on July 21, 2015 at 3:42 PM. Reason : Even though I know the Pilot is not a real 4x4, but Hondas get a pass. Hondas are nice.]

7/21/2015 3:27:11 PM

Maybe you should look at Expeditions. They depreciate faster than Tahoes plus she's already had a Ford. I'm not a fan, but still. FWIW, I've had a Suburban and 100 series Land Cruiser. I wouldn't recommend the Suburban - too expensive for what they are and poor build quality.

I'd completely recommend a clean 100 series or maybe even a 200 series Land Cruiser if you can find the latter in that price range. The 100 series will have poor gas mileage, high mileage, but will never break and will retain value better than most. My wife loved the way mine drove and it was the perfect size.


http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/default.html?id=12096279&AVi=0&No=0&Rp=R&D=60&zip=28227&ASTc=land%20cruiser&Q=49539054-aed8-4562-a2a6-238c3ce2d171&Ep=search:results:results%20page

7/21/2015 3:46:48 PM

Thats a great idea, I was thinking 2006/2007 Sequioa (sp?) but Land Cruiser is so much nicer looking.



[Edited on July 21, 2015 at 4:46 PM. Reason : Sheesh, 112K and still $30K? Nice vehicle but damn.]

7/21/2015 4:38:32 PM

Fuck yeah I fully support those chooses.

Ducking awesome not sure how I forgot them.

Had a friend with a lx470 has 250k on looks/ runs new.

7/21/2015 6:36:11 PM

tahoe for sure.

7/21/2015 6:37:54 PM

If you end up going with the Land Cruiser you'll really like having that carpeted split tailgate for changing diapers. I personally like the looks of the Land Cruiser over the Lexus LX470 but they're essentially the same car and go used for about the same money.

If it's for your wife, and if you're the kind of guy (like me) who would rather just have his wife's car serviced by the dealer from time to time, I'd recommend the Lexus. Their customer service is excellent and they'll give you a loaner every time no questions asked. It makes life so much easier when dealing with spouses.

7/21/2015 9:54:41 PM

solid front axle for daily driving? no thanks

7/21/2015 10:05:17 PM

I didn't suggest a Land Cruiser; figured they'd be out of his price range for the mileage.

7/22/2015 8:12:04 AM

what about a touraeg?

7/22/2015 9:09:15 AM

you do not want to pay for maintenance on a touraeg, it's also not very big

7/22/2015 10:56:26 AM

Quote :

"Pretty much every midsized SUV is just a sedan or minivan without the sliding doors. If you don't want a van or wagon, want more interior room, AWD, a little more ride height and ground clearance, and moderate towing why is that a bad thing? If you need to tow 8,000 lbs then a truck-based is better but not everyone needs that."

Eh there's a reason crossovers are taking over SUV sales very rapidly. Something like a Jeep Cherokee or Subaru Outback limited editions are pretty great off road vehicles and get good gas mileage, a better road ride, and safer than a frame on body SUV. I've taken my Outback on jeep roads I've seen Suburbans and other "SUVS" get stuck in (usually due to bad tires though).

For towing it makes sense to get a bigger truck/suv though. With that being said I'm considering ditching the Outback for an Xterra or 4Runner because they're better off road and that's mainly what I use my car for on the weekends as I don't drive during the week. Half my driving more often than not on the weekends is on a jeep or fire road.

7/22/2015 1:04:31 PM

"Real" SUV or not, I'm a fan of the Flex. It looks kind of like a super-wagon and that's fine with me. Plus it's square and a little retro. But it doesn't sound like that's what you're looking for.

Just to throw out another option--I know there's a lot of NMSJ sentiment here--but what about an Armada/QX? Those things are pretty huge. And the QX is really beautifully finished inside.

7/24/2015 2:22:25 AM

I don't think anyone i5 claiming that the Edge i5 an 5UV

(fucking "5" button broke on thi5 damn keyboard!)

7/24/2015 8:22:14 AM

The Flex did seem like a glorified mini-van to me but it was a nice driving experience. The interior wasn't bad. Ford has come a long way in the last 10 years.

7/24/2015 10:49:24 AM

it pretty much is... i mean it's on a taurus chassis and has 3 row seating.

but then there is ecoboost v6

7/24/2015 12:01:08 PM

^^^^My dad bought a new QX56 in 2008, was like $60K iirc. That thing was a powerful, comfortable, beautiful pile of shit.

All the time sensors were going out, HVAC controls up front failed more than once, BOTH exhaust manifolds cracked, brakes had to be replaced due to severe damage twice, rattles etc.

Gigantic pile of crap, sold it for $15K in 2014 with 135K on it.

7/24/2015 9:42:06 PM